Page 10 of Until Joy

“Yeah. They left.”

“What a clusterfuck. Something tells me if the mom doesn’t get them under control, I’ll be seeing them in a few years.”

“Yeah, that’s my bet. Thanks for the backup, Cobi.”

“Anytime.”

He hung up.

I turned to look at the disaster they had left.

Wes Silver, leader of the Broken Eagles MC, and the owner of the auto parts store, was almost done re-loading the spinner display. I smiled. That was Wes, quietly pitching in wherever. It was one of the many reasons we all respected him.

I leaned against the counter, watching him set the last pair of sunglasses in place.

“That was quite the show,” Wes said, nodding toward the door.

“Yeah, wasn’t it? I’ve dealt with shoplifters before but can’t say I’ve dealt with three-year-old thieves before.”

“I’ve got a favor to ask,” Wes said with a half-smile.

“Name it.”

“If I ever behave like Fred with my kids, shoot me.”

I chuckled. “I won’t have to. July will take care of it.”

“True,” Wes nodded, his half smile turning into a full grin.

“So, is there anything I can do for you?” I asked. “Do you need parts for a build?”

Out in the back, there was a complete auto body shop where we worked on cars and bikes. We did a hell of a lot of business. Wes had known what he was doing when he’d originally set this up years ago. I was lucky when I’d landed here two years ago. All the brothers worked in either the shop or the store.

“Nah, I don’t need anything. I’m just here to shoot the shit.”

Hmm. Gossip was more like it. They might say that women gossiped a lot, but they had nothing on our group.

“Whatcha been hearing?” I asked.

“I’ve been hearing you’ve been having a lot of lunches over at Miss Laverne’s. Do I have that right?” He looked down at my stomach. “Have you gained a little weight? Could be you’re indulging in too many baked goods.”

I patted my hard abs. “I might have had to do a few more workouts than normal, but it’s been worth it. Miss Laverne’s new tenant sure knows her way around an oven.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about her. Joy, right?”

“Are you going to pretend you haven’t met her?” I raised my eyebrow.

Wes chuckled. “Pretty blue eyes. Blonde hair down to her ass. I might have met her.”

“I hope you didn’t look too closely. July might have you sleeping on the couch,” I teased.

“Nope, my wife knows that she’s always number one in my book.”

I gave him an assessing look. “So, what do you know about Joy Magill?” I asked. “Besides the blonde hair and blue eyes, that is.”

“July really likes her. Hard worker. Better yet, all the animals love her. That’s July’s real yardstick.”

I chuckled. I could totally see that.