“You don’t know you don’t need protection,” I counter.
“Fine. I don’t know.”
“Maybe you should tell her, just in case. I mean, if Cady’s ex comes to the office, shouldn’t Margot know that’s a possibility?”
“I’m a family law attorney,” she points out. “There’s always a possibility someone could come in and start a fuss. Margot’s aware of that.”
I decide to let it go for now. On the way over to the clubhouse, Ember tells me more about Margot. She says Margot’s work schedule is basically Ben’s school schedule. She works until three p.m. On weekdays so she can pick her son up from elementary, except for one day a week when she picks him up later from karate.
“It works out great for both of us,” Ember explains. “She gets flexibility, and I get an assistant for just enough hours during the week. Plus, she knows if Benji gets sick, her boss won’t be a hard-ass about her taking personal time.”
I think about Ember’s words as we pull into the clubhouse parking lot — about how close she still is with her husband’s cousin and her kid. That’s kind of impressive. It’s pretty cool she figured out how to give a single mom the ideal work schedule — and probably the ideal boss, as well. It’s a side of Ember that’s new to me: her generosity. And how she cares about family.
Speaking of family, I’m just putting the Tahoe in park when who do we see coming out of the clubhouse but Cady and Wren.
“Huh. Wonder what they’re doin’ here,” I drawl.
I climb out of the driver’s side and Wren sees me right away.
“Uncle Stwikah!” Wren screams my name like she hasn’t seen me in years. She catapults herself toward me and launches herself into my arms.
“Hey, Bird!” I greet her, giving her a tight squeeze as I pick her up. “What are you two doing here?”
“We came to visit Daddy!” she informs me. “In the clubhouse.”
“Tank forgot his phone at home,” Cady explains as she catches up. “He asked me to come drop it off for him.”
“Good to see you, Cade. He in there, then?”
“Yep. He had a couple of things to talk to Angel and Beast about.”
Cady starts to say more, but stops when she sees Ember, who has come around the front of the Tahoe from the passenger side. Her face register surprise at first, then dawning understanding.
“Well, hello, there,” she greets Ember, raising an eyebrow. “Hey, Wren, you remember Ember, right?”
“Ye-e-es,” Wren drawls, peeking at Ember from over my shoulder.
“Hi, there, Wren,” Ember says. “It’s nice to see you again! How are you doing today?”
“Good! Um, we just saw my daddy!” Wren informs her breathlessly. “And now weah goin’ to visit Uncle Daniel, and then weah goin’ to the pahk!”
“Is that right, Bird?” I say, suppressing a chuckle. Wren still has a little trouble with her r’s, especially if she’s tired or excited. I know Cady and Tank are working on it with her, but I think it’s cute as hell.
Wren nods like a bobblehead, then flings her arms tighter around my neck. “I love you, Uncle Stwikah!” she cries.
“I love you, too, Bird,” I say gruffly. I dunno, this kid really knows how to get to me.
“Well, I wish we had all day for this love fest,” Cady says, “but we need to get going.” She reaches for Wren and takes her from me, hoisting her onto her hip. “Oof, come on, big girl. We’re bringing Daniel and his friend lunch at the nursing home. They’ve requested McDonalds. So of course, Wren is very excited about that.”
“McDonalds!” Wren repeats gleefully, lifting up her hands. “And I get chicken nuggets, wight?”
“Yes, you get chicken nuggets.” Cady rolls her eyes at us, but she’s smiling. “See you guys later.”
We watch as the two of them walk off, then turn toward the clubhouse.
“What are you, the kid whisperer?” Ember teases me under her breath. “First Benji, and now Wren.”
“Nah.” I blow her off with a wave of my hand. But I admit, Wren is a special kid, and yeah, we do seem to have a bond. And that Benji kid was pretty cool, too.
“I think Cady was a little surprised to see us together,” Ember remarks.
“Yeah, seems like it. Maybe she forgot Tank wanted you guarded for a while.”
Or maybe she figured Tank wouldn’t pick me for the job because I’m too much of a drunk asshole.
The thought bugs me more than it should.
As we reach the clubhouse door, it occurs to me I should probably prep Ember for this.
“So, here’s the deal,” I say, turning to her. “I called Tweak while you were at Margot’s. He’s agreed to meet us here, since this is where he keeps most of his tech. But it’s still early on a Sunday, so, uh… I’m not really sure what you’re gonna see once we’re inside.”
“Why would Sunday morning be unusual?” she asks, puzzled.
“Well, it’s just that the Lords… they like to party pretty hard. At least the ones who don’t have old ladies yet.”
“Old ladies?” Ember wrinkles her nose. “What kind of term is that?”
“Ah, don’t get bent out of shape. That’s just what the wives and permanent girlfriends are called. No disrespect meant.” I exhale, scrub a hand across my face. “Look, what I’m tryin’ to say is, last night was Saturday night, so…”
Her mouth quirks as she finally understands what I’m trying to say.
“So I might be walking into the aftermath of a den of iniquity,” she finishes for me.
“Yeah. Maybe,” I agree. “Though Cady and Wren didn’t look that traumatized. Still, brace yourself, I guess.”
Ember squares her shoulders and makes a comical show of getting ready.
“Very funny,” I mock-scowl. Then I push open the door, and together, we walk into the clubhouse.
It ain’t as bad as I was afraid of. The place smells a little stale, like beer and cigarettes. There’s some furniture kind of strewn around, and bottles and glasses clutter most of the surfaces. My main worry was that there’d still be a bunch of naked and half-naked bodies lying around, but I guess we got here late enough that everyone’s woken up by now. No one’s in the main room when we walk in, but there are noises coming from the kitchen, and some banging from the old-ass water pipes, which means someone is in one of the upstairs apartments taking a shower.
I glance over at Ember as she takes the whole thing in. I wasn’t looking forward to bringing her here — I imagined her judging the place, looking down her nose at it, and at the club. Ember’s a classy girl. The kind you imagine taking out to a fancy place for dinner, not a roadhouse. But seeing her here with her simple jeans and T-shirt, she seems almost right at home. She doesn’t seem offended or surprised by the roughness of the place. My shoulders relax a little.
“Whoa! Ember, what are you doin’ here?” A voice booms from the hallway.
We turn to see Jude coming out of the kitchen with a mug in one hand. He’s a little rough around the edges this morning, and his hair is wild and sticking out in all directions, but he immediately turns on that cocky charm of his.