Page 143 of Scores Of The Heart

He glances up at me. I don’t know Jay all that well, but I know Tyler is pretty close to him and he seems like a pretty decent guy. I know he knew about me and Ty and how he felt about me early on. Tyler said he was sitting in the cafe with him on one occasion while he was watching the parking lot, waiting for me to get to work.

“This is a real low blow for him,” Jay says. As we move over to the kitchen.

“Yes, it is. He was just coming to terms with it, too. Was she anything like this when they were together?”

“I don’t think she’s ever done anything as bad as this, but I know she wanted his attention all the time. She put a lot of pressure on Ty when he was away.”

“Do you know how it went when he saw her today or what she said?”

“He never saw her,” Jay says. “She called him and they talked over the phone. She wasn’t at her friend’s house after all, and he didn’t know how to find her.”

“Geez.” I run my hand through my hair, glancing over to Tyler on the couch. He looks like he’s fallen straight asleep. “This isn’t good.”

“Not when he’s supposed to be on R and R. He told me things didn’t go too well with your dad either?”

“No, not exactly. We’ve been lying low, to be honest, while everything died down with the article.”

“Hardly flattering on Tyler’s part, that’s for sure.”

“Luckily, we approached the team together in writing before it hit the stands. That has to mean something. I’m hoping Dad might soften the blow with administration when he comes around.”

“He will. I’m sure of it, I might be biased, but I couldn’t think of a better guy. I mean that,” he says.

I smile as I move to the fridge. “I agree with you. It’s been a big week.”

“Yeah, it has.”

“Thanks for bringing him home.”

“No problem. I tried to stop him from throwing back the last few shots, but you know what he’s like when he’s determined about something.”

“Only too well.”

“His car is at my place, so it’ll be safe.”

“I’m not sure how we’ll get it back here, but we’ll figure it out.”

“You know he has a couple of cars in the garage,” Jay muses, nodding towards the front of the house.

I press my lips together. “No doubt.” We haven’t exactly ventured into his garage yet.

“I guess we’ll figure it out in the morning. Would you like a drink? I was just about to make dinner too if you’re hungry.”

Jay smiles. “No thanks, Cinds. I best get back. A friend of mine is in town. I don’t want to keep her waiting too long.”

“Oh. No problem.” I know Jay is the ultimate ladies’ man and always has a new girl on his arm. I’m unsure how he flies under the radar so much, but he seems to get away with it. He has that boyish charm about him, and it’s hard to ignore his blue eyes, blonde hair and the baby face. I can totally see why women would go for it. I’m sure he can talk his way in and out of absolutely anything. “Well, thanks again,” I say as he glances back over to Tyler.

“You’re good for him,” Jay says, straightening out and I walk him to the front door.

His words surprise me. “Oh, you think so?”

“He’s been different since he met you, in a good way. I think you have a really positive effect on him.”

“Thank you.” I smile, shyly. “He’s a great guy. I really care about him.”

“Well, you stuck with him even through all of this. He told me. That takes some guts, Cindy. Most girls would have run a mile.”

“I guess love makes you do crazy things.”

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