I opened my eyes, squinting at the sunlight suddenly invading my room. Rolling over, I offered my back to the offending rays, instead. I laid there for a moment, letting the silence of the apartment surround me, pacifying my mind.
The sudden thought of Ryan’s lips against mine shattered any thoughts of returned slumber. I bolted up in bed, a smile no doubt plastered across my sleep-swollen face. I had kissed Ryan Everheart. And I would be on his arm at a movie premiere tonight.
Pulling my blankets back, I bounced out of bed with all the joy of a child on Christmas morning. I had so much to do today. I had to find something to wear. And a trip to the salon was definitely in order.
I slid my feet into my pink fuzzy slippers. (One of the best things my mom ever gave me. What? I know how to appreciate the simple things in life, too.) After a quick trip to the bathroom, I headed towards the kitchen as fast as my slippers could carry me. I desperately needed coffee. I had a big day ahead of me which required massive amounts of caffeine.
The pot was still warm from Van’s morning indulgence. I filled a mug with the delightful offering from the breakfast gods and brought it to my lips, inhaling deeply as I did. Yeah, coffee really did make all the difference in the morning.
As I enjoyed my liquid breakfast, my eyes wandered to a garment bag lying on the counter. Ohh! Van had gone shopping. She must still be upset. Retail therapy was the best way for a girl to work out her emotions.
I sat the mug down next to the sink and scooted closer, wondering what kind of delectable ensemble Van happened to snag. I suppressed a slight gasp of wonder when I saw my name scrawled across the top of a note lying on the bag. I reached for it, gently unfolding the crisp, white stationary. I smiled as I recognized Evangeline’s elegant handwriting.
Ryan had this dropped off for you this morning. Sorry about last night. We need to talk. Van.
Wow, an apology and a gift? If that was any indication at all, the day was going to rock. Setting the note aside, I immediately set my sights on the garment bag. The smooth off-white glossiness called to me. I could only imagine what might be held inside.
As my fingers clasped the cool metal zipper, anticipation swelled inside of me. What had Ryan picked out for me? Who did he want me to be as we walked down the red carpet together? Unzipping the bag, I looked at the offered gift before me. It was beautiful. Long white silk shimmering iridescently in the light. I pulled it from its plastic confines and couldn’t help but stare in awe.
It was a simple enough dress. Strappy top, empire waist, flowing skirt which fell about knee length. But I knew I would look amazing in it. Nothing short of a Greek goddess come to life. And I bet Ryan knew it, too.
I squealed in delight as I put the dress back in its bag. I had the perfect cream wedges to go with it. Open toe, though. Hmmm, looked like I was getting a mani-pedi today as well. I called Kisten, my L.A. stylist, and asked if there was any way he could fit me in. I must be one of his favorite customers, because he had no problem freeing up his day for me, especially if it was for a date with Ryan Everheart.
With that settled, I quickly showered and dressed, hoping I could do some accessory shopping downtown before my appointment with Kisten. Grabbing my purse, I quickly headed out the door and to the elevator. Riding down, my excitement built with each floor I passed. Here I was, starting my new life the way I wanted to. I actually mattered. I was someone important. Not just Stephen’s old garbage, but someone special.
I was feeling better about life and who I was. Nothing was going to bring me down. At least that’s what I thought until I stepped out of the elevator. And practically ran right into Jensen.
“Oh, hi,” I said quickly, trying to keep the heat from rising in my cheeks.
“Hi, Maxie,” he said softly, standing there with his hands in his jean pockets. He looked good standing there, and a weak feeling trickled into my knees.
What was wrong with me? I had Ryan Everheart sending me gifts, and this bookstore owner still made me lightheaded? Focus, Maxie. Eyes on the prize. Ryan was who I wanted. Who I had.
“How are you?” I asked, throwing small talk at him as I tried to walk on by.
“Okay,” he said, never taking his eyes off me. “I was just on my way out.”
“So am I,” I said. I know. Witty repartee. Even for a girl trying to kill the conversation.
“I’ll walk with you,” Jensen said, falling in step next to me.
Great. Now I’d have to make more small talk. And feel guilty the whole time I was doing it. But I smiled up at him anyway. “Great.”
We headed through the lobby. Jensen stopped and held the tall glass entrance doors for me. “After you,” he said, his smile making my heart flutter.
