hurried over to the table and sat down across from her. “Come on, tell me.”
“Let’s just say it was amazing and leave it at that.”
“Oh my God! I can’t believe it. You are sooo not into men. I want all the gory details.”
Mattie shook her head. “No way. You know me better than that.” She took a long sip of coffee and changed the subject. “So what about you? Anything exciting happen to you that night?”
Tracy stared into the creamy liquid in her cup. “Actually, yes and no.”
Mattie cocked an eyebrow. “Yes and no? That sounds interesting.”
“The friend your hunk sent over to tell me the two of you were leaving? His name is Sam McBride, and he’s, well, he’s pretty hunky himself.”
“Really? So I guess you took him home with you.” It was Tracy’s modus operandi. It wasn’t an every night occurrence, but if she liked a guy, she didn’t hesitate to have sex with him.
“I invited him over for a drink. I was attracted to him. I figured what the heck?”
“And…?”
“That’s the weird part. He turned me down.”
Mattie scoffed. “Nobody turns you down, Tracy.”
“Sam did. He said he wasn’t interested in a one-night stand. He said if I wanted to go out to dinner sometime, he’d like that. He gave me his phone number and told me to give him a call.”
“So what did you say?”
“I was royally pissed. I’m not used to guys giving me the brush-off. But after he left…I don’t know. I kind of liked that he was different than the other guys I’ve known. I was thinking…maybe you could ask your friend, Gabe, about him. See if you can find out what he’s like.”
Mattie shook her head. “I’m not…not seeing Gabe anymore. It was just a one-time thing.”
Tracy’s lips thinned. “The asshole. I swear they’re all alike. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t go to bed with Sam.”
“I’m the one who ended it, Tracy. I left before Gabe woke up.”
Tracy’s green eyes widened. “I thought you said he was amazing.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have time for a man in my life.”
“You mean you’re afraid of getting hurt so you’ll just stay away from him.” Tracy sighed. “I use them and dump them. You’re afraid to get involved at all. I guess we both have hang-ups.”
It was true. Neither of them knew how to handle a relationship. It was better just to play it safe.
“So are you going to call him?” Mattie asked. “Sam, I mean.”
Tracy grinned. “I’ll call if you will.”
Mattie leaned back in her chair. “No way.” But her stomach quivered and she realized calling Gabe was exactly what she wanted to do.
“Well, I guess neither of us will ever know where things might have led,” Tracy said a bit morosely.
“I guess we won’t.”
Tracy finished her coffee and left to meet her client, and Mattie went to shower and get ready for the day ahead. She was dressed in jeans and a sleeveless white blouse when a second knock sounded at the door.
For an instant, she thought it might be Gabe and her pulse kicked up. When she opened the door, Angel stood in the hallway.
“There’s been another fire.” Worry dug grooves into the teen’s wide forehead. “I saw it on the news this morning. I’m afraid, Mattie.”
“It’s all right, come on in.” There were hundreds of fires in Dallas every year. It didn’t mean the police would jump to the conclusion that Angel had been involved in this one.
Angel walked wearily into the living room. “I was hoping you would come with me.”
“Where? The police department?”
“To see Mr. Raines. It was his building that burned down.”
Mattie’s pulse quickened. “What? Are you sure?”
Angel nodded. “Some office he was building. It wasn’t finished yet. On the news they said it was completely destroyed.”
Poor Gabe. Two fires in two weeks. She couldn’t help wondering if the second fire could possibly be a coincidence.
“I have to tell him it wasn’t me,” Angel
“Let’s just say it was amazing and leave it at that.”
“Oh my God! I can’t believe it. You are sooo not into men. I want all the gory details.”
Mattie shook her head. “No way. You know me better than that.” She took a long sip of coffee and changed the subject. “So what about you? Anything exciting happen to you that night?”
Tracy stared into the creamy liquid in her cup. “Actually, yes and no.”
Mattie cocked an eyebrow. “Yes and no? That sounds interesting.”
“The friend your hunk sent over to tell me the two of you were leaving? His name is Sam McBride, and he’s, well, he’s pretty hunky himself.”
“Really? So I guess you took him home with you.” It was Tracy’s modus operandi. It wasn’t an every night occurrence, but if she liked a guy, she didn’t hesitate to have sex with him.
“I invited him over for a drink. I was attracted to him. I figured what the heck?”
“And…?”
“That’s the weird part. He turned me down.”
Mattie scoffed. “Nobody turns you down, Tracy.”
“Sam did. He said he wasn’t interested in a one-night stand. He said if I wanted to go out to dinner sometime, he’d like that. He gave me his phone number and told me to give him a call.”
“So what did you say?”
“I was royally pissed. I’m not used to guys giving me the brush-off. But after he left…I don’t know. I kind of liked that he was different than the other guys I’ve known. I was thinking…maybe you could ask your friend, Gabe, about him. See if you can find out what he’s like.”
Mattie shook her head. “I’m not…not seeing Gabe anymore. It was just a one-time thing.”
Tracy’s lips thinned. “The asshole. I swear they’re all alike. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t go to bed with Sam.”
“I’m the one who ended it, Tracy. I left before Gabe woke up.”
Tracy’s green eyes widened. “I thought you said he was amazing.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have time for a man in my life.”
“You mean you’re afraid of getting hurt so you’ll just stay away from him.” Tracy sighed. “I use them and dump them. You’re afraid to get involved at all. I guess we both have hang-ups.”
It was true. Neither of them knew how to handle a relationship. It was better just to play it safe.
“So are you going to call him?” Mattie asked. “Sam, I mean.”
Tracy grinned. “I’ll call if you will.”
Mattie leaned back in her chair. “No way.” But her stomach quivered and she realized calling Gabe was exactly what she wanted to do.
“Well, I guess neither of us will ever know where things might have led,” Tracy said a bit morosely.
“I guess we won’t.”
Tracy finished her coffee and left to meet her client, and Mattie went to shower and get ready for the day ahead. She was dressed in jeans and a sleeveless white blouse when a second knock sounded at the door.
For an instant, she thought it might be Gabe and her pulse kicked up. When she opened the door, Angel stood in the hallway.
“There’s been another fire.” Worry dug grooves into the teen’s wide forehead. “I saw it on the news this morning. I’m afraid, Mattie.”
“It’s all right, come on in.” There were hundreds of fires in Dallas every year. It didn’t mean the police would jump to the conclusion that Angel had been involved in this one.
Angel walked wearily into the living room. “I was hoping you would come with me.”
“Where? The police department?”
“To see Mr. Raines. It was his building that burned down.”
Mattie’s pulse quickened. “What? Are you sure?”
Angel nodded. “Some office he was building. It wasn’t finished yet. On the news they said it was completely destroyed.”
Poor Gabe. Two fires in two weeks. She couldn’t help wondering if the second fire could possibly be a coincidence.
“I have to tell him it wasn’t me,” Angel
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