Page 72 of Havoc

“Havoc told me that he already noticed that, and a lot of your club brothers have as well. He seems to think you might be getting patched in soon.”

“God in heaven, I hope so,” he replied dramatically.

***

I spent the day reading and preparing for my meeting, anything to take my mind off this situation with Slater. I grabbed a shower and put on one of my nicer outfits before pulling my hair back into a bun in the afternoon. When I went into the front room both prospects were ready to go. Everything went off without a hitch, and we pulled into the restaurant ten minutes early.

We went in and got a table by the window. I knew that bringing Alvin and Jamie along was a risk. The plan was to be on the lookout for her, meet her at the door, and for us to sit at a separate table. So, I watched as Misty approached the entrance. She was always slow and careful when she walked on uneven surfaces. Her eyes were constantly scanning the area for possible threats. She wore white gloves again. One of her goals today was to try to make it through one session without them. Her little flatware kit dangled from a neat little crossbody purse. As always, her overall appearance was pristine and pulled together.

She paused at the entrance, so I walked to the door to meet her. Misty saw me through the glass, pushed the door open with her gloved hand, and stepped inside. Her smile was bright enough to light up the room.

As we walked into the dining area to find a table, Jamie got up and pulled out a chair for her with an exaggerated flourish. “Mornin’, ma’am.”

Misty blinked at him and then shot me a confused look.

I spoke up immediately. “I’m sorry. I really should have clarified that Misty and I will be eating alone.”

“Alone? Nonsense. We’re all here together. Why sit separately?”

Trying to be discreet, I lowered my voice, “This is a work meeting, while we eat.”

Jamie looked truly disappointed and a little dejected.

Misty spoke up, her voice unsure. “I suppose we could sit together. It would be rude to make your friends dine separately.”

Her words floored me. Misty stepping outside her normal routine was the wild card I wasn’t expecting this morning.

Jamie immediately pulled her chair out a little more.

Misty lowered herself into the seat, looking ten kinds of uncomfortable.

I dropped down into my seat, perplexed about how to proceed. I decided to play it by ear. When I glanced over at Alvin, he gave me one slight shake of his head, alerting me that this was not a good idea. My anxiety spiked a bit.

“Thank you,” Misty murmured to Jamie.

He sat back down in his seat, all smiles. “You’re more than welcome.”

While we waited for the waiter, I tried to make small talk. I rose to greet Misty. “Hey. Your outfit looks nice.”

Misty gave me a shy smile. “I changed three times.”

“You picked a good one,” Jamie told her. Smiling politely, he added, “Pink is definitely your color.” Somehow the prospect tasked with guarding me had turned into a social butterfly.

Misty looked a little flustered, so I told her, “If you want, we can just have a bit to eat and discuss the things we came to talk about another day.”

She sighed, “It’s alright. This is a small town. Everyone already knows about my OCD.”

Jamie perked up. “You have OCD? So does my mom. What a small world.”

This whole situation was making me mortified. But suddenly Misty looked interested in what Jamie had to say.

“Really? Did she get diagnosed properly?”

“Yeah, they put her in a bunch of treatment years ago. but it didn’t help all that much.”

“I attend a support group over in Gilmore County every Saturday morning. Your mom’s free to join me if she wants.”

Jamie’s smile grew wider. “She might like that. She always did say that talking about it helps.”

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