Brushing her hair out, she left it loose to fall to her waist. Stepping back from the mirror, she saw the same tomboy she always saw except dressed up, pretending to be someone else.
She decided to put some light makeup on, giving herself the smoky eyes that everyone said looked sexy on a woman. When she was done, she looked like she had two black eyes. Quickly, she washed it off, simply using a light, natural color and mascara instead.
Feeling more normal, she picked her purse up and headed for the door.
“Why did you get all dressed up?” Tate came out of the kitchen, holding a soda.
“Because I’m meeting her at the Pink Slipper, and I didn’t want to stand out like a sore thumb in my jeans.” Before her other brothers could chime in, Rachel went out the door, closing it behind her.
She drove into town, pulled into the parking lot, and was surprised to find it empty with a note on the door. Rachel drove closer, reading the large writing from the front seat of the car. Hearing a car pull up next to her, she turned her head and rolled the window down when she saw it was Cheryl.
“A water pipe burst. It’s closed until tomorrow.” Rachel saw her friend’s trembling lips and grabbed her purse. Getting out of her car, she then got into Cheryl’s.
“Why don’t we go to the diner and get a cup of coffee?” It was really their only other choice at this time of night.
“Because I don’t want coffee; I want a drink! This isn’t the only bar in town.” Cheryl put her car in reverse, pulling out of the parking lot.
“Where are we going?” Cheryl’s erratic behavior had Rachel worried.
“Rosie’s.”
Rachel had never been in the bar on the outskirts of town. Usually, the rougher crowd of Treepoint hung out there. The Last Riders and even her brothers frequented the bar a couple of times a week. Thank God tonight wasn’t one of them.
“Cheryl, I don’t know what you got in a fight with Jared over, but whatever it was, it’s not worth doing something you’ll regret.”
“Don’t worry, Rachel; I don’t plan on doing anything I’ll regret. Did you know my husband has been fucking around on me for years? Or that he had a freaking vasectomy so he wouldn’t get any of them pregnant, me included? He never had any intention of having children with me.”
Rachel could only guess at how devastating it had been for Cheryl to learn her childhood sweetheart could be so treacherous.
“Cheryl, you have been married to Jared for a lot of years, too many to throw it away without taking time to think it over.”
“I plan to think it over with a couple of drinks inside me.”
Rachel wisely remained silent, not wanting her to become further upset while she was driving.
The parking lot at Rosie’s was full of trucks and motorcycles. Cheryl got out of the car before Rachel could change her mind.
Following behind her, Rachel felt self-conscious entering the dark bar when all the men’s eyes turned to them in the doorway. Cheryl’s anger, on the other hand, made her fearless.
Going farther into the bar, she found them an empty table at the back and took a chair. Rachel reluctantly sat down next to her, hoping a quick beer would calm her down enough to get her to leave.
Mick, the bar’s owner who attended Rachel’s church, came to take their order.
“Two beers,” Rachel requested, seeing he wasn’t happy she was there, but he didn’t say anything. He merely nodded, going to the bar for their drinks.
“How could I not have known?”
Rachel patted her hand, trying to infuse her with calming energy, but Cheryl snatched her hand away, reaching for the beer Mick had just placed in front of her.
Rachel reached into her purse for some money to pay him.
After Mick had walked away, a chair scraped back from the table and a large man Rachel didn’t recognize sat down beside Cheryl.
“You seem upset. Anything I can help with?” His obvious leer had Rachel stiffening but drew Cheryl’s interest.
“Hello.” She took a long drink of her beer. “My name is Cheryl.”
Rachel couldn’t help rolling her eyes at the falsely seductive note in Cheryl’s voice and her obvious flirtation.
This wasn’t going to end well. Jared might be an unfaithful bastard, but he would be furious if he knew his wife was flirting with a biker.
However, Rachel could only sit by helplessly as the evening progressed and Cheryl had several more drinks. She had drunk only half of the first one herself and was getting ready to drag Cheryl from the dance floor if she didn’t come back to the table soon.
Someone sat down next to her and Rachel turned, ready to blast them with a frigid glare when she saw it was Cash.
“Your brothers know you’re here?”
“I don’t have to tell my brothers every move I make.”
Cash lifted a sardonic brow.
“They think I’m at the Pink Slipper,” Rachel confessed.
“How did you end up here?”
Rachel jerked her head in Cheryl’s direction. “I’m going to get her to leave when she comes back to the table.”