Page 22 of Jack of All Trades
"The idea that I'd break your heart." His eyes hold mine, serious now. "I think it might be the other way around."
Before I can respond to that startling statement, he turns and disappears into the house, leaving me standing by my car with my heart beating faster than it has any right to.
Chapter 7 - Jack
I stay hidden behind the door, watching Maya's car disappear down the street, her last glimpse of me framed against the house I grew up in. My words hang in the air between us even after she's gone: "I think it might be the other way around."
The truth of that statement hits me like a bull's first buck out of the chute- I'm falling for Maya Torres.
The realization should scare me. It should send me running in the opposite direction, back to the safety of casual flirtations and brief relationships that end before they get too deep. But instead, I feel something close to exhilaration, like the moment just before the buzzer sounds when I know I've conquered the ride.
My mind is racing. She's only been in town for what—five days? We've spent maybe a total of eight hours in each other's company. It's too fast, too intense, too unlikely to be anything real.
Except it feels more real than anything has in a long time.
Maya sees me. Not Jack Morrison, local rodeo star, not the youngest Morrison brother with the easy smile and charming lines, but me. She challenges me, questions me, doesn't let me hide behind the persona I've crafted over the years. And I find myself wanting to show her more, to be more, to prove Rex wrong about the kind of man I am.
Rex.
My best friend since childhood. The guy who had my back in countless fights, who helped me through Mom's death, who trusts me with everything except his sister.
And he's right not to trust me, based on my history. I've left a trail of brief relationships and hurt feelings throughout PineHaven, not because I'm cruel or callous, but because I've never found someone worth changing my ways for.
Until now.
The thought stops me cold in my kitchen. Am I really considering pursuing this? Maya is leaving town in less than two weeks. She has a life in Seattle—a job, an apartment, friends. And Rex would never forgive me if I hurt her.
I pace the length of the kitchen, unable to settle. This isn't like me. I don't agonize over women. I don't put my friendships at risk for a relationship that hasn't even started. I don't contemplate major life changes for someone I barely know.
But I can't stop thinking about the way Maya looked at me in the backyard, her green eyes assessing, curious, seeing past the surface to something deeper. I can't forget the sound of her laugh, reluctant at first, then genuine and unguarded. I can't ignore the connection that sparks between us with each conversation, each shared glance, each moment of unexpected honesty.
And I can't wait until tomorrow's party to figure this out.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I grab my keys from the counter and head out to my truck. I know where Rex spends his Saturday mornings—at the Outlaw Order MC clubhouse on the outskirts of town. I've only been there a handful of times, usually when Rex needed a ride home after a particularly rowdy night. It's not my scene. Too serious, too exclusive, too dangerous.
Rex has always been vague about what exactly the Outlaw Order MC do. He calls them a motorcycle club, not a gang, and insists they provide a valuable service to Pine Haven. "Protection," he once said when pressed, though he wouldn't elaborate on what they were protecting the town from.
I've respected his privacy on the matter, just as he's respected my choice to stay in rodeo rather than pursue college or a more conventional career like my brothers. That's been the foundation of our friendship. Mutual respect for each other's choices, even when we don't fully understand them.
I'm about to test that foundation in a way I never have before.
The Outlaw Order clubhouse sits at the end of a gravel road about three miles outside Pine Haven proper. It's a converted warehouse with blacked-out windows, a parking lot filled with motorcycles of various makes and models and several other old buildings around. Rex's custom Harley is parked near the entrance—a sleek black machine with custom silver detailing that he's spent years perfecting.
I park my truck at the edge of the lot, suddenly aware of how out of place it looks among the bikes. How out of place I'm going to look inside. I'm wearing my everyday clothes. Worn jeans, a plain white t-shirt, my usual boots. I didn't even grab a hat on my way out. I must look like I just rolled out of bed.
But it doesn't matter. What matters is finding Rex and laying my cards on the table. If there's even a chance of something real with Maya, I need to be upfront with her brother from the start.
The heavy metal door to the clubhouse opens easily when I pull, revealing a dimly lit interior that smells of leather, beer, and cigarette smoke. Music plays from speakers in the corners. Not the country I usually listen to, but something harder, with a driving beat that matches the pounding of my heart.
The moment I step inside, the atmosphere changes. Conversations pause, heads turn, and I feel the weight of a dozen pairs of eyes assessing me, evaluating the threat level of a cowboy in their midst.
The space is larger than it looks from outside, with a long bar along one wall, pool tables in the center, and various seating areas scattered throughout. Members of the Outlaw Order are easily identifiable by their leather vests emblazoned with the club's logo.
I spot Rex immediately. He's at the bar with three other members, deep in conversation until one of them notices me and nudges him. Rex turns, his expression going from confusion to wariness when he sees me standing just inside the entrance.
He says something to his companions, then makes his way toward me, his movements casual though his eyes are anything but.
"Jack," he says when he reaches me. "What the hell are you doing here?"
