Page 28 of Other Woman Drama (Content Advisory #4)

When I’d pointed out to her that not only was I not interested in marrying her ever, and I thought she should do a little research on where her Pomshit mixed breed dog came from, she’d lost her ever-loving mind.

That was how our hate-hate relationship had been born, and it hadn’t gotten better in years.

My first and worst crazy person had been Elizabeth, and let’s just say, no one could top my ex-wife. No one.

“We weren’t engaged to be anything,” I muttered as I popped the last bolt back into place and tightened it with the socket wrench. “We went out on two dates. I realized rather quickly that she was seeing more than I was and broke it off.”

I didn’t give him the full story.

There was no reason to.

Breaking open that can of worms always seemed to bite me in the ass because she always found out.

“Well, good riddance,” the customer said. “I’m gonna go inside…”

“Actually, I’m done. Would you mind taking this sheet into the receptionist, and then she can get you all checked out?” I offered it to him.

“Thanks for getting this done, man. I was really in a bind.”

I jerked my chin up, and he left, leaving me with the guys.

“I’m thinking I might need to make him a cake when he gets back,” Cakes said. “That way Copper can stop bitching that he hasn’t had a cake yet.”

Copper leveled a look at Cakes.

Copper had been on the inside for fifteen years after he’d beat the shit out of his dad for hurting his sister in a way that was unthinkable. He spent fifteen years being patched in while he was behind bars, away from everything that he knew and loved.

One of those things that he’d never gotten to experience was one of the reasons Cakes got his name in the first place—his absolute-perfection baked goods.

Cakes hadn’t yet gotten around to baking another cake for Copper. Not because he didn’t want to, but because Cakes was being spread thin with his work and volunteering.

Poor Copper had yet to taste one of those cakes, even though his own wedding cake had been made by Cakes himself.

Unfortunately for Copper, the piece that had been saved for the couple had been taken by one of the club kids, and they hadn’t had the heart to take it back.

By the time that they’d gone for a second piece, everything but the piece that they were supposed to save for their one-year wedding anniversary was left.

Copper had begged Cakes to make another one, but it hadn’t happened yet.

Cakes worked with veterans of all shapes and sizes, handicaps and abilities, to find them a better way of life.

Some he helped get off the streets. Others he helped find a job.

Some he even helped find a better path in life, such as his quest to get vets the schooling that they wanted to further their careers.

Cakes barely had time for his head to hit the pillow, let alone put a cake together.

Copper was still salty about it, and you could tell by the look on his face.

The customer from earlier came out of the office, and my mom followed him, smiling and laughing with him.

When he got up to where we were all standing, we finally got let in on the joke.

“…these boys could out-eat the entire world if you let them. They may all seem fit and trim, but they’ll eat and drink you under the table.

You’d have no chance keeping up with them,” my mom said.

“Just last week I went and picked up eighteen pizzas for ten men. Want to know how many slices were left after my having two? One. One single slice.”

I grinned. “Gunner fed the dog outside three slices, Ma.”

Her smile went soft. “That dog.”

I knew why she was saying “that dog” like that.

My sister, Seely, had a dog that looked a lot like the mutt in the back.

When Seely had died, the dog had died a few weeks later.

My mom liked to say that Seely dying had broken the dog’s heart, and he hadn’t been able to go on without her.

Whatever the reason for his sudden death—it was just another blow after Seely’s passing.

That was partially why I hadn’t really wanted anything to do with any more dogs.

Getting close to them meant I would lose something else, and honestly, I was fuckin’ tired of losing important pieces of my life.

If I were being truthful, that was likely why I’d pushed so hard to stay away from Silver as long as I had. I had a feeling she could break my heart if I let her in.

And now that I knew that I loved her, now that she owned every single piece of my heart, if she ever exited my life, I knew that she’d be taking me with her when she went.

Not that I would go with her purposefully, but I’d be living half a life without her.

I reached in my pocket for the phone that I’d been ignoring until now—not because I wanted to, but because grease was so damn hard to pull off my phone screen and out of the crevices.

I grinned when I saw one from Eedie and one from Silver.

