Phillip nodded. “Sure, man. That’s cool.” He glanced over at Cam and Dillon, whose girlfriends had come downstairs at some point. “Should we even ask them if they want to come with us?”
I followed his gaze and shook my head. “Nah, those two never want to go out anymore.”
“I can’t for the life of me understand why you’d want to shackle yourself to one person when you could have so many others,” Phillip said, shaking his head.
“I have no idea,” I said, stealing a glance at Elisa who was talking to Brent.
What I said and what I felt were two very different things. I’d gladly give up all the other women who were currently at my disposal and all the ones in the future if Elisa would agree to give me a chance. Phillip didn’t get it, because he’d never been in love – at least as far as I knew – but when you met the person you wanted to be with, everyone else sort of faded away.
“We’re hooking up tonight,” Phillip declared.
I kept my gaze on Elisa. “Definitely.”
Chapter Thirteen
Elisa
“So what’s the plan?” Keri asked me from where she sat on her bed in our hotel room.
I looked up from where I was folding clothes and placing them in my overnight bag. I felt like I was always packing and unpacking with how much we were on the go, but this time was a little different. I was heading back to L.A. for Adrienne’s wedding, so I was only bringing what I needed. The rest of my stuff would go on the bus with everyone else as they made the trek to Atlanta. I’d rejoin the tour there in two days, just in time for the concert. It was a tight turnaround, but I didn’t want to miss Ad’s wedding.
“What do you mean?” I asked Keri.
“You, Van, and the perfect opportunity for you both put your past behind you and be happy together.”
“Right,” I told her, loving the comedy she’d decided to interject into what would have been an otherwise mundane morning.
She knew that Van and I weren’t exactly on good terms and had barely said two words to each other in the two weeks since the fragrance launch party in New Orleans. He was apparently still mad at me, and it felt like he wasn’t planning on forgiving me anytime soon.
He’d barely talked to me the night of the party, which I figured was expected. I probably deserved it, but I also assumed he’d get over it and go back to trying to win me over.
I’d been wrong, though, and had been the recipient of a veritable freeze-out from him since then. The only words he’d spoken to me since the party had almost knocked me on my ass when he’d said them the night before. We definitely weren’t going to be rekindling anything at this wedding.
The night before I’d stayed backstage during the concert, having wanted to watch the guys perform. I hadn’t done that for the first month of the tour, but it had started to become a more regular occurrence for me in the past few weeks. I knew it was because I wanted to see Van. I’d always loved watching him perform, and after seeing him on stage at the launch party, I knew I couldn’t stay away anymore. So I’d surreptitiously watched from the shadows, keeping out of sight. The last thing I wanted was for him to know I was back there.
Thankfully he hadn’t seen me, but he’d caught up with me after the show as I’d been leaving the arena to head back to the hotel.
“Elisa?” he called after me.
I stopped short, not sure if I was hearing things or not. I’d gotten so used to him ignoring me when we were in the same room that I wasn’t sure what to think. I turned to see him jogging to catch up to me.
“Hey, I thought that was you,” he said, sounding breathlessly sexy. “Do you have a second?”
“Sure,” I said in as level of a voice as I could, considering my heart was threatening to pound out of my chest.
His hair was still damp from his post-show shower, and he was wearing a long-sleeved white t-shirt and gray shorts. It was so casual and completely sexy in a skater kind of way, and I loved the look on him.
I watched him run a hand back through his damp hair. “Hey, so I just wanted to give you the heads-up that I’m going to be at the wedding this weekend.”
“Excuse me?” I questioned, not sure what he was talking about.
“CJ and Adrienne’s wedding. I’m going.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re going to my friend Adrienne’s wedding?”
“No, I’m going to my friend CJ’s wedding,” he clarified.
“Van, what are you talking about?”
We’d barely talked in two weeks, and all of a sudden he felt the urge to be funny? I didn’t get it. How did he even know I was going to the wedding?
He sighed, not really seeming like he was joking at all. “I’m being serious, Elisa. I just wanted to make sure you knew.”
“Since when are you and CJ friends?”
I knew Van knew CJ. I’d introduced them when we’d been dating, but the four of us had probably hung out three times at most, and that was over two years ago.
“We’ve, uh, been friends for a few years. We don’t hang out all the time, but we go snowboarding a few times each winter, and I’ve been out on his boat a bunch of times.”
“Tell me you’re joking?”
“I’m not.”
“But I’ve never heard of you and CJ hanging out. Ad’s never mentioned it.”
Van shrugged. “Well, I don’t really know why that is, but I can tell you, we’re friends. I got an invitation and everything.”
I was seriously dumbfounded. This was crazy, but all I could think was that Adrienne hadn’t told me Van and CJ were friends because she knew that I’d hated Van for so long. I understood that, but what I didn’t understand was why she didn’t tell me he was coming to her wedding – where I would also be! I was calling her as soon as I got into the car that was taking me back to the hotel. This wasn’t cool.
