Page 110 of Here's to Yesterday

“I swear I can hear you thinking in here,” Gary says, making me jump slightly. I walk the short distance to his office, hovering in his doorway. “You that worried about seeing himagain?”

I nod. “I’m worried everything is going to bedifferent.”

“Well, I sure as hell hope it is,” he says honestly. “Things were shit before and you know it. You two did nothing but tiptoe around Tanner or the idea of him. I’d hope that in your time apart you’ve both found who you are outside of all that bullshit. Hell, I know that just in the last two months you’ve been working here I’ve seen one hell of a difference in you. You’ve grown, kid. And I know my son is still going to love the person you grewinto.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “You know, for someone who hasn’t been a father that long, you’re awesome atit.”

Gary gives me a crooked smile that reminds me so much of Tucker’s and leans back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach. “Honey, I basically raised musicians on the road for twenty-something years. I’ve got this shit in thebag.”

Just then, the back door opens and my eyes go wide because I know it’s the band comingin.

“Go on,” Gary says, jerking his head toward the main building. “Go lean on your friends. But remember what Isaid.”

Thank you,I mouth and dart down the hall back to the safety of my friends. I’m staring at the ground and not paying attention to where I’m going, and,of course,run into a rock-hard body. Big hands reach out to grab me before I start falling backwards. I immediately recognize the scent belonging to whomever I collidedwith.

I look up at the man who has coffee-brown eyes, lazily styled dark chocolate hair, and two sweet dimples tucked into the huge grin he’ssporting.

“There’s my girl,” my new roommate Dallassays.

Dallas, or Dall as I sometimes call him, came into my life about a week after I moved into my new apartment. I was working one night at Clyde’s and talking with another waitress about possibly wanting a roommate while Dallas was sitting at the bar. He overheard us and approached me before he left. After he reassured me that he wasn’t a total creeper or a crazy stalker and wouldn’t try to feel me up in my sleep since I didn’t have a penis, we set up a date for him to come check the place out. It didn’t take us long to discover that we had a very easy chemistry. He moved in that very sameday.

Over the past few months, Dall has been there for me. He’s held me when I’ve cried at night and threatened to kick my ass when I was acting like a total bitch for no reason. The friendship we’ve formed has been fast and easy and real. We work well together, and I’m so glad he decided to listen in on myconversation.

“He’s here,” Iwhisper.

Dall’s eyes immediately dart behind me, and his eyes fall into slits as Gary walks out of his office toward the now open door. Saying that Dallas doesn’t like Tucker would be an understatement. I’ve told him several times that our split was mutual, but he doesn’t seem to want to believe that. He blames Tucker for all my tears, and he’d be mostly right. No matter how Dallas feels about Tucker, I know once he and Tucker meet, they’ll be fastfriends.

He tucks me into his large frame and protectively ushers me to our table. “Come on, baby girl. We’ll let him come tous.”

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