Page 16 of Biker Under My Tree

I sighed and set my burger down to talk. “They had to leave suddenly because Kelsi’s mom is sick. I can’t even be upset at her. It’s just that the timing is the worst. I keep telling myself I need to make it through the next couple of weeks, and I’ll be fine.”

Bones nodded and watched me like he could read every thought I wasn’t saying out loud. “You don’t have anyone else who can help you?”

I shook my head. “No.” The word tasted bitter, but it was the truth. I had no one. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust people to help me; it was just that I was used to doing everything myself—especially when it came to the bakery. Everyone else had their own lives, and I didn’t want to pull anyone else into mine.

I pasted a smile on my face and picked up my burger again. “I’ll be fine. I do have really amazing customers, and if it comes down to it, I know they’ll understand if I’m a day late getting their orders to them.”

Bones didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t argue.

I hadn’t really planned on taking anyone else’s help. I’d been thinking about it while mindlessly cutting out the cookies for Cheryl’s order. As long as I got everyone their orders in time before they needed them, I’d be good. I’d told a couple of customers I could get their orders to them a day earlier, butit might just be that they weren’t going to get them until right before they needed them.

Bones put his burger down, and his brow furrowed. “What if you don’t have to be a day late?”

I tipped my head, confused. “Well, I think the only way that’s going to happen is if I clone myself two times.”

“Or you find a few people that might not be as knowledgeable as you, but they can be your hands.”

I narrowed my eyes, and my brows knitted together. “What are you talking about?”

Before Bones could answer, there was a knock on the door. I turned to see Wick and Nut standing there with a man and woman I didn’t recognize. They looked like they belonged in a biker gang, their leather jackets and confident stances making them seem right at home, even at my front door.

“Why are you friends at my door?” I asked, my tone a mix of curiosity and concern.

Bones chuckled and stood. “May I present to you your hands.”

I blinked and was trying to process what he’d just said. “My... hands?”

Bones didn’t wait for me to ask any more questions. He moved to the door, opened it wide, and let everyone step in. They all stood there and looked at me expectantly like I was supposed to know exactly what they were doing here.

“This place is nice,” Nut said, his eyes scanning the kitchen. “Is that a convection oven?”

I nodded dumbly. How did Nut even know what a convection oven was? The man looked like he could barely cook two eggs without burning one. He stepped closer to the oven and eyed it like he was a professional chef.

I blinked again and tried to process the absurdity of the situation.

“Yeah, it’s a convection oven,” I said slowly. “But… what’s all this about? Why are they here?”

Bones grinned like a Cheshire cat, and my stomach tightened. “These are the people who are going to help you with the next couple of weeks.”

I looked from Bones to the newcomers, who all stood there like they were ready to get to work. There was Nut and Wick, a woman with tattoos covering both arms and a bearded guy who looked like he could kill a person with one hand. They were all sizing me up, and I wasn’t sure if I should be worried or flattered.

“Okay, hold up.” I raised my hands in the air, signaling for a pause. “I’m not sure what kind of joke you guys are trying to pull here, but I’m pretty sure you’re all pulling my leg.”

Bones held his hands up in mock surrender. “We’re not here to mess with you, Snow. Trust me. I’ve got a plan.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A plan? What kind of plan?”

The woman with tattoos, who I assumed was the one with the most experience in this crowd, stepped forward. She offered me a small smile. “We’re just here to help. We can’t bake like you, but we can get the trays in and out of the oven, frost the cookies, and do all the other stuff you’re behind on.”

The tall guy with the beard, who looked like he might bite someone if they gave him a reason, nodded in agreement. “Bonnie knows her way around a kitchen,” he said, his voice rough but confident. “Now me, well, I don’t know shit, but I can drive.”

“And you are?” I asked. He was the only one left whose name I didn’t know.

“Guns. Bonnie is my ol’ lady,” he explained.

I glanced over at Bones and was still trying to understand the absurdity of the situation. The four of them—Wick, Nut, Bonnie, and Guns—were all standing in my kitchen and lookingat me like they’d been hired for the job. I was just about to say something when Bones gave me a grin that could only be described as smug.

“And Nut went to pastry school,” he offered.

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