Burned Rebel (Comanche Sons Motorcycle Club Book 3) (5 page)

“But we would need to make a lot of capital outlay.”

“But the location is superb,” she argued. Riley did some fast mental calculation. “You’re right though. It will wipe us out, and we would have to take a loan just to get through. I think in terms of expenditure, the first building was better. The building was complete, and they had a working kitchen.”

“But this location would draw a lot more traffic, and we would be able to pay off the loan quicker.”

She shook her head. Riley put her hand on his arm as they inspected the place. Even though she was tempted to insist that they get this place, it didn’t make sense. They had to be practical. Together, they had enough money to get the place going if they were sensible, and she intended to be. This was their first business venture, and she wanted to make a success of it. “We should rethink the other two locations. They are far more promising.”

After they got out of the place, Chance thanked the agent, and they strolled away. “One day we’re going to take a place and start from scratch.”

“You’re awfully ambitious for a guy who didn’t want anything more in life than to relax for half a day.”

“I suppose you’ve given me the motivation to do better.”

“Glad to help then.” They walked on the pavement. A light breeze blew and ruffled her hair. She felt free, alive, and filled with purpose. More than anything, she wanted to make a success of their new plan. It meant the world to her to build a life with him. It would take away all the pain that she experienced ever since she was a little girl.

“Should we have lunch?”

“Aren’t we supposed to meet the art dealer?” she asked.

Chance checked his watch. He glanced at her as if he totally understood her impatience. “We’ve got a couple of hours. Come. Let’s just grab a quick bite to eat.”

They walked into a café and settled in their seats. The waiter brought over the menu. “I will have salmon,” she said.

“A burger for me, please.”

Once the waiter left, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “It feels surreal to start this new venture with you. I bet we’re going to be really great at it.”

The touch of his lips on her skin was soft, and yet it made her heart skip a beat. “Let’s not be overconfident. I don’t want to screw things up by thinking that we can do no wrong.”

“We can’t do any wrong,” he said. “Ok, ok. Relax. Let’s talk about something else.”

She leaned back to look at him. The gleam in his eyes told her that he was deliberately making her squirm. “Whatever happened to that plan of yours for us to go to a cabin? Now is the perfect time. We’re both without jobs and don’t have any real commitments. Once the bar takes off, we won’t be able to take time off for a long time.”

He rubbed a finger on his lips. “I’m almost scared to plan that. Every time we do so, something bad happens. That cabin is jinxed.”

“Don’t be silly.” She waved a hand. The waiter chose that moment to bring their food. Once he left, she picked up her knife and fork. “Let’s do that this weekend. It will be fun, and we will come back relaxed enough to tackle the rest of the tasks. There is a lot of work that we need to do once the location is finalized. Not to mention the décor and the purchases, but also we will need to hire staff.”

He grimaced. “It’s a good thing you’ve agreed to manage the staff. I don’t think I have the patience to train waitresses. Some of them can be quite moody.”

“Hey, watch it. Not more than a week ago, I was a waitress,” she said. “Actually, I do intend to keep doing that for at least a couple of hours a day.”

“Why?”

“It’s the best way to know how the customers are reacting to the food and service. If we want to provide them with the best possible experience, we need to know their problems, and as a waitress, I will know each little detail first hand.”

He shrugged. “If that’s what you want, I certainly won’t stop you.”

As they ate, they discussed the rest of the details. There was one thing she admired about Chance; he had an open and flexible mind. Even if he didn’t agree with an idea, he was always willing to listen to someone else’s opinion, and then change his mind if he believed he was wrong. It would be fun to work with him. She was quite looking forward to their business venture; it would be a true delight.

Chapter Six

Now that they had finalized the location of their bar, Chance felt more confident about everything else. As he drove the car, Chance’s mind was still on the myriad details they needed to fix in order to get the bar going. There was a lot of work that they needed to complete, but it wasn’t possible to do it all at once. Yet, he was hopeful that things would progress at a smooth rate.

Riley yawned beside him. “How long is it going to take?”

He spared a glance at her. Dressed in shorts and a tank top, she looked relaxed. Chance was glad that he took her suggestion seriously. They were off to his friend’s cabin next to the beach. It would be a wonderful weekend and three days later, they would come back and renew their plans. “Another hour, love.”

“I can’t wait to sit on the beach,” she said. “Hearing the sound of ocean waves is kinda soothing, isn’t it?”

