“Bummer,” I said with a grunt, tipping the bottle to my lips.
“You can damn well afford it. She, however…cannot.” Patti rested her hand on her cocked hip and looked over at the corner booth where the team leaned in, their attention on each other as their pivot, Hazy Eights, filled them in on something noteworthy, keeping them enthralled, their drinks forgotten. Patti’s face softened and a smile reminiscent of her Pinup Patti days on the track spread over her face. “Maisy’s my favorite. I know a mother’s not supposed to have them, but I can’t help it. Underneath that makeup, those tattoos, and borderline foul mouth is a tender heart.”
Patti never had kids, but when she took someone under her wing, she may as well have birthed them herself for how protective she became. The look on her face left zero doubt. She’d claimed all six of them here tonight as her own.
And she would slice off the balls of any man who dared do one of them dirty, all with a smile on her face. When she was done, she’d fry them up in the back and serve them with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks for garnish.
My balls weren’t looking for an adventure—thanks.
Besides, they were young. The ladies, not my balls. Probably ten years younger than me. Just babies.
Plus, they were derby…and I wasn’t.
I never would be again.
“It’s fine. I don’t plan to find out.”
“Uh-huh. Sure,” she said, turning that shrewd gaze on me. “So, when did you get into town?”
“This afternoon.” My gaze snapped to the corner and found Mayhem blatantly watching me while her team darted guilty glances my way.
Subtle, ladies.
Problem solved…her buddies were filling her in and that’s all it would take for her to steer clear of me anyway.
“Not even one night home and you’ve already been to a bout. Like I said, go easy on that one.”
Not my style—but then, I’m not her coach so there’s that.
I shrugged. “It was the last bout of the season. I’ll be long gone before the next season kicks into gear.”
“Now that’s unfortunate,” Patti said as she reached out and cupped my cheek, showing me I was also one of the lucky few under her wing.
Instinct told me to lean into that affection as much as I itched to run from it.
When I let people get close, they got hurt. Time and again. The adventure always changed, but the outcome...the same every single time.
“It’s damn good to see you again. You look tired. You should sleep more.” She patted my cheek once—hard—and turned to the pass between the bar and crammed kitchen that churned out a small menu of American favorites.
Okay, she smacked me—kind of—as though she could sense my unease, so she made it playful, giving me a way to retreat.
I’d tip the shit out of her when I settled up.
She dropped a basket next to my beer. “For you.” Leaning on her elbows, she settled in and snagged a mozzarella stick. “So, have you seen her yet?”
Lulling me with fried food…so freaking Patti of her. “No,” I said, my clipped voice harder than I intended.
“You plan to?”
“Yes.”
“Her parents aren’t going to be happy about that.”
I met her gaze but said nothing. It didn’t matter what her parents thought. I was in town; I would see her. They had no say. Not anymore.
“Oooooh, bound up tighter than a colon seized up by a five-day cheese binge.”
I dropped the cheese stick I’d picked up. “That’s disgusting.”
“And all too common around these parts. You ever see a seventy-year-old man grunting out a cheddar log?”
“And with that, I’m never eating cheese again. Tell me you didn’t meet this seventy-year-old cheese addict online.”
“Sorry to break it to you, but there’s more cheese in your future. You’re going to eat it and you’re going to like it,” Patti said, plunking down a double cheeseburger and cheese fries in front of me. “And don’t worry, I didn’t meet him online…he’s local.”
“I didn’t order this.”
She pointed her index finger at me and huffed out an exasperated breath. “I’m taking care of you for a few minutes. Now stop interfering. Hey, at least it’s not cheddar.”
“Fair point.”
“Enough small talk, Cain. Spill…what brought you home?”
“Lilith is having complications and Jordan can’t get back just yet from his deployment. So here I am.”
She straightened, her mouth pressing into a thin line. “She’s going to be okay though, right? And the baby?”
“They’re going to be fine, but if she goes into labor early, we don’t want her to be alone.”
“Already a good uncle. Look at you.”
“Yeah, well, jury’s still out on that.”
“The only jury is the one you’ve got locked in that head of yours. Being sequestered has an end date. You should give them a break,” she said, rapping her knuckles against the bar and turning toward the crew at the end of the bar calling her name. “Duty calls. Don’t leave without checking in with me. Got it?”
“You’re the boss.”
“See, now if everyone could just get that through their head as a given, life would be so much easier.” She tossed the words over her shoulder with a laugh and a twinkle in her eye that had me smiling back.
The flex of those facial muscles felt foreign, and I had to wonder how long it had actually been since I had something to grin about.
My skin tingled and the hair stood up on my neck. Turning to the likely source, I found Mayhem had moved to the booth, her hostile stare roaming over me.
I had to wonder if my assessment of her shit play put that pinched look on her face or if it was the result of the gossip fed to her by her teammates.
Whatever.
Turning back to my burger, I did as I was told and ate. I wasn’t stupid. Patti wouldn’t give me a lecture if I turned down her food. She wouldn’t cuff me. She’d hit me with another nightmare inducing anecdote, maybe not about cheese, but it seems likely geriatric
