Page 5 of A Wife by Christmas

Her body ached for different reasons. She didn’t even have a headache from the few shots she’d had last night.

She got to the front door, and it creaked as she opened it. For a second, she felt like she was in some kind of horror movie, that if she were to turn around, there would be a room of zombies or vampires. No one had woken up, so she quickly pulled the door open and left the clubhouse, which took her straight into the main bar. Cathy had forgotten that the clubhouse and bar were connected through a door.

Pursing her lips, she stepped into the main bar, expecting to find more bikers and women, only to find Willow Storm with her child on her lap. The moment Cathy closed the door, Willow looked up.

“Hey, Cathy,” Willow said.

“Hi, uh, Willow,” she said. “I have no idea what else to say right now.”

“It’s fine. I’m guessing you’re the brunette Connor told me went to the clubhouse with Brick.”

“That I am,” Cathy said. “Uh, I’m kind of doing the walk of shame right now. I’ve got to get home.”

“What do you want me to tell Brick?” Willow asked.

“I have no idea. I don’t know how this works.” She pressed her lips together. “Trust me, I don’t do this, like, at all.”

Willow laughed. “I know you don’t.”

She and Willow were not the greatest of friends, but they were not enemies either. There were a few years between the two of them.

“I better go.”

“You know, Brick is a good guy,” Willow said.

Cathy stopped. “I know. He’s been really nice to me. Listened to my troubles last night, which is so strange. I never expected a guy would want to listen.”

“If … Brick wants to find you, is it okay for me to give him your address?” Willow asked.

Cathy nibbled her lip and thought about it. At first, she figured it wouldn’t even matter. She had seen enough television and movies about one-night stands to last her a lifetime. She doubted Brick would want to see her in the cold light of day.

“Sure,” she said, knowing she wasn’t going to hold her breath for him to come calling. “It’s great to see you, Willow. Congratulations on your marriage and your baby.”

“Thanks, I never thought it was going to be something I wanted, but you never know what the future holds. By the way, I always thought your sister was a bitch, and now I know for certain she is.”

Willow held up the paper, but Cathy didn’t need to see it—the announcement of Tiffany and Eric’s upcoming wedding was inside. Her sister wanted to have the wedding on Valentine’s Day, as she thought it would be romantic, which meant it would always be about her.

Cathy laughed. “I’m sure if you ask my sister,I’mthe bitch.”

Willow laughed. “Sure you are. By the way, loved your lipstick recommendation the other day. It was awesome.”

Cathy spun toward the other woman. “You watch my vlogs?”

“I don’t wear a whole lot of products, but for some reason, I always found yours entertaining, and you keep it real.”

The last twenty-four hours had been filled with surprises.

“Just one last question before you leave,” Willow said.“Are you sober enough to drive?”

“I wouldn’t get behind the wheel of my car unless I was.”

“Just a heads up, sometimes the cops like to pull over a few of the customers around this time of year. Keeping the roads safe and all.”

“Thanks,” Cathy said.

And she left, stepping into the freezing cold, wondering why she had opted to wear a dress in the middle of December. It also didn’t help that she wasn’t wearing any panties.

Climbing behind the wheel of her car, she turned over the ignition, hearing her car purr to life. It didn’t take long to get her car heated and defrosted, then she was on the road, heading into town and driving down the small, quiet suburban street that would take her back to her own place.

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