Interlude

by Chantele Sedgwick

  “We’ll take what we can get.”

  I study them. You can tell just by looking at them that they are definitely close. Why I was being weird about this is beyond me. Like we’re even a couple. Like we’re even really friends. We’ve known each other for what? Seven hours?

  I really need to get a life. And possibly a date.

  Someday.

  I have to save my sister first.

  Jax reaches out a hand and pulls me over to them and then drapes an arm around my shoulder. “Mia, this is Jeigh. My little sister. Jeigh, this is Mia.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Do you really have to say little sister when you introduce me to someone? Come on. We’re like, a year apart.”

  “It’s true, isn’t it?”

  Jeigh is gorgeous. Black hair against her white skin. Dainty and short. She kind of has a Snow White vibe going on, but no red lips here. She reaches out her hand and I take it, giving it a good shake. I hate wimpy handshakes so I always try to squeeze hard. Sometimes I get some weird looks, but other times, like this time, the hand-shaker appreciates a good grip.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Jeigh.” I love how out of all the people in Jax’s life, his sister is the one who picks him up from the airport. No limo driver, no agent. His sister. I think about Maddy. I know she’d be the one I’d want by my side if I were in Jax’s situation. And she totally would be there for me, too.

  “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mia.” Her smile is genuine and so white and pretty it makes me want to go bleach my teeth. She glances at Jax, a grin on her face. “Mom didn’t say you were bringing a girl with you.”

  He pulls his baseball cap down and his cheeks turn pink. “I’m not. I mean, she’s not coming home with us. She’s going to stay by Central Park tonight. Then I’ll take her to see the city tomorrow.”

  “Ah. I get it.” She looks at me, her eyes widening. “First time in New York?”

  “Yep.”

  “Awesome. If you get tired of Jax, I’ll be happy to show you around. I’m the fun one in the family. Jax is all business most of the time. Boring.” She nudges me in the shoulder and I laugh. I like her already.

  “Whatever.” Jax punches her softly in the arm and looks over at me. “You ready?”

  I shrug. “Whenever you are. I have no idea where I’m going.”

  “Let’s get to it then.” He grabs my bag from me, opens the back door of the car, and sets it on the seat. I move to sit in the back with it, but he opens the passenger door and gestures inside. “You get shotgun.”

  “But—”

  “I insist.” He grins and gets in the back, leaving me no choice but to sit in the front.

  Seriously. Whoever said chivalry was dead hasn’t met this guy. He could teach the guys at home a thing or two.

  Jeigh gets in the driver’s seat and we’re off.

  And I swear my life flashes before my eyes a dozen times before we make it into the city.

  She’s a crazy driver. But every time Jax yells something at her, or swears under his breath, she assures us everything’s fine. “I’m used to driving around here. No worries.” She slams on the brakes again and my stomach lurches as we stop two inches from the car in front of us.

  “Jeigh? Has Mom ridden with you lately?” Jax asks. I glance in the backseat. He looks a little pale. “You drive like a cabby.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment, seeing how we’re in New York. You have to be a little crazy to navigate these roads. As for Mom riding with me, that would be a negative. I usually go it alone. Or I take Justice with me.”

  “Please don’t put her life in danger. She’s the baby.”

  “Baby?” I ask.

  Jeigh glances at me. “She’s fifteen. And the youngest in the fam. Jax is the oldest.” Justice, Jeigh, and Jax. Their parents must really like J’s.

  “Cool. I’m the oldest too. Um … keep your eyes on the road? Please?” I whimper as she finally looks at the road and slams on the brakes again. My hands hit the dash and I breathe in and out through my nose.

  It’s cool. She’s cool. Everything’s fine.

  “You okay up there?” Jax asks.

  “I’m good,” I squeak.

  Jeigh laughs. “I told you guys. We’re fine. I’m in total control. No reason to worry your cute little heads about, you know, your lives or anything.”

  Jax bursts out laughing behind us. “Yeah, I’d never worry about that while you’re driving me around.”

