Page 31 of The Bachelor

“What does she look like?” Jolene pressed.

“She has red hair. She’s young. Probably too fucking young for me.” He didn’t want to oversell it. “But seriously, this song is great. I can’t wait for you to hear it.” Then he couldn’t resist adding, “She has two different-colored eyes. It’s kind of cool.”

“Really?” Chance asked. “You know my dad had eyes like that. I was always jealous. I wanted to be a cool cat like him, and instead I just have regular old brown eyes.”

“I think you have beautiful eyes,” Jolene teased him.

“Thanks, baby.” He leaned over and kissed her.

“I guess I never really met your dad. I didn’t realize that. It must be fairly unusual.” Perfect for Avery. Her eyes made her stand out, which was what she deserved.

She was something special.

“Well, I can’t wait to meet Avery since she has my bachelor brother all tied up in knots,” Jolene said.

“I am not tied up in knots. Stop being dramatic.”

He was a little tied up in knots, if he was being honest. He didn’t need to take her and Pat out to dinner. That had been solely for the opportunity to spend more time with her. To get a chance to convince her that now that they were both in possession of the full facts, they should go for a round two.

He had been telling it straight. He wanted the song and he wanted her.

“Is the song actually worth our time or are you just trying to get in good with this girl?” Chance asked.

That irritated him. “She didn’t even know who I was when I met her. And don’t insult me, man. I would never waste your time. I don’t need to promise a woman a sit-down with Hart-Rivers to get her naked.”

“There’s the confident and arrogant guy we know and love,” Chance said with a grin.

That made Shane laugh.

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Jolene said.

“It’s about the song,” he said. “Not Avery.”

“I know. This meeting is about Hart-Rivers, not about being your sister.” But she was still smiling. “I’d love to see you with a girlfriend though. You deserve to be happy.”

Shane rolled his eyes. “I am happy.”

But even he had to admit, he’d be happier with a certain little sweet but sassy redhead tucked up in his bed on a regular basis.

And he liked to get what he wanted.

FIFTEEN

Avery owned exactly one dress and Shane had already seen her wear it. He’d actually been on it, under it. He’d shoved it up over her waist, and torn it off over her head. There was no way he wasn’t going to recognize it, unless he was the most unobservant man on the planet. The last thing in the world she wanted was for him to think that she was trying to trigger his memories of that night, but Pat had told her no jeans. To dress nice. The lace dress was the only thing she had in Nashville that fit the bill.

So she arrived at the restaurant five minutes early in the white dress, her sweating palms clutching her purse. Inside it was the business card Shane had given her, and she had flicked the corner back and forth so many times it was dangling like a hangnail. She had debated calling him, begging him not to flirt with her tonight, but there had been no reasonable way to do that without sounding like a lunatic. Since he was determined to be suggestive, she was equally determined to be all business.

Pat was waiting for her near the hostess station. “You look cute,” she told her. “Just remember, smile, be friendly, let Mr. Hart take the lead, and if you have any questions or concerns, wait and run them by me after dinner.”

“Got it.” She wanted nothing more than to be respected as a songwriter and to make a living at it. There was no way she was going to screw this up or jeopardize her future.

“If he offers you a drink, say no. Or order it but don’t drink it. I’m sure you’re nervous and it would be far too easy to get drunk and that’s no good.”

“Right.” She nodded again. “Do you think he’s actually serious about having Jolene Hart hear this song?” She couldn’t bring herself to refer to the singer as just Jolene. It lent a familiarity that Avery wasn’t entitled to.

Pat laughed. “Yes. A resounding yes. In five years I’ve never seen him pick up more than a half dozen songs and none of those writers were treated to dinner. So for whatever reason, he’s feeling this and you need to be damn grateful.”

“I am.” She was. She hoped like hell it had nothing to do with the fact that they had hooked up. That was her fear but she couldn’t share that with Pat, so her question was pointless. It was a wait and see.

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