Page 21 of After Midnight

Just as the clock struck twelve, I woke with a start. My disappointment over Prince Charming not giving me an achingly sweet kiss only lasted an instant, though.

All too soon, I heard and felt my two sisters jumping up and down on my bed, screaming, “Pizza!”

Chapter eight

Dillon

I’d spent the past three days going through Dad’s old stuff, watching eighties movies, and talking to both my fathers about their younger days. We laughed hysterically at all the things Papa K had done to get Dad to notice him in high school, then everything Dad had to do to keep Papa K once they got to college.

By the time my next comedy club show came around, I felt prepared to entertain the early crowd, and not just with theI got tricked into thissort of jokes I’d relied on before.

I arrived at the club hoping to lay eyes on a certain sexy barman, but Dominic was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, I took my turn onstage doing my practice run. My new set earned applause from Ashton Pipkin, which, honestly, was the best compliment I could’ve received.

“You’ve been practicing and doing your research, I see. Good, it shows,” he said and clapped me on the shoulder.

“Thanks,” I said. “Hey, have you seen Dominic?”

Ashton snorted. “You already in that deep for the boy?”

I shrugged, not wanting to appear too keen. “He’s nice, and nice to hang out with. Is he working tonight?”

“No, and he won’t be for a while, at least. He called in saying his hands are full with family issues.”

“So, what? He doesn’t work here any longer?” My heart sank at the thought of not seeing Dominic again.

“Well, yeah, he does, but he’s taking some time off.”

Relief flooded through me.Dang, I really am hooked on this guy, I thought. I nodded at Ashton, deciding not to push things any further. I hadn’t texted Dominic after our date, thinking I’d be better off just letting things happen naturally. Like, chatting him up at the club before it opened. Obviously, that approach wouldn’t work now. I was in too deep to just leave things to fate. I grabbed my phone and pulled up the man’s number.

Me:Hey Dominic, I missed seeing you at the club tonight. Ashton said you were having family issues. I hope everything is okay.

I waited as the three dots bounced up and down from his typing, completely disappearing before they popped back up and then disappeared again.

Finally, his response came through.

Dominic:Sorry. Yes, I do have family stuff going on, but I’ll be back at the club next week, I think.

Me:Can we meet for coffee or something this weekend?

Dominic:Now isn’t a good time with the family stuff. Maybe later, though.

“Well, crap,” I said to myself and plopped down on the barstool closest to the door. Ashton, who was now behind the bar helping Dominic’s replacement restock supplies, must’ve heard me because he glanced my way knowingly.

“Just give him space. He’s dealing with a lot right now. Family issues are never easy.”

“You sure he isn’t just blowing me off?” I needed the reassurance that I wasn’t chasing someone who didn’t want to be caught. I liked Dominic a lot, however, I didn’t want to be a creeper, or look desperate if he wasn’t actually into me.

Ashton laughed. “No, I’m not sure how he feels about you, but I believe if you push him too hard, especially right now, you’ll find yourself completely unable to woo him back.”

“Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” Sighing, I didn’t want to leave it at that, but Ashton had a point. Knowing how much Dominic loved his sisters, dealing with family issues would be a top priority for him and I’d be a royal pain getting in the way of that. I needed to focus my attention on anything else.

“So, Ashton, seeing as you’re working the bar, I’ll take a beer.”

Ashton looked as though he would argue, then shrugged, went to the cooler, and placed in front of me the first bottle he’d pulled out.

“So, you really like the kid, huh?”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I mean, he’s probably the hottest guy I’ve ever met. Tall, dark, and handsome… not to mention his eyes. He could hypnotize a person just by looking at them.”

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