AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll email copies when I’ve got the draft done. But right now, I gotta go.”
“Wait. No celebratory beers at Jabberwocky’s?” Antonio asked.
“Sorry,” Jasper said, grabbing his bag. “Can’t tonight. Hollyn’s got a friend in town, and we’re all going out for drinks.”
“And so it begins,” Monique said with a smirk. “Ditching us already.”
“Come on,” Jasper said, dropping the light tone. “I know I deserve that, but I can work on the businessandsee someone at the same time. I promise nothing is more important to me right now than this group and getting that theater. Hollyn knows that. We’re keeping things casual.”
“You suck at casual, Jas,” Leah said. “You’re all formal attire when it comes to women. Like full tux with tails.”
Jasper groaned. “No, Iusedto suck at casual. I’m evolving. I’ve learned my lesson. But right now I have to go and meet the ex-boyfriend and not act like that’s weird. I need to be on my A game.”
Antonio chuckled. “Oh shit. A meet-the-ex night. Godspeed, my friend. We’ll have a drink in your honor.”
“Thanks.” Jasper waved, hooked his backpack over his shoulder, and headed out of the storage room, shoving any worries his friends had stirred up out of his mind. He only needed to be focused on one thing tonight.Not looking like an ass in front of Hollyn or her ex.
He took a deep breath and walked out to the main part of the bar.
Hollyn was sitting at the long, wood-topped bar with Cal, sipping an Abita beer and looking like sin on a stool in a white sundress. Her legs were crossed, but the dress had ridden up a little to expose a smooth expanse of thigh. Jasper wanted to stroll over, step between her legs, and slide his hands right up those thighs.
But the big dude next to her reminded him there would be none of that tonight.
Jasper wrangled in his libido and strode their way. Hollyn noticed him almost instantly. Her gaze flicked down Jasper’s body almost quick enough to miss, but he warmed at the fact that she hadn’t been able to resist giving him a once-over either. She sent him a tentative smile before standing up. Cal had his back to Jasper, but turned when Hollyn stood.
Cal got to his feet along with her and gave Jasper a curious look as he made his way to them. When he reached them, he was childishly pleased that he had at least an inch of height on Cal. God, he was being a douche. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Hollyn’s facial tics cycled in a flurry of movement, her nerves evident, but then she turned to Cal and smiled. “Cal, this is Jasper. We work together at WorkAround.”
“Oh, really?” Cal said, putting his hand out, a genial smile on his face. “Great show, man.Hella good.Really funny.”
Jasper heard a record scratch at Hollyn’s introduction.We work together.What the fuck was that about?We also sleep together, he wanted to add but kept his mouth shut. He accepted Cal’s handshake and glanced at Hollyn with a ball’s-in-your-court look. He knew how to improvise, but he needed to know what role she was expecting him to play.
She bit her lip and looked back and forth between the two of them. Her nose scrunched, and she cleared her throat. “Jasper’s also… We’re seeing each other.”
Cal’s grip instantly tightened and his sharp, brown-eyed gaze collided with Jasper’s. “Panic station.What?”
Jasper was confused for a second, but then he remembered what Hollyn had said about Cal’s verbal tics. Jasper cleared his throat. “I’m the boyfriend.”
Cal’s shoulder lifted in a little jerky motion, and he gave Hollyn a quick questioning look, but then pasted on a smile. He released Jasper’s hand. “Oh. That’s cool. Wait. Are you the coffee guy?”
“Cal,” Hollyn complained.
Jasper’s brows lifted. Hollyn had talked about him to Cal? “Ah, well, I do pour coffee at WorkAround, so I guess yes, I could be the coffee guy.”
Hollyn looked sheepish. “I may have mentioned to Cal how I freaked out on you that first day. I didn’t know your name then. Hence, coffee guy.”
Cal gave him a second, more critical look. “Yeah, she hasn’t mentioned you since.Rolling stone. Rolling stone.At all.”
A dig.Nice. Well, this was going to be a fun night. Jasper smiled. “Well, you know how things are when it’s new. You want to keep it just between the two of you for a while.” He gave Hollyn his best we’ve-got-a-secret look that made her blush. “But I’m glad I finally get to meet her best buddy.”
Cal’s lip curled, a knowing look in his eye. The guy hadn’t missed the subtle message the wordbuddyimplied. “Well,panic panic station.” He grimaced. “If she didn’t mention it, I have Tourette’s. I can’t control theserolling stoneextra words.”
Cal’s verbal tics were almost in the cadence of a sneeze, sharp and sudden. Also, the more he talked, the more Jasper’s ear kind of skipped over them, editing them out, because they sounded different from the rest of his words. “She mentioned it. No worries.”
Hollyn gave Cal an affectionate look and bumped her shoulder into his. “Onstage, it all goes away, though. He’s freaking amazing with his band. I’m hoping it’s going to be the same effect for me on video.”
Cal looked down at her with an adoring smile. “You’re going tohella goodnail it, Tate.”
