Bringing Home the Bad Boy (Second Chance #1)(36)

“Sarge.” This from Asher, whose eyebrows lowered into the same Oh, hell no expression on Evan’s face.

“No.” She lifted a palm and physically moved to stand next to Mrs. Anderson. A united front. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. You owe this town a debt, and now that you’ve gone and made something of yourselves”—her mouth twitched with buried laughter and Evan felt his eyelids narrow—“you need to make up for what you did.”

“Ms. Shields is right. I’ll agree to those terms. That and a public apology for putting penises on my building,” Mrs. Anderson spat.

Glo lifted a hand and put it on the librarian’s shoulder. “But maybe not that because there will be children present at the Starving Artists Festival. We wouldn’t give them any ideas, you know.”

Mrs. Anderson’s jaw slackened at the thought. Then she uncrossed her arms and said, “I suppose you’re right. But I want a written apology.” She pointed one bony finger at Evan and then turned the digit on Asher. “From each of you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ash said. “But the ballad…”

“You’ll do it,” Mrs. Anderson stated. “I love that song. Only one you sing where I can make out the words because you’re not screaming them.”

With that, Mrs. Anderson started talking specifics—table setup and whatnot now that she’d allowed Evan and Asher back into the Starving Artists Festival. They tagged back several yards, letting Glo work her magic on the older woman.

“Glo sold us out,” Evan muttered.

“Mrs. Anderson loves my song.” Ash pulled a cigarette out of his pack, but the moment he lifted it to his mouth, the librarian turned around. He palmed it and tucked it to his side. Once her attention returned to Gloria, he tucked the cigarette behind his ear. “Damn. Sharp old lady.”

“At least you don’t have to write her a new song.” But Evan was asked to paint something at her behest. And, wild guess, she wanted something other than broody, moody nightmares on canvas.

“You and Charlie hang out last night?” Asher asked.

“She left shortly after Glo left with you.”

Ash made a face.

“What? What’s that for?”

“I wasn’t going to tell you, but I feel like I should. I tried to kiss her, man.”

“Charlie?” Evan took a step closer to the friend he was now going to beat the hell out of in Library Park.

“Gloria!”

“I’m busy, Ash! Gimme a second,” Glo responded, thinking he’d summoned her.

He waved. “My fault.”

When her attention was with Mrs. Anderson again, he and Evan trekked over to a fountain in the middle of the park.

“And?” A leftover surge of jealousy over thinking Ash meant Charlie at first moved through his limbs.

“And she let me.”

“Because she likes you, dumbass.”

Ash palmed the back of his neck and rubbed, looking nauseous. “Gloria, she’s… smart. Sexy.”

“Smart and sexy new territory for you?” Evan knew better. Ash could fill a tour bus with chicks meeting those qualifications.

“I sleep with women who dress sexy and look sexy. Gloria… she pulls you in with all that sass, then hits you with the smarts. And, Ev, man, she’s smart.”

Evan laughed. “Intimidated, old boy?”

Ash didn’t laugh; he only looked more worried. “Yeah. Kinda.”

Evan knew what he meant. Because of her looks, Gloria was easy to marginalize at first glance. Low-cut shirts and high-cut skirts advertising her tits and ass, added to makeup and f*ck-me heels broadcasting her femininity in high-def. But her outer appearance wasn’t all she was. Gloria was smart, didn’t put up with bullshit, and could flay a man in two with one sharp turn of a phrase.

Asher, on the other hand, had gotten through life on charm and jokes and a career that allowed him to behave like a big kid. This time, Evan’s surge of jealousy was paired with admiration.

“What, you’re not intimidated by Charlie?” Ash asked.

“No.” Intimidated wasn’t the word. Frustrated. Now there was a word.

“No, I guess you’re not.”

“Meaning?”

Asher dug in his pocket and pulled out a handful of change, a condom, and a guitar pick. He put the pick and the condom back into his pocket. Evan took a few coins and they each plunked one in the fountain wordlessly before Ash finally answered him.

“You and Charlie are friends. I’ve never been friends with a woman.”

They were friends. But after last night, Evan wanted more. “I kissed her.”

Ash tossed a nickel into the fountain with a bloop. “Hell yes, bro.” He raised his hand to high-five. Evan glared until he lowered his palm. “You’re such a drag.”

“She said ‘sorry, Rae’ after. Apologized to my late wife the moment my lips left hers. The f*ck is that about?” He asked this question to himself, but Ash answered anyway.

“Guilt.”

He didn’t like that.

“Charlie and Rae grew up together,” Ash said. “They were best friends for ten years before Rae passed. And now, she’s into you, and you have Rae’s kid, and in her mind, you’re Rae’s. She’s made it her life’s habit not to look at you any other way than as ‘Rae’s husband.’ ”