Second String (In Too Deep #3) Read online

  Me: "No, and I'm telling you that because I didn't do anything with her."

  Emily: "And you want a pat on the back?"

  Me: "Sort of. I thought it might count for some points in that little game of yours."

  Emily: "What game?"

  Me: "You know, the one where I collect points and eventually you like me."

  Emily: "I already like you. I think you meant to say you get points and I eventually have sex with you. Are you sure you're not drunk?"

  Me: "I'm not drunk, and I'd like to see you. I take every other Sunday off. I'm thinking about coming to see you in L.A. this weekend."

  Emily: "I think I'd like that."

  Me: "I think I like you."

  Emily: "Why are you getting all soft on me? You must be at least buzzed."

  Me: "I don't have to be intoxicated to say I like you. I just thought you should know that I had a willing partner tonight, and I couldn't bring myself to screw her because she wasn't you."

  All right, so maybe I was a little buzzed, but mostly I was just trying to push her buttons because I wanted her to come see me tonight. I was pissed that I had all this pent up sexual frustration and, because of Emily, I was unable to take it out on Avery.

  Emily: "OMG, Ethan. At this point, I hope you're drunk. Otherwise, I'd have a hard time not hating you for telling me about your willing partner or how you came so close to screwing her."

  Me: "Thank God you're jealous. I was starting to wonder."

  Emily: "Happy now? I'm jealous. Please delete this conversation before you go to bed. I'm sure you won't remember any of it."

  Me: "I'm not drunk. I just fucking want you."

  Emily: "That's no way to talk to a lady."

  Me: "I didn't say I want to fuck you, I said I fucking want you. There's a big difference."

  Emily: "There may be a difference, but you don't say either of them to a fucking lady."

  Something about that response made me want her even more than I already did, which was saying a lot because I was more sexually frustrated tonight than I had been in a long time.

  Me: "I'm coming up there in two days."

  Emily: "If you remember any of this."

  Me: "I'm not drunk, and to prove it, I'm going to stop texting you now so I can get some sleep. I have to be at the pool in the morning."

  Emily: "Now that's more like it. Sleep well. And thanks for not having sex with every girl you laid eyes on tonight."

  Me: "You're welcome, and I'm glad you care."

  Emily: "Rest assured, I care."

  Emily's last text made me smile, but I didn't respond to it. I figured I'd quit while I was ahead. I closed my eyes and listened to my favorite playlist for a few more minutes before I fell asleep.

  Chapter 11

  Emily

  "Ethan sent me a text in the middle of the night saying he was coming to L.A. this weekend," I said.

  Sal just looked up at me with the same adoring expression he always had. It didn't matter what I said as long as it was coupled with a rub behind the ears. "He also informed me that he was pretty much a man-whore, which I sort of knew, but I'm choosing to block out." I continued to scratch Sal's neck, opting not to say anything else. As much as it seemed like he was really listening, I couldn't speak audibly to Sal for very long without feeling like a total lunatic, so I left it at that.

  Ethan did end up coming to Los Angeles that next Sunday. We spent the entire day together and had a blast. He would have come the weekend after that too, but he had a big swim meet in Austin, Texas. That was bad news for me because I'd chosen that weekend to move into my new place. The meet in Austin was one of the bigger ones the boys would be doing this year, so not only were all the swimmers I knew out of town, but Joel went with them to continue promoting his line of goggles. Rachel was also in Texas, supporting Collin.

  Gretchen stayed behind in L.A., but she wasn't supposed to be lifting anything since she was expecting a baby. Hannah, one of my Laker Girl friends, along with Bailey and her boyfriend came to help me move. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Christie's apartment and the guesthouse were both furnished, and I really didn't have a great deal of personal possessions. I did all the packing ahead of time, so it only took us a few hours to get my things from one place to the other.

