Behind me on the shelves, an endless supply of Mardi Gras beads hang from trophies earned from the annual get-together for the entire club, National Run. Mom received one of those first-place trophies a few years ago in the wet T-shirt contest. Dad’s still damned proud.
Around the bar, it smells like spilled beer. Emily wrinkles her nose. Bet her area stinks worse.
“Suck it up and get used to it. From what I understand you’re stuck here for the summer. Try the end table next to the recliner. Olivia will take her glasses off when she gets tired.”
Emily picks up her foot and it makes a sickening sound as she has to peel it from the floor. Prospects are in charge of cleaning the clubhouse and the club’s schedule has been shot to hell since Olivia’s wake, which means not much work has been completed.
“Am I ever going to be left alone or are you and Eli going to take turns stalking me?”
“If you want we can pretend you’re alone. Talking can be overrated and I’m fine with us ignoring each other.”
“Sounds good to me.” Yet she continues, “You guys take this Riot stuff too seriously.”
Emily’s not taking it seriously enough. I go behind the bar and search near the glass display case that holds the merchandise the club sells: T-shirts for members, supporter T-shirts that signify people are friends of the club, bandannas, knives, throwing stars, whatever shit you can think of.
“I found them,” Emily says. “Half glasses that are red?”
“That’d be them.” Rose-colored glasses. It’s a joke Olivia likes to tell.
Emily tugs on the jean skirt as she crosses the room. Even though she’s sexy as hell in it, it’s hilarious to watch her mentally willing the material to cover more of her gorgeous legs. She slips the glasses to me from the other side of the bar. “Did she need them for her appointment?”
“She’ll be fine without them.”
Emily lightly lays her fingers on the bar like she’s afraid to touch it and continues her examination of the clubhouse. There’s a lot to see. Christmas lights are strung across the ceiling. Pictures of naked women engaging in very erotic things. Her head tilts as her eyes land on the trophies. When her face drains of color, I’m assuming she found the one with my mother’s name. Hell, maybe she discovered several of Olivia’s.
“Are you okay with all this?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I answer without hesitation.
“I mean, you know this is not how normal people live, right?”
“Normal’s overrated. You should try living on the wild side sometime.”
Emily rolls her eyes, completely dismissing me.
“Our life isn’t what you think,” I say.
“I’m sure it’s everything I think and more. Are you telling me you’d be okay with your mom’s bra being up there?”
Guess she didn’t find Mom’s particular trophy or she didn’t connect the dots. “Who says it isn’t?”
Emily coughs through a choke.
“Don’t judge,” I say.
“I’m not,” she whispers.
“You are, and the worst type of people are the ones who judge and don’t think they do. If you want to judge us, do it, but at least own your opinion.”
I expect her to digress into meek and keep her head down because I told her off. Sure as hell shocks me when she narrows her eyes and spits out, “Fine. This place is disgusting and it’s a slap in the face to women everywhere. So which one are you going to do? Judge me in silence or own your opinion?”
A chuckle rumbles out of my throat and I’m drawn in by the mysterious smile forming on her face.
“You’re crazy,” I say.
She giggles and, screw me, I like the sound. Emily hops up on a stool and props her elbows on the bar. “You wear the crazy crown. For real, who carries a knife and, seriously? Who walks in with a bra on and is okay leaving without one? Those things are expensive.”
“What do you know about money? Your dad’s a doctor, right?”
“He is,” she says in slow, methodical way. “But how do you know that?”
I shrug. “Eli talks about you.”
She’s silent. Too pensive for someone her age. I can practically hear her brain ticking, which causes me to be more curious about Emily. I like girls with brains and I like girls who don’t mind using them.
“What else do you know about me?” she asks.
This is where Eli drew the line. “I know you live in Florida. I know Eli visits you once a year. I also know that Olivia almost canceled her doctor’s appointment today so she could hang with you.”
Her shoulders hunch over at the mention of Olivia. I should let it go, but I can’t. “Spend time with her tonight and not in your room hiding or staying silent in the corner. Play cards. Can’t have too much of a conversation when you’re trying to hustle each other.”
Emily’s mouth moves to the side like she’s considering what I said, which I admire. It means she listens and I’ve not met many girls who hear what anyone else has to say. They prefer to listen to themselves talk.
“I can do that,” Emily eventually says, “but what about the other stuff? That photo of me and Olivia...she said that Mom and I lived here for a while. What do you know about that?”
More than her, but not as much as others. “You know we’re the same age, right?”
Her eyebrows furrow together. “You’re seventeen?”