And I Won't Hear You Speaking

****FLASHBACK****

"Andrea?" I heard from above me as someone knocked on the hood of my truck. Okay, not 'someone'. I heard Piney call out as he knocked on my truck.

I quickly finished tightening the oil drum before I pushed my creeper out from under my Yukon. Piney wasn't standing where I could see him, so I picked up a rag and started to wipe off my hands as I stood up. Gemma had told me that she wasn't expecting anyone from the MC to be at the garage today, so I had offered to help out and asked if I could do my own oil change. I guess plans changed for the guys. Great.

Before turning around to look at him, I took in a deep breath and said, "Gemma told me it would be okay for me to do my own oil change. So... If you want to yell at someone, yell at her."

"Yell...?" He questioned, taking a step towards me. He paused mid-step when he saw me take a large step back and away from him. "Andie, I'm not here to yell at you about that."

"Okay. What DO you want to yell at me about then?"

"What? Nothing!" He huffed out a breath then added, "I'm not here to yell about anything. Jesus Christ, can't a father just talk to his daughter? Is that not allowed?"

"It's more than allowed. But in my experience, you don't ever want to 'just talk' with me anymore, Piney."

He hung his head for a second then looked up at me and smirked, "When I get the third degree for just saying your name, can you blame me?"

Yes. Yes, I CAN blame you... for a lot of things. I continued cleaning the oil and grease off my hands and kept my eye on that task while I answered, "Did you need me for something? Because I wanted to get the work done on my truck before I take a lunch break."

The smile disappeared from Piney's face when I ignored his teasing comment. "I... I was... I was going to invite you out for lunch."

"But now you aren't?"

"No. That... that isn't what I meant."

I finally turned my eyes up to his face to give him an exasperated look. "Okay. What DID you mean?"

"I meant... Goddammit..." He took in a deep breath and looked like he was trying to calm himself down. "Andie, do you want to go out for lunch with me or not?"

"Not," I replied in a calm voice without a second of hesitation. "Is that all?"

He shook his head, turned his back on me and looked like he was going to walk away. I guess that was the end of that conversation. I remained in my spot, waiting for him to step away because he was blocking my path to get into the driver's seat of my truck. I really didn't have much else work to do on my Yukon, but he didn't need to know that.

But he didn't walk away. Instead he turned back around and said in what I could only describe as a dejected tone, "So much for not giving us the cold shoulder."

That comment caused me to deflate in my spot. Well, it wasn't so much his words that affected me, it was his tone. "I'm not giving you the cold shoulder."

"You're not? Well, you definitely had me fooled?"

I huffed out a laugh and shook my head. "If I was doing that, I would still be under my truck pretending that I didn't hear you at all."

"Is that what the difference is?"

"To name one. So, was there something else you wanted to talk about?"

He opened his mouth to answer but quickly closed it and shook his head. "No. Not right now."

"Okay. So...? Can I get back to work or...?"

"What? Oh... yeah... Yes, of course. I'll get out of your way."

I watched as he walked out of the garage and let out a heavy sigh. The next time Gemma called to ask to help out here, I had to remember to say no. It was just too damn awkward being here with things being so weird between Piney and me. Plus, the renovations on my new restaurant were well under way, so I really should be focusing on that right now. Yeah, that was an excuse I'm sure Gemma would believe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I slipped out from under the car I had been helping Doc with and froze in my spot. As soon as I was clear of the bumper, the first thing I saw was Piney. He was standing at the nose of the car with a bottle of beer in each hand.

"The guys have packed it in for the day..."

I looked up at the clock behind him. When the time registered in my brain, I know I gaped at it for a couple of seconds. "Shit. I didn't realize it had gotten so late. Why didn't Doc stop me?"

"He said you were in the zone and didn't want to bother you."

He then moved to pass me one of the beers, but I shook my head. Before he could take my response the wrong way, I quickly explained, "Let me wash my hands first. I'm more likely to drop it then drink it with this much grease on my hands."

"Oh... Right... Of course. I wasn't thinking."

I kept one eye on him while I washed my hands. He looked really uncomfortable and antsy, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Shit, that had to mean that giving me one of the beers to drink wasn't the only thing on his agenda.

"I could meet you at the picnic table, if you want."

He gave that suggestion a moment of thought before nodded then answered, "Alright. I'll meet you out there."

