Page 64 of You Spin Me

Before I can say anything, she disappears and Jess tentatively steps inside. My smile’s as wide as it can go, which isn’t far, but for once the stretch feels good. “I was thinking maybe I dreamt last Thursday.”

After the door closes behind her, she hovers on the threshold like last week, but without the tears.

“Just a sec, and I’ll get you a seat.” The song’s winding down, so I put a finger to my lips. When I catch her nod out of the corner of my eye, I punch up my mic. “That was Concrete Blonde with ‘Dance Along the Edge.’” I have to actually check my notes since everything I had planned seems to have left my brain. “Going out to Stu in Medford heading out for the late shift, here’s ‘Mad World.’” After I fade the mic and slip-cue from one track to the next, one part of my brain watches my hands slide the album into its sleeve, write today’s date on the sticker and store it on the rack. Another part checks the clock. Two hours left on my shift. And then what? Any other guy would find a way to get Jessica back to his place so he could explore every inch of her gorgeous body.

Not only am I as atypical a guy as you can get, but there’s something special here that I literally don’t want to fuck up. I think it might kill me if I did. Going a whole three days without seeing her was painful enough.

She’s still standing, so after a glance at the board to make sure everything’s set, I get up, a little creaky from sitting too long. “I’ll be right back.”

Panic pales her cheeks. “You’re leaving me alone with this?” she whispers.

“Don’t worry. It’ll run on its own for the next couple minutes.”

I hustle into the listener line room to grab a chair. A volunteer looks up from a copy ofRolling Stone. “Everything okay, man?”

At my nod, he holds up the bong sitting next to him, a question on his face. Tempting, but I shake my head. Need to have all my wits about me if I’m going to be able to work while sharing space with Jess.

A song’s about to finish, so I have to hustle. After dropping the chair next to her and cueing up the next one, I spin to face her.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?”

“Didn’t I tell you how Gracie practically has parties in here?” Heart racing, I gesture to the still empty chair. “Anyway, like Talia said, you’re my substitute producer.”

“You mean your coffee fetcher.” Smirking, she perches gracefully on the seat edge.

“Like I said, producer.”

“All right, then.” Crossing her arms over her chest and one purple-tight-covered leg over the other, her short corduroy skirt slides up to expose muscled thighs. “Produce.”

I’m grinning like a fool as I check the clock—not only because I’m counting the minutes till this shift is over but because it’s about time for a station check.

Jess fills the next one hundred and twenty minutes with a gazillion questions about what I’m doing. She apparently fully digests each bit of information because each follow-up question builds on the previous one, sometimes on ten questions back. Two hours later, shecouldbe a producer. More importantly, when she leaves to grab us sodas, the room feels empty without her.

Thankfully, I don’t make too many mistakes. More than I’d usually make because I really, really want to kiss her again, but I’m afraid if I do, I’ll lose all ability to function. By the time Wayne shuffles in for his shift—a raised eyebrow the only indication that Jessica’s presence is a surprise—I can’t wait to get out of here.

Only problem is, I’m not sure what to do next.

JESS

At the station’s back door, Cal helps me into my coat as he says, “Wind’s supposed to pick up.” After zipping up his hoodie and shrugging into his jacket, he hesitates before opening the door. “We, uh…didn’t really discuss the plan here.”

Usually the guy asksYour place or mine?But something tells me Cal won’t want to move that quickly. I’m not sure that I do either. “This is your time of night. I don’t even know what’s open right now.”

He looks at the door, then back at me. “Phil’s bar is closed Mondays, so I usually go home after work. I guess we could go to Buzzy’s or the Waffle House but I’d have to take the dog home first.”

“Let’s go to your place.”

He clears his throat. “No expectations.”

I nod. “Right.”

“I’m right around the corner and parking sucks there. You want to leave your car here? I can walk you back.”

Pushing past him and out the door before either of us can change our minds, I simply say, “Sounds good.”

Like last time, he takes my hand and tucks it inside his pocket. It is blustery outside, so I pull up my own hood. Both Blondie and I have to trot to keep up with his long strides. He wasn’t kidding about being around the corner. Within minutes, he’s guiding me toward the back door of a large warehouse-type building. The moment we step inside, a blast of heat has us both unzipping coats. The lights are dim in the small foyer, and I follow him to an elevator that takes us to the top floor.

Cal gives me that crooked smile before he unlocks the door. “Prepare yourself for an enthusiastic greeting from my roommate.” A puff of a laugh escapes his lips. “And like me, he’s nicer than he looks.”

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