Page 17 (2/2)

And now, thanks to the Internet and persistence, she did know him

She'd co to know hiain between Tyree and Eva She believed in happily ever afters, after all But she hadn't held her breath, and she'd told herself that all she wanted was a chance to know her father

Now here she was Her dad and reat kid, and she'd already become close with her dad, so much so that it felt like they had years of history and not just months

So, yeah Things worked out She just needed to remember that She'd find a better job; this wasn't a crisis, it was an opportunity And she was going to help Tyree do everything necessary to solidify The Fix as Austin's premier local bar

At two in the afternoon, the bar wasn't very crowded A few customers were scattered at tables, but she barely noticed them as she stepped inside

She did, however, immediately notice Brent How could she not? He was, hands down, the most handsome man she'd ever seen He had an athlete's body--tall and lean, with broad shoulders and chiseled arh in the black The Fix on Sixth logo t-shirt to i face and whiskey-brown eyes that were quick to laugh, and the depth of love that she saw on his face when he looked at his five-year-old daughter always gave Elena butterflies

She wanted him to look at her that way

But no That was not the direction she needed her thoughts to go She hadn't even launched into her career, and she had no interest in getting tied down Especially not with a single dad He was settled She craved adventures She had two years of grad school in Austin in front of her, and then who knew

where she --she could work al?

And while she couldn't deny that a fling with that , she knew dah she felt all kinds of sparks when she was near him, he'd shown no interest in her except as a friend For another, he was a full ten years older than her Or, nine, actually, since she'd turn twenty-four next week But that was still a big gap, especially since Brent was one of Tyree's closest friends, and hoas that?

No She needed to keep her distance and her wits A crush was okay, so long as he didn't realize she had one Which he wouldn't, because she could hide her feelings just fine

"What's wrong?" Brent asked, looking up as she hurried into The Fix