  She grins in the rearview at him. “Like I said. Total control.”

  I sit back in my seat, debating closing my eyes for the remainder of the ride. But I’m pretty sure I’d be throwing up on the floor if I did that. So I stare straight ahead, digging my fingernails into the leather seat and praying we don’t rear-end someone every time she stops the car.

  Stop and go traffic is bad in Cali, but it’s nothing compared to here.

  There’s no way I’d ever drive here. Ever.

  Taxis are everywhere. So many cars fight to change lanes. I get it now—why people walk or ride the subway everywhere instead of drive. The roads are straight out of a nightmare.

  When I’ve calmed down a bit and gotten used to Jeigh’s driving (kind of), we get into the big parts of the city. I marvel at how huge the buildings are and at all the lighted windows that rise high in the sky. The movies don’t do them justice. The buildings are seriously huge. And honestly, staring up at them kind of makes me a little claustrophobic.

  “Central Park is on your right,” Jax says.

  I glance out the window, my eyes wide, taking everything in. It’s dark, so I can’t see the awesomeness of it all, but it’s there. And it’s amazing.

  Jeigh takes a left and zooms up next to the curb. Or … on the curb. “Well, here’s your stop.”

  Jax gets out first and I follow. He hands me my bag and leans back in the car. “I’ll be back in a sec.” He glances around outside. “Lock the doors.”

  Jeigh rolls her eyes. “I’ll be fine. I keep a bat in here to scare people off.” She reaches around her seat and holds up a baseball bat, a grin sliding into place.

  Jax stares at her. “Seriously? A bat?”

  “Hey, I won our high school championship last year with this baby. I know how to swing it if I need to.”

  He shakes his head.

  “It was nice to meet you, Mia!” she says, dropping the bat in the back seat.

  “You too!”

  Jax shuts the door and stands next to the car until Jeigh locks the doors. I rub my bare arms at the slight breeze and follow him through the double glass doors and into the hotel.

  And what a hotel it is. It’s huge. Clean. Freaking amazing. There’s no way he’s letting me stay here at his expense. But before I can stop him, Jax takes off his hat and calmly walks up to the registration desk. The woman behind the desk taps her red nails on the counter as she talks to one of the bellhops. (I think that’s what they’re called.)

  “Hello, Caroline. Can I get one of my usual rooms please?”

  The woman jumps and her face spreads into a grin. “Mr. Scott! How nice to see you. You’d like a room for tonight?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Of course, sir.” She types something into the computer sitting on the desk. “We have a suite all ready for you.” She turns around and grabs a card, hands it to him, and glances over the desk. “No luggage?”

  “Not today. My friend will be staying here, so please get her anything she needs and put it on my tab.”

  “Of course, sir.” She smiles, gives me the once over, and waves as we start toward the elevator.

  I’m feeling super small right now. And inconvenient. And … I don’t know. Poor. I don’t want him to think I’m incapable of paying for things, but I also don’t want him to know I don’t come from a wealthy family and I’ve never even been inside a hotel this nice.

  I mean, we were always comfortable and had enough. But right now I feel like an ant getting squished under a rich per
son’s shoe. “You didn’t have to pay for this,” I mutter as I try to think of ways to make myself look more presentable.

  He shrugs. “I know. But I want to.”

  “You don’t have to. I can find somewhere else to stay. Really. I feel awful. I swear I’m not a leech or one of those girls who just wants to get in your pants or something for a one night stand. I’m not using you for your money.”

  He laughs. “Trust me. I’d know by now if you were one of those girls.”

  That makes me feel a little better. In a weird way. “Oh. Good. But I really don’t want to inconvenience you. I don’t ask for favors. I never ask for money. And here you are, paying for my room for the night and I honestly don’t know if I can handle this kind of pressure. There’s no way to make it up to you. What do you give a person who has everything?”

  “Mia.” His voice is calm, quiet, and makes my breath catch at the seriousness of the sound. I stop my nervous rambling and look up at him.

