Page 14 of Could Be Worse

“Are we jamming or what?” he asked Birdie.

“Sadie just got here,” she replied in an annoyed tone.

“So do I tell Ray no?”

She swooped her gaze at Raymond staring at us… At her. “You guys can play. I’m staying with Sadie.”

“But you’re the lead singer.”

“So?” She popped her shoulders. “Just play acoustics or Raymond can sing.”

“Okay, but the VP won’t like it.” Chase stalked away. He had the best strut I’d ever seen. He just turned eighteen and was a senior in high school. If he were older and not Storm’s son or had a girlfriend, who he was head over heels in love with, I’d be all over him.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

After what I had done tonight… or more like who I had done, a teenager even as hot as Chase Knight wouldn’t capture my attention anymore.

The handsome face of the stranger I’d hooked up with flashed behind my eyes. He was a mature man and an amazing kisser. I wished our time together could’ve been longer, but what good would that have done? I would’ve fallen for a man I would never see again… The sex had been that good, despite being in the front seat of his truck. A brief quickie had been a blessing.

“Sadie? Where’d you go?” Birdie’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“What? I’m here. Now it’s your turn to spill the tea.” I elbowed Birdie. “Did you have a falling out with Ray?”

“Nope. I just want to hang with you and the girls.” She seemed genuine, but I knew Birdie hid her feelings really well and could produce a stone-cold poker face in an instant. She got that from her dad, whereas her mom wore her heart on her sleeve.

I also knew Birdie had been crushing on Raymond since she was sixteen. He had been twenty-eight back then, twelve years older than her.

She was twenty now, and old enough to make her own choices. But it seemed weird to me because he had known her since she was born. Wouldn’t that be icky and wrong? I was sure her dad wouldn’t give his blessing. No man would ever be good enough for his Birdie.

A kitten, club girl, I hadn’t seen before set a tray of drinks in the middle of our table. “Courtesy of your folks,” she told me.

My gosh, she looked young, but I knew she had to be at least twenty-one to be a kitten. My mom had told me Maddox had hired a couple of new girls because the others had grown stale, and the single guys in the club wanted fresh pieces of ass. Such was the MC life.

The band started playing, and the attention in the room went to the stage. I grabbed a shot of whiskey and beer from the tray and settled in to enjoy the show.

I had dodged explaining why I was back, but I’d get cornered soon. I still had no idea what lie I’d tell.

Where was my dad taking me? All he’d said was “Let’s go for a drive.” I never refused to go on an outing with him, and I wouldn’t start now.

We’d had a wonderful family breakfast an hour ago. My mom had made my favorite, pumpkin-pecan waffles and I ate three. Once fall arrived and before I’d moved to New York, she’d make them every weekend.

I was so full, my stomach would surely burst.

After cheese curds and beer yesterday, and waffles this morning, loaded with butter and maple syrup, I’d have to starve myself for the rest of the month and work out at Uncle Boxer’s gym eight hours a day.

But sometimes a girl’s gotta indulge when her dreams of being the lead in a Broadway musical were stolen from her.

“It’s so peaceful out here.” I leaned my forehead on the passenger’s door window to admire the farmland and fall colors. It’d been dark when I got into Bastion Township, and I was far too nervous to pay attention to my surroundings.

“The complete opposite of Manhattan, aye?”

“Yeah. They’re night-and-day different.”

He grunted, saying nothing else. The questions would come soon enough.

We entered town, and not a thing had changed since I’d been home years ago. The Knight’s Legion MC owned a fair number of businesses. There was KL Guns, KL Autobody, Human Canvas Tattoo Shop, and KL Muscle, which Uncle Boxer and Uncle Ire managed. On the north end was The Bullet, the club’s bar and grill that my mom and dad managed.

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