Bad Boy Best Friend - Hope Ford Page 0,1

just thought I should mention to ya, I’m back home.

I squint at the phone, willing it to tell me more. My gut is telling me something is off. If Laney came back without letting me know, she is either in a great place and surprising me and her folks or something is wrong.

I text her back.

With Keith?

Even typing Laney’s fiancé’s name gives me a bad taste in my mouth. The guy is not good enough for her. I knew it from the first moment I met him. I told her as much too. But I also told her that I’d support her in her life choices. Even when she told me that she and Keith were getting married, I kept my opinion to myself and acted like I was happy for her, even though it felt like I was chewing glass.

Blair sticks her face between me and the phone. “Austin, you do know that you asked me out tonight, right? For a date? And you staring at your phone is not fun for me.”

Technically, I could tell her that I told her I was hanging out with friends tonight and she just magically showed up, but I’m not the type to nit-pick over words. When I don’t respond to her, she tries to take my phone, which annoys me instantly. I’m used to her antics, but right now I’m fucked up with worry for Laney.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell her, walking off the dance floor.

I get to the edge where the tables begin and Blair’s already caught up with me, her arms around my waist, trying to kiss and apologize to me. I know I need to end this with her. I never, I mean never, get attached, and already, Blair’s turned into a possessive girlfriend that doesn’t seem to understand that I don’t do serious.

“Just give me a minute, okay?” I tell her and I’m not affected at all when she pulls out her pouty face again.

Finally, my phone dings in my hand. Laney’s answer comes in. I came without Keith. It’s a long story.

I hope the long story includes Laney kicking Keith’s ass to the curb. It’s loud in the bar so I walk outside so I can call her. No text message is going to give me the insight that hearing her voice will.

2

Laney

I know as soon as I send the text he’s going to call me. There’s no way he’s going to let a cryptic message like that fly. I pace the floor of my little room. I don’t know why I’m so worried about it. It’s not like Austin’s going to tell me “he told me so” or anything like that. And it’s not even that I’m that upset about the breakup. I had a feeling it was coming, but finding him with another woman just moved it along. Mostly, it’s just humiliating. Most likely, Austin’s going to hear the story and want to beat Keith up or something else like that, but he’s not going to blame me.

When Austin’s personalized ringtone sounds on my phone, I don’t even hesitate to answer it. Even though I’m embarrassed about the mess my life has become, I’m glad the ice is broken as far as reaching out to him.

“Hey, Austin,” I calmly say into the phone.

“Hey, Laney.” His voice is the same husky and soothing sound that I remember, and I can already feel a calmness coming over me. He’s always been the one I lean on, and he’s not going to understand why I didn’t this time.

It’s so good to hear his voice even though it really hasn’t been that long since I spoke with him on the phone, maybe a week. In the background I can hear music and I know immediately that I’ve interrupted him on a date or at least a night out on the town.

“You’re out… and I’m interrupting you,” I say loudly in the phone, trying to overcome the sound in the background.

He raises his voice as the noise gets louder. It sounds as if he’s outside and the door keeps opening and closing. “I’m just out for a drink… I mean yeah, I have a date here, but I had to check on you.”

I apologize with a nervous laugh. But I’m not surprised he’s on a date, Austin has always been the bad boy lady’s man type of guy, and women are usually standing in line to go out with him. “I just wanted to let you know I’m