From the corner of my eye, I see the red Suburban pulling up. Ruby’s in the passenger seat with Aaron behind the wheel. She’s got her caramel-brown hair held back in a butterfly clip, and she’s smoking a cigarette with the window down. She doesn’t smile or wave, even though her eyes are fixated on me. Instead, she just finishes her cigarette and rolls up her window. I open the back passenger door and climb in.
“Thanks for picking me up,” I say. Maybe Ruby’s in a mood and it has nothing to do with me. In the seat next to mine is Alex, who has a big smile on her face. I return the gesture and settle in.
“No worries. You’re on the way,” Alex offers. I attempt to shrug off Ruby’s silence, but it’s difficult to do. Alex’s eyes meet the back of her mother’s head, and even though she’s not saying anything, the action says everything. Something’s going on that I’m not aware of. Or maybe—just maybe—Ruby doesn’t like me.
Ugh. Perfect. Ruby disliking me is so not the thing I need. She doesn’t have to love me, I guess. I have enough issues to work through without Ian’s mom hating me on top of it.
Before I know it, we’re at the clubhouse and Ruby and Aaron are out of the SUV, leaving me and Alex behind. I move to get out when Alex leans over and places her hand on my knee. I jump in place and try to calm myself down. It’s just Alex. She’s not trying to scare me. Damn it. I should be over this shit by now.
“Sorry,” she says and tucks her dark brown hair behind her ear.
“It’s okay.” I might not be over it just yet, but one day I will be. I have to believe that.
“My mom’s attitude isn’t personal. She’s having a hard day. She and Jim got into a fight last night.”
“Thanks for that,” I say. We get out of the vehicle and walk into the clubhouse. It’s quiet and well-lit, which is a far cry from how loud and dark it was the last time I was here. There are a few people walking around, though not many. Aaron has disappeared somewhere, but Ruby certainly hasn’t. A few of the members of the club are sitting at the bar with bottles of beer in their hands, and others are munching on cookies.
“Bar needs wiped down, fridge needs everything that’s expired or just looks nasty to be tossed out, and the floor needs to be swept and mopped. All supplies are in the closet behind the bar,” Ruby says. I’m careful to pay attention to what she’s saying. She’s not looking at me, but there’s nobody else in the room who’s going to actually clean something around here, save for maybe Alex.
“Got it.” Excusing myself, I walk past Ruby, who’s got a hand on her hip as she stares at the men at the bar. Her lips are pursed, and she’s got a severe pissed-off look on her face. Thankfully it’s not directed at me. Unfortunately I recognize the large body sitting on the stool that has her attention as Jim. Damn, that must have been some fight they had last night if she’s giving him a look like this and he’s ignoring her.
The bar is backed up to an exposed brick wall that’s decorated with a long shelf that holds a variety of bottles of liquor. Around the corner from the bar is a large room that’s mostly filled up by a pool table and a few pieces of random furniture. It’s tucked back from the main room, but not closed off. Just enough to separate the spaces. Around the corner from the back wall of the bar are three doors. One is open and appears to lead to a bathroom. The other two are closed, but one is missing its doorknob, so I narrow it down to the door closest to the bar.
Opening it, I find out I’m right. There’s little rhyme or reason to the mess inside, but I find the necessary supplies and pull them out, deciding I’ll start with wiping down the bar top. I spend more time than I need to poking through everything. The tension at the bar is just too much. Eventually, though, I give up and walk back to the bar with my supplies, keeping my eyes on my surroundings and not the men at the bar. Aside from Jim, I don’t even know who is there. With laser focus, I wipe down the back of the bar and try to keep my ears closed to anything going on around me. There are a few bottles lying around that I place on the shelf wherever I find room. The sink is full of dishes that don’t look like they’ve been touched in a week. Food is crusted on the silverware, and the odor emanating from the sink is pretty bad, so I decide to avoid it until I can’t anymore.
I’ve barely gotten the bottles of liquor put back on the shelf when a scuffle breaks out behind me. I jump at the sound of glass being slammed into the bar top and spin around with my hands clutching the counter behind me. Duke is beside Jim, and judging from the look on his face, I think he might have been the one to slam his bottle into the counter. His eyes slide to Jim, who gives Duke a slight shake of his head.
Ruby is still in the same spot she was when we first walked in. Alex is at the very end of the bar, up against the exterior wall, with a large hardback book open in front of her, the back flap tipped up so nobody can see what she’s reading. Even as the argument breaks out, she doesn’t move or acknowledge the noise. God, she must be used to it.