As he’d gotten the message.
Loudly.
The man was a pain in her rear end.
And she wasn’t proud of knowing she was probably a pain in his rear end too, but she didn’t like the way he rattled her.
Tara slid into her seat as the last question was announced. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer called, “your final question: What college football team has won the most national championships?”
Lance’s team erupted in cheers.
“Alabama,” Kaci whispered. “WriteAlabama. Freaking elephants.”
“They’re Bama guys?” Tara wrinkled her nose. “Figures. Who’s writing these questions? As if half the bar won’t know that one.”
“Makes up for asking us the pumpkin capital of the US. Who knows that kind of stuff?”
“So you can chuck ’em, but you don’t know where they’re from?” With a cheeky grin, Tara ran their answer up to the judge. When she plopped back into her seat, her grin had turned grim. “You know he’s watching you again.”
“He can watch all he wants. I’m done with men.”
And fear shot through her belly every time she said it.
She could swing her hips and show her boobs like nobody’s business, but if she never had another man in her life, it wasn’t the sex she’d miss. Or even having someone reach up to the high cabinets without needing a stepstool, or having a date tofaculty functions.
She’d miss the companionship. The safety of knowing there was another person in the world who cared and who wanted to look after her and who would be there.
Sure, she could look after herself just fine. She’d never make a lot of money, but she made enough to take care of herself and Miss Higgs and not have to run home to Momma in Mississippi. She knew how to cook, clean, and brew up a pot of sweet tea. She could make up her face with her eyes shut. She could still balance a book on her head while walking around in heels if the occasion warranted.
She truly didn’t need a man.
But there was that lingering shot of panic in her gut again.
“I’d do him,” Tara said.
“Hush your tongue,” Kaci hissed.
Because that shot of heat rushing throughher midsection this time wasn’t panic.
It was far uglier.
“As a onetime thing,” Tara said. “For research, of course. Maybe I’ll write a pilot one day.”
“Tell me you don’t sleep with men just for research.”
“If I did, at least I’d be sleeping with something. Oh, hey, did I mention that I saw Ol’ Grandpappy in the back corner thirty minutes ago?”
“What?Here?”
“He looked a little blocked up.”
Kaci closed her eyes and blew out a breath.
Ron could go anywhere he wanted. It was a free country. So long as he left her alone and never mentioned counseling or came to visit her at work again, she’d be fine.
They weren’t married anymore, and she didn’t plan to marry him again. “He always looks blocked up. It’s because he puts theassinacademics.”
“There’s no ass in academics.”
