Page 3 of Crewe (Nelson’s Honkytonk Saloon & Bar #3)
Chapter Three
C rewe decided to deliver the food to the table himself.
He’d briefly met Flick’s brothers at the wedding but hadn’t really talked with them much.
A group of the Bluff Creek Brotherhood MC had ridden their bikes to the bar today, and Crewe wanted to chat with them.
His other cooks in the kitchen could man it for a while.
He carried the tray to the table and placed it down in front of Brody, Gunner, Flick, Dex, Cannon, and Bear. He added his plate to the empty seat.
“You guys care if I enjoy my supper with you?” he asked.
“Nah, we’d love to have you,” Flick replied while taking his first bite of food. “Man, this is good. You have a gift with food.”
“Thanks,” Crewe said. It always gave him a good feeling when people enjoyed his food.
“I need to get my rehabilitation moving along faster, or you’ll be rolling me into the businesses instead of walking,” Brody said. He’d been injured on his last tour and was undergoing therapy to walk without a cane.
“It must be going well if you rode today,” Crewe said, taking a bite of his own sandwich. He rarely sat down and ate in the main bar. Usually, he grabbed a quick bite at his table in the kitchen.
Dex chuckled then replied, “He wasn’t going to come, so we told him either let someone drive you in a truck or ride on the back of a trike. He wasn’t going to until Regina got involved.”
Laughter filled the table .
“So, which did you do?” Crewe asked.
“I rode on the trike behind Gunner because Regina said I had to come to chick flick night if I stayed in Bluff Creek. I was not watching a romance movie with them,” Brody grumbled.
“How’d it feel?” Crewe asked.
“Once I got past I wasn’t the one in charge of the bike, it was good to feel the wind and just relax.”
Whiskey came over and joined the group. “Hey, guys, how’s your evening?”
“It’s good. Food is always excellent, and the beer is cold,” Flick replied.
“Well, I did come over for a reason. Vivi wants us to take a family vacation, and when I say family, I mean all the family. She wanted me to ask you, Gunner, about the town you worked in for a while,” Whiskey said.
“Oh, Mistletoe Canyon. Yeah, it would be a fantastic place for a vacation for you all. Christmas all year long. You need to make sure your vacation includes a weekend. On Saturday, Santa—or their version of Santa, Père Noel—is in the parade and then is available for pictures on Santa’s lap.
There are other times during the week he’s available too, but Saturday there’s a carnival and fun at all the businesses.
They have so many activities and places to stay.
The major season is October to December, so if you went in September, it would not be as crowded and a little cheaper.
They even have an MC. It’s all about riding, family, and helping others.
I can send you the information for who to talk with about booking a vacation,” Gunner said.
“If you could send that to Vivi. She was going to come down and chat with you, but Bailey only wanted Mommy to hold her before bed tonight,” Whiskey said.
“Sure thing. Once Brody is recovered enough to ride long distances, I told him we have to visit. There are some great curves to ride with a bike,” Gunner said.
Crewe listened to Whiskey asking about the activities and thought how fun that would be with Freya and Wyatt, but Ry would have to want to go .
Crewe enjoyed eating his food, chatting with the guys, and chiming in when it was something that interested him.
He couldn’t remember the last time he left the kitchen and just relaxed with friends.
He needed to make an effort to take more time for himself.
If he wasn’t going to have a woman to go home to, at least he could have friends besides his brothers to hang out with.
“Hey, Crewe, I’ve been helping a family who lost their home to a fire. You know anybody getting rid of a queen mattress or a twin? We got bed frames and box springs but no mattresses. I hate to buy them if we can get them free,” Flick asked.
“Oh, yeah, I can get you that. I’ll put the word out tonight.
Probably have it in less than a couple days,” Crewe said.
Getting stuff was one of the things he excelled at.
Hennessy might be the one women called to get wished a good morning or good night, but when someone needed something, they called him.
He listened and had an amazing ability to keep track of who had what.
He also maintained a list on the computer he kept up to date .
Gunner got up, and Crewe didn’t think anything of it until Gunner didn’t return. The jukebox started playing Honkytonk Badonkadonk and some of the guys turned toward the dance floor.
Crewe turned and just about swallowed his tongue.
Ry, in those jeans that hugged every curve she had, was in Gunner’s arms and being spun around the floor.
Crewe worked to keep his face from showing how jealous he was of Gunner.
He wanted to be the one with Ry in his arms, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen.
He had no clue how to move them from friends to something more. Even though he was in his forties, sometimes he still felt like that gangly teenager with acne who stood on the sidelines while the other guys got dates.
Ry laughed and smiled while Gunner and she danced. His heart hurt seeing her give that smile to someone else. He wondered how he’d deal if she fell for someone else. He honestly couldn’t watch this any longer.
“It was good chatting with you all. I need to get back to the kitchen and make sure they’re on track. Enjoy your ride,” Crewe said, picking up his plate and silverware to help the server out. The group called their goodbyes, and Crewe hurried toward the kitchen.
Maybe he needed to talk with Whiskey or Hennessy and see if they had any suggestions. But he hated feeling inadequate, and asking for help made him feel like that kid from high school.