Chapter 26
Gabrielle
I arranged all the food on some pretty, black and white rose plates that I had found in the cupboard.
I thought it weird that Brodie had such delicate, feminine china, and then remembered that he’d inherited almost everything in this place, along with the house.
I set the plates out on the coffee table in the living room.
I was in the mood for a movie, and hoped Brodie would be on board with that, but when he came walking in without a shirt, all thoughts of a movie left my mind.
Why did he have that effect on me now? I guess he’d always had the ability to turn my knees to jelly and make my heart go pitter-patter, but up until recently, I’d never wanted to give in to them.
Relief came when he yanked a black t-shirt over his head before joining me on the sofa in front of the table.
The skin-tight shirt clung to all his curvy muscles though, and I had to suck in a breath while keeping my mind busy with the placement of food on the table before I found myself stroking the palms of my hands down the front of his chest.
“So, what are we celebrating?”
“It seems that we’ve got a huge gig down in Southern California.”
“Really? That’s great. Where exactly, and when?”
“Next week in Malibu, and it’s with a celebrity.” Her eyes lit up with excitement as her lips formed into the prettiest smile.
“Who?”
“Gerard Butler.”
“Oh my God! You’re joking.”
“Nope. It’s for real.”
“Gerard Butler? That’s amazing.”
Brodie filled me in about the offer and told me that the band wanted me to join them, to my relief. Of course, I agreed. It didn’t take much convincing with Jeff being out of jail. No way did I want to be left here alone. That idea scared the crap out of me.
“God, I’m starving,” he said with a piece of a Godzilla roll between his fingers before plopping it in his mouth. “Awesome idea you had.” He grinned. “I’m glad you waited.”
“It’s not much fun eating sushi alone. Besides, I just got home a little while ago, too.”
He gave me a questioning look before picking up the bottle of saké.
I shrugged. “I spent most of the evening with Lena until Jackson called her to the bar. At least now I know why.” I supposed the only reason Jackson hadn’t asked me to come to the bar with her was so that he could make sure the rest of the band would want me along.
Or maybe it had been Brodie that had suggested I join them.
I voted for the latter as my stomach did a jittery flip at the thought.
“Anyway, I didn’t really want to …” I paused, not sure how much I wanted to tell him about my fears of staying home alone.
“Didn’t want to what?” he asked since I didn’t continue on with the sentence.
“Nothing.” I shook my head and forced a smile. He opened the bottle of saké and filled the two tiny cups I had found in the cupboard. They looked just like the little cups you got at a Japanese restaurant when you ordered hot saké.
“We’re roommates now, Gabrielle. You can trust me.”
He was right. We should be honest with each other. “I didn’t want to be here alone.”
He nodded and picked up another roll and ate it. After sipping the saké, he said, “How are you? I mean, how are you coping with things?”
“Oh, I’m settling in okay. I really like it here. Your house is cozy.” I smiled and snatched up one of the rolls.
He gave me a sideways glance and frowned. “Gabby. You know what I mean.”
I stopped, roll halfway to my lips and stared at him. He’d called me Gabby. He had never called me Gabby before. Not that I remembered, anyway. I bit my lower lip and nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Truth?”
“Truth.”
I inhaled a deep breath before exhaling slowly. “I don’t like being here alone. And I haven’t been sleeping much.”
“I had a feeling. I uh… thought I heard you the other night.”
“Sorry if I woke you. I had a bad dream.”
“About the uh…”
I nodded and sipped at the cool rice wine. It soothed my throat as well as my nerves while it made its way down my throat.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. Besides, what’s there to talk about? We both already know what happened. But I swear, Brodie, I did not lead him on the way he and that girl said.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” I questioned. “Because, well, you and I haven’t exactly had the best experience in that area either, you know. And I know you thought I wanted …”
“You’re wrong,” he interrupted, and I swallowed a lump of air as if I’d been holding my breath. He shook his head and looked me in the eye. “You never led me on. I’d just assumed you were like all the other women I’d met. That’s usually all they ever want from me.”
“You don’t really believe that do you?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter anyway. That’s all I’d wanted from them.”
Wanted. He’d said wanted, past tense as if he suddenly didn’t think that way anymore. I wondered if I should ask the question burning inside my mind. I decided it was time. Roommates needed to be upfront with each other, right?
Before I could put a zipper on my lips, I blurted out, “Why do you do it?”
He laughed, but it sounded more like a nervous chuckle.
“Seriously, why do you sleep around so much?”
He grimaced into his small cup of saké and then downed its contents.
He smacked his lips and poured more of the cold clear liquid into his cup.
Ignoring my question, he held up the bottle toward my cup and I nodded for him to fill it.
It was good saké, and maybe if we drank some more I’d get him to talk to me.
“Like I said, it doesn’t matter. They were just there. That’s all you really need to know.”
“Wait, I thought we were being honest here. You know, roommates trusting each other and all that.”
He shook his head. “How about you tell me about this book you wrote and the one you’re writing now. What made you decide to write it?”
“You’re changing the subject,” I accused. It was obvious to me that Brodie Beaumont was not ready to give in and reveal what demons lurked inside him, or what drove him to engage in so many meaningless amorous affairs. At least not yet.
“Nope, just adjusting it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’d wager there are some pretty deep, dark secrets hidden among all those words in that book you wrote, or possibly some pretty racy sex scenes.
Otherwise, why would you even think about using a pseudonym instead of your real name?
Maybe even more so in the one you’re writing now, so I figure, if you’re willing to reveal what those are, I’ll give in and tell you some of my deep dark secrets. ”