Page 21

Dani

“Did you order more of the Kalamata olives?” Stan’s voice broke through my daze.

I nodded and didn’t look up from the book I was reading. “Yeah. They should be here tomorrow.”

He exhaled in relief. “Good, because we’ve only got two jars left, and I planned on sampling them on Friday.”

I nodded absently again, but my thoughts were far away. My attention was only half on the conversation.

“Dani.”

I looked up at Stan. “Yeah?”

“What did I just say?” He raised an eyebrow and leaned against the counter like he was waiting for something.

I furrowed my brow. “Uh, you asked if I ordered Kalamatas. I did.”

Stan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “And then what did I say after that?”

Something. I know he said something, but it slipped through the cracks. “Uh... well...” I stared at him and tried to piece it together.

I had no clue.

My mind had been elsewhere for the past few days. I had been trying to read my book all morning, but just kept reading the same page over and over.

“Dani,” Stan said in a firm tone. I could tell he wasn’t letting it go.

I blinked at him and then sighed in defeat. “I don’t know, Stan. I’m... I’m off today.”

Stan pushed off the counter, and his face softened. “Hey, you’re okay. But something’s up with you, isn’t it?”

I nodded absently again and rubbed my thumb over the edge of the book. I wanted to just be left alone, but I knew Stan wouldn’t let that happen.

“I’m going to the clubhouse and kicking Smoke’s ass,” Stan muttered, mostly to himself but loud enough for me to hear. “They can put that on their damn TV show.”

I couldn’t help but snort. “You’re not going to the clubhouse, Stan,” I laughed lightly, though it came out strained. “It’s fine.”

“It is not fine to sweep a woman off her feet and then tell her he’ll see her in two weeks because he’s busy filming a TV show. This is Texas, Dani, not Hollywood. The man can give you some of his time.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but Stan was right. Smoke had practically disappeared from my life this week. And it wasn’t because he was too busy with anything other than the show. He didn’t want me around the cameras. He didn’t want me on TV with him, and that hurt. He had never said it out loud, but it was in the way he refused to let me visit him while they were filming.

It made me feel small. Like I didn’t matter enough for him to share that part of his life with me, even though everyone else seemed to be included.

I wanted to argue, but the words wouldn’t come.

“It’s not like that,” I said finally, my voice almost a whisper. “He doesn’t want me on TV. He doesn’t want me to be part of it.”

Stan stared at me with his brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? All the other girls are on the damn show. Yarder probably has Poppy and Adalee doing all sorts of shit on there, but Smoke won’t let you near it?”

I nodded and bit my lip. My stomach twisted with a mix of confusion and hurt. I didn’t get it. All the other girls seemed to be fine with it. But Smoke… he didn’t even give me a choice.

Which wasn’t like him.

I could feel Stan’s anger on my behalf, but it only made me feel worse. It was as if I wasn’t enough for him, and maybe that was the truth. Maybe I wasn’t what Smoke wanted, and that stung more than I cared to admit.

Stan waved his hand in front of my face and snapped me out of my spiral. “Honey,” he said, his voice gentle now.

I blinked rapidly and realized I had zoned out again.

I tried to shake it off, but the worry inside me wouldn’t settle.

The bell above the door chimed, and the sound jerked me back to reality. A group of people walked into the shop, and I immediately recognized them.

Yarder, Adalee, Poppy, Fallon, Fade, Compass, and some guy I didn’t know.

And trailing behind them? A camera crew.

Oh, boy.

Yarder gave me a lazy smile as he approached the counter. “You good with us filming in here?”

Stan was already putting on his showman act and strutted over to the door with his arms wide open. “Sure, sure, of course,” he said with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Please, please, come on in and experience Wine and Cheese Me!”

I rolled my eyes at his antics. Stan was laying it on thick. He could be such a drama king, but it worked for him.

“Hey!” Fallon and Adalee called out in unison. They made their way over to the counter, with Poppy following behind them.

“We were just down the way talking to the landlord about the open space,” Adalee explained and looked excited.

“Open space is right,” Fallon added with a laugh. “There’s a damn hole in the ceiling.”

Poppy leaned against the counter, and her eyes flicked to me briefly. “Which is why he’s giving you guys such a great deal on rent.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I had seen the hole in the ceiling when I passed by earlier. The landlord must’ve been desperate if he was offering them a deal.

“So, you guys are going to do it?” I asked and leaned against the counter.

“We still need to discuss it,” Yarder butted in, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re not saying yes to anything until we put it up for a vote.”

