I’m looking around outside as she asks. The building is big, the parking lot is a great size, and the location is amazing. It’s going to need paint for sure and I can see some broken windows, but that’s not bad. As I walk to the entrance, I look up, noting how perfect a Souls Two sign will look hanging above it.
“Harper?” Ivy asks.
I turn to her while Riley is unlocking the door. “It means, I get this life. I like this life. I can hang with them without judgement. I can take it as good as I give it. They all want someone who loves the club as much as them.” I wink before turning around. “Something to think about.”
We walk inside and I spin in a circle. It’s going to be amazing. I can see so much potential. I walk around the entire warehouse, taking notes while they just talk. It’s crazy how my mind works. I can picture it all. I can see the colors, the design, and the exact layout. I know where the stage will go, where the tables will sit, where the bar is best placed. I’m going to turn this place into something amazing.
“Ivy, do you think you’d want to help me?” I call out from across the room.
“Sure, with what?”
I turn around, holding the pad against my chest. “If I hire you to work here. Not stripping or waiting tables but helping me behind the scenes. Would you be interested?”
I know I have to run it by Zane and the club, but she needs this. She needs a job where she is valued. She told me that things never change, but I’m going to show her the
y do.
“I’d love that,” she says, smiling.
I nod and get back to writing everything down. First thing we need is to get this place cleaned out. Once that’s done, we can assess how much we need to repair. It doesn’t look like much, which makes me happy.
“Let’s go see what’s in the back,” I say.
Finn and Riley go first, and we follow. This is going to take a lot of work. If they want to turn this into rooms like Souls, we’ve got a lot to do. There isn’t much here, just two big rooms. I’ll have to talk to them and see what they had in mind. I know they like to have rooms for extras. We’ll have to put up some walls if that’s what they want to do.
Satisfied with what I have written down, we walk back into the main area. “This is gonna be great.”
“Hey, Harper.” I turn to Riley and he’s got that devil grin on his face. “Gillian is great with computers, ya know if you’re hiring people.”
It’s a dig, I know. I shouldn’t have offered Ivy a job without talking to them first. But, I’m sure Zane and Kace will make sure the club goes along with it. I’ll just humor him for now. “You never know, Riley. I might need a computer genius.”
He laughs and wraps his arm around me. “I’m fucking with you but be careful tossing out jobs without talking to Brooks. We all want this to work out.”
I kiss his cheek and rest my head on his shoulder. “I appreciate it, Riley. I appreciate everything you are all doing for me. I never expected it.”
“I watched you and Zane when you were younger, and I knew you weren’t a Vegas King. You always had that Shattered Souls attitude and spirit. We couldn’t stop you, but damn it wasn’t easy watching you on the opposite side. We’ve all always loved you, even when we had to hate you, sweetheart.”
I blink back my tears and peek up at him. “You should show this sweet side a little more.”
He laughs, kissing the top of my head, before gently shoving me away from him. “It’s reserved to only come out once or twice a year. You have an entire year of my kickass personality now.”
“So, you hung out with all of them when you were younger?” Ivy asks.
Riley crosses his arms, lifting an eyebrow. “Them? We’re Shattered Souls, sweetheart.”
Her face reddens as she looks down. “Sorry.”
“Hey, I’m fucking kidding. Damn, you’re gonna need to lighten up if you are gonna be sticking around,” he says.
I try to distract from that and answer her, “Yes. I was always around when I was younger. My father didn’t really keep tabs on me until, well, he needed me.” I shrug when Riley’s eyes shoot to me. “Zane and I tried making it work when we got older, but there was just too much bad blood.”
“But you decided eventually it was worth it,” Ivy says. Although, it feels like more of a question.
“Zane has been the only person in my life that never left me, hurt me, or took advantage of me. It wasn’t an easy decision because I knew someone was going to die, but I figured it would be me and I’d have at least had a small amount of happiness before then.” I step closer to her and smile. “When you have someone, who loves you as hard as Zane does, you figure the rest out.”
“Is this some kind of relationship lesson? Should I be taking notes?” Riley jokes.
Ivy laughs as I throw my pen at him. “If anyone needs notes, it’s you.”