Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

The end-of-the-day ride was a big deal and marked the end of the festival. The crowd watched as the entirety of the Dragon Runners MC, in full costume, mounted their bikes for a final Tail run. Brick was in the lead as a big red devil with Betsey behind him as an angel in white. The other bikers were similarly outfitted. Mute was menacing in all black like a paladin knight. Normally, Katrina would be on the back with him, but she was at home with their first child and the newborn. Stud and Eva were both dressed as Viking warriors. Molly and Cutter were Mario and Princess Peach. Taz and Tambre did a Western theme, and it was easy to see Tambre’s heritage. She looked like a Native American queen. Dodge wore coveralls splattered with paint, and Fauna was in a chef’s uniform. I wasn’t sure if those were actual costumes or work clothes they simply had on hand. Table came, but he had his three children with him, so he couldn’t ride. Lori was at home.

The bikes lined up in front of the crowd of people to massive applause. Brick and Betsey nodded in acknowledgment. Bike revs and roars increased the volume of the crowd, and Pearl’s eyes widened at the sounds. She didn’t cry, though, just had a curious and fascinated expression on her tiny face.

“I don’t know why they have to show off like this. All this noise and swagger. It’s a little much, wouldn’t you say?”

I smiled at Robert’s words, but I didn’t think the run was over the top or bad. I didn’t see bragging or boasting or gaudiness. I saw a united front of people joined together as one. It made me a little envious.

I glanced around, wondering if Kimmie was here or still behind the porta-johns. I hoped she’d simply left and gone home.

Brick made his bike roar a few times to work up the crowd before taking off. The club circled the campground before starting the Tail run. I noticed Weatherman at the back, by himself still, with no costume. Several women waved and gestured to him, volunteering to ride with him. His helmet shield was up, and even though his face was kinda squished, he smiled as he turned them down. He pulled up to his mom and Emma, who now stood behind the wheelchair, and dismounted, then lifted his mother’s hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

Mother and son. I had no words to describe the emotion that flooded my heart at the sight. I was sure if Natalie had the strength to ride, she’d be on the back of that bike, and no one would question it. There was no way, though. Not in her frail condition.

He got back on his motorcycle to rejoin the group of riders. I fully expected Weatherman to pick up some random woman to fill the space behind him, but his next move shocked the hell out of me.

Donna stood by herself on the periphery of the campground. Alone. Outsider. Leftover. Weatherman stopped his bike next to her and tapped the seat behind him. Donna placed a hand over her mouth before nodding and taking the helmet he handed her. She strapped it on and mounted the bike, settling herself easily. Two revs later, Weatherman took off, following the group of bikers already well down the twisting road.

He took Donna. He took the outcast woman on the Tail ride to include her in the group. I didn’t get the impression that it was an attempt for some action later. It seemed more like what a little brother would do for his big sister.

“No judgment.” He’d said those words to Robert during our run-in earlier. The condemning tone in the pastor’s voice when he’d talked about Kimmie was far different from the actions of Weatherman. True, seeing Kimmie on her knees was an appalling sight and not one I’d expected here, but Robert showed disgust instead of wondering why she needed money so badly to give out blow jobs behind a row of smelly porta-johns. I guessed he would view Donna the same way. Her and anyone else who lived a life like hers.

After the bikes took off for the Tail run, people started making their way to cars and trucks. It was a bit of a relief that my date was over and I could go home to relax. Pearl was snoozing hard when I loaded her into the car. Robert stood behind me as I buckled her in and tucked her pink blanket around her. The night sky wasn’t completely dark, but I was ready to find my home and my bed. I once again wondered where Kimmie was.

Robert tried to fold and load the stroller, but the mechanism was too much for him to figure out. I raised the lock to collapse the yellow contraption in a few seconds, and he graciously lifted it into the trunk.

“Thank you,” I murmured awkwardly. How did I end this? Tell him thanks for a wonderful time? Shake his hand? Get in my car and wave goodbye?

He decided for me as he stepped in close. I had less than one second of warning before he placed his mouth on mine. Soft, closed lips. Full press. It was sweet and innocent, but as surprising as it was unexpected.

I jumped a little at the contact. He misinterpreted the reaction as something else as he pulled back a little. His hand came up to stroke my hair in a familiar way as he smiled down at me. “I had a great time today. I hope to see you again soon. Maybe you could come to my church service tomorrow morning?”

My brain short-circuited. “I don’t know. Um… what time?”

“Starts at eleven. We have a nursery for the little ones, but so far, there aren’t many of them. Pearl would have a person all to herself.”

“I’ve never really been to church before.”

“No problem. I’ll meet you at ten forty-five out front and get you seated. Wear a nice dress or nice pants, and I’ll take you out to lunch afterward. Okay?”

Does this mean I have a second date with Robert? What am I getting myself into? And what about Bryce? The voice in my head decided to stay quiet when I really needed some answers.

Sunday was one of two days off I had during the workweek, and my normal mode was house cleaning and a trip to the laundromat near the train museum. I supposed I could delay those joyous tasks for a few hours. “I guess I can be there.”

