by Kristy Gibs
Interesting, I thought. “Is she staying in California?”
“I sure as hell hope so. Her dream is to work in a gallery, but we know how that is, especially around here.”
I nodded my head. Artists were a dime a dozen, and although there were a lot of galleries, getting a job in one was nearly impossible unless you knew someone, which I happened to.
“Remember Beth, my friend?”
“You mean the hot read head you continue to deny ever sleeping with?” I rolled my eyes. Beth and I were friends since we were young kids. She was the closest thing to a sister I had; Jax didn’t believe nothing ever happened between us.
“Yeah... that one. She just opened a gallery. Let me make a few calls; maybe she has something or knows someone hiring.”
He slapped me on the back. “That would be awesome. Thanks, dude.”
He wouldn’t be thanking me if he knew the things I was thinking about. Regardless, I did truly want to help Ella out if I could. “No need to thank me. That’s what friends are for.” I downed the rest of my drink as I gazed at the captivating woman across the room.
Ella took a sip from her wine. She caught me staring and locked eyes with me. I smiled, and she quickly turned the other way.
“Ashton.” My uncle waved me over to where he stood with Jaxson’s father. “I was just telling Connor how I have been trying to get you to join the family business.”
Here we go.
“Well, I think you keep forgetting: to be a lawyer, I have to have gone to law school.” I liked my uncle, but I hated lawyers, so the last thing I would do was work for one.
Laughing, my uncle clapped me on the back. “I keep telling the boy if he started a partnership with me, with his music connections, we could represent the biggest names in music.” He let go and faced me. “Think big, my boy.” He tried to sweeten the deal by telling me about all the millions we could make. My disinterest, although he never came out and said it, disappointed him.
“Father.” Preston approached. He looked between us. He heard the conversation. He was the rightful heir of the firm. I’d be pissed too, but his anger is displaced. No matter how many times I turned down the offer, Preston’s hate for me continued to grow.
“Please, excuse me.” Fearing words would be said, I left the room.
5
Ella
Once the last of the guests had left, I headed down to the kitchen to find something to eat. During the dinner portion of the night, I barely touched my food. I wasn’t surprised to see my mother cleaning up. She had hired staff for the occasion, but she always oversaw everything.
“Honey, where did you run off to? We couldn’t find you for the family picture.” I knew this conversation was going to happen, but I didn’t think so soon.
"Mom, is this a joke?"
She stopped what she was doing and looked up at me like I had ten heads. "What do you mean, honey?"
"Mia, Italy?"
Her face stiffened as if a light bulb just went off in her head. "Oh, Ella. I didn't even think about that."
No shit, I thought. "Think about what? The fact everyone in this house knew I dreamed of getting married in Italy, and now my stepsister, who could get married anywhere in the world, is getting married there of all places?”
Mom bit her lip.
“Do you think that is a coincidence?”
She didn’t say anything.
“She has done nothing but try and hurt us, especially you since day one, Mom. The things she did? The things she said about you and me. Don’t you see it? She is just doing this to hurt me.” I searched my mom’s face for some spark that might tell me she understood me.
“Ella, I—” she started to say, but I interrupted her.
“To be honest, I wish I never came back. I don’t belong here. This isn’t home for me anymore.”
My mother's eyes widened. My words had hurt her, but I didn’t want to talk to her about this. My own mother, the woman who had been my best friend and knew all of my dreams, didn’t even think about me or my feelings, and it killed me.
“Ella!” she called after me, but I kept going. I didn’t have the energy to turn around. I loved my mother. We rarely fought, but the feelings inside me tonight, they would start something so much bigger.
“Where are you sneaking off to?” I turned to see my stepbrother leaning against the staircase, a smug look on his face.
Although I was surprised to see him since he didn’t live here anymore, I was relieved it was him. More than once this morning, my mother knocked on my bedroom door, and I didn’t answer. Sleep had not helped my mood.
“Lunch with Lucy. She’s picking me up.” Lucy was my best friend. We both were the new kids at Our Lady, the private school I attended after moving to Malibu when my mom married Connor. We hit it off instantly. We were inseparable until it came time to go away to college.
