Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate it.

Standard disclaimer.

Marcy's was slammed Saturday night.

With Ryder already at Shepherd University in West Virginia with Marley, we were a man down when it came to the bar.

Will was still out of commission, due to doctor's orders, after suffering a heart attack last month.

And Nick, our part-time cook, was running around like a madman.

We were so busy, I barely caught the moment Noah slid his phone number, scribbled on one of our new napkins, to a girl in cut-off jeans.

"Another one bites the dust," I sang, as I shimmied passed him to grab two beers.

His eyes narrowed on me.

I giggled, as I spun back, placing the bottles on the bar.

The two guys waiting looked legit and normal, dressed in dark jeans and plain shirts, but I knew they didn't run in the friendliest of circles.

I'd seen them both with Mellon, who'd worked for a guy in Philly named Artie, who everyone in and near the city knew to stay away from.

Worked as in the past tense, because, over the summer, Mellon had ended up with a bullet to the head on a lonely back road.

From what I gathered, he'd been the one messing with Marley, threatening her, over what her mom had gotten into, and Artie hadn't been too keen, on the unwanted police attention being thrown his way.

So I smiled brightly up at them.

"On the house."

The older one with coal-black hair winked.

"Thanks, darling."

I figured it was a good idea to have potential mobsters in your back pocket. Never knew when one needed someone to take a cement swim. Ha!

I was guessing Sam was working, so completing Priority Number Four was on hold.

I'd be a liar, liar, pants on fire, if I said I wasn't relieved, because, I was so dreading that moment of truth.

And I had his phone number, so I could've totally texted him and asked to meet up. Or I could've texted him the truth.

But that would've been so lame, I'd have to give myself a cement swim.

The good news was, I wasn't really dwelling on it, since I was bouncing from one customer to the next, racking up tips.

It was after midnight, when I looked up from making a wicked 'sex on the beach' and saw Sean standing at the corner of the bar.

'Oh crap!'

The moment I looked up, he saw me. Duh. I was standing right there and he was looking right at me.

Briefly, I considered diving behind the service well, but, as I've said, he'd already seen me.

"Hey," he said, finding what had to be the only unoccupied bar stool in the world. "Busy tonight."

I could feel heat creeping into my face.

I hadn't responded to his text earlier. After Mom had left, I'd forgotten about it.

"Yeah, it's been a really busy...day."

As I placed the pineapple juice back, I winced.

A day so busy, I didn't have time to send a text? Lame.

When I faced him, I kept my bar smile firmly in place.

"What can I get you?"

He blinked slowly. His eyes were greenish, not as vibrant as Sam's...dammit! I was not thinking about his eye color. 'Uh...yes you were.'

"Um, a Bud would be great," Sean said, drowning out that evil little voice in my head.

Nodding, I quickly hurried off to grab him a beer.

On the way back, Nah raised his brows at me, but said nothing.

I slapped a napkin on the bar and placed the beer on it.

"Tab or pay as you go?" I asked.

Again, Sean blinked and then leaned back, fishing out his wallet.

"Pay now." He slipped a ten over. "Keep the change."

"Thanks," I mumbled, wanting to leave the money on the bar, but there was rent and that new set of watercolors I wanted to get, so...

Taking a deep breath, I glanced up at him, as I folded my hand over the cash.

"Look, Sean, I had a really good..."

"Hey! Sexy-Cedes, my girl!"

My bones nearly jumped out of my skin, at the sound of San's voice.

I turned, surprised that she'd been able to sneak in. Then again, the bar was that crowded, and she was actually dressed down tonight. Kind of.

She worked across the street at the gentlemen's club. In other words, she was an exotic dancer and loved every minute of it.

Normally, she was wearing something, that most wouldn't even consider wearing out in public.

Tonight, her long legs were encased in bubble-gum pink leather and her halter top was like a purple disco ball.

Sean eyed her like she was an alien, who had just strolled into the bar.

