Burn Out

by Cheryl Douglas

  He knew asking for advice from a woman he’d been intimate with wasn’t fair, but he needed someone to help him put this in perspective. Just when he thought he had things under control, someone threw him a curveball, like the call he got this morning from a distraught artist who expected him to drop everything and fly to L.A. so they could meet in person. When he refused, the platinum selling artist threatened to find another label who would make him more of a priority. Evan promised to call him back within the hour. He knew he didn’t have a choice, he had to go, but after the argument he’d just had with Erika, he didn’t want to leave town without seeing her again.

  Courtney took a sip of her mocha latte before saying, “I saw your girlfriend getting on the elevator. She didn’t look too happy.”

  “We got into it about that loser she hired.”

  Courtney smiled. “Don’t you think you’re a bit biased where he’s concerned?”

  “No!”

  “I hate to say this, but if he could lure her away from you that easily, maybe she wasn’t yours to begin with, Ev.”

  He wasn’t even willing to entertain the idea that Erika hadn’t been as committed to him as he was to her. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind she wanted to take that walk down the aisle with him. Hell, she talked about it all the time.

  “He wore her down, made her doubt what we had.”

  “From what you told me about your relationship with her, you gave her plenty of reason to doubt you.”

  His relationship with Courtney evolved from mutual respect to friendship to an intimate relationship they both understood wouldn’t go beyond that. He enjoyed spending time with her, taking her out to dinner and the movies when they were free. Those evenings often ended at her place and he was grateful that she always seemed willing to listen when he felt like talking about Erika.

  “I’m not sayin’ he was solely to blame, but he sure as hell didn’t help.”

  Courtney laughed. “What’s that old song… When You’re in Love With a Beautiful Woman? Face it, Erika is a beautiful woman and if you’re not giving her what she needs, plenty of other men will be willing to take your place.”

  He knew Courtney was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear. “So, what would you do if you were me?”

  “Honestly? I haven’t got a clue. You’re between the proverbial rock and hard place, my friend. You love the girl and you love your work. It sounds to me like she’s asking you to choose, and quite frankly, I don’t know how you’re supposed to do that.”

  “She would never make it an either/or proposition,” Evan said, feeling the need to defend Erika’s position. “She knows how much I love my work. She just wants to be more of a priority in my life this time around. You can’t blame her for that.”

  “No, I can’t,” Courtney said, taking a sip of her coffee. “But I fail to see how that’s possible. The way I see it, you need someone who understands the crazy hours you keep and doesn’t need someone who’s going to be at home to entertain her every night.” She winked at him. “Someone who could care less about having a bunch of snot-nosed brats getting underfoot all the time.”

  “Yeah, but I want kids,” he said, sighing. “And I want to be the kind of husband Erika deserves, the kind of father our kids need…” Before he could continue, the phone at his elbow buzzed. Picking it up, he said, “What is it, Susan?”

  He listened to his receptionist tell him that the irate artist from L.A. had called twice in the last hour and he refused to be put off again.

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes and tipped his head back. “Call the pilot. I’ll be at the airport within the hour.”

  Courtney waited until he set the phone in the cradle before she asked, “Problems?”

  “Just another artist throwin’ a temper tantrum. I swear some of these guys are worse than toddlers.”

  “True,” Courtney said, smiling. “But you can’t deny they make you a lot of money.”

  “Why do you think I put up with it?”

  Courtney stood, resting her hands on the back of the swivel chair. “I know you have to get going, but if you want to call me later to finish this conversation, feel free.”

  He reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips. “Thanks, sweetheart. Havin’ a friend like you that I can talk to helps.”

  She leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Anytime, hon. You know that. Don’t worry about the benefit. I’ll take care of everything.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  By the time Erika went over to pick up Chloe, her stomach was tied up in knots. She hadn’t heard from Evan since she walked out on him and she was beginning to question whether she would.

