Page 6

She gives me a quick, unbothered nod. “Take your time. I’m going to reorganize the notes anyway.”

I stand and head out the back towards the garage.

Doesn’t take long to get the older gentleman sorted. His truck’s his baby, and he doesn’t want anything to go wrong with the repair. I stop in the clubhouse restroom on the way back, run cool water over the back of my neck, and take a second to breathe.

Something about working with Heather’s got me tied up in knots. Working with her is both easy and the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. I can feel myself getting overly focused on her. I need to step back, but everything about her draws me in.

I step back into the clubhouse and round the corner towards our table—voices drift to my ears.

Heather and someone else. A woman.

“Just letting you know, sweetheart,” the second voice is low and seductive, “Ghost likes his girls fun. And quiet. You look a little too uptight and serious for him. Outsiders always are, so don’t think anything is going to come of the two of you spending time together.”

I don’t even need to see her to know who it is.

I recognize Roxy’s voice. She’s been hanging around too long, always looking for a way to dig her claws into one of the brothers.

Looks like now she’s got her sights set on me.

Heather’s with me, so she must’ve looked like a tempting target—one Roxy thinks won’t bite back.

“Cute,” Heather says flatly. “But I’m not interested in crawling into his lap. I was hired to build a living space, not settle down in one.”

Roxy gives a dry little laugh. “Sure, sweetie. That’s what they all say.”

I step up behind her just as Heather crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, clearly ready to hear what I have to say.

Roxy hasn’t noticed me yet. She’s too busy playing alpha in a game Heather’s not even trying to play, much less win.

“Roxy,” I say, voice low.

She flinches and slowly turns around to face me. When she sees the look on my face, her eyes go wide for a second. She’s tried to play me for a fool one too many times, and today I’m not having it.

“Oh hey, Ghost. Just sayin’ hi to your new little friend.”

“Don’t lie to me. I heard every word you said.”

Her mouth opens, but nothing comes out, so she closes it again.

“Heather is here as my guest. On club business,” I say, stepping between them. “So quit hovering and stop annoying people who don’t want your company.”

My tone drops, hard and clipped. “Go away.”

She steps back, lips pressed into a pout, but the fire in her eyes is still there.

“You’ve changed,” she says bitterly.

“No,” I tell her, “You’re just not used to me being so direct with you.”

Her eyes flick to Heather one last time before she turns on her heel and storms off, heels clicking against the old floorboards.

I let out a slow breath and turn back towards Heather, who’s already gathering her pages like nothing happened.

“Sorry about that,” I say.

She doesn’t look up. “You don’t have to apologize. She’s territorial. And rude. But I’ve dealt with worse.”

I ease back into my chair. “Still, she was outta line.”

Heather meets my eyes. “You handled it.”

There’s a pause. Just long enough for the moment to settle.

And then she flips the next sketch around like nothing happened. Just like that, she’s all business again. Only now, something in her eyes is sharp. When she looks at me, it’s like she sees something she didn’t expect.

She slides the last sketch back into her folder and straightens the stack of paperwork like she’s sealing the moment up tight.

“I’ll reach out to the structural engineer today,” she says. “I’ll accept the appointment he offered for Friday.”

“Good. I’ll leave early to make sure I’m there by six.”

“I’ll also make a materials list based on the design you pick. There will be two sets of options, baseline, and upgrade.”

“An upgrade means more money, right?”

“Upgrade meaning better finishes. But yeah, more money.”

I chuckle. “Give me both. Doesn’t hurt to see what’s possible.”

She nods, jotting something in her notebook. “And I’ll pull paint and tile samples for you to look at. I’ll bring those next time I’m out at the site.”

“Let me know what day. I’ll be there.”

She tucks the pen behind her ear and zips her bag. Her movements are fluid, graceful, and no-nonsense—just like everything else about her. I stand when she does, and for a second, we both just stand there.

There’s something different now. Not because of what Roxy said—Heather doesn’t strike me as the type to get rattled by that kind of crap. It’s because she saw how I handled it. Saw that I didn’t laugh it off or let it slide. I had her back.

And maybe that matters.

“Thanks for lunch,” she says finally. “Even if it got a little… dramatic.”

I huff a quiet laugh. “That’s par for the course here at the Savage Legion clubhouse. The food is great, but the club girls are off the chain sometimes.”

That earns me the tiniest smile from her. Just a twitch at the corner of her mouth. This was her recognizing that I can’t control other people, but I can speak up when I see things going sideways.

“Yeah, I get that. Spicy food and even spicier club girls.”

I chuckle, “You ain’t wrong about that.”

She shifts her bag onto her shoulder and turns towards the door but pauses just before taking her first step.

I’m intrigued by the hesitation. I wonder if she wants to tell me something important or just wants to hang out with me a little longer.

I wish it was the latter because I feel like some kind of shift just took place between us, like we found common ground.

All I know is that I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.

When I don’t move or speak, she walks out the door. Her strides show no sign of uncertainty, but I catch a glimmer of hesitation when she steps over the threshold.