CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile. Feeling a little bit blue right now. Just remembered that this season is the last season of Sons.

Jax lines up and takes his shot, the cue ball smacking into the racked balls with a loud clack. The sound of rebounding balls on the table has Cam turning her attention to the table with a smile "So it's my turn?"

Jax steps away from the table and waves his hand "Sure."

Cam spends a minute or two looking over the table before walking around it to the other side and lining up glancing up at Jax and Opie who are standing at the end she looks back down before taking her shot, the cue ball rolls across the table and taps one ball straight into the pocket. Standing up again she walks around the table and takes another shot, the two balls on the other side of the table rebounding in different directions and sinking in two pockets and the cue ball rebounding off the end and ending up back in front of her. Leaning over the table her third shot sinks another single ball and the fourth drops another two balls leaving only a single ball on the table for her before she can sink the 8-ball.

Jax and Opie exchange a look and then Jax turns his glare on me. "You set us up?'

I shake my head as Cam walks around the table neatly sinking her last ball before looking over at Jax and Opie and their stunned expressions "You really shouldn't have underestimated me." Leaning over the table she takes her final shot, the 8 ball sinking straight into the corner pocket.

Setting the cue on the floor she looks over at me "Not bad given I don't have my cue and this one is about 3 inches too long."

The three of us get up from the table and walk across to Cam and start pulling her to the bar "You can have a drink now, later we'll work out who for you to play next."

We're only half way across the room when the door opens and an influx of people come in; rolling my eyes I mutter "There goes the quiet night."

Opie and Jax are still standing by the pool table when we come back with drinks in our hands. Passing the beer I'm holding to Jax with a wrinkle in my nose he chuckles "What?"

I point at the offending bottle "I still hate that stuff."

Dropping his arm around my shoulder he pulls me to his side "I seem to remember a time when you loved beer."

"Once!" I retort "When I was 15 and we were at the cabin."

Donna laughs as Opie accepts his beer from her with a smile "I remember that summer. It was so hot it felt like you'd melt walking 2 steps."

I nod and lean against Jax's side his fingers brushing over my arm "I remember it to babe. You and D demolished more beer in one night then I've seen both of you drink since then, combined."

I shudder and Donna nods "I think that's why neither of us drinks it now. We drank our body weight in beer in one weekend."

"Yuck."

Sitting back down at the table that Donna and Al had claimed Cam toys with the top of her glass before looking up at me "That's the sort of stuff that I was talking about S. Al and I know nothing about you and what you were like when you were here before."

I reach across the table and rest my hand over hers "I know Cam. I'm happy to answer anything, once I've had enough liquid courage."

Donna and Al laugh while Jax and Opie rack up the pool balls again. Opie leans over the table "So when do you want to go up to the cabin?"

I shrug "I don't know. We'll have to make it for a weekend when we've got nothing else on the agenda."

"So about a year?" Donna pipes up with a laugh.

"Pretty much." Opie heads back to the pool table.

The four of us sit at the table and slowly work our way through the mixed drinks we'd gotten as the volume in the clubhouse increases. Jax and Opie finish their game and head outside when Chibs taps them on the shoulder and tells them something quietly.

Donna has been entertaining Al and Cam with stories of some of the stuff we got up to as teenagers including one story that makes me want to hide in the dorm room till the following morning.

"When Sarah started driving she was okay with the going forwards stuff, turning was a breeze, however going backwards was not one of her strong suits."

I push my seat back and shake my head "If you're telling that story I really need another drink, but wait till I'm back?" Donna nods as I back away from the table.

Lyla's behind the bar when I step into a gap between a couple of the barstools and she runs her eye over my top before waving her hand "Step back, I missed the whole outfit."

Laughing at her I take a couple of steps back and spin slowly before walking forwards again "Finished perving?"

She laughs and leans on the bar across from me "Do you own every single style of shoes from Pleaser? But where the fuck do you get the rest of your clothes, some of the stuff you wear is just so beyond Charming it may as well have come from outer space."

