Play It Again (6 page)

Letting my hair out of its braid, I run my
fingers through the waves, fluffing it out. I swipe on some
lip-gloss and blush, before slipping on a pair of sling back,
peep-toed sandals, and then, Jimmy, Kim, and I hop into my truck
and head to the pub.

It’s a twenty-minute drive to the pub and
Jimmy yammers on about the new girl, Sera, the entire way. By the
time we get there, I know she’s twenty-one, blonde, blue eyed, has
a dog named Killer and a cat named Puss. She works at a photo hut
and they met when he went in to buy film for his camera.

The parking lot is packed when we pull in,
and I swear we find the last parking spot.

There’s a small group of men standing at the
entrance, smoking and laughing with the bouncer. He eyes us for a
moment as we approach before recognition settles in and he lifts
his chin, letting us in without any hassle.

The bar is just as packed as the parking lot
with people chatting and laughing, the atmosphere and crowd,
relaxed, easy, with low music thrumming through the air.

It’s always like this here. It’s one of the
things I love about this place.

Jimmy goes straight for the bar, squeezing
through the crowd, and stands at the end, waiting for the bartender
to notice him, and Kim and I start the hunt for a table.

“Oh, look,” Kim says, pointing to a table
near the bar. “It’s Vance and Wes.”

I turn, seeing Vance staring at us, his
expression blank. He makes a show of running his eyes over me, his
attention causing a tingle to shoot down my spine. I’m not sure if
it’s from excitement or apprehension, until he meets my eyes,
smiles, and then lifts a hand waving us over, and I realize it’s
both.

I’m excited he’s here.

I’m nervous to see him again.

It hits me then, Friday night, Constant Pub …
Vance comes here almost every Friday night.

I turn to Kim, narrowing my eyes at her. “You
knew he’d be here tonight, didn’t you?”

“No,” she says right away, except she’s also
nodding yes.

“I thought this was supposed to be a girl’s
night,” I say.

Kim lets out a sharp laugh. “Jimmy ruined
that, not me.”

I bite my bottom lip, and my emotions must be
easy to see because Kim giggles.

“Nervous is good,” she fake whispers, over
the music. “If you’re not nervous about seeing him, then you’re
just not that into him.” Then, before I can respond, she grabs my
hand, tugging me toward the table. “Come on.”

I follow her, although I really don’t have
much of a choice. Her grip on my arm is bruising tight. She’s not
taking any chances that I’ll chicken out and find another
table.

Vance watches me intently as we make our way
over, and even slightly intoxicated, the attention flusters me.
Wearing his standard uniform of faded jeans, a dark tee, and a
baseball cap, he looks good.

Really good.

“Hey guys,” Kim says brightly as we reach the
table. She moves in behind Vance, wrapping her arms around his
neck, and plants a kiss on his cheek, and then moves on to Wes,
repeating the routine, before taking a seat.

“Someone’s drunk,” Vance says, amusement
passing across his face as he eyes his cousin.

“Not drunk,” Kim says, grinning at him.
“Happily buzzed.”

Vance shakes his head slowly and smiles, as
he tugs out the chair beside him, gesturing for me to sit. “Thought
you were out on a girl’s night.”

I slip into the chair. “Me, too.”

Vance shakes his head again, this time at me,
and he smiles. “Glad that girl’s night brought you here. You want a
drink?”

I shake my head. “Jimmy’s getting them, but
thanks.”

“Jimmy’s here, too?” He raises his eyebrows
questioningly. “On girl’s night?”

I roll my eyes. “He is staying with me. It’s
not like I could just leave him out, and he did save me from having
to take a cab here so it’s all good.”

His brow furrows, his eyes turning dark and
hard. “So he’s staying with you now?”

Crap.

That’s not a happy look. Not happy at
all.

Quickly, I consider how to respond, wondering
if somehow I can just avoid this conversation all together. I
glance at Kim, quickly catching her eye, and she gives me a look
that clearly says,
I told you so.

I can feel Vance’s attention on me, waiting
for my response. It unnerves me on so many levels that I can’t even
begin to pinpoint how I feel about his unhappiness. My stomach
flutters while another sensation desperately tries to snuff it
out.

Frustration.

But then Kim smiles, winking at me.

