CHAPTER FOURTEEN

-:- MACKENZIE -:-

Monday morning already, where does the weekend go? Driving in to work this morning, I kept thinking of Saturday night, that was the first time I’ve been out in a long time. It was nearly over before it started, though, as Rock was being a dick. His idea of keeping quiet about Amelia, and knowing that he was putting Jig on the spot, introducing me that way, but I didn’t find it funny, and neither did Jig.

Red was sure mad with Rock, too. She gave him hell and apparently he wasn’t getting any for the next two weeks. When she took me to one side and explained everything in a way that made sense, that was good of her. The other Ol’ Ladies were good, too. Not sure about this ‘girl-gang’ stuff, though. Sounds to me like they get into all sorts of trouble, and as I’ve been a loner for quite a while being involved in a ‘gang culture’, might not sit well with me.

Sitting with Jig and just talking, I cleared up why I’d been such an ass that night at the Golf. I thought he was going to fall off his bar stool when I told him about me almost getting arrested at the gas station. He was understanding and just brushed it off. He got a big kick out of me thinking Amelia was his mom, but wasn’t happy with Rock playing along with it.

I told him stuff that I never thought I’d discuss with my brother, Flynn, never mind a man on a first date. Yeah, how about that? It felt like a date after the server called it, and it might never have become that if I hadn’t been at the bar when Lily dragged Jig outside to see her new vehicle. Ordering a drink, I overheard her and my natural curiosity wanted to see what my money had gone toward buying.

That SUV looked something special. I don’t believe it was parked under the parking lot lights by mistake. I too would probably have parked it where it could easily be seen by the guys on the door. Talking of which, Fist will be pleased to see that Jig insisted on clearing my tab for the evening, something else that I was pleasantly surprised at.

Being on the reception desk at the practice, I’m kept busy and I mingle little with any of the other employees. I see the two from the bar occasionally throughout the morning, and I know I’m going to have trouble with those two. Hell, bring it on, bitches.

Break time comes around and I grab my salad from the fridge. Sitting at the table, I open my plastic box and the smell of perfume damn near chokes me. Hearing giggling from behind me, I stand and walk slowly to the door. One of the bitches, the one who stinks of the same perfume as my salad does, is standing just inside the room.

“That smells good. Bet you’ll enjoy your lunch. That’ll teach you to mess up someone's night out.”

“It smells of cheap skank. The sort of nasty skank that would fuck a guy for a cheap trinket.” Having got close enough while talking, I reach out and grab her by the throat. Dragging her closer, I push the door shut.

Forcing her into the seat I recently vacated, I slide the salad under her nose and tell her to eat it. Whining that she’ll be ill if she eats it, I put on my best whining, nasal voice, “But it smells so good. Bet you’ll enjoy my lunch.” Having let go of her throat and taken a good hold of her hair, I pull her head back so she’s staring up at me. “You’ll eat it or I’ll shove it down your throat, plastic box and all. That shouldn’t bother you at all because I’ll bet your throat’s plenty loose enough after the times you’ve been with the doctor?”

Watching as she puts a tiny piece of lettuce in her mouth, she starts to gag. “Oh no, girly. We can do better than that.” Taking a handful of the salad, I shove it in her mouth. “After all the stuff you’ve swallowed, that shouldn’t be a problem.” Feeling her starting to vomit, I clamp my hand over her mouth, forcing her to swallow it back down.

“Now we know who’s top dog around here, we’ll get along a lot better, won’t we? Mess with me again, be anything but sickly sweet to me, and you’ll regret the day you were born. Have I made myself perfectly clear?” Nodding her head, I tip her head back so that she’s looking up again. “Say it. Are we clear?”

A squeaky yes, and I let her go. “Make sure you wash and dry my food box before you go back to work.”

