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“All work pays the bills,” I reminded him.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. In my head, you’re one of us now.”
I laughed. “I am and I’m not.” I absently paused in front of the Tory Burch store. “Oh, those shoes…”
“You want to go in?”
I shook my head. “Not now. I’m thinking of picking up one of the chain-strap bags for Greatty for Christmas. She loves Tory Burch.”
“What about you?”
“I’m not really into designer bags or purses. Not in the budget and, frankly, there isn’t a lot of rock and roll styled designer stuff. Betsey Johnson occasionally does something that strikes me, and Michael Kors puts funky elements in some of his clothes, but beyond that, it’s not my thing.”
“Yeah, Tory Burch isn’t my thing either. Though I’ve bought my mom a bunch of gift certificates from there.”
I chuckled. “Sounds like you’re a thoughtful son.”
“I try. I don’t see her as much as I probably should but she has a boyfriend now, so I’m glad she’s not alone anymore. She was essentially alone all the years she was married to my dad, so it’s time for her to be with someone who prioritizes her.”
“I think that’s the goal,” I said. “To be with someone who prioritizes you. I wouldn’t want to settle for anything less. Of course, with that in mind, I’ll probably be single forever.”
He looked at me, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Someone as attractive and talented as you? I highly doubt it.”
Had Kingston Knight just called me attractive?
“All I seem to attract is the crazies,” I said lightly, quickly looking away. “And I’m not into that anymore. I’m twenty-seven, not seventeen. No more crazy.”
“Sometimes crazy is fun,” he said thoughtfully. “But not long-term.”
“Nothing long-term in your future?” I asked.
“I wish I knew,” he said after a slight hesitation. “My job makes it hard.”
“Z seems happily married.”
“Yeah, but she was a one-night stand who got pregnant. And I don’t mean anything negative by that, just that the reality is, he probably wouldn’t have seen her again if she hadn’t found him and presented him with a kid. He’d liked her—they had a misunderstanding the morning after they hooked up that messed them up—but whether or not it would have turned into something if she hadn’t gotten pregnant? We’ll never know.”
“And Tommy’s divorced.”
“Yup. And Kellan, well…” He laughed. “I don’t know that the boy has monogamy in him. He’ll be truckin’ and fuckin’ until he dies.”
I laughed. “I think one-night stands are fun in very small quantities. You have one and then don’t do it again for a long while. I’m not built for night after night of mindless, meaningless sex.” I shuddered a little, memories I didn’t enjoy invading my psyche.
“That sounds like it comes from a place of experience.”
“You could say that.” I tugged his arm, unwilling to let this conversation go any further. “Look, gelato! Buy me a cone, Mr. Moneybags.”
He grinned. “Your wish is my command! Let’s do it.”
Ice cream and shopping with a rockstar.
And not just any rockstar—Kingston Knight.
It might have been a cliché, but I was had to say this might have been one of the best days of my life. The fact that it wasn’t a date didn’t even matter. I was going to enjoy the hell out of this.
I was still a tiny bit uncertain about everything, but maybe it was time to start enjoying my new life while I could. Even if the gig went well, once they found out who and what I used to be, chances were this would all be gone.
9
