Page 34 of Fang
“Of course,” I tell her, leading her inside.
“It’s my favorite child finally showing back up,” Mrs. Landry says as soon as I walk through the door.
“Nice to see you too. I haven’t been gone forever,” I tell her.
“Two weeks. Not even a peep from you. I was starting to worry,” she tells me, moving to hug me.
I hug her back before I step into Cami’s side.
“Mrs. Landry, this is my friend Cami. Cami, Mrs. Landry makes the best BLT sandwiches in the state.”
Mrs. Landry blushes. “You stop with all that. Flirting isn’t going to get you out of trouble. Nice to meet you, dear. You can call me Selene. I try telling him that, but he refuses to.”
“It’s a sign of respect,” I tell her.
Cami chuckles. “Nice to meet you, Selene. You have a wonderful place here.”
“Thank you. I like her. Keep her,” Mrs. Landry tells me. “Go sit. I will bring your guest a menu.”
I don’t contradict her. I simply lead Cami to a table in the back, placing my back to the wall so I can keep an eye on the door.
“She seems to like you. I thought she was your mother at first,” Cami says.
“She feels like it sometimes. I wish I had someone as warm and loving as her as a mother. Maybe I wouldn’t have joined an MC. Then again, the MC is my family and I can’t imagine life without them. It’s funny the way that works,” I tell her, hating talking about my parents.
She’s silent a moment before she mumbles, “It is. You’re lucky to have them.”
It makes me hurt for her.
“How did you like the ride?” I change the subject.
She perks up. “It was surprisingly fun. I always thought of motorcycles as death traps, but you really know how to control it. I never once felt unsafe.”
“Good. Next time maybe we can take a longer ride and I can show you some of the tricks I know.”
She shakes her head. “I said I felt safe, but I don’t think I’m ready for tricks yet.”
I laugh, loving being with her right now.
“Here is the menu, dear,” Mrs. Landry says, interrupting us.
“No need,” Cami says. “I trust him. I’ll take a BLT and a glass of water.”
Mrs. Landry’s eyes sparkle. “Smart girl. I’ll be back shortly.”
“I hope you are right about this,” Cami teases.
“If I’m not, I give you permission to punish me for leading you astray.” I put my hand on my chest.
“Why do I have a hard time believing that you could ever lead me astray?” she asks, tilting her head.
“Maybe because I would never,” I admit.
She stares at me like she wants to believe me. In this moment, I can see that there is something between us. Some energy flowing from her to me and back again. It could be something real.
My phone rings, breaking the moment. I curse in my head when I see it’s the tire shop. I’m not ready for this date to end.
“Hey, Antonio,” I answer.
