Joey

“Try this with this.” Sandy handed me sleeveless top and a pair of leggings. “I think that little peplum will look cute with leggings.”

Sandy was Eddie’s stepmother, and she was pregnant. With twins. She couldn’t have been any cuter. She stood my height, was still very thin despite being pregnant, and barely had a noticeable baby bump. With her blonde hair, large boobs, and perfect posture, she could have been a model.

I reached for the clothes. “Huh?”

“Cute. I think they’ll look cute. Try them on.”

“What’d you call it?”

“Call what?”

“The top.”

“Oh. I grabbed a peplum.”

“Peplum?”

“Yeah. And a pair of leggings.”

“Peplum. That’s a funny name.”

“You’ve never heard of a peplum?”

“No. I uhhm. I haven’t.”

She scrunched her nose. “Really?”

It may have sounded crazy to her, but I grew up with a stepfather who never took me shopping, and most of the clothes I wore were purchased online. I wasn’t versed on the names of all things female.

“I just…” I offered an innocent shrug. “I haven’t shopped much. Weird family.”

“My dad takes me shopping all the time,” Eddie said. “You can come with us. Shopping is fun, even if you don’t buy anything. Sometimes I go for an entire day, and he’ll even sit and wait at the fountain for me.”

Eddie was Smokey’s 17-year-old daughter. She was petite, curvy, had beautiful brown hair, and talked 1,000 miles-an-hour. She was energetic and fun. I hoped, over time, that we could become close friends.

“Sounds fun.” I raised the clothes. “Let me try these on.”

I’d already set aside a pair of jeans and two tops. Excited to see what a peplum looked like, I carried the clothes to the dressing room and tried them on.

The floral-pattern top was sleeveless, fitted at the top, and flared at the bottom. In my eyes, it was perfect. It accentuated my boobs and flared at the bottom, giving me more of an hourglass appearance than I already had.

I turned to one side, and then the other.

The dressing room door rattled from someone beating on it.

“We’re waiting,” Eddie said. “Come on.”

I opened the door and stepped out.

“That’s sexy,” Sandy said.

Eddie looked me up and down, and then grinned. “I like it.”

I looked in the full-length mirror at the end of the corridor. “I think I like it, too. These pants are comfortable.”

“Tell me you’ve never worn leggings,” Sandy said, her tone sarcastic, but playful.

“I haven’t.”

“Oh, my God,” she said. “That’s crazy. Leggings are the best. I couldn’t live without them.”

I slid my hand up my thigh and glanced in the mirror. “They’re really tight.”

“They’re leggings,” Eddie said.

“No. I mean they’re tight and comfortable.”

“That top makes your boobs look…” She pressed her hands to her hip and raised her brows. “Huge.”

“They don’t need any help,” I said with a laugh. “They’re ridiculous.”

“They’re real, right?” Sandy asked.

“Real? Yeah. Why would anyone do this to themselves?”

She pressed her biceps into the sides of her boobs and twisted her mouth to the side. “Oh, I don’t know.”

“They aren’t?”

“Really?” she laughed. “You thought they were real?”

It never crossed my mind that Sandy’s boobs were fake. I wasn’t a complete idiot, and I did realize people got implants, but I didn’t know anyone in real life that had. At least I didn’t think so.

“Uhhm. Yeah.”

“Seriously?”

“Uh huh.”

“Awwe. Thank you. But no. They’re fake.”

She was wearing a sleeveless top with cleavage that would rival my work uniform. I glanced at her boobs, but tried not to stare. “They look great.”

“I like you,” she said.

I grinned. “I like you, too.”

“What else do you want?” Eddie asked.

Since receiving my raise at work, I’d saved all my wages, less food and fuel. Nonetheless, I needed to save as much as possible so I could get my own place to live. I couldn’t stay with Percy forever, and I knew it.

“I think this is enough,” I said. “We can come back some other time.”

“Do you like Starbucks?” Eddie asked.

“Coffee? I love coffee.”

“Me too.”

Sandy rubbed her belly. “One cup a day for me.”

Having girlfriends was something I always dreamed of. My lack of confidence about my leg – and my stepfather’s violent temper – prevented it from ever being a reality. Shopping with Eddie and Sandy was one of the best times I’d ever experienced.

“Maybe in a few weeks we can come back?” I said, my voice filled with hope.

“Just say the word,” Sandy said. “I’ll go shopping anytime. I’ve got issues.”

“Issues?”

“I’m a clothes whore. I’ve got more outfits than…” She looked me over. “I bet you could wear a bunch of my stuff.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” I said. “You’re skinny.”

“We’re basically the same size.”

We weren’t, but it was nice hearing it. “I don’t think so, but thank you.”

“I’ll pick some stuff out for you. Most of it’s not going to fit me for a long time.”

“Thank you.”

We walked to the register, and I handed the clothes to the salesman.

“Did you find everything okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He rang up the clothes, folding each of them carefully afterward. After the last article was placed in the bag, he looked at the register.

“The total is $207.41. Cash, or on your card?”

I reached for my wallet and grinned. “Cash.”

I handed him the money. I’d come a long way in the last few months. Although the journey wasn’t anything I’d planned, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. As far as I was concerned, my life couldn’t get any better.

I paid for the clothes and accepted the bag, eager to find out what Percy would think about my choices.

As we walked toward Starbucks, I turned toward Sandy. “Have you ever been on a poker run or anything?”

“Several, why?”

“Oh, I was just wondering.”

“There’s one coming up in a few weeks. San Clemente, Santa Ana, Riverside, Palm Springs, and then through Temecula. Two hundred and fifty miles. It’ll be a back breaker.”

“I love riding.”

“Have you ever gone that far?”

“I’ve gone over eight hundred miles in a day.”

“Jesus,” she said. “You’re hard core.”

“I like riding.”

“You must.”

“I bet P-Nut will take you on it,” Eddie said.

He hadn’t mentioned it, and I now wondered if he was going to take me around the clubhouse, his other brothers, or to any of the MC’s functions. As kind as he was, he was also very private and reserved about the club.

“Oh, I’m not worried about that.” I motioned toward the Starbucks across from us. “Let’s get a cup of coffee.”

“I’m just saying, I’ve known P-Nut forever. Like, forever. Him and my dad are like best friends. He comes over almost every day, and he’s never brought a girl over. He’s never even hung out with a girl. I’ve never seen a girl on the back of his bike. He’s never even mentioned a girl. Nothing. You’re the first. And, just so you know, I’ve been waiting a long time for this to happen.”

Just when I thought my life couldn’t get any better, it did. Her words filled me with pride, and gave me hope for the future.

“Yeah,” I said. “Me, too.”