  She tried to sound nonchalant when she asked Bernice whether Evan had been in to pick up Skipper, but she knew she wasn’t fooling anyone.

  “No, he called this afternoon on his way to the airport, asking if we would mind boarding Skipper for a day or two while he was out of town on business.” The older woman smiled. “I’m surprised you didn’t know about his plans. I was under the impression the two of you were getting close again.”

  Bernice had worked for her father for years and she’d heard Erika speak of Evan dozens of times over the years. She’d also been there to witness Erika’s utter devastation when she finally ended their relationship.

  “Um, no. It must have been a last minute thing.” Erika was grateful when the phone in her pocket started buzzing. She smiled when she looked at the call display. “Lena! When did you get back?”

  “Late last night. I was hoping you ladies would be up for a drink at Jimmy’s tonight? I wanted to show you some of the pics from the wedding.”

  Glancing at her watch, Erika considered her options. A night at home alone with Chloe, stewing about her problems with Evan, or a night out with her girlfriends… “I just need to go home to shower and change. I can be there by nine.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Lena said. “I’ll see you then.”

  “Sounds like Mr. Spencer’s not the only one making plans,” Bernice said, leaning over the counter.

  “Some of the girls are getting together at Jimmy’s. I’m going to be on call though, if anyone needs me. That bulldog who just came out of surgery will need constant supervision throughout the night. Who’s coming in for the night shift?”

  “Tracey doesn’t have school tomorrow and she needs the hours, so she volunteered.”

  “Okay, just let her know where I’ll be and how she can reach me.”

  “You got it, Doc. You want to leave Chloe here for the night?”

  “Maybe that would be best. She doesn’t like being home alone. Besides, since Skip will be here…”

  Bernice smiled. “They have gotten quite close, haven’t they?”

  That’s what worried Erika. Not only was she putting her own heart at risk, but her poor innocent dog stood to lose her new best friend if she and Evan didn’t work out.

  ***

  By the time Erika made her way through the crowd at Jimmy’s, Anna, Alisa, Lena, and Brianna were already sitting in a booth near the front doors. “Wow,” she said, hanging her coat on a hook fixed to the wooden booth. “I can’t believe how busy it is for a Monday night.”

  “Some hot new act is playing here tonight,” Lena explained, getting up to hug her. “What’s her name again?”

  “Cassidy Ross,” Brianna said, kissing Erika’s cheek. “Ryan told me Evan’s thinking about signing her.”

  Just the sound of his name affected Erika in ways she would never admit to her friends. It scared her to acknowledge how much she wanted this to work. The effort she’d put forth over the past year trying to expunge him from her life was wiped clean during the hours she’d spent in his bed this past weekend.

  “Speaking of Evan,” Brianna said, nudging her in the ribs when all of the women were seated. “Ryan told me you stopped by the office today. He said you brought Evan lunch. What was that about?”

  Erika knew she would be subjected to an inq
uisition tonight. Not that she could blame her friends. If their situations were reversed, she would have been curious as well. “Honestly, I don’t know where we stand.”

  Thankfully, J.T. McCall chose that moment to approach their table. Bending to kiss Erika on the cheek, he said, “This is a nice surprise. I haven’t seen you around here since…” He smirked. “That’s right, it wasn’t that long ago, was it? I seem to recall Evan was haulin’ you out of here-”

  “Stop!” she said, holding her hand up. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  J.T. laughed. “A good bartender knows when to keep his mouth shut. What can I get you to drink, darlin’?”

  Erika looked around the table. Her friends all had drinks in front of them. “Um, I’m on call tonight. Maybe just a virgin strawberry daiquiri.”

  “Comin’ right up,” he said, winking.

  “We ordered a veggie platter and some nachos too,” Anna said. “They should be coming up in a minute.”

  Erika realized she hadn’t taken the time to eat dinner. Of course, she hadn’t had much of an appetite since her argument with Evan. “Sounds good.” She looked across the table at Lena. “So, tell me about your honeymoon, girl. Was it fabulous?”