Adalee shot him a look. “You mean a vote I don’t get a vote in?” She tipped her head to the side, and a smirk played on her lips. “That doesn’t sound right, but I know that it’s right.”

Fade stood behind Adalee and rubbed her shoulders. “Chill, babe. I get a vote, and you know I’m going to vote yes.”

Adalee turned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “That’s sweet, honey, but I would still like my own vote.”

“Same,” Fallon called and raised her hand like she was in a classroom.

I tried to ignore the big camera that was weaving through the shop and trying to capture everything. It was pretty distracting and had flicked toward me a few times but never lingered long. I doubted anything going on here was exciting enough for the audience.

“I know what your vote is,” Yarder sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I just need to run it by the rest of the guys, okay? The club is who is going to help you get this off the ground.”

“Fine,” Adalee grumbled and crossed her arms. “But I would like it to be put on the record that I am not down with us not having an official vote.”

“It is noted,” Yarder growled, clearly over the conversation.

“What are we doing here?” the guy I didn’t know asked and glanced around the shop with a skeptical expression.

Poppy pushed off the counter with a grin. “We’re surrounded by cheese and wine, Pirate. Just enjoy it.”

Pirate scoffed and shook his head. “Yeah, no thanks. I’m not into wine, and cheese just belongs on pizza and burgers.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Stan called dramatically and swooped in like a hawk. He hooked his arm through Pirate’s. “I think you need a little education, biker man. And I will be your guide on this journey.”

“Hey, hey,” Yarder called to Stan and pointed a warning finger at him. “Take it easy on the samples today, okay? We got some shit we need to do when we get back to the clubhouse.”

“Sure, sure,” Stan called back and grabbed two bottles of wine before heading to the cheese case with Pirate in tow. “I just want to show Bootlegger some things.”

“Bootlegger?” Compass laughed from the door.

“It’s Pirate,” Pirate growled with a scowl.

Stan moved behind the cheese case, completely unfazed. “Oh, yeah. You’re right.” He grabbed a wedge of aged white cheddar and held it up dramatically. “At least I knew it wasn’t Jack Sparrow.”

God, I loved Stan.

Most people would be intimidated by a bunch of bikers and their ol’ ladies.

Not Stan.

Not one bit.

Adalee and Fallon wandered over to the cheese case and laughed as they watched Stan work his magic on Pirate. Compass and Fade stayed by the door, leaned against the frame, and just watched everyone.

The camera crew knew where the excitement was and followed Stan and Pirate, which meant they were finally off me. Thank goodness.

“How have you been?” Poppy asked as she turned her attention back to me.

“Oh, uh, I’ve been good. Business has been steady since our little party. At least ten people have come back in and mentioned you guys.”

Poppy beamed. “That’s great. I hope they bought something when they came back in.”

I nodded. “Oh, yeah. They totally did.”

Poppy hesitated, then asked, “Has Smoke been in?”

“Poppy,” Yarder groaned. “Do not do this.”

“Do what?” she asked innocently.

“Act like you don’t know what’s going on.”

I leaned forward, my curiosity piqued. “Um, what is going on? I would like to know from you guys what is going on.” Any insight I could get about what Smoke was thinking would be great. I knew what he had said to me, but I was twisting it all in my head and second-guessing every word.

Yarder shook his head. “I’m not going to get in the middle of this.”

“I will,” Poppy grinned mischievously. She leaned toward me. “The whole club thinks the show is so annoying.”

“We have never said ‘so annoying,’” Yarder interjected.

Poppy waved him off. “No one likes the show. Smoke thinks he is saving you from it or something.”

I glanced at the camera crew. “I mean, it doesn’t seem that bad.”

Poppy smacked Yarder on the shoulder. “I say the same thing. It isn’t that bad. Sure, it’s a little annoying when you’re trying to have a private conversation, but just go in your room or to church if you don’t want the cameras around.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll just send a message to Boone and Gibbs to try to only kill us when we’re in our bedrooms or church,” Yarder muttered and shook his head.

I froze. Boone and Gibbs? Those names sounded... familiar. Politician familiar. The only Boone I knew of was the US Attorney General. If that was who was messing with the Iron Fiends, that was serious as hell.

“You know what I mean,” Poppy said and waved off Yarder’s annoyed look. “And besides, it’s almost over. I hear Mac say they’re getting a lot of footage. Hopefully, they’ll be done sooner.”

“That would be a fucking miracle,” Yarder muttered under his breath.

Poppy turned her attention back to me. “What I’m trying to say is the guys are dramatic when it comes to the cameras.”

I glanced at Yarder with a smirk. “Dramatic, huh?”

