Page 12 of Ryder's War

Grinning at him being born on April Fool’s, she asked conversationally, “What are you, like, about fifty years old?”

Ace shot her an unamused look. “Thirty-six, smartass.”

“You don’t look a day over fifty,” she teased.

Sauntering over, he tipped a little more tequila into her daiquiri. “Maybe I’ll look differently after you’ve finished your drink.” Winking, he went back to putting up the alcohol.

Shoving her drink aside, Tiffany flew through the abbreviated application for him to audit her class and paid the fee. Almost seven hundred dollars was pricy, but Ace was worth it. She mentioned casually, “That PA was actually a part-time physician. Her name’s Dr. Snyder, in case you were wondering.”

“That woman was quick and competent,” Ace commented.

Reaching the end of the application, there was only one more thing she needed to do. “Hey, how do I print something out here?”

“There’s only one printer, and it’s in the office. You can grab it when the brothers come out of church. Just sign onto the Blind Jack’s Wi-Fi. The password is DarknessRules, all run together, and with each word capitalized.”

“Got it, thanks. You know, you guys really should go alphanumeric.”

Ace made a face and said, “They’re sticking with the password everyone remembers. All their secret shit is encrypted anyways.”

While she waited for church to end, Tiffany sent Ace’s course paperwork to the printer then cruised a used book site and picked up his textbook for twenty bucks. Whoever this woman passing herself off as a doctor was, her gut told her that she must have felt strongly about Ace to have done what she did. Since he didn’t seem inclined to call her, Tiffany did the next best thing by arranging for them to see each other once a week for several months. It was a risk, and no doubt she would never hear the end of it, but Ace deserved to be happy, and she had a feeling this was how to make sure it happened.

Unfortunately, that random act of kindness had left her pretty much tapped out. Heading back over to the medical office’s website, Tiffany completed the application. Digging through her old e-mail, she attached the documents they wanted and hit send. Making so many impulsive decisions all at once left her feeling a little anxious. But maybe that's what healing looked like in this world—not just patching bullet holes, but stitching together broken pieces of people's lives. She'd seen enough of Ace's pain to recognize a kindred spirit searching for solid ground. So she sucked on her daiquiri until it gave her brain freeze and made her a little light-headed.

Another body slipped onto the stool next to her, and Tiffany tensed before recognizing Alyssa. Old habits died hard, especially the ones that had kept her alive. But maybe it was time to start building bridges instead of escape routes.

Alyssa asked for a shot of amaretto and turned to her. “So, how’s it hangin’, sister?”

Tiffany laughed. “What kind of talk is that? You’ve been keeping company with foulmouthed bikers far too long for an expression like that to fall so effortlessly from your lips.”

Alyssa smothered a smile. “Guilty as charged. They may be foulmouthed, but unlike most of the attorneys and accountants I used to date, they can manage to do something with their mouths besides talk about themselves.”

“Oh, they get in their fair share of bragging, but you’re right about them having some talented lips.”

Shifting in her seat, Alyssa asked, “So what have you been up to, besides enjoying Ryder’s sweet lips?”

Pulling her hands into her lap, Tiffany answered quickly, “Not much. A little of this and a little of that. You know how it is.”

Winking at her, Alyssa whispered, “Shifty. I definitely like that in a new friend.”

Taking another sip of her drink, Tiffany decided to keep the whole setting-Ace-up shenanigans under wraps for the time being. “I applied for a job at Reynolds Medical.”

“Good for you,” Alyssa praised. “I’ve been thinking about what you said. Getting my career back on track seems like a good idea for me. Hanging around the clubhouse was fine for the short term, but it’s no kind of life.”

“I noticed they had a spot open for a receptionist. If you want to fill out their online application, I can talk you up when I go for my interview,” Tiffany offered.

“Thanks. It’ll probably take all the help I can scrounge up. I’ve been out of the workforce for a while, so I’ll probably need to brush up on my skills.”

“I don’t know much about being a receptionist, but I’ll help in any way I can.”

Alyssa nodded. “If we end up working, we’ll both be pretty busy.”

“I know. It would be great if we both got hired. We could ride together and have lunch together. It would make working in a new environment more bearable for me.” That was the truth. Tiffany always found work more tolerable when she had someone who understood and could blow off steam with.

“Me too. I have some social phobias.”

“We all have something. I suppose they’re not the worst thing to have though.”

“You’re right about that. I had a friend with some kind of panic disorder, and she couldn’t even make herself leave her house.”

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