by Tess Oliver
Finley laughed. “You don’t have to tiptoe around me. I’m not militant.” She seemed to ponder her statement for a second. “Actually, I guess I am. But when you have a best friend and confidante who people prefer to see sitting on their sandwich instead of their living room sofa, it’s sort of hard not to be.”
“Some Pig is cool, and I will definitely be thinking twice before I order a burger with bacon.” I stopped. “Which I won’t because that would be wrong.”
“O.K. now you’re just sounding like a jerk.”
“Sorry, I won’t do it again. I haven’t mentioned the girls yet.”
“Girls?”
“I’ll correct that. Girlfriends. Nix’s girlfriend is Scotlyn. She’s had a tragic life, but she found Nix and everything has turned around for her. Taylor is Jimmy’s girlfriend. She’s pretty wild and only just turned nineteen, but you’ll like her. And Cassie is Dray’s girlfriend. She’s had to deal with a lot of stuff because Dray is not exactly the easiest guy in the world, but she’s stuck it out with him and they seem to be in a really good place now.”
She reached forward and switched the music. “So you are the only lone wolf of the group?”
“Yeah, and believe me, Scotlyn and Taylor have been really bugging me about that. Scottie keeps telling me that I’m giving myself bad karma by being with so many different—”
I clamped my mouth shut and looked over at her.
Her lips tilted up and then she laughed at my expression. “Nicky King’s daughter, remember? And Cole’s sister, remember?” She shook her head. “Shit, I’m surrounded by manwhores. So what happened to Scotlyn?”
“She was in a really bad car accident with her family. She was the only survivor.”
“What a nightmare.”
“She couldn’t talk when Nix first met her, but the weirdest thing about the whole deal is that Nix had found this flyer for a car show with this really hot pin-up model. He had no idea who the girl was but he’d kept the flyer folded up in his wallet for a year.”
She looked over at me. “You’re kidding. Do you mean Scotlyn was the pin-up?”
“Yep.”
“Oh my God, I love that story. Destiny is so cool.” Her big blue eyes looked up at me from the curtain of long bangs. “Don’t you think?”
“It’s pretty cool when it turns out in your favor.”
“Maybe Lilly Belle jumped that slaughterhouse fence because her destiny was linked to the two of us meeting.” She sat back. “Hmm, now that I’ve said it out loud, it doesn’t sound quite as romantic as a picture in Nix’s wallet.”
“I don’t know. I kind of like the idea of having a rogue cow determine our future. Animals do seem to have a sixth sense, right?”
“They do.”
The car meet was in full swing as we pulled into the lot. Restored cars of every shape and color covered the stretch of asphalt. Jimmy’s head stood above the crowd. His red Charger was parked along the edge of the lot. Dray, Nix and the girls were standing around the car talking. I found a spot nearby and parked. Of course being a crowd of car enthusiasts, every head turned toward the Carrera. The windshield was tinted dark enough that I knew they couldn’t see me behind the wheel. “Damn, this is going to be good.” I handed Finley my phone. “I need you to get out first and be ready to snap a picture of that big guy’s face when I climb out of the driver’s seat. I know it’s something I’ll want to save.”
Finley leaned forward to get a better view of the crowd. Her bottom lip dropped open when she spotted Jimmy. “Bloody hell. He’s massive.”
“I swear he’s been that big since he was in the first grade.”
She leaned forward to get a better view of everyone. “Jeez, did you all come from the same beautiful people planet? Looks like you were all formed in perfect human molds.”
“Once you get to know everyone, you’ll see that they’re just normal everyday people.
“What if they don’t like me?”
“No chance of that. I just hope they don’t embarrass the hell out of me. You ready?”
She lifted the phone. “Got it.” She opened the car and stepped out, pulling most of the attention away from the sparkling car and toward the sparkling girl. Then, with slow dramatic movements, I opened the car door. Jimmy, Dray and Nix were watching intently to see who the guy was with the awesome car and the even more awesome girl. I stepped out, combed my hair back with my fingers and tossed the keys on the palm of my hand. From the corner of my eye, I saw Finley lift the phone and snap a picture. It was going to be fucking priceless.