She chose NYU on the East Coast while I went off to Stanford. Facetime is what kept us connected all these years and the being home for holidays. But now, for the first time in four years, we were officially living in the same town and had tons to catch up on.
“Oh, nice. Tell her I said hi.”
“Sure.” Glad he didn’t think anything was wrong, I opened the front door just as he called to me again.
“Hey, Elle-Belle. Why don’t you and Lucy come out with me and a few of my friends tonight? Unless you want to hang here and meet the wedding coordinator?” He snickered.
“What time and where?” There was no way in hell I was going to be around for that. I could only take so much.
“Shorty’s... Seven?”
“Perfect. Later, Jax.”
“So, let me get this straight...” Setting her wine glass down, Lucy laughed. “Preppy Preston is engaged to Manic Mia? And you walked right into their engagement party?”
Lucy always gave creative names to everyone. Behind his back, she called Jaxson, Juicy Jaxson, and no matter how many times I told her it grossed me out, she insisted on calling him that.
“Yup, that pretty much sums it up.” I took a bite of my sandwich. We were eating lunch at Paradise Cove, one of our favorite places in Malibu.
“Shit. Ella, I'm sorry. You’ve been in love with him since we were teens.”
I nodded. If she had heard through the grapevine about them, she would have told me. Just like me, she didn’t talk to many people in Malibu, and she just returned home herself. Lucy had never admitted it, but she has had a crush on my brother for years. When we were younger, it was a bit weird, but now, they would probably make an awesome couple. She was a writer, and he was in the indie music business as a scout for up and coming bands.
“It isn’t just that. I never had a chance with him, but my sister? Out of every woman on the West Coast, it had to be her?”
She nodded.
“If he would have just told me it was her...” I took a long swig of my drink. I could have been prepared. Knowing there was nothing else to say, I switched the conversation over to going to Shorty’s tonight. “Have you heard of Ashton Channing?” I asked, and she tilted her head thinking about it.
“Hmm...I don’t think so? Why? Does Preston have a long-lost brother?” she teased.
“No, it’s his cousin. I met him yesterday too.” No matter how hard I tried, I hadn’t stopped thinking about him since we met.
“Oh, do tell. Is he just like Preston?”
“God, no. Far from it. He’s a rough-around-the-edges type but totally gorgeous.” Shit, did I just say that out loud?
“Gorgeous... interesting.” My friend smiled at me.
“It’s not like that. He is good looking. A bit older, I think.” I didn’t want to tell her about the moment we had at the fountain. I was vulnerable yesterday; any type of attention was sure to make me feel things.
“How has it been being back?” I needed to veer the conversation away from me.
“Changing the subject, also interesting.” After a quick smirk, she sipped her wine
“Honestly, I miss the hustle and bustle of the city. I miss my apartment that looked over Central Park.” The few times I got to visit Lucy in New York, she was so at home there. She loved being able to step outside her apartment and be surrounded by so many opportunities.
When she told me she was moving back, I was surprised. As much as I wanted my best friend to be back in California with me, I never thought that after graduation, she would come back. “But, I missed the hell out of you, so that makes up for it.”
I missed her too, and I wasn’t sure how I would be handling my current situation if she were still across the country. I raised my glass to her. “Let’s make a toast!”
She raised her glass. “To being back home and figuring out what the hell we are going to do.”
After we finished up our lunch, we hit up some shopping at the mall. I normally wasn’t a big shopper, but I would do just about anything to stay away from the Mia and Preston wedding bliss hell.
Why wasn’t she doing all of this shit with her Mom? I thought. Connor was paying for the wedding, so by default, he would be involved, but after years of verbally attacking my mother any chance Mia had, I’m not sure why she involved my mom. A small pang of guilt filled me. My mother was doing what she thought was right, but she’s doing it with the wrong daughter. It’s my dream wedding.
“Let's get you something slutty for tonight,” Lucy announced as we perused the racks at Nordstrom's.
