Tank jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “Phantom said there’s a little problem that needs attention. He wants you in his office.”
Savage blows out a breath. “Fuck. Okay.” He turns to me and hands me a white envelope. “Spend what you need. This is for you.” Then he turns to Tank. “Drive her wherever she wants to go. Stay close enough that you can get back to her fast when she tells you she’s done. She’s got work to do.”
Tank looks totally unbothered that he’s basically a chauffeur for me and Aurora for the day. He nods. “You got it, boss.”
Savage looks at me like he’s going to say something. He opens his mouth, and his eyes move from mine to my toes and then back. It’s fast, not like a creepy look. His eyes dart everywhere as if he doesn’t know where to look. But then he looks past me at Aurora and nods. “Later.”
He says it like that’s a complete sentence, and then he turns and heads back down the hallway.
Something flutters in my chest as I watch him walk in the opposite direction. I wish I knew why he was doing so much for me and my daughter. And I wish that I could turn off the very real way I’m starting to feel for him.
“Hey there, sunshine!”
I almost forgot that Tank was waiting. He ducks his head and is waving at Aurora, who lifts a chubby hand and waves back before sticking her fingers in her mouth.
I turn to the biker and give him a shrug. “Looks like you’re stuck with me again.”
“Claire,” he says, giving me a look. “You know this is the cushiest gig we got goin’ now, right?” He cocks his head. “Ten other assholes out there would kill to be the one to drive you around. I practically had to bust in some teeth so no one else volunteered.”
He holds up his beefy hand in front of Aurora. “I’ve got a bet with the other guys that I can teach her how to high-five me. And I’m not going to win if I don’t get some face time, you know what I mean?” He gives me a seriously pleading look. “She doesn’t know how to high-five yet, does she?”
I laugh. “Uh, no.” I set my diaper bag down on the floor outside my room, take Aurora’s hand, and clap it to Tank’s. “High-five,” I say.
Aurora’s eyes go wide at the clapping sound, and she bubbles spit over her little lips and says, “Ma ma ma.”
Tank drops his hand like she burned him, and heturns to me faster than I think a guy his size should move. “She’s talking? Is that, like, her first word? Holy shit, I’m going to teach her to say Tank.”
I shake my head and grab my bag. “One thing at a time,” I tell him. “Let’s focus on the high fives.”
I don’t really know anyplace else around here for us to go, and I’d really love a cold soda and some hot fries, so I have Tank drive us to the diner. The ride is short, and Tank tries to teach Aurora to say his name the entire way. She doesn’t seem like she’s in the mood to learn anything new this morning, but I let him chatter on as he drives.
“You want to come in?” I ask Tank. “You can eat something. Savage gave me money.”
He shakes his head. “I had a lunch date today, and I was fucking nervous. I ate a whole large pizza minus one slice by myself. I’m stuffed.”
“A date?” I unbuckle the car seat from the base so I can carry Aurora into the restaurant and have her sit beside me in a booth. “Tank, who’s the lucky girl?”
His smile disappears as he turns in the driver’s seat. “I’m the lucky one. She’s somebody I know from high school. It’s nothing. I mean, it was just lunch. I don’t think she’s that into me.”
“She’d be a fool not to like you,” I tell him. I hardly know the guy, but he has such a sweet, gentle soul. “Imagine what she’s going to think when you teach a six-month-old how to high-five.”
That gets him to laugh. “Practice time, kid. Handup.” He holds up his hand, palm out, and I take my hand and high-five Tank.
I motion for Aurora to do it. She kind of smacks her hand in his direction, but it’s enough to have him laughing.
“Yes. High-five, Aurora,” he says.
“Ma ma mamama,” she says, excited, even if she’s not sure why.
I climb out of the back seat with my diaper bag and the car seat. Tank follows me into the restaurant and holds the door open while I walk in.
“You need me to do anything while you’re workin’?” Tank asks.
“I could use another package of diapers. Do you mind?” I tell him the size Aurora needs and reassure him that he can’t screw it up. “If you’re worried, text me a picture before you buy them.”
We agree that he’ll come back to get me in two hours unless I text him to come sooner. He heads off to wash his truck and pick up my diapers, and I walk up to the hostess stand alone.
“Table for one?” A young girl, probably still in high school, grabs a menu and gives me a huge smile. “Or would you prefer a booth?”
