Chapter 4
SOA is the property of Kurt Sutter, I do not own anything you recognize!
"Dani, are you working this Friday?"
"No Aunt Gem, I'm only at the hospital on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays."
"Why the hell did you ever want to become a nurse instead of a dance teacher?"
"Given the chosen occupation of all my uncles, I thought a Nursing degree would be far more practical than a Dance and Performing Arts degree. Besides, I still volunteer for MaryAnne whenever she needs me."
"Can you work the office at the garage for me this Friday? I have some shit I need to do."
"Sure, I'm going out with Kelsey that night but not until later. I can cover things for you."
"Kelsey Murphy? Does her darling mother know that Kelsey still hangs out with the likes of you?"
Dani laughed. "Kelsey always drives whenever we go out so I never see dear old Tracey anymore. Kelsey and her boyfriend broke up and it's Halloween so we're hitting the bars in costume to flirt shamelessly with unsuspecting men until they buy us drinks."
"No creepers. Remember, you see the same guy in two places in less than two days it's not a coincidence, he's either trying to get in your pants, trying to kill you, or both. And don't bother with anyone with a mask on!"
"Don't worry Aunt Gem. I've spent enough time with SAMCRO over the last six and a half years to be able to pick out a bullshit artist when I see one."
…
Dani had been out of school for over a year now. She graduated UC Berkeley with a nursing degree and went right to work as an ER nurse for Charming Hospital. She still taught dance when she could, but it was nearly impossible to make a career out of ballet in a major city, let alone in Charming.
She used some of her trust fund money to buy a two bedroom house close to Aunt Gem and Uncle Clay. The guys all helped her paint it and move her furniture into it. It was a modest house, but she gave it a few modern pieces of furniture and other nice touches to make it homey. Her 50's style, bright red refrigerator and matching 50's diner style table with matching bar stools were her favorite pieces.
The guys were all used to having her around again. They still treated her like a 16-year-old china doll from time to time, but most of them had grown accustomed to the fact that she was 23, lived on her own, and had hung up her tights (for the most part).
She worked as a nurse, helped Tara patch up the guys when they needed it, subbed at the garage when Gemma asked her to, and helped MaryAnne with the dance studio when she could. She still had her moments, but for the most part had recovered very well from losing both her parents when she was only a teenager, as well as having her paternal Grandmother turn her back on her once the will was read and it became known that Dani's parents had chosen Gemma as her guardian, not Grandma Evangeline.
Dani had reached out a few times, but Grandma Evangeline made it quite clear she held Dani just as guilty as she held her mother of turning "her precious son" away from her before he died.
Dani's parents had met in college and fell in love at first sight. Her Grandparents disowned her Dad when they got married, yelling the whole time that he was ruining them by marrying common trash. In their minds, Old Money did not marry someone beneath them. Her mother took it all in stride and had tried to reconnect when Grandpa Edward passed away. Things had gone well until Evangeline referred to a newborn Dani as "the tainted offspring of a hussy and a disappointment of a son." After that, Dani's parents had cut off all contact and started their own company.
Her Dad had enough contacts in the business world, and her Mom had enough sheer determination to start a small software company that grew exponentially within five years of its founding. By the time they passed away, Harmony Holdings was a leading provider of ignition software to most of the major Engineering Firms in the country.
From the time she went to live with Gemma and Clay, there had been a monthly stipend from her trust fund deposited into a bank account for her care and keeping. Now that she was of age, the deposits went into her own bank account. The trust had a separate clause that had covered her college education and expenses. She vaguely recalled Ally Lowen, SAMCRO's lawyer, telling her a long time ago that the terms would change again once she turned 25.
All in all, she was enjoying spending her early to mid-twenties close to the SAMCRO family that had basically adopted her after she lost her parents. They still didn't let her anywhere near the club house on Friday nights, but she managed to have fun with the few friends she'd made when she moved to town. She couldn't help but think about how miserable she'd have been if Grandma Evangeline had somehow managed to get custody of her. Thank God, her parents had the foresight to make an air tight, uncontestable will.
…
"You sure you can hear the customers come in over that noise?"
"Samba music is not noise, Bobby! It helps keep me motivated while I clean up in here. I might as well leave Aunt Gem a clean desk. What can I do for you?"
"I need the keys for the Camry and the invoice for the Tahoe."
"Here. Now get out of here before I make you Samba with me!"
Dani turned around and grabbed the stack of files that Gemma had left in a pile on the desk. She had no idea why Gemma refused to modernize the office. It would make things so much easier. She squatted down to put the files in the bottom drawer, her jeans molding to her curves to accommodate the motion. "Did you come in to Samba with me or are you just going to block the doorway?"
He still had no idea how she did that. He didn't make a sound and she wasn't even facing the door when he walked up. He hadn't even seen her in 6 months.
"Slummin' at the garage today, Tights?" He moved all the way into the office.
"Just helping out my dear Auntie Gem while she's out running errands. How long are you back in Charming for?" She stood up, unconsciously taking a step in his direction.
"Transferred from Tacoma for good." He moved closer still.
"I guess I'll be seeing more of you then." One more step forward.
"You still got that number?" He was right in front of her now, hands on his hips and predatory male swagger rolling off him in waves.
"Does it still work?" She raised her eyes right up to his.
"Try it and find out." He saw her eyes drop to his mouth. He slanted his head, moving it down towards her.
"Don't let me interrupt kids!"
She jumped and Hap moved back, away from her. Happy glared at him. "What, Tig?"
"Nuthin'. Just wondering if Dani's finally gonna come to the club house tonight for the annual Halloween party?"
"No, going out with a friend who just broke up with her boyfriend. Besides, if I showed up you know Clay would just make one of you guys babysit me all night."
"By the looks of things Hap here would take good care of ya." Tig grabbed the keys for the car he was working on and walked out.
She stood there a bit awkwardly. Hap had his hands on his hips while he stared at her. "Who you goin' out with tonight?"
"Kelsey Murphy. She's driving."
He pointed at her phone to let her know he was serious, "she flakes, you use that number. Lotta assholes out tonight." He turned around and walked back out to the garage.
She flopped down hard in the office chair. It took a good five minutes for her heart to leave her throat and travel back to her chest where it belonged.
…
I hated cutting this short when it was just about to get good but the next plot line would've made the chapter drag on! I promise…we're getting there soon!
Harmony Holdings is a fictitious company I made up for the story. However, if you google Harmony Holdings, it is in fact, a company somewhere. No connection to the one in this story and no trademark or copyright infringement intended.