Rolling my eyes, I followed after her. “Yeah, because that is so me, Lu.” I browsed through the rack of dresses and nothing jumped out at me.
“El, my once little caterpillar. You are now a beautiful butterfly, spread those wings, and maybe those legs a little.” She winked at me.
“Lu!” I looked around at the other patrons near us. No one seemed at all phased by my friend's vulgar talk.
“This!” She held up a black romper.
“Um… That doesn’t even cover one ass cheek.”
“Try it on!” She thrust the garment at me. “With cute sandals or some heels, you are going to look hot, girlfriend. Come on. You deserve to have some fun.”
Reluctantly, I grabbed the garment from her hand and made my way to the dressing room. After pulling off the denim shorts and tank I had on, I slipped the barely-there romper on. My reflection in the mirror surprised me. It didn’t look half bad.
It was nothing I would ever pick out for myself, but with heels, or even just sandals, it would be perfect for a night out in Malibu. Abroad, I walked so much my legs toned up quite a bit, and my butt wasn’t looking half bad either. Although short, I wasn’t giving the world a show. After looking over myself once again, I decided to get it.
What did I have to lose?
Once dressed back in my street clothes, I walked out and past her while mumbling and heading to the register.
“Back to my place?” she asked.
“Yeah...” When Lucy got home from New York, her dad, a plastic surgeon, gifted her with a place of her own. He was on wife number three—a younger woman. Trying to ease the inevitable blowup that would happen, he thought bribing her would make her forget the age gap. It didn’t work, but after her academy-award-winning blowup on her dad, she walked away with a cute, but very expensive, condo on the beach.
We spent the rest of the late afternoon hanging out like we used to before we both got ready for our big night out. I wasn’t sure why, but I was nervous. A place like Shorty’s was so out of my realm, but I had to start enjoying my adulthood.
With a few glasses of wine running through my veins and dressed in my little black romper and white wedge sandals, I felt confident as we walked into Shorty’s a little late. Lu said we needed to make an entrance, which left me uncomfortable.
New beginnings, I thought.
Several pairs of eyes followed us as we made our way to the cabanas. Lucy was a blonde bombshell. Outgoing and her perfect California body came naturally. Not one part of her was fake, so everywhere we went, eyes glued to her.
Near the row of cabanas, Jax talked animatedly to a group of about ten people, who all laughed at whatever tale he was telling them. He and Lucy were a lot alike, not only good looking, but everyone loved him. One of his friends noticed us, and Jax turned and walked over to us.
“Elle-Belle! You came.” He pulled me into a hug before moving to my friend. “Hey, Lu. Looking good, girl.” He hugged her, and I snickered. Jax flirted with anything that had two legs and a vagina.
“Everyone, this is my sister Ella and her best friend, Lucy.”
Several people said hello, and we walked to two empty seats in the corner of the cabana and sat down. I recognized a few faces but most of them I had never seen before.
The place was crowded, so I wasn’t surprised when a waitress hurried over to take our drink order. With little time to think, I ordered a vodka tonic and Lu ordered a dirty martini. We chatted with a couple of the guys seated near us— well, Lucy chatted and I nodded. Despite my transformation, as she called it, I was still shy as hell when it came to men.
In my observations, I learned most of the people here tonight were Jax’s coworkers, so the conversation centered mostly around music. I had just finished my second vodka tonic and was sporting a serious buzz when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I scanned the sea of people littered inside and out of the cabana. In the last hour since we had arrived, the place filled up. Several men chatted closely with women near the large fire pit; others swayed to the beat of the sultry music playing throughout.
Suddenly, a break in the throng of people showed a man weaving his way through the crowd, stopping every so often to shake a hand or two. From where I sat, I couldn’t get a clear view of his face, just a glimpse of his dark, shaggy hair.
As the stranger came into view, I had to blink several times. Ashton. My mouth dried as I scanned his body more thoroughly than the night before. His form-fitting blue button-up, with the top buttons undone, showed a hint of tanned skin; his dark faded jeans fit him snuggly. Part of me wanted him to turn so I could see just how well his jeans fit what I assumed to be a perfectly sculpted ass.
