Page 123 of Sinful Skulls
“She will. I better get out there and see how they’re doing.” She hurries away.
I’ll give Elizabeth, Daisy, and Lexie credit. They may be new here, but man, am I thankful they’re with us. They have been kicking ass for this club.
I push the door open to the studio, finding Jesse staring at a blank canvas. I clear my throat to let her know I’m behind her.
She doesn’t turn to look at me. “Did you get Raffe out of there?” she asks, her voice devoid of any emotion.
“I didn’t, but Daisy is with him. She pushed him, and he lost his shit.”
“Good.”
I scratch my head. It’s weird seeing everyone so down, especially Jess. “Um, are you having a creative block? I just ask because I know it happens to Daiz sometimes.”
Finally, she looks at me. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispers. Her bottom lip quivers, and her eyes fill with tears.
“I’m sure something will come to you.”
Her head drops. “I don’t know what to do about Raffe.”
“Oh.” Shit. I walk over and place my hand on her shoulder. “He’ll be okay. He just needs more time.”
“If I lost Dirk, I would die. I would literally die.” She begins to cry.
“Hey.” I pull her into my arms, something I’ve never done, because fuck I’ve never wanted to die. But something tells me Dirk won’t mind. “Don’t grieve the loss of him before he’s gone. You’ll only waste precious time full of anxiety. Okay? I get it, but don’t do that to yourself.”
She sniffles a little bit, and I realize I’m getting a rare glimpse of the vulnerable, softer side of Jesse. “I can’t handle seeing Raffe and Dirk hurting so much.”
“Like I said, it’s going to take time. We’ve just got to keep everybody moving. One day at a time.”
Jesse continues to cry, so I hold her. This woman has carried this club for years. She deserves to have someone carry her for once.
When her sobs subside, I push away from her to look in her eyes. “This club will survive this. We just gotta keep looking out for each other.”
She nods, wiping her eyes. “Thanks for letting me cry on your shoulder.”
“My shoulder is available to you anytime.”
We get upstairs just as Daisy and Raffe walk in. He looks like shit, but he’s on his feet without a bottle in his hand. It’s something.
He and Jesse stare at each other for a few seconds, and then he rushes forward and grabs her, hugging her tight. I step away, letting them have their moment. Daisy takes my hand and leads us out of the room. Dirk is leaning against the doorframe, watching them.
I look back, finding the three of them in an embrace. They have been through a lot together.
We head outside and fill our plates before finding a quiet spot under a tree to eat. My gaze roams over the lake, hating how quiet everyone is.
“It’s going to be okay, Brody,” Daisy says, offering me a small smile.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. Nothing feels right without her. I guess I knew how much it was going to hurt me, but I didn’t think about how it was going to affect the rest of the club. She was always so quiet. I didn’t know how much she’d influenced everyone.”
“Sometimes big impacts come in quiet packages.”
It makes me chuckle lightly, and I reach out to cup the side of her face. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Her attention pulls away from me to watch Lexie setting up the projector. The club bought it a few years ago so we could watch movies outside. The kids love it.
“What is she doing? I don’t think anyone is in the mood for a movie,” I grumble lightly.
“Maybe it’s not a movie.”
