Tell Me Something Good by Jamie Wesley Page A

Avoiding his gaze, she caught the bartender’s attention and ordered a ginger ale. She took a hasty swig of the drink and coughed as the liquid went down the wrong pipe. She held up a hand when Tate moved closer. “I’m fine.”
    “You sure?” His eyes searched hers.
    His concern was almost too much for her to take. She pushed her lips upward. “Yeah.”
    What else could she say? She certainly couldn’t say she didn’t drink because alcohol had cost her the two most important people in her life and it was all her fault. Talk about TMI. Instead, she looked around his right shoulder. “Do you see Mike and Shannon or Caitlin? Maybe we should call it a night. We have a long day tomorrow.”
    She glanced up at him. He studied her for a few seconds, his eyebrows drawn into a deep vee. Don’t look away . Finally, he nodded. “Okay. Let’s call it a night.”
    “Great. I need to find Shannon and Caitlin.” She turned to scan the crowd, only to jump back in shock when Shannon suddenly appeared right in front of her face. The woman dodged around Noelle and shook her finger in Tate’s face. “This is all your fault. The bet is off!”
    Not waiting for a response, she whirled and darted through the crowd. Tate shrugged at Noelle, his face stamped with confusion.
    “What did you do?” Noelle didn’t wait for an answer. She went after her charge, who smoothly weaved through the masses of people. Noelle wasn’t quite so graceful, dodging flailing limbs left and right, barely keeping Shannon in her sights in the dim lighting.
    Disappointment rained down on her. Frustration. Anger. She was going to kill Tate. Shannon disappeared behind a couple making out in the middle of the dance floor. Crap.
    Oh, there she was.
    Noelle quickened her pace as Shannon slipped through the front door. She wasn’t leaving, was she? Noelle had driven, but Shannon could grab a taxi. She strode out the door and scanned the parking lot, finally spotting her leaning against the brick wall about twenty feet away. Noelle’s shoulders collapsed in relief until a nearby streetlight threw Shannon’s features in sharp relief. Tears slipped down her round cheeks.
    Noelle’s heart stuttered in sympathy.
    God, Tate was impossible. Right when she’d started softening toward him, he had to ruin it. But she wasn’t going to let him sabotage Shannon’s relationship. Whatever he’d screwed up, she’d fix. And then she would set him so straight about his insensitivities he’d never think to interfere with Shannon and Mike again.
    Noelle carefully approached the other woman. “Shannon, what happened? What did Tate do?”
    Shannon wiped the tears away with both hands. “This is all his fault.”
    “Yes, you said that, but why?” Noelle leaned against the brick wall.
    Shannon sniffled. “Because…because he wants to keep Mike and me apart. He wants Mike to hate me.”
    “What makes you think that?” Tate could be clueless, true. But heartless? She’d seen no signs of that.
    “Mike got mad when he saw a guy trying to give me his number. He yelled at me and said that Tate was right, that he shouldn’t have come.” Shannon hitched a breath. “Tate said that if Mike really wanted to feel what it was like to be single, then he needed to stay away. He said seeing me talk to other guys would be too hard for him.”
    Noelle waited for her body to fill with outrage. It didn’t. She gave it another second just in case. Still nothing. “Um, Shannon?”
    “Yeah?”
    “I don’t think Tate said that to get Mike to hate you. It sounds like he was trying to protect Mike’s feelings. After all, this night was supposed to be about each of you experiencing the single life. How would feel if you walked into a club and saw Mike dancing with another woman?”
    Shannon’s reddened eyes widened. “I would hate it.”
    “Exactly.”
    She wiped her cheeks. “But I didn’t even like that guy who I was talking to.”
    “You know that doesn’t matter. The