Read Online Wild Child (Rock Royalty #6) by Christie Ridgway - Free Book Online

at the community building. We can help you confront your feelings.
    Staring at the words, a familiar numbness infiltrated Ashlynn’s heart. Her body went heavy, and her outer shell re-hardened as everything inside her rejected the idea of confronting those kinds of emotions.
    “How kind of you,” she said anyway, and made a show of setting the paper on the shelf beneath the register.
    She’d throw it away at her first opportunity. “How very kind of you to think of me.”
    Irv and Viv exchanged glances. She probably wasn’t fooling them into believing she’d be joining that group any time soon.
    “Really,” she said, because they had been stalwart supporters since she’d arrived, spending most Saturday nights right where they sat now. “I do appreciate it—and your patronage, too, of course.”
    “Watching you is like having our Brae back in our lives,” Irv said. “It’s as if she’s not entirely gone.”
    There was that four-letter word again. But now it bounced right off Ashlynn’s anesthetized heart. Still, the couple’s sincerity and encouragement were two of the reasons she’d been galvanized to change her life and commit to staying. They cared about her, Irv and Viv, and that was special. Smiling again, she reached for each of their hands, squeezed.
    “I—”
    But her attention was snagged by the bouncer who stood by the door. He was waving at her, both hands overhead.
    With an apology to the older couple, she gave the other bartender the sign to look after her customers and hurried to the entrance. There, linebacker-sized Jim leaned toward her ear.
    “I’ve gotta take a piss,” he murmured. “Can you get someone to handle the door?”
    “I can do it,” she said. “You go ahead.”
    Jim’s heavy brow furrowed with a dubious expression. “Um…”
    “Brae would take over, right?”
    “Yeah, but Brae was…tough,” Jim said, looking down at her five-feet and three-inches, thanks to the two added by the heels of the boots on her feet.
    “I’m tough, too,” Ashlynn declared, standing straighter. She’d have to be to keep Satan’s up and running. Glancing toward the bar, she saw that Mike had everything under control there. “Why don’t you take your break now, too?”
    She had to physically shoo the big guy away. But finally Jim headed toward the employee area, his mountain-sized physique making it necessary for him to skirt the customers instead of weaving through them. Then the entry door opened and a gust of damp air had her looking around again.
    “Welcome to Satan’s!” she said with a wide smile.
    Though Jim wasn’t required to play Happy Host—his forte was Beefy Bouncer—she was the new owner of the roadhouse, and she wanted people to feel at home here. The group of four smiled back. Residents of Malibu, she decided. They all wore expensive boots—the men’s were rugged, the women’s sheepskin-lined—and she supposed they worked behind-the-scenes in the film industry since she didn’t recognize them as celebrities. Or maybe they were successful science geeks from the research facility there that had a killer ocean view and a reputation for super-secret projects.
    Both types were good tippers.
    But because she was new at this and had heard rumors of sting operations out of the local sheriff’s station, she asked to see their IDs. The men agreed without comment or complaint, the women, who looked to be about thirty, seemed pleased.
    “We could pass as underage,” one said to the other with a wink.
    Win-win , Ashlynn thought and directed them toward the tables with another bright smile. “Enjoy yourselves!”
    As they disappeared into the throng of other paying guests, she grinned, this time to herself. Yes, tonight was going to be excellent. Her lucky evening.
    A few minutes later the rain was really pouring down as another knot of people came through the door, almost falling as they pushed and shoved each other to get out of the inclement weather. Five young