Casey led her into the elevator and moved to the back of the car as a herd of Japanese tourists started to swarm in behind them. Squished up against him, Annie glanced at Casey and smiled apologetically. When they reached the ground level, the elevator doors opened and the tourists burst forward and immediately joined the crowd of people that was moving towards the center of the shopping plaza.
It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining through a clear sky with barely a cloud in sight. Closing her eyes, Annie breathed deep and listened to the sound of the people all around her… talking, laughing, a baby crying, friends greeting each other as they met up for lunch or a cup of coffee. She held tightly to Casey’s hand as he led her through the mass of bodies congregating around the big fountain in the center of the courtyard.
The fountain moved and danced to That’s Amore, and Annie hummed along as she swayed back and forth. She giggled at Casey as he serenaded her in a soft voice, leaning close so that only she could hear him over the din of the crowd. “You do realize that is like the cheesiest song ever.”
“Yup, pretty much,” he agreed, nodding as he glanced around. “So what do you want to do first? Shop? Eat? See a movie?”
Just then, Annie’s stomach grumbled loudly—loudly enough that both she and Casey could hear it over the noisy people around them.
Casey laughed. “Well, that answers that question. What do you feel like? Chinese? Italian? Cheesecake Factory?”
“Hmm, why don’t we walk over to the Farmer’s Market and get something from there?”
“Cool, let’s do it.” He took her hand in his again and started making his way through the crowd as he led them away from the retail shops and towards the Farmer’s Market area. Entering the part-covered, part-outdoor market, they passed by a little shop that sold candles and incense. Annie paused for a moment as she sniffed the air.
“Hey, do you mind if we go in here for a second?” she asked.
“Not at all.”
He let her pull him after her as she headed for the incense, looking for the Nag Champa. She quickly spotted a stack of the red, white and blue boxes and picked one up, then let go of his hand to pick up a gardenia-scented candle. Sniffing delicately, she immediately gave her approval.
“Mmm, this smells so good.” She held it up for him to smell and he obliged her, nodding his agreement.
“Yeah, it does. Hmm… you wanna help me pick out some candles for my apartment?”
“Sure. How many do you want?”
“Probably three… get one for the living room, bedroom and bathroom.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding. She started to scan the candles, looking for the ones she thought would smell the best. Picking up several candles, Annie sniffed them one by one. If she liked one, she would offer it up to Casey to inspect as well. If she didn’t like, she wrinkled her nose and put it back down. There was only one that he didn’t like, and it was just because he said he wasn’t a big fan of vanilla.
A little old lady came up to them and offered a little plastic basket for them to put their items in, but Annie waved it aside. “No need, we’re ready,” she said, politely thanking the woman for her offer.
“Find everything you need?” a young girl at the cash register asked pleasantly as they approached the front counter.
“Yup, I think so,” Annie said.
“Ooh, the gardenia—that’s one of my favorites,” the girl said with a knowing smile as she rang up the first candle. “You picked some good ones. Your place is going to smell great.”
“Oh, just the gardenia and incense is mine.”
“Just ring everything up together,” Casey said, handing over his credit card.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Annie protested, but he just smiled down at her.
“No worries, princess. A little candle and some incense aren’t going to break the bank for me.”
“Yeah, but it’s like a twenty-five dollar candle. It’s really not necessary—” she trailed off and shrugged, shaking her head. “Thank you, that’s really sweet of you.”
After he finished signing the receipt, he slipped the other copy into his wallet and took the two small bags filled with their purchases in one hand. With his other hand, he reached for hers again, bringing it up to his lips so he could place a quick kiss on her knuckles, and then he led the way out of the shop.
Annie felt like her heart was singing. It was such a beautiful day, she had an incredibly good looking, kind, sweet, funny guy spending time with her, and she was waiting for the phone call that could change her life forever. As she let her thoughts drift to the audition, she started daydreaming of what it would be like to pursue her singing career full-time instead of being stuck in an office all day.
They decided to get sandwiches from one of the food vendors and had to hunt around for a bit to find an empty table. Finally, Annie spotted a couple who was cleaning up the remnants of their lunch. She beckoned to Casey to follow her, and she zigzagged through the crowded tables to reach the now empty one. He set their tray down, then excused himself to use the restroom.
As she sat down and checked her cell phone for any missed calls, Annie felt someone back into her as they were standing up from the table behind hers.
“Oh, I’m so sorry—excuse me,” a familiar voice said, making her head jerk up in recognition.
“Gabe!” she exclaimed, completely shocked to see him standing there.
“Annie—hey,” Gabe said with raised eyebrows, obviously just as surprised at bumping into her so randomly. “Wow, well this is kind of crazy. I was just talking about you. How have you been?”
Annie swallowed hard. He looked good… actually, he looked fantastic. Her eyes quickly traveled up and down his entire frame as she eagerly drank in the sight of him. And he had just been talking about her? Why? What had he been talking about and to whom?