We walked toward a line of wide eyes and open mouths. Scottie, Taylor and Cassie had pushed in front of Jimmy to get a better view.
“Hey,” I said casually, “what’s up? Oh, everyone, this is Finley.” I pointed around the circle of stunned faces. “That’s Nix, Dray, Cassie, Taylor, Scotlyn and this gargantuan-sized version of me is my brother, Jimmy.”
“I thought you were the miniature sized version of me,” Jimmy said. “Nice to meet you, Finley. I like your ride.” He motioned over to the Porsche. “What horsepower does it have?”
“No clue,” Finley said confidently, “but it goes pretty fast when you press on the pedal.” The girls laughed. Finley looked up at Jimmy. “You make me feel like a leprechaun. You must have to consume ten thousand calories a day just to stay alive.”
“He eats ten thousand for breakfast,” Nix said.
“Speaking of food,” Scotlyn took hold of Finley’s hand. “The three of us were just about to go and order some dinner. Why don’t you come along?” They swept Finley away before I had a chance to protest.
Dray put his hand down hard on my shoulder and waved his hand in the direction the girls were walking. “Dude.” Then he waved his hand toward the Porsche. “Dude. I always knew you had it in you.” We fist bumped, but Jimmy and Nix looked more skeptical.
The girls had disappeared into the crowd, and suddenly, I wondered if it was such a good idea to let Finley go with them alone. “I think I should go with them.” I made an attempt to follow, but Jimmy stepped in front of me like a brick wall.
“She’s fine. You don’t need to worry about them. Scotlyn and Taylor have been plotting and scheming for months to get you attached to a girl. Hell, I think if they had a science lab they’d try and figure out a way to build you one. They aren’t going to scare her off.”
“Where did you meet her?” Nix asked.
“I’m doing some work on her father’s property.”
Jimmy’s lecture face appeared. “So, instead of sawing and hammering, you’re screwing.”
Dray laughed. “Good one.”
“Yeah, he’s a regular comedian.” I walked over to one of the fold-up chairs they’d brought and sat down. “It’s not like that. But you wouldn’t believe me anyhow.”
“All right, even if you’re not making out on the job site, her dad isn’t going to be too happy about one of the construction crew flirting with his daughter. Then word will get back to the owner of Kingston Construction, and you’ll lose your job.”
I shook my head. “You need to stop being so fucking obsessed with my job. Besides, her dad is the owner of Kingston Construction. I got the job through her brother, and, at the moment, nobody knows about us.” I put up my hand to stop my brother from talking again. “Just drop it, Jimmy. I don’t want to get into it with you.”
“Her dad owns the company?” Dray sat next to me. “I guess that explains the six-figure car.”
I looked back at the Porsche. “He didn’t make his money in construction.” I’d caught all of their attention and figured I might as well just let everything out of the bag at once. “Kingston Construction is owned by Nicky King.”
Nix looked at Jimmy with a raised brow. Dray leaned toward me and nearly tipped over the chair. “You mean Nicky King of Black Thunder?”
“Yep. Finley is his daughter.”
“Dude,” Dray put out his fist again.
Nix shook his head. �
�Only you, Rett. Only you.”
I nearly laughed at the expression on Jimmy’s face. “You look like you’re about to explode with words of caution and unwanted advice.”
He just shook his big head. “Nope, I don’t even know how to respond to that, except, fucking hell, what have you done now, Rett?”
CHAPTER 9
Finley
I walked through the throng of people and took special glee in the fact that I was standing in a completely unfamiliar place, amongst a sea of unfamiliar faces, following behind three girls I’d just met, and I felt great. Months ago I would have walked into a pit of lava before I’d step out into a crowded car meet. I’d come a long way and I never wanted to go back to the way I was, a prisoner in my own house¸ a prisoner in my own mind. Occasionally, something would happen and I would lose focus and feel tense but nothing like before. For the first time in a long while, I felt as if I was standing on solid ground.