  Lena closed her eyes, a huge grin spreading across her face. “It was amazing.”

  Erika tried to ignore the twinge of envy. Lena was one of her best friends, and given her start in life, she deserved to be happy more than anyone. Just because Erika’s future with Evan was still up for grabs didn’t mean she couldn’t be happy that someone she cared about had finally married their soul mate.

  “I wanna see the pictures,” Erika said, sitting up straighter.

  Lena reached into her oversized designer purse and extracted a mini iPad. Turning it on, she smiled as she scrolled until she found the folder she was looking for. “Here they are,” she said, handing the tablet to Erika.

  Erika set it down on the table so both she and Brianna could see the images. “Wow, they’re gorgeous. Look at that backdrop… the ocean… the flowers. It really is breathtaking.”

  “Ryan and I were so inspired we’re thinking about doing the same thing,” Brianna said quietly.

  Alisa squealed, covering her giggle behind her hand when the bouncer posted by the door gave her a curious look. “Oh my God, does that mean what I think it means?”

  Brianna held up her left hand to reveal a stunning pear shaped solitaire. “He asked me this past weekend. We were going to announce it last night at his parents’ house, but since Evan couldn’t make it…” Brianna gave Erika a pointed look. “We decided to hold off.” She grinned. “But I just couldn’t wait another second to share it with you guys.”

  Erika put her arm around her friend’s shoulders. “I’m so happy for you two. You guys belong together.” It was hard to imagine any two people more perfect for each other than Evan’s brother and Bri, except maybe… She cleared her throat. “Excuse me, ladies. I’ll be right back. I just have to use the restroom.”

  Four pairs of eyes turned to her before Anna reached for her hand, asking, “Hey, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, faking a smile. Rushing across the dance floor to the restrooms in the rear of the old building, she was surprised when a strong hand reached out to grab her wrist. She was prepared to shake the man off when she looked up to see Jeff smiling down at her.

  “I’m surprised to see you here, pretty lady.” He looked around as though he half-expected to see Evan making his way towards them. “You’re not here alone, are you?”

  “No, of course not.” She gestured to the booth where her friends were bent over the tablet in the center of the table. “I’m here with the girls.”

  He looked over at their table. “Looks like they’re busy, so you have time for a drink, right?”

  She didn’t want to lead him to believe she may be willing to resume their personal relationship. “I, uh…”

  Jeff smiled. “I’m just proposing a drink, not marriage, Erika.”

  She laughed at the absurdity of her assumption. “In that case, I’d love to hear about your new job.” She could use a distraction from the wedding talk. As happy as she was for her friend, she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to discuss wedding plans tonight.

  “They have a couple of stools at the bar. Let’s go.” He reached for her hand to lead her through the throngs of people crowding the dance floor.

  J.T. raised an eyebrow when he saw them together. “I was just about to deliver this to your table. You saved me the trip.” He passed Erika the drink she’d ordered before turning to Jeff. “What can I get you, man?”

  “Just a ginger ale,” Jeff said, reaching for the small bowl of pretzels to his right. He slid it between him and Erika before popping one in his mouth. “I’m here with a couple of friends and I’m the designated driver, as usual.”

  “Wish I had a designated driver,” she said, sighing. If ever she needed a drink or three, tonight was the night. “I’m on call. I performed surgery on a bulldog this morning and you know they’re famous for post-surgical respiratory distress. I have to be on guard, just in case I get a call from the clinic.”

  Jeff nodded to J.T. when he passed him the drink he’d ordered. “Thanks.”

  “Where’s Evan tonight?” J.T. asked, looking Erika in the eye.

  Evan was J.T.’s brother-in-law and it was no secret to anyone that family loyalty meant everything to the McCall brothers.