Yarder pushed off the counter and was clearly done with the conversation. “Okay,” he called to the rest of the crew. “Let’s wrap this shit up.”

“Oops,” Poppy laughed. “I might have pissed off the prez.”

Yarder narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh, you sure as shit did.”

She stepped closer to him, her voice dropping suggestively. “Will I be punished later? In our bedroom?”

Good lord. The sexual tension between those two was enough to make me blush.

Stan, oblivious to the flirting, pulled out the wedge of Stilton. “Ten more minutes, Yardman. I’m about to get the Stilton out. Johnny Depp says he’s not afraid of the funk.”

“Oh god,” I groaned. “You’re going to stink up the whole shop, Stan. You know my rule with the Stilton.”

Stan held up the pungent cheese with pride. “Five seconds, I promise.”

I clamped a hand over my nose. “This is going to be horrible. We’re all going to smell feet for the next two days.”

Stan quickly unwrapped the cheese, slicing off a small wedge with the precision of a surgeon, then rewrapped it just as fast.

“Holy shit,” Fade called from the door, as his face twisted in disgust.

“Whoa,” Adalee gasped and fled the cheese case to take refuge next to Fade.

Pirate, of all people, leaned in and inhaled deeply. “That smells kinda good.”

“Good?!” Fallon exclaimed. “That smells like dead feet smothered in mold. Are you insane?”

Stan grinned like a mad scientist and handed Pirate the tiny wedge. “Try that.”

Pirate popped it into his mouth without hesitation, and chewed thoughtfully.

Stan hustled to grab a bottle of port wine and uncorked it as he walked back. “Here, swirl this around before you swallow.”

Pirate took the glass, swished it around like an expert, and then swallowed. He nodded and handed the cup back. “Yeah, that’s pretty good.”

Stan threw his hands in the air. “It’s a miracle! I’ve finally found another person who likes Stilton!”

I still had my hand over my nose. “I bought that Stilton three months ago. Stan’s been dying for someone to come in and sample it.”

“Figures Pirate would be the one to like it,” Yarder muttered and shook his head.

The camera crew had backed up a few feet, and we also covered their noses. Even they had their limits, it seemed.

“Grab what you guys want, and let’s go,” Yarder ordered. “Five minutes.”

Poppy sighed. “Sometimes that man is a stick in the mud.” She glanced at me. “It’s a good thing I like his stick.”

“Woman!” Yarder hollered.

She rolled her eyes and moved over to the jarred olives. “If I buy you blue cheese-stuffed olives, will you be less cranky?” she asked Yarder.

“I’m not cranky, but yes. Two jars,” Yarder called from across the room.

I smirked and called over to Stan. “Wrap up a piece of the Stilton for Yarder.”

“Way ahead of you,” Stan said with a grin. He handed Poppy a small plastic bag. “Don’t open this anywhere without good ventilation.”

Poppy wrinkled her nose and held the bag like it was radioactive. “Please don’t make me pay for this,” she whispered.

“On the house,” Stan chuckled. “From one blue cheese lover to another.”

Poppy shuddered. “I am not kissing you for two days after you eat this, Yarder.”

Yarder only chuckled. “We’ll see about that.”

Adalee browsed the shelves and grabbed a jar of Kalamata olives and a bottle of garlic olive oil. Fallon picked out stuffed grape leaves, a bottle of Grenache, and a six-pack of Belgian pale ale. Pirate, on the other hand, took four jars of blue cheese-stuffed olives.

The man was insane.

I rang everyone up as the cameras tracked our every move. Yarder paid in cash, nodded at me, and gestured to the door. “Let’s move.”

Adalee and Fallon waved goodbye on their way out, with Fade and Compass following closely. Pirate clutched his jars like treasure and exited with them.

“Bye, Dani,” Poppy called. “See you soon?”

“See ya!” I replied, even though I knew it’d probably be ten days before I saw them again.

The cameras followed them out, and finally, silence settled over the shop.

Stan came over and wiped his hands on a paper towel. “I like them.”

I smiled. “Yeah, I do too.” I pointed at him. “Now go prop open that door. I can’t believe you opened the Stilton. We’ve got five hours until closing.”

Stan chuckled. “Yeah, probably not my best idea.”

I settled behind the counter and watched him move toward the door. Seeing everyone had been a nice surprise, and it was good to get some clarity about Smoke.

Maybe he’d call me tonight, and we could talk. That seemed like a good plan.

Hell, I’d give Smoke until Friday to call me. If he didn’t, I’d figure out my plan B.