The Grease Monkey || A Happy Lowman Love Story

34

When I finished up the car I was working on, I headed back to the office.

"You done baby?" Gemma asked. I nodded as I was wiping some grease and oil from my hands.

"You got any gauge on how bad this one is?"

She shook her head. "Was just told to have enough food for 70 people for 5 days."

I nodded, glancing out at the gate as some motorcycles pulled into the lot followed by some cars. People were starting to arrive.

"Did you get the groceries?"

"Had to send a prospect. I'm not allowed to leave the lot," she said. She was just as bitter about that as I was.

"Gotta be pretty serious. Hap went to get our bag cause it's in my car. I'm not allowed to leave either." She just shook her head.

"I really don't know baby," she said. "Let's go greet our guests."

I nodded and we headed over to the clubhouse. A lot of the guys were standing around with their families and the bar was packed with families. Even some of the hang arounds were here with people I didn't recognize. Hap wasn't anywhere to be found so I followed Gemma over to the bar.

Across the room, standing silently near the pool table, there was a dark haired girl who looked uncomfortable and out of place. Her head was hung and she was slouched over, obviously trying to hide from something. I tapped on Gemma's arm to get her attention.

"Who's the loner?"

"I think it's Corri," she said.

"Juice's new girl?"

She only nodded.

"Must be pretty serious if he's dragging her into lockdown," I said.

"Hasn't touched a crow since they met," Gemma said. "Although this isn't how I would've introduced her to the club."

I nodded in agreement. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

I stepped away without waiting for a response. I wove through people, smiling at the ones I knew and saying hi before continuing to try to make it over to her.

When I finally did she was staring at me with scared brown eyes.

"Hey, I'm Nick. Happy's old lady," I said, smiling a little. "I work in the garage here too, but that doesn't matter inside these walls apparently."

"I'm Corri," she said softly. "Juan's girlfriend."

It took my brain a solid five seconds to connect the dots that Juan and Juice were the same person.

"Juice is a good guy," I said. "How long y'all been together?"

"About a month," she said. "We met a couple weeks before that at the diner."

I nodded as she spoke, struggling to hear her soft voice over the chaos of the room.

"There a reason I've never seen you before then?" I asked. "A month is a pretty decent amount of time to be dating without telling your friends."

"Are you and Juice friends?"

"I thought we were," I said with a soft laugh. "He trying to keep you hidden from his brothers or something?"

She shook her head but smiled softly. "I was too scared to come around. I've seen all the guys before and they can be intimidating."

I nodded in agreement as the door to the clubhouse shut. "Honestly, they only look scary. Except maybe Happy, but I'm his fiancé so I'm not intimidated by him. Tig likes to act like a tough guy, but he's got a softer heart than he lets on. Chibs is all bark. Bobby's got the gentlest soul. Opie, also a little intimidating, but a true family man. Jax and Clay are only scary cause they have power."

She nodded a little.

"Juice doesn't talk about us much does he?"

She shook her head. "He says that our time together is an escape from this part of his life and he wasn't ready to bring them together just yet. Then this morning I got a call that i needed to pack a bag cause he was on his way."

"Yeah the club is on lockdown," I said. "Just a precaution."

"Doesn't feel like just a precaution," she said, looking past me at someone.

"I tell ya what," I said. "We're friends now so I've got your back. Okay? Any of the guys give you hell, you let me know. Actually, anyone gives you hell, you let me know. I'll deal with them." Someone had walked right up to me and wrapped their arms around me. It had to have been Happy because no one else would've dared touch me.

"Yeah," she said nodding a little.

"Gem's asking for ya," Happy said lowly. He was practically whispering in my ear.

"Corri, I will come find you in a bit. Right now, the matriarch is summoning me, and trust me, you don't piss her off."

Corri nodded and leaned into the wall as I smiled and turned in Happy's arms. I took his hand and we weaved through the crowd together.