One Night of Trouble

“Yeah?”

“This guy Troy. He strolled right in and announced that he wants me back.”

AJ’s broad shoulders stiffened, but it was difficult to interpret the response. Was he jealous? Angry on her behalf? Despite his rigid body language, his shuttered expression revealed nothing.

“I see,” AJ said slowly. “And do you want him back?”

“Hell no.” She spoke with unwavering conviction. “But seeing him was kind of…I don’t know…depressing, I guess? It reminded me of all the time I invested in the relationship. All the time I wasted.”

“There’s no such thing as a waste of time.” AJ shrugged. “The way I see it, everything we do, every decision we make, good or bad, is just a learning opportunity.”

“Yeah, well, I learned never to trust men with dimples.”

He grinned at her, and the dimple in his chin popped out as if on cue. “Aw. You don’t trust me, angel?”

“Not in the slightest,” she said cheerfully. “You’re an evil man who does evil things to my body.”

“Ha. You like it. Scratch that—you love it.” His teasing expression shifted back to curiosity. “So what kind of horrendous things did this Troy do to you?”

“At the beginning? Nothing. I was head over heels in love with him. He was fun and adventurous and made me laugh. We had a ton in common—he’s a tattoo artist, too. A ridiculously talented one.” She frowned. “At least when he bothers to show up for work.”

“A bum, huh?” AJ said as they headed down the next aisle.

“Naah, just a guy who likes to have a good time.” Sighing, she tossed two packages of linguine into the cart. “He wasn’t the greatest influence on me. If he wanted to close the bar on a Monday night, I’d be right there with him. If he felt like blowing off work for a couple of days and driving up to Maine for a spontaneous beach trip, I was like, sign me up.” Another breath slipped out, this one heavy with regret. “When I’m in a relationship, I give it everything I have. I work so hard to make the other person happy.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“It is when you’re the one making all the compromises.” She stopped in the frozen-food aisle. “And it’s even worse when you do it against your better judgment. I mean, I knew I shouldn’t have been out at the bar when I had to be up early the next morning, but I couldn’t say no to Troy. He was addictive.”

AJ sidled up to her as she started piling cartons of ice cream into the cart. “So how did it end?”

She was grateful for the cold air shivering out of the freezer, because her cheeks had gone hot with embarrassment. “We were at a pub, and Troy picked a fight with some guy who wouldn’t give up the pool table. It escalated real fast, and the owner called the cops. They ended up taking me in, too.”

“Shit,” AJ murmured.

Brett pretended to focus on a shelf of frozen veggies so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “My dad had to bail me out.” She nearly choked on the shame lining her throat. “It was mortifying. That’s when I realized I couldn’t have someone like Troy in my life. It didn’t matter how much fun we had together. He wasn’t good for me. So I ended it. And then, a few weeks later, I found out from a friend that he’d been cheating on me the entire time we were together.”

AJ whistled under his breath. “Sounds like a real prince. And he came by to see you today?”

“Yep.”

“Man. I can see why you’re in a bad mood.”

“More like a sad mood.” She turned away from the freezer and examined the cart. She’d gotten everything she’d needed, and as she and AJ headed for the checkout line, she glanced over with a dry look. “I’m betting there aren’t any stories like that in your dating history.”

“No,” he confessed. “The girls I’ve dated have been pretty wholesome. You know, the type you can bring home to mom.”

His words evoked a spark of hurt, even though she knew it wasn’t a specific dig at her. Yes, he’d met her family, but that was because they were putting on a show for them. There was no reason for Brett to meet his parents.

Except…she suspected that even if they had an official relationship, he still wouldn’t take her to meet them. She was the furthest thing from wholesome. Hell, she’d literally chased someone out of a grocery aisle five minutes ago.

“What are your parents like?” She halted five feet from the line so they were out of earshot of the other customers.

Uneasiness creased his features, the way it always seemed to do when he mentioned his family. He’d told her about his brother dying, but other than that, she had no idea what his family life was like.

“They’re…nice,” he said vaguely. “But very traditional about some things.”