Hi guys! Next chapter is here! You know the drill, right? 1) Read 2) Enjoy 3) Review! :-P
Hope you guys like it!
The room was dead silent as the door slammed shut, each and every person busy trying to figure out what on earth was happening. It wasn't everyday that hired help went off on a member and started tossing curse words and silverware around the queen mother's house. Everyone was absolutely stunned. Luckily, Opie snapped out of it after a few seconds.
"Lila," he started. "Tara. Will one of you go check on her and make sure she's okay?"
Both women nodded and moved to follow Tess, stopping for a second when Chibs added, "And don't let her get in her car and drive away. She's been drinking and I'm not sure she's quite up to driving."
As soon as the two women left the room in search of Tess, all eyes turned to Kozik, who seemed completed deflated and very suddenly uncomfortable. "What?" he asked, in an attempt to save face.
"I think we need to have a bit of a conversation, brother," Chibs told him to the tune of general agreement from the remaining people.
"That's a great idea," Gemma agreed quickly. "I am going to call your...Bambi a cab. Wayne, why don't you come help me and Neeta with the kids."
Gemma not so gently guided Bambi towards the kitchen, with Unser following in her wake. Kozik's eyes trailed them all the way out of the room. Finally, after a moment, he turned back towards his brothers with a wicked, crazed grin on his face. "Nothing like a good old family dinner," he said nonchalantly. "Am I right?"
Tess made it maybe three steps outside the door before she doubled over and vomited in the bushes. She wasn't quite sure if it was the alcohol of the bitter feeling of betrayal and disgust that soured her stomach so quickly. If she had to guess, she would bet on a fine combination of both. As she heaved into Gemma's shrubs, Tess thought, very briefly, that there was almost nothing she wouldn't give for her mother to be here right now.
On the tail end of that very though, she felt a gentle set of hands gathering the hair from her neck and holding it out of the way. Somebody else was rubbing soft, comforting circles on her back. She wondered if, somehow, the universe had heard her unspoken wish and magically transported her to her family home and her mother's embrace, but as she finished revisiting her dinner, she saw that it was still Gemma's greenery she was ruining. Tess ran the back of her hand across her mouth, assuring that she was completely finished, before she turned to meet her guardian angels.
"You okay, Sweetie?" Lila asked, an understanding, sympathetic look on her face.
"I...I think so," Tess answered, before rethinking and shaking her head. She had just made an ass of herself in front everybody, and now her she was looking wrecked on Gemma's front stoop. In even her wildest dreams, she could not have imagined this evening turning out any worse.
"We probably should have warned you about Chibs drinks," Tara smiled, letting go of Tess's hair and offering her an elastic instead. "They taste good, but they are kind of infamous for leading to exactly this kind of thing."
Tess managed a smile, appreciating Tara's kindness. "Yeah. I may have to kick him when I see him again," she admitted, before adding, "If I ever see him again, that it."
'You will," Lila was quick to assure her. "But don't be too hard on him. Save some of that kicking for Kozik. He deserves it more than Chibs, I think."
Tess didn't understand why, but for a split second, she wanted to slap Lila. She had no idea why she felt the need to defend Kozik after what he had done tonight, but she did. Quickly, she shoved that protective instinct aside and nodded, as traitorous tears welled in her eyes.
"Yeah, he really does," she admitted, a mixture of sadness and embarrassment animating her face. "I'm really sorry. For everything. I ruined dinner and I ruined everybody's good news and I probably lost my job to top it all off."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Tara advised, laying a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be alright."
"Yeah," Lila smiled in agreement. "We all go a little crazy sometimes when it comes to dealing with these boys."
Tess sighed, glad that somebody understood. "Well, thanks," she muttered. "But I still want to go home and never show my face ever again."
Both women laughed at that sentiment, before Tara spoke again, "Well, we can give you a ride home."
"You don't have to do that," Tess argued, not wishing to trouble them anymore tonight.
"Really, I think we do," Tara insisted. "You had more than one of Chibs' drinks, which means driving is not a good idea."
"And plus, if we take you home, it means we get a break from the kids for five minutes," Lila added, a cheerful smile on her face. "Don't take that from us!"
"Okay," Tess nodded. "I have to get my purse."
"Uh, I will grab it for you," Tara told her instantly. "I am pretty sure you don't want to be in there right now."
"Thanks," Tess smiled, genuine this time. "Suppose I should clean this up?"
Lila handed her some Altoids and shook her head, "We'll have one of the Prospects do it. They really specialize in this sort of thing."
"So you want to tell us exactly what that was all about?" Opie asked casually, though his question was anything but. Tess was their employee and their friend, and she was under the protection for the Club. RIght now, that protection meant figuring out what exactly had gone down to cause this sort of upset.
"Not really," Kozik shrugged, sighing and taking a long pull from the beer in front of him.
"That answer is not going to work, brother," Chibs spoke up, leaning against his elbows on the table. "Talk."
