Page 7 of Bear (Rebel Saints MC 6)

Chapter Three: Don’t Forget Your Keys

Bear

Delphia wasn’t as good-natured as the first time I met her, understandably… I still got those cute lips to formulate a smile, so not too bad. As soon as my leg swung off the bike I patted my black jeans down for my house keys. I clicked my fingers as the realization hit me that I must have dropped them at the gas station. They had to be there.

“Shit.” Me and my keys were a real issue. I was always losing those suckers. I couldn’t help but figure it was a good sign this time, if I had left them at the gas station. At least, I could see Delphia’s face again. Hopefully she was holding my keys.

Suddenly, a flashback overpowered my mind of another night when I’d dropped my keys.

The night had been a foggy haze at best and I’d had trouble finding them.

Murphy had pleaded with me, tugging my arm. “Come one, let’s catch a cab. I got a bad feeling about this. They’ve been drinking so much. We can even walk, it’s a nice night! Come on.”

Smirking, I had shrugged her arm off as the car engine revved.

Scotty, Rebecca and Dana were already loaded up. “Come on bitches! It’s not that far. It’s around the corner, Murphy. Be home in no time,” they called out.

I laughed as I staggered a bit and picked up the lost keys from the sidewalk. I grabbed Murphy’s hand and tugged her into the car.

That choice changed my whole life for the worst.

I shook it off and sighed looking up to the sky. A burden I would carry with me for the rest of my life.

Ironically, a spare set of keys I owned currently, were inside my house. The whole point was supposed to be to put the spare set somewhere I could access them.

Straddled over my bike, I scratched my full beard releasing a frustrated sigh. My cell phone vibrated against my thigh and I pulled it out and answered the private number. “Hello.”

“Umm, hi, this is Delphia from Holbeck Gas. I’m calling because I have a set of keys here that are yours. I was thinking you might need them.”

“You would be right. I’m sitting right here outside my house trying to figure out how to get in.” I chuckled.

“Oh, well that’s a problem. If you come down here I have them. They’re in good hands,” she explained in her sweet voice.

“I know they are. Alright, on my way.” My frustration switched to relief. Wouldn’t take me that long to swing by there and pick them up. No skin off my nose to be honest. All I was doing was sweeping over route plans for the reunion, trying to think of places I could take the guys around Holbeck. There were a few in mind, but I liked to get the visual with my own eyes and get the lay of the land.

I traced my bike back to the gas station, striding in through the automatic doors placing my glasses on top of my head. A few customers were being served at the counter. I hung off to the side until she finished up. I got a chance to watch her interactions with the customers, one elderly man and one middle aged woman. She was pleasant to them both, not overly nice, but efficient and calm, especially when the older man couldn’t remember his pump number. She had a nice touch, and the way her flyaway hairs formed a halo around her face made my pulse race.

“Hey, I’m back.” I rolled up to the counter as soon as the customers dispersed.

She dangled the keys, grinning at me.

I laughed. “Those would be mine. I appreciate you holding them.”

“You’re welcome!” She smiled kindly.

There was sweet sincerity in her that I found appealing. A lot of women I’d met didn’t possess that. She didn’t have a jaded look in her eye, maybe a bit of hurt and grief, but not anything that couldn’t be resolved with some TLC.

I cupped my hand for her to drop the keys into.

She held them for a moment and smirked before she dropped them in my hand.

I closed my hand over them wondering what was going on in that head of hers. The next sentence that came out of my own mouth shocked me. “Delphia, if you ever need anything, give me a call. You’ve got my number now, after all,” I offered.

She appeared to consider it as she pressed the pad of her finger on the counter. “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, while you’re thinking about it, I wanna invite you down to the Wheelz clubhouse. We got pool, beers, good music and good people. So if you ever wanna hang, let me know and I can introduce you to some folks. We Rebel Saints don’t bite too hard.” I wouldn’t miss a second time. I missed the first time and lost the love of my life. Maybe it was a sign to me from the universe?

From the quirk of her eyebrows and the smile on her face, I thought maybe I’d won her over.

---