Chapter 7 #2
“You guys are moving up in the world lately.” They’d recently played at the Whisky A Go Go, another of LA’s top clubs.
“I know, and it’s stressing me out. We’re getting a lot of cool inquiries since the Whisky gig.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It is until it involves touring, which I can’t do, and neither can Denny.”
Julian had told him that Isla’s brother had kids who lived with their mother in Santa Monica, not to mention Denny owned a construction company that kept him further tethered to LA.
“I mean, you could if you wanted to.”
“How do you figure? I have a job and a life that takes place right here in LA.”
“Nothing says you couldn’t shake things up if you wanted to chase the music dream.”
“No desire for that at this point. I’ve got many good reasons to stay right here in town.
Besides, if we’re going to that level, we’d have to start recording our own music, which is another thing Denny and I don’t have time for.
It worries me that we’re holding back the others, who do want to chase the golden ring. ”
“They’ll figure it out, I’m sure. I’ll try to stop by tonight after I play cards with Gramps.”
“That’d be cool. Hope to see you. Tell Gramps I’ll be by to see him soon. I want him to meet Isla and the kids.”
“I’ll tell him. I’ve got to get back to work. Let me know if you hear anything more about the other thing we’re not talking or thinking about.”
Smiling, Julian said, “Will do.”
“Did Romy get back to Stanford okay?”
“Yeah, he texted me that he was back in hell.”
Carson laughed. “He’s almost done.”
“Can’t wait to have him home to stay.”
“Same, bro. Later.”
As the youngest of the Remingtons, Roman was everyone’s favorite little brother.
Carson was looking forward to his law school graduation and having him home to stay.
After years of having his siblings away at school, they’d be at the end of the road with school with Roman’s graduation. Couldn’t happen soon enough for Carson.
Cresley had just finished her yoga practice and was enjoying lemon water on her back deck when her phone rang with a call from Julian.
“Hey,” she said, “how’s it going?”
“Hanging in there. Sorry about involving you in the family drama last night.”
“Please don’t apologize. I’m sorry you guys are dealing with that.”
“It’s par for the course, but it’s something we thought was in the past.”
“I can’t imagine how shocking it must be that they’re back together.”
“Sure is. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that we still haven’t heard anything from Marlon, so Carson’s going to try to track him down.”
“What happens when he finds him?”
“He’ll have a little talk with him about the concept of stalking and how we’ve gathered enough info about his activities to file a police report, unless, of course, he signs an agreement to go away and leave you two alone.”
“My stomach hurts any time his name is mentioned.”
“We’re trying to get this wrapped up soon for you and Ty.”
“He won’t go quietly, Julian. I talked to a mutual friend who told me everything has gone to shit for him lately. The girlfriend left him, he got dropped by his agent, and two jobs he was counting on didn’t materialize.”
“Would the mutual friend have any idea where we can find him?”
“He doesn’t know where he’s living these days. He hasn’t seen him in months and heard about him secondhand.”
“Got it. Okay, well, if anyone can find him, Carson can. We’re on it.”
“Thank you. I’m just nervous about him doing something crazy and screwing up the best deal of my life.”
“It sounds like he has bigger problems right now than trying to mess things up for you.”
“It scares me that he knows about Club Quantum. That’s a worst-case scenario.”
“I know. Hopefully, we can get this resolved soon. In the meantime, my band is playing at The Roxy Theater tonight if you need a diversion.” After hearing they’d played at the Whisky, she’d asked him to let her know the next time they were playing out.
She loved live music, and classic rock was her jam.
“I’ve heard you guys are great. I’d love to come if I can.”
“Hang in there. We’re doing everything we can to make this go away for you.”
“Thanks, Julian. I appreciate it.”
“Talk soon.”
Cresley put down the phone, feeling grateful to the Remington brothers who were working hard to deal with Marlon.
Despite their best efforts, she still feared things might get worse before they got better.
She tossed in laundry, answered emails, returned calls from her manager, Teagan, and the brand manager for D&G before showering and straightening her hair, all while trying not to think about the polite brush-off she’d gotten from Carson last night.
Honestly, that hadn’t happened since she was an awkward ninth grader with glasses and braces and a growth spurt that’d put her a full head above most of the boys in her class.
They’d treated her like a freak of nature then.
Within a year, the braces were gone, she’d settled into her height, acquired some curves, figured out how to straighten her curly hair and properly wear makeup.
She’d never again had a problem getting the guy she wanted.
Until now.
For some strange reason, she’d set her sights on Carson the first day she’d met him. If only the dust-up with Marlon hadn’t been part of that initial meeting.
Grifters always came back for more, which was why she’d hired Julian Remington to make it stop.
Her best friend, Marlene Powers, had raved about Julian’s effectiveness in getting her through a nasty divorce a few years ago. She’d urged Cresley to seek out his assistance in dealing with Marlon. The minute she’d met Julian, she’d felt calmer about the situation, knowing she had him on her side.
And then she’d met Julian’s brother and was suffering through the first unrequited crush of her adult life, which would’ve been funny if it hadn’t been so painful to hear him clearly say there was no chance of them ever being more than friends.
She wondered if he still felt that way after The Kiss, or if, like her, he’d thought about it all day and wished there could be more. Much, much more. Would he be at his brother’s show tonight?
Hmmm, she never went out two nights in a row, but this might be the time to step outside her usual routine.
Would he be happy to see her there or annoyed that she’d shown up somewhere that belonged to him after he’d warned her off him?
Although The Roxy Theater didn’t technically belong to him or his brother’s band.
It was, after all, a public place that anyone could frequent.
Cresley laughed at how silly her thoughts had become. She’d forgotten how all-consuming a good crush could be and how it made you do things you wouldn’t normally do, such as go out two nights in a row when she tried to spend most of her evenings with Ty.
Fortunately, he and Julia had started a thousand-piece puzzle the night before that he’d be eager to work on, so she might be able to get away with a second night out.
She texted Julia to make sure she could do it before she got too excited about the possibility of seeing Carson again.
When Julia replied that she was free to stay with Ty, Cresley was unreasonably happy.
“You need to slow your roll, girlfriend,” she said to her reflection in the bathroom mirror. “The man told you it isn’t going to happen. Right, but then he kissed you, and his mind was blown. You saw that with your own eyes.”
She’d also felt the proof of his reaction pressed against her.
If only he hadn’t made sure to tell her earlier in the evening that nothing was ever going to happen between them.
That took some of the wind out of her sails, because she wanted to respect his feelings about staying unencumbered.
After witnessing the stricken expressions on the faces of Carson and his siblings and reading about what they’d been through, she certainly understood why he felt the way he did about commitment.
But she wasn’t asking for happily ever after.
She’d be thrilled with an orgasm or two that she didn’t have to provide for herself.