“Great,” she said, her voice cracking, making her blush furiously. Clearing her throat, she smiled nervously and tried again. “Great, I’ve been great. How’s um… how’s everything with Genevieve and the baby?”
She heard a polite cough coming from behind Gabe, and her eyes darted to see who was standing there with him. It was a nice looking older woman who appeared to be in her late fifties. She had a pleasant smile on her face and was looking at Gabe expectantly.
“Ah, yeah… about that… um… well—Annie, this is my mother, Victoria. Mom, this is Annie.”
Victoria smiled warmly at her as she leaned forward to shake Annie’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Annie. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Really?” Annie murmured as she shook Victoria’s hand.
“All good things,” Victoria assured her. “Well, I’ll let you two have a moment to catch up. Honey, I’m just going to be over there in the hot sauce shop. I need to pick up some more for your father.” She kissed Gabe’s cheek and then nodded to Annie with another smile and left them alone.
“Your mom seems nice,” Annie said softly.
Gabe nodded and sat back down on his chair, angling it to face her. “Yeah, she’s pretty great. Look, I’ve been meaning to call you and talk.”
“Oh? What is there to talk about?” she asked, arching an eyebrow inquisitively.
“Well, um… it’s a long story, but the end result is that I found out I’m not the father of Genevieve’s baby. She lied to me, and I found out who the real father is. Needless to say, we’re no longer together.”
Annie stared at him in shock for a few moments, then blinked a few times, unsure if she was hearing him correctly. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, it’s crazy, I know. Just a really fucked up thing for her to do.”
“Um yeah! When did you find this out?”
“Last week. I’ve been meaning to call you, but after the way I hurt you… honestly, I just wasn’t sure what to say to you, and I wasn’t sure you’d agree to see me anyway.”
Shaking her head slowly, Annie stared at the ground. Normally, she
would have been thrilled to hear this news, but right now? It was the worst timing in the world. Before she could say anything more, Casey returned from using the restroom.
“Wow, that line was crazy,” he said as he took his seat across from Annie. Then he noticed that she wasn’t saying anything and saw Gabe sitting there with his chair turned towards their table.
“Um, Casey, this is—my friend, Gabe,” she said haltingly, looking nervously from Casey to Gabe and back again.
“Hey man, nice to meet you,” Casey said, extending his hand to Gabe. Gabe nodded and shook Casey’s hand, then stood up from his chair.
“Yeah, you too. Listen, I didn’t mean to intrude. You two enjoy your lunch. Annie, it was great seeing you again.” Gabe smiled at her a little sadly, nodded to them both and headed off in the same direction his mother had taken.
Annie watched him walk away and then reluctantly turned her attention back to her uneaten sandwich. Not surprisingly, she had completely lost her appetite, but she did her best to force down half of her turkey and avocado sandwich and some potato salad. Normally, she would have enjoyed the fresh ingredients her lunch was made with, but at the moment, it just tasted like sawdust in her mouth.
The day had just gone from wonderful and perfect to being confusing as hell, and her mind was whirling with the possible implications of what Gabe had just told her. This was the last thing she had ever expected to happen, and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about the news. Now Casey was watching her pick at her food and had a wary expression on his face, so she could tell he was suspicious about exactly who Gabe was even if he didn’t voice the question. What the hell was she going to do now?
Annie kicked off her shoes and sighed as she leaned back into her couch and flipped on the TV. She channel surfed mindlessly as she reflected on the rest of her afternoon date. After lunch, she and Casey had done a little more shopping around the Farmer’s Market before catching a movie—a new comedy which made them both laugh out loud several times. But even though she tried hard not to think about Gabe and what he had told her, her thoughts kept drifting back to him.
That weekend in Phoenix had been the most romantic experience she’d ever had in her life. Casey was great and all, but she had shared something special with Gabe, and it seemed possible that he might want to see her again. Except now that he’d seen her with Casey, who knew what he might be thinking?
When the movie was over, Casey had driven them back to his place and said she was welcome to hang out there with him while he did some laundry. Normally, Annie would have been thrilled at any excuse to spend more time with him. However, after unexpectedly running into Gabe, all she wanted was to go home; she needed some alone time to clear her head so she could think straight.
What if Gabe wanted to give it another shot? Did she even want to try again with him? She felt so conflicted, but he hadn’t really done anything wrong. He had taken responsibility for his actions and tried to do the honorable thing. Could she really blame him for that?
She dug her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through the contacts, looking for his number. Her finger hovered hesitantly over the message button, then finally pressed down.
Annie: Hey
Gabe: Hey you.
Annie: It was nice seeing you today.
Gabe: Yeah, you look good. The new haircut is nice.
Annie: Thanks.
Gabe: So, what’s up?
Suddenly, she couldn’t think of what to say. Should she just come right out and ask him? Did he want her back? How could she ask him that without sounding desperate? Chewing on her thumbnail, she just sat that there staring at the phone for a minute. Finally, she started to text him again.
