The Bachelor: a one-night stand boss romance

Chapter 14

Shane waiteduntil his sister went back into the kitchen to grab more guacamole before turning to Chance.

They were outside on the back patio at Jolene and Chance’s new house, a fire going in the stone fireplace they’d had built at the end of the summer. It allowed them to be outside comfortably even though it was October. Chance took a sip from his thermos. Jolene had made them all coffee. Shane had desperately wanted to spike his, but there was no booze in their house.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” he asked Chance.

Chance said, “If you’re going to ask me if the guacamole is really from the store even though JoJo says it’s homemade, I have to stick to what my wife says.”

That made him laugh. “Why would she even bother lying to me about that? As if I don’t know the only thing she ever makes is cheesy grits.”

“Not anymore. She has us on some diet and it’s basically tuna fish and grapefruit all the time, though fortunately not at the same time. She’s worried about gaining weight now that we’re off tour.”

“That sucks. I hate tuna fish. And dieting.” It had always bothered him that the media even commented on his sister’s weight.

“Me too. Which is why I’ll eat any guacamole I can get my hands on, homemade or not. Anyway, sorry, what did you want to ask me?” Chance clapped him on the back. “I’m glad you stopped by. We don’t get to see your face often enough around here.”

This had the potential to sound stupid as hell but it had been nagging at Shane for three months. He needed another opinion and back before Jolene, Chance had hooked up with any number of women, plenty of them casual one-nighters. “What does it mean when a woman tells you ‘thanks for being decent’?”

Chance’s eyebrows rose. “In what context? I mean, did she sound sarcastic?”

He didn’t know why he was so fucking fixated on this, but he was and he wanted it out of his head. He cleared his throat and spread his legs further, settling back into the patio chair. “It was a note. After a night together. She left without saying anything. Just a note.”

“Um, I guess that’s kind of an insult then, right? Like thanks for not being the worst bang I ever had, but far from the best.” Then Chance seemed to realize what he’d said. “But I could be wrong,” he added.

Shane would have thought that too, except Avery was a virgin, and he didn’t think she had found the sex mediocre. “I don’t know. She seemed satisfied.”

That made his brother-in-law snort. “What, women don’t fake it? Maybe y’all just aren’t sexually compatible.”

They had been compatible. He’d bet his house and motorcycle and share in the production company that they were sexually fucking compatible. “We had a great time. I know when a woman is faking and she wasn’t faking a damn thing.”

“Maybe she meant you were nice. You know, a decent human being.”

“That has to be it.”

Fortunately, before he could further embarrass himself by questioning it any further, his sister returned with a giant bowl of tortilla chips and a smaller store container of guacamole. She hadn’t even bothered to put it in a serving bowl, which was fine with him. Jolene didn’t need to put on a front with her own brother. He snagged a chip as she went past him and set the bowls down on the coffee table.

“Who aren’t you sexually compatible with?” she asked, tossing her hair out of her eyes. “Because rumor has it, you are with any number of females.”

“Not recently.” He made a face. He had been with a lot of women, there was no getting around that, and he didn’t regret his choices. He’d had some good nights. None of which had made him debate the hidden meaning of a hastily scrawled note. Damn. Avery was special and he wanted to pursue whatever it was between them. Hell, he was going to pursue her.

“Just this woman I hooked up with… she left me a note the next day that said ‘thanks for being decent.’ I wasn’t sure what that meant.”

Jolene stared at him. “What is wrong with y’all? It means thanks for being decent. Exactly what she wrote. You think women are far more complicated and devious than we actually are. She meant that you were nice, good to her. That’s it.”

He was mollified. “You’re sure? It doesn’t mean she thinks that I’m an asshole?”

“Were you an asshole?” she asked him bluntly.

“No!”

“Then good Lord. Of course not.” Jolene looked at him in amusement. “Where do you get these ideas? And since when do you care about how a woman leaves you in the morning?”

He shrugged. “I just don’t want to be seen as some kind of prick. I take treating a woman right seriously.”

“Then maybe you should date one instead of just sleeping with the masses.”

“Mind your business.” Which was a ridiculous thing to say since he was over here asking what a fucking morning-after note meant.

She laughed. “You’re the one worrying about some woman’s perception of you. I’m just thinking maybe it is time for you to at least explore the possibility of actually dating.”

“You know how I feel about relationships.” It was a knee-jerk reaction to say that.

“Yes, I do. And I know why.” She shook her head. But then she eyed him. “Shane. Do you like this woman?”

That had to be the only explanation for his behavior. “Yes, I do. But she’s a sweet girl and I’m…

“What? A good guy? Charming? Thoughtful? Successful? I don’t see a problem there,” Jolene said.

That both warmed his heart and made him uncomfortable. “I’ve never dated a girl like her. I honestly don’t know how.”

“Don’t overcomplicate it. You know how to treat a woman. You’re nothing like Dad.”

That pissed him off because it reminded him what was his greatest fear. “I should fucking hope not. I don’t want to be anything like our piece of shit father.”

“Name one thing about you that is even remotely similar to that man.” Jolene loaded another chip with guacamole.