After I gave my hands a thorough cleaning (I even pulled out a nail brush to make sure I had eliminated every minute trace of grease that could possibly be on my skin) before I walked out towards the clubhouse. As I made my way across the parking lot, I gave my truck more than one long, lingering look. Trust me, it took a lot of effort for me not to just divert my course to my truck to drive away and never look back.

When I reached his side, Piney passed me the beer. I took it with a quiet 'Thank You' as I sat down opposite him. For a couple of very uncomfortable minutes, we sat in silence while he watched me drink out of the bottle. Great. This was super fun. I should come out and do this more often.

"So... it looks like work has started on the building next to your bar..."

I nodded but didn't say anything because it didn't sound like he was finished that thought. But when he made no moves to continue, I answered, "Yeah, it has."

"And I heard a rumor you bought the place?"

Since he phrased it as a question, I answered, "Yeah, I did."

"To open a restaurant?"

"Yep."

He let out a self-deprecating laugh before saying, "Any chance I'll be able to get more than a three-word phrase out of you?"

"I don't know what you want me to say. Yes, I bought the building next to my bar to open a restaurant. Renovations have started and they should be finished ahead of schedule. Is that more to your liking, Piney?"

"It would be even better if you called me 'Dad', but yes. Thank you." I tried not to but I ended up rolling my eyes at that comment. He choked out a laugh then asked, "What was that for?"

"What was what for?"

"Andrea. Why are you rolling your eyes at me?"

"Because we'll get into a screaming match if I say what I really thinking."

"We will, will we?" He huffed out another laugh. "We've been civil so far, so why don't we push our luck and you tell me what you're really thinking?"

"I'd rather not."

"Please, Short Stack? I promise not to yell."

I felt my eyebrows knit into a scowl while I contemplated what to do. Well, might as well go for broke. If he broke his promise then it would just give me another excuse... reason... Another REASON for me to avoid coming to TM in the future.

"Fine. But I tried to keep it neutral. What I was thinking is... I... I would call you 'Dad' if you actually acted like one to me every once in a while."

I could feel myself unconsciously recoil from the table because I was anticipating the worst. But Piney surprised me. He didn't yell. He didn't lash out. Hell, he didn't move at all for a couple of minutes. Then he moved his hand to pick up his untouched bottle of beer sitting in front of him. I started to move my position on the bench so that it would be easier for me to duck and cover if he decided to throw that bottle at me.

But all he did was take a sip from it. After swallowing the liquid, he nodded then said, "You might have a point there."

"Pardon me?" He hadn't just said that, had he? The was no way he was actually agreeing with me, right?

"I said, you're right." He smiled softly then reached across the table to hold my hand. "I haven't been much of a father to you, especially over these last couple of months. I'm sorry for that, Short Stack. I should have been better to you."

I didn't really know what to say to that. But thankfully I didn't have to figure out what to say in reply because he continued, "Not that it's an excuse, but I never really knew how to be a father to you. Hell, I barely knew what I was doing with your brother, but boys I can deal with... I know how to knock some sense into them and how to make them man up. But a little girl...?"

He let that thought fade out with a shake of his head. I couldn't help but to laugh because his insane logic actually made sense to me.

"I told you a long time ago, I'm low maintenance. You didn't... don't need to do much," I replied in a quiet, meek tone that I didn't recognize.

"Except...? Come on, I know there has to be more to that thought."

"There is," I conceded. "You don't have to do much except... listen when I come to you. You don't always have to say anything or solve my problems. Sometimes, I just need my dah... a shoulder to cry on. If I need more than that, I'll make sure to let you know."

"Alright. So? How do we get back to a place where my little girl will call on me to be a shoulder to cry on or a sympathetic ear?"

I stared at him and tried to read his expression. But just like always, he remained a complete mystery to me. Then again, from what he was saying, I was a complete enigma to him too. So, how do we get it so that we were both on the same page?

"Do you really mean that? I mean... Is that what you really want?"

"Yes, Short Stack, it is. I hate that I haven't been a part of your life. I hate that I had to hear from your brother that you're expanding your brand."

I smiled sadly then said, "And how long...?"

"Don't," he interrupted in an anguished tone. "Please don't finish that thought. I mean what I'm saying, Andrea Griffin. I don't want us to continue on like we have... not if I can help it."

"Me too. But... But I have to ask... Are you dying? How love did they give you to live?"

"Andrea..."

