Chapter 1 – The Salvation Knights MC: Jinx’s Mistake (Deidra & Theo) Novel

Deidra’s P.O.V.

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There have been a lot of moments in my life that have rendered me speechless. When I was 10, and walked out of the bathroom at school with my skirt tucked into my underwear, and was called out about it in front of the entire class. When I was 13, and got slapped across the face in the cafeteria during lunch by the head cheerleader for apparently looking at her boyfriend with heart-eyes. When I was 16, and was told by the principal of my school that my parents, my only family, had died in a car accident.

And right now. At age 24, watching my best friend of 20 years and my boyfriend of five years, fuc.king. In my apartment. In my bed.

Together.

Let’s back up a little bit before we jump into this fu.cking mess.

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– Earlier that day –

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“Why are you calling me so early in the morning?” Sophie, my best friend, answered her phone.

“It’s after 9 a.m.,” I said with a laugh.

“Yeah, too early,” she grumbled.

“It’s Thursday,” I said, chuckling. “Did you go out in the middle of the week?”

I heard Sophie yawn and some shuffling going on before she answered me.

“Yeah, was at that new club that opened up a couple of towns over,” she replied, still sounding tired.

“Necto?” I asked with a frown as I put the finishing touches on the Christmas display in the front window of my shop. Santa Baby is playing softly in the background. Christmas is my favorite time of year. We might not get snow here in Dayton, Teneesee, but the Christmas spirit is very much alive.

I own Garden Sip. It’s my dream, my baby. I’ve wanted this place for as long as I can remember, and about a year ago, it became official.

Garden Sip is a flower/plant shop and a cafe. We live in a small town in Tennessee, and there isn’t much here. There is definitely not a lowkey cafe that offers free Wi-Fi and allows you to be surrounded by the beauty of nature. There are a couple of coffee shops and a Starbucks, but I think we bring something fun to the table, here at Garden Sip.

I still sell flowers and plants too. We’ve even done two weddings so far. I have a few regular customers. Like Jim who comes in to buy his wife flowers every single Friday. I also have my regular coffee-goers. Alice and Steven are here daily. Steven does some kind of web designer stuff. I only know that because he thanked me for being so cool about him being here all day, using all the Wi-Fi and only buying coffee. He told me all about how he dropped out of college to pursue this dream, but his parents were very upset and wouldn’t support his dreams. Alice is a writer, but I only know that because I peeped at her open laptop a time or two. She’s usually very quiet and keeps to herself.

On top of flowers and regular ol’ coffee, we sell a few pastries, muffins, bagels, and several other coffee drinks. I wanted this place to be somewhere people could come and be able to relax. A place to breathe. A place where they weren’t judged. I’ve always loved plants and flowers too. I would have become a botanist if I had the balls to leave home.

I just love it here in Dayton. This is where I grew up. This is where my parents’ graves are. This is where my friends are. And I was happy to stay and be part of the community.

We’ve been decently busy since we opened. Enough that I’m not worried like I was in the beginning. Things have been going so smoothly. I even have a crew now. Well, if three counts as a crew. Aaron and Alexis are twins that are a few years younger than me, and are the best workers ever. Deb is an angel, a life-saver. I’d be so lost without her. She does all my financial work. She was a friend of my parents and moved back here to take care of me when they died since we had no other family. She supported this dream of mine more than anyone else. I will forever be thankful for her.

“That’s the one,” Sophie replied, pulling me from my train of thoughts. “It was so fun. We should go sometime.”

“Uhm, I mean, not really my thing,” I replied as I finished putting the muffins in the case. “But that’s the same town Theo was in last night. He didn’t come home until super late. Said his client wanted to drink a little, and he couldn’t say no.”

“Oh… really?” She asked, sounding a bit off.

“Yeah, what are the odds?” I said, forcing a laugh.

“Right… weird,” she mumbled.

“So, uh, anyway,” I said, clearing my throat. “Was wondering what you were doing later? Want to have a movie night? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Oh, I actually have a date,” Sophie replied.

“A date?” I asked. “With who?”

“It’s a secret,” she said, giggling.

“I thought you and I didn’t have secrets,” I pouted.

“I’ll tell you soon,” she said. “I promise.”

“Okay, well, I guess if you’re doing that, and Theo’s working late again, I’ll just catch up on some things here and have dinner with Deb,” I said.

“I’ll call you later,” Sophie said. “After my date.” Then she hung up without her normal goodbye or telling me she loves me. It was weird, but… things between us have been weird for weeks now.

