Risky and Wild(92)

“Evening,” I say as I move inside and wish Serenity was here, or one of the other ladies that seemed a little less … hostile towards me. Oh well. I guess these three are the mean girls of the compound. Make nice with them and everybody else will follow. “Thanks so much for inviting me.”

“No problem, Miss Deputy Mayor,” Fauna says, dressed in a silver top covered in sequins. She looks like she's getting ready to work the bar, her makeup thick and dark but pretty. Glinda's missing her usual pink jacket, wearing a plain white blouse that I could see my mother in. Dressed down like this, with a pair of jeans and sparse makeup, she seems a little less scary. Well, except for the pink cowboy boots she never seems to take off. Those are still admittedly quite terrifying. “This is a weekly tradition of ours. Being the new girl and all, we figured you might want to join us.”

“I appreciate it, really,” I say as Janae smiles at me, dressed in black slacks and a cream blouse. Her dark hair is tousled and wavy, but her lips are tight. I guess I didn't do much to endear her to me at the barbecue. But I had to put my foot down, I know I did. Now, I just have to get to know the woman and everything will be A-OK on this front, I'm sure of it.

“We usually invite Mia along with us,” Janae adds as she gestures with her chin for us to start moving into the store. She pushes the cart; nobody else has one. Without asking, I dump my purse and bags into it. “She keeps the clubhouse stocked for the boys, you know.”

“Well, she did,” Glinda says absently, shrugging her shoulders. “But not now. Probably not ever again. I heard she lost her job on Friday.”

“Oh, hells, I didn't hear that,” Fauna says as we pass by a display of organic produce. I try not to let my lips purse, but I think they do anyway. Mia. A girl that slept with my fiancé and cut my hair off, sliced up my face. A girl who showed up at Royal's door yesterday and begged him to take her back while I stood and pretended not to listen at the end of the hallway. A girl who keyed my fucking car. I feel bad for the woman, truly. To be that broken, that lonely, it must be horrible. A part of me feels like I should befriend her, see if there's a way to free her from her own torment. But maybe I'm not that nice of a person.

“What happened?” I ask, trying to be a part of the conversation. As much as I dislike Mia, I feel like I need to hear this.

“She didn't show up for work,” Janae says with a tight mouth, the skin on her forehead wrinkled with frustration. “Not since she got kicked off the compound.” A quick glance in my direction. I keep my face forward, focusing on the squeak of my wet boots against the faux hardwood floors beneath our feet. Ah, gourmet grocers. Got to love 'em. “I hear her boss tried to cut her a break, but …”

“Where did she work?” I watch as Glinda pauses next to the rows of flour and starts to scan labels. When she settles on an organic unbleached flour, I smile a little. Eco-conscious biker ladies. Interesting.

“She worked at that pizza place in McKinleyville, the one on Central.” Another sigh from Glinda, a shake of her blond hair. She tucks some of it behind her ear and moves onto the sugar section, selecting yet another organic brand. “Now she'll never get out of that goddamn motel.” The bag of sugar plops into the cart. I haven't bothered to ask what we're making; I'm assuming they've already got a plan or a tradition they're working off. I decide to observe. “And before you ask, I'll tell you. Mia lives in the Flamingo on Broadway in Eureka.”

I raise both brows.

“She lives in Eureka, works in McKinleyville and travels all the way up here to the clubhouse?”

“All in her clunky piece of shit Toyota. Damn thing's older than I am,” Fauna says as she starts grabbing sprinkles at random and tossing them in the cart. Glinda goes behind her, checks the ingredient labels and removes a few.

“That red dye 40 will give you cancer,” she says as Fauna rolls her blue eyes.

“You and your cancer,” Fauna says, but I notice that she doesn't put them back. I smile again, enjoying the familiar way the girls interact with each other. They really do feel like a family. “Poor Mia. She needs to get her head on her shoulders and stop chasing fantasies.”

“She was chasing Royal,” Glinda says as three sets of eyes flick my way. I meet their gazes and smile softly.

“I didn't plan for this,” I tell them as they continue to look at me, practically cornering me against the maple syrup with their stares. “In fact, being with Royal is something I actively tried to avoid. He … being with him doesn't exactly fit the life plan I had for myself.”