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Rowdy Jay Crownover 34700K 2023-09-01

"Salem, I don’t knody that well but I can look at that and see so you their heart I can’t believe you have any kind of question about how he feels about you What other man since then has tried to offer you what you wantedto make your dreams coe in my throat and my insecurity feel pitiful and petty

"He’s always been a very special guy"

"Well then, I’irl I’m sure your sister is a lovely person, Salem, but she let him chase after her, let him follow her, let him sacrifice his education and possible future for her without a thought You left, but you also ca you were building in Vegas once you kneas here I don’t think it’s where you go that matters, I think it’s where you end up"

I finished "

"I did and I can only hope that eventually he’ll realize that ured it out with you"

I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure about that, but when I got ho a no-shohen Rowdy ca to believe it more He textedhim anymore, so I responded that I would see him at work tomorrow and we could talk at some point over the weekend I didn’t want the entire shift at the shop to be aard and uncoether I also told hi hiave me sad eyes as he climbed up onto Rowdy’s side of the bed and laid his head onhead and scrunched-up nose as he licked atwhined and I sighed "I know I miss him, too"

WHEN ROWDY WALKED INTO the shop the next afternoon I expected him to jump all over me and demand answers for my admittedly terrible behavior as of late, but he didn’t He s way and went to his station to set up since he had back-to-back appointhout the day He didn’t look at me, or try and talk to me beyond as necessary for business for the entire shift It stressed me out and made me feel even worse than I already did, and of course since I hadn’t seen him for a few days, all I wanted to do was stare at hi but the battered cowboy hat It made for a very unpleasant and tense afternoon

I was going to ask him if he wanted to have lunch with rope hiize and explain all the crazy and frantic thoughts that had been houndinghim with his arms around my sister He vanished before I could That put ruical since I had been the one playing hide-and-seek all week, but I couldn’t help it Luckily the first shipment of stuff for the store cao upstairs and paw through T-shirts, tank tops, jackets, ther turned out

The guys had coypsy and Rule’s sacred heart, Nash had given el that was done in pinup style with tattooed and pierced wings The older Donovan would have been tickled pink by his son’s tribute to hins were fantastic and unique I just knew people were going to eat the these boys have their own brand that could go on so much more than T-shirts They were all so talented and had survived so nition for being some of the best in the business

I was in clothes heaven and already thinking about the next wave of designs and apparel as well as getting an online retail site up and running when I heard boots on the stairs I kneas Rowdy and looked at my phone to see what time it was I was surprised to see that the rest of the afternoon had passed while I was up here sorting and organizing and it ell past tio ho I noticed he had the bank bag in his hand and that there was a deter downstairs is done This is ready for the safe Do you have anything else left to do up here?"

I was going to break down some of the boxes the clothes had coet through, but that wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until Monday I didn’t want to squanderto talk to me after his chilly treatment all day I hated that I deserved his brush-off

"No I’ll finish up on Monday I’ll come when the shop is closed so I can take my tioodies delicately to get to Cora’s office He went inside and ca He locked the door behind hi fingers arounda word pulled hts as ent As usual I had on heels, so being dragged down the stairs was slightly precarious and he wouldn’t answerHe didn’t even let o to lock the front door of the shop Instead he toldthe keys out of his pocket and do it for hi weird and evasive

"What’s in the bag, Rowdy? I told you we could talk after work, so why are you acting so surly?"

"Surly isn’t even the tip of the iceberg, sugar"

I knew he had to be reallyone of his throay terms of endearment on me He further perpetuated that belief when he hauledhi in the lot across the street

He literally lifted er seat and buckled the seat belt around me like I was a little kid He opened the back door and tossed the black bag on the seat next to another one that I noticed was already there He made his way around the vehicle, and once he was settled into the driver’s seat, he finally turned to look at htyou somewhere where there is absolutely no place for you to run and we’re going to figure this shit out If you want to ignoreto be bored out of your mind"