  Gretchen asked me to come over a week prior to moving in to make sure Sal and I liked the place. "What's not to like?" I had asked when we finished the grand tour. I knew it was going to be nice, but after I saw it, I couldn't help but feel like I was robbing them blind with the amount of rent we agreed on. I gave her ample opportunity to back out of the deal since I knew she could get more than triple the amount she was charging me. She assured me again that she and Joel were both excited about having Sal and me around, so I quit hounding her about it, and decided to just accept it for the blessing it was.

  "I've got lunch for everyone when you finish with the last of the boxes," Gretchen said. She wanted to help. She tried to say that being pregnant didn't mean she had to just sit around and do nothing. But I wouldn't let her lift anything. Before he left, Joel made me promise on all the babies of the world I wouldn't let her. Gretchen resisted at first, but gave up the fight once she saw how dead set I was on following Joel's orders.

  "You made lunch?" I asked. I didn't want her to feel like she needed to do that since it was my moving party and she was already going above and beyond, but it was after one o'clock, and I was starving.

  "I didn't make anything, I just ordered takeout," she said. "You guys should come get some."

  I told everyone I'd do all the unpacking myself, and thanked them about a thousand times for the help. I locked Sal in his kennel, which gave him some sense of normality. He was sleeping on his side, legs outstretched in the gigantic kennel by the time we were done.

  We left everything in neat piles on one side of the living room of my new place, and went into the main house for some lunch. Bailey's boyfriend made a plate for the road because he had to go to work that afternoon. Bailey decided to stay and hang out with Gretchen since Joel was out of town.

  The four girls, Gretchen, Bailey, Hannah and me all sat around the kitchen island and enjoyed a tasty lunch of bread, cheese and cold cuts. I was pretty sure I would be reaping some of the benefits of Gretchen's pregnancy, and by benefits, I'm talking about food-related benefits. I was going to really have to watch myself around this place, especially since I was already one of the curvier girls on the Laker squad.

  Gretchen's kitchen looked like something out of a magazine, with beautiful, blonde cabinetry, granite countertops, and commercial stainless steel appliances. As I looked around, it dawned on me that my apartment was a mini version of this beautiful place. For the tenth time lately, I wondered how I'd managed to wind up in such a charmed life.

  "How's it going with you guys?" Gretchen's voice pulled me from my daydream. I looked at her, but it was obvious that her question was directed toward Bailey.

  "You mean him?" Bailey asked, shooting a thumb in the direction of the door her boyfriend had just left from. Gretchen nodded. "It's good," Bailey said, a look of slight confusion on her face.

  "So, he's okay with you taking the job at Paradise Island?" Gretchen asked. "I mean, I know the last time we talked, you said he didn't care, I just wondered if he changed his mind once you started filming."

  "God, no," Bailey said. "If anything, he's more pumped than ever. He came to the studio to watch me film yesterday, and afterward he said I should thank my lucky stars that you and I look so much alike. He said it was like I won the lottery when you got pregnant and quit."

  I was glad that Bailey mentioned the whole looking alike thing, because I wasn't sure if it was a sensitive topic or not. I hated to say anything, but since Bailey had a "Gretchen makeover" for the show, the resemblance was uncanny. Even though Bailey purposely styled her hair in crazy up-do's and pigtails when she was with Gretchen, it was almost like Hannah and I were having lunch with a set of twins.


  Gretchen smiled at Bailey and said, "Well, our resemblance was really lucky for me too. Max Mitchell was ready to wring my neck when I told him I was quitting. He literally asked me if I had a twin. I knew you'd be close once you were changed into a redhead."

  "That's another thing," Bailey said. "He prefers me as a redhead, so the makeover was a good thing, apparently."

  "Who prefers you as a redhead? Max?" Gretchen asked.

  "No, my boyfriend. He said I look as hot as you now."

  "Oh, yikes," Gretchen said, cringing a little. "So he doesn’t mind you having to shoot scenes with the other actors? That made Joel crazy."

  Bailey laughed. "Doesn't mind?" she asked, incredulous. "He loves it. I think he gets off on it or something."

  Gretchen covered her ears. "TMI," she said, squinting in shock at the idea. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard, but I guess it's a good thing, considering."

