Page 35 of Dirty Mind
Sky slapped her denim clad thigh. “Exactly! He doesn’t work 9-5. Temptation is all around him. Women are gonna throw themselves at him. That’s just the way it is and any woman who’s with him has to be secure enough to understand that.”
“Right.” I set my guitar down before asking, “You think that was the problem with his exes? They just weren’t secure enough to deal with that?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t know them personally, but Dade and I got to know each other pretty well on the tour. Talked a lot. It sounds like jealousy and insecurity were big problems in his relationships.”
“Hmm.” I’d never considered myself jealous or insecure, but I could understand how someone like Dade could bring out the best, or worst, in a girl, depending on the circumstances.
“At least you can sit down and have a conversation with Dade,” Sky said, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin in her upturned palm. “Some guys just shut down, won’t even give you a hint as to what they’re thinking. Be grateful he’s not like that.”
I smiled. “Sounds like you’re talking about someone specific.”
Sky sighed, wrinkling her nose. “Dade’s here with a buddy tonight. I don’t know if you’ve met him. Archer?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I met him at my sister’s wedding. She said he’s a songwriter.”
“Only one of the best in the business.” She laced her hands, stretching her arms. “Truth be told, I’m dying to work with him on my debut album, but he won’t give me the time of day. Just shuts me down every time I try to talk to him.”
“Why?” I’d only known Sky a few minutes, but she seemed really sweet and easy to talk to. It was hard to imagine she’d said or done anything to offend Dade’s friend.
She blushed, dipping her head. “We, uh, kind of hooked up a couple of years ago.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure how much she wanted to share, but I was happy to listen if she wanted to unload.
“Yeah.” She sank back in the chair, tipping her head back. “And I had to bail the next morning. Playing a few fairs with my band. Looking back, I didn’t handle it well. Just hit the road without explaining to him where I was going or when I’d be back.”
“And now he’s bitter?” I could see why, especially if they’d hit it off.
“You could say that.” She kicked her boots up on the scarred wood table between us. “But we both knew the deal. One night. That’s it. I was coming off a bad break-up and he was… a distraction. The best kind.”
I knew there was more, and she obviously wanted to share. “But?”
“I couldn’t stop thinking about him.” She shook her head, looking a little disgusted with herself. “It was crazy. By the time I got back, which was like a month later, I went back to the bar where we met, talked to a couple of people, and they told me he’d been in. With another girl.”
I winced. “Ouch.”
“Yeah. Didn’t take him long to move on, not that we were ever a thing.” She stared straight ahead. “For all I know, she was his girlfriend, and I was just a little somethin’ on the side.”
“You really believe that?” I’d only talked to Archer for a bit at the wedding, but he seemed like a straight-shooter.
“No.” She bit her lip. “But it helps to tear him down sometimes, ya know?” She laughed. “That sounds really stupid when I say it out loud.”
“Not at all. I get it.” I’d been there too, trying to get over a guy was easier when you remembered everything you hated about him.
We shared a smile before she said, “Well, I just came in to wish you luck tonight. And tell you that if you’re really interested in Dade, don’t listen to crap you hear about him. Those people don’t know him. His real friends know the deal.”
“Thanks.” Before she got to the door, I said, “Hey, Sky.”
She paused with her hand on the doorknob, looking at me over her shoulder. “Yeah?”
“I wouldn’t be so quick to write Archer off either. Could be you bruised his ego, and we all know that takes a hell of a long time to heal.”
She laughed. “Maybe you’re right. I guess we’ll see.”
I got a text from Max letting me know there’d be a slight delay while they worked out a technical issue, so I took a chance and called my sister. I figured if she and Knox were getting busy it would go to voicemail, but since it was late afternoon there, I was probably safe.
“Hey you!” Cece said, picking up after the first ring. “How’d you know I was thinking about you?”
“Uh, you’re on your honeymoon. You’re supposed to be too distracted with your new husband to think about me.”
