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  “Where?” I ask, perking up. “No one seems to be hiring now. I’ve been submitting my resume for the last few days and there’s been nothing so far.”

  He nods. “It’s at a custom motorcycle shop. They had someone lined up for the holidays, but she bailed, so they’re looking for someone new. All you have to do is man the cash register, answer phones. Typical admin work. What do you think? Something you might be interested in? I know they would pay pretty well.”

  I’m not opposed to doing any admin work, and anywhere is a start. It’s not the type of place I’d usually apply at because I know nothing about their business, but beggars can’t be choosers, and I really just want to get a steady income coming in again. Working behind a desk would probably be better than a bar, and I won’t have to deal with drunk idiots every day, too. Is this a good idea? I don’t know yet. But an opportunity has presented itself, and I’m going to take it.

  “Yeah, very interested. I can do that. I know nothing about motorcycles, though.”

  “You can learn,” he replies, shrugging as he slides his phone out of his jeans pocket. “I’ll call them now and let them know.”

  “What? Just like that? I don’t have to do an interview or anything?” I ask, frowning. “Who owns the shop?”

  He’s a very mysterious man—there’s more than meets the eye with him. He has terrible taste in women, that I know, but luckily he and Georgia, his former wife, are over now. I don’t know much about what happened with them, but I think she left him or something.

  “Some friends of my daughter,” he says casually, watching my reaction.

  I glance between him and my dad. “Daughter?”

  What? As far as I know, Neville only has a stepdaughter, Skylar. We’ve hung out a couple of times, and she is a really cool chick. But we’ve been busy and haven’t had a chance to catch up in a while.

  “Did you knock someone up since we last talked? When did all of this happen? What else have I missed?”

  Dad stands next to me and wraps his arm around me. “He didn’t know about her until recently, and no, she’s not a baby. She’s around your age. Her name is Abbie. I saw a picture of her; she has Neville’s eyes.”

  My mouth opens and closes. I don’t even know what to say right now. “Who is her mother? How did you find out? I think I’m going to need a stiff drink.”

  So I have a cousin on my dad’s side. I mean, I have Skylar too, but it’s different since we never spent that much time together growing up. Her mom never really allowed that; maybe because we aren’t blood related she didn’t think it was important. But now Uncle Neville has a daughter we all didn’t know about, and now she’s about to hook me, the cousin she’s never even met, up with a job.

  Wonderful.

  I’m sure she’s going to have a great first impression of me. I haven’t even met her and I’m already calling in a favor.

  I’ve always wanted that family connection, and ever since my mother died, I’ve only had my dad and my uncle. There’s never been anyone my age, or any female influence around me. The thought that I could have that closeness now with Abbie makes me feel hopeful.

  We all head outside and I say hello to everyone else, all my dad’s good friends who have been around our family since I can remember. Plate of food in hand, I find a quiet spot in the corner and sit down when my dad finds me.

  “You all right?” he asks, tone gentle. “I’m glad you came here today.”

  “I’m fine,” I reply, looking down at my plate. “And me too. I’m a little bummed about my job, but you know these things happen. And I’m still processing the whole Abbie thing.”

  “Aren’t we all,” Dad murmurs. “He’s going to bring her around soon, so if you could be here, that would be great. She really wants to meet us, but couldn’t come today because she had something going on. She doesn’t have much family.”

  “I’d love to meet her. How do you feel about having a niece?” I ask.

  I’m still in shock about the whole thing, but in a good way. I’ve always wanted a bigger family, and now I have someone around my age. I hope the two of us will hit it off and be close. I’ve always wished I had a sibling, but it’s not like that’s going to happen, so a cousin is second best. It will be nice to have someone else I can call cousin.

  “I feel...good. And I haven’t seen my brother this happy in a long time, so it’s really nice to see,” Dad says, smiling to himself. “He’s always been the best big brother to me, and he deserves the world, so it makes me happy to see him so happy. I always thought he’d make a wonderful dad.”

  “That’s cute,” I say, nudging him playfully with my shoulder. “She does have a great dad, and an amazing uncle, too. I can’t wait to meet her.”

  “I have a good feeling about it all,” he says, bringing his brown eyes to me. “Everything happens for a reason.”

  He’s always thought that and had an optimistic outlook on life, even though he lost his wife, which has always puzzled me a little. Instead of becoming bitter and cynical at the world, he has always been the glass-half-full type of man, and I love that about him. It’s how I try to look at the world as well.

  “And about your job, you should have called me,” he adds after a few seconds of silence. “You know that’s what I’m here for. There’s no reason for you to stress out and take it all upon yourself.”

  “I know, Dad,” I say. “But it’s fine. It’s not the end of the world.”

  “If you need money—”

  “I will let you know,” I say, reaching out and touching his shoulder. “I know that you are here for me no matter what, okay? And if I get into deep shit, you’re the first person I will call.”

  And that’s the truth. But that doesn’t mean I want to depend on him for everything. He wants to make my life easier, but I want to do the same for him, and that means not burdening him with all of my problems.

