Chapter 17
Proving my point, she stomped out like a little brat.
If she weren’t so wickedly sexy, she’d be unbearable.
Unfortunately, we were tied together in so many other ways, I had no choice but to put up with it. Everleigh would be a part of my life forever, whether I liked it or not.
After she left, I stayed and finished my tea while wishing I had a flask of something stronger to add to it.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t see the woman staring at me from across the room until she’d walked up to my table.
“I thought that was you!”
I looked up in confusion, blinking as her face sparked a twinge of recognition. But I couldn’t quite place her. “Do we know each other?”
“Theo! Of course we do!”
I stared at her blankly.
“Theo, you’re impossible! It’s Jill! From Westlake High?”
“Ohhh! Jill, yes, of course.”
I drank in the tall, blonde beauty in front of me. She looked only vaguely the same as she did back then. For one thing, she was much more filled out. She was curvy, with long blonde curls that cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a tight, hip-hugging, red silk dress, and tall, black, strappy stilettos. The bright red of her smile was perfectly lined, and her blue eyes stared down at me like she was waiting for something.
Probably for my manners to kick in, it finally dawned on me. “How are you?” I asked. “Would you like to sit —.”
She was sitting before I finished my sentence, words already tumbling out of her mouth. “It’s been what? Ten years? My gosh, I never expected I would run into you here! Do you live in Los Angeles?” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Uh, yeah, I have for a while now. You?”
“Oh, no, I’m still in Texas. Just here for a solo mini-vacation. It’s been forever since I got away.”
“That’s nice. How’s Texas?”
“Other than half the population having gone crazy, it’s as hot as ever, I guess. I didn’t see you at the reunion this year.”
“Oh, no, that’s not really my scene.”
“That’s too bad,” she said, looking at me thoughtfully. “You look good, Theo.”
I nodded, watching her take a sip of her coffee. “Thanks, you too.”
And she did. She was beautiful, in a cookie-cutter sort of way. Well put together, and well groomed. If my head wasn’t full of Everleigh at that moment, I may have found her attractive. But, as she rattled on, the memories slowly returned. The Jill I remembered never stopped talking, her shrill voice endlessly irritating me. It didn’t seem like much had changed.
“Any suggestions on tourist activities while I’m in town?”
“Me? Oh, no, I try to stay away from all of that. Disneyland, maybe?” I shrugged.
“How do you spend your time? Let me guess, you’re an actor now?”
“Hell no. I’m allergic to cameras. No, my friends and I are co-owners of a club.”
“That sounds exciting,” she gushed, leaning forward. Her cleavage almost burst out of the neckline of her dress.
“Not really.” I shook my head, the pile of work on my desk flashing in my head. My eyes darted towards the exit as I wondered how quickly I could get out of this polite exchange. Small talk bored me to tears. “Just a lot of work. Sounds a lot more glamorous than it really is.”
“What’s the name of it?”
I hesitated. I should be proud of our creation, and I was. But I was damned protective of it lately, too.
But, I also needed to get on with my day. Everleigh’s sudden summons had taken a good chunk out of it already.
“The Hush Hush Club,” I said, leaving the temple out of the conversation completely.
“Oh! I’ve heard of that. Very exclusive, isn’t that right?”
“We try to be, yeah.”
“Well, maybe I can get an invite, since I know the owner?” She winked.
I sighed, giving her a little smile. What harm would it do to let her visit the club, I finally decided?
It was open to the public after all.
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll leave your name with my doorman and you can stop in anytime.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “That’s so great. Thanks, Theo. I hope I’ll run into you there?”
“It’s a very real possibility.”
“Maybe I’ll stop by tonight,” she said, a hopeful look in her eyes.
I nodded and stood up. “Have a great rest of your day, Jill. I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I need to head out.”
She gave me a little wave and I headed out to my car, grateful for the silence.
Jill was pretty, but she was no Everleigh and never would be. I tried not to play with women’s hearts. That was the beauty of the temple. No one knew who I was, and I didn’t have to face them the next day.
I didn’t have to worry about someone getting attached to me.
And maybe it worked both ways.