“Where’s Jase?” Kim asks, reaching across the
table, and nabs Vance’s beer, drawing his attention. She takes a
sip and makes a sour face. “That’s just gross.”

I smile inwardly. God, I love my best
friend.

“Jase is at home,” Vance says, rolling his
eyes as he snags his beer back. “He’s Skyping with Elena
again.”

“When’s she coming back?” Kim asks. “I’m
dying to meet the girl that has Jason Pierce missing Friday night
drinks to sit at a computer.”

“Supposed to be Wednesday, but it’s been put
off again,” Wes says. “She just bought a truck and is gonna drive
back now, leaving New York on Thursday.”

“Ooo, another truck girl,” Kim says, winking
at me. “Nice.”

Jimmy appears at the table, his hands wrapped
around a beer, a bottled water, and some pink concoction. “Piper’s
beer, my water, and Kim’s summer breeze,” he says, passing out the
drinks. “Next time, let the guy that’s buying you drinks know where
you’re going.”

Kim giggles. “I knew you’d find us.”

Thanking Jimmy for the drink, I reach for it,
taking a sip, as Kim starts rambling on about the list we made,
explaining to Vance and Wes why it has to be a woman that’s been
messing with me.

They talk.

They laugh.

They drink some more.

Ten minutes passes … fifteen minutes … and I
think I’m in the clear. Thanks to Kim I’ve managed avoidance, but
then, Vance leans into me. “You do know I caught that whole
distract Vance
look you shared with Kim, yeah?”

“Yep,” I say. “But tonight I’m just trying to
have fun with some friends. I don’t want to worry about your issues
with Jimmy staying with me, because news flash, we haven’t even had
our first date, so please just drop it for tonight.”

He flinches at my sharp tone and leans back
in his chair.

Crap. That came out wrong, too blunt and too
harsh.

Ugh.
Too much stress and alcohol is
totally to blame here.

He eyes me peculiarly, as though trying to
decide whether or not to accept my words. I open my mouth, about to
tell him that I didn’t mean it the way it came out, but he must see
it in my expression because he tugs me into his side, wrapping an
arm around me. Bringing his lips close to my ear, he says, “I’ve
just got one question for you.”

“Sure,” I say, feeling my stomach sink with
dread.
Please don’t let it be something serious. Please
…

“You and Jimmy seem close,” he says. “Should
I be worried about that?”

A bark of laughter escapes me before I can
swallow it down. Worried about Jimmy? I think that’s the funniest
thing I’ve heard all night.

Shaking my head, I meet his eyes, still
laughing. “Trust me,” I say. “You do not have to worry about
that.”

Vance

An hour creeps by and the girls have
officially gone past
happily buzzed
to wasted.

They joke around, drinking and laughing.

Piper eventually loosens up.

I mull over their new theory on who’s been
harassing her in silence.

Jimmy starts doing shots.

I switch to water.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the person
is most likely watching Piper, although I know she won’t admit
that. She doesn’t like the thought of a stalker, or maybe it’s just
the word. I’m not really sure.

What I am sure about is that for ten days
straight, something has happened, and then yesterday after an alarm
system is installed, nothing.

It’s possible that it’s just a coincidence,
but it’s also possible the person was watching, saw us put it in,
and decided to regroup.

It’s the latter that feels right to me. Ten
days is a long time to mess with someone to just … forget about it
and move on. And the
stay away
warning that was spray
painted on her garage tells me this is personal.

She probably knows the person.

She’s most likely wronged them in some
way.

I check my phone again, ensuring it’s still
on and I haven’t missed anything. The bar is loud; people are
getting rowdy, their voices rising, and their laughter louder as
more drinks are served. It would be easy to miss an alert in here,
but with another glance at the security app, I find her house dark
and quiet.

“What are you looking at?” Piper asks,
leaning into me, resting a hand on my thigh as she peeks at my
phone.

My eyes shift to her, scanning her in the dim
light. “Your house.”

Piper tenses and she pulls her hand away from
my thigh, bringing it to her mouth. “Oh, no. Did something
happen?”

“No,” I say. “Everything’s fine.”

She sags back into me instantly, a small
smile appearing on her face. It’s relief, I think, but there’s
still a trace of uncertainty in her eyes. “Can I see?”

