Pushing past the ridiculousness of that term and needing a fucking shower for that being thrown in my direction, I looked up at the camera when movement caught my eye.
She was in the bar. True to her word, Lacy greeted her and took her to their table then went to the kitchen.
Even on the grainy black and white monitor, she was gorgeous. Her hair was down, straight and silky down her back. She fit in nicely with jeans and a t-shirt. We’d have to dosomething about her shoes. Even walking around the grounds wasn’t a good idea with those little ballet slippers she had on. There was dirt, gravel, and glass all over. The grounds were cleaned up after parties, but even the best of eyes missed glass in the red Georgia clay.
Staring up like I was watching television, I watched as Lacy brought out a plate and some coffee. She took a seat with her and Katarina drank her coffee and grabbed her fork, but didn’t really eat. She occasionally put the fork into it like she was going to, but instead just kept talking and drinking coffee.
After their chat seemed to die down, Ma poked her head out of the kitchen and Lacy jumped up, giving her the universal hand signal to wait one second.
Watching her a few more moments, sitting there alone and unsure, I stood up and headed that way. As I hustled down the hallway, a pang of guilt hit me. I wanted her messages checked to ensure the safety of the club, and maybe even her. I hadn’t considered I’d seethosesentiments. All of our phones were tracked and could be checked. But seeing the exchanges about us–about me–to her friend felt invasive. I had to keep an eye on things, though, so it wouldn’t be the last I’d see probably.
By the time I got there, Lacy was back.
“Ladies,” I said.
Lacy smiled and Katarina tried to plaster one on.
Holding my hand out, I asked, “Can you come with me?”
Lacy gave her a nod and she stood, moving to grab her plate. But Lacy said, “Leave that. I got it.”
Katarina thanked her, then put her hand into mine. It fit perfectly. Small, soft, and warm.
Leading her to the kitchen, I pushed the swinging door. “Ma, I want to show her the kitchen.”
“Well come on in, hon. We got a pretty sweet setup,” Ma said as she opened her arms.
Katarina’s eyes went wide as she looked around. “It’s like the restaurant.”
Ma nodded. “We got a lot of mouths to feed around here. You like to cook?”
“Baking is my first love, but I enjoy cooking, too.”
Pointing to the wall, I said, “Mixer.”
Ma jumped in. “We got a smaller one over here, too. That one there is for big batches of breads and cakes.”
“I used to bake for the restaurant,” Katarina said with a sparkle in her eye but a touch of sadness in her voice.
“Well, we love baked goods here, hon,” Ma said. “Especially Falcon and this one.” She pointed to me.
“I don’t like them as much as Falcon,” I grumbled.
“Ha. You can fool all them boys, but you ain’t foolin’ me, son. Katya, you just come on and bake anytime you like. If you get me a list of ingredients, I’ll get them with the next grocery run.”
“That would be wonderful,” Katarina said.
“I’ll get her some paper. Ma, I need to steal her away. Just wanted to show her the kitchen.”
Ma walked over and grabbed her shoulders, planting a kiss on her cheek. “I’m excited to have another woman in here with us. Lacy likes to help cook, too. If you need anything at all, you just holler. I best get back to this.”
Ma went back to what she was doing so I walked Katarina out the back and took her hand, leading her back to the house.Our house.
Chapter 17
Katarina
Once Hawk had left, I took another shower, even though he questioned me about it. Yes, I’d had one last night, but I wanted to wash hours of tears off my face. Plus, sleeping in his bed, with his pillows, had his scent clinging to me, stuck in my hair and on my skin, and I didn’t need the endless reminder of him all day. Since he insisted on sleeping elsewhere anyway, I tossed the sheets in the wash and moved them to the dryer after my shower, throwing the comforter in next.
