Page 17 of Cody

“Hell, no! I’m not planning to fuck her. I ran into her at the hall the other night.”

“What the hell was she doing there?” I scowled. The American Legion Hall was strictly for service members who’d served in the military and had been honorably discharged.

“I thought she was waiting for someone to come out, but it turned out she was waiting for someone going in that she could sink her hooks into. I was the lucky bastard.” He shrugged. “I didn’t see the harm in inviting her in for a drink. She kind of invited herself to the cookout with me.”

Because she’d known that I would be there, and that King and Mia wouldn’t mind if someone showed up uninvited. One of these days their open-door policy was going to bite them in the ass.

Maybe it would be a good idea if I found someone to go with me. I released a harsh breath of annoyance. “Damn!” I muttered under my breath.

There was worry on Lincoln’s face as he misinterpreted my reaction as annoyance at him. “If I’d thought you two were serious, I would have ignored her. But I know you don’t do relationships.”

My brothers from the service knew that I wasn’t the jealous type and wouldn’t mind if they went out with any of the women I was dating. “Yeah, relax, man. And just so you know, I’m not seeing Evelyn anymore. She was starting to get clingy and assuming shit. Showed up the other night all domestic-like and had dinner waiting for me when I got home. Told her that was it. So she may have an agenda for going with you on Saturday. She knows I plan to be there.”

“Shit.” Lincoln shook his head with distaste. “I hope she doesn’t think I’m going to take your place.” He thought about what he’d just said, and quickly added, “I mean, she’s a beautiful woman and all, but she kind of has a reputation. If you know what I mean.”

I laughed but kept quiet. I knew exactly what Lincoln meant.

She was his problem now.

Chapter 9

Alina

My meeting with Laurie had started the ball rolling on the new space for my café. The owners and I had agreed on a price, and once the papers were signed, I could move on with my plans to get my café open. The first thing I planned to do was replace the carpet and paint the walls.

I was excited over the prospect of opening a new business and getting on with my life. I’d spent all of Friday ordering furniture and equipment and choosing artwork for the space. Then I’d ordered the lettering for the window and a sign for the outside

While I’d been busy working on all that, I’d also helped Mom with her plans for the new porch. Once Cody had given her a visual of what she could expect from just doing a patch job, and the other issues that could arise later on, she’d agreed with his recommendation to build a whole new porch. I agreed with the idea too. The porch as it was now lacked visual appeal. We spent a lot of time out there, especially in the mornings when it was cool, and in the evening I liked to have a glass of wine as the sun set.

Nothing is going to ruin my day,I thought to myself as I drove to Mia’s place. She hadn’t told me to bring anything, but I’d put together a charcuterie board to take to the cookout. They usually went over well at gatherings, and while I didn’t know how many people she’d invited, I hoped there were enough offerings for everyone to at least have a sample if they wanted one.

As Mia’s home came into view at the end of a long driveway, I was impressed by the nice, cozy setup she and King had. The trees surrounding the property gave them privacy from the road, and they’d cleared off enough land on the side of the house for extra parking. Right now, there was a combination of trucks and motorcycles crowded into the area. I pulled in where I could and cut the engine.

It was a beautiful day for a cookout. I exited my car and immediately inhaled the pleasing aroma of something cooking on the grill. I decided to head to the back of the house since that’s where all the noise was coming from. I circled the house to see King standing at a smoking grill. Beyond him were two picnic tables.

“Alina!”

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