  “Now what’s been going on with you? Met any nice women?” I ask, changing the subject.

  His eyes light up with humor. “None worthy of bringing home to you.”

  “You know I wouldn’t care if you met someone and moved on with your life, Dad. Second loves are a real thing,” I say.

  “I know.” He nods, sobering. “Your mom was my soul mate, Bronte. And there is no moving on from that.”

  “You don’t have to find something the same—you could find something different, but still special,” I say, resting my head on his shoulder. “It’s just you here. Wouldn’t you like someone to share a home with?”

  Uncle Neville comes over and sits with us before my dad can respond. “All sorted for your job, Bronte. They will contact you and give you all of the information.”

  “You work fast. Thank you so much, that’s a huge stress relief,” I say, giving him a warm hug. “I owe you one.”

  He squeezes me tightly and then cups my cheek before letting me go. “You owe me nothing. You’re smart and a hard worker; they will love you there. You will probably get to see Abbie here and there too, because her partner is one of the owners,” he explains.

  “I hope so. I want to thank her in person and get to know her. It’s not every day you find out you have a cousin who’s the same age as you.”

  “I think you two will get on like a house on fire,” he says. “I might not have been around to raise her, but she’s a fine young woman. She is strong willed and has a good heart, just like you.”

  “So you had no idea about her?”

  He shakes his head. “Her mom didn’t tell me she was pregnant, so no, I had no idea until the truth came out.”

  “I’m sorry she did that to you,” I say, brow furrowing. “But better late than never, right? At least we all get to know her now, and have her in our lives.”

  “Exactly,” Dad adds, looking at his brother. “All that matters is now.”

  “I hav
e a lot of time to make up for,” my uncle admits, glancing out at the sky. “But yeah, I feel really lucky to have her in my life. I never thought I’d have any biological children.”

  “She’s a lucky girl,” I say, winking. “I’m going to go and grab a drink. Do either of you want anything?”

  They decline. I get up, head back to the kitchen, put my plate away and grab a soda for myself. When I come back outside, I see my dad and Neville in the corner together, chatting away. Whatever they’re talking about seems pretty important, so I linger for a little while before returning to join them.

  “That would be one million in profit; we’d be stupid to turn that down,” I hear Neville saying to my dad as I finally approach. The two of them go silent at my arrival, the conversation cutting off.

  “I can come back,” I say, wondering what the hell they were talking about for that amount of money. I know my uncle is pretty well off and my dad does just fine, but that conversation makes no sense to me.

  “No, don’t be silly, come and sit with us,” Dad says, tapping the spot next to him, where I was sitting before. “Your uncle can tell me about his business deals later.”

  I stay until it gets dark, and then head home. And the next morning, I get a message from someone named Crow. No phone call, just a text.

  You start tomorrow. Be at Fast & Fury Custom Motorcycles by 10.

  And just like that, my employment issues are over.

  * * *

  After glancing at the GPS on my phone, I park my car and look at the sign through my window. Yep, this is the place.

  I wasn’t joking when I said I didn’t know a thing about motorcycles. My knowledge of cars, or any kind of vehicle for that matter, is pretty limited. I just hope I can do a good job, because the last thing I need to do is make my uncle and the cousin I haven’t met yet look bad for recommending me. I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling a little nervous right now, but I need to act confident and make a good impression.

  Sliding out of the car, I pull down my knee-length pencil skirt and square my shoulders. The new material of my crisp white shirt isn’t the comfiest, but it makes me look the part. As I pass the window to the entrance, I take a look at myself. With my long dark hair piled on my head in a bun and the glasses on my face, I kind of look like a librarian, but I guess that’s a professional look.

  Stepping inside the warehouse is like a whole other world. There’s beautifully done graffiti on the walls, and the workspace shows off brand-new, sparkling bikes. The main room leads into a wide spacious garage, and it has a cool, urban vibe. There’s music playing over the speakers, and it doesn’t look like they have spared any expense with the interior design. In the middle, there’s a reception area with a large, expensive-looking wooden desk and a little staircase leading to another level, one with bikes in various states of being rebuilt. It’s a pretty awesome space.

  “Hello?” I call out when I see no one around. Apparently they really do need staff. I’m assuming I’m supposed to be meeting Crow, but I have no idea what to expect right now.

  A door opens from behind the reception area, and a tall, muscular blond man walks out. He’s very handsome. He’s covered in tattoos and looks good even though he’s dressed in jeans and a god-awful bowling shirt with a white top underneath. I wonder if this is his usual look.

  Even with the shirt, he screams bad boy.

  The bright pattern isn’t fooling anybody.

  Blue eyes lock on me. “Bronte Pierce?”

  “That’s me,” I say, shaking his hand as he offers it. “Nice to meet you.”

  “I’m Crow, and I’m in charge here. We have two mechanics coming in and out to help Cam put together the bikes. But it’s a small group since we only do custom pieces.”

  So this is who messaged me yesterday.

  “So are you Abbie’s partner?” I ask, since Uncle Neville said he owned the place. If he is, she has done very, very well for herself.

