Page 98 of Truck You

Clara rolls her eyes. “Since when doIcause trouble?”

“Not you.” He tousles her hair like she’s his little sister and her smile wavers. Can he really not see how she looks at him? “I’m talking to Sophia. She’s the troublemaker.”

“Hey!” I scoff. “I don’t cause trouble.”

“Bullshit, Red.” Mac sweeps in behind me and spins me around. “You’ve been nothing but trouble since the day you walked into my life.”

I shrug with a grin before I wrap my arms around his neck. “Yeah, but you like it.”

“Never said I didn’t.” Then he presses his lips to mine.

* * *

Posey’s Lounge isa hole in the wall. I don’t even think it’s nice enough to qualify as a dive bar. Sure, it’s filled with locals and is the only bar within a ten-mile radius of Beaver, but it’s a dump.

The floors are rough wood and unfinished. If I fell, I’ve no doubt my hands would be filled with splinters from bracing my fall. There’s a stage opposite the entrance that’s currently dark with a small dance floor in front of it. Clara mentioned they bring in cover bands on Saturdays, but Fridays are reserved for karaoke. Based on the clientele, I’m having a hard time picturing this group singing karaoke.

The bar is along the right wall, every seat taken by someone who looks like they belong to the local motorcycle club. A few even have jackets on with the name Unholy Ghosts embroidered on the back above what I can only describe as a screaming, terrified face. If those guys sing karaoke, color me shocked.

The rest of the bar is open and filled with tables. Several of them are empty, but the ones filled with patrons cause me to pause. There’s an even mix of leather-wearing men, girls dressed in sparkling tops like they’re at a nightclub, and a small crowd dressed in business attire. I’m assuming those are Clara’s coworkers, since they’re waving us over.

There’s a separate room between the bar and the stage that I couldn’t see until we walked further in. It looks like a game room. There are several pool tables and dart boards. The room is full of more men and women dressed like bikers and nightclub goers.

My gaze catches on a familiar pair of brown eyes. Christian is hunched over a table. He nods his head in greeting before he turns back to the man he’s talking to. It’s an older man with a light dusting of gray in his dark hair and beard. He’s handsome for sure but carries an air of darkness around him. My brain immediately chantsdanger, danger, dangeron repeat. He’s wearing a similar leather jacket as the men sitting at the bar. I can’t see the back of it, but I wonder if it has the same emblem for the Unholy Ghosts.

“Come on.” Clara tugs at my arm and pulls me away from the game room.

I follow her, but I can’t help but wonder what Christian is doing with them. After the conversation between him and Mac that resulted in the jack falling accident, I can’t help but worry.

I like Christian, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.

He may be quiet and broody, but I haven’t noticed anything about his actions that indicates he’s using again. But there’s something about the man he’s talking to that draws concern.

“Sophia, these are my coworkers,” Clara says as we approach a table with a group that looks close to our age. “This is Trevor.” She points to the only man in the group. He’s got dark hair with a mess of curls on top. Even sitting down, he looks tall. He smiles and the cutest pair of dimples pops out. Paired with his dark-rimmed glasses, he’s perfected the cute nerdy look. “He teaches calculus and geometry.”

He offers his hand, and I shake it. “Nice to meet you.” The deep timbre of his baritone voice makes me smile. If he sings, I bet it drives the girls wild.

“This is Karla, the PE teacher and head softball coach.” She points to the petite blonde next to Trevor. “Don’t let her size fool you. She’s a badass.”

“From what I hear, Sophia’s the badass.” Karla beams up at me. “Anyone who can outrace Mac wins the badass title.”

“Thanks.” I laugh.

“And this is Tide.” My brows involuntarily lift as Clara introduces me to the gorgeous brunette who looks like she just walked away from a beauty pageant minus the fancy dress and tiara on her head. But if she were wearing one, it wouldn’t look a bit out of place. The woman just smiles and shrugs.

“I know. My name is odd.” She says with a slight twang to her voice that gives me Southern Belle vibes. “But it gets even better. My last name is Waters. If my parents didn’t love me so much, I’d swear they wanted to ruin my life with a name.”

“It’s not odd. Just took me by surprise is all,” I say quickly, feeling like an ass for letting my reaction show.

“Eh, it’s fine. No need to lie.” Her smile is genuine as she offers me her hand. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about you. I teach music and drama.”

“She’s the reason we’re here tonight,” Clara says. “If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have karaoke night.”

“Oh, so it’s your fault.” I smile, hoping she catches the teasing tone of my voice. Based on how she laughs, I think I’m safe.

“Guilty as charged!” She holds her drink up with a nod before taking a sip.

Clara and I settle into our seats, and a server comes by and takes our drink order. Not long after we arrive, the stage lights up and someone wheels a karaoke machine out on a cart. Tide is the first to jump up and pick a song. She sings a beautiful rendition of Dolly Parton’sJolene.

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