He focused in on our cabana, searching for someone, when our eyes locked. A look of surprise covered his face before it was replaced with his signature smirk. He looked me over from head to toe, stopping momentarily at where my cleavage peeked out of the low-cut romper. The room instantly became several degrees hotter, and I had to squeeze my closed legs tighter. Closing my eyes, I pictured his hand rubbing my thigh. With each pass of his hand, he moved higher. He was getting closer and closer to….
“Dude!” Jax shouted, snapping me out of my Ash fantasy. “‘Bout time you showed up,” Jax announced before hurrying over to Ash and pulled him into a bro hug. They knew each other, and by the exchange, well. I racked my brain trying to remember if I noticed them interact at the party, but Preston and Mia were the center of my attention the entire night. Between them cooing over each other and me keeping my champagne down, I didn’t register much of my surroundings.
As he walked into the crowded cabana, Ashton fist-bumped the guys and kissed several of the women on the cheek before he stopped in front of Lu and me. I blushed hard. Twenty-four hours ago, we nearly kissed.
Leaning over me, Lucy held out her hand and smiled. “Hey, I’m Lucy...”
“Nice to meet you.” He spun back to me. “Hi, Ella. We meet again.”
My pulse raced, and the throbbing between my thighs increased. I uncrossed and crossed my legs. “Er...Hi.” I picked up the fresh drink that magically appeared in front of me and took another long swig.
He kept his eyes locked on me with the same grin he sported last night.
“Oh, you have met?” Jax interjected, glancing between the two of us. “I didn’t get a chance to introduce you guys yesterday during the festivities,” he said in air quotes. “Ash and I are old friends, and we work together now.”
“Small world,” I mumbled, then downed another healthy sip. Between wine at lun
ch, the few glasses I had while getting ready at Lucy’s, and three vodkas here, I was on my way to being completely shitfaced. I wasn’t a big drinker, but between last night and today, I found myself indulging in a few more cocktails than I normally would. “Ugh… excuse me. I need to use the ladies' room.” Grabbing Lucy by the arm, I dragged her out of the cabana toward the bathroom.
“What was that, El?” Lucy asked the minute the door closed. I waited for the leggy blonde, who was currently taking a selfie, to leave before leaning up against the cold marble sink.
Biting my lip, I knew as soon as I said who he was, she would berate me with questions. “That was Ashton.”
“I gathered that. He is a total hottie, but I am talking about all that sexual tension.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “He was practically undressing you with his sexy chocolate brown eyes.”
“There was no sexual tension. What you felt was awkwardness.” He caught me crying over his cousin. If anything, he probably felt sorry for me.
“Whatever you say...” Mimicking her, I checked myself out in the mirror, applied some more lip gloss, and walked back to the cabana. Ashton was deep in conversation with a redhead, and Jax was sitting in a chair that had opened up next to where Lucy sat.
6
Ash
I wasn’t planning on coming to Shorty’s, but Jax was relentless, and I would never hear the end of it if I didn’t make an appearance. Once a month, a group of us from work went out to boost ‘morale’, or so he presented it that way. In reality, it was just an excuse for us to go out on the company’s dime for a work event. The night usually ended up with one or two people getting shitfaced, and on occasion, an awkward hook-up between coworkers.
As I scanned the cabanas searching for Jax, my eyes landed on a brunette who had been taking up way too much of my thoughts since the day before. What was she doing here? I thought. Suddenly, my annoyance of having to come tonight disappeared as my eyes roamed over her perfectly crossed legs, all the way up to the creamy mounds, threatening to burst out of her top. My snug jeans got a bit tighter, and I was glad my shirt covered my excitement. The night before, I thought she was beautiful in her simple dress and heels, but tonight, she was a knockout. For a moment, I felt guilty for checking out my friend’s sister, but the moment I saw her cheeks redden, all thoughts of Jax and what he would think left my head.