I grin slyly "That's cause most of my clothes are from New York and what's not is either online purchases or custom made stuff. Just wait till the house is finished and I can unpack the rest of my stuff. Anyway, the reason for my visit is 2 fold. Can I get 7 shot glasses, a bottle of vodka, tequila and whiskey?"

Lyla widens her eyes but sets the requested items on the bar. "Now, you got a minute?"

She nods and ducks under the edge of the bar, picking up one of the bottles and the stack of shot glasses. "Lead on."

I lead her back to the table and drop the glasses on the table and tap Donna on the shoulder "I'll just be another second, can you keep your mouth shut about my lack of skills back then?"

Donna pokes her tongue out at me but nods "I'll just keep telling them about the other shit we did. Like that time you thought it would be a good idea to see if you could steal Clay's birthday cake from under his nose."

I crouch down beside her and rest my elbow on the table "Remember who I did that for though D. Who was it that had a craving for chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and no piece but the big fat corner piece that Clay had was good enough."

"Ahh fuck. Okay, I'm still telling that story though."

I shrug "Up to you. I'll be back."

Sliding into the booth across from Lyla I set my hands on the table and link my fingers together "So Lu said yesterday that you were leaving Caracara?"

Lyla nods, her blonde hair bouncing "Yeah, 8 weeks then I've gotta try and find a job where I keep my clothes on. That'll be fun."

I smile at her "Well I may have a solution, how good are you at baking?"

Lyla frowns "Shit. I burn water."

I laugh and rub my hand over my forearm slightly, my fingers resting on the trunk of the tree that covers my inner forearm "That fucks that idea." Pausing and glancing around the room for a second I eventually turn my eyes back to her "Clothes."

"What?"

I grin at her and lean forwards "Being completely honest. Miles asked me if I could help you with a job when you're done at the studio." Lyla's eyes narrow a little but I shake my head before she can say anything "No, you don't get it. It's perfect really."

"What?"

I lean my chin on my hand and start talking, words falling out my mouth as her eyes get continually wider "I'm opening two stores, hope to have them both open by the end of the year if nothing happens that puts that plan to shit. One for food, which as you've said wouldn't work for you, and I'd probably have to rebuild after a day. The other one I'm hoping to sell clothes from, but I'm going to go an alternative style. Charming has enough places that sell pretty dresses and skirts and floral patterns and shit. There is nowhere in town that sells the sort of stuff that I want to wear, that I know Donna would love to wear but can't get to suppliers…that girl has never heard of internet shopping, but anyway, you would be perfect for that."

"What?" Lyla's eyes are so wide they look like they could easily take up her whole face.

"You have this sweet innocent face that completely hides what you currently do, which is a good thing. With you working there it would bring in the kids who don't want prissy stuff and you'd still be able to make the parents relax with a smile. If there was one thing I learnt in New York, relaxed people spend longer in a store which makes for bigger sales."

Lyla looks over at me "Why are you doing this for me?"

I smile at her "So you'll think about it?"

She shakes her head and I feel a momentary crush of disappointment before she smiles hugely "I don't need to think about it. If you want me to help you then I will."

I bounce out of my seat and pull her to her feet wrapping my arms around her neck and hugging her tightly "Thank you, you've just made that so much easier for me, now I don't have to interview."

Lyla frowns a little "Wouldn't you still want to interview me?"

"Why? The fact you recognised from sight where my boots were from is enough for me. That's the type of person I want there, someone who knows where to get the best stuff from."

Lyla smiles at me "Well then I guess I have a new job."

I nod and hug her again "Go back and tell Miles. Make sure you let him know I told you that he asked me first."

Lyla nods and heads back to the bar, even from behind her I can see how happy she is, there's a bounce in her step that wasn't there before we sat down.

Going back to the table where my friends are still sitting I roll my eyes as Donna is still telling the story that started with a slice of cake and almost ended with me missing a finger.