Page 110 of Nailing Heat

“You sure?”

“Yes, years ago. That’s water under the bridge or whatever,” she protests.

“I’m here if you want to talk about that. We can commiserate over our failed relationships together,” I say, trying to look on the bright side.

“Thanks, Amelia. I really appreciate that,” she says, smiling warmly at me.

“Anytime, girl. That’s what you have me for. Well, all of us, any of us,” I remind her. “We all get it to some degree, so you don’t have to walk that road alone, you know?”

She grins at me. “Same, girl, same.”

I lean over and place my head on her shoulder. My eyes find Mac and Cassie’s sleeping form, and I smile. Things may not have worked out the way I thought they would with Dex, but I hit the jackpot with friends, and right now, that means more than anything to me.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

~DEX~

“Idon’t know what else to tell you, Dex. If it were me, I would have cut bait by now and moved onto someone else,” August tells me.

We’re sitting in his living room, and I’m asking him yet again if he has seen Amelia and if he knows how she is doing. The only contact that I’ve had with her is updates from Lucas about how her therapy is going. He said that it’s going slow. I’m worried that the slowing down of her progress is because of us. But I can’t be sure, unless I evaluate her, which she doesn’t want. So, I’m at a loss right now.

Hence, why I’m talking to August again.

“Yeah, because that has worked out so well with you and Hendrix. You two are the epitome of healthy exes,” I remind him.

“Hendrix is the exception. She’s still so angry with me,” he remarks.

“She is. I don’t want that with Amelia.”

“Then you have to talk to her. There is no other way around it,” he says, his tone bored. I can tell he’s getting tired of answering questions about her and giving me the same advice over and over again. Maybe it’s time I took it.

But I want to be sure.

“Alright, well, if we’re done with this session of Amelia therapy, I have to go with my father to a charity dinner.” He straightens his bow tie. “Do I look okay?”

“You look ravishing,” I tease him.

August shoots me the middle finger. “Have a good night and play nice with others.”

“See ya!” I wait until the door shuts before I pick up the phone and text Jase.

Dex: Hey, man, feel like meeting for a beer? I want to talk to you about something.

I start to get up to go find my sneakers when my phone chimes. Thankfully, it’s not long.

Jase: Hey, sure, we can do that. Cassie is over, mind if she comes along?

I grin when I see his reply. Having Cassie there might be helpful.

Dex: Not at all, see you at the Backwoods in twenty?

Jase: Sure thing.

Great. I leave August’s immediately and head over to the Backwoods so that I can claim a table in the back, in case any of the other Blaze team members or Amelia’s friends happen to come out tonight. Once I arrive I order a pitcher of the dark beer I know Jase likes and enough glasses for the three of us.

“Now we wait,” I say to myself, as I scroll on my phone while trying to casually watch the door.

It doesn’t take long for Jase and Cassie to get to the bar. I stand up and wave them over. Jase spots me and waves. I watch as he reaches behind and grabs Cassie’s hand, leading her over to mytable I’m at. I watch the simple action, the way he looks back at her and her face lights up. I miss that.