Page 23 of The MC's Surprise
“When going over what you guys do for the community, I realized while you did a lot of good with donations, the town never gets to see that. You need more face time. If we get you out there doing good where the town can see you, see how much you care about the community, they’ll start to doubt whether you had anything to do with the problems the other crew is causing. No one would see someone volunteering at an old folks home and expect them to break into a business a few hours later, right?”
Some of the suspicion eased from their faces, bolstering me a little.
“So far, I’ve come up with several events that we can host in town to not only draw attention to who you are and give people a chance to get to know you, but also help some problem areas in the community at the same time.”
“Like what?” someone asked. I recognized his face, but not his name. He had tattoos going up his neck and looked intimidating at first glance, but the night prior, he sat in the kitchen for a little while, letting the two little girls color in the tattoos on his arms. He was a big sweetheart.
“Well, the animal shelter is overrun. I know they’re almost constantly asking for volunteers for dog walking and hosting adoption events. The senior center is always looking for volunteers to spend time with the seniors during the day.Habitat for Humanity is always an option, and I’m sure we could get some big coverage doing something like that. The sky is the limit, honestly. The point is to change the narrative. Show the town you aren’t who they think you are. I also plan on setting up social media, a website, the works. People get their information online nowadays. You guys have almost zero online presence. That leaves them with no choice but to get to know you the old fashioned way, by gossip or meeting you in public. We need to change that.”
“I can help,” Skylar volunteered. “I’m sure my ol’ man can spare me a few hours a week, at least.” She winked at Butch, whose scowl softened under her sweet attention.
“Me too,” Circus chimed in. “My classes don’t take up a ton of my time. And I know the ins and outs of social media. I can help set that up, no problem.”
More guys added their voices, volunteering to help and take time off work. They all agreed with my plan and wanted to do what they could for the crew. When I looked over at Vegas, he smiled and gave me a thumbs up.
“The wait it out approach isn’t working,” Melissa pointed out from the couch beside me. “It wouldn’t hurt to try something new.”
Looking around the room, I saw only smiles and encouraging looks. I was both nervous and excited to start. I refused to screw this up a second time. It wasn’t just my livelihood on the line this time. The crew needed help. And event planning was my jam. I could make this happen and change how people saw this crew. I knew I could.
“Alright. If everyone agrees, then Sierra is in charge of fixing our image,” Prez said, stalling the surrounding conversations and pulling us back on track. “Anyone who hasn’t met her, introduce yourselves and tell her what you’d be comfortable volunteering for and when. Final approvals will go through meand the other officers. And remember, this is to help our crew. All eyes will be on us. So no screwing around.”
“Way to put on the pressure,” I mumbled under my breath.
Vegas chuckled beside me. “You can do it. I believe in you. And I’ve got your back.”
Would there ever be a point where this man did something that didn't give me warm gooey feelings?
13
Vegas
Ihad promised Sierra she could work with me at the casino, but a part of me wished I could take it back. Ever since she agreed to help the crew, she’d been going full steam ahead. She had a notebook she carried around with her everywhere that was filled to the brim with ideas and plans. I didn’t want to take her attention away from that. What she was doing was important, and me and the crew needed her help more than I needed another cocktail waitress on the floor. Besides, I hated the idea of her being around all the cigarette smoke. Wasn’t that bad for the baby?
I was watching her on the monitors, chewing on my thumbnail as I considered my options. I didn’t need an assistant like Prez did when he met Maggie. With the managers and the staff, I had the support I needed there. I didn’t want her on the cleaning staff in the hotel. Too much heavy lifting. What was the possibility that she knew anything about IT? If I could have her working with our IT guy, it’d keep her off the floors and at a desk so she could rest.
With my thoughts on Sierra, I didn’t hear Charlotte coming until she stepped into my office. I didn’t have a chance to brace myself for the rush of butterflies in my stomach. I hoped that didn’t show in my expression when I lifted my head to greet her. My smile immediately fell when I saw the look on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought we agreed we weren’t hiring her,” she snapped.
Blinking slowly, I frowned. “I said she wasn’t here for an interview the other day. She didn’t tell me she was looking for work until later. What’s the problem? You were just telling me you were short staffed.”
“My problem is that you didn’t talk to me first.” She stuck her lip out in a pout, making my stomach clench and my breath catch. That look did me in every damn time. “I thought you valued my opinion.”
I was on my feet in an instant, coming around the desk to hover at her side. “Hey, hey… I do value your opinion. I’m sorry, I should’ve let you know. But just give her a chance. Sierra has worked here before, she’s good with the guests and a hard worker. And…” I hesitated, worried it would ruin my chances with her if I told Charlotte about the baby.
Charlotte noticed the pause, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Justin? What is it?”
She was the only one in the world who got away with calling me by my first name. Not even Sierra, who was carrying my kid, called me that. I didn’t fight her on it. It made the conversations feel special when we talked to one another. Hopefully she felt the same way and this wouldn’t ruin everything.
“She’s carrying my kid,” I admitted. “We had a fling during the summer and she got pregnant. When she said she was looking for a job, I asked her to come work here. I want her close in case anything happens.”
Charlotte’s mouth hung open as she stared at me, sort of like how mine did when Sierra first told me. I wanted to point it out, ease the tension a little, but I also didn’t want to make light of it. I cared too much about how Charlotte thought of me to make jokes.
The shock I expected. The anger that followed was a little bit of a surprise. “So, what? You’re going to have a kid now? Are you dating her or something? Because even if you are, I’m not going to let her get away with not working. I’ve got a business to run and–”
I tried taking her arm, hoping to bring her to the couch so we could talk, but she jerked her arm away from me, the fury evident in her eyes. My hope that this wouldn’t affect my standing with her vanished in thin air.
