Page 39 of Givin' Me Fitz!
Mirror their gestures—laugh with them; empathize with them; smile when they smile.
I read the rest of their tips, and when I got to number eight, I took it to heart.
8. Turn them down from time to time. Let them know you’re worth their interest, but you’re not waiting for them to give you their attention. They’ll come to desire your attention and return it even more.
That was followed by another good one.
9. Do something for them to show that you care. Make it something they wouldn’t expect.
That one I could do easily. The back gate had been bothering me, so replacing the lock was a no-brainer.
After I kicked Mouse out of my place, I showered and dressed, heading to the home improvement store near Summerlin to find a decent lock that required a key. I picked up a few tools necessary for the job, placing them in my saddlebag. I headed to the rental house and went to work, installing the new lock on the back gate.
I gave Fitz both keys to show I wasn’t trying to take advantage of him by having a key to let myself in without being invited. I hoped he saw how much I cared about him. Then, I did the hardest thing I’d ever done…
“You, uh, you didn’t have to do it. I could have put a new one on. To be honest, I’ve mostly focused on the inside of the house and haven’t been home enough to worry about the backyard. You got time for a beer?”
It was damn hard to say the words, but I forced them out. “Thanks, but I’ll get out of your hair.” I hopped on the bike and left, cursing myself the whole way home.
I went to my house, turned on some music, grabbed a bottle of Jack, and I sat alone in the dark so nobody at the clubhouse decided to come down. I wasn’t sure what the fuck to do about Fitz, but if those fucking rules that Mouse had shown me worked at all, I’d swallow my pride and give them a try.
On Halloween morning, I went to The Roundup, finding Hobie and Ders at a table in the back. “Do we have candy to give to the members’ kids? Where are we on finding out whether the body was Boyd’s?”
The executive committee had taken the ride out to North Las Vegas to the home where Boyd and his wife, Leanne, had lived for thirty years. My parents used to go there on Fridays for game nights with the Townsends because they were all best friends. When Leanne wasn’t there, and the home was a shambles with all their clothes and personal items missing, I had no idea what the fuck to think. Something more was going on.
We rode back to the clubhouse without a word. I didn’t express my feelings on the matter, but when I caught Hobie’s eye, he nodded that it was fucking fishy. Was the dead body Boyd? I had my doubts at the time, and now I believed Leanne had left their home to join her husband, wherever he’d gone.
If I ever found Boyd Townsend alive, I’d do worse to him than was done to the poor soul who had taken his place. And the Scorpions would know the Steel Cowboys were the wrong club to piss off.
Gilly skipped into the dining room with a tray of coffee cups. “Good morning, guys. Coffee?”
We all nodded and accepted the mugs he gave us. “Are we having a Halloween party this year?” Gilly’s expression seemed hopeful.
I laughed. “If you wanna get some stuff together, we can have a little party for the kids. We’ll need candy. I’ll get Spider to call the guys and have them bring their families. Make it cute for them. I wish we’d thought of it sooner.”
I handed the kid my credit card, but Gilly pushed it away with a grin. “I’ve already taken care of it, prez, and Arlo gave me money to do it. I’ll get it all set up for the kids. Can I make a haunted house here? I’ll put it up and take it down, I swear.”
I chuckled. “Get Mouse to help you set it up. We’ll take it down tomorrow. Don’t make it too scary.”
Hobie reached for his phone and hit the contact list. “Mouse, let me treat you to breakfast. Bones wants to talk to you, anyway.”
When Hobie ended the call, he smirked. “He’s on his way.”
I took a sip of my coffee and wondered if there was any way to get Fitz to come to the party. According to Mouse’s rules, I shouldn’t seek him out, so how would that work?
“What’s wrong?” I glanced up to see Hobie staring at me.
“Nothing.”
Hobie smirked. “There will be plenty of hangarounds for you to get laid. You used to like Krystle.”
I didn’t give a shit about Krystle. She was down to fuck and didn’t want romance. She’d worked at Cowpokes on North Woodchips before she left to become a hair stylist, and she still came to every party she was invited to. I’d enjoyed her attention back then, but I wanted nothing to do with her—or anyone else—now.
“Yeah, well, it’s time for a change.”