The flare up of anger he felt whenever Billy Hart came into conversation frustrated him. He shouldn’t get so defensive and he knew it. Every time he did, he felt shades of their father in his behavior and he despised that with every ounce of his being. So he concentrated on relaxing his shoulders and breathing through his nose. The irritation passed and he carefully took a swallow of his coffee, burning his tongue. He welcomed the pain.

“Jo, this is the kind of girl that if I screw this up, I could break her. Do you know how overwhelming that feels?”

The look on her face told him immediately he’d revealed too much. Her eyes widened and she grinned.

“Shaney,” she exclaimed. “You like her, like her.”

He did. “What gave it away? Me asking Chance for advice on interpreting a note?” He shook his head, suddenly amused with himself. “What the hell am I doing?”

He shoved a guacamole-laden chip in his mouth to keep himself from saying anything else. Next thing you know he’d be admitting he liked rom coms and had a soft spot for mismatched eyes.

“Uh, I think you’re finally ready to stop the revolving door of pointless one-night stands and have an actual relationship.”

“Hey. None of those one-night stands were pointless. Naked fun was had by all.”

“No details, please.” She held her hand up. “But fine, time and place. That worked while it worked but now you’ve met someone and it’s something different. This is amazing. I’m so happy for you!”

Shane groaned. “Oh, God,” he told Chance. “She has me engaged and married in her mind already.”

“One hundred percent,” Chance agreed.

“So why are you fretting over this girl? Ask her out,” Jolene said. “A real date, not meeting up at a bar.”

“Thanks for the advice, kid. I appreciate it. But it’s complicated.”

“In what way? Love is simple.”

He sat up straighter. “Now you’re at love? Slow your roll, girl. I’m just…curious about her.” That was the truth. Maybe not the whole truth, but the rest was muddled and off, and he didn’t really understand it himself, so he wasn’t going there with his sister. “So listen, I have a song for you.”

“Really?” She looked surprised. “You hardly ever bring me a song.”

“I heard it when I was walking down the hallway today at Rusted Truck. The writer had no clue I was even listening. I’m meeting with her and Pat tomorrow and I’m going to get a recording for you to hear. It’s perfect for you, Jo. It’s a tear jerker.”

“It’s been a while since we wrote a tear jerker,” she said to Chance, giving him an intimate smile.

He grinned. “It’s been a while since we wrote anything. The honeymoon is stretching out too long, darling, not that I’m complaining. But you have to admit we’ve been distracted. Maybe we need someone else to kickstart us.”

“So you’re game?”

“Sure. Let me know when you’ve got something. Who’s the writer?”

“Avery O’Leery. She is brand new, fresh from Kentucky. I think she has amazing potential.” He really did. He tended to work more with artists who blended rock and country, which wasn’t Avery’s sound at all, but even still, he could tell that Avery had some raw talent.

“Kentucky girl, huh? I wonder what part.”

He shrugged, striving for casual. “She never said.”

His sister was staring at him a little too hard. “Is she attractive?”

“What does that have to do with anything? She’s a talented songwriter.”

“It’s her,” Jolene said gleefully. “The note girl.”

Shane sighed. Damn it. His sister knew him too well. “It is.”

“Oooh, tell me all about her.”

Shane shrugged again. “I just did.”

“What does she look like?” Jolene pressed.

“She has red hair. She’s young. Probably too fucking young for me.” He didn’t want to oversell it. “But seriously, this song is great. I can’t wait for you to hear it.” Then he couldn’t resist adding, “She has two different-colored eyes. It’s kind of cool.”

“Really?” Chance asked. “You know my dad had eyes like that. I was always jealous. I wanted to be a cool cat like him, and instead I just have regular old brown eyes.”

“I think you have beautiful eyes,” Jolene teased him.

“Thanks, baby.” He leaned over and kissed her.

“I guess I never really met your dad. I didn’t realize that. It must be fairly unusual.” Perfect for Avery. Her eyes made her stand out, which was what she deserved.

She was something special.

“Well, I can’t wait to meet Avery since she has my bachelor brother all tied up in knots,” Jolene said.

“I am not tied up in knots. Stop being dramatic.”

He was a little tied up in knots, if he was being honest. He didn’t need to take her and Pat out to dinner. That had been solely for the opportunity to spend more time with her. To get a chance to convince her that now that they were both in possession of the full facts, they should go for a round two.

He had been telling it straight. He wanted the song and he wanted her.

“Is the song actually worth our time or are you just trying to get in good with this girl?” Chance asked.

That irritated him. “She didn’t even know who I was when I met her. And don’t insult me, man. I would never waste your time. I don’t need to promise a woman a sit-down with Hart-Rivers to get her naked.”

“There’s the confident and arrogant guy we know and love,” Chance said with a grin.

That made Shane laugh.

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Jolene said.

“It’s about the song,” he said. “Not Avery.”

“I know. This meeting is about Hart-Rivers, not about being your sister.” But she was still smiling. “I’d love to see you with a girlfriend though. You deserve to be happy.”

Shane rolled his eyes. “I am happy.”

But even he had to admit, he’d be happier with a certain little sweet but sassy redhead tucked up in his bed on a regular basis.

And he liked to get what he wanted.