deli receipt and handed it to her.
“And what if you don’t stick around?”
“Then you have to be the new kid in town by yourself, I guess. I get the feeling I’ll be sticking around anyway. I got a call from my Uncle Larry to come out here and he wouldn’t call me if he wasn’t serious.” He walked to his bike and climbed on. Just before he started the engine he said to her, “Don’t leave me waiting, beautiful.” The bike came to life and Cruz was around the corner and out of site.
Danni looked at the piece of paper in her hand. She shook her head and tossed it the number into the trash. He had been nice and very handsome, but she knew trouble when she saw it.
***
Danni checked out a couple more apartments that day but still couldn’t find anything she felt good about. Too small, too expensive, too much like a scene from a horror movie. She decided she couldn’t look at places anymore. She would try again tomorrow but made a couple of notes on the better ones she saw that day in case she just needed to find something.
The day had become overcast and gloomy. She buttoned her denim jacket up to her neck but it wasn’t enough. She needed something more appropriate to the region so she used it as an excuse to explore the town. There was a row of shops in the downtown area she passed earlier and set off the hatchback.
Walking to the shop areas from the car the sky started to spit. It was just a light rain, but it didn’t help Danni’s increasingly bad mood. She didn’t know where the mood was coming from. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she had made a mistake coming here. She didn’t regret coming here with Mercer, that part she was very confident about, but if she was being honest with herself she thought coming to Rawlins was going to be a fresh start. She thought moving to a new place would free her from the desperation she’d been feeling in Calumet, but being in a strange town without knowing anyone or how to find anything it was getting to her. Especially with the cold rain coming down on her.
She shouldn’t feel so bad about not knowing anyone in town. It’s not like she had a ton of friends back home. Ben was just an easy lay, not much of a friend at all. Jeannie, the other waitress at the bar where Danni had worked, was nice, but she had kids and a mother to take care of so work was the only time they spent together. Maybe this was her chance to make a few friends. Danni would have to look for a job, but once the MC started bringing into some money maybe she wouldn’t have to work every second of every day. Use some of that time for socializing.
Not only that, but folks had a way of treating her in Calumet that wasn’t exactly disrespectful, but wasn’t overly friendly either. Like they pitied her or something, just because her high school boyfriend had died on a motorcycle. Even if she could move on she knew that town never could.
She was feeling better by the time she searched the second store for a nice jacket. She found one there that was perfect. A fur lined leather jacket that looked great on her and she knew Mercer would love. Make her really look like the girlfriend of a biker.
She looked at the price tag and winced. It was expensive, but she bought it anyway. She deserved it, and besides, didn’t she need to look the part?
Wearing the jacket outside she felt better protected from the wind, warmer and even more capable in that strange city. Danni decided the best way to get a feel for a new place was to experience it so she purposefully chose places to go that weren’t nearby. She got coffee from a place across town and even found the local library. Just as the sun was setting the phone rang. It was Mercer.
“How you doing?” he said.
“Not bad. Better than earlier anyway. What’s up?”
“Can you meet us at the clubhouse. Bring some
“And what if you don’t stick around?”
“Then you have to be the new kid in town by yourself, I guess. I get the feeling I’ll be sticking around anyway. I got a call from my Uncle Larry to come out here and he wouldn’t call me if he wasn’t serious.” He walked to his bike and climbed on. Just before he started the engine he said to her, “Don’t leave me waiting, beautiful.” The bike came to life and Cruz was around the corner and out of site.
Danni looked at the piece of paper in her hand. She shook her head and tossed it the number into the trash. He had been nice and very handsome, but she knew trouble when she saw it.
***
Danni checked out a couple more apartments that day but still couldn’t find anything she felt good about. Too small, too expensive, too much like a scene from a horror movie. She decided she couldn’t look at places anymore. She would try again tomorrow but made a couple of notes on the better ones she saw that day in case she just needed to find something.
The day had become overcast and gloomy. She buttoned her denim jacket up to her neck but it wasn’t enough. She needed something more appropriate to the region so she used it as an excuse to explore the town. There was a row of shops in the downtown area she passed earlier and set off the hatchback.
Walking to the shop areas from the car the sky started to spit. It was just a light rain, but it didn’t help Danni’s increasingly bad mood. She didn’t know where the mood was coming from. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she had made a mistake coming here. She didn’t regret coming here with Mercer, that part she was very confident about, but if she was being honest with herself she thought coming to Rawlins was going to be a fresh start. She thought moving to a new place would free her from the desperation she’d been feeling in Calumet, but being in a strange town without knowing anyone or how to find anything it was getting to her. Especially with the cold rain coming down on her.
She shouldn’t feel so bad about not knowing anyone in town. It’s not like she had a ton of friends back home. Ben was just an easy lay, not much of a friend at all. Jeannie, the other waitress at the bar where Danni had worked, was nice, but she had kids and a mother to take care of so work was the only time they spent together. Maybe this was her chance to make a few friends. Danni would have to look for a job, but once the MC started bringing into some money maybe she wouldn’t have to work every second of every day. Use some of that time for socializing.
Not only that, but folks had a way of treating her in Calumet that wasn’t exactly disrespectful, but wasn’t overly friendly either. Like they pitied her or something, just because her high school boyfriend had died on a motorcycle. Even if she could move on she knew that town never could.
She was feeling better by the time she searched the second store for a nice jacket. She found one there that was perfect. A fur lined leather jacket that looked great on her and she knew Mercer would love. Make her really look like the girlfriend of a biker.
She looked at the price tag and winced. It was expensive, but she bought it anyway. She deserved it, and besides, didn’t she need to look the part?
Wearing the jacket outside she felt better protected from the wind, warmer and even more capable in that strange city. Danni decided the best way to get a feel for a new place was to experience it so she purposefully chose places to go that weren’t nearby. She got coffee from a place across town and even found the local library. Just as the sun was setting the phone rang. It was Mercer.
“How you doing?” he said.
“Not bad. Better than earlier anyway. What’s up?”
“Can you meet us at the clubhouse. Bring some
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