Holding my phone so she can see, I tap on the
screen, first pulling up the front of the house, the garage, and
then the back, showing her that everything’s fine.

She’s silent for a moment, staring at the
phone, before she shifts her gaze to me, eyeing me warily. “I told
you I didn’t want you looking into this for me,” she says, sounding
somewhat annoyed, but her hand comes back to my thigh.

My eyes leave hers momentarily distracted,
and they settle on her hand. Her small hand, palm down; her slim
fingers slightly squeezing the muscle there. I bring my hand down
to hers, entwining our fingers. It feels so natural, and for the
second time today, I find myself wondering why it’s taken her
needing help for me to finally make a move.

It strikes me then, a feeling of loss.

I wasted so much time.

Missed so much.

I blow out a dismissive breath, but whether
it’s to the comment or the feeling, I’m not entirely sure. “You
knew I wouldn’t listen.”

“It’s kind of creepy,” she says, reaching
over with her free hand, tapping the screen and closing the
app.

My brow furrows. “What’s creepy?”

“With just a couple taps on your phone, you
can watch my house any time you want,” she says. “It’s kind of
creepy.”

I put my phone away, glancing at her, seeing
an unexpected look of curiosity on her face. Before I can respond,
however, Kim chimes in. “She’s right. It’s creepy.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s not creepy, it’s
security.”

“Nope,” Wes says, his shoulders shaking with
silent laughter. “It’s definitely creepy. Maybe I should watch the
house instead.”

I cock a brow. “How is that any
different?”

“Because he’s not trying to, uh … date me,”
Piper says, blushing.

Regarding her curiously, I ask, “Do you want
Wes or Jase to watch the house instead of me?”

Piper wavers, pondering my question, before
she wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. “Nope. I’m okay with you
being kind of creepy.”

I let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Good to
know.”

Shaking her head and snorting out a laugh,
she takes another small sip of her beer. The banter starts up
again, flowing freely between Kim and Piper, and Jimmy heads to the
bar for another round.

It’s then that I notice her again. A woman,
young, face caked with make-up, short blonde hair, bright blue eyes
… It’s the sixth, maybe seventh time she’s walked by our table,
staring at the girls as she passes, making her way to the bar.

Wes notices her, too.

He glances at me, frowning, before turning
his eyes back to her, watching as her head swivels, her hard gaze
staying on our table, as she slips past us.

It’s not until she’s well past, that she
diverts her attention to the bar, saddling up beside Jimmy. She
says something to him, and he jerks in surprise.

He doesn’t looked thrilled to see her.

Actually, he almost looks like a cornered
animal.

I turn to Piper, and I’m about to ask if
either of them knows the woman, when suddenly Piper squeals,
hopping in her chair, and a smile lights up her face. It’s the kind
of smile that could replace sunshine. “I love this song,” she says,
shoving her chair back and jumping up. “Kimmy, dance with me.”

Kim laughs. “I thought you said Constant Pub
isn’t really a place for dancing.”

“And you said any place with music is a place
for dancing,” she counters, shaking her ass. “Come on.”

Kim doesn’t take much more coaxing. A few
whiny pleas and another bright smile from Piper, and she’s up,
teetering on her feet, yelling toward the bar, “Turn that jam
up!”

From behind the bar, Sam glances up, spots
the girls moving into the aisle, only a few steps from our table,
shaking their hips as they go, and he obliges, cranking up the
tune.

I don’t know the song. It’s some pop/hip-hop
crap, but then Piper starts to move, and I couldn’t care less what
kind of music it is because she loves it. I can see it on her face,
feel it in the way she dances.

She twirls. She shimmies. She throws her
hands in the air and sings along, belting out the lyrics.

She isn’t trying to be sexy or draw
attention, but I swear, every head turns, drawn to her as she
moves.

She looks so …
carefree.

I stare at her, my gaze slowly raking down
her body, reaching her toes, before trailing back up. Her hips sway
to the beat, all her curves proudly on display. Confidence seems to
ooze from her pores, bordering on downright cocky. Maybe it’s the
booze, or maybe she’s just having fun. I’m not entirely sure, but
this isn’t the shy girl I’ve gotten to know over the last few
years, or even the one I saw this morning.