Hands raised, Jazz shook her head. “I’m good, thanks. And I was making fun of the way you asked Mama V about fifty questions in one breath, not how you’re pigging out.” She snagged a fry and was subjected to a death glare from Shell. “I’m all for the pigging out.”
“I was laughing about the fries,” Cassie said.
“Hey!” Shell threw a fry at her, making all three of them laugh. “All right, that’s enough. I want to hear the story.”
“Geez, mom,” Jazz muttered, earning herself a torpedoed fry to the ear.
“Well…” Cassie leaned back in the booth. “How much do you know about the night Sarge and Cindy met?”
“Nothing,” Jazz said at the same time Shell said, “I think I know it all, but why don’t you tell it anyway. Just in case my version was abridged.”
“Okay.” Cassie let her mind float back to the events she’d been reminiscing on for the past few days. After filling the girls in up to the point Sarge’s plan for trafficking assault rifles was accepted by the club, Shell interrupted.
“Wow,” she said. “I can’t believe Cutter went for it. Copper would flip his shit if a prospect tried to make a deal behind his back like that. Even if he thought it was a good plan. It’s about respecting the hierarchy in the club.”
With a nod, Cassie said, “I can’t tell you how shocked we were. Viper was floored. I’m pretty sure no one else ever found out your father was the one who came up with the idea. Cutter took credit for it.”
Shell snorted. “I’m surprised my dad didn’t demand the praise.”
“Well, he didn’t need it. He quickly became the teacher’s pet, so to speak. Cutter loved him and after he patched in, he worked hard to make a name for himself. Your father had aspirations of being the future president from the moment we left Washington.” She shrugged. “And he achieved his goal.”
“But after the incident at the bar, he kinda fell outta favor with you guys. That’s what you were saying, right?” Jazz asked, chin resting on her palm. Both women seemed riveted by the story. Especially Shell as this directly pertained to her upbringing.
“Yes. He and Viper only spoke when it was required for club business. He stopped coming over. I barely saw the man. Sometimes at parties, but that was it.”
“Did he and my mom start up right away?” Shell asked.
Cassie pursed her lips as she let the memories in. “Yeah, he tracked her down a few days after the night at the bar. It was on again and off again for a quite a while. Cindy had always struggled with club life. She wanted to be the most important thing in Sarge’s life at all times and didn’t deal well when he’d put the club over her.”
Shell snorted as she rubbed her belly. “Which was pretty much always, since he wanted that president spot so bad. He sure cared about the club more than us when I was a kid. I mean I get it, I’ve grown up in the club and know how it works, but he didn’t care about much else. Mom or I included.”
While she wished she could have reassured Shell that she and her mother were at least as important as the club in her father’s eyes, it just plain wasn’t true and Shell would never believe a platitude.
“So how’d you all reconcile?” Jazz asked. She walked her fingers across the table and swiped a fry from Shell’s plate.
“I saw that!”
“I mean, Sarge made Viper his VP, so you all must have cleared the air and gotten close again.” She shoved the fry in her mouth and chewed it, mouth open in Shell’s face.
“Don’t think I won’t go in there and get it if I’m hungry enough. I’m so sorry for her rudeness, Cassie. Please continue.” She put her palm on Jazz’s face and shoved it away while they both laughed.
It warmed Cassie’s insides to see the ol’ ladies becoming sisters in much the same way the men were brothers. “Eventually, we did reconcile,” She said with a nod. “Took a few years. But, it was Cindy who actually mended the rift between them.”
Shell’s mouth dropped open. “My mom? Really? I find that hard to believe.”
With a chuckle, Cassie made an X over her heart. “I swear it. The club worked with Vito and Marco for a few years before pulling out of the business entirely. Guns were getting too risky. Feds started sniffing around Marco. Cutter was getting older and wanted to move toward the businesses the club has today. Not necessarily legal, but far less risky. Sarge didn’t take it well. The business dealings with Marco had been his baby, and once that tanked, he was adrift for a while. He and Cindy had just gotten engaged and she seemed really dedicated to making things work with him. She managed to convince both Sarge and Viper to talk.”