"We were friends," he started, trying to keep it as casual as he could. "We were hanging out and one thing lead to another. I didn't mean for anything to happen, but it did."
"So how did you go from bagging a girl like Tess to...Bambi?" Opie asked quite skeptically.
"That is definitely a downgrade," Chibs added. "I mean, where on Earth do you find somebody like that anyway? She looks like the kind of pussy you only find at the Jelly Bean."
"I like the Jelly Bean!" Kozik argued hotly. "And besides, it's not like she was there to dance. She was just hanging out there with some friends."
Opie stifled a laugh, and it was only then that Kozik realized Chibs had been kidding. They were all openly laughing at him now. He knew that they didn't mean it; that they weren't trying to be assholes. Really, they were just being...guys.
"You are one classy guy, Kozik," Opie commented dryly.
He snorted in response, and pretty soon, he was joining them in laughter. It only lasted a moment before he noticed Gemma leaning against the entryway, arms crossed over her look on her face told him that he was in trouble. Big, big trouble.
"I got rid of your little whore friend," she informed him as she came to sit at the table. "Apparently she drank any money she might have had, so I paid for her cab. You owe me sixty bucks. Lila and Tara are taking Tess home."
Kozik ignored the relief he felt when he heard that Bambi was gone and Tess was safe. He wasn't supposed to care about Tess. He also wasn't even going to mention that a cab ride back to Bambi's neighborhood should only cost thirty bucks, tops. Instead, he just nodded and tried to look ashamed of himself, while Chibs and Opie looked on in delight.
"Stop looking pathetic," she told him, all about the tough, motherly love today. "I am not going to yell at you."
"You're not?" he asked, and he noticed his brothers deflate slightly.
"No, I'm not," she affirmed. "Instead, I am just going to tell it like it is." Kozik swallowed heavily. This could be bad. "I am not about to meddle in your business, because honestly, I have enough on my plate right now. I don't know what happened between you and Tess, and I really don't need to know, but I can guess. I will tell you this; whatever happened, whatever you did to her, you need to fix it. I like Tess, she is a good worker and a damn good girl. I like having her around. You two will be working together pretty much everyday. I am sure that we don't need whatever shit you have got going on making things awkward for everybody at the garage. So fix it."
Kozik raised his eyebrows. The day Gemma Teller decided not to meddle would be an interesting day for them all. An instant later, the gravity and confusion of the situation settled in and he spoke up.
"She's still going to work there?" he asked quickly.
"Of course she if," Gemma replied flippantly. "It would take more than screwing you and one outburst at dinner to offend us into firing her."
Chibs grinned, happy that Tess would be hanging around, but Kozik continued, "I just thought that since you were free and all that you would be back."
"I will be, sometimes," Gemma shrugged. "But I have my boys on the inside to visit and my grandbaby to spend time with. I don't need to be at the garage all the time. Besides, she does a better job there than I ever did."
Kozik was surprised, but he didn't argue. Instead he just nodded at Gemma and ignored the shit eating grins on his brothers' faces as he began to think about how the fuck he might be able to make things right with Tess.
Tess sat curled in the front seat of Tara's SUV, enjoying the cool wind on her face and staring out the window. The doctor was mostly quiet, just asking for directions occasionally, and Tess was extremely grateful. She liked Tara, but right now, she had too much rolling through her head already, and after the embarrassment of tonight, talking was one of the last things she felt like doing. The vomitting and the Altoids and the cool, crisp night air had sobered her up very quickly, and sobriety brought with it thoughts about how to salvage this cluster fuck.
She didn't know what she should probably do. Actually, she knew exactly what she should do; she should pack up and collect her last paycheck and just go home. but there was something in her that just couldn't or wouldn't do that. She loved being on her own, and she had actually grown to love Charming. She had friends here and a roof over her head, one that was all hers. She had a good job (or at least she used to, she really wasn't sure anymore) and she just flat out liked it here. She wouldn't let one mistake send her running back to her parents, tail between her legs. She might not feel like it right this moment, but she was stronger than that.
The car came to a slow and steady stop, and Tess was surprised to see that they were in front of her apartment. In a small town like Charming, you could literally get anywhere in less that ten minutes, but she had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized that they had arrived.
"This is the place," she muttered as she unfolded her body and stretched out. "Thanks for the ride, Tara. I really do appreciate it."
"It's no problem," Tara smiled. "I, um...I understand what you're going through. Probably better than most. I'm around if you ever need to talk or anything."
Tess nodded, touched by Tara's offer, but almost sure she would never take the doctor up on it. Talking her problems out was not really in her nature. She climbed out of the car and Lila met her by the door, handing over her keys and hugging her tightly, promising to call tomorrow. Tess watched as her two protectors drove off. She planted herself on the first step leading up to her apartment, not quite wanting to be inside just yet. This step was as good of a place as any to sit and think.