“Sure is.” As they reached a juncture, Chance noticed a car behind him. He wasn’t sure which turn to take and the car crossed by them and went straight. He took a right turn. “I am a beach buff myself. Can’t wait to make love to you on the beach.”

“Hey.” She slapped him on the arm. Then, she considered. “Is it mostly deserted?”

“There is not another cabin for miles. My friend is somewhat of a loner, and he goes there to seek peace or whatever the hell he needs to do to recharge. There is a fishing pier about a mile away, and he spends most of his time there.”

“You can be sure we won’t be spending any time there.” She glanced at him. “You’re not one of those men who can wait for hours to catch a fish now, are you?”

“Honey, there isn’t a man alive in this world who can focus on fish when you are there.”

She nodded. A grin spread over her lips. “Good answer. I believe I will allow you to make love to me under the moonlight on the beach.”

“I have died and gone to heaven,” he declared.

She giggled and switched on the music. As the song blared in the car, he nodded his head along with the music. Soon, they reached the cabin and unloaded their stuff. “It’s a simple place,” she said.

Chance had been to the cabin once before, and he was prepared. They had enough food to last for three days. He’d brought extra blankets and a flashlight. “There is no electricity at night.”

“Oh dear, what will we do for entertainment?”

He ran his hand through her hair and grabbed a handful. Wrapping it around his finger, he tugged her closer and planted a kiss on her lips. She was warm and soft, and the brief contact was enough to make his nerve sizzle. “I believe I can think of a few things.”

She pushed him away. “I bet you can. Come on, let’s first haul all this stuff inside, and then I need to go for a walk on the beach, and you, mister, will join me.”

“Sex on the beach?”

She waved a finger at him. “If you are very, very good…”

They laughed and walked outside to take things from the car into the cabin. Chance looked forward to this mini vacation. It was a way to win back their sanity from the crazy events that plagued them. As he unloaded stuff, Chance noticed the sketch book and art supplies. He carried them inside and put them on the table. She put the last bag on the floor and closed the door.

“Planning to do some drawings?”

Her gaze traveled to the sketch book and a slow smile spread over her lips. “Sure, why not. If I get time.”

“The art dealer was quite hopeful. I nearly fell out of my chair when he said that he estimated that each sketch might go for a minimum of a thousand dollars.”

“I bet he would get more than that.” She opened the fridge and began to put the food inside. He helped her. “I liked that man. He had gumption. I can see that he was excited about selling them, and that makes me feel confident that he would do his best to get the best price.”

“He selected seventeen sketches, and if he gets a thousand each, that’s seventeen thousand right there.”

“Oh yeah. I can see that you are totally excited about this.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? That’s a good amount to have in your savings account.”

She closed the fridge, put her hands on her hips, and cocked her head. “We can use that money for the bar.”

He turned away and picked up the bag. Carrying it in the bedroom, he dumped it on the bed. “We’ve talked about it before.”

“And we didn’t agree on anything.”

“That’s because you’re being pig-headed as usual. I have already told you that we each put in equal amount for the bar, and you have enough savings for that already. This money you can keep in your bank and use it for something for yourself.”

“The bar would also be mine.”

He held her hands. “It would make me feel a lot better if you had this money sitting in your bank, in case of emergencies. Or better yet, just spend it on getting a nice bauble, a ring perhaps. Or a bracelet.”

She stepped closer and put her head on his shoulder. It felt nice, comfortable. “Don’t be silly. I don’t need to buy jewelry to feel better. I have you for that.”

“That’s a nice thing to say.”

She swatted his butt and moved away when he attempted to grab her. She giggled, as he chased her through the cabin. They ended up on the couch. He kissed her and felt the slow burn of desire skip and slide through his veins. It didn’t matter what he did, the woman made him hot with need every time he was with her. As his hands roamed over her back, he drew her in and inhaled the scent of her perfume. He didn’t want to let go, but with reluctance, he lifted his head.

“You could make a saint forget his vows.”

She put a hand on his cheek and rubbed. The sweet gesture was enough to make his heart swell with love. “I love you.”

The more she said it, the more he wanted to hear it. “I love you, too. And now come on, woman, I believe I promised you a walk on the beach.”

“And much more than that,” she added.

“Oh yes, I remember that part. Vaguely. A bit. You might have to remind me what exactly I said.”

They strolled out of the cabin. It was a lovely evening. A brisk wind blew, and the coconut trees that lined the beach shook. Taking off their shoes, they dumped them on the stoop. Feeling relaxed and nice, they walked down the beach, hand in hand. It was such a romantic place, and there wasn’t another person in sight.

