Chapter Fourteen

S prite settled Oakley into one of the booster seats around the large table in the clubhouse. Blake had immediately found Phoebe and was sitting by her. Sprite had offered to help bring food in, but Regina said she, Meg and Bear had it.

War, Scoop and Roam were discussing something and had pulled Cannon over too. Now they were dispersing and having a couple people move from where they were sitting. She watched them, trying to understand what they were doing. Once they were done, they sat down too.

Everything was on the table except for the platters of what Roam had called gravy steak. Sprite was excited for lunch because anything with gravy sounded delicious. The platters were brought in and the three took their seats.

Now, it was plain what the guys had done. They'd left two seats across from War and Remi available for Beth and the deputy. She didn't even know his name yet. They just called him the deputy. The couple would have Bear on one side and Scoop on the other. Sarah and Winnie would be on each side of Remi and War. It looked like they'd set the couple up for an inquisition. They were in the middle of the table but situated close to the head where the originals all sat, including Locks. With Locks beside Winnie, he had a perfect view of where the deputy would sit.

Once the food was on the table, Baron stood up. "Looks like we're just waiting on a couple of people..."

"We're here. I'm sorry we're late. Kerwin had to give someone a ticket for going two miles over the speed limit."

"I know you don't understand my reasoning but you're not a law enforcement officer. We live by a different code."

Oh, my freaking gosh! What a tool! Roam was right to be a little wary of him as far as Sprite was concerned. She wanted to stand up and smack him with his condescending tone.

"Well, you're here now, so come and join us," Baron invited.

As they walked to the table, Locks stood and put his hand out. "Noah Franks, Beth's father. It's nice to meet you."

Kerwin did a quick shake of Locks' hand, nodding at him. "Yes, you're also a member of the club. The chaplain, I believe?"

Locks nodded and sat back down. "Correct. At least until one of the younger members is ready to take over. How are you liking Bluff Creek? Is it very different from where you were before? What was that place? I can't rightly remember."

Sprite looked down at her plate, composing her face before she looked back up. She was fighting a smile at Locks beginning the interrogation.

"Let's say grace and then everyone can eat before the food gets cold. Lord, thank you for bringing us together and the new faces around our table. May we show others the blessings you've given us. Amen."

Sprite took a piece of the gravy steak and then cut up some pieces for Oakley. She also took two rolls, one for her and one for Oakley. She glanced down the table and Blake was filling her plate. Cannon was by her and Phoebe and helping them move the platters to the next person.

Although the level of noise rose as everyone chatted and filled their plates, each time Kerwin spoke, almost everyone quieted down to listen to his words. He'd explained he'd been in a suburb of Dallas. His reasoning for moving was that the sheriff of Bluff Creek was looking at retiring in a couple years so Bluff Creek had more advancement.

Sprite got that strange feeling that she called her twitchy feeling. The back of the neck itch that made her think something was off. She'd never disregarded it and didn't plan to now.

She glanced up and Roam was smiling at her. He flicked his eyes toward Kerwin and cocked an eyebrow. She scrunched up her nose and nodded yes that she agreed with his assessment from the night before.

Winnie said something that had Beth chuckling along with most of the table. Kerwin leaned close, whispering in her ear. Beth quieted but was still smiling. Sprite would give anything to know what he'd whispered in her ear and didn't want the rest of them to hear.

"So, Remi, Beth tells me that you all run the bail bonds and do security. Do you employ a lot of larger men to handle threats?"

Sprite didn't know Remi super well, but the way her mouth opened and she blinked a couple times had her wondering what was going through Remi's head.

"Umm, I'm not sure I understand the question. We have employees of all shapes and sizes. What threats are you talking about?"

"Well, I just meant sometimes a situation calls for an individual specifically suited for it. I hope you didn't take it as a negative."

Remi shifted in her chair. "No offense taken. I just was trying to clarify. For our security company, I assess the client's needs and then provide who I deem is best to neutralize any and all threats. Dad and Mom, until we lost her, raised us to be very safety conscious. It's translated phenomenally into our jobs. I have complete faith in everyone associated with the bail bonds and security that any and all threats to the client and them will be met with the appropriate force to be neutralized. I mean, that's what you do in your job, right? You assess and then decide a course of action. We're not that different."

He nodded and dropped it, taking a bite of his roll. Beth was looking at him like he hung the moon and Sprite had to wonder if he was a different person when they were alone. Was he just uncomfortable with the whole family?

Although his behavior had her wary, Sprite was going to wait to make her decision. The time she'd spent with Beth had shown her a strong, capable woman who was fantastic at her job and funny as heck. Sprite hoped her new friend wasn't disappointed in her new boyfriend.

Sprite wiped Oakley's face and gave her some cut-up green beans and some more gravy steak along with some mashed potatoes. Oakley had finished it quickly and asked for more. Sprite could understand why. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the gravy was so good. Sprite had never had to worry about weight because she didn't seem to put on pounds even after having Oakley. When finances were tight, she definitely didn't because she limited her food. Being able to eat until her stomach was full, knowing she wouldn't be taking food away from her family, was satisfying.

Tomorrow, she started her first day at the studio. She'd be dropping the kids at daycare by herself and then going into work. She was excited to get her hands on the tattoo gun again and work. Although she appreciated the break to get acclimated, she was ready to work. Rascal and she were also finalizing all the info for ladies' night. She was so excited for her new life. She gazed at Roam, watching him helping Georgia get the spoon of mashed potatoes in her mouth and not all over her bib. She was trying to get a huge amount and half was falling off before it got to her mouth. Georgia was getting frustrated, but Roam was patient with her, helping her until she got the hang of it.

Just one more reason to fall for the tall, tattooed biker who was digging himself deeper into her heart.