Page 38 of The Ex Effect (Meet Cute in Minnesota #1)

Outside of the closed wooden door with a dangling Employees Only sign, I knocked. A moment passed before I realized the man who opened was, in fact, my former classmate. Too bad Frankie couldn’t witness this—half the hair, twice the size, and already a solid smoker’s cough.

“Morgan Rose.” He crossed his meaty arms around his way too snug short-sleeve, shiny button-down shirt. The top three buttons were opened with tufts of chest hair sticking out, and his fourth was threatening to burst.

Oh, Tag. Already so little has changed.

“Man, you don’t look a day over twenty-one.” He snapped his can of chewing tobacco. “Did ya get carded when you walked in here?”

Ewww. That whole “you look so young” was never a compliment. The maturity and wisdom I gained with age was a gift. “Good to see you. Thanks so much for messaging me about possibly performing at the wedding. I know the timing is short notice.”

He crossed his arms, the movement hitting me with a nauseating wave of spicy cologne.

“Sure, sounds like I saved the day, huh?” He packed his chewing tobacco into his gums and leaned in. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Yep. High school rushed back. Confirmed—Tag was still a tool. Whatever, though. I could handle just about anything for one day. Jerk or not, I was absolutely out of options for DJs at the reception if this didn’t pan out.

Tag stepped back and let me into the break room.

In the corner, the small TV showed Sports Center.

A rickety round table with two folding chairs held a pile of discarded newspapers.

A green couch, which looked like it was freshly hauled off the street with a Free sign attached, lay in the corner.

It smelled like nicotine and alcohol, although that could’ve been seeping from his pores.

The quicker I could get out of this place, the better. I dug out papers from my purse. “Here’s the contract for the wedding, with the rate we messaged about.” I laid it on the table. “If you could just take a peek, make sure it looks good and?—”

“So, whatever happened with you, anyway?” He slumped on a chair and tilted back on the legs, pointing at the adjacent chair. “You stayed back in Spring Harbors, huh? ”

This place gave me the creeps, and I didn’t love my cute skirt getting nasty with beer residue. Yet, business was business. I reluctantly took a seat. “Yep, sure did.”

“Yeah, I split from here and moved to Minneapolis the second I could. I’m only back here doing a favor for my buddy who owns the bar.” He swiped the inside of his cheek with his tongue. “Seems like I be doing lots of favors lately.”

Cool. We’ve established you’ve saved the day . “Seems like it, huh?” I forced a smile. “I’m not sure how large your setup is, but do you know how much electricity or power strips you’ll need? The place that’s holding the reception?—”

“Yeah, I’m so glad I jetted from this place.

But there were some good times, huh?” He lowered the chair and leaned onto his elbows.

“All the keg parties at the Hank family farm. Epic, right? Gotta admit, those were the days. After we won the hockey tourney junior year, that was the best party I’ve ever gone to. You were there. You remember.”

If he weren’t so off-putting, I’d think that was the saddest thing I’d heard in a long time—that the best party this adult man went to was when he was sixteen.

But instead, the sentiment was tiptoeing on pathetic, although I didn’t want to be that mean.

“No, I don’t think I was there.” I inched the paperwork towards him.

He didn’t even glance down and instead stroked his thick goatee. “Nah, you were definitely there. I remember ’cause you were with Katey .”

A line of hairs stood up on my neck, with the way he said Katey .

I quickly scanned the room. Exit door behind me, fire door in the left side.

I exhaled through my nose. How do I even respond to something like that?

“Ah, um.” I swallowed. “Maybe I was there, then. Such a long time ago, I guess I don’t remember. ”

“Honestly, I never really got what you saw in her.” The chair squeaked under him as he leaned back. A shadow crossed his eyes, and his gaze bored into me. “Katey wasn’t all that, but everyone thought she was.”

“Her name is Frankie,” I said through gritted teeth, then breathed it out. He probably didn’t know she’d changed her name.

“See? Can’t keep it straight. What a flake.” He chuckled, his bloodshot red eyes narrowing. “Who changes their name like that?”

Too many moments passed where I opened my mouth to defend Frankie but paused.

Every lesson I’d learned about dealing with guys like this tumbled forward—from my mother saying to turn the other cheek, or treating every interaction as a business interaction, or keeping quiet to keep safe.

I needed to get him to sign this contract and leave, as quickly as humanly possible.

“You, ah, probably have to take the stage soon. Will it just be you at the reception, or do you have a team? I just need to make sure that the subcontractors are listed in the paperwork and?—”

“Remember when I asked you to homecoming freshman year? You were hot as fuck, but like, what the hell was I thinking?” A sinister chuckle escaped. “You were so stuck-up. Always thought you were better than everyone else.”

The room narrowed and black spots reached my peripherals.

God, it was so hot in here. I pushed the chair back and stood, cold sweat reaching the back of my neck.

I fumbled, reaching for my papers. “You know, I think this isn’t going to work out.

I’m sorry…” Stop apologizing. You did nothing wrong .

“I’m really sorry. I think maybe this wasn’t the best idea. ”

He stood, disgust on his face. “Dick tease. You were back then, and you still are.”

What in the hell is happening?

He stepped closer, all friendliness gone.

My hands shook, and I stuffed the papers into my purse to distract myself.

I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry.

I wanted to tell him to screw himself, that he was the last person in the world I would ever work with, but words twisted at the rate of my gut, and my heartbeat thudded in my throat.

“ You’re the one that needs me, not the other way around,” he seethed.

How in the hell did I get in this position?

Where’s the door? I stumbled, just a bit.

Stupid effing heels, and before I knew it, I was nearly up against the wall.

Whatever lifelong anger this entitled prick held was directed at me, full speed.

Screaming would be dramatic. I just needed to move, but I was frozen as he continued ranting about high school and chicks like you never keeping our word and so many other things that I couldn’t think straight.

The door flew open and Frankie stepped in with a grin. “Sorry ’bout that—” She took one look at me, one look at Tag, and the grin dropped. Frankie’s eyes turned dark and she crossed the room in two strides, putting herself directly in between me and Tag. “You all good in here?”

Relief flushed every part of me. My sputtered heartbeat clicked back into a normal rhythm. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Katey fucking Lee.” Tag chuckled and refused to step back. He licked his teeth back and forth with a sneer. “Rescuing your girlfriend, as usual. Nothing changes, does it?”

Frankie pushed me behind her with steady hands and turned her body to face Tag directly. “There a problem here?”

A vein strained from Frankie’s neck, and her back muscles firmed. I peeked from behind Frankie’s shoulder at Tag, whose eyes flicked between Frankie and me. Who knew what the hell he was thinking? But he took a menacing step toward Frankie, and I held my breath.

Frankie didn’t even flinch. “ Trust me . We don’t want to do this. I promise it won’t end well for you.”

I melted under the fire in Frankie’s voice and, for the first time since I was a kid, felt truly supported. I wasn’t sure if Frankie was itching for a fight, but I had no doubt that if Tag would make even a hint of a move, the night would end with the guy on the floor and Frankie in handcuffs.

When Tag finally laughed and stood back with his hands up, Frankie clutched my hand with a vise grip and led me out of the bar.