Page 51 of Bad Habits
“Your boyfriend’s on the road with me right now, filling in for my opening act.” Dead silence. I knew this would be uncomfortable, but I didn’t expect her to hang up on me. “Hey Brook, you still there?”
“Uh yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry, Knox. You just caught me off guard. I thought you were callin’ to catch up, not talk about him.”
I sighed, trying to find the words to convince her to give him one more chance, whether he deserved it or not. My gut told me he’d learned his lesson and wouldn’t screw her over again. If I thought there was a chance he would I wouldn’t be going to bat for him like this.
“Look, I know you’re pissed and you have every right to be, but—”
“You don’t know the half of it! He’s a little boy, playin’ at bein’ a man, that’s what he is! He thinks having girls chasin’ after him is part of his job description. Like he’ll sell more tickets if they know he’s available.”
There was a modicum of truth to that. Pretty girls showed up in droves and paid big bucks for front row and backstage when they thought they stood a chance with the opening act. “I know Reed can be a bit dense at times,” I said, chuckling. “But I really think he got the message this time, hon. He won’t screw you over—”
“You’re right he won’t ‘cause he’s not gonna get the chance again. I’m done with him, Knox. D-o-n-e. Done. Are we clear?”
Wow. Okay, so not up for debate. Message received. “Yeah, crystal.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry, hon. I don’t mean to be a bitch. But I’ve cried way too many tears over that man. He doesn’t love me—”
“I don’t want you to take my head off, but I know that’s not true. He’s a bit of a mess right now, Brook. If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t give a shit.”
“I was gonna say he doesn’t love me enough to respect me. And respect? That’s a deal breaker for me.”
I understood her position. She had every right to demand that from him. “I get it. Just thought it was worth a try. You are two of my favorite people and if there was any way I could help y’all work this out I wanted to at least try. I didn’t mean to get up in your business, but—”
“I love you for trying, seriously. You’re the best.” She paused. “I don’t want to hurt him. Don’t think that’s what this is about. I’m not punishing him. I’m just standing up for myself. I can’t let a man get away with treating me like that anymore.”
“I get it. I do.” And I suddenly felt shitty for trying to talk her into giving my friend another chance. Maybe she was right. Maybe he didn’t deserve one until he learned to grow up and start acting like a real man. “I’m sorry, Brook. Sorry you’re hurting and that you had to go through this shit with him. You don’t deserve it.”
“Thanks. I’ll try to call Cece. But if I can’t reach her, give me a hug for her when you see her, okay?”
“Will do.” I couldn’t wait to wrap my arms around that woman. And after my talk with Brook, I’d learned another lesson. Put Cece first. Never let her doubt thatshewas the most important person in my life.
Chapter 17
Cece
Ifelt a subtle shift in the room’s energy when my sister gripped my hand and whispered, “Oh my God. That’s him. Dade Jarvis.”
Dade. And he wasn’t alone. Auden was with him. Wow. I didn’t know how I felt about that.
“Hey you.” I stood, letting Dade enfold me in his strong arms. He was a big guy, almost the same size as Knox, and the comfort he provided reminded me how much I missed my man. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
I gave Auden a quick hug before I gestured to my sister. “Uh guys, this is my sister, Charli. Charli, Dade and Auden.”
Her smile was brief when her eyes met Dade’s and she accepted his outstretched hand. Huh. Apparently she was too wrung out to go all fan girl on him today. “Nice to meet you, Dade.”
“Yeah, you too,” Dade said, trying to tear his eyes off Charli to glance in my direction. “I’m sorry about your father, ladies.”
“Thanks.” Charli accepted the hand Auden offered and made another half-hearted attempt at a smile. “It was nice of you guys to come.”
Auden reacted to my sister the same way Dade had. Even wearing yoga pants, not a lick of make-up, with that gorgeous mass of hair tied up in a messy bun, she was still a sight to behold. Natural beauty, my guy friends used to call it, and apparently most men would take that over make-up and heels any day.
“Our pleasure,” Dade said, stealing another look at her, before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jean jacket. “We’ve, uh, got a show in town tonight. I was talking to Knox earlier and he told me about your dad. We just wanted to stop by and see how you’re holding up. Anything we can do?”
I reached for my friend’s hand, squeezing it. “Thanks for offering, but we’re still in the dark. Doctors are waiting on more test results. They’re talking triple bypass. But at least Daddy’s resting comfortably and still with us, so we’re grateful.” We’d been told the first twenty-four hours after a heart attack like his were critical and we hadn’t passed that all-important mark yet, but we were inching closer.
“My mama had a heart attack not long ago,” Dade said. “Not as serious, but still, I have some idea what you’re going through.”
It meant so much that he was here to support me, given the state he’d been in the last time we talked. He had his own issues, yet he was setting those aside to be a good friend to me. But as he snuck another peek at my sister, who was glancing down the hall towards our father’s room, I had to wonder if he hadn’t had Charli on his mind when he decided to check in on me.
