‘You should have asked for a house,’ Aubri says in her signature monotone. ‘A big one. In Electric Hills. With a pool. Like that Amber chick.’
I laugh and shake my head at her suggestion. ‘No! You remember that night when the police came here? They trampled all over the grounds. Well, now all the flowers are dead and the whole place looks a mess outside. And Mrs Kowolski. She’s been desperate to have her hair done for months. And Chase is a good repair man apparently. I’ve drawn up a list of everything that needs fixing around here.’
‘And AJ agreed to this proposal?’
‘He saidon it.’
They both stare at me. ‘You don’t think this is another one of their pranks?’ Nabila asks.
‘I’m confident they’ll be here. What time is it now?’
Aubri checks her phone. ‘It’s ten. What time did you tell them?’
‘I said ten.’
I bite my lip and look at the door.
Aubri stops chewing on her Twizzler. ‘Do y’all hear that?’ she asks.
Nabila frowns.
I listen. Somewhere in the near distance, there’s a low rumble, but the sound is moving closer.
‘How many people did you say were coming?’ Aubri says.
I’m still listening. Only AJ and Balthazar ride bikes. I go to the Sunset Pines front windows and peer out.
I don’t quite believe my eyes when I see the twenty or so motorcycles coming down Greenbow Avenue from the east. About a minute later, they’re all rolling into the Sunset Pines parking lot, engines grumbling and spluttering. A van and two trucks follow, one of which I recognize as belonging to Chase. Nicole waves at me from her own truck, which is spray-painted baby pink.
Tawny appears in the lobby. ‘What in the good Lord’s name is happenin’ out there?’ she asks with her hands on her hips.
‘Hollie invited them,’ Aubri says.
‘Hollie? You wanna explain why a bunch of goddamned Hell’s Angels are in my parking lot?’
‘Hell’sVenom,’ Nabila corrects her with a grin.
‘Umm,’ I begin. ‘I can explain.’
‘Her hot boyfriend is earning her forgiveness,’ Aubri chips in.
‘Not by taking any residents for a ride on the back of a Harley, I hope.’
I give an awkward laugh. ‘It’s not that.’
Before I can say anything else, Aubri is opening the main entrance doors from her desk. Echo saunters in clutching his helmet and wearing a studded leather vest over a plain white T-shirt. AJ follows in his leather jacket and a pair of aviator sunglasses. Inwardly, I swoon.
‘Good morning, ladies,’ Echo booms in a friendly tone. He gives me a little bow. ‘Hollie.’
‘What are you doing here?’ I say, though it comes out as barely a whisper.
‘AJ told me about the jobs you need doin’ round here. Thought you could use a few extra pairs of hands.’
I look at Tawny and feel like I’ve gone pale. ‘Uh. They’re going to fix the state of the yard. And do some jobs around the home if that’s all right? Like fill the hole in the wall on the upstairs corridor.’
Tawny frowns. She points a finger toward AJ. ‘You were here two days ago.’
AJ steps forward, removes his sunglasses and shakes her hand. ‘Yes, ma’am. AJ Callahan. After today, I’m hoping I’m still Hollie’s boyfriend.’