"Yo," I greeted. I'd recovered quickly, and out of habit, grabbed the bottle of Jose and a shot glass. "How's work tonight?" I asked

Elbowing her way between an older woman and Sean, she squeezed into the minuscule space.

"So boring, I almost fell asleep while sliding down the pole," she said.

"That would've ended badly," I said, snickering as I poured the shot.

"So, you're off on Sunday, right?" Sean cut in, clamping his arms close to his sides, as if he were afraid of touching San and catching something from her.

I did not like that.

San snickered, as she curled fingers with an icy blue manicure around the shot glass.

"She is off papi, but she's not going to be spending it with you, unless your last name is Combs or Carter."

She arched a brow as she checked him out, and my mouth dropped open.

"And you are so obviously not Sean Combs or Sean Carter...aka puffy and Jay-Z."

"Excuse me?" he sputtered, his cheeks flushing red.

"What?" She shrugged tanned shoulders. "Honey, I'm just telling you in a nice way, you don't stand a chance with her."

"San," I hissed.

Sean turned to me.

"Awkward," murmured San. And I shot her a look.

She pursed her lips, kissed the air, and then downed the shot of tequila in one gulp.

"Remember what I told you," she said to me.

She slammed the glass on the bar, and the woman next to her, watched her back her way out of the spot with raised brows.

Then, San tapped her finger off the side of her head and said,

"You've already met the man you're going to spend the rest of your life with, Chica."

'Oh dear.'

I so remembered her telling me that, I'd already met the love of my life, basing it on the psychic powers, she claimed she developed, when she fell off a greased-up pole while dancing.

These kinds of things only happen to people I know.

I was highly doubtful...or at least hopeful...that I hadn't met the love of my life yet, but that wasn't the only thing she told me.

One of the things she had told me had come true...and it had to do with Sam.

San made a face at Sean's back and said,

"And it ain't him. Anyway, Sexy-Cedes, we still on for waffles for lunch tomorrow?" When I nodded, she wiggled her fingers. "Toodles."

Sort of struck stupid, I watched her prance her way out of the bar, like she owned the place.

I've known her for a long time, but she still managed to throw me for a loop.

"There is something wrong with that girl," Sean said, voice razor-edged with irritation. "I don't know how you deal with her."

My gaze swung on him.

"There's nothing wrong with her at all." His eyes flared with surprise. "I'm sorry, but I'm pretty busy right now."

He did that blinking thing and said,

"It's okay. We'll talk later."

I opened my mouth to tell him that wasn't going to happen, but he pivoted around and disappeared into the crowd.

Shaking my head, I moved to the other side of the bar. I didn't have to say a word to Noah, because, he switched sides and I threw myself into filling orders.

Sometime later, I glanced up and awkwardly made eye contact with Sean. After that, I didn't see him.

The rest of the night zoomed by.

We did final call, and then cleared out the bar, before we cashed out tips and settled the register.

Normally, when Noah and I did this together, we did so with nothing but music to keep us company.

And usually, I'd find the most annoying song known to man and play it, but I wasn't really feeling it tonight.

And apparently Noah was in a chatty mood.

"Who was that guy, who was in here talking to you?"

I shut the register door and scribbled the totals on the spreadsheet Ryder had created.

One day, Marcy's would grow up to be a real bar and we'd get a POS system. In the meantime, a girl could dream.

I sighed as I faced him, leaning against the bar while he cleaned up.

"He was just some guy I went out on a date with."

"Only going to be one date?"

I shrugged.

"Yeah. Not interested."

Flipping the towel he was using over his shoulder, he walked over to me.

"Is he going to be a problem?"

Both of the boys...Ryder and Noah...could be a wee bit overprotective, as could Will.

"No, he won't be a problem. I think he got the message tonight." I cocked my head at him. "Besides, I'm not your little sister and you've got to run all the boys off."

"I don't have a little sister."

"Whatever."

"I have a younger brother, though."

He placed his hands on either side of me and dipped his chin.