For the last few months, I’ve suspected something was a little off between my best friend and my fiance. At first, I thought that it was just because Sophie didn’t like Theo. Theo and I met in college. The school was close enough that I could still live at home. I worked at the local diner all through college too. Theo saw me during a class we shared, but I wasn’t interested in him. Or anyone. Life was a struggle, and I’m not the smartest either. I had to stay focused and study my butt off. On top of working too. I just didn’t have the time for men.

However, Theo pursued me relentlessly. He even started showing up in the diner almost every day. And every day he’d ask me out. He even said we could start out as friends. I always turned him down. It wasn’t that Theo was ugly. In fact, he was very handsome in that all-american-boy kind of way. He had brown hair that was always styled perfectly, and deep blue eyes. He had a strong jaw, a dazzling smile, and a charming air around him. He was built like a football player, and actually cared about his grades.

It wasn’t until he suddenly stopped showing up that I’d finally said yes to one of his dates. He’d found me at school about a week or so after he stopped showing up at the diner. Told me that some of the local bikers who frequent the diner scared him off. I didn’t ask for details, but I didn’t need to. I know that to everyone The Salvation Knights MC members look scary. Hell, if I hadn’t grown up in this town I’d be afraid too. Er, well, maybe I should still be. Everyone else seems to at least be cautious.

I probably would be if one of them in particular didn’t literally haunt my entire fu.cking life.

Anyway, I said yes to Theo and thus began our relationship. At the time, Sophie was away at college too. When she came back home over summer break, I introduced them. I was a bit upset with Sophie because of how rude she was. Theo was a nice man. Everyone loved him. But Sophie had always hated sharing me with anyone. She and Theo never got along.

Not until recently.

Not that they really get along, but… something just seems off. Sophie doesn’t take jabs at him every chance she gets like she used to. Theo went from rolling his eyes at the mention of her name, to now inviting her out with us more. I’m not even sure when things changed. Just that one day, they started acting weird when I brought up the other. I keep telling myself that it’s just my imagination though. I wanted to talk about it tonight, but it’s probably fine. Sophie would never betray me like that.

Plus, Theo and I are getting married. Next month, actually. All our details are finalized. Deb is even finishing up my dress. I’m wearing my mother’s wedding dress. Everything is going to be perfect. Because Theo loves me.

I need to stop thinking the worst of him and my best friend.

Deidra’s P.O.V.

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The rest of the day went by slowly. We were busy on and off. I had a bride-to-be come in to talk about using us for her wedding. The bakery across the street came in to buy a pastry and make a huge thing in the middle of the place to try to drive my customers away. If it weren’t for my little knight in shining armor, I think I might have been arrested today.

June, owner of Tasty Treats, comes in at least once every two weeks. She buys something, stands in the middle of the lobby, and loudly complains about it. She’s dropped cups of coffee, spilled potted plants, literally smashed muffins onto the floor… It’s kind of insane behavior for a woman in her late 30s, but hey girl, crashout if that makes you feel better.

However, I can also crashout. And I will. I maintain a pretty level head most of the time, but June and I have gotten into it a few times in front of customers. Deb has had to break us up. Deb even went as far as to call and speak to not only June’s husband – who doesn’t give a flying sh.it about what his wife does, but also called her mother. Nothing has helped.

Except my knight in shining armor that is.

“Waylen, where the hell is your mother?” I asked the seven-year-old boy who spent his entire day in my shop. Well, after school let out that is.

“Told you, she’s gone,” he replied without looking up from his coloring book. “It’s just me and dad now.”

I tried not to show how happy I was that his sh.it a.ss mother was gone. Not sure if the bi.tch packed up and left or if she was finally forced out of town. I hadn’t seen her in over a year, but I thought that was because she was avoiding me.

You see, Erica – or Glory, whatever the hell she goes by now – have never gotten along. We went to school together our entire lives. She was the popular cheerleader, and I was the loner type. I never cared, but she did for some reason. She always bullied me, but I was never one to just take sh.it either. I talked sh.it back, but it never went further than that. Okay, there was one time, but it was stupid.

After we graduated from high school. Erica shacked up at the Salvation Knights clubhouse on the edge of town. I’d heard she became a club bunny and that she was a patch chaser. I had no idea what either of those things were, but I sure do now. Kind of hard not to when you’re surrounded by it.

The fu.cking bi.tch used to bring Waylen to the diner when I worked there, drop him off in a booth, and fu.cking leave. Leave! Like it was a damn daycare. The owner, Big Ricky, was going to kick the kid onto the street when he was like three-years-old. I threatened to set the diner on fire if he did that. Which resulted in me pretty much babysitting for free.

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