“It’s not.” Lynch tossed another log into the fire. “Don’t get me wrong. The chick is smoking, but I’m pretty sure she’s into someone else.”
“What?” Kiersten seemed baffled. “Who?”
“Braylon.” Lynch sat down next to me with a huff. “She’s constantly talking about the guy and watches him like a hawk, so either she wants to fuck him or there’s something else going on. Either way, I’m out on that shit.”
“I had no idea she liked him.” Kiersten’s eyes danced with mischief as she said, “I wonder if he knows.”
“Oh, he knows,” I assured her. “It’s his job to know, but the question is whether or not he’s into her, and if he is, will he do anything about it?”
“Mia is so sweet and thoughtful. Pretty, too.” Kiersten was practically beaming as she continued, “I’d love to see Braylon with someone like her. He’s such a good guy and deserves a woman who’ll be good to him.”
“Gee, thanks, Kiersten.”
“Oh, come on, Lynch. You can have any girl you want.”
“Yeah, any girl but Mia, right?” Lynch scoffed. “Maybe I’ll give that Reagan chick a go.”
“Well, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Oh? And why’s that?”
“She’s not really into guys.”
“What?” Lynch leaned his head back and groaned. “Damn, I need to get laid. I’m ready to get back to the clubhouse.”
Unlike Lynch, I wasn’t crazy about leaving. I liked being there at the Manor with Kiersten and the others, but we’d already stayed an extra week. I would’ve volunteered to stay for a third, but we had the run to North Carolina coming up, and Viper wanted us both to be there. I looked over to Lynch. “You’ll be back tomorrow, but I doubt you’ll have any better luck there than you do here.”
“We’ll see about that shit. Give me an hour. That’s all I’ll need,” Lynch boasted.
“Mm-hmm. Whatever you say, brother.”
While Lynch and I were goofing around, Kiersten found nothing humorous about our conversation, and her smile had completely faded. “So, do you know who will be taking over your shift?”
“Widow and one of our prospects.” Widow was one of the older brothers who I had no doubt wasn’t thrilled about spending a week away from his ol’ lady, Frankie, and her boys, but he’d be here without a single complaint. He’d dedicated his life to the club and never failed when the brothers needed him. I felt his time at the Manor with Kiersten and the others would be no different, and he would see that things continued to run smoothly. “They should be here by noon tomorrow. I’ve talked to them, and they both know the expectations.”
“Oh, okay.” She swallowed hard, pushing back her emotion as she told me, “I’m sure they’ll do fine.”
“They will, and we’re only thirty minutes away, so if you need anything—”
“I’ll be fine. It’s just been really nice having you here.”
When Lynch realized Kiersten was upset, he stood up and said, “I think I’m gonna give you two some time to talk and call it a night.”
“You don’t have to run off.”
“Yeah, I kind of do.” Lynch took a few steps, then turned back to Kiersten and said, “I did want to ask you about something.”
“Okay, what’s on your mind?”
“You know how you’ve done all this research on how marijuana helps people with pain and stuff?
“Yeah?”
“You ever heard of it helping kids with cerebral palsy?”
“To be honest, the research is pretty limited, but so far, it’s been shown to help with pain control and the reduction of spastic movements and seizures. Why?”
“My sister’s kid has a hell of a time with it. Reece is just eleven years old. She’s very weak, and her muscles are so stiff she can barely walk. There are a lot of kids out there who are in much worse shape. They’re in wheelchairs or bedridden, so she’s lucky that she’s able to get around with a walker”—there was no missing the anguish in Lynch’s voice—“but if she just had something to help with the pain ...”
“I’m really sorry she has to deal with that.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” Lynch ran his fingers through his hair. “These people you donate your stuff to, how does that work?”
“It’s usually to someone I know or to a friend of someone—like you and your niece. I’ll look over their diagnosis, and if I think I can help, I’ll reach out to them. Nine times out of ten, they jump at the chance to get some relief, and so far, everyone I’ve been working with has shown improvement.” I knew Kiersten had been helping others, but I had no idea just how much she’d been doing until now. Kiersten smiled as she asked, “Would you like me to reach out to your sister?”
“Actually, I would.”
“Okay, but is she going to be open to the idea? ’Cause, there are a lot of people who think negatively about marijuana use.”