  He leans toward me. “I want to help you out. I’m the one who offered you the room, so you owe me nothing. I promise you’re okay. So please stop freaking out. Honestly, you’re kind of freaking me out.”

  “Oh.” He’s smiling, so I know he’s joking about being freaked out. Maybe. “Sorry. About all that. I just get … chatty when I’m nervous. And weird.”

  “I’ve noticed.” The tension rolls off my shoulders a bit as we step into the elevator. He scans the card the lady in the lobby gave him, types in a password, and the elevator rises.

  And rises.

  Almost up to the very top. The elevator door opens and we walk down a narrow hall. I see only two doors, and I follow him to the one at the end of the hall and on my right. I hear loud music coming from the one on the left.

  There’s another key reader by the door. “Wow. This is high tech. Hotels usually have key readers, but we usually don’t have to put a password in.”

  “It’s more of a hassle than anything.” He types in a password, then slides his card in the key reader. The green light blinks, the door opens, and my jaw drops. This place is amazing. White carpets, red couches, huge windows overlooking the city. A small kitchen with a fridge, oven, and microwave. And that’s only the stuff in this one room.

  Jax walks around, checking out everything. “The bedroom is over here.” He walks to the right and I follow. He goes through the bedroom door, flips the light on, and my eyes bug out of my head. I swear the bedroom is bigger than my whole house back home.

  The four-poster-bed has a million red and cream pillows on it, and I can’t even imagine what the sheets feel like. Silky? What’s a good thread count? Like 600? 2000? I have no idea. But I’m sure they’re nice. And I’ll bet some of those pillows are super comfy, too.

  I’m really tired.

  Jax glances under the bed, which makes me smile. He seems to be looking for something because he checks the closet and the bathroom, too. When he’s finally satisfied, he folds his arms and leans against the bedroom doorframe. He looks exhausted.

  “Everything’s good. I even checked for monsters.” He grins, but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes.

  “Monsters? Really?” I fold my arms and narrow my eyes.

  “You never know.”

  I chuckle. But for real. I’m secretly glad he did that so I don’t have to do it later.

  He yawns and covers his mouth until he’s done. “You okay then?”

  “Jax, I can’t even … I have no words. Thank you.” Without thinking, I reach out and hug him. Not a huge hug, but enough for him to hug me back. His hands slide up my back and I can’t help but breathe him in.

  “You’re welcome.” We stand that way for a moment too long and I feel his heart beating wildly against his chest. Our arms both lower at the same time and I take an awkward step back, tucking my hair behind my ear, my own heart doing its own crazy dance.

  “Sorry,” I start. “I don’t—that was … Weird. I don’t randomly hug people. At least not until the first date.”

  He stares at me a second and chuckles as he reaches up to play with his eyebrow ring. “Well, how about I take you out tomorrow.”

  “I kind of have other plans. You know. Finding my birth mom and stealing a kidney from her.”

  He doesn’t even flinch. “That’s not disturbing at all.”

  “Nope.” I chuckle and rub a hand over my tired eyes. “You know what I mean. I can’t think this late. Coherently, at least.”

  “You need to get some sleep. We both do, I think. So, how about this: tomorrow you can track down your birth mom and I’ll keep you hydrated and fed all day. Sound okay?”

  “Sounds perfect.” I don’t even hesitate, realizing there’s no one I’d rather spend the day with than him. A not quite complete stranger. Who looks tired and beautiful and sweet all at the same time.

  He claps his hands together. “Great. It’s a date. If you need anything, call this number.” He whips out his pen, grabs a notepad from the bedside table, and scribbles it down. “Can you text me so I can have yours?”

  “Are you really asking for my phone number?”

  “Maybe.” His gaze knocks the wind out of me and I take a step back.

  I’m tongue tied for a moment, trying to figure out how the heck I got myself into this wonderful and confusing situation. “I’ll text you as soon as I call my parents.”

  “I’ll hold you to it.” He heads toward the door. “There are towels, toiletries, whatever you need in the bathroom. If you need something specific, let downstairs know. They’ll bring it up.”

