Stage Dive 02 Play(14)

What was it about bad boys? Someone needed to invent a cure.

My lust object gave me a wink. “See you later, crazy eyes.”





CHAPTER FOUR


“The skank unfriended me too,” said Reece, staring at the shop’s computer, sitting on the front sales counter. Facebook sat open on the screen in all its blue brilliance.

“Bitch,” I muttered.

Skye had a new name and it wasn’t nice. Much deserved, but not nice.

Between Reece and I, we’d called everyone who might have known where she’d gone. Lucky it’d been a quiet Saturday morning so far. We’d had no luck with our search. People either didn’t know or weren’t saying. Everyone sounded sorry. But no one could, or would, help. Some days, humanity sucked.

“I think we should stop,” I said.

“What? Why?”

“Think about it. Realistically, what would I even do if I found her?” I crossed my arms and leaned my hip against the counter. The pose was all the better for holding my shit together. “Slapping her silly is illegal. As nice as it would be to rip her a new one, it won’t get me my money back. There’s no point going to the police because it’s just her word against mine. I’m screwed.”

“There’s the defeatist attitude I’ve come to know and love.”

“Shuddup.” I smiled.

Reece smiled back at me, little lines appearing at the corners of his eyes behind his cool-guy thick-rimmed black glasses. A dimple popped in his cheek. He had an awesome smile. No matter how many times I’d seen it, I’d never quite become inured. Though, upon reflection, it didn’t make me stupid like Mal’s cocky grin.

Huh, interesting.

There was, however, a lot to be said for not being reduced to brain-dead hormonal mush by a man. Reece and I were solid. Though, for some reason, the usual rush I got from being around him was missing. Still, I barely knew Mal. Reece was real. Mal was just a dream on my teenage bedroom wall.

And since when did I compare Reece’s smile to anyone’s?

“What was the party you went to?” Reece asked, scratching his head in his usual adorable manner. His dark hair flopped over his forehead and I just knew we’d make great babies together one day. Marriage would never be in the cards, not for me. The institution meant so little. But there was a lot to be achieved just by living in sin, by being a life partner.

Reece would make a great life partner.

When Lauren had hinted at my having a thing for Reece last night, she might have known what she was talking about.

Ah, Reece.

I’d worked at Lewis’s bookshop since moving to Portland two years ago. Lizzy had asked me to come out for a while, to help her settle in. Obviously, I was still here. I liked being close to my sister and Portland was a cool city. I liked my job and the friends I’d made. Everything was better here.

“Lauren invited me to drinks at Ev’s,” I said.

Reece’s chin retreated in what appeared to be amazement. “The girl that married the dude from Stage Dive?”

“That’s the one.”

“And you didn’t invite me? Damn, A. I like a couple of their songs. That San Pedro album wasn’t bad. Their new stuff is shit, though, gotta say.”

“I love the new album. “Over Me” is a great song.”

He snickered, the corner of his mouth lifting. “It’s a song about someone doing your friend.”

“I choose to ignore that aspect.”

An elderly woman in tie-dye wandered in, heading straight for the self-help/philosophy section. Two teenagers started making out next to the new cookbook display. Sweet, but this was hardly the place for it. When a hand wandered too far south I cleared my throat, loudly. “Keep it above the waist, boys.”

The bell above the door jangled crazily as they bolted from the shop at light speed. One turned on the most amazing blush. I almost felt bad for him. Guess he’d wanted that grope real bad.

Reece chuckled. Well, he might. He picked up regularly within these four walls. A habit he’d hopefully grow out of one day soon. “Calm down. They weren’t hurting anyone.”

“There’s a time and a place.”

The little bell above the door dinged again as about the last person I expected strolled on in. Evelyn entered with a cup of coffee in hand and a hesitant smile on her face. Despite only working a couple of blocks away, I don’t think she’d ever been in the shop before. For certain, she’d never delivered coffee to me. If that was what was about to happen.

I stared in surprise.

Reece perked up. Then he spotted her humongous wedding engagement ring combo and perked back down again. Coming in from across the river, he didn’t go past Ruby’s Café like I did. Ev was unknown to him.