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Dominick shakes my hand, pulling me closer to his desk. “I like you too, Shane Guthrie. Hope to not see you around my town.”
I chuckle at his slickness, a compliment tied up in an ‘I know who you are’ threat with a bonus order to get out of dodge. He’s one of a kind.
Chapter 27
Maggie
It feels weird to walk through the quiet main room of Petals, knowing I’ll likely never return. I look around the room, seeing the dinginess to everything in the light of day.
But somehow, it makes it feel comfortable. I like knowing that table nine is a little wobbly so you have to be careful setting the beers down or else you’ll have slop to mop up, or that the fastest route from the bar to the private rooms is to take the outside loop even though it’s twenty-five extra steps, but there are no grabby hands to get in your way. The biggest thing, though, is knowing that the people here are my friends.
I mean, what else can you say when Allie and a bunch of the dancers and waitresses are here to say goodbye? I have no idea what Allie told them to cover up the reason. But even Marco’s here, looking slick as always, even as his practiced smirk looks a little faded at the edges..
I give Allie a big hug, still loving that she’s promised we’ll get together soon. “I think we’ll have to get you a bright slutty red when we get together for mani-pedis next time,” she teases, looking over my shoulder at Shane before giving me a wink. “And some sweet gel nails that are guaranteed not to break when you scratch someone’s back.”
The other dancers laugh along with me while I give hugs all around. When everyone’s wished me well, I turn to Marco, who’s talking quietly with Shane. The two shake hands, and Marco turns to me. “You know, it’s not gonna be the same without you around.”
“Oh, you’ll just have to be more careful with those harassing comments,” I joke, making Marco laugh. I give him a big hug, patting his back. “You make sure you stay out of trouble, you got me?”
“Never.” Marco laughs, hugging me back and picking me up. Shane looks a little jealous, which makes Marco and I both laugh. “Relax, Dragon. I’m not gonna try and take a girl who settled for your ugly ass.”
Shane laughs, flipping him off. “Fuck you, man.”
I don’t get the inside joke between them, but it seems good-natured as they bro-hug. Shane shakes hands with a few of the girls and gives a quick hug to Allie, and then we’re done. As we approach the door, I look up, seeing Dominick watching us. He doesn’t say a word, just stands in the doorway of his office, watching us, but I wave goodbye and smile anyway. Dominick had sent someone for Shane’s truck days ago, so it’s waiting in the parking lot for us.
I curl into the passenger seat, tears already starting to slip down my cheeks. Shane looks over and wipes them away with a gentle thumb. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shake my head, kissing the ball of his thumb softly. “It just feels . . . final. Like I’m not going to see them again, you know?”
“Angel, you literally just made plans with Allie for this weekend,” he reminds me. “You two are going to be thick as thieves, and I doubt I’m gonna get two minutes of you to myself. That’s the definition of not final.”
I smile through the tears, chuckling. “You’re right. It just feels like I’m saying goodbye.”
Shane is thoughtful, considering that for a moment, then puts his truck into drive and pulls away. “Well, you are saying goodbye to a lot of things. Your job at Petals, your job at the tabloid, your innocence at how the city runs. But you’re starting a lot of new things, like this with me. It’s not the end of things. It’s the beginning of new things.”
I lean across the seat to wrap my arms around his arm, laying my head on his shoulder. “You’re right. Let’s go home.”
It doesn’t occur to me that I didn’t say ‘my place’ or ‘your place’ until Shane pulls into the parking lot of my apartment. “Oh, if you need to go to your house, we can. Sorry. I didn’t mean—”
Shane puts a finger to my lips, shushing me. “Maggie, you are my home. My apartment in the city is a front, part of the assignment. For the past year, I’ve basically lived out of a duffel bag. My place is more of a pit stop than anything else. I like your apartment, it’s like you, sweet, innocent, warm. If you don’t mind, I could use a little more sweet innocence in my life.”
