Page 8

Smoke

“They’re all drunk,” I muttered and eyed the group gathered around the cheese case.

Yarder nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, that would be an accurate assumption.”

I tilted my head toward the older guy behind the case—Stan, I thought his name was. “Even he is drunk.”

Yarder smirked. “He’s the one poppin’ the bottles, man. As soon as he does, Dani grabs some other cheese, crackers, or whatever to pair with it. They’ve been at this for three hours.”

I exhaled and rubbed the back of my neck. Fixing Dani’s tire had taken longer than expected—Mac’s shop had to squeeze me in, which meant I was stuck waiting. Not that I minded, but standing here now, watching this circus, I wondered if I should’ve just left the damn spare on.

“Dice leave?” Yarder asked.

I nodded. “He could hear the laughing from the parking lot. Was out of the car and on his bike before I could even shut my door.”

Yarder chuckled. “Yeah, sounds like Dice. Pretty sure any kind of commitment other than to the club is not what he wants.”

I leaned against the counter with my arms braced as I watched the girls crowd around Stan. He was handing out something white with a streak of red running through it.

“Manchego with plum jam,” Poppy called and waved a slice in the air. “You want one, babe?” she asked Yarder.

Yarder shook his head. “I’m good.”

I smirked. “They eat too much cheese and no one’s gonna poop for days.”

Yarder snorted. “Pretty sure the wine and olive oil they’ve been downing will help with that.”

I raised an eyebrow. “They’re drinking olive oil?”

Yarder nodded. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t ask any more questions if I were you. Your stomach might not be able to handle it. They started with blue cheese, and things have just gotten more interesting as they go on.”

The girls peeled off into another fit of laughter, with their voices rising and falling like a chaotic melody. And right in the middle of it all was Dani.

She stood there with her cheeks flushed from the wine and her eyes sparkling with mischief. Her light brown hair framed her face perfectly, curling slightly at the ends, and that smile—hell, that smile could light up the whole damn shop. She had curves that didn’t quit that filled out that purple T-shirt in all the right places. Her light-colored jeans hugged her hips like they were made just for her. She was beautiful in a way that hit me square in the chest and knocked the wind out of me every damn time.

Yarder nodded toward the cheese case where Stan was leaning heavily against it. “I can get the girls home, but I think you’re gonna have to handle Dani and Stan. I gotta say, for a guy well into his sixties, he’s kept up with the girls.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “That’s a feat. I don’t know how they do it, but these girls can throw back some alcohol. They actually buy anything?”

Yarder motioned to the overflowing baskets at his feet. “Oh, they’re buying, alright. I had to cut Poppy off from throwing more stuff on the counter. Swear to God, they’ve got four hundred bucks worth of shit.”

I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. “Hell, we might be begging the network to pick up Tread for another season if they keep this up.”

Yarder groaned. “Don’t even say that shit. We still need to finish this season.”

I shot him a glance. “Any idea when it’s happening?”

Yarder grunted. “Monday.”

“Jesus,” I muttered. “Any idea who they’re sending?”

Yarder shrugged. “Not a who. A them.”

I frowned. “They’re sending more than one person?” That wasn’t like Don. Maybe he was finally getting his act together and decided this show was going to be shot come hell or high water.

Yarder nodded. “Saylor and Max.”

I snorted. “What the hell kind of name is Saylor?”

Yarder smirked. “I don’t know, man.”

“Does Adalee know them?”

“Nope. Seems things have changed since she got fired. They’re bringing in fresh blood.”

I nodded slowly. “You talk to the Fallen Lords lately? How are they doing with filming?”

“Not really sure. I reached out to Wrecker a few weeks back, and he said they weren’t filming yet. Didn’t know exactly when it would start.”

“Wish that was us.”

“Yeah, well, hopefully, in a couple of weeks, we’ll be done. I told Don to just send whoever the hell he needed to, and let’s get this shit wrapped up.”

I glanced up at the clock and noticed it was quarter to six. “The sign on the door says they’re open till six. Maybe we should start wrangling the girls?”

