The old ladies are especially curious about me. Not because I’m particularly interesting. They just want to know why longtime bachelor Bronco decided I was better than the women before me. I bet most figure he hit forty-five, got bored of bunnies, and decided to chance shit with a random woman he knocked up. In their minds, Bronco and I are together because of Carina.
I don’t care what they think. I thought I would, but they don’t interest me. I’m not someone who makes friends easily, and I gravitate toward loud women like Shelby and Topanga. Most of the old ladies are tough broads of few words. I can’t imagine spending quality time with women who rarely talk. That creates way too much pressure on me, so I plan to keep most of the old ladies at a friendly distance.
The only wife I struggle to tolerate is Kellie Dee. Sidonie looks so much like her mother, but the woman lacks her child’s big heart and adoring personality. Kellie Dee is a wet blanket, sitting silently through most of the dinner. I sense she doesn’t want to be there, assumes I won’t like her, and refuses to change my mind. I’m relieved when she gets the fuck out of the house.
Hoagie isn’t bad, though, and his sons aren’t nearly as obnoxious as Drago—Bambi’s and Rooster’s grandson.
Wyatt and his bitchy wife, DeAnna, round out the week. I knew she didn’t like me from the first day, but Topanga warned how DeAnna views herself as the future queen of the Executioners. That means we’re all peasants in the making. Dinner with her is awkward, especially since Bronco dislikes her more than I do.
Each night that Topanga and Lowell join us, Dunning comes along. The boy follows Summer around while she actively ignores him. At first, I think she’s rude to the hapless boy. Then I imagine how oppressive his desire must feel after a while. He’s so obvious about it, and she’s just as clear about her lack of interest.
“Taryn wanted to go to college,” Summer tells me one night about Rooster’s and Bambi’s daughter. “Then she got knocked up and decided to stay home. Now she’s in her twenties, living with her parents, stuck with that brat, and college is a long-forgotten fantasy. Fuck that shit, you know?”
After Summer explains that, I have an incredible urge to shoo Dunning away from her. Doesn’t he know she has to stay focused on her goals? I don’t confront him, of course. I’m too much of a wuss, and I’m terrified of pissing off Topanga. Mostly because she’s helping me study up on the club dynamics.
“Anders was a member of another club until a few years back,” she explains. “He brought Bronco a bag of heads, and now he’s the Sergeant at Arms.”
Ignoring the heads thing, I say, “He took over for Pinball.”
“Exactly. Anders is moody and doesn’t say much, but he’s very protective of Bronco. He’ll be around a lot, but he won’t care if you acknowledge him or not.”
Though I make notes to help keep people’s names and relationships straight, I never write down club info like positions and history. Topanga claims that isn’t smart.
“You never know who’s watching,” she says with exaggerated effect. “But really, why chance it?”
With my notes in my phone, I can quickly check who is who and what their kids’ names are and where they live in the community. By the end of the next two weeks, I’ve gotten in the habit of taking walks on the nights when Bronco is at Rooster’s. I try to talk with people I see or at least wave. Summer comes with me, just in case. She ignores everyone but does whisper reminders when I get stuck on people’s names.
“You’ve dealt with plenty of awkward fuckery,” Bronco says on the morning we get Shasta visitors, “Now it’s my turn.”
“I’m sure they’ll be on their best behavior today,” I say, leaning into his embrace and grinning at him. “But next time, maybe not so much.”
Bronco runs his fingers through my loose hair and gives me a great smile. “I think you greatly overestimate the maturity of your friends.”
I balk at how he thinks he knows them better than I do. Yes, Max is emotional. True, River likes to show off. Of course, Shelby owns a motormouth. No doubt, Goliath is a grump. But they’ll certainly be on edge in a new situation, away from their core friends and Shasta. Yeah, they’ll