Don’t overexplain.“I did.”
He studies me, and I can practically hear the cogs in his brain spinning. “Thought you were a lifer, Isla.”
Don’t overexplain.And yet, words spill out anyway. “Being a lifer is only an accomplishment if you’re a man.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Smoke asks.
“There’s a huge double standard. What makes you a badass for staying in the club makes me…” I catch myself overexplaining and stop.
He places his hands on the counter. “Makes you what?”
I take a step back, avoiding my chair, so I don’t trip and embarrass myself even more. “Never mind. Yes. I’ve left. Yes, Inow work here. And I promise you we’ll look after Bones. If you want to go back there to be with him, you can.”
He doesn’t budge for a second, but then he nods slowly and follows Noah and Bones into the exam room.
The moment the door shuts, my lungs seize, and I press a fist to my chest.
I grab my phone and make a quick call.
“Geez, babe,” Karlie says, her voice rough. “I’ve been in bed for three hours. What’s up?”
“Can you meet me for lunch?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Karlie chooses a dive bar two blocks away, one with sticky tables and fried food that is cheap but tastes great. She’s already there when I arrive, her long wavy hair spilling over a low-cut tank top.
“You must be freezing,” I say, hugging my friend.
“God, you leave the club for a hot second, and you’re suddenly the mom fashion police.”
I nudge her back to her seat playfully. “Shut up.”
“So, what happened that requires greasy food? And I ordered you a lemonade, seeing as you’re working. You’re welcome.”
“Thank you.” I take a sip of the zesty and cold drink. “Smoke came into the vet with Quinn’s dog.”
“Urgh, Quinn,” Karlie says, rolling her eyes. “So desperate to hook up with her sister’s ex.”
Once upon a time, I would have joined in the bitching. But it’s hard to see the wrong in Quinn anymore. She went through a lot, has become a capable businesswoman, running her own bakery, and is now happily married to a man she loves.
I wonder how I turned that into a crime in my own head.
“They’re married. I’d say they’re long past the hooking-up stage.”
Karlie grins. “Yeah. But bikers rarely stay faithful, let alone married.”
“Anyway, he stared at me. Nothing inappropriate. Just like he expected me to be the same as before.”
She shrugs. “Why wouldn’t he? You kinda disappeared. No warning. One day, you’re at every party; the next day, you vanished. Jackal asked about you. Like, yesterday.”
My heart stumbles. “Jackal was asking?”
“Just how you were and had any of us spoken to you recently. Sounded like he was concerned.” She gestures to my scrub top. “Although, I can see why this version of you is throwing them all off. At least cinch the waist of that thing or something. It’s like a turquoise nightmare.”
I glance down at my outfit. “It’s my uniform for work; it’s not a fashion parade. And I guess you should know, Jackal and Shade are now my neighbors.” A flush creeps up my cheeks. “I didn’t know until I moved in. Was a bit of a surprise to see them, to be honest.”
