Second String (In Too Deep #3) (5 page)

"Hey Collin, do I need an invitation to the New Year's thing I heard you talking about at your parent's house?"

"It's just something my mom's throwing together because she feels guilty about skipping Christmas, but it should be fun. You should definitely come. Ethan will be there, I'm sure."

"I have
a game the next day, but I'm giving it some thought. Thanks for the invite."

"I have to be back in the pool on New Year
's Day, so you can just ride with us if you want," Collin said. "We'll have to head home pretty early."

"I
might just take you up on that." I said.

Chapter 6

Ethan

I was in the water at 9AM the morning after Christmas. My coach and I were the only two at the gym for a solid two hours before a few other stragglers came in. Since Collin moved, I
was the only one at the Aquatic Center on the national team. A few other guys had potential, but weren't ready yet.

My coach was heartbroken when Collin moved to L.A. Like everyone else in the swim world, Coach Nagel knew Collin was the one to beat at this year's Olympic Trials. He knew not to take Collin's move personally, but it was a real bummer for him professionally. He probably gave Collin a little too much guilt about the whole thing,
but Coach Nagel was a good guy. He and I made just the type of underdog team that could surprise everyone.

I was at the pool for about six hours,
which was a typical training day for me. A lot of the other guys swim in multiple events, but Coach and I decided to stick to freestyle because it was my strongest stroke. Coach didn't come right out and say it, but basically if I was going to have a shot at making it through the trials, I'd have to focus my energy on the one thing I did best—freestyle sprinting.

We
drilled so much that every time I closed my eyes I had one isolated movement or another replaying in my mind. Being a professional swimmer was a full time job, and even though I loved it, I was looking forward to a time when I didn't have to be so consumed with just one thing. There were about a hundred other things I wanted to try before I died, and winning an Olympic medal was pretty much all consuming. I knew success didn't come cheap, so I worked my ass off even on days when I didn't feel like it.

I didn't much feel like being there today, but that had more to do with the dancer who'd left me with just a kiss on the cheek last night.
I had to wonder how long this
hard to get
thing was going to last. I figured I'd get a little booty call on the side if Emily made me wait it out for too long. There's no way I'd let myself feel guilty for that. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, after all. And it wasn't like I had any sort of agreement with her. She'd said it herself.
Casual
.

"What's up dude?" It was my roommate's voice. I was in the locker room at the pool, but it wasn't at all odd to see Josh there since he swam for exercise. Josh had a go
od run as a college swimmer at Cal, but was more of a career/family man, although the family part wasn't quite working out right now. He was married for a year to a girl named Kayla who'd left him a few months ago for an old boyfriend. The career was still firmly in place, though. Besides being the practical one of the group, Josh was extremely smart. He graduated from Cal with honors and was now a successful geological engineer. He consulted with people who were about to build things, and basically told them what to expect from the bit of earth they were working with.

"I'm done, man. I did single arms for the last two hours."

Josh sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Why's that? Are you changing your stroke or what?"

"A little. Just doing some fine-
tuning. Some days it feels like I'm starting from scratch," I said.

"It'll pay off though man. You're looking good."

"Thanks. I feel pretty good about the way things are going," I said. "Hey, this is totally unrelated, but Collin's parents are having a big New Year's party this year."

"Is Collin coming?"

"Well, yeah, I assume he is. He was talking like he'd be there."

"When'd you talk to Collin?"

"You haven't been to the apartment?" I asked.

"No, why?" he asked, confused.

"There's a plate of food from Gretchen's house along with a note telling you I'd gotten it when I spent Christmas in Ventura with Collin and them."

"Why'd you drive all the way up there?" Josh asked.

"Because Emily was there."

Josh just gave me a blank look like
he was almost pissed at how confusing this whole story was.

"Who's Emily?"

"The girl from Vegas. The showgirl."

It was evident by Josh's expression that he may have remembered who Emily was, but still couldn't make sense of the whole Christmas in Ventura thing.
He didn't have to ask. I just explained, "She's working as a Laker Girl and they ran into her at a game. They invited her to Christmas at Gretchen's and she was there eating breakfast with them when I called to wish Collin a merry Christmas."

"So what? You just dropped everything and drove up there?" he asked.

"Yeah. I actually got there pretty early. I spent the better part of the day with her."

"She's the one who
stayed the night in your hotel room, but only let you get to second base, right?"

"Yeah,"
I said letting out a little laugh.