Tess wasn't sure why she needed to do all this thinking. She had been doing nothing but think lately, and look where it had got her. She was feeling as low as she had ever felt. But at the same time, she trusted thinking. It was easily more reliable than trusting her heart. The last time she had ignored her head and based a decision purely on feeling she had ended up….well, in bed with Kozik and that had turned out to be an absolute disaster.
Kozik. Just the thought of him fired up so many conflicting emotions that her head was spinning again. She had been so anxious about seeing him and facing him after what they did. She had expected it to be awkward and strange, but deep down, she had hoped that maybe they could talk and come to some kind of understanding. It had only been a few days, but Tess missed him. She missed their easy friendship full of laughs and flirting and plenty of eye rolling. She wanted that back.
And she couldn't deny that maybe she had hoped for something else. As much as she had tried, she couldn't forget that night with him; the things that he had said and the way he had made her feel. Her inhibitions and gone out the window and she had allowed herself to fully let go and it had been nothing short of amazing. Even with the pain she had felt when he left, Tess couldn't help but let herself hope that maybe they could have that again. Maybe she could be with him again and maybe he wouldn't be in such a hurry to leave, and maybe….
Stop that, she told herself. It hadn't done her any good to hang on to that foolish hope, and it wasn't doing her any good to dwell on it now. He certainly wasn't what anybody would call boyfriend material, and even if he was, she wasn't in the market. Besides, any hope she may have had for ever being with him again had disappeared the second Bambi walked through the door. It was like a spark had been lit inside of her, and the rage burned through her quickly, annihilating everything else in its path. She couldn't trust herself to be in love with somebody who would make her feel so good one minutes and so horrible the next.
She made the choice right that very second to just NOT. She would not be in love with him. She would be go to work and be cordial with him and do what she needed to do. She would ignore the butterflies in her stomach and the warmth between her thighs that seemed present whenever he was around. She would do whatever she needed to do in order to maintain the perfectly constructed tower of cards she had built for herself here. She wouldn't let one mistake ruin it.
What she really needed was a distraction. The very first thing she thought of was ice cream, which was ridiculous, because ice cream would only distract her for the roughly ten minutes it would take her to inhale a pint. But still, as her eyes caught the neon sign of the grocery store half a block away she couldn't help but think that ice cream would make for a decent start to her new outlook on life.
She heaved herself off the steps and began the short walk to the grocery store. The prospect of food caused her to walk a little bit faster. It wasn't as if she had gotten much eating done at Gemma's and she found that she was kind of staving. Tomorrow, she would have to go back and apologize and beg and plead to keep her job. Hopefully, she would be allowed to stay, and if not, she would have to bust her ass finding a new job in Charming. Tess was determined to stay in this little town, and that fact put a smile on her face.
A few moments later, she stood in front of the frozen foods in the small supermarket, freezer door wide open, and contemplated her choices. It had been so damned easy for her to decide to not have feelings for Kozik any more. It had been simple for her to make the choice to pick up the pieces of her life and get back on track and do what she needed to do. Those decisions had been easy, yet the decision about what type of ice cream to buy seemed completely beyond her right now.
She was having an internal debate over whether to go with cookie dough or toffee ice cream, and plain old chocolate had thrown its hat into the ring, as well. She stood there so long, she had just about decided to buy all three flavors, her waistline be damned. As she reached into grab a container of chocolate, determined to make her ten minutes of distraction good, a voice spoke up from behind her.
"You know, you've had that door open so long, the entire section is fogged up. Do you need some help?" a male voice asked her.
She didn't need to turn around to know that the owner of the voice was probably ridiculously attractive. It had that rich, deep quality, with notes of humor in it. Sure enough, she found herself face to face with what could only be described as six foot two of tall dark and handsome. This perfect specimen of man in front of her had beautiful beautiful pale skin, mysterious dark eyes, and black hair cropped close to his scalp. The smile that he wore revealed dumples, and she was just a sucker for dimples. She glanced at his left hand and, seeing no ring, she smiled widely at him. Now this seems like just the distraction I need.
"Actually, I do need some help," Tess replied, as innocently as she could. "See, I have kind of had a terrible night, and I just can't decide what kind of ice cream to drown my sorrows in. Any ideas?"
His grin widened and she saw something slightly cocky in his smile, and she knew that was a good thing. "Coffee," he replied, sure of his answer.
"Coffee ice cream?" she cringed in what she hoped was an adorable and not creepy way. "Not a chance."
"Of course not," he rolled his eyes playfully. "You should get the chocolate ice cream of course. Nothing more reliable in curing a shitty night. What I meant is that you should have coffee with me."
"I don't even know your name," she said coyly, while doing a dance for joy on the inside.
"Lex," he told her quickly. It was a good name for him, she decided. She liked it.
"Well Lex," she smirked. "My name is Tess, and I would love to have coffee with you."