"What? I being completely serious. You really are kind of freaking me out right now, Daddy. You've never... We've never talked like this before and it's weirding me out. Sorry."

He squeezed my hand that he was still holding. "I can appreciate that. But no, I'm not dying... At least not any faster than the last time we talked."

"That... That isn't funny," I somehow managed to get out around a sob that escaped through the words.

"I know..." He stood up to walk over to my side to give me a hug. "But the truth rarely is."

"And people wonder why my sense of humor is so fucked up."

Dad hugged me a bit tighter and kissed the top of my head. "I love you so much, Andie. I'm sorry I keep pushing you away."

"I love you too, Daddy. I swear I don't... don't..." That's when the tears started spilling down my cheeks. "I don't try to piss you off and... and I don't... I don't try to push you... you away either."

He kissed my head again then said, "You can't help but to give into your DNA. I've never had to question if you were a chip off this old block or not."

I laughed through my tears then replied, "I've never really thought of it that way."

"I know you haven't. But it's the truth."

When he started to release me from his embrace, I quickly gripped his wrist tightly. I know he must have been scowling at me in confusion, but I didn't acknowledge it. Instead, I slid over on the bench and tugged on his arm until he sat down beside me.

I knew his range of motion would be limited, so I threw my right left over the bench so that I was straddling it. He shifted slightly so that we could see each other's faces more easily. Tears were still spilling down my cheeks even though I was slowing my breathing and trying to get them to stop. He reached out his left hand and massaged away some of the moisture with the palm of his hand.

"So... Why don't you tell me about your new restaurant, Short Stack?"

I smiled through my tears as I caught his hand to pull it away from my face. I kissed his fingers to ease his mind and let him know I wasn't pulling away from him. I kept holding his hand in my lap as I asked, (and counted off each word with the fingers of my left hand) "What would you like to know, Daddy?" I held up two fingers adding, "There. Seven words."

"Andrea..."

"Okay... Okay... Sorry. But really... I don't know where to start, so please tell me what you want to know."

He gave me a disapproving, suspicious look but none of that was evident in his voice when he replied, "What are you going to name your new place? Or... Have you decided on a name?"

Those questions made me smile brightly. His uncertain tone coaxed another laugh out of me. He definitely was trying. "Actually, the name has been the easiest part of the process. Irt's going to be 'The Buffalo Grill'. That way people can say they're going to 'The Buffalo Bar & Grill'."

"Clever."

"I try..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Opie turned off the headlights of the tow truck when he noticed Andie's truck and his dad's motorcycle were still parked at TM. Why were both of their vehicles the only ones still left this late in the day? More than that, why was Andie here at TM? She had so much on her plate, why was adding helping out at the garage to her pile?

"Do you think we should go over there and separate them?" Kozik asked as he pointed to the two shadowy figures seated at the picnic table.

Opie didn't answer him and just watched the duo for a bit. Suddenly it looked like Andie gave Piney what looked like a forceful shove. They were too far away to hear anything, so Opie and Kozik could only base their reactions on what they were seeing.

Kozik immediately moved to open his door, but Opie's right hand shot out to catch the other man's forearm to keep him in his seat.

Before Kozik could snap out his question of what his Brother was doing, Opie said, "Just watch."

Andie pushed against Piney's side ang, but this time her laughter echoed through the still night air. She was so animated that she even threw her head back in laughter. Piney didn't look impressed by that reaction, but that didn't stop him from helping her to stand up off the bench. She ghosted a kiss over her dad's cheek before she sprinted towards the clubhouse door.

Opie chuckled quietly to himself because he recognized that move. It felt good to know that some things don't change. The fact that he was noticing that trait in his twin sister really warmed his heart.

Kozik once again reached out to open his door saying, "Okay, so they aren't fighting and that means..."

"Wait," Opie commanded in a firm tone.

Kozik huffed out an unimpressed noise but didn't voice any other protests. He also didn't see the triumphant smile that spread across Opie's face at hearing that noise of concession. Opie really just wanted to see if this was going to play out how he envisioned it.

Thankfully, Andie didn't disappoint. She came out of the clubhouse with the necks of two beer bottles in one hand and a glass of what he could only assume was tequila in the other. She put the glass down in front of their dad and reclaimed her seat on the bench beside him.

When Andie raised a bottle for Piney to tap his glass against, Opie finally said, "Let's just give them a couple more minutes."

****END FLASHBACK****