She forced herself to breathe slowly and then looked up with her trained smile. “I’ve heard from dozens of people that your restaurant is extraordinary. Getting reservations on weekends is apparently difficult. There’s a waiting list. I promised my grandmother when she’s able, I’ll take her there. She’s really looking forward to it.” That was perfect. She didn’t have to acknowledge Player one way or the other.
“You work for us, Zyah. There’s always a table or two set aside for Torpedo Ink or anyone who works for us. Just call ahead and we’ll have one ready,” Alena promised. “I can’t wait to meet your grandmother. She sounds incredible.”
“She is. I know you’ll really enjoy her,” Zyah said. That much was true, and she knew her grandmother would welcome all of them.
SIX
“I did the best I could for you,” Alena whispered, her arm slung around Player’s neck as they watched Zyah get into her little car. It was a modest vehicle, nothing fancy. “I got you into the house. You’re charming. Be sincere and charm the hell out of her grandmother. Pay attention to her. Give her your complete attention. That’s going to be your only way in, because your girl has frozen you out.”
“Thanks, Alena.” Player brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Get home and get warm. It’s turning cold on us. She’s probably very happy I’m on my bike and she’s in that nice warm car without me.”
“My guess is she’s trying not to cry and building that wall as high as she can. You want her, you’re going to have to fight for her. She’s not just going to roll over because you’re cute.”
He winced. “Don’t be calling me cute. It aggravates the hell out of me.”
“I know.” Alena sounded smug.
“Who’s on you tonight?” Alena looked around at her fellow club members. They waited patiently for her as she stood beside Player.
“Maestro. He left to go back to the clubhouse to get the truck and weapons. We’ll be set up to watch over them for the night, and we’ll be warm. Thanks for getting me into the house, Alena, I appreciate it,” Player said. “Savage and Destroyer will join us later tonight.”
She shrugged. “I like her. Lana likes her. Seal the deal, babe, bring her into the fold.” She gave him her saucy grin and headed to her Harley.
Player immediately pulled out of the parking space. Zyah was long gone. She hadn’t waited and he had known she wouldn’t. She made it more than clear she wasn’t going to make it easy on him. He could live with that. From everything Code had uncovered about her grandmother and Zyah, she was worth whatever fight it took to get her.
The Gamals earned money from working hard—a lot of money—and yet Zyah drove a very modest car, one that was good for the type of weather she would run into on the coast but that didn’t cost much.
Instead of using the money the two women had worked so hard for, they had stashed it for retirement, or in savings. Zyah was willing to work two jobs—at the grocery store and at a restaurant where the waitresses were all belly dancers—to pay for her grandmother’s extra care and her therapy.
Player was very grateful to Alena for offering extra work to Zyah closer to home. The last thing he wanted was for his woman to belly dance in front of a bunch of strangers and then drive home alone, not that he’d let that happen. He would have to find out from Code whether or not she had accepted the other job—because anyone who’d seen her dance was going to offer her the job.
Player knew the road between Caspar and Sea Haven. The motorcycle, even in the mist coming off the ocean, was easy enough to maneuver. He caught up with Zyah before she turned onto the street where the house she’d bought for her grandmother was located. The street was narrow like many of those in Sea Haven. Most houses were set off the road behind fences or hedges, with arbors of vines or climbing flowers.
He wasn’t at all surprised that the Gamal house was a little different. It had the requisite white picket fence that seemed to line the road, adding charm to all the houses, but their property was unique in that it was a double-lot parcel. The house was a vintage Victorian, remodeled and beautifully kept, painted white with a red porch and accents. There was another building that appeared spacious, either a guesthouse or an art studio, as well as a double-car garage that was accessed from the back street.
Player followed Zyah around to a much narrower and less traveled road that was paved but was almost an alleyway. There were a few sparse houses, but mostly a long field of grass that separated the homes from the bluffs overlooking the ocean. As he parked across the street and walked over to the huge lot, he couldn’t help but be impressed with the massive, elegant gardens that made up the large backyard.