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I get a high-top table and order a beer as I wait for Ty. When I met him, I wasn’t sure we’d be friends. He thought I liked Mellie. To be fair, I did like her when I met her, but she friend-zoned me quick. That’s okay. We’ve become close, and she’s now like a little sister to me.
Ty sits across from me. “What’s up, man?”
“Thanks for coming.” He nods to the bartender, who opens a beer and slides it over to him.
“I’m glad you’re sticking around.”
“I love Mellie and Kase. Couldn’t imagine leaving them,” he tells me in a relaxed tone, his words drawn out and low.
“I get that.” What I want to say is that I want what he has. I want a family of my own someday, but I’m not sure I’m capable of that. My family is not like what any of them have. And the thought of messing up a good woman, someone like Paige, makes me not even want to try.
“So, what’s up?”
“Paige,” I say, then take a long pull of my beer.
“What about her?” he says, leaning in so he can hear me over the loud tavern music.
“She’s... something. Today, she found in-depth information I don’t even think my investigator couldn’t find, and I pay him a lot of money.”
Ty throws his head back and laughs. Then he tips his beer toward me and says, “Preston, my dude. Never underestimate a woman. They can become a whole ass detective in less than six minutes and find your entire life.”
“You’re not kidding.”
“So, you like her,” he notes.
I shrug.
“Then see where this goes. Life’s short.”
Life is short. And lonely. It would be nice to have what Ty, Evan, and Logan have. They all seem so happy, and I want that, too.
“I’m happy for you and Mellie,” I say. “I hope someday I can find what you have.”
“Maybe you already have,” he says.
Maybe I already have.
12. paige
You Make Loving Fun
I groanin frustration as I pull my hair up into a messy bun and take a sip of my water. I’ve been working on tracking down Nial Poolmoore for the past three hours and have reached nothing but dead ends. I can find people he’s screwed over, and I discovered he also left a fiancé here in town. But he seems to have fallen off the face of the earth.
This feels humiliating and defeating. I could be sitting in a bookstore right now, getting my shelves organized and setting up my shop. Instead, I’m sitting here back at square one, and I feel like I’m failing miserably. And if I don’t pull it together, I’m going to let everyone down, including myself.
I glance up from my computer and startle. Because Preston’s standing there watching me. My whole body feels hot. His eyes are smoldering, and I can’t tell whether he’s angry at me or wants to eat me for a snack. I mean... I’d prefer the latter, but whatever.
“What?” I ask as I lean back in my chair and stare back at him while I try to pull my thoughts back to the present.
“What’s wrong?” he demands. “Was it your date that canceled on you?” His lips thin in irritation.
I shrug my shoulders in defeat. “That and I was trying to find Nial Poolmoore. I thought if I could find him, I could maybe get him to give me my money back.”
“Can I help you with that?” His gaze softens, and he relaxes his shoulders. “The Nial Poolmoore situation, I mean,” he adds nervously. “Not the dating situation.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do about Nial. He’s just gone.” I shrug, trying to make light of the situation. “And you wouldn’t understand how dating works for a girl like me, anyway.”
He tilts his head, confused. “What do you mean a girl like you?”