Annie: I’ve missed you.
Gabe: God, I’ve missed you, too.
Annie: You fucking broke my heart, you know?
Wow. That had come out a lot harsher than she intended. But at the same time, she meant every word. He had made her fall so hard for him, and then ripped the ground out from under her before she knew what was happening.
Gabe: Damnit, I didn’t mean for that to happen. You know that.
Annie: I dunno…
Gabe: I would never do anything intentional to hurt you. Ever.
Annie: I want to believe you.
Gabe: You should. It’s the truth.
Annie: I just don’t know if I can ever trust you again.
Gabe: What do I have to do to prove it to you? Tell me. I’ll do anything.
Annie: It’s not that easy, you know. It’s more complicated than that.
Gabe: Why? Because of that guy? Casey?
Annie: Well, yeah. You left me. You said you were getting back together with your pregnant ex-girlfriend.
Gabe: I know.
Annie: What was I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for you to change your mind?
Gabe: No, I know you had every right to move on. And I know I don’t have any right to ask you to give me another chance, but I can’t help it. I need you in my life. Please give me another chance. I’m fucking begging you. I swear I will never break your heart again.
Annie closed her eyes and breathed deeply. What the hell was she supposed to do? This was the craziest situation she’d ever been in. She’d never expected to have two incredible guys interested in her at the same time. Casey was a good guy and so amazing, and she really wanted to spend more time with him. But Gabe had literally rocked her world. And then he’d left and broken her heart, leaving it in about a million shattered pieces. Was being with him worth the risk? He could leave her again in a heartbeat after making her trust him again. But then, so could Casey. Life was all about risks and gambles. Did she have the guts to gamble now?
Annie: I don’t know. I need time to think.
Gabe: That’s okay. I’ll wait.
Annie: You might be waiting for a little while… this is a really hard decision for more than one reason.
Gabe: Like I said, I’ll wait.
Annie: Suit yourself. I’ll call when I have my answer.
Sighing, Annie stared at the TV, praying for divine inspiration to tell her the right path to follow. She was about to get up and start making herself some tea when her phone rang. Glancing down, she frowned at the strange number, not recognizing the area code.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hi, may I speak to Annie? This is Lee Inman calling from Starway Productions.”
“Oh hi. Yes, this is she.” Recognizing the name of the production company behind The Next American Superstar, Annie could feel her palms start to sweat, and her heart began to beat faster.
“Hey Annie, how are you doing?”
“I’m good, how are you?”
“Doing just great. Listen, is this a good time? Do you have a few minutes to chat?”
Sitting forward on the edge of the couch, Annie nodded and then almost laughed out loud as she realized he couldn’t see her nodding.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Great, great. So, the producers have spent a lot of time reviewing all of the auditions, and it’s my pleasure to say congratulations and let you know that you have qualified to move onto the next round. We’d love for you to join us for our final round of auditions in New York.
“Shut the fuck up.”
Lee just laughed at her response.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean to say that out loud. But are you freaking serious?”
“As a heart attack,” he assured her, still chuckling.
“I seriously can’t believe this is real. Thank you so much!” Annie exclaimed, jumping up
from the couch and bouncing up and down excitedly as she danced around her living room. “What do I need to do?”
“I’m going to turn you over to Janice and she’ll get your information so she can book your flights. You’ll be staying at The Waldorf Astoria, courtesy of the show.”
“Oh wow, how cool! Thank you again.”
“You’re very welcome. I’m sure you’re g
oing to do great. Listen, one more thing before I turn you over to Janice. Someone should be contacting you in the next few days to schedule a film crew to come out and record you receiving this phone call, which we’ll reenact together. You good with that?”
“Oh yeah, sure, of course.” Annie shook her head in disbelief as she spoke, ready to pinch herself. She couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Do you still live with your family?”
“No, I have my own place.”
“Okay well, for the piece, we’ll want to film you receiving the call at your family’s house, if that’s possible.”
“Um yeah, I think that should be okay. I’ll just have to clear it with my parents first.”
“Not a problem. Janice will give you a number to call once you’re ready to move forward with scheduling.”
“Okay, that sounds good.”
“Great, great. We’ll talk soon then. Here’s Janice.”
He turned her over to Janice, the production coordinator, who was surprisingly very sweet and kind. She waited patiently for Annie to find something to write on, then gave her the number to call. Annie had barely thanked the woman and ended the call before she started jumping around again, feeling the most ecstatic she’d ever been in her life.
“Oh my God, oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening!”
Instinctively, the first person she texted was… Casey.
Annie: Well, you were right. I just got my call.
He texted her back immediately.
Casey: Yeah?? And? :)
Annie: And I’m in!
Casey: Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Congrats, princess. Super stoked for you.
Annie: Thanks :)
All the Right Things (Love in LA) Page 8
