“Is he scared off because you injured him?”
“He doesn’t seem to be, which should be a warning sign. Any sane man would run.”
Stephanie shrugged. “Sanity’s overrated.” She bit her lower lip, then said, “I bet the problem is that you’re rusty. It’s been over a year, but the longer you wait, the harder it will be to hop back on and ride that horse.”
Grinning, Lanie shook her head, but she couldn’t help thinking Stephanie was on to something. Lanie was just off her game. “Okay. The next time I see him, I’m going to invite him over to my apartment.”
“That’s right. Hop back on.”
This conversation was making her squirm. Lanie finished off her glass. “I’m going to get another drink. Do you want another?”
Stephanie lifted her half-full glass. “No. I’m good.”
Lanie pushed her way through the crowed to get to the bar. The noise and the chaos were beginning to give her a headache, and she wondered how long Stephanie needed to hang out before she was ready to call it a night. She ordered a vodka tonic then scanned the room, envious of the tables full of people having fun. How long had it been since she’d hung out in a bar with friends who didn’t include business associates?
The bartender placed her drink in front of her. “Eight dollars.”
She started to tell him to put it on her tab, but a man slid up to the bar next to her and said in a deep voice, “I’ve got it. And I’ll take another Boulevard IPA. Put them both on my tab.”
“That’s not necess—” she said as she spun to face him, then gasped.
Tyler.
It was time to get back on that horse.