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easy. At least, he’s taking the pain pills. I wish they’d given me some.” Avery didn’t want the temptation lying next to him in bed night after night.
    “So you two showered together?” Bev tapped her long, fake nails along the black lacquer bar.
    “We used to date. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked. Hell, I still see him naked nightly.” Avery nodded toward the stage.
    “Okay. Well, you’re a good friend. He’ll appreciate it when he’s recovered. Is he okay on the pain meds?” she asked.
    “Seems to be. I’ll swing by on the way home and let him drive his car so I’m not driving him around like a damn chauffeur.” Avery drank his soda as if there were rum in it.
    “If this is stirring up old stuff between you two, you can leave him at my place.” Bev sighed. “I can put off going up to Reno until next week. He should be okay by then.”
    Avery felt bad making her change her plans when he’d just screwed his ex-boyfriend up against the sink and loved it. They weren’t talking about it, but the chemistry said it all. It shouldn’t happen again, but Avery wanted it. Maybe, they’d be fuck buddies until they died and that’d be enough.
    “Avery, did Ken make you crazy already?” Bev asked.
    “Yes and no. He’ll be fine at my place. Don’t change your plans. He needs a little help and to take it easy. The guy is stubborn, but he won’t go on stage until he’s back up to par. Maybe, someday he’ll stop stripping.” Avery wished more than believed it’d happen.
    “I know. If I push the issue, he’ll throw a fit. He’s in great shape and dances well. I could use him managing the club when I’m traveling. I’m looking at a club in San Fran.” She went around the bar and poured herself a glass of wine.
    “Maybe, if you tell him you need him as a manager, he’d actually think about it. Especially if there was a raise involved.” Avery saw some light at the end of the tunnel.
    “But if I make the offer for him to manage the club and he refuses then I’ll have to hire someone or he’ll think it was a pity job. One day, he’ll be ready and want that job, but I can’t fire someone to give the job to him. I’ve put it off trying to get him to take it. He takes over when I’m gone. Both of you step up and manage things when I’m away. You always were a good team. Maybe, you two will finally get back together,” she said with a smile.
    “Don’t get your hopes up. After all this time, that’s a wild idea.” Avery hated to lie, but he couldn’t tell her they’d screwed around.
    “You’re both still single. You date, and he hooks up with random man candy, but you both end up single again. Every new dancer who pays attention asks if you two are a couple. The bickering is the unavoidable sexual tension.” Bev smiled as she swirled the wine in her glass.
    “If there were any chance in hell of Ken and me getting back together, he’d have to want me more than all the man candy out there. He’d need to think I’m the hottest guy in the world and not be looking to trade up. You said it. He’s a dreamer and I’m real…not a fantasy.” Avery was okay with his imperfections and Ken’s, but both of them had to be on the same page or a relationship couldn’t work
    “Maybe, this fall will help him see he’s not some magically perfect man who deserves a dream lover. Reality is better.” Bev grinned. “I know I sell a fantasy, but I swear Ken’s the only one who totally drank the Kool-Aid.”
    When she talked about Ken like that it, Avery had to suppress a twinge of defensiveness. The dreamer who enjoyed life on a different level had been a fun boyfriend until Avery hadn’t lived up to the dream. “He needs a dose of reality, but he’ll never be practical.”
    “That’s why we love him.” Bev finished her wine then set the glass in the bin for washing. “As a friend. We love him as a friend.”
    “Exactly. Don’t worry, I’ll handle him. Go back to