Shade's Fall
Page 35

Shade opened the door, coming into what seemed to be the living room and dining room combo. It was an open-concept house where you could see through the whole downstairs. The walls were all dry-walled and the subfloors had been laid.
Shade walked into the kitchen where none of the cabinets or anything had been placed. There was a small, fold-up table and two metal chairs sitting in the room with several books lying on top.
Shade looked around the room, moving from one area to the other.
Lily looked at him curiously. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to figure out where I want the island to go and which wall for the appliances.”
“Start with where you want the sink, which is obviously by the window.” She pointed toward said window.
“Why by the window?”
“So you can look out while you do the dishes,” Lily explained.
“What about the stove?”
Lily looked around the room and pointed to the wall on the right. “That way you can keep an eye on the room while you’re cooking; the other wall you would have your back to the room.
“That’s true, but the exhaust fan would break the line of sight.”
Lily agreed, temporarily forgetting she was angry at him.
Shade finally decided to place it against the wall Lily had pointed out.
He sat down at the table, going through floor samples, which Lily helped him narrow down to hardwood then the type of wood. Next he picked out cabinets, but when Lily made a face, he turned over several more pages until she found one she thought would suit the style of the house.
“I’m surprised. I thought you would try to talk me into a country-looking kitchen, but you’re guiding me into a more modern look.”
Lily smiled. “I’m surprised you know the difference. I like the modern look for the clean lines and angles.”
“I do, too.” Shade closed the books. “That’s enough for today. It will take a couple of weeks to get it done then I can pick out the fixtures for the bathrooms.”
“Make sure you have one put in like you do now. Your shower is amazing.”
“I like it, too, but I was thinking of going a little bigger here.”
“How much bigger do you need? It’s already big enough for several people.” It dawned on Lily as soon as the words were out of her mouth that he had probably shared his shower many times with the women members. Lily closed the book she was looking at with a snap, getting to her feet without looking at him.
“Ready?” she asked. “If you need to stay, I can go back by myself.”
“I’m finished,” Shade replied, going to the door, turning off the lights on the way.
They walked back to the house, and instead of going through the kitchen, he led her through the door, which led directly downstairs.
Lily went to Shade’s room, getting a fresh pair of flannel pajamas before she went into the bathroom to get changed. She was tired. Tonight she wanted to sleep in the bed, yet she knew she was incapable of climbing into the bed with Shade.
Lily opened the door to see Shade was taking off his shoes. He had already removed his t-shirt and his jeans were unsnapped.
He got up from the side of the bed and then went inside the bathroom, closing the door.
Lily stood in the middle of the floor for several seconds. She couldn’t do it, going instead for the corner.
When Shade came out of the bathroom, she thought she saw a flash of disappointment before his face became impassive. He got into the bed, turning out the lamp.
Lily stood there several moments before she sat down on the floor. Her mind was thinking she was already stiff from working out and sleeping on the floor was going to hurt her even more. She had to find another place to stay.
As she sat there thinking, several things occurred to her. She had walked across the floor barefoot, and while the carpeting was thick throughout, where she was sitting was extremely padded. She put her hand down and noticed it was thicker. There was extra padding underneath the carpet where she was sitting. The room itself was very warm, which she liked; she wasn’t cold and didn’t need a blanket to keep warm.
She was staring at him sleeping on the bed when it dawned on her that she could see him clearly. Her head then turned in the direction of the bathroom. He had left the door open and the light on.
 
 
Chapter 16
 
Lily filled the last order of the day, aware of Georgia’s eyes on her. Lily wanted to turn around and stick her tongue out at her. Feeling childish, she packed the items back to the table and began sorting them.
Jewell was on her way out, finished with her last box, when she stopped by Lily’s table. “That woman is Jonesing for you.”
“She doesn’t like me,” Lily agreed.
“No shit,” Jewell mocked, throwing a glare at Georgia.
Lily almost laughed but didn’t think it would help the situation, and it would increase Georgia’s hostility toward her.
“I must rub her the wrong way. I don’t think I’ve done anything to make her dislike me.”
“I’ll tell you why she doesn’t like you in one word. Jealousy.”
“Georgia is not jealous of me,” Lily said wryly.
“Oh, yes she is. She’s hung up on Shade. She made friends with me just to get closer to him.” Jewell shrugged. “I’m a sucker for a pretty face and a rocking body.”
Lily studied the sultry body that always had one of The Last Riders close.
“I assumed—I mean… never mind,” Lily trailed off, embarrassed.
“That I’m into dudes? I’m into anyone who makes me feel good,” Jewell replied, not in the least bit embarrassed. “I like sex. I really like sex.”
Lily couldn’t help but like the woman who had showed her where everything was when she had first started working at the factory.
“I keep hoping she’ll ease up,” Lily admitted.
“Georgia isn’t going to take a personality pill one day and become a nice person. You have to stand your ground. She can’t fire you, so tell her to fuck off.”
“I can’t be disrespectful. She’s everyone’s supervisor.”
“She’s a worker. Whichever of the club’s members is over the factory is the boss. That’s what counts. You have to learn to take up for yourself, Lily. That’s why none of us has said anything to her. This is your first real job, and everyone wants you to learn to handle this situation without one of us stepping in and fixing it for you. You have to stop being such a sweet person all the time. A little bit of being a bitch wouldn’t hurt.” Jewell advised.
Lily had mixed emotions. She understood what Jewell was saying. She was trying to tell her to stop being a wimp. She didn’t want to get in Georgia’s face, though. She always avoided confrontations. She hated confrontations.
She didn’t like that part of herself. She had to get past that fear or she was never going to stop the panic attacks that had plagued her throughout her life.
“I’ll try.”
“Cool. If you need any help, let me know. I always enjoy a good fight.”
“All right,” Lily said, getting back to work.
“Finished?” Raci asked Jewell.
“Almost. I just need to give this paperwork to Shade.” Jewell left, taking the paperwork to Shade’s office, leaving the door open.