Page 9 of Not Part of the Plan
“Just try not to shed any blood. The stains are hard to get out of the linens,” Emma said, leaning over Nikolai and reaching for his glass. He made the mistake of looking up at her and felt a swift, almost painful awareness rush his body when those gemstone green eyes met his. She felt it, too. He could tell by her white-knuckled grip on the pitcher.
Emma fumbled his glass, nearly upending it, and Niko closed his fingers over hers on the glass to steady it.
Yeah. There was something there, he thought.Something worth exploring if he could get past the prickly exterior.
Emma slid her hand free but didn’t move away. And when she leaned in, the anticipation of what she would say had his blood thrumming. She was unpredictable, and he liked it.
But instead of moving her lips against his ear, she was whispering in Joey’s.
“There’s a girl downstairs who says she wants to see you,” Emma said quietly.
Joey frowned. “Literally everyone I care to know is sitting around this table.”
“She’s young and very determined,” Emma told her. She hesitated a moment and then added, “She looks hungry.”
Joey tossed her napkin on the table and sighed. “Fine. Whatever. It’s probably better than listening to these assholes browbeat me.”
Jax gave his wife a winning smile, and Joey rolled her eyes at him. She made a move to get up from the table but stilled when she saw the girl waiting at the top of the stairs. Joey and Emma shared a look that Niko couldn’t read. Some kind of feminine intuition was in play.
The girl was tall and lanky and looked barely old enough to drive. Her hair, somewhere on the border of blonde and brown, was tied back in a long braid. Her pale skin had a smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks. She had solemn brown eyes.
Emma was right, Niko thought. She looked hungry and very determined. Joey got up and he saw the girl straighten her thin shoulders under the plaid shirt that had seen too many washings. She stalked toward Joey with a purposeful stride.
“Mrs. Pierce?” she offered her hand to Joey.
Joey took it, shook. “Mrs. Pierce is my husband’s mother. Call me Joey.”
The girl nodded showing no hint of a smile.
“I’d like to work for you at the stables,” she announced briskly.
Joey turned back to the table and glared at the Pierces. “Which one of you dildos put her up to this?” she demanded.
“What’s a dildo, Mama?” Aurora asked in an unsuccessful whisper.
“Aunt Joey will explain later,” Gia said, shooting a dark look in Joey’s direction.
The girl retook control of the conversation. “No one put me up to this,” she insisted. “My name’s Reva. I’ve had riding lessons before, and I like horses. I’m strong and a fast learner, and I’ll do what you tell me. I’m always on time, and I have no life, so I’ll work as many hours as you can give me except for school. I’ll muck, I’ll groom, I’ll feed, I’ll clean tack,” she ticked the tasks off on her fingers, her pitch coming out in a rush.
“If you worked for me, and I told you one of these ‘gentlemen’ was banned from the barn, what would you do if he tried to weasel his way in?” Joey asked jerking a thumb at the Pierces.
“I’d chase him out with a pitchfork,” Reva answered, showing no hint of humor.
Niko saw it in the girl’s eyes, the pride, the hope, and that sliver of hungry desperation.For the love of God, Joey,he thought,give the girl the job.
“Fine. You start tomorrow. Be at the stables at seven,” Joey said.
Elation and disbelief sparked to life in Reva’s sad eyes.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously,” Joey said, shaking her head as if she was already regretting it. “Now go away before I change my mind.”
Reva surprised them all, and possibly herself, by throwing her scrawny arms around Joey before practically dancing down the stairs. Emma turned to follow her.
“Happy now?” Joey demanded, tossing a middle finger at Jax and Carter.
“That’s the bad finger!” Aurora giggled. “What’s a dildo?”