It was also the first time I’d ever stood in line for a food truck. I’d seen them on television on the food channels, and they never seemed to be serving anything I would eat. The smell of charred meat floated out of the vents, and I was pretty sure that this truck wouldn’t be serving anything vegetarian either.
“Where did you meet Rett?” Scotlyn reminded me of Eden, impossibly pretty and hard not to stare at because of it. She looked better suited for a fashion magazine than standing in line at greasy food truck.
“He’s building a barn on my dad’s property.”
Taylor slid her sunglasses up on her head. She looked just as Rett had described her, young with a wild edginess about her. He’d left out the part about her being gorgeous. “Fun. I love horses.” We moved up one customer away from the order window.
“So do I, but this barn is for my pet cow.”
Cassie wore big glasses and looked completely mismatched with Dray, but she was extremely cute and looked incredibly intelligent. “You have a pet cow?”
“Lilly Belle escaped the slaughterhouse yard, and I adopted her.”
We moved up to the window. “What would you like?” the girl asked.
Scotlyn’s perfect pink lips twisted as she glanced at Taylor and Cassie.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said. “Please order your food.”
“Nonsense,” Cassie said confidently. “You’re our special guest tonight, and we shall eat in your honor. It’s not every day Rett brings a girl with him.” Cassie’s eyes went wide behind her lenses as if she wished she could have retracted the last part.
“Hey, it’s all right. I knew Barrett was a player the second I met him. I mean just look at him.”
Taylor laughed. Scotlyn hopped up on her tiptoes. “We want to order some grilled cheese sandwiches.” She paused and looked over at Taylor. “How many do you think Clutch can eat?”
Taylor tapped her chin. “I’m thinking six and add grilled onions. He’s already going to be in shock from the lack of a hamburger patty.” Taylor smiled at me. “Grilled cheese all right?” She held up a debit card. “It’s Clutch’s treat.”
“Grilled cheese is perfect, and thanks, you really didn’t need to do this.”
We placed an order that was surely the largest amount of grilled cheese sandwiches ever placed at the truck’s window. The cook even came to the window to make sure we weren’t joking.
He called out to us. “Do you want bacon on those sandwiches?”
The girls looked at me questioningly.
“I also have a pet pig.”
Scotlyn turned back to the window quickly. “Hold the bacon.”
We placed our unusual order and sat on a picnic table nearby to wait for it. As pretty and amazing as all three of them were, I felt instantly comfortable with them. “Where do you live?” Taylor asked.
“Beverly Hills.”
“I guess that makes sense with the car you drive.” Scotlyn laughed. “I swear I heard all three guys suck in a collective breath when Rett stepped out of that Porsche.”
“Not Clutch,” Taylor said. “I heard him say something like sonavabitch, it’s Rett.”
I still had Barrett’s phone. I pulled it out of my pocket and pulled up the picture I’d taken. I showed it to Taylor, and she nearly fell off the bench with laughter. “He looks as if someone stuck him with a giant hot poker.” She made a fairly talented attempt at mimicking his wide-eyed, wide-mouthed expression.
“And you really have to know Clutch to understand why that face is so damn funny,” Cassie said through laughter. “The man rarely shows any type of emotion. He’s like this giant chiseled stone statue of—”
“A Greek god?” I offered.
Scotlyn nodded. “Actually, we usually call him Viking, but Greek god works just fine for the Mason boys. Have you been seeing Barrett for long?” Her hand flew to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m being super nosy. None of my business.”
“No, it’s fine. We only just met last weekend when he started working at my house.” I hesitated with my next question, but it seemed a good thing to ask. “You three probably know him better than most girls,” I smiled, “since from what I gather, he hasn’t stuck around with anyone very long. I know part of it is because he is so damn beautiful to look at, but he seems like such a decent guy. You know, honest and someone who would do anything for someone he considered a friend. Or do I have him all wrong? In which case, I’ll be extremely bummed.”
