Girl in Love(32)

“Yeah, I’m good,” she answered, forcing the biggest smile her face could manage. “Great, actually. You guys taking five?”

“Yeah, we are. I was going to see if I could buy you a drink.”

Trace huffed out a loud breath from beside her. “She’s underage, so all you can buy her is a soda.”

She refused to so much as glance at Trace Corbin or acknowledge his snide comment. She was done letting him get to her. If any one man had used up all of her emotions, it was him.

“Don’t worry. I know the owner,” she told Steven as she breezed past Trace and back into the bar.



AN HOUR later, she stood with Steven outside the bar. The SUV taking her home had arrived and she was slightly tipsy.

“Thank you,” she said, holding on to the lapels of his jacket for support. “For being here tonight. For keeping me company. I had a good time.”

“I can see that.” He chuckled softly and regarded her warily. “You okay, Ryans?”

She sucked in a deep breath of outside air and took a wobbly step backwards. “Why do you keep asking me that?” Shaking her head, she waved off Steven’s attempts to help steady her. “You know, it was a year ago. We weren’t even really together. It was a stupid fling and I was a stupid kid with stars in my eyes. Feels like a whole different life. I am so over it. Over him.”

Clearing his throat, Steven took a step into her personal space. “Yeah,” he said quietly, “I meant, are you okay getting home? Because you were tossing them back pretty hard in there.”

She felt her face flush in embarrassment. “Oh god.” Suddenly it was hilarious. She dissolved into a fit of laughter. Burying her face into Steven’s shoulder, she had a sobering thought. “Blythe, can I ask you a question? A serious one?”

“Sure. Shoot, crazy girl.”

Kylie pulled back just enough so she could look into his eyes. Their faces were so close their noses were almost touching. And yet, he was still a little out of focus. “Am I fun? You can tell me if I’m not. I can take it.”

A slow grin curved Steven’s lips. “Yeah, Ryans, you’re fun. But I think you’ve had enough fun for tonight.”

“Boo,” she heckled at him as he put her into the SUV. “Come by later tonight when you’re done?”

He sighed and shook his head after buckling her in. “You really think that’s a good idea?”

Kylie bit her lip and held her breath. Rejection—even rejection from a mere hookup buddy—hurt like hell. And on the night when she’d had to face the man who’d broken her heart into more pieces than she could currently count, it hurt worse than she expected hell might.

“I’m all out of good ideas, Blythe. But I think it would be fun. And I want tonight to be about fun.”

“I’ll call you when I get off work.” He kissed her gently on the forehead before tapping the top of the SUV to let the driver know she was in safe.

Kylie frowned at him as she pulled away. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to be having much more fun tonight. Because she was going to lie in bed and watch the Earth spin while replaying every second of tonight’s interaction with Trace Corbin.

God, he’d been so…infuriating. But ever since Steven interrupted her and Trace earlier, he’d kept his distance. That was something.

Settling back into her seat, she remembered something Trace had said before.

You’re with someone else now. I can respect that.

She almost laughed out loud at the thought of a light bulb switching on above her head. Trace thought she and Steven were a couple. Like a couple couple. Instead of just a couple of people who messed around on occasion.

And Steven filling in for Andy, the normal Rum Room guitarist, had obviously put Trace off his game.

On an impulse, Kylie dug her phone out of her purse. Her manager picked up just as she was expecting to hear his voicemail recording.

“It’s nearly one in the morning, Kylie.”

“Chaz, I need you to take care of something for me. Like now.”

“I told you, I’m not making your hair appointments. You need to do an online search and look up what a manager actually—”

“Didn’t Aiden and his wife just have a baby?”

Her manager paused for a moment before answering. “Yes. They had twins. Why is that important at this hour? You already sent a gift.”

“Because, with two new babies at home, he probably doesn’t want to go back out on the road, right?” The briefest sensation of panic at what she was about to propose struck her, but she ignored it.

“Well, his wife isn’t exactly thrilled. But it’s his job. Besides, who could we get to replace him on this short of notice?”