Page 47 of Sully

“Oh, yeah,” I said, nodding. “Yeah, I already knew I liked Layna. But Gracie and Luna seem really nice too.”

“Luna is probably the most like you. But Gracie is the glue to the whole friend group.”

“And they’re all…”

“Princesses,” he supplied for me. “The daughters of club members.”

“Are any of them actual sisters?”

“No. I mean, they have siblings. But no one in the little girls’ group are actual sisters.”

“They’re so close.”

“The club does that,” Sully agreed, loading the dishwasher with an efficiency that said he knew exactly what he was doing, even if his buddies thought he was incapable of cleaning up. “It’s a business. But, even more so, it’s a family.”

“Is that what people are drawn to?” I asked. “The family thing?”

“Honestly, to a lot of the guys, I think that is actually the part they were least interested in at first. Guys like Voss or Dezi, even Perish. They were seeking secure work and fun times. They learned to love the family, though.”

“What about you?” I asked. “Did you want the family?”

“I guess that was part of it. I was in the military for a long time, so I was accustomed to the brotherhood. But my own actual family isn’t close. My folks divorced a few years back. Both moved to different parts of the country. Built new lives. There’s no real love lost there. This club… was everything I wanted and needed.”

“That must be really nice.”

“Can I ask you about your family?”

“I went no-contact with them a while back,” I admitted. It was the first time I’d ever said that out loud. It kind of sounded awful. But I think some people didn’t realize how bad things had to be for someone to cut off family.

“Sorry to hear that. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t. But it was better than letting things continue as they were. My parents… they weren’t good people. And I had a hard time standing up to them. Actually, to cut them off, I hadto move. Otherwise, there was no way I was going to be able to stand my ground with them. They’re the type to bulldoze right over boundaries. This was… easier.”

“But it also isolated you.”

“I mean, not really. I didn’t have anyone there.”

“Job, friends…”

“No. I mean, yeah, I had a job. I was working in this awful little cubicle. My closest coworker did nothing but trash talk everyone else in the office. I dreaded going in each day. Finding my job here was a complete dream.”

“Did you have training?”

“On the job. Courtney originally just helped me handle the front desk and do chores around the place. But when she realized how much I love dogs, she started training me. Then I got a promotion and raise. And now I do most of the grooming.”

“Seems like you were meant to come here.”

“I really love it. It kind of has a small-town feel, but literally everything is close by. I can stop at the craft store, bookstore, and grocery place on the way home. And just about everywhere delivers. I’m just trying to save up to get out of my building.”

“Got any other places in mind?”

“Depends on how much I can save. On the hopeful side—that is more a pipe dream than anything—I would love to get my own townhouse. But I might have to settle for a bigger apartment that allows dogs. Or maybe a duplex, if I can find one. The market around here is… rough.”

“Think I heard one of the guys saying they were outbid four times in two months. Damn, those look perfect,” he said as I flipped four pancakes, revealing their perfectly golden tops. “You know, I should probably taste one. Just to make sure they came out right.”

The conversation went in a lighter direction after that, Sully mostly filling me in on more members of the club and the otherclub princesses who hadn’t been around for our little movie night.

By the time all the food was set on the table for everyone to help themselves, I felt like I practically knew all of them.

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