Page 16 of Raven
He returned the simple motion, letting me know it was okay. I was still nervous meeting his president, but after meeting Jigsaw, Animal, and later yesterday, Comet, I knew this meeting was bound to happen soon.
Caleb released my hand and smacked palms with Roughstock before turning to me. “Sydney, this is my president, Roughstock. Trent, this is my woman, Sydney.”
He extended his hand to me and I shook it as he spoke, “It’s nice to finally meet you. Sydney. I’ve heard about your skills as a mechanic from a few happy customers.”
“Thank you,” I returned, a little shy about accolades.
“What beings you by today?” Caleb asked him and I silently questioned if this was a conversation I needed to be a part of.
Uncle Billy’s club never allowed women to be around when they discussed club business, but neither man asked me to leave, so I stood beside Caleb, unsure of what to do.
“I was speaking with Cheyenne,” he said and addressed me, “She’s my ol’ lady who is dying to meet you, by the way. Anyway, I wanted to get my father’s road bike fixed up. He passed away afew years back and it’s been sitting inside my barn at the house since I brought it home. I was hoping you could give it a look.”
My eyes grew wide, and I looked at Caleb for guidance. He gave me a big smile and a subtle nod, so I turned back to Roughstock and asked, “Are you sure? Raven is a much better mechanic than I am.”
“I’m positive. From your reputation, you have a connection with every bike you work on.” I nodded and he smiled as he continued. “I think that a fresh pair of eyes and your connection to making the machine run flawlessly is exactly what it needs.” He raised his eyebrows and asked, “If it’s something you’d be interested in doing.”
I turned and looked at the beautiful bike that desperately needed a bath and approached it. Looking over my shoulder, I asked, “Can you crank it up for me?” Roughstock gave me a nod and Caleb crossed his arms over his chest with a huge smile as the other mechanics approached us. Roughstock turned the motor over and I heard a sputter in the timing before the engine turned over.
The usual rhythmic rumble of the motor was wrong as I leaned down and listened to something that seemed to clatter unnaturally. I motioned for him to cut the engine. The shop was silent as I stood up.
“I can tear the motor apart. It sounds like there’s a piece of metal rattling somewhere, but I can get it back to purring.”
Roughstock smiled as he got off the bike. He looked at Caleb then back to me. “I’d like to have it ready before mine and Cheyenne’s anniversary just before Halloween. I want to take her on a trip before winter sets in. Would that give you enough time?”
It was late September, so I had over three weeks to get it torn down and rebuilt. I nodded at him as I answered. “It should take me about two and a half weeks to have it ready.”
“Perfect.” He shook my hand again and looked at Caleb. “When are you bringing her around so the ladies can meet her?”
Caleb had told me about the closeness of the ol’ ladies of the club, but I worried I wasn’t going to fit it. I had grease-stained hands, hated wearing makeup most days, and usually wore jeans and a T-shirt. I usually didn’t fit in with other women, and I worried that would be a deal breaker.
Being with Caleb for the last two days had made me realize that I didn’t want to go back to being alone, and even though he and I hadn’t been intimate beyond kissing, I didn’t know if my heart would survive losing him.
“I was hoping to ride out after work tonight and grab a beer. What have the ladies got planned?” Caleb asked Roughstock, and the other mechanics moved back to their lunch.
“It would only be Cheyenne and maybe Willow. Claire is at a conference with her dad, Paige is out at a dig site for the next few days, and Laura is so close to having the baby that she’s not going to make it. I thought it would be easier to meet them if they weren’t a cluster.” Roughstock gave me a wink and said, “I know meeting new people is tough, so I hope you can make it. I promise, my wife is eager to meet you, and you’ve already met Willow, from what Jigsaw told me.”
“I think she was with Jigsaw the other day?” I asked Caleb and he gave me a nod. Looking back at Roughstock, I had to fight the urge to decline his invitation. “I guess we’ll see you tonight.”
He gave me a nod and turned to Caleb. “I’m going to take your shop truck for about an hour then Warhol is going to swing by and run me back out to the farm.”
Caleb pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unclipped some before tossing them to Roughstock. He gave us both a mock salute and turned to leave the shop. I turned to a happy-looking Caleb as he approached me.
I didn’t fully understand what just happened, so I asked as I leaned my head toward the bike, “Is this a test?”
He stepped closer and shook his head as he spoke. “This is trust. Roughstock doesn’t ask just anyone to work on one of Nitro’s bike.”
“Why not you?” I asked, then added, “This feels like a favor.”
He brushed his hand down my cheek, and I glanced toward the table where everyone was finishing their lunch. No one seemed to be paying us any attention, so I looked back at Caleb.
“If Roughstock heard about your work from customers, then it’s not a favor, it’s a request.” Caleb paused before lowering his voice and guiding us over to his workstation. “Nitro died a few years ago under some bad circumstances. Roughstock has had his road bike stored since he drove it to the farm from the hospital. Maybe this is his way of moving past Nitro’s death and maybe he thinks you could do a better job since you weren’t personally connected to his father.”
“What if I can’t fix it?” I asked, still unsure about working on suck an important bike to the Sinners Revenge. “I don’t want to let him, or you, down.”
Caleb leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips before pulling back and smiling. “You have a unique gift, baby, and I have no doubt in your abilities.” I wasn’t as sure as he was and diverted his eyes. Gently, he placed a finger under my chin and guided my gaze back to him. “I’ll tell you what. If you run into any issues, come find me and we’ll get it worked out together.”
“Raven,” someone called from the front of the shop and he turned his gaze to the girl who worked the front counter. “Phone.”