An order number was called, and Scotlyn glanced briefly at the receipt. “It sounds like in one short week you have Rett pretty well summed up. We adore him. He’s been a little flighty when it comes to girls—”
That comment produced laughs from Cassie and Taylor. Scotlyn shot them an admonishing look. It was obvious she wanted to paint the best picture of Barrett. She seemed like the type of person who rarely had anything bad to say about anyone.
“Come on, Scottie,” Cassie said, “flighty?”
Scotlyn shrugged. “All right, flighty is too gentle of a word, but I know he just needed to meet the right girl. You mentioned that Rett was working on your dad’s property. Has he met Barrett?” She covered her mouth again and laughed. “Oh my god, I’m so completely nosy. It’s just that you seem like such an easy person to talk to. I’ll shut up now.”
I laughed and placed my hand on hers. “It’s fine. I don’t get out much, and I’m having a good time talking to all of you. I was petrified that Barrett’s friends weren’t going to like me.”
“Are you kidding? We’re thrilled. I had some scary visions of the kind of girl Barrett might finally end up with.” Cassie was definitely the straightforward, brutally honest one of the three. They were a perfect combination of humor, humility and intelligence, and I could easily picture myself hanging out with them.
I thought about my own family and the fact that I’d left the house with the excuse that I was going out shopping. Even that excuse had garnered a big long talk from Jude about being vigilant in the mall parking lot because of all the weirdos waiting to attack. Sometimes I wondered if there was a sign on my back that read tiny, vulnerable female with a dad who can pay a large ransom. Jude and I needed to have a long talk. “My dad hasn’t met Barrett because he’s in Japan right now. To be honest, I haven’t mentioned anything to him yet.”
“That’s all right,” Taylor said. “I used to have to sneak out of the house to see Clutch. But my parents have accepted our relationship.”
“Is your dad on vacation, or does he do business in Japan?” Cassie asked.
“He’s on tour with his band. My dad is the lead singer of Black Thunder.”
The questions stopped and they stared at me as if they were trying to assess whether or not I was telling the truth.
Cassie was the first to regain her tongue.”Your dad is Nicky King?”
“Shit.” Taylor looked over at Scotlyn. “No wonder that boy has been so hush hush about all this.”
They called our number and Scotlyn swung her legs over the bench. “Or maybe it’s because we bug hi
m so much about finding someone. I guess I would have expected no less from Rett.”
We hopped up to gather the bags of food. “I’m kind of worried the guys are going to be really pissed about these grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Scotlyn waved off my concern. “They’ll live. Like Cassie said, this is a special night, and I’m sure we can all stand to eat a little less meat.”
“You be the one to break the news to Clutch,” Taylor suggested to Scotlyn.
“Oh no,” Cassie said enthusiastically, “I want to do it.” She looked over at me. “You should probably get that phone ready again. This should be classic. My instagram account is going to blow up.”
Cassie probably took a bit too much pleasure in placing the bag of grilled cheese sandwiches in front of the guys. It definitely wasn’t going to help endear me to them. But their reactions were worth it. It always amazed me how foreign the thought of a meatless meal was to most people. I guess as foreign as the thought of me eating meat.
Clutch pulled his sandwich out of the bag and seemed to sense immediately that something wasn’t quite right. The flat sandwich looked tiny in his hand. “Who ordered the cracker?”
Taylor pressed her hand to her mouth to hold back a laugh.
Scotlyn climbed onto the bench next to Nix and reached for the sandwich in Jimmy’s hand. I handed Barrett back his phone as I squeezed in next to him.
Barrett glanced down at it. “I don’t know if he looked more shocked then or now.”
Clutch pulled out another grilled cheese. “What the hell is going on?”
Taylor could hold back no longer. She doubled over with laughter and Scotlyn joined her.
Cassie pushed her glasses up and straightened her shoulders confidently. “We ordered grilled cheeses tonight.”
Nix turned to look at her. She ignored him and took a bite of her sandwich.
