Page 5 of Moving to Love
“I’ve asked her out a couple of times now, but she says she can’t. Not won’t or doesn’t want to. She says she can’t. What the fuck does that mean?”
Gunnar released a loud breath. “Well, my dad really did a number on her. He knocked her up and left. She caught him cheating with her best friend. Later, she found out he had screwed almost everyone she knew, including my mom’s Aunt Susan. She was devastated. For years, she never even looked at a man. Then, when I was about thirteen, she started dating again. Cocksucker cheated on her, too. So, she just doesn’t want to get hurt again.”
Dog watched Gunnar’s face. His jaw tightened; his brows furrowed. So, he had to be patient. It explained a lot. They kept working on the bike together in silence, each lost in thought.
“Why does she think LuAnn is my girlfriend?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot. She asked me if you two dated, and I told her no. But she said LuAnn told her to stay away from you. LuAnn made it seem like you two are in a relationship.”
“That explains why she’s been so clingy lately.” Turning a wrench and hitting his knuckles, Jeremiah swore. “Fuck.”
So Jeremiah now had a better idea about what was going on with Joci. He was going to approach her differently from this point forward.
Chapter 4
“So, I was thinking. If you add this to the Rolling Thunder Motorcycles website, anyone already on the site will be able to click easily on the Veteran’s Ride information. We can capture early sign-ups, which should relieve some congestion on ride day. We can have a separate table set up for those who have pre-registered, where they can get their wristbands and swag before we ride.” Joci smiled at Jeremiah as she explained her marketing strategy.
“This is amazing, Joci. We’ve never had this so organized. How have I been able to pull this off before? When I look back on it, I’m almost embarrassed at the state of organized disorganization I had here.” Jeremiah looked into her eyes and held her gaze.
Joci’s heart was thumping away loudly in her chest. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, drowning out almost everything else. Everything except Jeremiah’s low, soothing voice as it slid over her. Gawd. Her resolve was waning where he was concerned. He had taken great pains to let her know that he was not with LuAnn over the past three and a half months. At the ride meetings, he always made sure LuAnn sat at the opposite end of the table, while Joci sat next to him.
“This is going to be amazing. I bet we have more riders than ever before,” Ryder stated, smiling at Joci.
“That’s true,” JT chimed in. “You should hear all the comments and compliments from customers on the logo. Every day, someone says something about it.”
“Oh, bullshit, JT. I never hear anyone comment on the fucking logo.” LuAnn’s snarl hit an all-time low as she leveled her sights on Joci. “It’s not like she cured cancer or anything. I’m sick of hearing how great the logo is.” LuAnn jumped up from her seat and walked out.
Ryder smirked as she left, then looked at Joci and smiled brightly. “I think it’s fucking hot!”
Joci smiled at Ryder and nodded once at his compliment. “Thank you, Ryder.”
“Okay, now that we’ll have some peace and quiet, let’s get down to work.” Jeremiah smiled. Chuckles erupted around the room.
Joci lost herself in the meeting. It was enjoyable without LuAnn. She knew she wouldn’t be sniped at every time she said something. The others in the room were in high spirits as they threw ideas around and worked out minor details.
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“Gunnar, thanks for figuring that out. The parking has been an issue from the beginning. I don’t know how you got Mrs. Wilkes to agree to let us use her land, but thanks,” Jeremiah said with a smirk on his face.
Gunnar was a nice-looking man, so the women always said. He knew exactly how Gunnar had gotten their neighbor, Mrs. Wilkes, to agree to let them use her land. One big smile from him with those dimples like his mom’s, and the old lady probably puddled in her undies. Jeremiah had been trying to get her to let them use her land for years now. He had tried buying it, renting it, borrowing it. Nothing. She wanted nothing to do with him or Rolling Thunder. A couple of visits from Gunnar, and suddenly, they could use her land, provided they mowed it, kept it neat, and returned it to her in better condition than they got it to begin with.
“No problem, Dog. So, we need some volunteers to go over and start taking care of it. We’ll need to mow it and plant a barrier of evergreens. They won’t be very big this year, but I thought if we planted them in a row between her house and the field she’s letting us use, it'd give her the privacy she’s concerned about.”
Gunnar’s comments were to the group at large but focused on JT and Ryder.
“I don’t want that old bag watching me plant trees on her property,” JT hissed.
“All she wants is a little eye candy for a day or two. Since when don’t you want a woman to look at you?” Gunnar shot back, smiling broadly.
Deacon laughed. “Besides, you’re in a dry spell right now anyway. Maybe she’ll put out for you, JT.”
“Fuck you, Deacon,” JT snapped.
“Okay, okay.” Jeremiah was laughing at the banter. This was the most enjoyable meeting to date. “April tenth. Let’s plan on being over there at eight o’clock sharp and begin working on Mrs. Wilkes’ property. Gunnar, you and JT want to go over after the meeting and schmooze with her and let her know we’ll have a bunch of shirtless men out on her property beginning then?”