  “Okay.” Like I’d ever call downstairs for anything. I can deal with whatever they have in the room already. I’m not picky.

  “Well,” he rocks on his feet, his eyes never leaving my face. “Today was fun. You made my flight ten times more bearable than if I’d been by someone else.”

  “You too.”

  He blinks once. Twice. A shy smile later, he clears his throat and backs out of the bedroom and into the living area. I follow him until he reaches the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  “Okay. Thank you. Again. For letting me stay here.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” He looks like he wants to say something else, but he just shakes his head. And with that, he walks out the door and leaves me alone.

  I look around the huge living space and suddenly feel so … lonely. I kind of wish he’d stayed here with me. Not … With me-with me. But in the same place. Room. Apartment. Whatever.

  Not that it wouldn’t be totally weird and everything, since we just met, but he seems to have this calming effect on me.

  Speaking of calm … I haven’t checked my messages since we landed. I’m sure my parents are anything but calm. I pull out my phone, turn it on, and find three voicemails and eleven text messages.

  Cringing, I push the voicemails first, prepared for angry voices.

  It’s Dad. Lots of swearing, lots of yelling, threats to ground me forever, take away my car, lock me in my room for the rest of my life. Everything he’s probably always wanted to say to me at one time or another. I get them all at the same time.

  Angry is an understatement. Hopefully he’s cooled down enough to talk now, since the last voicemail was an hour ago. Instead of reading all the angry texts, I call him back.

  He picks up on the first ring. “Mia.” His voice is anything but calm. It’s low. Furious.

  “Hey, Dad,” I say, testing the waters a little.

  “Are you out of your mind? What has gotten into you? What in the world went through your head that made you just randomly jump on a plane and fly to New York? New York, Mia. Really? You’ve never been anywhere near there. You have no idea where you’re going or what you’re going to find. Where are you? Are you still in the airport? I’ll give you my credit card number right now and fly you home tonight.”

  “Dad, calm down. I just got here. I’ve been on an airplane all day, so I’m not coming home tonight.”

  “You are.”


  “No. I’m not. I’m eighteen years old. I can do things like this now. I don’t need you with me and I don’t need your permission.”

  “Mia …”

  “Just listen to me. Please. I’m at a hotel. I’ll text you the details. I’m totally fine.” At the moment, I guess.

  “You’re not fine. You’re in New York by yourself. There is nothing about this whole situation that’s fine.” He says something to someone in the background, but I can’t understand what it is.

  “Dad.” I say it as calm as possible and I hear him take a deep breath, so I take my chance. “How’s Maddy?”

  “She’s … fine.”

  “Good. Does she know where I went?”

  A pause. “Yes.”

  “She didn’t know, I swear, so don’t get mad at her. I left a note for you and Mom and that’s it. I left before I told her where I was going.”

  “I know. I read your happy little note. Your mother is worried sick about you. And so am I. If anything happens to you …” He chokes on the last word.

  “I’m fine, Dad. Really. I’m at a hotel and tomorrow I’m going to find Carmen.” Another pause. “Dad?”

  He sniffs. “Honey, I just want to tell you, she’s … not like you. Or me.”

  “I kind of figured that, but Dad, I have to try. I know you say she won’t do anything, and maybe she won’t. But if she at least knows about Maddy—if I can tell her how serious it is, how little time she has left—maybe she’ll help us.”

  I wait for him to argue, but he doesn’t. “You know I trust you. And I’m sorry you felt like you had to sneak behind my back to do this.” He laughs, but it’s not his real laugh. It’s more … nervous than anything. “I don’t know why I didn’t think you wouldn’t do something like this. I’ve raised you for eighteen years. You’d think I’d be prepared by now.”

  I smile as I pick flakes of nail polish off my nails. “Yeah, you know me.”

  He clears his throat and sniffs. “You have her address?”

  I hesitate. “Uh … not exactly. There were two Carmens listed on the Internet, which isn’t bad, but I’ll probably have to go to both houses to find the right one. I’m sure I can recognize her from your old pictures. Or picture, I guess.”