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“You’re scheduled for patrol tonight on the border,” Doc said. “I wanted to check that you’re aware.”

He was aware but he had also forgotten as he’d been too distracted with Betty.

“I’m on it.”

The last thing Grim wanted was to get shit from the club. He hung up the phone and stepped back into her kitchen studio, to find her already setting up for a new video.

“That’s work. I’ve got to go, and I’ll be back this evening around seven, does that sound good?” he asked.

“Yes, it sounds great.”

He winked at her. “See you then.”

Grim hated having to pull away. When he found her trapped and all alone, she’d looked so freaking scared and weak, yet she hadn’t caved even once. There were a lot of men and women who’d have gone crazy with the shit they’d been put through. Not Betty. She was stronger than she even realized, and it was now up to him to prove to her that she was strong enough to handle anything that was thrown at her.

Chapter Three

Martha was more than happy to have Grim come to dinner. It was rare to see Martha in the kitchen, yet there she was, happily cleaning some basil she’d picked from the garden earlier before coming into the kitchen. She’d gotten it from the greenhouse. Most of the summer plants were pretty much gone, but for some reason, her basil seemed to be holding up. She absolutely loved to make basil pesto. She had no choice but to make it herself, as she did not like raw garlic, and that is one ingredient she skipped in hers. It was always full of flavor without that pesky ingredient.

“It was nice to see Grim,” Martha said.

Betty stirred the sauce and looked at her aunt. “Yeah, I didn’t expect him to come over. He said if there was ever a time I wanted to talk, it wouldn’t be an inconvenience to him, and I took him up on that offer. I hope that’s okay.”

“Oh, it is. It is more than okay. Grim, Savage, the whole Chaos Monsters MC get a bad rep, but they are good people. They were more than happy to step in and help, and it wasn’t even any of their business. That makes them more than okay in my book.”

“How was the country club?” she asked.

She didn’t have to talk about herself for the next hour. Betty was happy to get to work on her sauce, the pesto, and then putting the finishing touches on the meal. All the while, her aunt talked, and it filled the silence. She hated the silence more than anything. Silence always meant danger was coming.

At seven o’clock on the dot, she was getting a little nervous about whether she should serve right away, or if she should wait until Grim arrived.

Martha went off to answer the door, and she got her answer, as Grim and her aunt entered the kitchen. Her aunt was carrying a small bouquet of flowers, and he held out a second one for her.

“Thank you,” she said, taken aback by the kind gesture.

“You’re going to feed me, it’s the least I can do.”

“They’re beautiful,” Martha said. “You are a kind gentleman.”

Betty looked at Grim, and there was a certain look on his face that said he was no gentleman. He appeared a little uncomfortable at even being referred as one. This made her laugh.

“They’re beautiful.”

Martha took the flowers from her, and as Betty served, her aunt put the flowers in some water. Betty didn’t need to worry too much about the conversation as her aunt and Grim were able to carry it. She was able to serve, take the plates to the table, and even eat half of her food before the attention even came her way.

Grim started off his meal with a moan. “This is damn good,” he said.

She couldn’t help but blush. “Honestly, it’s just spaghetti and meatballs.”

“But it tastes so good.” He licked his lips, and then kissed the tips of his fingers and pointed them into the air. “Chef’s kiss.”

“Betty has always been a fantastic cook. Can you believe multiple publishers turned down her book?”

“A book?” Grim asked.

“It’s nothing.”

“It is something. She was getting absolutely nowhere, and that was when I had the bright idea to convert the garage into her kitchen studio. Of course it was completely selfish of me, because that meant she either had to stay with me, or at the very least in Rivermont Ridge.” Martha reached out and put a hand over hers.