"Did you get
more than that yesterday—"

"No," I said, cutting him off. "In fact, I barely made it to first."

"What? I can't believe it, E. That's not your style. You must really like this girl," he said.

"Not my style? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means. I'm just saying, you've never been one to work too hard for a girl who's not giving you any."

"That's because I've never run into a girl who
won't give it to me," I said, being ridiculous and full of myself as always.

"That's actually kind of true. I seriously can't think of another girl who's told you no."

"Oh shut up, it's not like I sleep with every girl I meet."

"You sleep with most of them
. Anyway, it doesn't really matter… I just think it's cute that you drove three hours up the coast for one little kiss."

"I think it's
cute that you just said the fucking word
cute
," I said.

Josh laughed and held his hands up in surrender as if to say he wouldn't mention Emily or my
inability to round the bases any more.

He and I talked for a few more minutes before I took off. He said he'd probably go to the New Year's party since he didn't have any other plans.
I told him I'd be seeing him back at the apartment later. On my way out, I stopped to tell a few others goodbye before leaving the pool in search of food.

I
ended up going to a place I frequented called Annie's Diner. It was a quirky restaurant that was owned by a woman from England. They served, among other things, a traditional English breakfast that I stopped in for at least three times a week.

Annie
and the other waitresses did weird things like bust out in to a line dance out of nowhere, and make loud announcements about random customers. Most of the time I escaped the shenanigans since I sat at the bar. I was just in it for the food. They served huge portions, and it always tasted good. Sometimes I came to Annie's with a friend, but it wasn't unusual for me to come alone. I always had someone to talk to if I wanted the company. By the time the waitresses took turns stopping by to say hi, I would be done with my meal.

I was finishing up my last few bites when I got a text message from
a girl I knew from high school named Marissa. She was a party girl I'd been out with a few times. Her parents had more money than mine, and Marissa knew how to spend it. She was a full-fledged professional at spending daddy's money.

Marissa: "We're taking the yacht out for New Year's. You in?"

Me: "Might have plans. Can I tell you later?"

Marissa:
"Be quick about it. I'm only asking like 20 people. It's gonna be crazy. Mike's bringing that stuff from last time."

She was talking about Ecstasy like
she thought it'd be a big draw, but I had to stay clean.

Me: "I can't do
it anyway."

Marissa: "You should still come. You can reap the benefits of
the rest of us being able to do it. You know how friendly we get. ;) Oh, and Leona's coming."

Leona
Marsh was another girl we'd gone to high school with. Recently, she'd had some success in high fashion modeling. She was a little younger than me, and I hadn't seen her in a few years, but my mom showed me a photo of her in a magazine the other day. It didn't even look like the same girl I remembered from high school. The thought of a bunch of hot girls (including a model) getting all touchy-feely was pretty enticing, but I still didn't agree right away.

Me: "I'll let you know something by tomorrow."

Marissa didn't text back, at least not with words. The next text that came through was a shot she'd taken of herself at arms length. She was topless. I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one at the diner was able to see the photo.

The next text I tapped out was to Emily.

Me: "Don't mean to rush you, but wondering if you thought you'd be able to come to the New Year's thing."

Emily: "Hey! Think I might try to make it."

Me: "Let me know by tomorrow if you can."

Emily: "Why? You making other plans?"

Me:
"Just trying to figure out what I'm doing."

Emily: "Go ahead and do your other thing. I don’t want you to wait for me. Still not sure what I'd do with Sal."

Me: "I'd rather see you if there's a chance you can make it."

Emily: "Go ahead and make other plans. It's a 50-50 shot for me right now, and I have to work the next day anyway. I'll just plan on hanging here."

Me: "You sure? I'd like to see you if you think it's a possibility."

Emily: "No worries. I was on the fence, and it makes the decision to stay a lot easier knowing you have other plans in the works."

Me: "Well if you were on the fence, than I'd rather you just decide to come here." 

Emily: "
Haha, No, it's all good. I was kind of stressing about Sal and work and everything."

Me: "I wasn’t trying to be funny, but I'm gathering you're sort of relieved you're not coming."

Emily: "I just knew it'd be tough to pull off. Make your other plans. We'll see each other soon."

Me: "Hope so."

Emily: ";)"

I had no idea what was I supposed to take from a
winky face in that context? I was so frustrated by the whole exchange that I immediately texted Marissa to let her know she could count me in for whatever craziness was about to go down on her dad's yacht. Marissa sent me another tempting photo, assuring me I wouldn't be disappointed. This one was of her and Leona. I didn't respond. I put my phone in my pocket and paid the check.