“I feel like we are the only two people on the planet,” she said

“I wish that were true. I would love for that to be the case,” he said. “Now imagine if you were stranded with me on a deserted island, what’s the first thing you would do?”

“After I make wild and passionate love to you?”

“Yes, of course, that is the first thing we would have to do. Absolutely. But after that?”

“Look for shelter,” she suggested.

“Yeah, good idea. We would find a nice, warm cave and then make love there to celebrate the fact that we were successful in finding shelter.”

“And then find some food,” she said.

“And after that…”

“Shush, love. I think I get where you are going.” They strolled on. The sound of the waves crashing on the sandy beach was indeed soothing. “We should make a habit of this. Come out every now and then and spend hours away from civilization.”

“It’s the artist in you,” he said. “You crave some alone time so that you can be one with nature.”

“Truly, I never thought such deep thoughts, but it’s nice that you associate them with me.”

He watched a seagull as it landed on the water and spun away with a fish in its beak. “Nature is cruel, you know. We think it’s beautiful and majestic, but it’s really harsh. The strong win and the weak fail. It’s truly the law of the jungle.”

“Such deep thoughts, Chance. I didn’t know you had in you.”

It was his turn to swat her butt. “Hey, I am a smart, capable man. You just underestimate me too much.”

“I won’t make that mistake again.”

As they walked on, he looked back at the cabin. It was now nearly hidden, as it was set back behind the trees. Chance felt a twinge of unease. It was such a wide, open space, and they hadn’t even bothered to lock the cabin. Yet, this was also safe. No one else was here, and he doubted there were any homeless people around who would go inside and raid the place.

“If you had a choice between staying on the beach or the mountains, what would you do?”

“The beach, of course,” she admitted. “As would you, because you have said already that you’re a beach buff.”

“True. But I like looking at mountains from far. I just don’t enjoy myself all that much when I have to hike. It doesn’t give me that sense of peace and being one with nature as does the beach. Here, I feel as if the world is far away, and I can be alone with my thoughts.”

“And you really need to pin those thoughts down,” she said. “You want to sit on the knoll?”

“Sure.” They took a place on a slightly raised sand bar and looked out at the vast ocean. The stormy waves crashed and spun away, and then came back for another spin. It was eternal, consistent, and there was a sense of peace in the magnificence of it.

“As I was saying, I think there is a writer hidden inside you.”

He gaped at her. “Are you crazy? I couldn’t write two paragraphs together if you held a gun to my temple.”

“I think you could do that,” she said. “I see this struggle inside you to understand the world and to find your place in it. It’s not there in everybody. Most people are just content to sit and pass time. They are excited to merely survive. You and I, we are both old souls, and we try to seek meaning. That’s what I do with my art, and you do with your thoughts.”

He’d never given any thought to the idea that he might like to write one day. Sure, he liked to read and had spent many pleasurable evenings getting books from libraries…but writing. That was just another thing altogether. He didn’t have the guts to do it.

“I don’t think so.”

“Start with a journal. Write what you did, what you thought, and what you planned, and then see if it takes you anywhere.”

Chance gazed out at the open water. He just wanted to float on the waves and allow them to take him anywhere they wanted. Of course, it was a pipe dream, or rather a careless suicide if he gave vent to his urges. On the other hand, what she suggested wasn’t so dangerous. “Maybe I will give it a whirl.”

She patted him on the back. “That’s the spirit.” Riley drew something on the sand and then ran her hand over it. “There is one really good memory I have of my childhood. It was the weekend we’d gone away to the beach. I remember we spent the whole day on the beach. My father drank and my mother attended to his needs while we ran wild. At night, my father was so drunk that he passed out, and my brother and I sneaked up on the roof and listened to the sounds of the ocean. The next day, we went home. I wish we could have stayed a few more days. It was the only time we enjoyed ourselves as a family.”

He could understand her pain and the depth of it. Chance held her hand. “We’re together now, and we will make our own memories.”

Tears glistened in her eyes, and then she shook her head and they were gone. Her shoulders straightened, and she squeezed his hand. “We will. That’s a promise.”

In a companionable silence, they sat for a while, two souls that were in perfect harmony together. Chance had a wonderful time with her ever since he met her, but this was the first time that he felt in sync. Maybe it was the beginning of their new tomorrow. From now on, they would only have good memories of their life together. He was determined to make it so.