His hand wrapped around my elbow, swinging me back around. “I’m serious, Gwen. I can make this better. Iwantto make this better.”
“I don’t know…,” I hesitated, wavering.
“Please,” he asked earnestly, the rough pads of his fingers pressing deeper into my skin.
I let out a breath and closed my eyes for just a moment before answering. “Let me think about it, okay?”
He took a step back and let me go, but despite the motion, the expression on his face was like he’d just won the lottery. “Okay. Think about it. I’ll wait.”
I nodded stupidly and started out of the kitchen. I needed to get out of there before my resolve crumbled completely.
“What a dick!”Corrine shouted, embarrassingly loud.
I looked around the restaurant we’d stopped at for lunch before hitting up the mall. “Jeez, woman. Do you have an inside voiceatall?”
“Sorry,” she whispered, leaning in so the rest of the diners couldn’t overhear our conversation. “So you went out of yourway, making Mama Lydia’s famous country fried steak and Dutch apple pie, and that prick just… what? Forgot?”
“I guess.” I shrugged, sipping my water through the clear plastic straw. “I didn’t ask for details, you know? Last thing I wanted to hear was that he hooked up with a random chick while I was sitting around like an idiot waiting for him. It was bad enough that he was so hammered Ian had to drive him home in the middle of the night.”
Corrie stabbed at her salad with a thoughtful look on her face. “I wondered where he went last night.”
I paused, my own fork hanging midair with the pasta I was just about to shove in my mouth. “What?”
Her eyes went wide with shock. “Shit. Did I say that out loud?”
“Oh my God!” I squealed. “You andIan?” It was her turn to shush me. “When? How?” I asked in a quieter voice, mimicking her position and leaning forward with my elbows on the table.
A blush bloomed across the apples of her cheeks, and her lips curved up into a smile so big she’d put the Joker to shame. “It started after the band got home from their tour. You know, the night we went over?” I nodded, eager to hear how it happened. Corrine was my best friend in the entire world, and I thought Ian was amazing. A love match between them would be awesome. “When Mace all but kicked me out of the studio, the guys joined the party, but I wasn’t feeling it. I was standing by myself and he just came up and started talking to me.”
“And it’s good?” I queried. A renewed sense of hope for my friend’s love life overshadowed the drama going on in mine. It was a much-needed break.
“It’s great,” she responded, giddy with excitement. “We’ve seen each other every night since.” Her voice lowered conspiratorially. “Andgirl! Let me just tell you, the sex is out. Of. This. World! He’s not just a giant in stature—”
“Whoa!” I reached across the table and slapped my hand over her mouth. “I’m happy for you, honey, but I donotneed to know that kind of stuff about Ian. I’ll never be able to look at him without—” I waved my hands in front of me frantically. “—picturing it.”
She burst into a fit of laughter that lasted for several seconds before she was able to talk again. “Anyway, he was over at my place last night when he got a call and left. Only thing that annoys the shit out of me is the fact that he doesn’t talk about work. Likeat all. He’s suspiciously tightlipped when it comes to what he does for that damn band.”
My stomach clenched and dropped to the floor. “He said there were women there, but that he didn’t do anything. Do you think… do you think he was lying?”
The happiness on her face quickly drained away, replaced by concern. “Ian wouldn’t tell me even if he was. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way for us to find out.” She pulled her phone from her bag and started tapping on the screen. “Let’s google the son of a bitch and find out.”
The war inside of me raged on and a knot formed in my throat, making it impossible for me to tell her to stop. Seconds felt like forever as I held my breath and waited. Finally, Corrine’s face fell for a moment before pure rage took over. “That motherfucker,” she hissed.
I snatched the phone from her hand.TMZhad posted picture after picture of a woman straddling Garrett’s lap, her tongue so far down his throat it was a wonder he hadn’t choked on it.
The bastard.
I knew better than to let anything he did affect me, but common sense had flown right out the window. My chest physically ached. I inhaled shallowly and closed the browser,handing the phone back to Corrie. “I’m so stupid,” I said on a whisper.
Her hand shot across the table and grabbed mine. “You’re not,” she replied vehemently. “You’re not stupid for wanting to think the best of him.” I blew out a short puff of air and tried my hardest to shake off the disappointment coating my skin. “You know what you need?” she asked, adopting an upbeat tone. “You need to date. It’ll get you out of this funk and get your mind off baby daddy.”
I paused for a beat, allowing her suggestion to sink in. Maybe she was on to something. And Steve had been texting regularly, asking me out ever since Liddy’s playdate. But with moving and everything else, I’d put him off, thinking it wasn’t a good time.
Well, things had just changed. I gave my friend a determined nod and pulled my phone out. I was going to go on a date, and I was going to have fun, damn it. Even if it was the last thing I did.
FOURTEEN
Garrett was downin the studio when I got home later that afternoon after shopping and picking Liddy up from daycare. Instead of letting him in on my evening plans, I took the coward’s way out—so sue me—and asked Sylvia to ask him if he’d be home for the evening or if I’d have to set up a sitter for Liddy. She kindly offered to babysit for me on the chance Garrett had plans similar to the ones he’d had the night before.
