Page 11 of Stone

“Driving your commission up too,” I joked.

“Not complaining, bud.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Business is good.”

“You finally gonna join the MC, Stone?” Rob asked. “You can’t hold off much longer. You’re twenty-one now. You need a job.”

I took another swig of Java. “Enlisting later today. I'm picking Elise up from school, and we’re riding up to the Marine Corps recruitment office in Rock Springs together.

Steve studied me thoughtfully. “About time. You’re goin’ the engineering route?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll train to be a mechanic. Pop said if I do okay, he’ll lay the money down to open an auto shop at one of those warehouses on the long road outside town. I’m keepin’ it all crossed that Elise’s dad will be more open to me marrying her if I’m a business owner.”

Rob tensed at my words, and then he picked up his cup and downed his coffee. “I gotta get back to work.” He rose from his seat and jerked a nod in our direction.

We said our goodbyes before I sat back and watched him turn and stalk out.

“Trust you to put your foot in it,” Steve grated under his breath.

My gut gave a pang, but I sat straighter and took a swig of my drink. “He has to get over it. Elise is my girl. If she wanted Rob Henderson, she wouldn’t have chosen me.”

“I don’t think he sees it like that, Stone,” my friend replied, his eyes sliding to mine. “She went on a few dates with him before you saw what was in front of you all along. I think Rob thought he’d scored a home run with Elise. Then suddenly, you notice she’s all grown up and slide into home instead.” Steve quirked an eyebrow. “He never stood a chance once you made your interest known.”

One shoulder lifted in a shrug. “They weren’t goin’ fuckin’ steady, Ste. She went on two dates with him to make her dad happy. Leesy never looked at him romantically; she saw him as a friend. They wouldn’t have ended up together whether I was in the picture or not.”

“Don’t think he sees it that way,” Steve muttered thoughtfully. “For most of the girls in town, he’s a catch. Mayor’s son, law school graduate, good family, and a future in politics. His head’s up his own ass, so it’s easier to blame you for taking Elise from him than accept his shortcomings. He’s not been the same since he came back to town from Yale. He’s harder and more calculating. I get a bad feelin’ around him sometimes, Stone, but I can’t put my finger on why.”

Steve's words resonated with me because it hit me that lately, Rob had made me feel uneasy, too.

We’d never been close friends—we hung out, mainly because of our dads—but even I’d realized that since he’d come home from law school, he seemed harder somehow. Rob had always been reserved, but he knew how to have fun. Lately, he’d been dismissive of people to the point of rudeness and even had gone so far as to threaten the younger guys in town.

Steve’s forehead creased in thought. “I assumed he’d been around the rich asshole Yale grads, and their asshole ways had rubbed off on him. Thought after he’d been back in town a while, he’d go back to being his old self again, but something starting to feel really off.”

“I’ve noticed the same thing,” I admitted. “Hadn’t really thought about it until you just brought it up. Maybe we should distance ourselves. It’s like my dad says: you are the company you keep. I don’t wanna keep the company of pricks.”

Steve nodded, still deep in thought. “So, we start distancing ourselves?”

“Looks like it,” I agreed.

“We have to watch our backs,” Steve stated firmly. “Rob and his crew could make life difficult.”

I barked a laugh. “Stevie. What’s he gonna do to an entire MC? Henderson, Stafford, and Barrington can lord it up together all they want. They won’t start any shit with the Demons, and if Rob tries, his dad will rein him in. Senior won’t like Junior putting his relationships with the townsfolk at risk.”

Steve shrugged. “Yeah. I’m probably worrying over nothing. Just got a gut feeling.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him,” I assured him. “But I don’t think he’ll have the nerve to turn on us.”

“You’re right.” A slow grin spread across Ste’s features. “Sounds like things are goin’ well with Elise.” He took a swig from his cup, lips twitching. “One minute, you’re fucking around all over town; the next, you’re wifed up with a sixteen-year-old.”

I couldn’t stop the eye roll that ensued. “I was hardly gonna notice a fourteen or fifteen-year-old, Ste. Sixteen was still too young. I couldn’t date Leesy until her seventeenth birthday, and I won’t touch her until she’s eighteen.”

“Not long to go,” he muttered.

“Four weeks and one day,” I informed him. “But who’s counting?”

“You got anything planned?” he asked.

My heart warmed. “I’ve got everythin’ planned. My girl’s sticking by me even though I’m leavin’ for the Marines. I know deep down she doesn’t want me to go, but she’s supporting meregardless, and I can’t tell you how much more I love her for it.” I leaned forward to stare Steve in his grey eyes, trying to convey the seriousness of what I was about to say. “Promise me you’ll look out for her while I’m gone.”

“Of course. Jesus, Stone, it goes without saying,” he exclaimed, his forehead furrowing. “Just want you to be careful of Robert. I see him watchin’ her sometimes, and it creeps me out. Make sure you tell Elise to keep away from him when you’re gone.”

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