"Don't point! The cute guy right there, with the short hair and the The best mornings have Wood T-shirt. Oh my God," she hissed at Brooke. "Why are you waving at him?"

"He's a friend," Brooke explained. "His name's Nolan Wood. And the tacky shirt is the name of his morning show. Mornings With Wood. He does crazy ass commentary for one of the local radio stations."

"You know him?" From the awe in Shelby's voice, you'd think Brooke had announced that he was royalty.

"Casually. He used to date a friend."

"Oh."

"He's single now," Brooke said, hearing the disappointment in Shel's voice. "I think."

"Just go," Hannah said, then turned to Brooke. "I keep telling her to go introduce herself and say hi."

"I can introduce you. His show is all about being snarky and crass and chatty between songs during morning drive time. I wanted to run something by him." Free publicity, actually, but she didn't need to get into that with the girls.

"Yes," Hannah said. "Perfect. Go."

"But--"

"Go."

"We'll all go," Brooke said. It felt very junior high, but what the hell? She could chat with Nolan about giving her show and The Fix a few shout-outs, and she could introduce him to her normally very shy and reserved accountant. Seriously, was this really Shelby Drake?

They weaved their way across most of the bar, but right as Brooke reached Nolan, she realized that she'd lost both Shelby and Hannah. She glanced over her shoulder to see Shel hanging back and Hannah looking exasperated. Brooke rolled her eyes, amused but not surprised. Somehow she didn't think that flirting with guys was a normal thing for Shelby. And neither, for that matter, was getting drunk.

At least she looked like she was having a good time.

"I can't believe you were going to walk right over to him," Shelby said once Brooke had abandoned her mission and navigated her way back. The band that had been on a break was about to start a new set, and the crowd around the bar and the stage was getting thicker.

"Well, I thought I was going with you," Brooke said. "Didn't y'all say he noticed you earlier? Besides, he doesn't bite."

"At least not unless you ask him to," Hannah quipped, making Shelby blush.

"I really can't," Shelby said. "I mean isn't it..." She trailed off with a shake of her head. "I'm not usually so bold. Are you?" She turned to Brooke, whose eyes went wide.

"Me?"

"Yeah. Would you ever throw caution to the wind like that?"

Brooke thought of Spencer. Of the way she'd met him in a dark street beside a useless car. He'd pulled up on that fabulous motorcycle, all tats and beard and leather, and everything she'd ever been taught had urged her to run like hell.

But she'd seen something in his eyes, and so she'd stayed. And for better or worse, her life had never been the same.

"I have," she whispered. "I did."

"Oh." Shelby and Hannah exchanged glances. "What happened?"

Brooke forced a smile and blink

ed back the tears that threatened. "I fell in love," she said, then felt the tug of a bittersweet smile as the lump of unshed tears tightened in her chest.

"Careful," Hannah said lightly, obviously not noticing the shift in Brooke's mood. "You might scare her off."

Brooke thought about how things turned out for her. Maybe that would be a good thing.

But, no. Shelby deserved her shot, too.

"Go talk to him," she urged, then started to raise her hand to catch Nolan's attention. But at that moment, a group of men at the bar moved away--and there he stood in the gap.

Tags: J. Kenner Man of the Month Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net