Page 63 of Moonshine Lullabies

I knew Collier was down in the club’s back garage workin’ on tearing apart his bike and making a list of parts and decided that I could be of more use there than up here – so I headed on down.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t feel like I was crashin’ his bro time or whatever.

Hopefully, I wouldn’t make him sick of me.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

Collier…

She came around the garage not long after Cy and Tate had taken off, I guess. I was sitting on a rolling stool, my bike on the lift, and was working on taking it down to the frame. It was a job and a half, and some of the guys had offered to help, but they wanted to grab a bite first and were up front in the common area waiting for their food to be delivered. I’d ordered myself and Jess each a po’ boy sandwich, but I hadn’t planned on callin’ her until it’d got here.

“Hey,” I called out, and she grabbed a stool and rolled it on up to the other side of the lift across from me and sat down.

“Hey,” she said, and she sounded sad.

“You doin’ alright?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah,” she said and smiled a bit ironically. “Just in my feelings. Parent shit, you know?”

I smiled at her and said, “I mean, I ain’t a parent – not like you, so I don’t know, but I can empathize I guess.”

She smiled and asked, “What can I do?”

“You know anything about small engines?” I asked.

“I’m used to workin’ on cars an’ trucks, but I’ve worked on a four-wheeler or two in my time. I figure you know what you’re doin’ and can just tell me faster ‘n what I can look up on the internet.”

I chuckled and shook my head at her and said, “Boy there ain’t no stoppin’ you, is there?”

She smiled back and shook her head a little, “I figured out a lot on my own just watchin’ my dad teach J.P.”

“Yeah? I bet you pissed your brother off a lot out doin’ him without even the benefit of bein’ taught firsthand.”

I had to grin at that, “You bet your ass,” she said. “An’ what about you, humblin’ him like you did today?”

“How’s that?” I asked, pulling out a bolt and dropping it in the container I’d found for ‘em.

“He told me you won your little tussle,” she said. “Not many guys can say they kicked my brother’s ass. Especially none that’re half his size.”

“Hey, now – I’m five foot seven, I’d say that’s more ‘n half his size.”

She laughed at that, high and bright and I handed her the ratchet I’d been working and she took it. Still laughing to herself, shoulders shaking and smile bright, she started turning the socket wrench competently and only had a little trouble bustin’ things loose.

“You really ain’t afraid to get your hands dirty, are yah?” one of the guys called out from behind her, and I leaned over to look around the frame of the bike at Chainsaw comin’ up behind her.

“Food here?” I asked.

“Ah, damn – I’m gettin’ hungry again,” she said and I smirked.

“Got you a po’ boy an’ a soda,” I said, and she smiled at me.

“You’re a keeper,” she said and I laughed.

“Well, good. I like the sound of that.”

We worked on the bike a little bit more, went in and washed up for dinner, and joined a bunch of the boys out at the bar.

Some girls had come in for a good time, and before long it was turning into a party. Jessie and I weren’t interested much in all the goings on, and we went back out into the garage to work on getting my baby broke apart.

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