Page 29 of Clint & Ivy

Clint didn’t fear his flaws. He owned them like he did his good looks and casually dominating personality. I doubted he was ever insecure.

Elle wasn’t, either. They were raised to be comfortable in their own skin. That was why when Vanessa and Roy teased Clint, he only smiled. Their taunts didn’t hit him like they would me.

“How did your parents meet?” I asked Clint as we ate breakfast at the quiet restaurant.

“Shay was living in another state. She got a ride from a club guy visiting her town. Lucky brought Shay to Little Memphis where she started over fresh. Just like you.”

“And your dad knew Lucky?”

“They were in the same club, yeah. These days, they’re retired and live at the Sleepy Eye Community. My uncle Donnie is married to Lucky’s daughter, Paige.”

“I feel like I ought to take notes.”

“It wouldn’t hurt. Your phone has a notes app.”

“Is that what you would do if you were me?”

“Though I’m usually good with names and faces, I sometimes write down my thoughts on people when I meet them. Then, I look back to see if my first impression was the correct one.”

I took out my phone and typed in my thoughts about Elle, Rock, Vanessa, and Roy.

“Should I call your cousin Roy or Rowdy?”

“Whichever you prefer. People call him both.”

“Which one does he like?”

“Rowdy, I guess, but his parents refuse to call him that. Pax chose the name Roy, and he won’t back down on it being a solid name.”

I smiled at his reasoning and typed the info about Clint’s aunt and uncle.

“How old was your mom when she moved to Little Memphis?”

“Twenty. My grandmother was a mess of a person. She didn’t take care of my uncles who were younger than Shay. My mom was running away from her life more than looking for a fresh start. But she made the best out of what she found here.”

“And she met your dad.”

“He’s a charmer, for sure,” Clint said in an unreadable tone.

I wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic, so I dropped the subject. “Are any of your cousins married?”

“Lula was for a while. She went to law school. He was in medical school. They both had ties to the original club. As a couple, they made sense. But Lula wanted to ride with my club. After the divorce, her ex married Rock’s older sister. Lula decided to move back to Little Memphis and build a house next to her parents.”

“And Elle lives with your parents.”

“Yeah, only because she figured growing up at the Sorority House might turn Sutter into a creep.”

“That’s where you’re having the party that I’m going to.”

“Yes, it’s where the foxes live,” Clint said and wiped his mouth. “That’s what we call the female members of the club.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s what Rock’s dad called women in Rawlins, where he grew up. We like having our own lingo.”

“Can I call them foxes or is that just a biker thing?”

Clint smirked at my question. “You can call them whatever you want.”

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