Page 28 of One More Song

Unable to resist, I brush my knuckles across her cheek. Her eyes close and she trembles, lips parting slightly, like she’s waiting for my kiss.

“I know you think I’m an asshole.”

She shakes her head andtakes a step back, then grabs her purse, and walks to the backdoor. “Ash, how many times do I have to tell you? You don’t know anything about me.”

And just like that, she’s gone. I press my fingertips to my forehead. Groaning, sure everyone in the house can hear.

“Hey douchebag,” Saint calls to me. “Time to clock in.”

I grab the banana bread, refill my cup of coffee, and head to the living room. I don’t know how to fix my relationships with everyone in this house, but actually showing up to work is a good ass place to start.

Chapter Eleven

Ember

Millie is alreadyat our favorite cafe table by the time I arrive. She smiles brightly at me, and I’m glad I decided to meet up with her before Cadence comes home this afternoon from her dad’s. It’s easy for me to keep my emotions bottled up, but it’s time to break out of those bad patterns. To be better. Braver.

“Got you a chai,” she says, pointing at the porcelain cup opposite her.

“Perfect. I’m coffee’d out.”

“Long morning?” she asks, lifting her latte to her lips.

“Long weekend.”

“Are you finally going to fill me in? Your texts were so cryptic yesterday.”

“Sorry about that,” I say, sighing. “Truth is, my head is a mess.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

I lean back in my chair. Millie and I met when Tabitha and Cadence were in preschool together two years ago. We grew close quickly because we live in the same neighborhood and our daughters get along, but there’s a lot she doesn’t know about me. A lot no one knows.

“So about Friday night...” I start. “I totally owe Granger an apology.”

Millie laughs. “Are you kidding?”

I shake my head. “What do you mean?”

“Granger thought it was amazing to meet Absinthe. Keith said he was bragging about it at poker last night. Not in a crude way. In a, ’I lost a girl to Asher freaking Stone’ way. Apparently it made his year. It was kinda sweet.”

I exhale, relieved that I didn’t hurt Granger - he was a nice guy and seems like a good man. Too bad I’m not a good girl. And seeing who Asher is, did the opposite of what it should have.

Seeing him on the screen, in a video where his heart was broken, and his eyes were wrecked didn’t make me want to close my eyes. It drew me to him.

What does that say about me?

That I haven’t changed.

Despite my insistence that it’s only business between us, I know the truth, I’m already falling, hard.

“I didn’t realize the guys renting my place were Absinthe.”

“How do you feel about it? I mean, they are hot - even Keith has a boner for Landon St. James. But, they have a reputation. At least Asher Stone does.”

I lean in and whisper, “Have you seen his video?”

Millie grimaces. “I hadn’t, but after the Boneyard, Keith and Granger and I were pretty wasted. Tabitha was at my mom’s and the house was empty and so I don’t know why, but we watched it.”

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