Yarder nodded in agreement. “Yeah.” He let out a sharp, shrill whistle that cut through the chatter.

Everyone froze and looked at him.

“Do you have to do that?” Poppy slurred and rubbed her ear.

Yarder whirled his finger in the air. “Let’s wrap this up, girls. Shop closes in fifteen minutes.”

“What?” Dani gasped, eyes wide. “How the heck did the time go?” She looked at me, her expression dazed, and shook her head. “I mean…” She waved her hand vaguely in the air. “I don’t really know what I mean.”

Yeah, she was well in the bag.

Sloane and Dove collapsed into each other and giggled uncontrollably.

Adalee clapped Dani on the shoulder. “I got you, girl. The time has wheezed by.”

“Whizzed,” I corrected.

Dani pointed a finger at me and narrowed her eyes. “That’s what I said. I mean she.”

I just shook my head and fought back a grin. “Sure, angel.”

Fallon was stuffing more cheese into her mouth and nodded approvingly. “I think we should just live here. This is my dream house.”

Sloane raised a half-empty wine glass. “To the dream house!”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Yarder sighed and tossed the baskets on the counter. “Ladies, start gathering your crap. We’re out.”

Stan, who had been leaning against the counter, blinked at me. “Hey, new guy, you ever tried this cheese? It’s damn good, man.”

I eyed him warily. “Uh, no, I haven’t. Maybe next time.”

He grinned and held up a cracker stacked with cheese and jam. “One more for the road, huh?”

I took the cracker out of his hand before he could drop it. “Alright, I’ll try it.”

Dani grinned and leaned on the counter next to me. “It’s yummy. The fig jam and the goat cheese are good. They should be married.” She reached out and laid her hand on my chest. “You’re spinning.”

I looked down at her, my gaze lingering on the way her lips curled up at the edges. “Pretty sure just your head is spinning, angel. We need to get you home and in bed. You are going to be hungover tomorrow.”

She giggled and poked me in the chest. “I don’t get hangovers.”

I smirked. “Famous last words.”

Yarder clapped me on the back. “I’ll take care of the girls. You got Dani and Stan?”

“Yeah, I got her.”

Yarder grinned. “Good luck, brother.”

The girls finally started heading toward the door, arms loaded with bags and bottles, while laughing and stumbling over each other.

Dani watched them go with a dreamy smile. “We should do this more often,” she called.

“I slipped some money in the till. Let me know if we owe you any more,” Yarder called to Dani.

She waved her hand in the air. “It’s all on the house.”

Yeah, all the shit the girls were carrying out was not on the house. “I’ll remind her tomorrow.”

Yarder smirked. “Sounds good. Be careful.”

I nodded as Yarder turned his attention to the group of women who were still laughing and chatting and completely oblivious to the world outside their little cheese-and-wine-fueled bubble. Yarder herded Poppy, Sloane, Dove, Olive, Adalee, and Fallon out of the shop, which was like wrangling a pack of wild puppies. They moved in different directions, stopped to giggle about something, or grabbed another jar of olives. Yarder guided them with the patience of a saint and steered them toward the door with a call over his shoulder to add a jar of olives to his tab. Fallon tried to slip back in to grab a bottle of wine by the door, but Yarder caught her by the elbow and dragged her out.

“You’re not going with them?” Dani asked as she leaned against the register and twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers.

I shook my head. “I’ve got my hands full here.”

Stan was half-lying on the cheese case while munching on a piece of cheese like he didn’t have a care in the world. Yeah, I definitely had my hands full.

“You guys need to do anything before we lock up?” I asked.

Dani quirked her lips. “I mean, I don’t think so.” She turned to Stan. “Close the cheese door.”

Stan blinked. “We have a cheese door?”

Dani rolled her eyes. “The door your foot is in right now.”

Stan looked down at his foot, which was indeed propped inside the cheese case. “Oh, the cheese door.” He slid his feet off and shut it with a flourish. “You should have said the cheese door.”

Dani looked at me, exasperated. “Didn’t I say cheese door?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “The drunk talking to the drunk is always amusing. Anything else we need to do, or can the rest wait until tomorrow?”