Pulling the door open, I return to reception and carry on until the end of the day. Collecting my beautifully clean food box from the break room counter, I make my way over to my Jeep. On the way home, I decide I don’t want to be alone right now. Pulling over, I take my phone from my purse and call Jig. I wasn’t at all bothered when he suggested we swap numbers, or digits, as he called them.

“Hi, Kenzie. You okay?” I hear genuine concern in his voice and it puts a lump in my throat.

“Are you busy tonight? It’s ok if you are.”

“I’m going over to the workshop to finish the fabrication on the stroller I told you about. I can cancel or you can come with me? You’d be able to meet Star’s father. He’s an author of historical romance. Not my style, but he’s doing well with his books.”

“I’d like that. Where should I meet you?”

“I’ll come pick you up.”

“Oh no, I don’t do bikes. They scare the hell out of me, so I’ll come to you. Send me the workshop address and I’ll find it.” Hearing him laughing, I say, “What? Don’t tell me you don’t have an irrational fear of something. Everybody has something.”

“I was laughing that you’re dating a biker and you have a fear of bikes. Priceless.”

“Dating a biker? I like the sound of dating a Jig better.”

“Same thing, darling, same thing. Okay, I’ll send you the address and you can find it easily enough, I’ll see you over there. I’ll be waiting.”

Using the GPS on my phone, it doesn’t take too long and I’m pulling up outside a house. I thought when he said workshop it would be a mechanic's garage or industrial unit. The garage door opens and there’s Jig, a huge grin on his face. I have to stifle an urge to run into his arms; it seems like I’ve known him a lot longer than just a couple of days. Just walking over to him, I can feel myself relaxing.

“Hello, beautiful. You look almost as good in your work clothes as you did in your pirate costume,” Jig smirks.

“Only almost? If I’d known, I’d have stopped at home and changed into something more comfortable.”

Laughing, he wiggles his eyebrows. “You’re the movie buff, but even I know what that usually leads up to in a movie.”

Realizing what he means, I blush furiously. “That won’t be until there’s been a few more dates, I can assure you of that.”

“I’m more than happy to take things slow. I think you are the one.” Taking my hand, he leads me into the garage. Seeing his project on a workbench, I stop and stare. How the devil he got a baby stroller to look like that I’ll never know. It looks amazing, even though it obviously needs paint.

“Have you done this all alone and in here?” I ask, amazed.

“He sure has. He’s done a wonderful job, hasn’t he?” Turning, I see an older guy approaching from a door to the house.

“Ah, Richard, meet Kenzie. Kenzie, this is Star’s father, Richard.”

“Pleased to meet you, Kenzie. I’ve heard a lot about you in a short time.” Richard takes my hand and gives a little bow. “When you’ve had enough of this uncouth biker, I’ll be inside with wit and charm aplenty.”

“Oh really? Don’t hold your breath. I happen to like this uncouth biker.” Smiling at his wounded reaction, I laugh as he goes back into the house.

“So, what’s the color scheme for this beast? Flames and skulls?” Might be drastic for a child, I think to myself.

“Nope… Much more subtle. I have something far better in mind, but you’ll have to wait for the unveiling same as everyone else. Only me and Fist know the final touch. I won’t risk it getting out before then.”

“We’re starting out without a level of trust, then? That’s not a good way to start a relationship, surely?” I’m frowning at the thought he’s holding back, showing he is not sure if he should fully trust me yet.

“Okay. Maybe you’ll get a sneak preview before the unveiling. You can critique Fist’s work, as you have some personal experience of his skill.”

“Deal, I can live with that. So, what have you got to do with it tonight?” It looks finished to me, apart from the paint, but what do I know.

“Go grab a coffee with Richard and I’ll be in shortly. I have some grinding to do to tidy up some welds, and there might be hot pieces of metal flying around. Only believe the good stuff he tells you.” Leaning into me, he gives me a quick kiss on the lips and then turns to start work.

