Beautifully Broken (Reckless Bastards MC 1)

Teddy rolled her eyes and pushed past me, like I was somehow in the wrong. “Jana I love you girl, I really, really do. But if you don’t get over that slight imperfection on your beautiful face, I’m just going to bash your face in.” She grinned and flipped her silky red curls behind her shoulder. “It’s one tiny scar.”

“It’s six fucking inches!” More like six and three-eighths of an inch if we were going to be exact about it. And it was deep. And jagged. And long, stretching from the corner of my right eye, cutting a pink path straight to the corner of my mouth. It was big and hideous and ugly as fuck. And it was all mine.

Aren’t I a lucky fucking girl?

Teddy stomped her Jimmy Choo’s on my hard wood hall like a perturbed child. “Jana, seriously girlfriend, I need you to stop this. It’s noticeable, yes. But it’s not hideous. The only reason people notice it is because you make it so damn noticeable.”

My hand automatically went to the object of our discussion, touching the offending scar because home was the only place I ever wore my hair up. When I wore it down, hiding the scar was easier. It made my life easier. A lot easier. “It’s pretty hard to ignore.”

“It is when you’re drawing attention to it every five seconds.” She whirled on her heels and I had to jog to keep up with her as she made her way to my bedroom. “Go shower. I’ll take care of the rest.”

I glared up at her for several long minutes, but Teddy was one tough chick. Probably the toughest I’d ever met, which is saying a lot considering I went into foster care when I was eight. But Teddy’s tough act wasn’t an act to hide a fear or a vulnerability, it was hard earned and impressive to watch. That’s how I knew it was a losing battle and my shoulders fell. “Fine.” I took a quick shower and blow dried my hair before reentering the bedroom. “Oh, hell no. Absolutely not!”

“Why not?” She held up a pair of jeans I hadn’t worn, or been able to wear, in two years along with a long sleeve tunic that hugged my curves. “This is casual and sexy.”

“For starters I can’t fit in those jeans.”

“Try them,” she held them out to me and I snatched them from her, letting the robe fall to the floor and grabbing a pair of black lace panties.

I stepped into the jeans and my stomach tightened. I wasn’t one of those girls who constantly worried about what she ate. I ate healthy and turned part of my basement into a gym, but the curves had proven they had more staying power than I did, and all I could do was accept it. So I did. But still, the dark wash denim was at least two sizes too small in the hip and ass area the last time I tried them on. Then something weird happened. They slid up easily over my hips and ass, problem areas all women know well, zipping with the barest hint of resistance. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Sure it does. I told you before that you dropped a few pounds. Are you sure there isn’t a man hiding in your love shack out back?”

I rolled my eyes. Teddy was unnaturally curious about my girl cave in the backyard. It had plenty of light from three sides and temperature control but beyond that, it was bare bones. I spent time in there painting and sketching, and I never let anyone inside. Not even Teddy. “It’s just art, Teddy.”

She huffed. “Right. Finish getting dressed and I’ll wait up front.”

“Teddy what the hell is going on? We never go out.” She knew how much of an ordeal it was for me and usually she didn’t push.

“No we rarely go out because you’re a pussy and I let you be one, because I’m kind of one too. But not anymore. We’re going out to enjoy tacos, nachos and margaritas. And maybe meet some guys.”

I groaned at the last part. I loved Teddy for seeing any beauty in me, but she was my friend. She had no idea what it meant to be disfigured because she was the exact opposite. Beautiful. Perfectly so. The definition of beauty in the world today. Beside her, I only looked worse. “You can meet some guys, just be happy I’m going at all.” I didn’t bother with any makeup other than a colored gloss as I fluffed big fat curls around my right shoulder. I slid on a pair of strappy heels so I wouldn’t like a child beside her tall frame. “It’s not going to get better,” I mumbled, spritzed some perfume and took the long, slow walk to the living room.

“Damn girl, you look hot enough to screw.”

“I think you’re confusing me with your reflection behind me,” I deadpanned and grabbed a sweater as I stood near the door. “Ready?”

“Damn straight,” she grinned big and put on her best runway walk, the limp that ended her modeling career barely noticeable when she put a little swing in her hips.

***

“I’m so hungry today! I had an early morning Skype meeting with Charlene Simms and I didn’t get to eat breakfast.” Teddy barely stopped to take a breath as she told me all about the reality songbird with the golden voice. “The girl doesn’t know what she wants, no colors or themes or anything. And what she does want,” she scoffed, “is the very worst and gaudiest of Vegas style.” I listened to her complain but not really complain. Teddy dealt with difficult clients with more money than sense. It was a stressful job but she loved it.

“I guess it’s a good thing she’s paying you well.”

Teddy’s smile lit up her whole face, big ocean blue eyes glittering like jewels. “Very well. It’s my favorite part of having rich clientele.”

The cute young waitress set down a pitcher of margaritas along with hot tortilla chips and fresh made salsa. I took a sip and listened as Teddy talked gold cummerbunds and top hats for bridesmaids, effortlessly swatting three interested suitors. They were all of the same type, the kind of guy way too arrogant to think anyone, never mind one as beautiful as Teddy, could not be interested in them. Thankfully they didn’t spare me a look. “You always figure it out,” I reassured her because that’s all she really wanted.

“It is kind of my thang,” she said, grinning and making her perfect eyebrows dance.

“I would love to be your thang,” a dark haired man said as he leaned against the edge of the table, his back to me. Because I’d learned soon after I got the scars, that I was invisible.

I bit back a smile, but Teddy did what beautiful women do in this situation. She laughed. “My plaything or just any old thing?”

“Whatever you want, babe.”

Her phone rang and vibrated on the table, and Teddy grinned up at him. “What I want is to finish this call so I can finish hanging with my homie. ‘Kay?” She patted his shoulder as she slid from the booth, answering the call as she headed toward the door.