“Just turn off the lights,” Dani said and pushed her hair out of her face. “I just want you to know this is not normal.”

I chuckled and headed to the back room to turn off the lights. “Oh, trust me. I know this isn’t normal. This is the ol’ lady effect. Those six go somewhere together, and all hell breaks loose.”

Stan moved away from the cheese case and smoothed his hand down his chest. “I think I might need to walk home.”

I shook my head. “You’re not walking. I’ll take both of you home. We’ll figure out your car tomorrow.”

Dani grabbed her purse from under the counter and slung it over her shoulder.

Stan patted his chest. “I don’t have a purse.”

Dani and Stan fell into a fit of laughter.

“You have a wallet,” she wheezed.

“Oh,” Stan laughed. “My brain is dizzy, so I was just copying you.”

Dani patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s get you home to Donald.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sure he’s hungry.”

“You married, Stan?” I asked, curious.

Stan let out a big belly laugh. “God, no.”

Dani smirked. “Donald is his bulldog.”

I shook my head and herded them toward the front door. “Well, in that case, let’s get you home to Donald.”

We stepped out of the shop, and I held my hand out to Dani. “Keys.”

She slapped them into my palm with a grin. “There ya go, biker man.”

I locked the door and pocketed the keys.

“Do you have my other keys?” she asked.

I nodded, and we walked toward her car. “Yeah.”

“Did you find a tire?” she asked and glanced over at me.

“I did. You’re good to go.”

“You lost a tire?” Stan asked. “You didn’t tell me.”

“It was just a flat,” Dani explained. “And Rick Savvy fixed it.”

Stan squinted at me. “I thought your name was Smoke.”

Dani laughed.

“I think she meant Rico Suave, Stan.”

“How about Casanova?” Dani suggested. “You’re all suave and sexy. You can be Casanova because I can’t say Ricky Sausage.” She shook her head. “You know what I mean.”

I had no idea what she was going on about. “Let’s just get you both home so you can sleep this off.”

Getting Stan into the backseat of Dani’s car was an ordeal. The man was like a wet noodle, flopping into the seat and then deciding halfway in that he wasn’t ready to sit yet. “Wait, wait,” he said, holding up a hand dramatically. “I forgot my cheese!”

“You didn’t buy any,” Dani reminded him.

Stan blinked at her. “Oh. Then carry on.”

Dani snorted and managed to slide into the passenger seat with a loopy smile on her face.

I climbed into the driver’s seat and glanced over at her. “What you thinking about, angel?”

She sighed happily. “That was fun.”

“You mean profitable,” Stan said from the back and leaned his head against the seat. “You need to bring your friends around more often, Smoke.”

Dani shook her head. “No, no. I’m talking about the other customers that came in while they were there. Sloane, Dove, and Adalee were salesmen. No matter who it was, they had them sample everything and walk out with at least four or five things. We haven’t had that good of a Friday... ever.”

I chuckled as I pulled out of the parking lot. “Maybe you should hire them full-time.”

“Oh no,” Dani cried.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I didn’t get any of their phone numbers.”

I shook my head. “I’ll get them for you, angel. Don’t worry about it. Where do you live, Stan?” I asked.

He rattled off his address, and I glanced in the rearview mirror to see he was falling over in his seat, and his eyes were closed. “I’m just going to take a nap,” he muttered.

“Is it true you guys are going to open up a shop in the strip mall?” Dani asked.

I nodded. “I think so. Did Yarder, by chance, ask you about your landlord, or was he too busy wrangling the girls?”

Dani laughed. “He asked me. I gave him his phone number.”

I turned onto Stan’s street. “You don’t live far from the shop, Stan.”

Stan startled awake at his name. “Two large cheese pizzas and an order of breadsticks,” he mumbled.

“What?” Dani laughed.

Stan shook his head and leaned forward between the front seats. “Huh? I was ordering pizza.”

I mean, he was, but I didn’t know why he was doing it.

“Oh, I bet Donald would love pizza.” Dani patted his cheek.

