Not tonight.
Mia dragged her over to where Steven Blythe and his friend and lead singer of his band sat.
Chris Something. Do I even know his last name? Whatever. Kylie couldn’t remember for sure. Not that it mattered.
“Heard you sang the hell out of that song we wrote together tonight,” Steven said, winking at her.
“Well if you heard that, it must be true.”
Kylie looked past him to where a waitress was delivering drinks at the table behind them. When the woman looked over, Kylie waved a hand. “Can I get an Amaretto Sour please? A couple of them?”
She could tell by the waitress’s expression she was thinking about carding her. Twenty was close enough to drinking age. Kylie fished her black credit card out of her wallet and held it up. “I’d like to start a tab please.”
The woman took it and nodded. Mia and Steven ordered beers and Chris ordered a soda. Plain ol’ soda.
Two drinks in, Kylie started to realize what was really going on. This wasn’t a night out for fun. This was a setup.
“So Chris here is really into animal rights. He organized a protest last year at the university and was able to get them to stop testing non-life-saving products on lab animals.” Mia beamed at Kylie as if she’d just said that the dude had invented world peace.
“Cool.” Probably not the time to mention that my daddy used to take me hunting. Kylie downed her drink. Her stomach twinged a little from the sweetness.
This wasn’t a mixed drink kind of night. Not after seeing him. When the waitress passed by again, she lifted her hand. The woman raised her head in Kylie’s direction. “Can I get two fingers of bourbon please? Heaven Hill if you have it.”
In honor of the man who shattered my heart into a million pieces.
“Kylie,” Mia hissed across the table. “What the hell are you doing?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Getting trashed. Isn’t that the point of going out? Blowing off steam and all that?”
“Ryans, can I talk to you outside?” Steven asked, leaning toward her.
“After I finish my drink.” The waitress returned and sat the squat glass of amber- colored liquid in front of her.
Here’s to you, Trace. She reached for the glass but it wasn’t where she’d expected it to be.
She looked up just in time to see Steven chug it back in one swallow. “What the—”
“There. Now you’re finished. Let’s go.” He didn’t pay any attention to her protests as he wrapped a hand around her elbow and pulled her from the bar.
Once they were outside, she jerked out of his grasp. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you, but if you ever grab me like that—”
“I’m sorry I grabbed you. But I guess we’re even. ’Cause I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you either. No, I take it back. I bet I do know.” He folded his arms and leaned back against the brick building behind him. “I guess you heard he’s back in town.”
She wanted to roll her eyes. Deny it. Lie and say that she couldn’t care less. But she’d been consumed with feeling nothing for nearly a year. She was tired of keeping up the façade.
She’d sat through her signing party at Capital Letter Records like a zombie. She couldn’t even remember a single thing that was said at her birthday dinner a few months ago.
Only what had happened after.
He’d shown up at her apartment. With flowers. Mr. I-Don’t-Do-Flowers. He’d seen Steven and bolted. Right back to rehab according to the local rumor mill. Seeing him tonight had jolted her back to reality. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was karma repaying her for hurting him. For causing him to fall off the wagon and run back to Dallas. To her.
“I saw him,” she said quietly. “He was there tonight. In the front row. Him and her both.”
Do not cry, dammit.
She looked up at the dark sky. She couldn’t see the stars or the moon. She was glad. A clear night sky unaffected by city lights would’ve reminded her of a farm in Georgia she couldn’t bear to think about.
“Shit. Hey, I’m sorry.” Steven reached out and wrapped his arms around her. Tears came without her permission.
And I’d been doing so well.
She stepped back, knowing she’d probably see a cell phone quality shot of this moment in a gossip magazine any day now.
“I’m fine. It’s fine.” She shook her head and wiped her eyes. “I’m being stupid.”
“Naw. You’re being human.” Steven nudged her with his shoulder. “Good thing, too. We were starting to wonder.” He winked at her.
She rolled her eyes. “Guess I made a hell of an impression on my date, huh?”