Page 70 of Clueless
“Am I missing something?”Jay asked.“You know Taz?”
I didn’t have to ask how Jay knew him.Trey was like family to him, and I’d heard through my sister Taz was Trey’s favorite new artist, and he’d been talking him up all over town.
“Uh yeah, I know him.Intimately.”
Jay’s eyes widened before he grinned.“Now, that’s a story I gotta hear.”
The waitress quickly approached, while darting glances at the stage as she took our drink and food order.Ugh.Was there a woman in this city not willing to throw themselves at his feet?
Jay listened intently while Taz introduced his first song, and I tried to act like I wasn’t shattering into a million pieces as he told the crowd he’d written this song recently, after a break-up that rocked him.
“Wow,” Jay said, a couple of minutes into Taz’s song.“He really is that good, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he is.”
Since Jay and I were sitting at a booth in the back, Taz still hadn’t spotted me, and I was grateful for that.After our exchange in my office, I wasn’t ready to face him again, until I had at least a few glasses of wine under my belt.
One song bled into another and Jay and I were both mesmerized, barely exchanging a word, even when the waitress returned with our drinks.
I sank back, cradling my wine glass in my hand, as I watched and listened, wondering how the hell I’d ever convinced myself I could get this man out of my system.I wanted him even more now than I did the first night we met.Because now I knew his heart.I’d seen beneath that crusty exterior and knew he had a heart of gold, and loved hard.
How could you just… let a man like that go?
After he’d sang a few songs, and promised to return when the house band took their break, Jay finally said, “Okay, what’s his deal?I mean, I’ve heard his backstory, about being in prison and all, but what’s his real story?”
I smiled when the waitress returned with our food, trying to dig in like my stomach wasn’t protesting every bite.“Um, he’s a good guy.I met him through Codie and Mav.We were seeing each other for a while, but now we’re not.”
His eyes narrowed as he pointed his fork at me.“I’ve known you a long time, Gracie.I’ve seen you with a couple of serious boyfriends.But I’ve never seen that expression when you talk about a guy.What gives?”
“What can I say?”I sighed heavily.“I let him in and now… I can’t get him out.”
He smiled.“I know what that feels like.”
“Everyone’s been through it a time or two, right?Heartbreak.I’m sure I’ll get over it.”
“But, do you want to?”He glanced over his shoulder at Taz, who was in the middle of a large crowd, signing autographs.“Some people get under our skin for a reason.Because they’re meant to.”
“Hmm.”I drained half my glass of wine, knowing it wouldn’t be the last tonight.I normally wouldn’t rely on alcohol to get through a tough day, after my sister’s problem with the bottle, but everyone had their breaking point, and I’d been pushed past mine.
Taz looked up and our eyes finally collided, sucking all of the oxygen out of the room.
“Wow.”Jay chuckled.“That’s some serious chemistry right there.”
“I wish that’s all it was, my friend.”If he’d just been great in bed, I could have moved on by now.But there was so much more than that to this man.So many layers, and I knew I’d barely begun to peel them back.
“Why’d you all break up?”Jay asked, digging into his chicken burger.
“He has a teenage daughter, who wanted her daddy all to herself.Not that I blame her.If my daddy came back, after years of being gone, I’d probably be greedy with his time too.”I understood how Quinn felt, because I’d been her as a teen.Except her daddy came back, and was willing to make the effort, while mine was still a stranger I didn’t even want to know anymore.
I watched Taz excuse himself from the crowd before heading our way.
“Hey,” he said quietly, locking eyes with me.“Sorry, when you said you were going out for dinner, didn’t realize it would be here.”
“It’s fine,” I said, waving him off.“Um, I’m not sure if you guys have met, but this is my friend, Jay.His dad is Josh, Trey’s head of security.”
Taz smiled as Jay stood and offered his hand.“Nice to meet you, Jay.Your dad’s a great guy.”
“Thanks, he’s said the same about you.”Jay gestured to the empty spot next to me.“You want to join us, grab a bite to eat, maybe a drink?”