“Yeah, so I just wanted to let you know I was going,” Van continued. “I wasn’t sure if you knew, because you didn’t say anything, and I didn’t want you to be blindsided.”
Yeah, it was pretty much too late for that.
“Well, considering that we’re not exactly talking these days, I’m not sure when it would have come up.”
“I know,” he said, and he didn’t say anything else.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Thanks for letting me know, I guess,” I said, unable to hide my annoyance.
I couldn’t help thinking how different I would have felt had Van and I been on better terms. If things hadn’t gone dark between us after the launch party, maybe this would have been exciting news. We were both going to be away from the tour for two days, together. It might have been a really good thing, but now it was just going to be awkward.
Van nodded. “Sure thing. I guess I’ll see you there.”
“Yup.”
Can’t freaking wait.
With that he’d walked away, and I was left to try to process what had just happened. As soon as I got my bearings, I made my way out to the car, climbed inside and called Adrienne. She confirmed reluctantly that what Van had said was true, and she hadn’t told me because she honestly didn’t think he’d end up coming because of the tour. He’d apparently RSVP’d at the last minute.
So now I was in the process of mentally gearing up for being around him, albeit at a wedding with a hundred other people, but I knew well enough that regardless of how many people were around, it would still feel like Van was standing right next to me. He just had that effect on me these days, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“Nothing’s going to happen,” I told Keri, as I resumed my packing.
I suddenly regretted telling her about the epiphany I’d had at the launch party, but when I’d gotten back to our room the night before, I’d been irritated as hell and had needed to vent. So I’d told her everything. Now she not only knew how I felt about Van, but she also apparently felt inclined to play matchmaker to two people who were weren't going to end up together.
<
br /> I heard Keri sigh. “You are so stubborn.”
“No, I’m practical, and considering that Van has barely spoken to me in the past two weeks, I’m inclined to believe that laying low and avoiding him will probably end up being my smartest course of action at this wedding. He obviously lost interest, so there’s pretty much nothing I can do about it.”
Keri snorted, which made me look up at her.
“What?”
“You’re joking, right?” she said around a stifled laugh.
“No, I’m not,” I said, holding my ground.
“He’s still interested,” Keri assured me.
“He’s not,” I told her, knowing it was the truth.
I’d finally wrapped my head around the fact that I liked Van and was willing to give him a chance, and he’d backed off. After two weeks of processing that, I was pretty much done.
“He’s interested in you,” Keri told me as she thrust her digital camera in front of me. “I wasn't sure I was going to show you these, but now I feel sort of obligated. Witness Exhibit A.”
Before me were a series of pictures that Keri clicked through, giving me only a few seconds to process each, but they were of Van and me before one of the meet and greets over the past week. It was when we were in Birmingham. I remembered the fedora he’d worn that night. There was just something about him in hats that I loved. He looked so sexy in them, no matter the style.
In the pictures, he was watching me from afar. I didn’t see him looking at me, because I was talking and laughing with Jamie. I knew Van well enough to decipher the look on his face, though, and I could see clearly that he didn’t like what he saw. In fact, it looked like he was glaring daggers at Jamie.
Did he think Jamie and I were together? That was pretty much what I’d told him, and I hadn’t ever come out and said that it was a lie. Maybe that was why he’d backed off. Maybe this was all my fault.
“That doesn’t prove anything,” I told Keri, although a part of me wondered if it was the truth.
“Yes, it does. He completely thinks you’re dating Jamie, and he’s pissed about it. You can see it all over his face.”
Shit. She was so right.
I looked up at her in desperation, feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’ve been watching you guys. You look at him all wistfully when he’s not looking, and he looks at you all wistfully when you’re not looking. And every time Jamie comes around, Van gets irritated. He’s into you, and he’s been playing it off because he thinks you’re with someone else.”
I let out a shaky, excited breath. “Okay, so what do I do?”
Keri grinned. “First of all, you should tell him that you’re not with Jamie. That’s what will get him to pay attention. Then you should tell him how you feel, but before he has a chance to respond, you should kiss him – just so he knows you’re serious.”
“Kiss him,” I echoed, swallowing hard as the scenario she’d just outlined played out in my mind.
The whole thing made my stomach flutter in excitement. I’d thought about kissing Van so many times in the past few months, even when I was unwilling to admit that I was thinking about it. I remembered what it felt like so clearly, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been dreaming about doing it again too many times. The idea that it might really happen had me feeling like I was tied up in knots.
“I think you should do it,” Keri told me confidently, like she had all the answers.
Maybe she did.
I slowly let out the breath I’d been holding. “Yeah, okay,” I said, as a new wave of emotions washed over me.
So many thoughts were running through my mind that hadn’t even been possibilities a few minutes earlier. For the first time in weeks, it felt like everything might finally be coming together, and I suddenly couldn’t wait to get to L.A.
* * *
I’ll be there in five, I texted to my sister.
She and Troy had gotten to the hotel on the beach where the wedding was being held and were waiting for me. We were going to walk down to the ceremony location together. I was running late because I’d tried something different with my hair and it hadn’t worked, so I’d had to start all over again. In the end I’d gone back to my standard curls and had called it a day.
