by Hazel Kelly
I swallowed. "So I've heard."
He raised his eyebrows. "You want to know the second secret?"
I nodded.
"The people who make it in this business- the people you look up to- they made their own luck from the beginning."
I furrowed my brow. "What are you saying?"
He stepped up to me and lifted my chin with his fingertips.
My blood ran cold at his touch.
"I'm saying that, as far as I’m concerned, there’s only one thing standing between you and a standing ovation on opening night."
"I'm not sure what you're getting at," I said, shrinking in my chair.
"Let me spell it out for you," he said, pulling down his zipper. "You do me a favor, and I do you one."
My stomach wretched as he tucked a wisp of hair behind my ear.
"So what’ll it be, Miss Layne? Are you ready to be a star?"
Chapter 18: Ethan
I dropped the garbage bag full of linoleum cuttings into the dumpster and headed back upstairs to get cleaned up.
When I walked in the door, I had two missed calls.
I hit redial and waited.
She didn’t pick up.
I tried again.
“Ethan?”
Jen’s voice sounded weird. It was the same tone I’d expect someone to use if their phone rang while they were hiding in the Hunger Games arena.
“How did your audition go?”
“I- don’t- know,” she said, gasping between every word.
“Are you okay?”
“I- don’t- know-”
“Are you hurt?”
“No. No-”
“Where are you?”
“I- don’t-“
Every hair on my body went stiff as I imagined the worst. "Breathe dammit and tell me where you are!" Despite my dad's overdramatic fear mongering, this was New York, and there was truth to his concerns. This city was full of gutters big enough for a girl like Jen and worse. So much worse.
"I'm-I'm-"
"Find a street sign or something. Anything. Describe where you are." I wrapped my fist around my keys and pressed the phone to my ear.
"I'm outside a hotel," she stuttered. "The Abbott Hotel."
My chest loosened instantly. "Okay, I need you to listen to me carefully."
"Uh-huh."
"Go in the hotel. There will be a bunch of comfy chairs right in the front room. Sit down and wait for me to get there."
"Okay."
"And if you need anything, there's a man behind the desk named Paul. He knows me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. You're safe there. I promise. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Thanks," she whispered.
My heart felt like it was going to pound right through my shirt. Fuck. What the hell happened? She was fine when she left? Had she been jumped? Assaulted? Hit by a car? It could be anything and she'd given me nothing.
Waiting for the elevator was killing me. I pulled out my phone and dialed Ben.
"What's up, buddy?"
"Hey-you at the hotel."
"Not today, I'm-"
"Is Ella there?"
"Probably," he said. "Why?"
"My stepsister just called me from there and she's hysterical-"
"I didn't know you had a sister."
"She's not my fucking sister."
"Okay, Ethan. Whoa. Just relax, man. Is she alright?"
"I don't know. I'm on my way there now." The elevator dinged and I got on. "I just thought if someone was there to make sure she's okay-"
"Sure. Leave it with me."
"Yeah?"
"If I can't get ahold of Ella, I'll go myself. I'm only a few blocks away."
"I owe you one, Boss."
"Nonsense," he said. "I'll do what I can."
I hung up and bounced on the balls of my feet like I was warming up for a fight, springing out of the elevator as soon as I could. I felt some relief at the fact that she was at the Abbott, but not knowing why she sounded so weird was making me sick.
I unlocked my jeep as soon as I got close and slid into the driver's seat, reversing out of my spot out before I'd even closed the door.
I should've fucking taken her to the audition myself.
What the hell else was I doing? Milling around the museum? I could do that every day of the week. Hell, sometimes I did.
Would it have killed me to go out of my way for her?
Sure, she gave me the vibe that she wanted to be treated like an independent woman, but I knew she was more vulnerable than she realized. I never should've let her out of my fucking sight.
It might've been a bit overbearing, but she was used to my dad for Christ’s sake. And at least then I wouldn't be in this situation, wondering if she was okay while I wasn't by her side.
Forget being a lousy stepbrother. I wasn't even being a decent friend.
She deserved better.
And who was I kidding?
I didn't need to push her away. She was going places. Big places. I'd be lucky if she even remembered my fucking name. Who the hell did I think I was? As if a girl like Jen might get so attached to being around me she wouldn't leave.
I wasn't that good of a kisser.
Besides, she was only staying with me because it was convenient. If she had two pennies to rub together, not only would she have stayed somewhere else, but she probably wouldn't have even called to say she was in the city.
After all, it's not like we were close.
Which somehow made it even worse that I hadn't been a better host.
When I came to a red light, I let my head fall against the headrest and dropped my hands in my lap, revealing the streak of blue paint I’d inadvertently transferred onto the steering wheel with my vice grip.
"Fuck."
I rubbed the spot with my thumb, but it was no use. Then I grabbed a napkin out of the side door and scrubbed the side of my hand, stopping a second later when I realized dry paint particles were probably just as deadly to my black leather interior.