  "Yeah, he has no issues with jealousy," Bailey said. "He knows Joel didn't want you working there, and he thinks Joel's the crazy one, not him."

  Gretchen didn't respond to that, although I could tell from her expression that she saw things from Joel's perspective. Rather than get into the subject of Bailey's boyfriend, and whether or not she liked him, Gretchen just brought up something totally unrelated. "We chose a name for the center," she said. She looked at me, knowing I'd be interested since I would be working there. "Really? I've been meaning to ask you what you were gonna call the place. That's a really hard thing to name."

  "No kidding," Gretchen said, laughing. "I had it narrowed down to three names that I thought were okay, but we just kept referring to it as the center. Joel finally asked me why I wanted to change the name when The Center was a perfectly decent name. I realized he was right. I liked The Center better than any of the other names we'd come up with."

  I laughed at the story, but told her I thought that was a great name and I'd be proud to say I worked at a place called The Center.

  "When is it going to be open?" Hannah asked.

  "It'll be a while," Gretchen said with a sigh. "The school building needs a lot of repairs, and so much planning goes into opening a place like this. Thank God Joel's here to talk me into feeling like I can do it because I could easily get overwhelmed. The beauty of it is… he's hiring people to help me with the scary parts, that way I can stick to the fun stuff."

  "Like decorating?" I asked.

  "Definitely decorating," Gretchen said. "Actually, that reminds me, I'm helping my friends Tonia and Trey with that too. We're opening a restaurant…" Gretchen thought for a second. "Actually it's their vision, Joel and I are just helping out. Tonia has some great ideas. It's soul food, you know, so lots of eclectic, rustic features. We're planning on commissioning an artist to make some custom stuff."

  "That's so fun," Bailey said. "Too bad Rachel's friend doesn't live here… the one from Seattle. She's an artist."

  "You're so right," Gretchen said, shaking her finger absentmindedly as if the thought hadn't occurred to her. "And she might be finishing up with school at the same time I'll be needing an art teacher."

  I cringed inwardly at Gretchen's reference to finishing up school. Even thought I was only nineteen, I was self conscious about the late start I had on my college career. It'd be one thing if I was all set to start, but at this point, I had no plans. Heck, I didn't even have plans for plans.

  "You should get her number from Rachel," I said, trying to act unaffected by the college talk. "Even if she doesn't want to move down here to work at The Center, I'm sure she'd be all about helping you create some stuff for the restaurant." I was talking out of my ass since I hadn't actually met the girl, but I'd heard a lot about her through conversations with Rachel, and had even seen a couple of her paintings. She was good.

  "You're right," Gretchen said. "She'd be perfect. I can't believe I didn't think of it myself." She paused to consider the possibility of having Brit, her own resident artist, on hand. "And I'll bet she'd be willing to help us with The Center, even if she's not into the idea of moving to L.A. permanently."

  Just as Gretchen finished speaking, her phone began to buzz, and she picked it up to view the screen.

  "It's Joel," she said, reading a text. She looked directly at me when she spoke again. "He said Ethan came in first in the fifty free."

  I felt a rush of heat flood my face at the sudden mention of his name. I hated blushing, especially at a time when it was totally obvious what was causing me to do it. I should have been embarrassed that the sound of his name had me turning ten shades of red, but I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face at the wonderful news. I was so proud of him.

  "What's the fifty free?" Hannah asked, apparently knowing nothing about swimming. "And who's Ethan?"

  Chapter 12

  Ethan

  I had sex with a random girl when I was in Austin for the weekend. It didn't mean anything. She was a swimmer and I'd been with her before, which made the whole thing way too easy. And you may be wondering… Did I feel guilty for doing it with Sabrina when Emily was on my mind the whole time? The answer is no. It was Emily's fault that I was so damn pent-up anyway.

