Page 11 of Protected By West
Tracy groaned and then let out a shaky exhale. "That's the guy from last night."
"Long and tall in the Stetson?"
"There was only one on the stage who dressed like a cowboy."
"Come on, I want to have a little fun."
Tracy's smile was easier now. "Yeah, I know. And I'd be right there beside you telling you that his ass is as spectacular as you'd think it is. I can't believe that I didn't ask."
Jaime turned and put her purse on the counter, opening it and fishing around inside.
"Didn't ask... about his job?"
"Exactly." Tracy drew in a lung-filling breath and moved the cool cloth to her other temple. "Texas Rangers are great. I just... I can't..."
"This is about your dad, huh?"
Tracy's shoulders tightened in a moment, but she shrugged to relax them as she pushed away from the edge of the counter.
"He's the root cause, yes."
Jaime paused, silence falling between them and then Jaime dropped her lip balm back into her bag and picked it up off of the counter.
Tracy knew what was going through Jaime's head. They'd talked about it before on the few times that the subject of her dad came up in conversation, and Jaime hadn't argued with her, she hadn't tried to 'reason' with her, she'd listened and Tracy appreciated that, but she had a feeling that Jaime had reached the end of the line on that.
"Not everyone is the same."
Tracy nodded and dropped the now room temperature towel in the trash can attached to the wall. "I know that what you're saying is true."
Jaime nodded her head, but didn't say anything.
"I think at this point it's just a matter of it being... a kind of knee-jerk reaction. And I guess I got ahead of myself last night. Everything just seemed to fall in place, and we spent hours together. I just can't believe that his job didn't come up in conversation."
Jaime nodded and reached for a paper towel and used it to wipe off the counter between them. "Maybe it did, or maybe it didn't, but I think it's a good thing that his job didn't come up. And maybe just because something is a knee-jerk reaction doesn't make it a good thing."
Tracy got a paper towel from the machine and wiped at her hands. "When you say smart things like that I don't know if I should hug you or kick you in the ass."
Jaime gave her a look that was definitely more in the friend column than a subordinate at work column and she loved her all the more for it. "You should hug me because if you tried the other one, next time I'd let you fall on your face instead of helping you to the ladies room."
They both laughed knowing that it wasn't going to happen like that. They'd spent too many years helping each other that it wasn't going to stop now.
Tracy looked down at Jaime's watch and sighed. "I guess we should get back, we'll be in time to hear the first presenter." She reached out her hand and gently grasped Jaime's arm. "Thank you for helping me out of there. Can you imagine the gossip if I passed out and people stepped on me?"
Jaime opened the door and waited while Tracy stepped outside. "Don't worry, I wouldn't let you get stepped on."
Tracy paused a few steps away from the door. "I know I could count on you."
Jaime stepped up beside her and smiled brighter. "I'd ask people to step over you, because I'm a good friend like that."
Tracy wrapped her arm around her friend and gave her a good squeeze.
"You're the best!"
They reached the ballroom doors a few seconds later and slipped in with hardly any fuss.
They were back in their seats just as the first presenter stepped up to the podium at the front of the room.
Tracy even relaxed a little when she didn't see Weston anywhere inside the room.
