Page 2 of Jake
“There are a couple of places I’d like to visit. The hall of fame and I’ve heard about some military museum in the area I’d like to check out.”
“Into history?” Miles said with a grin. “That’s cool. The Fort Meade Museum is neat if you’re into that. I personally like the motorcycle museum better, but we all have our own thing.” Miles shrugged.
“You sure you don’t mind me disappearing for a while? I can hang around here and help make sure everything gets done.” He looked around trying to find something that needed his attention but failing. Everything seemed to be taken care of, and without anyone directing each task. Jake couldn’t help but be impressed. “You have this down to a science, don’t you?”
“Not quite,” Miles said with a laugh. “But I’m working on it. We go out a couple times a month, when the weather permits, so we’ve got it down pretty well. Did Cowboy find your president?” Miles’ gaze scanned the area, as if looking for the two presidents.
“I introduced them when we arrived. Last I saw they were headed off that way together.” He motioned toward the large oval track they’d seen on their way in. It had reminded him of the field from when he’d been in high school and in track and field. He’d wondered if it was part of the school grounds or just part of the park, but pushed the thought away as Miles asked him something. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that, what was it again?”
“I asked which you plan on hitting first, the motorcycle museum or the military one.”
“I’m not sure. Which one’s closer?”
“The motorcycle museum, for sure. It’s less than a mile that way,” Miles pointed, “while Fort Meade is a couple miles in that direction.” He indicated nearly the opposite direction.
“Good to know. That makes my decision.” He checked his watch. “I’ve got what, two hours?”
Miles glanced at his own. “Sounds good. It’s a little before we told everyone to be back for the meal, which will give you time to figure out enough to give directions to your people as they start showing up.”
“Sounds good. One question though, and it’s not critical, but it will make a difference on how my men handle mealtime.”
“What?” Miles frowned.
“Who eats first, your men or your women?”
“Women and kids first. Then the men.” Miles lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “It’s how we’ve always done it.” He lifted one brow. “Any problem with that?”
“Not at all. It’s how we do it too, but if it went the other way, I’d need to warn the men first. They’d handle it, but by fixing plates and delivering them to their ladies before going back for their own.”
“Oh. Good plan. I’ll remember that for the next time we encounter a group that does things backwards.” He shrugged again. “Not that we do a lot with other clubs. Especially after the crap with Tank last year, most of us don’t trust the old connections. Cowboy and the rest of the leadership are checking through all our previous associations. We’ve cut ties in a couple places and in others,” he used one hand to indicate where the members of the two clubs were mixing around them, “well, you can see we’re making new connections.”
“I was around for what went down between the Souls and the Kings with Ghost, but I wasn’t in on any of it. I’m glad to hear you’re re-evaluating the connections your old president made. Especially in light of what happened.”
“We can talk more. It seems like we have more than a little in common, but it can wait. Go check out the museum. I’ve got everything here handled for a while, and if I have a problem, I’ve got your number. But I won’t have a problem.”
“Thanks.” He slapped Miles on the back, then turned and went to his bike.
Less than five minutes later he was walking his bike back into a parking space in front of the museum. If he’d known how close it was, and his way around town, he might have walked. It would have been good to move a bit after a couple hours on the back of his bike to get to town.
2
Heatherwanderedthroughthemuseum her cousin had brought her to and wondered what the appeal was. Sure, she enjoyed it when Matt took her for a ride, like had today but whole museums to the history of the motorcycle? It just didn’t do things for her. Though there were a couple of bikes she wouldn’t mind a chance to get on, she knew there was a reason they were in the museum and not on the street. She knew there was no chance. Oddly one of them she kept finding herself standing in front of, staring at, was one that had a really long front end, at least compared to the others. The front tire was way out in front of the bike, and she couldn’t figure out why.
There were a lot of things that stood out about the bike, which a sign on the other side of it called TheCanadabike. There was a whole list of unique things about it, most of which might as well be French to her. Not understanding her fascination, she turned and moved on, wondering how much longer her cousin would want to be here, and what the next stop was.
She still felt guilty that she was intruding on his trip like this, but he’d insisted he wouldn’t have brought anyone else anyway and he didn’t want to leave her at his place alone, just in case Mitch or any of the men he was indebted to figured out where she’d gone.
“Yo!” someone yelled somewhere else in the building, startling her. She jumped, then found herself searching the room, making sure no one had snuck up on her.
Heather couldn’t help but shake her head when she realized what she was doing.
“There you are.” Matt’s head appeared around a corner. “You okay?” He frowned as he scanned her from head to toe and noticed the way her shoulders hunched forward, as if she was ready to be hit from behind.
“I’m good.” She forced herself to smile, if only for his benefit. She hated being around so many strangers, not knowing who people were and who they knew. She’d been in North Dakota for a couple of weeks now and had gotten used to Matt’s friends, or brothers as he called them, but now, they were hours away and meeting up with another club, she was afraid they knew the ones from Alabama, the ones Mitch was mixed up with. How could she be sure this new group wasn’t going to try to take her back to him?
“This club has nothing to do with the one Mitch is mixed up with.” Matt seemed to know what she was thinking.
Heather didn’t know if it was because she was so transparent or because she’d been so worried about them finding her since she’d arrived. Either way, she couldn’t stop the worry, so she just agreed with him.