Page 4 of The Secrets We Keep (Sovereign Sons MC: North Carolina #1)

GRAYSON

Rowan, Axel and I walk into the cozy, fifties inspired diner we have in town and over to the counter.

Betsy’s Diner has been open since the fifties, and they decided to keep the aesthetic the same through the years.

The waitresses all wear fifties inspired uniforms, and you can see into the kitchen where the cooks are preparing food.

The rounded bar is made of metal and has barstools with red cushions on them.

There are large booths that circle the entire restaurant that are also metal with red cushions.

We’ve been coming here since we were teenagers.

Betsy doesn’t run the diner anymore, but her daughter Florence does.

Flo is the epitome of small but mighty. She stands at four foot eleven and is as petite as they come.

She has salt and pepper hair cut into a pixie and she wears black framed glasses.

If you know Flo, you know that you don’t mess with her.

She’s a bullshitter and she still loves to rile us up when we come in.

“Hey boys!” Flo calls out when she sees us. “What can I get for you?”

“Hey, Flo,” I smile in her direction. “We’ll take a booth and the usual.” I tell her.

She nods her head and points us in the direction of an open booth. “The usual, coming right up!” She chirps before heading over to the window to tell the cooks our order.

Rowan leads us over to the open booth and we slide into our seats. The diner is always busy at lunch time. Hell, it’s busy at every time of day. The food here hasn’t really changed in the years that it’s been open, and that’s what keeps the people coming back.

I relax into the booth, letting the cool leather and familiar atmosphere soothe my nerves. My relaxation is short lived, though, because as my eyes skate over the patrons, they land on Sophie.

She’s sitting in a booth toward the back of the diner, facing me. Across from her is the same little boy that was with her at John’s funeral yesterday. Rowan and Axel follow my gaze and tense when they see her.

“I guess she’s planning on sticking around for a while,” Rowan murmurs as Flo walks over with our drinks.

“Ahh, I see that you boys saw Sophie?” She asks as she sets them down.

“I can’t believe she came back to town; I’ve missed that girl.

” I scoff, making Flo pin me with a look.

“You may be the new president of the Sovereign Sons, but in here, I rule the roost, buddy. You play nice,” she adds with a playful swat on my shoulder.

Flo has always had a soft spot for Sophie. When Sophie left town, she was always the one saying that there had to be a reason. To me, it didn’t matter what the reason was, she still left without a word.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even realize that Flo had walked away until she was back and placing plates down in front of us. I shake my head and dig into my double cheeseburger and fries, devouring everything on my plate in a matter of minutes.

“Do you actually think that she’s going to stick around?” Axel asks as he wipes his face and then leans back in the booth.

I sigh. “It doesn’t really matter,” I tell him, tossing my napkin onto my plate. “She’s nobody to us, or the club, anymore.”

Rowan shoots me an unimpressed look at that, because he knows that I’m full of shit. “Whatever you say, brother,” he says as he rolls his eyes.

If there’s one thing to know about Rowan, it’s that he can read me like a book. He’s always been able to. We’re only a year apart in age, so I don’t remember a time before him. We grew up as best friends. So, he knows how I really feel about the Sophie situation.

I let my eyes roam back to her. She empties the contents of her wallet onto the table and my eyes focus on the dismal amount of money sitting there.

She grabs what she needs and puts the rest back into her wallet before she urges the little boy out of the booth.

I duck my head, not eager to make eye contact.

“Are you guys hiring by chance?” I hear her soft voice ask.

I whip my head in the direction of the register where she’s paying Flo, who smiles warmly at her. “For you, hunny? Always.”

Sophie’s shoulders sag immediately, the tension there easing a bit. “Thanks, Flo. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem,” Flo assures her. “Fill this out and bring it back to me tomorrow. I’ll get you on the schedule right away.”

I feel myself being watched, and when I look down at Sophie’s side, I realize why. The little boy with her is watching me with the same eyes that his mother has. He gives me a small smile and then turns back shyly to face Flo.

“And who is this?” Flo asks as she beams down at the small boy.

“My son Asher,” Sophie says with the first genuine smile I’ve seen cross her face since she’s been back. “Asher, this is Ms. Flo.”

“Hi, Ms. Flo,” Asher says with a wave.

“It’s nice to meet you Asher,” Flo says with a wave back. “You’re welcome to come in anytime that your mama has to work, okay?”

Asher nods his head eagerly.

“Thank you, Flo,” Sophie murmurs so softly that I almost don’t hear it.

Flo waves her off. “It’s my pleasure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Sophie nods and ushers Asher toward the door, but not before he looks back and waves at me.

Axel’s whistle draws me back to reality. “When did Soph have a kid?”

“We don’t know that he’s hers,” I grumble, even though there’s no denying that he is.

Rowan snorts as he tosses enough money to pay our bill on the table. “He has her eyes, and she literally said he is. I guess Soph has been up to a lot since she left Silver Springs.”

My jaw clenches at the thought of Sophie sleeping with someone else. Having their child. Things that were only supposed to happen with me.

“Sounds like she’s staying in town for a while, now,” Axel says as he pulls out cash to pay for our bill.

My mind wanders back to the little bit of money that Sophie had in her wallet. She must be hurting pretty bad financially if her cash is that low, not to mention she’s getting a job at the diner.

I pull my phone from my pocket and bring up one of our prospect’s numbers.

Grayson: I need you to run a check on someone for me. Sophie Parker; twenty-five years old.

Noah: No problem, pres .

I slip my phone back into my pocket and then climb out of the booth. We wave to Flo as we walk out and then hop on our bikes and head back to the club. I don’t know what is going on in Sophie’s life or why she’s staying in Silver Springs, but I’m going to find out.