I was a tattoo artist who’d earned some recognition online and was able to parlay the demand into an upscale shop downtown that was frequented by country music bigshots. Not a bad gig and it paid well enough to ensure I could take care of myself, my mama, and my little sister, who was finishing up her master’s degree in counselling.
“Sweet, you’re going, aren’t you?”
I’d planned to go, but something about seeing Mav again left me unsettled. “We’ll see.”
The music producer was ten years older than me, divorced with a teenager. I had no interest in marriage and kids myself, but a guy with baggage didn’t scare me off. How could it, when I had enough of my own baggage to fill a Volkswagon bus?
“You’re so picky,” she whispered, when someone stood up to share their story. “You get the hottest guys coming into the shop and I swear all the single ones ask you out, but you shoot most of them down. Why?”
Amanda worked the front desk at the shop part-time, while going to school at night, so she knew first-hand that a lot of my clients were sleazy bastards who crossed my hard line.
“Men are too much trouble.” My sister, the soon-to-be therapist, claimed I had to work through my daddy issues. But I preferred to think of myself as a strong, financially independent woman who simply didn’t need a man to be happy.
“How can you say that?” Amanda asked, nudging my shoulders with hers. “You can’t tell me you don’t need to scratch that itch every now and then.”
“Sure, but I like guys who know the score.” Given my work environment, I had a lot of male friends, and they all claimed I was unlike any other woman they’d ever known. I wasn’t soft. I didn’t cry. And I wasn’t looking for my happily ever after. Instead, I believed that I could create my own happy ending, all by myself. Sure, I relied on friends, my mama, my kid sister, and my shop family, but they were enough for me.
The leader asked if any of the new comers would like to speak and I held my breath when Maverick stood up. His eyes landed on me immediately and I was transported back in time… to the dumb kid I used to be. We were in the bed of his truck, on a warm May night, under the stars, believing the withdrawal method was an effective form of birth control. What an idiot I’d been.
“Hi, my name’s Maverick. And I’m an alcoholic.” He cleared his throat as the group greeted him, but it was obvious he was speaking directly to me when he said, “I’ve been drinking since I was a teenager. It’s made me do a lot of stupid things. Hurt a lot of people, who loved me. And I’m finally ready to get help. To take my life back. I know it won’t be easy, but coming to this meeting tonight… suddenly feels like the best decision I’ve made in a long time.”
I was the first one to break eye contact, but it wasn’t easy to ignore his eyes boring through me for the rest of the meeting. If not for the audience, I might have flipped him off, just to let him know I wasn’t the same naïve little girl he blew off all those years ago.
* * *
I was unlocking my black Jeep when I heard someone jogging up to me. I curled my hand around the mace in my purse before I realized it was Mav.
“Get lost,” I muttered, when he finally closed in on me.
He chuckled, before resting his hand on my hood, eyeing me up and down. “Damn, the years have been good to you, girl.”
“Too bad I can’t say the same.” I was lying my ass off, of course. His black hair was shorter than I remembered, and threaded with a few strands of silver now, but his best feature, his light blue eyes, were framed with a few faint lines, which only made him more appealing, somehow.
He flashed a quick grin before glancing at my left hand. “Not married?”
“None of your business.” I tried to open the car door but his hand closed over mine.
“Come on, Codie. Just give me a few minutes.”
“Why should I? You wanted to forget I was alive, remember?” I didn’t usually care enough to hold grudges, certainly not because a guy blew me off. But Mav was different. I’d actually loved him, and believed him when he told me he loved me.
“I could never have forgotten you.” His tone was low as he leaned in. “Let me take you out for a coffee. I want to hear what you’ve been up to.”
Was this guy for real? “No, thanks.” I nudged him out of the way before opening the door.
I started my vehicle and as soon as I did my phone rang. The name of the producer who’d asked me out flashed across the screen. I quickly declined the call.
Mav’s eyes widened and he blocked me from closing the door. “How the hell do you know Austin?”
“We’re dating.” That may have been a stretch, since we’d only been on one date, but I enjoyed the look of shock on his face when my claim registered. “What’s wrong, Mav? You didn’t think a guy like that would be interested in me?”
Austin was hot. Not only was he good-looking and rich, but many of the biggest names in country music were clamoring to work with him. I wasn’t usually impressed by wealth or status, but I couldn’t deny Austin seemed like a good guy. Someone who might have interested me if I was looking for a long-term relationship.
“You’re dating Austin?” He swore softly. “You do realize he produced my debut album, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “How would I know? And why would I care? You think I talk about you on my dates? Get over yourself, Maverick. I haven’t thought of you in years.”
He smirked. “I call bullshit. I still think of you all the time and I know you haven’t forgotten about me.” He tugged on my long black hair. “I saw the way you looked at me when I walked into that meeting room.”
