Her gaze jumps to me, then back to him. “You’re really big.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says simply. “I won’t come close unless you give permission.”
She studies him, then nods. “You can set it on the table. I’ll take it when you leave.”
He moves slowly, to avoid startling her. By the time we leave, she’s thanking him and asking if we’re going to be her regular delivery drivers.
“How do you handle that?” I whisper.
In the truck, he relaxes. “You get used to it,” he says. “People are individuals and respond to things differently.”
We’re at it all day, but there is something about this job that speaks to me. Maybe it’s the opportunity to help sick people. The sun is lower in the sky by the time we finish. The truck feels lighter without all the meds we packed in there earlier today.
Bear pulls into the lot and shuts the engine off, then we sit for a moment.
“You did good today, Natalie,” he says.
I smile at him. Praise is easier to accept when I feel like I actually did a reasonably good job. “I like this job.”
“Maybe tomorrow you can start driving the route. Rick was dealing with the mandatory screening side of things today. It’s just a formality, we’ve got a man at Las Salinas PD who should be able to speed things up.”
Pride surges in my chest, because he wouldn’t be giving me more responsibility if he didn’t think I could handle it. “I’ll look forward to it.”
He opens the door, then looks back at me. “This work is important. It saves lives, you know?”
And so do you, I think to myself. He also gives his customers support, conversation, and reassurance, things money can’t buy. And the kicker is, he doesn’t seem to realize all the ways he contributes to their lives.
But instead of saying that, because I know this big gentle man would be embarrassed at such praise, I say, “I know. It’s one of the reasons I want to do it.”
Something shifts in his expression. It feels like we’re on the same page.
As we head back towards the clubhouse, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I don’t check it because I already know what the text message will say.
“You ready for some dinner?” he asks. “Rick should be off gate duty in ten minutes or so.”
“Yeah, running around works up an appetite.”
Heads turn to look at us when we walk through the door to the clubhouse and then quickly get back to whatever they were doing. I’m still new enough to catch their interest. Bear walks half a step ahead of me, not leading, but not leaving me behind either. People greet him as we pass. He answers each one, good-naturedly. Even I can see that he’s in his element at the Savage Legion clubhouse.
Bear stops near the bar and murmurs something to one of the older members. “Grab a table,” he tells me. “I’ll be right there.”
I pick one near the wall and sit with a thud. I’ve not had a chance to get a drink yet when one of the club girls meanders over to me. She slides into the empty chair across from me like she’s been invited.
She’s pretty in her own way. She’s got perfect hair and is wearing a cutoff tank top that screams for attention from every brother in the room.
I can’t say I like the way her eyes skim over me.
“So,” she says, giving me a sly smile. “So, you’re with Bear?”
I give my head a little shake. “I’m actually Rick’s sister.”
Her smile tightens. “Didn’t know he had one.”
“Neither did he,” I shoot back.
She leans back, crossing her arms. “You planning to stick around here for a while?”
“Of course. I’ve got family here. And I work with MedEx. My whole life is here.”
