“Can we get another round of shots?” Sam asks.
A small hand clasps my shoulder, patting gently.
“At least you’re finally realizing it. We’ve all known for … years now,” Dolly says, her voice softening slightly.
I finish off my drink and grab one of the clear shot glasses.
“Yeah, well, what am I supposed to do about it?”
Rosie and Dallas return then. Her jaw set firmly, Dallas avoids eye contact with me and instead goes to sit byMonroe and Cash. Rosie stands nearby with Holden and begins whispering in his ear.
The thought of Dallas being mad at me and thinking I’m anything like her piece-of-shit ex-husband makes me feel violent. Maybe a sparring round with Sam later will help me work through it. He’s a cage fighter, and he takes any opportunity to whoop my ass.
“Look, Duke, you’ve got what we call a crush. A crush is something that can feel really big and overwhelming, but at the end of the day, it’s just a lack of information,” Dolly says.
Sam’s eyes narrow. “What does that mean?”
Dolly had an enormous crush on my best friend for years before he started to reciprocate the feelings.
My little sister smiles at him and pats his cheek. “It means that once you find out more about a person, a crush naturally fades away.”
He frowns. “So, you don’t have a crush on me anymore?”
“No, silly, I love you now.”
I glance over at Dallas to see her whispering to Monroe. I want to go over and explain myself and apologize, but my throat feels like sandpaper.
“So, you’re saying once he finds out more about her, his crush will turn into love?”
“I’m not going to fall in love with her.”
Dolly shrugs. “His crush will either dissolve or he’ll fall in love.”
I push away from the bar, moving over to the sofa next to Dallas. I sit down beside her, clearing my throat. She sips on the new drink she has, and I wonder where she got it.
“Hey. Can I talk to you?”
“I don’t know. Am I allowed to respond to whatever you have to say?” She tilts her head to the side, her lips in a pout.
I try to hold back my smile, knowing it’ll just piss her off. She has an attitude and a glare that could intimidate a grizzly bear.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you that you weren’t allowed to do anything. It came out wrong. I—shit, can we go outside and talk? The music is so loud.”
She huffs and takes another sip of the drink before finally nodding. She stands, sets the drink down, and crosses her arms, making her cleavage nearly spill out of the low-cut top. I grab her hand, leading her down the stairs. We weave in and out of the crowd, making our way toward the back of the establishment. We move through a hallway where a line of women is waiting for the bathroom. I keep tugging her behind me until we reach a back door with an Exit sign glowing above it. I push it open, finding the alleyway behind the bar.
The older brick building is surprisingly clean. There’s a row of wooden crates, where a busboy is sitting, smoking a cigarette and scrolling on his phone. He doesn’t even look up when Dallas and I walk out. The nightlife of Nashville can be heard all around us on the nearby streets, but aside from the busser, we’re alone.
The tension in my head instantly eases with the lower volume of the music. I turn around to face her. Her green eyes are illuminated by the moonlight and the single light bulb next to the back door we just came through.
“I just wanted to explain myself to you so you’re notpissed off at me all night. I want us to be able to have a fun weekend.”
“I came here to be with my friends, not you.”
She lifts her chin, still clearly angry with me. My chest tightens. I might not be able to convince her of the truth here, and that’s scaring the shit out of me.
“I know that. I—look, with the thing I said about your work. I wasn’t trying to be controlling. I really just—it came out wrong.”
“Then what did you mean by telling me that I wasn’tallowedto give hurricane shots at work anymore? Because I heard it loud and clear.”
