Before he can even finish his apology, I’m shaking my head.
“I’m good. I promise. I’ll be warm enough in a few minutes. You know I love riding as much as you do, and we don’t get to do it often this time of year.”
He accepts my answer as we head into the restaurant, spotting Aspen and Wolf right away.
Aspen looks up and smiles. “Hey, guys!”
“Hey, sorry we were late,” I say as I slide into the booth across from her.
She rolls her eyes. “You aren’t late. We were just early.”
“What’s up, man?” Wolf asks Ridge.
“Not much, you?”
“Same.”
Aspen looks at me and widens her eyes. “They are so talkative.”
“I know. It’s truly astounding. They use so many words, I don’t know how they keep up with each other,” I tease.
Ridge squeezes my thigh under the table. “Keep talking shit and see what happens.”
I feel my cheeks heat as Aspen leans forward.
“I don’t know what will happen. Tell me, and don’t leave anything out,” she says conspiratorially.
Wolf sighs. “Songbird, don’t encourage them.”
“Oh, come on. Why not? It’s so much fun,” she whines, making Ridge and me laugh.
Before anyone can say anything, the server comes up and takes our drink and appetizer orders.
“You know, I thought about taking a photo and sending it to Maggie, but I’m pretty sure she would kill me,” Aspen says when the server walks away.
“Is she having a bad time?” I ask.
Maggie and Panther went to have dinner with a president and his old lady from a different club to try to build a stronger relationship or some shit.
Aspen nods. “She hates shit like that, but then again, who could blame her? It’s not like she can speak freely with another club.”
Aspen and I keep chatting while the men have their own conversation. It’s not until there is a lull in ours that I clue into what they are talking about.
“Did you show Rain the paint samples?” Wolf asks, catching my attention.
“I didn’t. I got home later than I meant to and just set them on the counter,” Ridge says.
“Oh, you picked some up? Just cards or the little samples?” I ask.
Ridge smirks down at me. “I borrowed one of the color keys from work. You have all the swatches. Then, when you’ve narrowed it down, we can get some of the samples.”
I clap my hands. “I’m so excited.”
“Have you ever painted walls before?” Wolf asks.
I shake my head. “Never. Dad refused and said it was a pain in the ass. I’m pretty sure we are working with the original paint from when the house was built.”
“Well, fair warning, you think it will be fun, but painting is a nightmare,” Wolf warns me.
