2. Mel

Danni leads me through a door and down a corridor to an office. She closes the door behind me, giving us privacy, and I lean against my sister and let the emotion from the past twenty-four hours roll out of me.

“Hush.” She runs her hands over my hair, whispering soothing sounds the way I’ve heard her do with her kids.

The switch in our positions is not lost on me. I’m the big sister who always had her shit together, but today it’s my little sister who’s comforting me, and I’m the one who’s a blubbering hot mess.

“It’s okay,” Danni coos in her soothing voice. “You’re better off without him, Mel.”

There’s a box of tissues on the desk, and Danni hands me one. I give my nose a honking blow and take another tissue to dab at my eyes.

“I know I’m better off without him. It’s just…”

I sigh deeply, not sure what it is I’m feeling. Twelve hours ago I walked out of my office, where my asshole of an ex also works, and I didn’t go home. I took a bus to the train station and bought a one way ticket to Hope, the closest town to Danni with a station.

She picked me up at the other end with no questions.

It was my decision to leave Jeff and long overdue. I’m not crying for Jeff; I’m crying because it’s been a long-ass twenty-four hours. My career may be ruined, I’ve got nowhere to live, I’m tired from trying to sleep on Danni’s couch, and I’ve got a video call in thirty minutes and my favorite shirt is streaked with mud.

“I’ve got nothing to wear for my meeting.”

I glance down at the streaks of dirt on my favorite shirt, the Armani that I treated myself to on my last birthday because Jeff forgot to get me anything.

I feel like a boss whenever I wear this shirt. Like I’m in control and a badass. But that confidence disappeared somewhere overnight while putting my neck out on Danni’s couch and questioning my spontaneous decision to leave without so much as a change of underwear.

But after Jeff humiliated me at work yesterday, it was the final straw. The only safe place I could go was to my sister’s. I didn’t realize they were in the middle of a renovation, extending the cabin to fit their growing family.

Danni insists I stay, but the WiFi at their cabin is patchy and it’s noisy, so she brought me to the clubhouse today to work.

When my sister told me she’d hooked up with a guy from a motorcycle club, I was skeptical until I met Colter. They’re a perfect match, and the MC is all veterans and they run legit businesses. They’re ex-soldiers who like to ride.

Danni says it’s the family she’s never had, which I try not to take offense at. I take it she’s referring to the acceptance she found here which she never got from our mom.

The thought of Mom makes me shudder. She’s going to flip when I tell her I’ve left Jeff and the wedding’s off. I was always her golden girl, but only because my life choices happened to align with what she thought I should do. Well, mostly.

I sigh, not wanting to think about Mom and my ex-fiancée.

“The Prez isn’t here at the moment, but I’ll speak to Barrels and tell him you’ll be working here for the day,” Danni says.

My brow furrows.

“Barrels?”

She grins. “Quentin. But they all have road names here, like a nickname.”

I’ll have to get used to that. “Who’s the guy with the dog?”

After he pulled the giant thing off me, I was struck by the man with the shaggy hair and kind eyes.

“That’s Davis. He works in the bar most days. You need anything, you just ask him.”

I pat at my eyes and throw the tissues in the bin. I’ve got a meeting with my team, and after what Jeff did yesterday, the last thing I need is to look like I’ve been crying.

“You got a spare shirt I can borrow?”

Danni nods. “There’ll be something around. I’ll get you set up in the restaurant and see what I can find.”

I follow Danni through to the restaurant and bar area.

Bike memorabilia adorns the walls, and there’s an old Harley mounted in the corner. There’s no mistaking it’s a bikers bar, but it’s classy. The kind of place that anyone would feel welcome in.

I take a table in the corner while Danni goes to find me a shirt.

I’m setting up my laptop when a shadow falls over the table. I glance up to find Davis holding a mug of something steamy.

“I’m so sorry about Hercules.” He holds out the mug. “Coffee?”

His eyes are sea green which contrast with his dark hair that hangs over his ears. Rough stubble coats his chin, giving him a scruffy look. The leather jacket falls open to reveal a tight white t-shirt that clings to his torso. He’s broad and big and more rugged than I imagined an ex-soldier to be.

I’m reminded of Jeff and his manicured hands and immaculate white shirts. I shudder and shake the image out of my head.

“It’s okay.”

I don’t want him to think I was crying over a dirty shirt, but I’m not ready to share my situation with a stranger.

“It wasn’t about the dog, honestly, and it’s just a fucking shirt, right?”

I press my lips together, annoyed at myself for swearing. That’s the city coming out in me. But I don’t want to disrespect anyone in their clubhouse where I’m a guest, and I don’t want this man to think I’m crass. I don’t know why, but it seems important to me what he thinks.

Embarrassed, I take the coffee.

It’s milky and steamy, which is exactly how I like it. I close my eyes, breathing in the deep aroma. It’s comforting and familiar in a day that’s been anything but.

When I open my eyes, Davis is staring at me in a way that makes my pulse beat a little faster.

“Danni said you’ll be working here today. Do you have everything you need?”

I set the coffee mug on the table. “You got the WiFi password?”

“I’ll grab it for you.”

He heads to the bar just as Hercules pads into the room. The giant dog stops when he sees me and heads straight over, his tail wagging.

Davis intercepts him, but I wave him away. Who can resist a big goofy grin like the one I’m getting from Hercules?

“It’s okay,” I say. “I don’t mind dogs. He just startled me this morning, that’s all.”

“And ruined your shirt. I’ll buy you a replacement if it doesn’t come out.”

The big dog puts its head in my lap, and I run my hand over his soft ears. Hercules lets out a satisfied grunt.

“It’s fine.”

I don’t want to tell Davis how much my shirt cost. I doubt a bartender would want to spend that much money on a designer shirt, and I don’t want to embarrass him. Or me. He’ll think I’m ridiculous if he knows how much I spent on this shirt. I got it on sale from an outlet store, and it still made my eyes water.

“It was old. I was going to get rid of it anyway.” I keep rubbing the big dog’s head so he doesn’t detect the lie. “What kind of dog is he?”

“He’s a St. Bernard.”

Davis hands me the WiFi password on a piece of paper, and I enter it into my laptop.

Hercules whines when I take my hands off his head and licks my knee. The wet warm tongue makes me laugh.

“I love big dogs. I’ve never been able to get a pet.”

“Why not?” He regards me curiously, and I keep my eyes on my laptop.

I don’t want to tell him Jeff hates animals. And we weren’t allowed pets in the apartment anyway. I kept pushing for a move to the suburbs with a backyard for a dog, but Jeff preferred the city.

“I live in the city,” I say.

Davis nods, and I’m grateful that he doesn’t press.

“I need to get the bar open, but shout if you need anything. I’m here all day.”

“Thank you.”

He tries to drag Hercules away, but the big dog refuses to budge.

“It’s okay. He can stay with me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t think I have a choice.” I smile at Hercules as he settles himself under my chair, his huge body nudging the chair sideways. I don’t know why this dog’s taken a liking to me, but it’s comforting.

“He likes you.” Davis smiles, and it lights his youthful face up and takes my breath away, making my pulse race a little faster. I must be staring at him, because his smile falters.

“I’ll be right here if you need me.”

I like the way everyone here is carefree and easygoing. Not like the city where people are guarded.

His jeans hug his backside as he walks to the bar, and I smile to myself. This might not be a bad place to unwind for a few days. Get my head back in the right place before I return to the city.