The Rules of Dating(37)

That made me smile. “No, Eddie was a perfect gentleman. He didn’t even complain at the end of the night when he went in for a kiss and I stopped him.”

“So what’s bugging you?”

“Well, while I was on my date, Colby texted me. Holden was at the same place Eddie and I were, and he told Colby I was on a date. Colby was really hurt.”

Deek frowned. “Why don’t you just go out with him already?”

I hesitated for a moment before speaking quietly. “Because I’m scared, Deek.”

A giant smile spread across my friend’s face. “It’s about fucking time you admitted it.”

I flipped him the bird and shook my head. “Every damn time I’ve put myself out there, I’ve gotten hurt.”

Deek walked over and put his hands on my knees. “I get it, sweetheart. It’s not just guys you dated who have screwed you over. Your mother and that deadbeat father of yours didn’t exactly instill trust through their actions either.”

I shook my head. “Colby makes me feel things, Deek.”

“I know. Why do you think I’ve been pushing for him so hard? I see it in your eyes, babe.”

“I’m so afraid I’ll get hurt again.”

“Aren’t you hurting now, though?”

“Yeah, but it will be easier to get over him if we never get involved at the next level. Plus, he’s got a daughter. I don’t even know if I want kids.”

Deek smiled sadly. “The kid thing is just an excuse, and you know it. I’m kinda tired of hearing it. But it’s your life, so I won’t keep bugging you about it. Though I’m gonna say one last thing.”

“What?”

“I don’t think we ever get over the one. I’d rather try and get hurt than spend the rest of my life wondering what I might’ve lost.”

***

A couple of hours later, Deek and Justine were getting ready to leave for the day. Deek went into the back to use the bathroom, and when he came out, he thumbed toward the rear of the studio.

“I think the AC is broken again.”

Oh crap. I was warm, but I’d thought it was just me. There was a vent in the ceiling above the station next to mine, so I hopped up on a chair and held my hand to feel if anything was blowing. “Ugh. Nothing’s coming out.”

Deek shrugged. “I turned it off and on when I was back there. No luck.”

I sighed. “By tomorrow when we open, it will feel like ninety in here with this humidity. And we have a packed Saturday and Sunday schedule.”

“You want to call the super, and I’ll stay and wait for him?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. I don’t have any plans anyway. I’ll do it and stick around.”

Deek nodded. “I’ll lock the door and set the alarm behind me. Call me if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Deek. Goodnight, Justine.”

After they left, I debated texting Colby. He’d told me to let him know if the unit gave me any more trouble. Though of course, he wasn’t the super and probably didn’t want to speak to me. I should probably call Holden, who was in charge of maintenance. Then again, Colby was already familiar with the unit, so it made more sense to call him. Plus, he was my landlord, so we were going to have to learn to co-exist. He couldn’t ignore me forever.

I dug out my phone, scrolled to his name, and hit call. On the second ring, he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey. Um, I’m sorry to bug you, but the AC at the shop stopped working again.”

He was quiet for a solid ten seconds. “Are you there now?”

“Yeah.”

He took so long to speak again, I was starting to think he’d hung up. “Fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

For someone who was not interested in moving things out of the friend zone with Colby, I sure ran to the bathroom to clean myself up fast enough. It was the first time in a while I’d felt excited, too.

Great, I’m so desperate to see this guy that broken air conditioning thrills me.

A few minutes later, Colby knocked. I turned off the alarm and opened the front door with a hesitant smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

He stepped inside. As he passed, I got a whiff of his delicious cologne. Wasn’t it bad enough that he was dressed in a form-fitting dress shirt and a pair of slacks while carrying a toolbox? That stupid red box was like catnip to me. Did he have to smell good, too? But while I was busy trying to put a fire extinguisher on all my feels, Colby seemed all business.

“Is the unit running?” he asked.

“I don’t think so. Air isn’t coming out.”

He nodded and headed to the back to double-check the vents before resetting the system.

“Deek already tried that.”

He nodded and bent to his toolbox, pulling out a screwdriver. “Was it blowing cool all day, then just stopped, or was it warm for a while first?”

“I think it just stopped. It was fine in here most of the afternoon.”

He didn’t say another word as he unscrewed the unit’s cover and pulled it off.

“Is…everything okay with you?” I asked.

“Sure.”

Colby’s cell phone rang, so he dug it out of his pocket and swiped to answer. I only heard one side of the conversation.