I Know You Love Me Read Free Page A

only salvation in this is that he has no clue who I really am."
    Jimmy gave her a quick hug, but Allison didn't care. She wasn't jeopardizing her job for anyone. “No I'm not doing it. I know you guys will be great, but I'm on a date, and I intend to enjoy it...alone.” Leaning up on her toes, Allison quickly kissed her uncles cheek then turned back to Jimmy. “Let's go grab a table, cutie—preferably something in the back, as far away from the stage as possible. God willing, if they can't see me, they'll forget about me.” She knew it was a lost cause, but it felt good to stand up to her uncle for once.
    Jimmy grinned and led her toward the back of the room, straight toward a secluded little alcove. “Admit it, sweetheart—you just want to get me alone in the dark."
    * * * *

    * * * *
    Walking into the bar, Drew went straight toward the one person he knew would give him answers.
    "Hey Crystal, have you seen Jimmy tonight?"
    The bartender nodded, sad-eyed, toward the back booth. “Yeah, he's sitting in the back. Can you believe he's on a date with a member of Ten Deep? I don't stand a chance with him now."
    Drew turned toward the alcove; his concern was for Allison, not Crystal. “Wait a second. What are you talking about? He's supposed to be on a date with Allison McKay, from the county's office. If that bonehead fucks up our audit, I'll..."
    Crystal waved him silent and pointed toward the stage. “Sheriff, Allison is a member of Ten Deep."
    Drew turned toward the stage, his jaw hitting the floor in surprise. That annoyingly, difficult woman was standing on stage looking as mad as a hellcat, and yet, she was more attractive than ever. Before she'd showed up in his office, he'd never met a woman who could both annoy and attract him at the same time. Drew came to the only conclusion he could under the circumstances: he wanted her for himself.
    Unfortunately, she was with Jimmy. Drew certainly wasn't about to jeopardize his arrangement with his best friend by trying to seduce the woman he'd been in love with since they were kids, even if he was sorely tempted to tumble her into bed.
    He could wait; Jimmy's attention span where women were concerned wasn't any better than his. Still, looking over at his friend, Drew was starting to wonder if this was more than a mere crush after all. Maybe Allison was the exception to the rule, and if that were the case, Jimmy would never get her out of his system.
    The moment Allison started singing, memories of Jimmy playing her songs over and over in high school flashed through his mind. She'd gotten better with age. His eyes never left her form once as he made his way back toward Jimmy's table.
    "Evening Jimmy."
    "Drew, what the hell are you doing here? And why are you alone?"
    Drew shrugged, pulled a chair over, and sat. “I had a craving for some Honky Tonk after I heard your little conversation in my office. I just never imagined that I'd be entertained by Ms. McKay. Who knew she had hidden talents? Now I understand the excitement."
    "Yeah, well, make sure that entertainment is done at arm's-length. I like her, Drew. I mean, I really like her. She's even more incredible than I imagined."
    Damn. He hated it when he was right about things like this. “You already knew who she was when you hit on her, didn't you?"
    Jimmy shrugged, his eyes never leaving Allison on the stage. “I grew up listening to Ten Deep. Of course I knew who she was, not to mention that Jeremy simply adores her, so it's not like I could miss recognizing her, especially when she falls right into my lap."
    "Well, don't look now, but she's getting awfully cozy with that guy on stage.” Drew couldn't help the perverse pleasure he felt at seeing Jimmy uneasy. Best friend or not, he was Drew's biggest competition in town.
    Jimmy shrugged, not at all worried. “That's Andrew McHenry. He's her ex-fiance. This is the first time in a decade they've been in the same room, and not because he's been avoiding her, if you