At least these two were nice and funny drunks.

I pulled into Stan’s driveway. He fumbled with the door handle and swayed away from the door in his seat. “Okay, Stan, let’s get you inside before you start ordering dessert too.”

I got out of the car and jogged around to his side. He was still wrestling with the door handle and muttered under his breath about how it was “stuck on stupid.” I opened it for him and helped him swing his legs out onto the driveway.

“Whoa,” Stan mumbled and gripped my arm as he tried to stand. “The ground is extra ground-y tonight.”

“Yeah, it’s got that effect after a few bottles of wine,” I said and steadied him.

Stan threw an arm around my shoulder, and together we made our way to his front door. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a keyring that jingled with what seemed like a hundred keys. He squinted at them and mumbled, “Cheese door... no, wait, front door.”

Inside the house, Donald, his bulldog, started barking and scratching at the door. “I’m coming, buddy!” Stan hollered and nearly dropped his keys. “My keys are broke.”

“They’re not broken, man. Here, let me help,” I said, took them from his shaking hands, and unlocked the door in one smooth motion.

Stan leaned heavily against the doorframe and patted my shoulder. “I am more than good, Casanova. I’ve got Donald and two cheese pizzas waiting for me. I ordered them on the way home.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Uh, yeah, you did, Stan. Enjoy your night.”

He smiled loopy and stepped inside. “Later, Casanova.” He shut the door behind him, and I could hear him calling for Donald, saying, “Daddy’s home, and we got pizza coming!”

I shook my head and pulled out my phone. I made my way back to the car and dialed the local pizza place. I got into the car and ordered two large cheese pizzas and breadsticks to be delivered to Stan’s place.

Dani giggled beside me. “You’re a good guy, Smoke,” she said after I hung up.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t have the patience to explain to him that he didn’t actually order pizza.”

Dani leaned her head against the window, and her eyes were half-lidded. “You’re nice. You always take care of everyone, huh?”

I started the car and glanced at her. “Everyone needs someone looking out for them when they need it. And it was just a couple of pizzas I ordered for him, Dani. Not like I paid off his mortgage or something.”

She smiled, a soft, dreamy look on her face. “Good man who does good things.”

I shook my head and pulled out of Stan’s driveway and steered toward Dani’s place. “You got me wondering what kind of people you’ve had in your life if you think me ordering a pizza for a drunk dude is a good thing.”

She giggled. “Just an asshole ex-husband.” She looked over at me, and her nose wrinkled in that cute way she did when something annoyed her. “And there’s a reason why he’s my ex. He was a sleazy man who slept with the neighbor.”

A slow burn of anger settled in my chest. I tightened my grip on the wheel and forced myself to keep my expression neutral. No use letting her see how much that pissed me off. “Good choice on getting rid of him, angel.”

She nodded smugly. “Darn tootin’. I mean, he did keep all of our friends and the house, but whatever.”

I frowned. “He cheated on you, and he got the house?”

She shrugged as her fingers traced patterns on her thigh. “At the time, I didn’t have a job, so making the house payment wasn’t something I could handle. He did pay me a nice little sum, though. Helped me buy my house now and start up Wine and Cheese Me.”

“So it all worked out in the end,” I said, though it still didn’t sit right with me.

“At the time, it didn’t feel like things were working out, but yeah, I guess now it did.”

I pulled into her driveway and parked in front of her garage. Before I could say anything, she reached for the door handle.

“I can get it from here. I’m not drunk anymore,” she declared confidently.

I knew better. I was out of the car in an instant and rounded the front before she could even get one foot on the ground. She blinked up at me, surprised. “Oh, hey there,” she said with a little laugh.

“Hey there,” I replied and watched her attempt to stand. She was moving in slow motion, like she was thinking really hard about how legs were supposed to work.

The second she straightened, her knees wobbled like they were made of Jell-O. She swayed dangerously, and I lunged forward to grab her before she could collapse. She clung to my arm and giggled. “Ope, you know, I might be a little tipsy,” she admitted.

“Yeah, no kidding,” I muttered and steadied her against my side. “Come on, angel. Let’s get you inside before you faceplant into your hydrangeas.”