  He gives me a confused look, then laughs. I don’t want to admit what the sound of his laugh does to me; it’s deep and all consuming. Great, now I’m having weird feelings about my cousin’s partner and I haven’t even met my cousin yet. Way to build a relationship. Oh yeah, and he’s my boss.

  Snap out of it, Bronte. You’re here to work, and that’s it.

  Once he’s done laughing, he still has a smirk on his face. I’m not going to lie; it kind of annoys me. “No, Temper is Abbie’s partner. Don’t let him hear you ask me that.”

  “But you said you’re in charge. I was told Abbie’s partner owns the place.”

  His smirk is gone and now he just looks annoyed. “Yes, Temper technically owns it, but I am in charge here. Is that going to be a problem?”

  Shit. Great, first I was attracted to the boss, and now I’m pissing him off. “Nope. Not a problem. Sorry, I just found out about Abbie, so I’m playing catch-up. You’re in charge. Got it.”

  And apparently not a topic I will bring up again.

  He looks at me skeptically but gives me a brief nod. “We basically need someone to man the reception, answer phones, order parts and stay on top of all the bookkeeping. Sound manageable?”

  I decide that honesty is the best policy. “I have done some admin work before, but I don’t know anything about bikes or ordering parts. But I’m a quick learner and I’m sure I can pick it up.” I give him my best I-am-confident look.

  I hope he buys it.

  It’s the truth, though. I’ve done work more complicated than this, and I’m eager to learn and be the best at whatever job I am doing. I’m someone who takes pride in her work, and I know that I’m going to be an asset to his team.

  “Abbie said you were a private investigator?”

  “I was an assistant to one, yes.” I nod.

  “Huh. I would have guessed a librarian,” he comments, making my eyes widen. I mean, I was only just thinking the same thing based on how I dressed today, but it’s rude of him to mention that, especially after only just meeting me. “I hope you’re able to handle the job, and don’t expect any special treatment just because you’re Abbie’s long-lost cousin.”

  My jaw drops. His comment really gets to me, even though I don’t want to let him see that. “I don’t expect any special treatment.”

  “That’s good, but not true, because special treatment got you this job in the first place,” he replies casually, as if his words aren’t hitting every damn nerve.

  I should have known that this job was going to come with a catch, and it looks like I’ve found it. An annoying, smart-ass boss.

  “I might have gotten this job because of my family, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a hard worker who’s going to be an asset to your business,” I fire back, eyes narrowing. “But I guess only time will prove that to you, especially since you seem to already have made your mind up about me.”

  He studies me for a moment, giving nothing away with his expression. “Look, I take this job seriously and I need someone who will also take it seriously, regardless of who your family is or what you used to do.”

  “Understood.”

  “I guess time will tell. Come on, I’ll show you around.” He opens a door behind the main reception desk. “So back here is the staff room. There’s a kitchen, a bathroom and lots and lots of parts back there. There’s also a bed because Dee thought it needed one for when he’s here and wants to take a nap.”

  I have no idea who Dee is, but I nod. “I can assure you that I won’t be napping on the job,” I promise.

  He doesn’t reply. After the brief tour, he shows me the computer I’ll be using and the software I need to learn to keep stock of all the motorcycle parts. It’s pretty straightforward, and for the first time since I found out I was going to be working here, I feel a little more confident.

  “I’m going to leave a list of contact numbers here. You should have mine
from yesterday, but it’s the first one,” he says.

  “Okay.”

  Then he gets up, removes his bowling shirt, revealing biceps to die for, picks up a leather vest off the chair and puts it on. I can’t seem to take my eyes off him, which annoys me, because I need to control myself. But him in that leather vest, white tank top underneath, his beautiful tattoos covering his muscular arms...it really works for him. He even flicks his blond hair back, just like he’s in some fucking advertisement or something.

  “You’re a biker,” I say out loud.

  He tilts his head to the side and gives me a look like he thinks I’m stupid. “They really didn’t give you much information at all, did they? Are you sure this is the place you want to work?”

  As he turns, I see the words Knights of Fury MC written on the back of his vest.

  I’m working for a biker gang?

  Just what crowd exactly does my new cousin hang with?

  “Yes. I was just surprised, that’s all,” I say as I watch him head toward the door.

  I start to panic. I may feel a little confident, but I’m not ready to be left alone. What if customers call? Or come in?

  “Wait, you’re going?” I call after him.

  “Yep,” he calls back, sounding unimpressed, and walks over to a big, badass black motorcycle. I stand at the entrance, watching him, wondering how the hell he can leave me alone here with nothing more than a crash course on how to work here.

  “You can’t leave. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”

  He kick-starts his motorcycle, the engine loud. “I thought you were a fast learner. Was that a lie?”

  Well, shit. He has me there—I did say that. But I am not in the wrong here. “But what if a customer calls? And besides ‘admin work’ you didn’t really tell me what I should start with.”

  “I think you’ll be able to figure it out. I have somewhere to be.” And with that, he starts driving off.

  Fuck.