Page 49 of Myla: The Hawthornes

“I’m going with you,” Myla said, picking her purse up off the floor. “Who’s got a helmet I can borrow?”

Rose lifted one from the floor beside her.

“You rode?” Lou asked in surprise.

“My man’s on his bike,” Rose shrugged as she handed Myla the helmet. “No place I’d rather be.”

“It was cold as hell,” Frankie said with a huff of disbelief. “No thank you.”

“Probably why you don’t have a man,” Rose shot back.

Frankie’s eyes widened in shock before she burst out laughing. Rose grinned.

“Thank you,” Myla said.

“Let me know everything is okay,” Heather said, looking back and forth between us. “One of you.”

“We will.”

“I’ll ride with ya,” Will said, lifting his hand in goodbye to the rest of the group.

“Stop being such an ass,” Lily scolded Rose quietly. “Good grief.”

“I wouldn’t ride with Tommy in this weather,” Heather said as we walked away. “You’ll find a fella, Frankie. Or a filly? Whatever you’re into.”

“Jesus,” Myla muttered as we made our way onto the elevator.

“Your sister’s gonna be in for a surprise,” Will said as we stepped inside.

“Hopefully she doesn’t even notice them,” Myla grumbled.

“I think she’ll notice ’em.”

“Where did you guys park?” I asked as we rode down to the first floor.

“Right next to the boys. First level. Where are you at?”

“Second level.”

“Meet me down here?” Will said, gesturing toward his bike.

“No problem.”

Myla and I used the stairs to go up to the next level, and halfway up the first flight, her hand slipped into mine.

“Okay?” she asked quietly, giving my hand a squeeze.

“Can’t believe you drove all the way out here,” I replied, shaking my head.

She was oblivious as we walked toward my bike on the other side of the parking structure, but I was hyperaware of our surroundings. There were a couple of birds eating spilled fast food off to the right of us, but nothing else moved.

“Of course I did,” she said, bumping into me. “Even when I thought you’d tell me to fuck off.”

“Why the hell would I do that?” I glanced at her in surprise.

“Well, because.” She stared at me. “I said some shit, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” I replied. “It’s burned into my brain.”

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