As soon as the light changed, I sped ahead, weaving in and out of cars and getting beeped at even more than I was used to. When I saw the flags over the hotel up ahead, I felt a surge of adrenaline.
All I could think about was seeing her.
All I wanted was to know she was okay.
Even if she couldn't forgive me for letting her go alone, I prayed that she’d at least be okay enough that I could live with myself.
I pulled the car up outside the hotel, grateful that the valet on duty was a guy I recognized.
"I won't be long," I said, handing him my keys and a folded bill. "Just picking someone up."
I ran through the front doors and scanned the room like a bear on his hind legs.
And then I saw her.
She was sitting on a small crème colored couch with Ella.
I headed in their direction.
They saw me at the same time.
The first thing I noticed was the marks around Jen's eyes, but as I got closer, I was relieved to see it was only smeared mascara. My eyes bounced around the rest of her body, searching for any obvious signs of struggle or injury.
That's when I noticed she was holding Ella's hand.
Ella stood up when I reached them. "Hi Ethan," she said, leaning in and pressing her cheek to mine. "Can I have a quick word?"
"Are you okay?" I said, squatting down in front of Jen. Her eyes were as red as her lips.
She nodded.
"Ethan," Ella said.
"I'll be right here," I said to Jen.
She blinked.
I put a hand on her cheek and took in her face one last time before standing up.
"Thanks for waiting with her," I said to Ella once we’d walked a few feet away.
"Of course," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help."
I furrowed my brow. "Do you know what happened?"
She shook her head. "No. She couldn't say- or didn't want to. Who
knows? I can't blame her. It's not like she knows me."
I craned my neck forward. "She didn't tell you anything?"
Ella shrugged. "Only that she isn't physically hurt."
Chapter 19: Jenny
I was so relieved when he walked in.
Sure, I was embarrassed that I'd called him in hysterics.
But when he came through those doors, I felt like I could finally let out the breath I'd been holding since he promised he’d come.
I didn't move while he talked to Ella.
I just sat on the couch, happy to be around people who seemed to genuinely have my best interests in mind. I could feel Ethan looking over Ella's shoulder at me as they spoke in hushed tones a few feet away.
Apparently, her husband owned this place, and his son was Ethan's boss.
That was all news to me. Everything she said was, and once she realized I wasn't in the mood to do much talking, she just took over, chatting away as if it were the most normal thing in the world to babysit a strange woman in your husband's hotel.
She mostly talked about how she knew Ethan and what a good bartender he was.
She also made me promise that if we ever went to karaoke that I would make him sing an Elvis song. She said he didn't sing anything like Elvis, but apparently he’d perfected the moves and was guaranteed to bring the house down.
It was strange to hear a complete stranger say they'd seen him be silly. I'd never seen him do a silly thing in my life. On the contrary, he always seemed so serious it made me feel giddy in comparison, and if the face he'd been making since he walked in the hotel was anything to go by, he wasn't about to bust out his hilarious.
Regardless, I needed to get a grip. I'd obviously blown my cover as a competent woman about town, inconveniencing Ethan's friends to make matters worse.
Fortunately, I was pretty exhausted from the emotional breakdown I had after I left the studio, not to mention the hour I walked in circles after my bleary eyes caused me to lose my way. But I was actually feeling much better now- or not necessarily better, but tired. And safe at last.
"Come on," Ethan said, extending a hand in front of me.
"You guys can hang out as long as you want," Ella said. "Or if you'd rather have some privacy-"
"It's fine," Ethan said. "You've done enough, thanks."
"Sure." She extended a pack of tissues in my direction. "It was nice to meet you, Jen."
I took them and smiled at her. She was so pretty. Like a real princess. "Thanks. You, too."
"I hope to see you again under more pleasant circumstances."
I nodded and took Ethan's hand, relishing the wave of warmth that coursed through my body as I stood up. I watched Ella walk away. When I turned back to Ethan, he was staring at me, his eyes dark and intense.
"What happened?" he asked. "You had me worried sick."
"I'm sorry." I cast my eyes down. "I just got a bit upset and then I got lost, and I know I shouldn't have bothered you, but-"
"Yes, you should've," he said, ducking his head to catch my eye. "And a lot sooner by the sound of it."
He couldn’t have known how right he was.
"You happy to get out of here?" he asked.
I nodded.
He reached around and set his hand on my lower back.
It felt like an anchor that made the world around me stop spinning.
As my feet moved across the floor, I hoped people weren't giving him funny looks. After all, it wasn't his fault I was a hot mess.
When we got outside, he took his keys from the valet, walked over to the curbside Range Rover, and opened the door for me.
I thanked him with my eyes before climbing in and watching him walk around the front of the car.
After he got in, he just sat there for a second. The air in the car was heavy between us, as if we were the only still things in the whole city.
"I'm sorry I didn't take you to your audition," he said. "I should have offered. I wasn't thinking-"
"Don't blame yourself."
