Page 96 of The Heart We Guard
“What the fuck, Dice? You told me you can do this job.”
“It’s just receipts. World isn’t gonna fucking end if I can’t find the receipt for a few parts here and there.”
I pat my pocket for my cigarettes, like I’ve done a million times since I got back and find they’re not there. After a week without nicotine at Greer’s house, I decided to quit, seeing I was already over the worst of it.
“Here’s the thing, Dice. You’re right, a couple of pieces of paper do seem like an insignificant thing. But it’ll be the end of the fucking world for someone if the IRS come sniffing around our business because the legal side of it isn’t adding up right. They find something wrong with the legal side of our business, they dig deeper and findall the fucking cash we launder through it!” My voice is a yell at the end.
There’s a protracted silence.
Grudge looks over. “You guys okay?”
“We’re good.” I wave him away. “You are to keep every single receipt, Dice. You’re going to work with Catfish to do the fucking books right and on time. I don’t like getting involved in spats between brothers, as a general rule, but he was right to bring this to me when the impact could hurt us all. Do your job, or you’ll be fired. We clear?”
“As crystal,” Dice says.
“Good.” I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “Fuck’s sake. Shouldn’t have to be dealing with this. So, Iappreciate you showing up to help. But go back to the clubhouse and fix this with Catfish.”
I glance over at the rest of the men. They’re all buddied up, talking with the person closest to them. Looks like I’m on my own, the damn president patch keeping me apart, again.
The feeling of being alone is in my head on the ride home, but when I pull onto the driveway, I see Atom’s truck in front of the house. Part of me just wants a shower, five minutes of peace, and some time holding my woman.
My woman.
The thought makes me smile.
It’s the complete opposite of the life I was chasing.
And I realize that even though a shower and some peace would be nice, having my daughter and future son-in-law over for dinner would be a positive step for all of us.
Warily, I take the steps up the porch, and when I let myself in, the first thing I see is Greer.
Smiling.
“Hey, sweetie,” she says. “You want a beer?”
I bend over to kiss her tenderly. Her lips are warm. “You taste like coffee.”
She points to the cup on the coffee table. “Ember heard from Raven about my current love hate relationship with coffee and brought me a really delicious decaf from Quinn’s store.” She stands and heads to the kitchen. I didn’t say yes to the beer, but she already knows I like one when I come home at the end of the day, which is no longer midnight, or even eight. I find myself being home by five or six so I can eat with her.
I look to my daughter. “That’s really good of you, Em.”
Ember smiles and then nervously reaches for Atom’s hand. “Thought it might be helpful for us to clear the air a little.”
“Sure.”
But she waits for Greer to return with the beer.
Atom has a bottle in front of him, and Ember has the same kind of cup from Quinn’s coffee shop.
“I wanted to apologize,” Ember says when Greer returns with my beer and sits next to me on the sofa. “I always hoped you’d find a responsible kind of happiness, one day, Dad. With someone you really liked. And the first time you bring someone around like that, like Greer, I behave like a drama queen. I’m sorry. Especially to you, Greer. This really wasn’t the way I thought I’d behave when Dad found someone.”
“You weren’t a drama queen,” Greer says. “I think it was a perfectly understandable reaction to that kind of shock.”
Ember looks to Atom and raises an eyebrow. “You might have thought so, but someone else didn’t.”
Atom smiles at my daughter in a way that should have always given his love for her away a long time ago. He fucking adores her. Shines from him like a beacon. “Your dad shouldn’t have made the announcement the way he did. Owed you better. But the flounce you did, man… All I could do was track your ass.”
I roll my eyes at that, and Greer’s cheeks go pink.
