Page 20 of Scythe's Salvation
“Hey, beautiful, come on in, it’s already hot and muggy outside,” Scythe says, pulling me from my inner thoughts. “Ryleigh thought you might have been too nervous to eat, so she put out a buffet of light foods. Go ahead and help yourself, Albertson is here but with Hawg right now.”
He walks beside me, his hand resting on my lower back, which soothes my nerves. We both pick up plates and I add some fruit, along with a blueberry muffin. “I don’t think I can eat more than this,” I admit as I watch Scythe pile his plate high with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and home fries that look as good as the ones Memaw makes.
“That’s okay, I’ll let you share some of mine,” he says. “Do you want orange juice or coffee?”
While I love how coffee smells when it’s brewing, I’m not a fan of the taste. Amara’s had me try at least a dozen different flavored creamers but I still prefer my diet soda, water, or orange juice. “Juice, please.”
“Go ahead and grab a seat and I’ll be right back with our drinks,” he instructs, nodding to a group of tables. I smile at the women I see sitting at one of the tables, their gazes focused on me and Scythe, as I make my way to one of the empty ones.
Sitting down, I place my napkin over my lap and wait for Scythe to return with my juice. I’m definitely conscious of the looks and murmurs, and if I had seen Roxy sitting there, I would’ve stopped and said hello, but I don’t recognize any of them.
“Y’all stop making her nervous,” Scythe scolds as he reaches our table and sets down our drinks. “Christ, you’d think you had never seen a stranger in this place.”
“We’ve never seenyouwith a woman,” one of the ladies rebuts. “Sorry to be nosy, I’m Ryleigh, Brick’s ol’ lady and a self-confessed busybody.”
“You’re not that bad, Ry,” another states. “I’m Rory, Banshee’s ol’ lady, and this one is Moira, Kracken’s ol’ lady. She doesn’t say a lot until she gets to know you, but just to say, our ol’ men grew up with Scythe, so when he told Brick you were coming here today to meet with the club’s attorney, we wanted to meet you ourselves. You’re the one who asked Roxy about the gently used clothes, which was a great idea, by the way. We’ve added that section to the thrift store so if you have clothes you’d like to donate, just bring them by.”
“Oh, y’all would be lifesavers! My best friend, Amara, tends to go a little bit crazy when it comes to my son. I’ve got like fivetotes full of clothes he’s outgrown and some still have the tags on them!”
“We’ll still put them in the gently used section,” Ryleigh says. “How old is your son?”
“Five.”
“He’s right around Callum’s age. That’s RiffRaff and Jilly’s son,” Rory states. “If he likes fishing, he’ll find a new best friend.”
Scythe and I both burst out laughing at Rory’s words, because Chance loves to go any time we’re able. “Um, just to say, but Scythe found us fishing the other day,” I finally choke out. “He helped my boy hunt up mud bugs, then catch a bunch of fish for dinner.”
“Chicken livers work well too,” another female says, walking over to the table where Ryleigh, Rory, and Moira are sitting. “I’m Jilly, Callum’s mom, and he swears by them, as does RiffRaff. Have either of you three invited her to the family day for the Fourth of July yet?”
“We figured that Scythe would ask her,” Ryleigh replies.
“And I planned on it but y’all beat me to it,” Scythe teases. Looking at me, he asks, “So, what are you doing on the Fourth of July?”
I shrug then reply, “Coming to the clubhouse for a celebration, I guess, as long as Chance is welcome.”
He leans in and whispers, “He’ll always be welcome except when you and I are naked between the sheets.”
I can feel my face heat up and it must show, because the four women are now laughing, probably figuring out what Scythesaid to me. While Amara is my soul sister, my ride or die bestie, I suspect if Scythe and I become a couple, these ladies will become part of my posse.
“Wait, hold on, we’re doing two days this year, remember?” Ryleigh asks. “Roxy and Saber are finalizing their adoption of Canyon and Egypt, y’all have to come to that as well!”
Since I adore Roxy and she’s quickly moving from client to friend, I agree to come that day as well. “Be prepared to meet a lot of folks whose names you’ll forget,” Scythe teases. “Don’t worry, though, the guys are easy, we all have our patches on. It’s the women and kids who’ll make your head spin.”
“Don’t forget about the pets,” Rory says. “We’ve got plenty of those as well, although when there are a lot of folks around, we keep the cats over there in their special indoor catio.”
I glance to where she’s pointing and see several gorgeous kitties lounging around on cat trees. “I’ve always wanted a cat,” I murmur. I couldn’t have one growing up because I was in foster care, and for the past five years, I’ve been treading water to survive.
But maybe now I can add a furry baby to the house, especially since Chance is old enough to help take care of it, as far as feeding it. It’s something to consider for another time, though, as the conversation continues around me. Unsurprisingly, Scythe has been stealthily adding eggs and bacon to my plate, which I’ve been blindly eating as I chat back and forth with the four women. Soon enough, I’m full, my plate is empty, and Jilly is going around taking the dirty dishes back to the kitchen to clean.
“We’re going to get out of your hair now, but it was great meeting you, Tamara,” Ryleigh says as a tall, bald-headed man and a shorter, chunky man in a suit approach mine and Scythe’s table.
“Brick,” Scythe says, “this is Tamara Fruge. Tamara, this is my president, Brick, and our club attorney, Mr. Albertson.”
“I hope you don’t mind me sitting in, Tamara,” Brick says. “But I need to make sure that we fully understand what’s going on so that we can best protect you and your little boy, as well as those here at the clubhouse.”
I’m overwhelmed by emotion that I cannot express right now. I usually only have Memaw and Amara in my corner, but it sounds like I’ve gained far more than that, just because a biker named Scythe walked into my massage parlor and life.
CHAPTER
