Page 107 of Sinful Skulls
Everyone laughs because they know the man is full of shit.
The rest of breakfast is much the same, lots of laughing and jokes. I can tell this is normal for them. They’ve sat around this table more than a few times.
“Do you want to go over to Rachel’s with me? I go over there a couple of times a week to help her with stuff,” Lexie asks.
“Sure. If that’s okay?” I turn to Brody.
“Yeah, that’s good with me. I need to get over to the farm and help Jackson finish the tree house. I think he wants to get it done so his mom can see it before …” He doesn’t finish his sentence.
We’re all quiet as we work together as a family to clean up and get out the door.
On our way to Rachel’s, Lexie tells me stories about the club. I love hearing about everyone. When she gets quiet, I look at her. “Everything okay?”
She bites her bottom lip nervously. “Rachel asked me to invite you to come with me today. Not that I didn’t want you to come, but she specifically asked me to bring you.”
“Okay.” I tip my head at her demeanor. “She probably wants to talk to me about my father. You know, because Jackson and I have similar stories.”
Her lips curl in, and I know she won’t say more than what she has.
Rachel is in bed when we arrive. Raffe argues with her for a good fifteen minutes. “Go. I need you to go check on Willow for me, otherwise I’ll worry.”
His face falls, and he knows he’s been defeated. “Fine.” He turns to Lexie. “You call me if she so much as sneezes.”
Rachel rolls her eyes, but when his gaze goes back to her, she gives him a warm smile. “Thank you, baby,” she tells him as he kisses her cheek.
We sit down on the chairs beside her bed. She waits until we hear his bike pull away before she speaks. “It’s getting harder and harder to get some alone time,” she laughs, sending her into a coughing fit.
Lexie jumps up and hands her the cup on the nightstand.
“I heard you stayed at Elizabeth’s last night,” she says once she’s cleared her lungs.
“I did. I took your advice.”
She smiles at me. “Good.” Her attention turns to the window as a breeze blows in.
I stand up to peek outside when I hear the windchime. “What a beautiful chime,” I tell her, admiring the iridescent dragonfly hanging from the center of it.
“My niece, Billie Rose, made it for me,” she says, rolling her head to the side to admire it with me.
She reaches out, and I take her hand. “Would it have been easier if you never knew the truth?” she asks, tugging me to sit on her bed beside her.
I shrug. “I think life plays out the way it’s supposed to, so I really can’t answer that question. Easier isn’t always better.”
“But you’re happy to know her?”
“I am. I love my parents, and I wouldn’t change my childhood for anything. But I knew there was something different about me. I think it’s because I never once saw myself in anyone. I think that’s why I went to Paris. I was searching for myself. I’m sure that sounds crazy, but I’ve always felt a piece of me was missing.”
Her eyes scan my face before she looks at Lexie. “She’s going to be a big help to you.”
Lexie nods. “I think so too.”
“Help with what?”
Rachel squeezes my hand. “You and Lexie are going to help the club get through my death. They haven’t lost someone in a very long time.” The windchime plays a little tune, and she turns her head toward the sound. “It was really tough on them. This club loves with their whole heart, but when it’s time to let go, they have a hard time with that.”
My heart is breaking for this woman. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
Her attention comes back to me. “I feel so much better leaving now that I know Brody has someone looking out for him.”