  “From what I hear, he had a last minute business trip.” She shrugged as though she could care less, hoping J.T. would take the hint. “He didn’t tell me about it. I heard about it through one of my employees because he called in to ask them to board his dog for a couple of days.”

  “Huh,” J.T. said, looking at Jeff out of the corner of his eye. “I just talked to him a few days ago. He gave me the impression you guys were gettin’ pretty tight again.”

  She loved Evan’s large, over-protective, meddling extended family, but she was not in the mood to define their relationship when she didn’t even know where things stood herself. “To be honest, J.T., I don’t know what’s going on with us. You’ll have to ask your brother-in-law about it when he gets back.”

  “Don’t worry, sugar. I intend to.” He glared at Jeff. “In the meantime, you behave yourself, and let me know if y’all need anything, all right?”

  Offering him little more than a tight smile in response, she asked, “Why are you here serving drinks?”

  “A couple of my bartenders are down with the flu, so I offered to fill in tonight. Besides, it’s always busy when Cassidy Ross is performin’. She’s the hottest ticket in town right now.”

  “Yeah, the girls were talking about her earlier,” Erika said before taking a sip of her drink. “They said Evan’s thinking about signing her.”

  “I sure hope so,” J.T. said, drawing a beer for another customer. “That kid’s had a rough go of it. I’d like to see someone give her a break.” He grinned. “Of course, it doesn’t hurt that her fiancée is none other than Drake Elliott.”

  Erika’s mouth fell open. “Seriously? As in Drake Elliott, the producer? I’ve met him a few times at parties. Evan says he’s the most sought after producer in Nashville.”

  J.T. set the beer down in front of the customer who’d ordered it before drawing a second one for the man’s friend. “Yeah, he produced Nikki’s last album. The guy has somethin’ crazy like a hundred number one hits to his credit. He’s a great guy though. Been comin’ in to the bar for years.”

  “Huh, well, I’m anxious to hear his fiancé sing tonight.”

  “Trust me, she’s incredible,” J.T. said before moving on to take the next customer’s drink order.

  “So,” Jeff said, taking a sip of his drink. “Trouble between you and what’s his name already?”

  “I’d rather not talk about Evan,” she said, reaching for a pretzel stick and popping it into her mouth. “Tell me about the new job. How’s that working out for y
ou?”

  He set his hand on her back, grinning. “Why? You finally realized you can’t live without me?”

  She laughed to let him know what a joke she thought that was. Getting rid of him was the best decision she’d ever made. The new veterinarian she’d hired was settling in nicely and she didn’t have to deal with the drama of someone questioning every decision she made. “Everything at my clinic is just fine, Jeff.”

  “Glad to hear it,” he said, though he didn’t sound sincere. “Things are going great at Southlake. Couldn’t be happier.”

  “Wonderful.” An awkward silence fell between them before one of her favorite songs came on.

  Jeff grinned. “I know how much you like this song. You wanna dance?”

  Deciding it was better than sitting there in silence, she said, “Sure. Why not?”

  ***

  Evan was exhausted after traveling to and from L.A. in one day. His meeting lasted less than an hour once he laid out the repercussions of the hothead trying to renege on their iron-clad contract. It would cost the musician millions of dollars to get out of their deal, and Evan knew he didn’t really want out. He just wanted to feel like he still mattered to their label. Artists, both male and female, could be prima donnas, and it was Evan’s job to smooth their ruffled feathers.

  He went to Erika’s clinic intending to pick Skipper up and head home. He planned on calling Erika on the way to apologize for the way they’d left things that afternoon, but when her part-time employee told him she was at Jimmy’s, he couldn’t resist the urge to stop by and see her.

  According to Tracey, Erika was boarding Chloe for the night as well and both of their dogs were down for the count. Erika’s plans for her dog made Evan question what she was up to at Jimmy’s. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but after their disagreement, he wouldn’t be surprised if she’d decided to cut loose just to put him and their problems out of her mind for a while.