He laughed. "I don't want to, but until I know what the hell happened, I can't help but feel like this is all my faul-"
"It's not."
"Did something happen at the audition?"
A horn sounded behind us and he scowled in the rearview mirror before pulling out into traffic.
"You could say that."
"Did it not go well?"
I sighed.
"Well?"
I looked out my window. "I blew it.”
He pulled up behind a convertible and flicked his turn signal on. "Are you sure?"
"Oh, I'm definitely sure."
"How did you blow it?" he asked. "Was it the kiss?"
I turned and looked at him, my eyes dropping to his lips. A warm shiver shot up my neck. "No."
He exhaled, his broad shoulders dropping.
"I didn't have to do it."
Half his mouth curled up into a smile.
"What the hell's so funny?"
"Nothing," he said. "It's just nice that you didn't have to kiss anyone if you weren't going to get the part anyway."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. Real nice."
"Any chance you'll get a smaller part?"
I looked out the windshield again. "Zero chance. In fact, I might never get work in this town at all."
He laughed.
I glared at him.
"Sorry. I assumed you were being dramatic."
"I wish."
"Are you hungry?"
I looked at him, searching his face for clues as to whether he was still joking around. "You're serious?"
He shrugged. "I'm kind of hungry."
I let my head fall back against the headrest.
"But if you're too upset to watch me eat-"
"I could use a drink."
He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
"No," he said. "Can I take you somewhere for one or would you rather pick up some Mike's Hard and go back to my place?"
"I don't drink that shit anymore."
"Thank god."
"Just like I assume you don't drink Ice House anymore."
He laughed. "Not even if it's on special."
I folded my arms. "You know I'm not the sissy teenager I was when you left, right?"
"And I'm not the adorable rogue you fell for on the bus the first day you saw me."
I swung my head around and narrowed my eyes at him. "What did you just say?"
"Or am I?"
"If you're suggesting-"
"What?" he asked, turning the car into a parking garage.
A smudge of blue paint on the wheel caught my eye. "Nothing," I said. "You're just trying to get a rise out of me, and I've had a shitty enough day as it is."
"I'm not after a rise," he said, taking a ticket and waiting for the striped bar to go up. "To be honest, I'd settle for the truth."
I groaned and slouched in my seat. "How about you drive and I drink?"
"Fine," he said. "Save it for your diary."
Chapter 20: Ethan
I never got to see much of Jen’s teenage dramatics so seeing her in a strop was kind of amusing for me.
However, not knowing what happened was still bothering me, and I was getting sick of pretending she didn't have to tell me. After all, if it was something fucking stupid, I'd know to stay calmer next time.
"Ella's nice," she said, reaching for a loaded potato skin.
I watched her dunk it in a pile of ketchup and scrunched my face.
"What?"
"Ketchup?" I asked. "On a potato skin?"
She craned her neck back and looked at the part she had left. "What? It's basically a French fry. Just in a different shape."
I leaned back in the booth and lifted my beer. As I took a sip, the Texas longhorn skull on the wall overhead edged into my peripheral vision.
"Don't you think?" she asked, stirring her comically large margarita with the lime slice poking out of it. "About Ella?"<
br />
"Yeah, she's great," I said. "Why?"
"Are all the girls who come to the club like her?"
I shook my head. "No. Not even close."
"She said you're more than a regular bartender."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Which explains your whip."
I squinted at her. "Sorry?"
She lifted her margarita with two hands, took a sip long enough to make the effort worthwhile, and set it back down. "Your car," she said, licking the salt off her lips.
"I know what a whip is."
"Oh," she said. "Well, it's nice."
"For a bartender, you mean."
"For anybody."
"Thanks," I said, taking a potato skin from my side of the plate.
"Whereas your place is so small-"
"This is New York."
"I know but-"
"But what?” I asked. “Your invisible place is way bigger?"
"Touché."
"So when are you going to tell me what happened?"
Her eyes fell to the plate between us as she reached for the last potato skin.
I slid the plate away. "Come on."
"That one's mine," she said. "You already had your four."
I craned my neck forward. "Yeah, I did. And I drove halfway across town to pick you up cause you'd cried yourself blind, so if you don't tell me what happened-"
She rolled her shoulders back and cocked her head. "What? You’re going to eat my last potato skin?"
Perhaps I hadn't thought my bargaining chip through.
"You can have it," she said.
I groaned and slid the plate back towards her. "I don't want it. I just want to know what happened today."
"I already told you," she said. "I blew my audition."
"And that's why you were so upset?"
She nodded.
"So much for your thick skin."
"So much for thinking you weren't as big of an asshole as I thought."
"Did you sing out of tune or something?"
"No."
"Jen."
She raised her eyebrows.
"I'm not going to let this go."
She sighed. "If I tell you, do you promise not to make a big deal out of it?"
I laughed. "I'm sure you made a big enough deal out of it for both of us."
She clenched her jaw. Then she drained half of what was left in her trough of tequila.
