Page 12 of It's Complicated

“Around.” Asa waved in the general direction of the bar.

“Want another?” Jamie asked Asa.

He shook his head. “Gotta head out soon.”

“Right.” Jamie poured half a glass for himself, then put the pitcher on the table. “Forgot you had to bail early.”

“Where’s your redhead?” I asked with all the chill of an overzealous interviewer.

“Redhead?” Jamie blinked at me.

“That girl.” I motioned toward the bar, trying to tamp down my emotions and appear curious, not crazed. “You were chatting her up?”

“Oh, her.” He shrugged. “How should I know?”

“You’re not doing something about that?” I pressed.

Why couldn’t I let it go? Why was I needling him about this?

He shot me a strange look. “No. That’s not what tonight is about.”

I relaxed, guilt replacing my earlier irritation.

“Are you sure you’re not the one being crushed by a polyester cage?” he asked with a grin. “I’m the one who can barely breathe, yet you’re grumpy.”

“How did you get that thing on?” Asa asked, saving me from having to come up with a witty retort. He’d seen part of it when we first got there and had to explain why we were late.

“With a little help and a lot of struggle.” He chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I’m stuck in this thing forever.”

“You might need to cut it off,” Asa said, flicking his gaze to me. “Next time get him a bodysuit.”

“Bodysuit?” we both asked.

He nodded, his grin wicked. “Yup. You can even get the kind with built-in shorts or stockings.”

“Hell yeah,” I said at the same time Jamie shook his head with a resounding “No.”

Asa finished the rest of his beer and put the glass on the table. “I’m going to head out. The last thing I need is to show up late and get lectured.”

“Good luck,” Jamie wished him.

“You got this,” I encouraged.

He shot us a wry smile. “Say bye to the others for me?”

We nodded.

“Catch ya on the flip side.” He lifted his hand in a wave.

“Later,” we chorused as he headed away from the table.

“You okay?” Jamie asked.

I nodded. “Fine.”

He slipped his fingers under the neck of his tee and tugged at some of the strings on the bet shirt. “Can you imagine trying to pick up with this on? Not sure how many girls would be down for cutting a random out of a strappy undershirt before the fun could start.”

“I’m sure there are a few girls out there who’d be into that,” I said, my mood almost back to normal. “I used to have a thing with this girl who was into all sorts of goth stuff. She had daggers on her walls and even a few swords. Pretty sure she’d be all over using one of those to cut you out of that thing.”

---