Page 21 of About Time You Noticed

Damien frowned. "If she's old enough to be a close friend, I can't see why you can't date her." He waved a hand down. "Plus. You're both adults now. Nothing weird about it. Lots of people progress from friends to lovers."

Tommy’s mouth went dry. He flicked his cell over three times and placed it face down. Not the conversation he wanted to have. Sarah was into someone else. He was supposed to be the supportive friend—end of story.

"If there's any chance you like her, you should show her. And soon." His eyes darted across the room. "Before she falls for this other guy."

"Edward would be good for her. More intelligence and ambition."

"Is that what she wants? She seems a content, small-town type. Like you."

Tommy shrugged. "I'm happy with how things are. It could ruin our group if things didn't work out. Happened with Emily and Ethan years ago. We couldn't all hang out together."

"But Emily and Ethan are married now."

"Yeah, after five years of not talking to each other. I wouldn't want things to get awkward between Sarah and me. She hasn't shown she likes me in that way. And I don't even go there in my mind." At least, he was trying to stay clear of those thoughts.

Damien took a sip of his soda. "Wouldn't marrying someone you’ve known so long be ideal? My marriage failed because I didn't know Bethanie well enough beforehand. If I had, I wouldn’t have proposed. There was so much pressure to assume she was the one before we started dating. Delete ‘dating.’ More like courting. Her dad expected me to ask his permission to court her, but I hadn't spent any time alone with Bethanie. When we were allowed to go out, a chaperone always joined us, and she was on her best behavior.”

"What happened after you married?" Tommy rested his chin in one palm.

"It was crazy. Do you know she threw a plate at my head?"

Tommy’s jaw dropped. The picture in his mind of Damien dodging plates did seem crazy.

"She'd have these adult tantrums when we disagreed about something. But it escalated to the point where she screamed in my face. Once, she pushed into my chest, yelling at me, "Go on, hit me. You know you want to." That was it. I couldn't stay married to her. Told her we needed serious counseling. But she refused."

"Man, I didn't know that happened."

"I didn't tell people. I left town like a coward. Eight years and I still feel the stigma when I visit."

"But you did come back."

"Only for two months for work."

"Could you see yourself staying?"

Damien stared out the windows toward the mountains on the horizon, a wistful curve to his lips. "I like Georgetown. It's busier than Idaho Springs. I could live here."

"It would be nice to have another single friend to hang with. Ethan and Jake are busy with their careers and spouses."

"What's Ethan doing these days?"

"He's helping Emily manage the theater shows. He does all the marketing and spends a lot of time after-hours organizing the stage sets. They’re on a tight budget until word spreads. They're putting on a show at the end of the month. We should go."

Damien glanced across to Sarah's table again. "If you're sure you're not going to date her, are you okay if I do?"

Tommy jerked his head back. "Easy tiger."

Damien nodded in Sarah's direction. "She might kiss that guy tonight if she doesn't know she has other options."

Tommy frowned. "She wouldn't kiss him on the first date, would she? I told her to not rush into anything."

"But what if Edward swoops in and steals her heart?" He laughed. "She might not be able to resist."

Tommy ground his molars. This was happening too fast. Sarah couldn’t kiss Edward. Not yet. Not ever.

Damien grinned. "I'm going to go over there. Say, ‘hi.’ See if she remembers me."

Tommy placed a hand on the table, panic rippling through him. "She'll kill me for interfering, and I’m not. It's bad enough that we're here.” He massaged his temple. “We should leave."

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