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“They’re keeping us here for one more day. Visiting hours start at seven. Bring donuts.” She hung up after that, and I smiled. Who am I to disobey? Fee had just brought a human into the world.The least I could do was bring some pastries.

Chapter 8

Lilah

In the past month, there had been a definitive shift in my life and routine. Nothing major, but still important, visceral. The truth of how lonely I was finally became clear, my friendship with Beth exposing how desperate I’d been for connection.

As proud as I was for the life I had built, for stepping away from everything I knew to prioritize myself, it wasn’t easy. Even after moving, I was still living some sort of half-life. Running from work to school, then squeezing in errands and chores before rinse and repeat.

It was almost as if the only thing keeping the depression and anxiety at bay was the constant movement, the fact that with all my responsibilities, I could just exhaust myself before I had to face the more important thoughts and questions.

Thinking back to that first dinner with Beth, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Lilah! I’m so happy you called. Come on in.” She greeted me warmly. Barefoot and in casual clothing, she was the picture of relaxed. I followed her through her house. It was cozy. All of the furniture was a mix of classic and comfy-looking. Not that ultramodern vibe where things were sharp and sleek and completely impossible to sit on.

In the kitchen, she had a few different pots and pans sizzling on the stove.

“It smells amazing in here. What are you making? I brought some wine. I got a bottle of red and a bottle of white. I wasn’t sure which you prefer.”

“Oh, how lovely! You didn’t need to bring anything, though. I’m just so happy to have company.” Beth fiddled with a few things on the stove, stirring and lowering temperatures before turning to me. She wiped her hands on a towel, her eyes downcast before focusing on me again.

“Thank you. For what you did when you found me. You treated me with respect and dignity. That’s a lot more than most people would do. You are a beautiful person, Lilah, inside and out. I would love to spend more time with you.” Before I could reply, she shot me a look. “Keep in mind, I’m old and stubborn. I’m only telling you this to be polite. I’ve already decided we’re going to be friends. It will be easier on both of us if you give in now.” She smiled, and her warm brown eyes shone with genuine emotion.

“Well, I won’t fight you on it, then. Before you get angry, though, I do have something else I wanted to give you.” She frowned, but I bent down and pulled the book out, sliding it over to her.

“You didn’t!” She gasped, then smiled.

“Well, now I have to know if it’s gonna have enough smut to get ’Five stars from Ol Beth.’” I quoted her words from the first night we met. She laughed, the sound warming me.

“Thank you so much, dear. This is…perfect. I’ll lend it to you once I finish.”

“You mean once you need the second one?” I arched an eyebrow at her as I took a sip of the wine I had opened and poured per Beth’s direction.

“Absolutely. Oh, darn. Do you have any food allergies? I should have asked earlier.” She looked flustered for a moment, and I jumped to respond.

“No! No, I’m good. I’ll eat anything. I love food. Desserts and drinks. Anything edible, really,” I replied with an awkward laugh.

“As you should! Life isn’t worth living if you’re constantly restricting yourself from the world’s pleasures. Looking a certain way will never top the feeling of a night filled with good food, good friends, and great conversation,” Beth commented as she went back to stirring.

Conversation was easy after that, chatting about the books Beth had read and her talking about the different foods she had prepared. We ate together at the small table in her kitchen. I liked it. It was comfortable and intimate. Nothing like the strained dinners in the formal dining rooms I was used to in my past life.

“So how long have you lived here?” I asked after I had stuffed myself full of beef stroganoff and fresh salad, followed by a slice of homemade pie.

“Oh, well, Eliot bought this place almost ten years ago. Before that, we both lived in a house on MC property.” I paused, rolling the news around in my head, trying to figure out which question to ask first.

“I’m sorry, I’m a little confused. What does that mean? What is MC? Is that, like, a community center?”

“Oh, dear. I thought you knew. Eliot is a brother in the Reaper’s Guard motorcycle club. Their clubhouse is sort of like their headquarters, but it’s more of a big house than a corporate building. They also have a few houses on the property that some brothers move into when they’re tired of living in the clubhouse, or if there’s a new family that needs a place to stay. That sort of thing.”

“So, Eliot is part of a motorcycle club, they all live together in a big house, and what else? I don’t really understand what that all means or what being ‘a brother’ entails,” I replied. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know a lot more specifically about Eliot.

Over the next few weeks, I learned more and more about both Beth and Eliot.

Through her anecdotes and stories of his childhood, a clearer picture was formed. Not only of their relationship, but the importance of the Reaper’s Guard in their lives. It didn’t pass my notice that none of Beth’s stories occurred before Eliot was ten. There were no baby stories, teething nightmares, or tales of the terrible twos. It was as if life ceased to exist until they came in contact with the club.

I didn’t push, didn’t try to find out what happened to lead them to that point. I had enough secrets of my own, enough demons I was running from. Instead, I listened closely, happy to learn that the club had embraced them with open arms without expecting anything in return. A comfortable routine developed between Beth and me. We had a standing weekly craft night, but I also stopped by throughout the week, depending on my shifts, to say hello before heading home.

Beth had come by the bakery a few times, too, and she always had someone with her. I knew it stung her pride, but she took it in stride.