I clicked on Eedie’s first and was glad I did.

It was a photo of Silver in the middle of the ocean, a lei in front of her floating beside her hip. She had a bikini on, and the coral color made her skin appear tan and beautiful.

Fuck, but she was gorgeous.

She was also smiling at the camera with a look so soft that I felt it deep in my heart.

I saved it to my camera roll and immediately saved it as my lock screen.

But when I switched over to Silver’s photo, it wasn’t something beautiful like Eedie had sent me.

It was a picture of Silver again, but this one probably seconds after the first one was taken.

It was a photo of Silver freaking out and her looking down at the water horrified. And in the frame, right next to her crotch, was a jellyfish.

“Oh, fuck.” I had to laugh. “Wonder if that got her.”

“The jellyfish?” Cutter asked, showing me the photo he’d gotten.

My mouth fell open as I saw the angry red lines across Silver’s thighs.

“Oh, no.”

“Look at the one that got Milena.” Cutter swiped to the next photo.

“Oh, man,” I said. “That’s gonna hurt. Do you think they peed on it?”

“I think that’s a myth.” Cakes frowned.

“Let me ask Dr. Google,” Chevy said as he swiped at his phone.

He quickly tapped at his screen, and then he grinned. “It’s a way, but not the best way. They recommend antihistamines.”

“Imagine that.” I rolled my eyes.

“Why do you always have to talk about me?”

The screech had us all looking.

“And laugh at me?” Lauralee. “What the fuck did I ever do to you?”

I frowned. “Lauralee, we weren’t talking about you at all. We were talking about jellyfish.”

And even if we were talking about you, you’re a fucking nut, so you’d probably deserve to be talked about.

“I hate you!” she screamed.

I blew out a breath, ready to tell her to fuck off like I did all the other times, but she turned around and barreled back toward her shop.

I dismissed her as the customer said, “On that note, can I get to my car, man? I’m gonna head out before she comes back. I like you and all, but man, the craziness factor might keep me from comin’ back.”

I snorted and handed him the keys. “I don’t blame you.”

After I closed up shop, and my mom headed out, we were once again looking at all the photos that were coming through.

We were passing the phones around so we could get a clear picture of everything that was going on since they were only sharing bits and pieces with everyone, when I said, “Y’all want to go grab a beer at Copper’s place?”

Copper and Apollo had opened up a new business that had a bar at the front of their office. The back was their personal offices and a side conference room where they met with clients.

They’d been doing pretty damn well for the last year, and even better, we now had a bar where we could drink at where we were one hundred percent confident in the security.

“I’m down,” Cutter said. “Dima has the kids tonight. We do the whole trade-off thing once a week, and it’s fuckin’ great.

Though, usually we’re doing it with two adults, one of which knows what in the fuck they’re doing with the kids.

But we’re winging it while they’re gone, and it’s Dima’s misfortune that he’s having to deal with the kids while Keels’ gone. ”

I chuckled as I walked back into the shop and hollered for Hai.

“Yo, Hai!” I yelled.

Hai popped his head out of the breakroom with a piece of cold pizza in his mouth. “Yes, sir?”

“You want to go get a beer with us?” I asked.

His eyes widened. “Yeah.”

“Come on,” I said. “You can follow behind us in the Ram.”

Hai looked stunned. “You’d let me drive your truck?”

“Yeah.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like I’m handin’ you the keys to my bike.”

He looked excited for a moment and then said, “Do you mind if I put gas in it? I’ve never put gas in a car before. My mom wouldn’t let me.”

“You can put diesel in it,” I said. “It’s at about half a tank. My card’s in the middle console in my wallet.”

Hai jerked his chin. “I’ll be there.”

The rest of us walked to our bikes, but instead of following them all the way, I pointed at the cookie place on the corner that held my secret obsessions—colossal M&M cookies from the Cookie Factory.

They were my favorite, and I stopped to get one at least once a week.

Luckily, I had a ten-dollar bill in my pocket from lunch since I’d left my wallet with Hai.

Unluckily, when I got out to the bike and got back on the road, I didn’t see the minivan coming until it was way too late.