“Really? You and Dave?” The heat in his veins receded at the thought, and he pulled back to look at her.
“Yeah. We never fight. It was bad.”
Jake didn’t say anything, just tightened his arms around her and wished he could chase away the sadness from her voice.
“But he also got me thinking. And I guess… I guess I’m tired of fighting it.”
His pulse kicked up. Could she possibly mean what he thought she meant? “By ‘fighting it,’ are you saying—”
“Just a second.” She slid out of his embrace and moved around to the control board, plopping on the headphones, flipping on the mic, and talking over the last bars of the song.
“That was a Rolling Stones rock block to get you home on this blustery Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Coming up, I’ve got new tracks from the Pretty Reckless and Radical Face, but right now here’s the Foo Fighters.”
“Everlong” thumped from the speakers, and Mabel flipped off the mic and removed the headset.
“Sorry. Where were we?”
“You were about to explain—”
Her buzzing phone cut him off, and she frowned at the screen. “Sorry. It’s… Aiden.”
He felt like she’d dumped cold water on his head. “Right. Your boyfriend.” He shoved his hands into his suit pockets and stepped away from her.
She shook her head, cramming her phone into her own pocket. “No, it’s not like that. He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just—”
He couldn’t bear to hear her describe it. He had to get out of there.
“Cool. Okay. He’s just another guy you text with. I’ve got to go anyway.” He moved out of the studio and though the greenroom, angry at himself for once again letting her knock him off course.
Mabel followed him. “Wait! Let me just— I’m sorry.”
He turned around, arms spread wide. “For what? We’re all justprofessionalshere, right? Nothing to apologize for.”
Without waiting for her response, he pushed the door open and let it fall closed behind him. What bullshit. He wanted her as much as he always had, no matter how much he pretended to be fine with his all-work life. And sometimes he let himself believe she felt the same way about him too. But if that were the case, she wouldn’t be spending so much time with someone else, would she?
He left Mabel and the frustrating mix of emotions she caused behind in the studio and headed toward the exit.
“Hey, neighbor!” Thea called Jake over to where she was chatting with Robbie.
“Hey.” Jake’s response was more subdued. “How’s it going?”
“Great, but you look sad,” Thea said. “Come here.” She grabbed his shirt and dragged him forward so she could wrap her arms around him. He was startled to find himself cradled in the vee of her thighs as she hugged him.
“Uh, what’s up?” He rested his chin on the top of her head and shot Robbie a look that screamedHelp!Robbie just shrugged. When Thea’s hands started to stroke down his back, Jake broke her hold and took a big step backward.
“Did you hear? Mabel coached me on how to run the boards, and we’ve got a yoga date on Saturday morning! This has been the best week I’ve had since I started here.”
Her smile was so broad that he had to return it. “That’s great. Pretty soon you and Robbie’ll be running this place.”
“Oh, I already am.” Robbie’s massive feet were propped up on the desk, one crossed over the other, and his hands were linked over his belly. He was every inch the master of the station.
Thea sounded a little more unsure. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. It’s a lot harder than I expected. But it’s fun to try.”
Jake lingered for a bit to chat about Thanksgiving plans before excusing himself to pack for his trip home. The emotional mess he was leaving in Beaucoeur would be here when he got back.
Twenty-Nine
In a few short years, the Moo Daddies’ Turkey Coma Concert on the day after Thanksgiving had become a bit of a local legend. It was a highlight of the long holiday weekend, and the crowd at the Elephant was either contented and well fed or desperate to escape the clutches of their loved ones. Either way, everybody in the audience that night would be excited to drink and listen to good music.