When I finally got to the hotel, I drove in front of the valet stand and practically threw my keys at the first guy who approached my car. As soon as he handed me my slip to retrieve my car at the end of the night, I sprinted into the lobby, which I considered a feat in my four inch heels.
I was wearing a dress I’d fallen in love with when Keri and I had gone shopping a few months back. It was navy blue, strapless and hit at mid-thigh. It was simple and sexy and made my eyes look bluer than normal. The snakeskin strappy sandals I was wearing made my legs look longer, giving me the boost of confidence I figured I’d need.
“I’m here,” I said, as I practically skidded to a stop in front of my sister and who I assumed was Troy.
“Hi!” she gushed, throwing her arms around me.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” I told her.
“It’s fine. I’m glad to see you,” she said as she pulled back, taking my hands in hers. “Elisa, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend Troy. Troy, this is my favorite sister, Elisa.”
“Considering I’m your only sister, I’m not sure that’s a compliment,” I teased her.
She blew me a kiss. “I still love you like you’re my favorite.”
“Okay, I’ll take that,” I said as I turned to smile at the tall guy standing next to her, making her look smaller than normal. She smiled up at him, as he put his hand on her lower back. “Hi.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Elisa,” Troy said, and for some reason the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when he said my name.
I didn’t know if it was his tone or the way he looked at me, but there was something about him I didn’t like. It had been the same when I’d seen his picture. It was like I knew I couldn’t trust him. But after the fight we’d gotten into a few weeks earlier, I wasn’t about to say anything to Amy.
Instead I smiled politely, hoped I was wrong, and said, “Nice to meet you too, Troy.”
His eyes narrowed infinitesimally, and he stared longer than felt comfortable, so I looked away, my gaze shifting to my sister.
“We should go,” she said brightly. “The wedding’s starting in like ten minutes.”
“Yeah, we definitely don’t want to be late,” I agreed. “Adrienne would kill us.”
“She’d never let us hear the end of it,” Amy agreed as the three of us set out toward the beach, heading out the back of the hotel.
I slipped off my shoes and carried them when we got to the sand, since we still had a significant walk to the chairs that were set up a hundred yards away. I could see that they were almost full and knew we’d have to sit in the back. That was fine by me, since it was better to have Van in front of me than behind. I’d feel better if I knew where he was at all times.
Just the fact that I was going to see him in a few minutes had my stomach in knots. We hadn’t been on the same flight, and I hadn’t seen him before I’d left Nashville. The last time I’d seen him was when he’d told me he was going to the wedding. I felt like so much had transpired since then, and I’d been psyching myself up for what I was going to say to him when I saw him.
“I thought you were going to wear the pink dress we bought when we were together?” I asked Amy, realizing for the first time that she was wearing a light blue, long sleeved shift dress. It was adorable, but I wondered if she’d be hot in the late afternoon sun.
I thought I saw her stiffen a little, but I wasn’t sure. “I was going to wear it, but Troy said he likes me in blue, so I decided on this one.”
I looked over to see Troy’s hand on Amy’s back, almost possessively guiding her along.
When I looked up and met his gaze, he said, “Blue’s my favorite color.” Then I watched a
s his gaze raked down my body.
“Good to know,” I told him, shifting my eyes to the sand in front of me as he laughed.
I absolutely wasn’t comfortable with my sister’s boyfriend essentially checking me out and making a flirtatious comment in front of her – or at all for that matter. I decided right then and there that I didn’t like him – not at all.
“Hi,” a friend of CJ’s, who was serving as an usher, said when we reached the area where the chairs were set up. “Just the three of you?”
“Just the three of us,” I confirmed.
“Bride or groom?”
“Bride,” I told him.
“Right this way,” he said cheerfully.
He led us to the second to last row, and I let Troy go in first, followed by Amy, so I wouldn’t have to sit next to him.
“Is that Van Salvatore?” Amy hissed a few minutes later.
I’d located Van within a few seconds of us sitting down and had been surreptitiously watching him ever since. Dressed in a light gray suit, he looked so handsome. Of course I’d always preferred him more causal, but I liked this look too. Marshall sat next to him, and even though there was a girl on Marshall’s right, it didn’t look like she was with them. I let out the breath I’d been holding, relieved that Van wasn’t with a date. It made all the things I was considering saying seem like they might be possible.
“Yes, that’s Van,” I told my sister.
“What’s he doing here?”
“He’s friends with CJ,” I whispered back, afraid my voice would carry in the open air.
“Since when?”
“Since I introduced them three years ago.”
“Huh, I didn’t know.”
Me either. But I was suddenly glad they were friends and that Van was there.
“He looks really hot. Did you know he was coming?”
I nodded. “I just found out last night.”
“Interesting.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said, being purposely vague. It was one thing to be feeling every emotion that Van was eliciting, but it was another thing entirely to voice them out loud.
Westside Series Box Set Page 57
