T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,9
were already there. Darcy was our custom painter, and damn, the chick was a real go-getter—blowing us away with each and every job she completed. I had no doubt the same would hold true for the Chevy. As soon as we were inside, I went over and started sandblasting the passenger side door while Murphy and Blaze worked with Rider to get the engine up and going. I hadn’t been working long when Blaze walked over to me with a curious expression. “So, Big T, what’s really up with you and the little sister?”
“Already told ya. Just trying to help her out.”
“Mm-hmm. I saw you two together last night.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the frame of the truck. “You can’t tell me you weren’t interested.”
“Didn’t say I wasn’t.” I turned to look at him. “I like her ... Hell, I like her way more than I should, but come on, brother, we both know it could never work.”
“Never say never.” Blaze chuckled. “Hyde might not be thrilled about the idea, but he knows you’re a good man. Eventually, he’d come around.”
“Maybe, but I’ve done complicated before. It never once worked out in my favor.”
“Who knows? This chick might just surprise you.”
“Maybe, but ...” I shrugged. “Best to keep things simple. I’ll show her around, help her find a place, and leave it at that.”
“Well, if you’re sure that’s the way you wanna play it, I won’t try and talk you out of it.” He shook his head as he started back towards his office. “But just so you know, I think you’re fucking up.”
As I went back to work, I thought about what Blaze had said. He might’ve been right. I might’ve been fucking up by not pursuing Alyssa, but my gut told me differently. Besides, there was too much shit going on with the club for me to be distracted with a girl I could never have. With a newfound resolve, I turned my attention back to my work and kept that focus over the next few days. I was doing pretty good until the day Alyssa came back to town to look at apartments. I was just wrapping up an engine install when she texted that she was waiting for me over at Hyde’s place. I quickly finished up and drove over to meet up with her.
The second I knocked on the door Duchess started barking, and I could hear Landry trying to wrangle her in. Once the dog was settled, she opened the door with a big smile. “Hey, T-Bone. How’s it going?”
“I can’t complain.” As I stepped inside, I asked, “What about you?”
“I’m great. I was just about to head into the office. I’ve got a new case to investigate.” Landry worked with child services, and living in Memphis, she had a hell of a job on her hands. “But I wanted to make sure you and Lyssa were all set before I left.”
“Well, I’m here and ready whenever she is.” Just as the words left my mouth, Alyssa appeared in the entryway with a bright smile. The sight of her nearly took my breath away. I’d gone there with the mindset that I was just helping out a friend, but seeing her in that little denim miniskirt and fitted yellow t-shirt had me wondering if I’d been wrong in thinking I could keep things simple. Knowing I had no other choice, I inhaled a deep breath, then smiled and said, “Hey there, freckles.”
“Hey, T-Bone.” I didn’t miss the excitement in her voice when she said, “I’m really looking forward to today. I can’t wait to see what you’ve found.”
“Well, let’s get to it then.”
“Great.”
She grabbed her purse and followed me out to my truck. Once we were both settled inside, I started towards our first destination. “I’ve got four places for you to check out. I just need to know which one you want to see first—the one I think will be your favorite, or the one I think will be your least favorite?”
“Hmm.” Her brows furrowed as she thought for a moment. “Let’s go with the one you think I’ll like least.”
“You got it.”
We headed towards downtown, and I couldn’t help but notice the way Alyssa was fidgeting with the strap of her purse. She was nervous—really fucking nervous. I wanted to set her mind at ease, let her know she didn’t have anything to be nervous about, but I had no idea how to do that. Hoping to put