Blinking like a fool, I stand there for a second before going in search of Richard and coffee. Walking from the garage into the house, has me directly in the kitchen. Richard is at the table, tapping away on a laptop. Pointing to a coffee pot on a nearby counter where there are two mugs waiting, he says, “Help yourself to cream and sugar. I won’t be a second.”

True to his word, by the time I have a mug of coffee and sit at the table, Richard closes the laptop. Looking at me with a certain amount of humor in his eyes, I wait for whatever is coming.

“So, you’re the one, then? I haven’t seen Jig this happy or relaxed in a long time. It’s all very sudden, but some things are meant to be. Oh, don’t look at me like that, I saw you from the front window when you drove up. Your face lit up when he walked out of the garage, and you were damn near skipping up the drive to him.”

“Was it really that obvious? I had a bad day at work and when I finished for the day, all I wanted was to be with him. It seems ridiculous, but I can’t deny I wanted to run up the drive and throw myself into his arms.”

“You should have. He would have caught you, and loved you all the more for it. You know, I haven’t known these guys for too long. My daughter is a raving lunatic at times, but she couldn’t have found a better match than Meat. I see the same thing in you and Jig. I think you’re made for each other, and I have only what I’ve seen tonight and the small amount he’s told me about you to go on.”

“Wow. That’s quite a statement. I can’t deny that my heart is ruling my head right now. That’s not how I usually go into a relationship, though there have been very few of them. He said earlier that he thought I was ‘the one’, but I didn’t know what he meant. Do you think he meant ‘the one’?”

“That’s exactly what I meant,” Jig says as he enters the room. “When we were together on Saturday, I’ve never been so comfortable talking about stuff with a woman. I feel alive when I’m around you. I know this all sounds corny, and something from one of Richard's books, which I have to admit to never having read, but there it is. My protective instincts are in overdrive where you are concerned too.”

“I noticed last night with those two from the practice. Oh, I have something to tell you about one of them.” Relating what happened at work today, I’m feeling ashamed of the things I said and what I did. Quite the reverse can be said for the two men, though. They are literally snorting with laughter.

Jig steps over to me, takes me in his arms and kisses me hard on the lips. “Way to go, Beautiful. You show them who’s boss, I’m proud of you standing up for yourself.”

Richard sits there clapping and laughing. “You’re going to make a hell of an Ol’ Lady, Kenzie. You will so fit in with the girl gang. There isn’t a shrinking violet among them and you’re sure as hell not going to be a wallflower, either.”

“Okay, I need to get out of these dirty work clothes. Kenzie, you want to follow me to my place? I can get showered and ‘into something more comfortable’, then see you home safely?”

Smirking at his comment, I reply, “Sure, why not. Just don’t get too comfortable, too soon, eh?”

-:- JIG -:-

Riding slowly and carefully back to my place, I give Kenzie every reason to see that I’m a safe rider and not some maniac. She’s going to be behind me at some point, so I may as well give her some confidence in my riding style and ability. Pulling up at the cabin, I pop the Jeep door for her and then open the front door to the cabin. Doing the gentlemanly stuff feels rather good, I must say.

Leaving Kenzie to explore the cabin, I go for my shower. Just as I’m getting dressed in my jeans and tee shirt, I hear the front door open. Getting to the bottom of the stairs, I’m just in time to see Amelia walking into the kitchen. When I reach the kitchen door, Kenzie and Amelia are looking at each other like a pair of cats about to go to war.

“What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?” Amelia snarls.

Looking past Amelia and to me, Kenzie says, “You never said you were still living at home with your mother!”

“Stop, both of you… Amelia, it’s not your kitchen anymore. Kenzie, this is Amelia, not my mother, as you well know.”

Amelia turns and pointedly looks me up and down. “And what would be wrong with me being your mother?”

“I’ve already got one, but you would be a suitable replacement if I ever needed another. Now, Amelia, meet Kenzie. Kenzie, meet Amelia, again.” Watching them size each other up, I think this could be a very interesting development going forward, especially if they don’t take to each other.