His smile deepened with pleasure. “Wonderful. I look forward to it.” He leaned in and kissed me a second time, this one a little longer, and he fitted his lips more against mine. Still sweet and caring. Not like the one I shared with Weatherman where it seemed like he wanted to take me into himself.

Was it wrong of me to feel guilty about it? I needed to escape.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Yeah, it was a lame thing to say, but all I could think about was getting home and processing what was happening.

Weatherman steadied his bike as Donna dismounted. He only took a short ride on the Tail, as he didn’t want to leave his mother at the campground too long. Emma would drive her home so he could take this time to ride with his brothers, but he still planned to go back to the house and not to the Lair tonight. Natalie had been in good spirits all day, but Weatherman’s premonition was that she would crash soon and hard. As much as he would like to go hang with his brothers, his mother might need him more tonight.

Donna had cried when he offered to take her behind him. He did it to be nice to the woman, but also because she had no illusions about him and where they stood. She still made the offer, and he politely declined.

She nodded in understanding. “I get it. I’m probly old enough to be your mama.”

“Not quite her age, but that’s not the big reason I won’t sleep with you. When I take a woman to bed, it needs to be for the right reasons.”

“You gotta be in love or somethin’?”

Weatherman paused. “Yeah, something. Something more than scratching an itch.”

Donna rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, and he noticed her eyes getting wet. “I used to love gettin’ invited up to the Lair when I was younger. Made me think I was special ’cause not every girl got to go. I’d party with lots of men up there and loved every minute. Me ’n’ my best friend, Nikki? We used to think we were big stuff. Nikki’s gone, and now it’s just me. Sometimes girls still come to party, but it ain’t the same.”

She inhaled with resolve. “Got me a job at Ingles, so I have to wear a uniform. Not my thing, but I thought maybe people would look at me different. But they don’t. I’m still the town slut in their minds.”

Weatherman regarded the woman. “I had a friend in college. Nadia Camston. She was a student during the day, and at night she worked at the Silver Stock Gentlemen’s Club as a stripper, exotic dancer, whatever you want to call it. Some of the guys thought she would be an easy lay. There were girls who looked down their noses at her about what she did for a living.”

He smiled as a memory came up. “I was sitting in the cafeteria when one of them said something nasty. I can’t think of the words, but I will never forget Nadia’s reaction. She stood up tall, right in the middle of the lunch rush, and said as loud as she could, ‘Live my life and walk in my shoes a few days before you judge me.’ I think that’s powerful.”

Donna cocked her head to the side and grinned. “I guess it is. You never really know what people are going through or why they do stuff, right? Even if it’s a mistake.”

Weatherman gave a short laugh. “I think that’s the point she was trying to make. Wanna know the truth?” He leaned in as if imparting a big secret. “She was a virgin. She’d taken years of dance lessons as a kid and used those skills to put herself through school so she could graduate without a lot of debt. Her focus was on getting a business degree in marketing with an emphasis on social media applications. Last time I talked to her, she was heading to Japan with a team for some sort of expo thing. Still single but dating some sort of investment banker dude.”

“That’s kinda awesome.”

“Yes, it is. I’m really happy for her success.”

“I guess I need to go home. I gotta be at work tomorrow morning.” Donna frowned. “I really hate wearing that stupid shirt.”

Weatherman laughed. “We all do what we have to do. Good luck with your day.”

“Thanks again for the ride. I really mean that,” Donna said as she waved and then turned to find her car in the nearly empty lot.

He didn’t mind taking the woman with him on the ride. He’d wanted to ask Opal, but she was clearly with Pastor Bobby. A date? She had no obligations to him or anyone else, yet it pissed him off big-time to see her with another man. The moment they’d shared in front of his mother’s house was branded in his memory. He’d done his best not to relive those few moments over and over, but they regularly crept into his thoughts. It was impulsive to kiss her, but it was also right. He didn’t know why; it just was.

On the far side of the lot, he spotted her getting Pearl into her car seat with Bobby looking on. A slight chuckle of satisfaction passed his lips when he saw the preacher having trouble folding up the stroller, but it disappeared when he watched the man lean in and kiss Opal. It wasn’t a serious kiss in his estimation, as he saw Opal react with surprise, but she didn’t pull away. His chest tightened, and he had the urge to go punch the guy in the face. He had no right to do that, but he wanted to.

The possessiveness in his gut should have surprised him, but it didn’t. He didn’t know when or how, but somewhere during his brief meetings with the pretty hairdresser, she became important to him. Important enough that the green jealousy gremlin sat on his shoulder.

He kept his eyes on the two of them and noted with some relief that Opal got in her car and drove away. Bobby waved them off before finding his way to his own vehicle and driving off in the opposite direction. So, they didn’t ride together? That made him somewhat happier.

He waited until the red taillights of Bobby’s car disappeared, then took off in the direction of Opal’s place. Nothing bad about doing a drive-by to make sure she got home okay. The reassurance that she was alone with Pearl? Just a minor bonus.