Page 5 of Faking it with the Bad Boy Bikers

I grinned and leaned over to hug her when she reached for me. “Mary! You look great!”

She slapped my back as she hugged me and then pushed me back over the counter. “I know I do. You don’t look half bad yourself. What are you doing back here?”

“Just figured it was time.” I glanced around and recognized several people. It made the back of my neck itch with what they might’ve been thinking or saying. “Hey, I need to run over to Steve’s. Can I put in an order to go?”

She followed my gaze and smiled. “Don’t assume the whispers are all bad, honey. Everyone’s just shocked to see your red head of curls after you were gone so long. I’m glad you’re back. Now maybe some of these men will keep their hands off of me.”

I grinned at her and placed our order before hurrying back out. The fresh air outside was a relief and I felt so much better after escaping the whispers in the diner. I walked down to Steve’s and peeked in at him. He was bent over the engine of anold Ford truck, humming along with the radio which sat on the same old shelf it had a decade earlier.

“What’s a girl gotta do to get some service around here?”

Steve spun around to face me and his face lit up like I’d hoped it would. He’d been almost a second dad to me when I was growing up and definitely kinder and more patient with me than my real father. That thought sent a bolt of guilt through me. Dad was dead. I hadn’t even started processing that, yet.

“I’ll be damned! Nellie Hellstone, in the flesh! Come here, girl!” He held his arms open for me and I nearly knocked him over with how aggressively I hugged him.

“You haven’t changed a bit! It’s so good to see you, Steve!” I pulled back and grinned up at him. “I knew I missed you but I wasn’t sure how much until right this moment.”

He groaned when tears peppered my eyes and blinked away some of his own. “Don’t make me cry, girl. I’ve got a reputation to uphold, you know? God, it’s good to see you, Nellie. You’re all grown up.”

I hugged him again and let out a breath that felt like it’d been held for a decade. “I don’t know about grown up, but I have someone to introduce you to later. I have a daughter, Waylan. You’re going to love her.”

He gently shook me. “Waylan? You’re trying to make me cry, aren’t you?”

Waylan Jennings used to play on repeat in Steve’s garage. It was one of the reasons Papa Jack lost his shit when country music came on and it was the whole reason Waylan had been named Waylan. When I had her, it’d felt like everyone in my life had let me down, except for Steve. “I couldn’t name her Steve.”

He wiped his eyes and shook his head. “How long are you back for? Do you have a place to stay? Where are you working?”

I grinned up at him. “For good, I’m hoping. I’m staying at Vivian’s for now. And I was hoping you needed some help around here. I promise I’m better now than I was ten years ago.”

“You were always good, Nellie. Of course, I could use some help. Why don’t you get settled and then come by? Before that, though, bring that little girl by. How old is she?”

I looked down and away while taking a deep breath. “She’s nine, almost ten. Going on fifty.”

He was quiet for a bit before he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Is it a coincidence you left around the time you would’ve been pregnant with her, Nellie?”

I looked back up at him, feeling like the kid that I’d been when I last worked for him. “I was pregnant with her. Mom and Dad weren’t thrilled about it.”

“They kicked you out?” His voice had gone dangerously low, taking on a tone I’d never heard from him.

“Yep.” I blew out a shaky breath. “It’s fine, though. Water under the bridge. It’s not like they can apologize for it now.”

He sighed deeply and pulled me back to his chest. Hugging me tight, he patted the back of my head. “If your daddy was still alive, I’d kick his ass. You’re home now. If you need anything, you come to me. Never had any kids of my own, but you were always like mine, Nellie. I wish I’d known. I would’ve taken you and the kid in without question.”

“Thank you.” It was all I could say without openly sobbing in his arms. I forced myself to take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. “Waylan’s going to love you.”

“Bring her by soon. I’ll make you both dinner.” He grinned down at me once I moved away.

“No! No, thank you. Your cooking leaves a long impression.”

“Watch it. Get on home before the streetlights come on.” He pushed me toward the open bay.

“You know we don’t have streetlights here.” I grinned and hugged him once more before heading back to the diner to get dinner.

CHAPTER 5

Nellie

Waylan and Ms. Vivian were inside playing cards after we’d all eaten together at her massive wooden table. I wanted to warn Ms. Vivian to not bet anything against Waylan, no matter what, but when I saw how eager Waylan looked, I hadn’t had the heart to ruin her fun. The kid was a shark. Virginia had taken me in when I was seven months pregnant and I’d lived with her and Blade until they’d died six months earlier. Virginia had been a card shark and she’d started teaching Waylan everything she knew as soon as Waylan could hold the cards.

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