I was on the verge of sticking up for Gerry when a big grin spread across Larry's face. "Man, my brother's gay. I should invite him over. He's always griping about Nashville and the bigots there."

Gerry let out a sigh. "Luckily, I'm from Seattle; I've never faced any problems. But I know someone from Texas whose folks won't even acknowledge him."

Larry shook his head. "That's messed up. How can anyone criticize someone for just being themselves?" He shot me a glance and kept driving.

Somehow, I'd become the villain in Larry's view. Had I been judging folks, other than him? He earned every ounce of scrutiny he received.

Gerry chuckled, leaning in. "If I had to be straight, I'd be inviting you out to dinner."

I turned back to him. "I'd beat you to it. I can see you've got manners. You're likely an excellent dancer, with great taste in red wines, enjoy tidying up, and bringing fresh flowers home. I bet you're always punctual too."

He smirked. "That's me exactly."

I smiled. "Same here. You'd probably even let me order my own food."

I glared at Larry, who rolled his eyes. "Sure, so I hate red wine and that fancy stuff, and I don't clean up junk in the living room. It's for living, princess." His grin shifted into that smile that could make the world pause and stare. "Plus, you enjoy it when I order for you."

I gave Gerry a pointed look. "This is what I put up with."

Larry snorted as he parked, and we headed inside. Gerry grabbed his own cart. "I'm going to browse around." He winked at me and strolled off.

I nudged Larry. "See? Told you he's gay."

He nodded. "You nailed it."

I frowned. "Is your brother actually gay?"

He gave me an odd stare. "Yeah? Why?"

Shaking my head, I trailed him to the protein powder aisle. "Just wondering."

He eyed the label on the massive tub he was holding. "You don't think I'd be okay with a gay brother, or do you figure I lie all the time?" His voice pulled at me.

I replied nonchalantly. "What? No... I didn't mean that. I just thought maybe you were being open-minded... or trying to make him comfortable, being a rock star and all... nothing." I trailed off. I was starting to sound biased or just tolerant, which I wasn't. I didn't buy into tolerance. That implied you noticed a difference between yourself and others.

He stared for a moment. "I love my brother, and I hope nobody ever has to make him feel accepted for who he is. That would make him seem different. He's not. My sister and I are straight, my brother's gay, and honestly, I think my parents love him even more because of it. He's definitely the better kid." The way he said it, I could detect a hint of admiration, like his parents were incredible for embracing whoever their children became.

I smirked. "They probably just aren't fans of the starving-artist route you're on."

He arched a dark eyebrow. "Starving? At least I'm earning cash, not just spending it."

I sneered and folded my arms. He kept reading until I finally blurted it out. "I'm not like that. It came out wrong. I don't believe in tolerance."

That cocky grin slowly appeared on his face, but he kept his eyes on the nutrition facts.

I shook my head. "Jerk."

He added it to the cart and pointed to the one beside it. "Want this? It's for women aiming to drop some pounds. The model in the ads looks fit."

My mouth fell open. He quickly raised his hands. "Kidding! Don't spray me."

I sighed, annoyed that it was in my pocket. He glanced at it. "It looks phallic. People will spot Gerry in his burgundy pants, then you with that mace thing, and assume we're all gay. How am I supposed to flirt with that vibe?"

I laughed, ignoring his challenging expression. "You'd make a hot woman."

He chuckled, wheeling the cart to the dried foods. "I did it once for Halloween with my brother—he wanted to dress as a girl, and if I joined in, no one would hassle him. So I did, and let me tell you..." His grin widened. "It was awful. Like knock-kneed, hairy, tattoo-on-the-arm awful. I looked like Wesley Snipes in To Wong Foo. Alex, my bro, looked like John Leguizamo. He was stunning, and I was all bulky and rough."

I appreciated this version of him. I rarely saw him prioritize someone else. In public, he was so self-centered, but right then, Alex mattered more.

Glancing beyond him, I thought I recognized someone. I looked at the guy and tilted my head briefly. He turned to face me, but I didn't know him. I shifted back to Larry to say something. He was so good-looking and amusing. I had to admit it. The weeks we'd spent together hadn't been anything like I'd anticipated. Just as a warm smile crossed my lips, I saw him tilting his head, ogling the butt and lower-back tattoo of a girl around my age. His brows lifted as she bent down to grab something.

Forget it—he was trash.

It hurt to see him do that. I walked off. I needed frozen veggies and fruit anyway. In my head, I pep-talked myself. I kept reminding myself it didn't matter that he wasn't interested in me. It was for the best. If he were flirting and being nice, I might fall for his sweet sibling tales. I might bite and let him closer. Heaven knows I wanted to. I couldn't ignore the pull, even though ninety percent of what he said was off-putting. The other ten percent was golden, and that's what my mind latched onto. Not the smart mind, though. Not the one upstairs.

I ran into Gerry in the book area. He held up one with a hot young actor on the cover. I wiggled my brows at him. He laughed. "Crackers in bed would blend right in."

I dropped my veggies into the cart.

He gave me a glance. "You alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Just stressed, you know. School starting and all."

I picked up a book with a steamy cover from the table and skimmed the back. Hooked right away, I tossed it in the cart. He eyed me. "Why bother with those when you've got the real deal at home?"

My eyes nearly rolled by themselves. "Sure, whatever."

He gave me a sincere look. "He mentions you a ton."

"Talks trash about me and then hooks up with anyone he spots—no thanks."

The smile on his lips was contagious. "Maybe he hooks up to spark jealousy, and he doesn't trash-talk. He talks about how smart, neat, and organized you are, and Lily says this, Lily says that. Lily hates mushrooms unless they're finely chopped, and Lily acts so tough, but I notice how she touches her mace. He likes you. Give him a shot. He's nice when he's not playing the frontman." His words stirred butterflies inside me, along with hopeful what-ifs.

I glanced over at the tattoo on the girl he was chatting with and frowned. "Not happening, so drop it. He's got better odds with you than me."

Gerry scoffed. "Please. I avoid baggage. I don't date bandmates anyway. I can only handle one focus at a time." He rolled the cart over to where Larry and the girl with the tight butt in skinny jeans were chuckling.

I grabbed my stuff from Larry's cart and transferred it to Gerry's. I handed him some cash. "I need the bathroom." He gave me a look, but I brushed it off. I walked away, hoping Larry would catch a ride with the tattoo girl.

I was just locking the stall when two girls started chatting from other ones.

"Did you see Larry Barlow's here? He's with Gerry Ronson. Oh my God!"

"Oh my God, yeah. He was so sexy on America's Most Talented Stars. For real. I voted for him every night. Couldn't believe he got booted."

Had I been living under a rock? He was on a show? That's why everyone knew him.

They kept babbling. "He beat up some dude backstage one time."

"I don't care—that just makes him hotter. What were they thinking? He's gorgeous and wild. I heard he's single. So glad he joined Thin Ice."

"I know, right. He's been with them for a couple weeks. We should hit one of their bar shows. My cousin Mandy went and said Larry kissed her after one."