Page 25 of Chubs

I finish my shower, get dressed and walk back down the hallway. Stepping into the kitchen, I stop. Mom’s on a step stool, washing down the cupboards while my dad is mopping the floor. When he notices me, he grins.

“Lisa’s taking a quick shower, then we’re taking our daughters out for dinner. Hopefully, with enough shampoo, she’ll be able to get her hair to lay down flat again. Love her, but I wasn’t thrilled about going to dinner with her new ‘do,’” Dad says before barking out a laugh. “I only left here a few hours ago, and you two have already found a way to wreak havoc on Lisa’s condo.”

“I didn’t do anything. It was all Lisa,” I reply.

“You girls shouldn’t be left alone together. Maybe you should move back home instead,” Mom offers, but I know it’s because she wanted me home with her and not moving in with Lisa to begin with.

“Yeah, maybe you should,” Lisa says behind me, then pushes past to lean against the fridge. “That way, you can ‘Lucy’ their appliances instead of mine. Here an hour, and I’m down one Ninja blender already.”

“Dear Lord,” Mom mutters, and Dad laughs while shooting a wink my direction.

For the next few weeks, I pretty much dodged everyone associated with the club except for texting a little with Bailey. She was upset at first but said she understood after I explained that I couldn’t take the interrogations from the members anymore. Yep, I threw Gunner’s large body right under that bus. Yep, I feel guilty for doing it because he’s one of my favorite people, but I almost caved and told him all I know. I need a little time to shore up my defenses. I’m hoping that Gunner not getting information out of me might keep the others from trying too.

I can’t explain to myself why I feel the need to keep Chubs’ secrets, though. I should tell the club everything and let them decide what should be done with their member. Even knowing that I’m not sure I could ever trust Chubs again as a person or boyfriend, I’m not sure it’s my place to expose his former life. He made choices without giving me a say, so it’s no longer my place to speak for him. I think that’s what I believe anyway. My thoughts on that change from day to day, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

I’m still going to New Horizons to help out, but I avoid Tammy and Pippa by going in the evenings. I ran into Pippa once when she came back for an intake, but all she did was give me a hug and tell me she wouldn’t ask any questions I wasn’t ready to answer. I nodded in appreciation, and she left the office to deal with the intake.

Since moving in with Lisa, I’ve been going to her gym with her instead of the club gym. I don’t like it as much because there’s no class for me to do striking or takedowns. I spend a lot of time on the treadmill and have amazed myself at the increasing distances I can run. I’m closing in on the six-mile mark when my phone beeps through my earbuds. It’s from Pippa, so I hit stop on the treadmill and open the text, breathing heavy.

Pippa: Craig here. You ever coming back?

Me: Hey Craig. Pips know you have her phone again?

Pippa: Hope not. Got a few texts to send yet. ???

Me: Yeah, I am. Just needed a break.

Pippa: Ignore the guys. They have their panties twisted. Want to hang out with me?

Me: Yes. When?

Pippa: In the morning. Everyone is busy but me.

Me: 9:00am. Pick you up at your house.

Pippa: kk. Love you.

Me: Love you.

“Club?” Lisa asks while stopping her treadmill.

“Craig. Wants to hang out tomorrow morning. Want to come with us? We’ll probably go out to eat breakfast and maybe hit up a park or something.”

“Yeah, sounds good. You’re buying,” Lisa orders then snaps my leg with her towel.

“Never doubted that for a second,” I mutter while walking a large circle out and around her on my way to the locker room.

After showering, we stop at a small coffee café. Taking our drinks to an outdoor table, we sit quietly for a few minutes, watching the people on the sidewalk rush about their day.

“It will get easier, Lucy. Maybe I should say it’ll ease, but you’ll find a new path. New things to enjoy. Takes time. When Donny cheated on me, I didn’t even want to face the world for weeks. I was angry, hurt, positive I’d never trust again, and felt like an idiot for loving him. Then, one day I woke up and realized it didn’t hurt quite as much.”

“I know it will. I just hope I don’t tear the world apart before then.”

The loud crashing sound draws our attention to a minor car accident at the corner. The drivers of each car get out and start yelling at one another, arms waving in irritation. I know the exact second Lisa directs her eyes to the side of my face. I pretend not to notice that she’s grinning at me.

“That had nothing to do with me. Not every disaster can be tossed at my feet,” I say without emotion.

“Bet there are members of the club that would disagree with you on that. I’ve heard a few rumors that Gunner upped the clubhouse insurance when you started hanging out there.”

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