“You know your flowers,” she teased as I guided her up the short path to her front porch.

“I know enough to keep you from wrecking them,” I said and fished her keys out of my pocket.

She leaned against the porch railing and sighed like she’d just run a marathon. “You have my keys,” she pointed out.

“I do,” I said and unlocked the door. The second I got the door open, I heard a gasp behind me.

“Oh no,” she said, and I turned just in time to see her sway, and her arms flailed dramatically as she tipped backward toward the bushes.

“Shit!” I lunged and wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her forward just before she could disappear into the foliage. Instead of falling into the bushes, she crashed right into my chest with a surprised squeak.

“Wow,” she murmured and looked up at me. “You’re fast. I just was almost tea kettle over ass.” She tipped her head to the side.

“Ass over tea kettle, angel,” I said and bit back a laugh as she gripped my shirt to steady herself. “Let’s try this again. With fewer near-death experiences.”

She beamed up at me, clearly not nearly as concerned as I was. “You saved me, Casanova.”

I sighed and scooped Dani into my arms and carried her inside. “Let’s get you some water, angel. Maybe something greasy, too. And maybe you could stop calling me Casanova.”

“Oh, I stand by that,” she whispered, resting her head against my shoulder. “My Casanova,” she muttered.

I couldn’t help but grin as I nudged the door shut behind us with my foot. The house smelled faintly of vanilla and something floral, like one of those candles women always had around. It was cozy, decorated with mismatched furniture and soft blankets draped over the couch and chairs.

“It’s tiny,” Dani murmured.

I looked down at her. “What?”

“My house,” she explained, her words a little slurred. “It’s tiny.”

I glanced around. Yeah, it was small, but who really cared? As long as Dani liked it, that was all that mattered. “I’ve only got a bedroom, angel. You’re doing better than me.”

She squinted up at me. “You rent a bedroom?”

I carried her over to the couch and gently set her down. “I live at the clubhouse. The only space that’s really mine is my bedroom. It’s about the size of your living room.”

Dani looked around her living room like she was seeing it for the first time. “Where do you go to the bathroom?”

I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. “I also have a bathroom.”

She shrugged. “Then I think you’re fine. The more space you have, the more junk you buy.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, angel.”

She flopped back against the couch cushions. “You didn’t, by chance, order a pizza to be delivered here, did you?”

I shook my head and pulled out my phone. “I didn’t, but that can be easily remedied.”

“Order from Mario’s,” she mumbled and waved her hand in the air. “Thin crust, garlic sauce, pesto, mozzarella, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, sausage, and balsamic glaze drizzle.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Am I supposed to remember all of that?”

She snuggled into one of the couch pillows. “Just tell them you’re ordering for Dani. They’ll know what to bring.” She yawned. “I’m going to take a nap. Just for a minute.”

I grabbed the blanket draped over the recliner and tucked it around her. She let out a content sigh and curled up like a cat. Within ten seconds, soft snores filled the room.

“You’re also a sleepy drunk,” I whispered and watched her with a small smile.

Something about Dani drew me in. She was funny, smart, and easy on the eyes. It was pretty simple to see why I was so attracted to her. She had this effortless charm, the kind that made you want to stick around just to hear what she’d say next.

I stepped back and made my way into the kitchen and dialed Mario’s. “Hey, I need to order a pizza. A fancy one for Dani.” I rattled off her address.

“Dani?” the guy on the other end chuckled. “Got it. You want the usual?”

“Yeah. And add a plain sausage one too, in case all that fancy shit isn’t my style.”

They said they would have it over soon, and I hung up. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went into the bathroom. I rummaged through the cabinets until I found a bottle of aspirin. She was going to need it when she woke up, or tomorrow was going to be rough.

I headed back to the living room and settled into the recliner across from the couch.

I watched her sleep.

Her breathing was soft and even.

This wasn’t how I thought my day was going to go, but I wasn’t upset with the way it ended. Being here, with Dani snoring under a blanket and waiting for pizza, felt oddly right.