I slipped out the doors, my eyes going everywhere but to the man next to me. What was I doing to myself? The one evening we shared on the couch hadn’t meant anything. I had been lonely…and he had been a warm body to cuddle with. We were both grown adults and things like that happened. It didn’t mean I owed him anything. Not even if the sight of him still sent my heart racing. I was a girl who recently had her heart broken. Any attention from a decent guy would have caused the same reaction. Right?
“So…how’s the bookstore?” I asked, trying to shut off my inner monologue. I didn’t want to reflect on anything right then.
He shrugged as we stepped out onto the sidewalk. “As good as ever. There’s always people looking for a vacation from their lives for a while. Words in books have a magical way of doing that.” He stopped and looked at me. “You should really stop by. You might find exactly what you’re looking for.”
I glanced away. That remark could be taken so many different ways and I wasn’t ready to deal with it. This wasn’t a day for misunderstandings and hurt feelings. This was the day I took my place in the world. Even if it only lasted one more night.
“I don’t know. I’m kind of busy,” I said, avoiding his gaze as I stepped into the parking lot.
“I know,” he said as he followed me. “So where are you running off to today?”
I glanced back at him. Wow, spend one evening watching movies with a guy and he thinks he’s entitled to know your every move. “I thought I’d do a little shopping down town.”
He looked at me for a moment, the sun glittering off his glasses. The expression in his eyes was unreadable. Who knew where his thoughts had taken him. Finally, he came to some conclusion and looked around the parking lot. “How are you getting there?”
I flipped my hair out of my face and shrugged. “I’d thought I’d catch a cab.”
He chuckled softly. “Even you can’t catch a cab here at this time of day, Max,” he said, walking farther into the parking lot. He glanced back over his shoulder. “I’ll give you a ride.”
I stood there, indignant. Men! Why is it they all thought they knew what was best? “I don’t need a ride,” I called to him.
“Yes, you do,” he called back, keying open the driver’s door on a little green Mazda. “You’ll try to flag down a cab, and when you can’t…you’ll walk.”
He stood there, looking at me over the top of the car as I moved closer, a rebuttal on my lips.
“This isn’t your hometown, Max,” he continued, “a move like that could be dangerous.” His eyes traveled up me, only stopping when they locked with mine. “Especially for someone like you.”
My jaw dropped open in shock. Someone like me? Of all the egotistical, chauvinistic things to say. Obviously, I was just another dumb blonde, too stupid to keep herself out of trouble. “Like you know anything about me,” I spat at him.
He sighed before answering. “I know enough,” he said, sliding into the driver’s seat. “Now…will you stop arguing with me and get in the car?” He leaned across the front seat and opened the passenger’s door for me.
I stood there, glaring at the door like it was its fault. I was angr
y because he knew exactly what I would do. Who was he to think he had me all figured out? But still…a ride was better than trying to walk any distance in L.A.. Huffing, I headed to the car. Yeah, I was going to take his ride, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
Jensen smiled as I slid in, clearly thinking he had won the battle. Sure, let him think that. It gave me the upper hand. I grabbed the seat belt, trying to hook it. It went in, but didn’t click. I pushed it in a couple more times, but it refused to lock. Really? Did everything about this guy have to be a struggle?
He glanced down at my poor seat belt skills, watching me struggle. “Sorry,” he muttered, reaching down to help. “That seat belt gives me trouble from time to time. You just have to jiggle it.”
I started to say that’s what happens when you buy cheap cars, but the feel of his fingers brushing against mine as he locked the seat belt in place, froze the words on my lips. The tingles he sent through my body as our skin met was as light as butterfly wings. They caressed every inch of me with the might of a full-scale hurricane. I gasped, severing the contact as fast as I could.
Jensen watched my hands move away from his with something close to disappointment in his eyes. “Sorry,” he muttered again, turning his attention back to the car, pulling out of the parking lot.
We rode in silence, which was more than welcoming. But I was left alone with my thoughts and they were going places I really didn’t want to tread. The sensation a mere touch of Jensen’s hand brought was different than anything else I had ever encountered. Even with Ryan. It took a kiss from him to jump-start the sensation, and even then, it hadn’t been too pleasant in the beginning. That had been a full on lightning strike compared to Jensen’s cool breeze on a hot, muggy day caress. But what did these things means? And why had I never felt these sensations before?