As close as we were, I could see that his eyes were more hazel than brown.

And holy mother of pearls, we were as close as My Little Ponies.

"And Mercy, I do not see the word sister when I think of you."

"Oh?" My glasses started to slip down my nose.

"I'd totally get with you," he announced. Just like that. Bam! Right in my face.

My eyes widened, as shock jolted through me.

Never in a gazillion years had Noah shown any interest in me.

"Um..." I started. And his lips curled up in a half grin.

"But then, I couldn't work here anymore, so that isn't going to happen. I'd probably make an exception for you, but that's not the main reason why I wouldn't..."

He moved one hand and tapped the tip of my nose.

"...go there with you," he went on.

I stared at him a moment, flattered, and...yeah, dumbfounded.

"Thanks...I think."

He winked and then pushed off the bar.

Grabbing the towel off his shoulder, he picked up a spray cleaner and spritzed the bar top.

It took a moment for my brain to start working again and then I fixed my glasses.

"Well, I'd...totally do you, too, but then, it would just be awkward," I playfully said.

Noah chuckled.

"So...you really, truly just hook up with chicks and then never see them again?" I asked. Curiosity might've killed the cat, but it was my best friend.

"I don't do commitments," he said.

"Seeing someone more than once isn't a commitment," I reasoned, with what I thought was valid logic. "I mean, I can almost get not hooking up with someone more than once, but seeing them?"

He looked over his shoulder at me.

"It's just the way I am."

"Okay," I murmured, shaking my head. "Aren't you just a heart-breaker?"

A snicker was my only response.

We finished up shortly, after what I was considering to be a really weird night at Marcy's.

I had the keys, so when Noah opened the door, I wasn't paying attention to what was outside.

I was busy struggling with the lock, and at first, I thought the low chuckle that rumbled out of him, had to do with me.

It was when I dropped the heavy key ring in my purse and turned around, that I saw what he was laughing at.

"Wha...?" I trailed off, as my heart began pounding.

There was a county cruiser parked next to my car and there was a really freaking hot cop propped against the passenger side...long legs crossed at the ankles and arms folded across a yummy chest.

Sam was waiting.

I wasn't really thinking about my list of priorities, as I stared at him in the dimly lit parking lot.

The muggy night air settled over me, as he unfolded his legs and pushed off the cruiser.

My gaze roamed over him and I was really just thinking, about how the polyester material of his work pants moved along his thighs.

God, he walked with the kind of lethal grace, that should be illegal.

Noah leaned in and whispered in my ear,

"And right there, is the main reason why I wouldn't get with you."

I tripped over my feet.

"Hey man," Noah said. He clapped Sam on the shoulder, as he strolled past him. "Have a good night. See you Wednesday, Mercy."

"Bye-bye."

I didn't take my eyes off Sam.

What was he doing here, at two thirty in the morning?

It wasn't the first time I'd stepped out of the bar late at night and found him waiting...back before 'the night I shall not repeat.'

He used to do it every once in a while, when he was working the night shift and was taking lunch.

But it was something I hadn't expected him to do again.

The sound of Noah's motorcycle rumbling to life, echoed throughout the otherwise silent parking lot.

I needed to say something, because, we were standing there, a few feet between us, staring at one another.

"Hi."

'Well, that was spectacular.'

One side of his lips kicked up, as his gaze dipped.

"What...?" He laughed, and there was a flutter deep in my belly, like a nest of butterflies had suddenly taken flight.

"What does your shirt say?" he asked.

I glanced down, trying to stop the smile tugging at my lips.

"It says 'Ladies' Man.' What's wrong with that?"

Long, thick lashes lifted and then he laughed again. That nice and light laugh, that wrapped around me.

"You're something else, Mercedes."

Shifting my weight from one foot to the next, I bit down on my lip.

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or a run-in-the-other-direction kind of thing," I said.

He took one step closer, his arms loose at his sides...his right arm brushing against the handle of his duty gun.