  I saw Emily the weekend before I went to the meet in Austin, and it was the same old story. We had a great time together, but then she went on lock down when I tried to do anything but kiss her. I'm not trying to say I wanted to just stick it right in, either. I would have been content with some playing around, but Emily was locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

  It had been a month since the meet in Austin, and I'd driven to L.A. two times to spend my day off with her. That was major considering that it only happened every other Sunday. I was beginning to think there was something more to this whole thing than virtue. If I were the suspicious type, I'd think Emily was with someone else and she was just stringing me along. I can identify the signs of being strung along because I'd done my share of it myself. The weirdest thing about the whole scenario was that, even though all the signs were there, I didn't think there was another guy.

  I just couldn't figure the girl out. I'd always had the kind of confidence that could overcome anything. My motto was: If another human being is capable of accomplishing it, then I am too.

  Here's where the whole Emily situation gets weird for me. Some other dude has been in her panties—she told me that herself. So what, may I ask, am I doing wrong? What did that guy have that I didn't? Also (and maybe even more of a pisser) I really liked her. The feelings I had for Emily were already way deeper than I cared to admit, and she was still acting like I wanted to play her. But, hell, how should I know? Maybe she didn't think I was trying to play her after all. Maybe that wasn’t the issue. Could it be that she seriously wasn't attracted to me? At the risk of sounding like the most pompous asshole on the face of the earth, I just couldn't see where that would be a possibility. I know what I look like next to other guys, and I'll tell you right now, it's freaking good. I winked at my own reflection in the glass of our kitchen cabinets as I reached for a glass. I was just being silly checking myself out because I knew Josh was looking at me. He was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal when I came out of the bedroom in my new tux.

  "What are you smiling at?" Josh asked.

  "I'm just thinking about what a stud I am."

  Josh laughed. I loved that he knew how to take my personality. "I don't know any studs that go to a Valentine's Day banquet without a date," he said.

  "Shut up, fool. You know I could have a date if I wanted one. All I have to do is say the word."

  "Why aren't you taking anyone? You know those charity things always have good food. You'd have her begging for it tonight just based on the quality of the food alone. Forget about it if you'd stay in one of those nice hotels in L.A. Girls do love hotel rooms."

  "I'm not going to L.A. with another girl, no matter how much I like some good begging. If it were another city, sure, but if I'm going to L.A., I'm seeing Emily."

  "Emily, huh?" Josh said. "
Why isn't she going with you to the black tie thing?"

  "Because she's a Laker Girl, and they have a home game tonight."

  "Can't she take the night off for a big-time charity ball? Doesn't she know you're the shit?"

  "I was just wondering that myself." I said, laughing. "They only have like thirty something games a year, so no, she can't take off. I think she should definitely be notified about me being the shit, though. I think that might have slipped by her."

  "Are you saying you two haven't—"

  "No. We haven't."

  "What? You've been up to L.A. like three times. You really haven't—"

  "No." I said.

  "Christ, Ethan. There better be gold in there. What do you guys do the whole time you're together? Play video games?"

  "Basically," I said, smiling. "No, we do all kinds of stuff. She's living in the place behind Joel's house in Calabasas. It's nice. She's got a really cool dog. We just hang out. She's fun."

  "Oh my God, you're in love. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Ethan Erickson is in loooove."

  "I'm not in love, stupid. I just said we have fun."

  "You've never had fun with any other girl who wasn't willing to…" Josh made a gesture with his fingers that made it clear what he was referring to.

  "Oh, please. I just like hanging out with her."

  Josh gave me a look that told me he was all together convinced I was head over heels for her. I just rolled my eyes at him.

  "Are you going to try to see her?" he asked.

  "I'm planning on trying to catch the end of the game," I said.

  "You're gonna be in pain tomorrow morning." Josh said. He knew I usually trained on Saturday morning, no matter what I did or how late I was up on Friday night.

  "I'm off tomorrow," I said.

  He gave me a confused look, knowing how hardcore I was with my training routine. I shrugged. "Coach wanted me to go to this thing tonight to rub elbows. He said it was an honor that I'd been invited, and I shouldn't miss it. He knew it would be late by the time I drove back home. Anyway, he told me to take the day off tomorrow. Of course, the next day was supposed to be one of my Sundays off, and he's making me go in to make up for Saturday."