I glanced over at Jensen. He was keeping his eyes very firmly planted on the traffic in front of us. Breezes were much more soothing than lightning anyway. Was it possible I was making a mistake rushing into things with Ryan? Was this a sign there were better options, better choices I could be making? True, I was attracted to Jensen, I couldn’t deny that. But I had been attracted to the baggage handler at the airport, too. Or anyone of the endless guys who had hit on me since coming to California. That didn’t mean they were the ones I was supposed to be with.
Ryan was something different. Something special. Lightning never strikes twice, they say, and maybe with good reason. Maybe it’s not supposed to. Sitting on that hill, Ryan’s arms firmly around me, I had let go of the pain that had chained itself so firmly around my heart. With his lips against mine, I had become free. Free to be anyone I wanted. Free to feel something without fear. I didn’t want that to end.
Maybe I was risking it all with Ryan, but I deserved to be happy. And Ryan made me very happy. I owed it to myself to see where it would lead. I needed to know if I was falling in love with Ryan Everheart.
Traffic thickened as we neared the heart of Beverly Hills. Jensen took a deep breath and looked over at me as the cars in front of us came to a standstill. “So…you’re really going out with Ryan again?”
I glanced over at him, surprised his thoughts had been mirroring so close to my own. I could only nod, afraid of what my voice might sound like at the sight of the hurt in his eyes. Darn it. Why was I feeling so guilty? I needed to get over this. I had Ryan. I had chosen him. Jensen was only a friend. Nothing more.
“Don’t go out with him tonight, Maxie,” he said softly. “Please.”
“What?” I asked him, dazed, completely thrown off by his forwardness.
Shifting slightly in his seat, he kept his eyes on me. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. We can do whatever you want. Just…please, cancel your plans with him. Don’t see him tonight.”
All I could do was stare at him. How dare he ask me to do that. My whole future was riding on tonight. I wasn’t going to give that up. “Why would I?” I asked, finally finding my voice. “Ryan likes me. He’s counting on me to come with him. I’m not going to cancel at the last minute. Besides…I want to be with him.”
One of his eyes twitched, as if that was difficult to hear, but still, he pressed on, “His kind is all the same. He doesn’t care about people, just what he can use them for.”
I eyed him carefully. Was he trying to make the point I thought he was? “What do you mean ‘his kind?’”
He glanced away, eyes back on the traffic barely creeping forward in front of us. His jaw set in anger against whatever he wanted to say.
I glanced at the people on the sidewalks around us. Shopping bags in hand, they headed blindly to their next destination. Little did they know World War III might very well start at this moment. “What kind?” I asked again, daring him not to answer me.
His shoulders slumped in defeat. “You know, rich and famous,” he told me flatly.
I knew it. People were all the same, no matter where I went. “Jensen, I’m rich. Just because a person isn’t struggling it doesn’t make them less than anybody else.”
He turned and looked at me, guilt in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Max. That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh, I know exactly what you meant,” I snapped. I pointed to the parking lot next to us. “Just pull over and let me out. We’re here anyway.”
“Maxie,” he protested, but did as he was told.
As soon as we stopped, I unhooked my seat belt and opened the door. Thank goodness it worked that time. I couldn’t be trapped one more minute with that man. They always said if you spent enough time with someone, their true colors would start to show. How could I have ever thought he was a nice guy? He was just a big jerk like every other small-minded idiot I had come across.
As I slid out of the car, he reached for me, his fingers just short of stopping me. “Don’t go, Maxie. I’m sorry.”
“Good bye, Jensen,” I said, slamming the door. Turning quickly away, I walked across the busy parking lot. I didn’t look back, not caring if he left already or was still there, watching me.
I should have never thought I could be a regular person. Nobody would ever accept me as one. I was a porcelain princess, slumming at best. I needed to stay with my own kind. At least they understood me.
Lifting my head high, I put on my best game face and entered one of the boutiques nearby. I had shopping to do. A salon appointment to keep. I had a man to impress later that evening, and I didn’t need some silly boy messing it up.
I ignored the small, empty feeling creeping into my chest as the store clerk greeted me with a smile. Retail therapy, here I come.
Seventeen
Bell, Book, and Sandals Page 21