Page 12 of Ravage

“Bye, Jax.”

I hung up the phone and slipped it into my back pocket. I glanced over at the clock and let out a breath when I saw it was after five. I was ready for a bite to eat, but I still had a few things I needed to finish before I could head out. Thankfully, it wouldn’t take me long to get it all done.

I got busy, and half an hour later, I was turning off the lights and locking up for the night. Thankfully, I didn’t have far to go. My apartment was just upstairs. It was Uncle Jax’s idea. He wanted me to have everything I needed for my art studio, and since I would be spending so much time there, he and the brothers turned the empty space above my studio into an apartment.

It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was just right for me. There was a bedroom with its own bathroom and shower, and a large living room that opened up to the kitchen. It was perfect for someone who was single, and I couldn’t have been more single if I tried.

I wanted to date.

I wanted to get married and have kids.

But I’d been living there for six months without any prospects, other than the delivery driver who tended to linger a little longer than he should. He seemed nice enough, but I wasn’t really interested in dating someone who looked like he'd just graduated high school.

It didn’t matter.

It wasn’t like I was looking. At least, that’s what I told myself.

My social life wasn’t much better. Outside of the club, I only had a handful of friends, and I rarely had much time to spend with them. Chrissy, my best friend from high school, lived an hour away, so our visits were few and far between. I spent time with Gladys, my next-door neighbor, but she was quite a bit older and was more interested in crocheting me a sweater than going out on the town.

I opened my door and found Angel, my precious cat, lying on her back with her front paws tucked under her chin. My girl was a puff of white fur and attitude, and if it wasn’t for her long gray tail, she’d look like a fat, baby seal. I adored her, even when she growled whenever I moved her from her favorite spot.

“Hey there, sweet girl.” I knelt next to her, rubbing her head. “How was your day?”

She lingered for a moment, then snubbed her nose and walked away. “Nice to see you, too.”

She sauntered into the bedroom without so much as a backward glance. I closed the door and dropped my bag on the counter before making my way to the fridge, hoping to find something I could put together for dinner.

I was deciding between leftovers and cereal when my phone started to ring. I glanced down at my screen and smiled when I saw that it was Adan calling. I was suddenly feeling popular with the men in my life. “Hey, big brother. How are you?”

“Hey, midget. I’m good. Just called to see what you were up to.”

“Well, currently I’m standing in front of my refrigerator and trying to decide if cereal counts as dinner.”

“It does when you’re twenty-six and single.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” I grumbled. “And don’t pretend that you wouldn’t hammer down on some Lucky Charms right about now.”

“Damn right I would,” he chuckled.

“That’s what I thought,” I snickered. “So, how are Nicky and the baby?”

“Doing good. Nicky went back to work last week, so she’s exhausted but glad to be back in a routine. Dawson is still giving us a hard time with sleeping through the night. Dude thinks sleeping is optional.”

“Definitely going to need to fix that.”

“You’re telling me… You should come see him.”

“I know, and I will. Soon, I promise.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Yes, but for good reason.” I pulled out the milk and placed it on the counter. “I’ve been swamped at work, but things will settle soon.”

“I hope so. I’d hate for little man to be up and walking before he sees his aunt again.”

“Okay. Don’t go making me feel bad. I was just there a couple of weeks ago.”

“I know. I’m just kind of in my feels these days.”