T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,7
a man’s company so much and didn’t hesitate when I answered, “Sure.”
Once we’d found a spot at one of the picnic tables, T-Bone looked over to me and asked, “Is it just me, or is this your first time being at a clubhouse party?”
“What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know. Just a hunch.”
“Well, your hunch is right. It’s my first time.”
Looking surprised, he asked, “You never went to a Sinners’ party?”
“No, Viper wasn’t too keen on the idea. Clay went to a couple, and it always seemed like he’d had a good time.” I shrugged. “I guess I missed out on all the fun.”
“So, now that you’ve finally made it to a club party, what do you think of it?”
“It’s not exactly what I expected.”
“What exactly were you expecting?”
“Honestly ... I figured it would be a little rowdier.” I should’ve thought before I spoke, especially considering that T-Bone was one of the very guys I was talking about, but for some reason, I didn’t feel the need to hold back. “Guys cussin’, fightin’, and chuggin’ back beers ... You know, basically a frat party with big and scary badass bikers who’d just as soon kill you than buy you a beer.”
T-Bone didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he just sat there staring at me with a blank expression, making me worried that I’d said too much, but then his lips slowly curled into a smile. When he started to roar in laughter, I did right along with him. “Scary badass bikers, huh?”
“Well, you all are pretty badass, but I’ve come to see that you all aren’t as scary as I thought you’d be, especially you.” My eyes skirted to the ground as I admitted, “When I first saw you, I was a little intimidated, especially when you asked me to have a drink, but after talking to you, I see that I had nothing to worry about.”
“Well, I’m glad you took a chance.”
“Me too.”
He looked over to me, and suddenly an awkward silence settled between us. I wasn’t sure what he had on his mind, but it was clear from his expression that he was deep in thought. After several moments, he finally said, “You mentioned earlier that you got that culinary internship at the Peabody, so that’s gotta mean you graduated from college or something, right?”
“I did.”
“So, you’re what ... twenty-three ... twenty-four?”
“No.” I chuckled as I told him, “The culinary program was just two years, so I’m twenty-one. I’ll be twenty-two next month.”
“Damn. Never would’ve guessed you were that young.”
“Oh, really? Why’s that?”
“It’s hard to say.” He studied me for a moment before he continued, “You know that saying, ‘wise beyond your years’?” I nodded. “Well, it’s partly that. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, knowin’ where you’ve been and where you wanna go, but there’s more to it than that.”
“How so?”
“Well, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’d been dealt a hard hand, a really hard hand, but you haven’t let it beat ya. Instead, you’re doing what you gotta do to play that hand as best you can.”
“You’ve known me all of what ... an hour or so, and you’ve managed to come up with all that?”
“What can I say?” A smile crossed his face as he leaned towards me. “You make a hell of a first impression.”
I giggled, then said, “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.”
“It’s definitely a compliment. Nothing better than a girl who’s willing to fight for what she wants.”
“Well, thank you. I’m glad you think so.”
My time with T-Bone came to an abrupt end when Clay came outside to tell me that Mom was ready to go to the hotel. I was certain that it was just an excuse to get me away from his brother, but I knew better than to argue. Besides, I had a feeling I’d be seeing T-Bone again. I just didn’t realize that it would be sooner than later. The next afternoon, Viper was driving us all back to Nashville when I got a text message from a number I didn’t recognize. I opened it up, and as soon as I read it, a big smile swept across my face.
T-Bone:
I think I’ve found you a place to live.
Me:
Seriously? That was fast.
T-Bone:
Nothing to it. Just made a few calls. I’ve actually got a couple for you to check out.
Me:
That’s awesome. When can I see them?
T-Bone:
That’s up to you. When will you be back in town?
Me:
I was actually planning to come down on