Page 19 of Dodge

From her expression, she was asking the same question about him. He wondered how he should play this. Ignorance? Walk up and hug her as if they were old friends? Kiss her like crazy and take her straight to his room at the Lair and finish what they started so long ago?

Fuck, Dodge, get it together!

He walked over to the two women, doing his best not to stare. His mouth was dry, and he had to clear his throat several times before speaking. “Hey, Betsey. What’s up?”

“This here’s Fauna. She just moved to town and is redoing Mae’s old diner into a swanky new place. Fauna, this is one of my boys, Dodge.”

Her unwavering tawny eyes met his. “Nice to meet you, Dodge.” She stuck out her hand in greeting as anyone would when meeting for the first time.

So that’s the way she wants it. Okay, I can do that.He smiled and forced himself to relax. “Nice to meet you, too, Fauna.” Her hand was firm in his as she pumped it twice before releasing.

Yup, he could do this. Just two people meeting for the first time. Not like he remembered her lithe body as it bowed up when she came under his tongue.

Betsey’s voice interrupted his wayward thoughts, and he turned his attention to her. “What was that?”

“There’s some furniture and stuff she needs moved from Asheville to here ASAP. I thought if you weren’t too busy at the shop for the next few days, you can take the big trailer over there and help her out. Get some of the boys to go too.” If Betsey noticed the strain between Dodge and Fauna, she said nothing about it as she made her request.

He cleared his throat again. “Umm… yeah, I can do that. I’ll ask Mute and Bruiser for sure since they’re big guys and work mostly at night. Maybe Table if he can get away from his tattoo place.”

Betsey sipped her margarita and shook her head at the same time. “Lori’s about to pop. I don’t think he’ll want to be away in another city. How ’bout Stud or Rafter?”

“Yeah, sure. At least one of them should be available. Maybe both.”

It was Fauna’s turn to clear her throat. “I really appreciate the help. Please tell me what I owe you for this.”

Betsey wrinkled her nose. “Psshht. We don’t charge people for favors, darlin’. If you really want to pay us back, treat us to a good meal when you open up. That’s good enough for me. Dodge?”

He couldn’t help himself. “As long as you’re not serving mussels.”

Fauna’s lips rolled in as she got his joke. “Nope. Somehow I doubt I’ll ever put that on my menus.”

Dodge smiled genuinely this time. No harm, no foul, as all he did at their last encounter was act as gentlemanly as he could. What the future held was anyone’s guess. Fauna was here in his town and making a go of a new business for herself. Maybe if he got to know her better, became friends—

“Hey, y’all!”

The trilling voice sent ice down his spine and shredded his future plans to confetti. Dodge felt as if a noose had suddenly dropped around his neck. A prickle of pain darted in his heart as the invisible rope tightened.

Fauna’s eyes darted to the woman who appeared at his side and pushed her way under his shoulder.

“I’m Mallory.”

CHAPTER11

I watchedas Dodge shifted a wide ramp at the back of the giant truck. It clanged loudly as it landed in place. An echo from the empty box trailer amplified the sound in the morning air. I breathed in dampness and was forever grateful I’d made the decision to accept Betsey and Dodge’s offer. Four motorcycles drove up to the lot and parked next to the empty restaurant, and I recognized the men I’d met at the bar: Mute, big and silent; Rafter, young and newly accepted into the club; Bruiser, the rotund bartender; and Stud, who resembled a Viking god.

“Is that him?” Macie whispered as he waved his hand at his face. “Good golly, Miss Molly, if that’s what real mountain men are supposed to look like, I need to move to your neck of the woods.”

Yeah, they were hot. All of them, including Dodge. I drove to Asheville last night to hang out with Macie and get a look at the abandoned restaurant furnishings. Some of them were damaged, but there was enough there to get my place up and running. The dishes were plain white china, but they were in good shape. Dinner plates, glassware, cutlery, storage units, bar glasses, some odd mixers—almost everything I needed.

Last night, Macie and I made up a game plan for what I needed to salvage and what I had to purchase. Then we proceeded to drink away the night in a long and loud bitch session about men and all their wrongdoings.

“Imma stay single. Too mush fuckin’ drama. Doan need it.”

“Amen, gurl-fren.”

I hadn’t intended to tell Macie about my encounter with Dodge, but two bottles of wine had unglued my tongue and my wits. He already knew about my epic breakup with Chase, but when I told him about waking up naked in the hotel room, he laughed at me so hard that he fell off the couch. Then he cracked open a third bottle of wine after I told him about re-meeting Dodge at the bar and then his woman, Mallory. Betsey told me later in a sharp voice that she used to be his old lady. Whatever that was!

“Listen, sunshine. You need to keeb yore head on straight and do yore own life. No more fuckin’ strange men in hotel roomz.”

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