her. // dacre montgomery

2.

The next day Dacre spends staring at the number on the tiny slip of paper.

And the day after that,

and the day after that.

He knew it was pathetic, the fact that he was a grown man and couldn't call and ask Shay out for dinner or even just to say hey. And so the paper sat there.

It was Wednesday and he had just picked up David from school. By the time they got home, he had fallen asleep, and Dacre had put him in bed. He had just began to nod off himself when there was a knock at the door.

"Heyyyyooo." Jack walks in, toeing off his work boots at the door and closing the door behind him.

Jack was Dacre's best friend from high school. He worked for the construction company that Dacre owned and hey met playing basketball for the high school team. Jack had set up Dacre for an alley oop, and they really just set it off from there. They even went to the same college in Georgia before Jack decided to move back home and finish school in Alabama. Plus, Dacre had been Jack's best man in his wedding last year, so it was safe to say they were basically brothers at this point.

"Man I'm starving." He walks into the kitchen throwing open the fridge doors before taking out the things to make a sandwich.

"Dave's asleep, Jack. Think you could be any louder?" He follows behind Jack closing the fridge doors for him and giving him the bread from the pantry.

"Sorry. Didn't know." He throws his hands up in defense.

"Why are you here so early? Was Miss East not at home when you got there?" Dacre messes with Jack, pretending to throw punches at the back of his head.

"Yeah she called and mentioned something about going shopping with Jen. I don't know, I just gave her some extra cash that she asked for."

"Jen, as in my Jen?" Dacre stops and questions, letting down his hands and returning back to the couch.

"No, Jen as in Jennifer Simmons, the woman you are no longer married to and have to reason to affiliate yourself with." Jack says matter of factly. "Plus I don't know why you even care about her anymore. You have women like Shay Winters waiting for you to call them." Jack reads the slip of paper from the counter and begins dialing the number.

"Huh? Wait!" Dacre springs off the couch into the kitchen. "What the hell are you doing?" He wrestles with Jack reaching for his phone.

"Doing what you clearly haven't done." Jack pushes him away. "You gotta move on dude."

"I have! How do you think I got her number in the first place, asshole." Dacre pushes him back.

"Hello? Who is this?" Dacre hears Shay's voice through the phone.

"Give me the freaking phone man!"

"Dacre?"

"Gosh. You should have just asked." Jack laughs holding out the phone.

"Hey, hey Shay. Yeah, it's me." Dacre yanks the phone away from Jack and quickly answers.

"Oh hey!" Shay laughs, sending warm tingles down Dacre's spine. "I thought you were never gonna call me. I assumed I had misread you and I just felt like a complete idiot if I'm being honest."

"No you read me correctly." He replies, eyes going wide. I just didn't know if this was too soon?" He side eyes Jack, who's grinning from ear to ear as he listens to their conversation.

"Nah, not too soon at all. I was starting to give up hope. Thought you weren't interested in little old me." Shay confesses.

"Well I'm glad I called when I did then."