The star on his chest seemed shinier than possible, and was at eye level with me.

"It's...yeah, it's a good thing," he said.

I sucked in an unsteady breath, as a balmy breeze tossed a strand of hair across my face.

What in the world was happening here?

I glanced around the empty parking lot and to the line of cars beginning to stream out of the strip club, across the street.

"Are you...on lunch?" I asked.

"Yeah. I work until seven in the morning," he replied, and then, he moved so quickly, I didn't register what he was doing, until the tips of his fingers grazed my cheek.

He caught the wayward hair, and as the breath literally got lost inside me, he tucked the strand behind my ear.

His touch lingered briefly along the sensitive skin behind my ear, drawing out a sweet shiver and suddenly, my pulse was somewhere in cardiac territory.

"What...what are you doing here, Sam?" I stuttered out.

A slight smile graced his poetic lips.

"You know, I really didn't know at first. I was out driving around, knowing I needed to take my lunch, and I found myself pulling into the parking lot. And I thought about how we used to do this."

My insides got all mushy, because, it was dumb, but I was amazed that he actually remembered doing this.

Here I was, thinking that I was the only person who held on tight to those memories.

I looked up at him, feeling dizzy, and it had nothing to do with the heat or his height.

"And?" I asked.

"You tired?" he asked.

That wasn't an answer to my question, but I shook my head.

"Nope."

His eyes, such a deep green, appeared black in the low light, fixed on mine.

"Well, I got to thinking...crazy thoughts..." he started.

My brows rose.

"Crazy thoughts?" I asked.

He nodded as his grin went up a notch.

"Crazy insane thoughts, such as why can't we just start over?"

"Start over?" I was turning into a puppet that repeated everything he said.

"Yeah, you and me."

I'd figured that much.

"And I think it's a damn good plan," he continued, and he was somehow one step closer, which put him as close as Noah and I had been standing earlier.

But I'd felt nothing earlier. Now, there was a riot of sensations invading my system, shorting out my nerve endings.

"I'm hoping you agree."

"What plan?" I asked.

He reached out again, this time fixing my glasses.

"Let's forget about that night. I know we can't really pretend it never happened, but you said I...that I didn't do wrong by you and I know you wouldn't lie about that," he went on, and my heart dropped to my navel.

Lie? Me? Never.

"But we can move past it, right?" he asked.

"Why?" The question blurted out of me, and one of his brows arched. "No. I mean. Why now?"

A heartbeat passed.

"We were friends, and I'm going to be real up front with you, babe, I miss that. I miss you. And I'm tired of missing you. So that's the why behind the now."

My heart did a round of hopscotch.

He missed me?

He was tired of missing me?

Oh my God. Now my brain was spazzing out. I had no idea how to respond.

I'd literally spent eleven months cursing at him and hiding from him, and now I was simply speechless.

He regretted the night, that kind of didn't happen...wished it never happened, but he was here, wanting to start over.

And hope...oh man, there was a spark of hope in my chest, flickering to life.

It was like being fifteen again, when he first smiled at me across the lawn. Or when he used to walk me to class at school.

It was like the hug he'd given me upon his return.

It was most definitely like the night I'd given him a ride home.

And it was the same hope, that I'd thought I'd extinguished over the course of eleven months, but it was obviously still there, blazing through self-preservation, confusion and the guilt.

"Is that a good enough reason for you?" he asked.

There was a teasing tone to his question, one that made me want to smile, but I was floored.

I needed to tell him what really happened that night. I knew I did, but he wanted to start over, and how could I start over by delving back into the past...into the night he wanted to move on from?

Sam lifted his hand once more, and this time, his fingers found mine. He threaded them together.

At that moment, my heart was done with hopscotch and had moved on to back flips. Maybe a round-off.

He gently tugged on my arm.

"What do you say, Mercy? Eat lunch, dinner, breakfast...whatever you want to call it at three in the morning...with me?"

How could I say anything other than yes?

Stay safe!