Chapter 7

Emily

Starting the night after Christmas, I had three nights straight of home games.
The girls on the squad were a close-knit family, and I was establishing relationships with many of them. They were all smart and sweet, and best of all, we shared a common love of dance. The camaraderie I felt at work, along with how freaking exciting the basketball games were, made for some of the most fun experiences of my life. I was truly thankful for the opportunity to be a part of something so cool.

Had I still been in Vegas right now,
I probably would have noticed the void left by my parents' absence during a time of year most people spend with their families. But I wasn't in Vegas. I was in L.A. with some of the nicest people I'd ever met at a world-class sporting event. Being sad or ungrateful in a situation like that was just not an option. I did talk to my parents on Christmas Day, but only for a few minutes. It was awkward as always, which made me glad that going home wasn't really an option this year.

Following the three game series at home, we had
a few days off. The dance studio where I worked took a two-week hiatus for Christmas and New Year's, so for this little window, I only had one job. I was totally off work for three whole days in a row, and I found myself going stir crazy. By the middle of the second day, I decided to break down and call one of my new friends. I hadn't planned on contacting any of them so soon after Christmas, but I wanted to get out and do something and I figured one of them might want to as well. Besides, it was about time to call Rachel and Collin and let them know I wasn't going to ride with them to the New Year's thing.

I sent a text to Rachel asking if she had any interest on going for a run. She agreed,
partly because she had the day off and Collin was swimming, and partly because I promised that it wouldn't be much of a workout since Sal was pretty much a worthless running partner. She met us at Griffith Park and we set off on an easy trail. We'd been talking for several minutes before I remembered to tell her I wasn't planning on going to San Diego with them the following night.

"What? We want you to come with us!
" Rachel said. "I totally thought you were coming! What made you change your mind?"

I was a little taken aback by how affected she was by the news. I thought I'd just been bumming a ride. I didn't know they actually
wanted
me to go.

"Well, I was on the fence anyway. I don't know what I would do with Sal, and you know, with work the next day and everything."

"I thought you were going to try to see Ethan," Rachel said. I laughed. Boy, did this girl cut to the chase.

"
I already talked to Ethan. I told him I wasn't going to make it. But it doesn't really matter because I think he's going somewhere else."

"Oh, so it's like
that
," Rachel said. She knew Ethan was a rolling stone. 

"No, it's all good," I said. "I'm totally up for friends or whatever with Ethan. I have too much of my own stuff going on to add more drama to the mix."

Rachel was sensitive enough to see that I didn't really want to get in to what
my own stuff
meant. I was relieved to note that Collin must still be keeping my secret. "Well, if he's not going to be there, and you're
just friends
anyway, it doesn't really matter if you go with us or not. I think you'd have fun regardless of whether or not Ethan shows up… And I promise we'll have you home for work. Collin has to be back in the pool the next day."

I
considered the prospect of having nothing to do on New Year's Eve. I liked Collin and Rachel a lot and thought I would have a good time if I went with them.

"Even if I wanted to go, I still don't know what I'd do with Sal," I said.

"Oh, God. I forgot you said that. Duh. Bring Sal. He's totally welcome. Collin will let him sleep in his old bedroom. Nobody will bother him up there."

"Are you sure?" I asked. I was starting to get excited at the possibility of having somewhere fun to
go tomorrow night.

"Of course I'm sure. Collin's
gonna be stoked when he hears Sal's coming. He's been asking me to think about getting a dog since he fell in love with Sal the other day."

She stopped walking long enough to bend down and pet
him. He was panting with his mouth wide open and his tongue hanging out. I poured some of my bottled water into the soft, portable water bowl I carried on walks. Sal wasn't like the high-energy dogs some of my friends had, and he was a real wimp when it came to exercise. He bent and lapped up the water greedily before looking up at me with that panting smile of his. That cracked Rachel up. "He
is
pretty cool," she said. "I'll have to tell Collin I'm at least partially on board. Yes I will, you big tub of love," she added in a cooing tone. "Huh, good boy?" She gave him one last rub behind the ears before we took off on the trail again.

"
Did Gretchen talk to you?" Rachel asked out of nowhere.

"Not since Christmas. Why? What's up?"

"Maybe I shouldn't say anything, but I'm sure she wouldn't care. It's not a big deal. She just mentioned talking to you about renting their guesthouse from them."

I laughed. "I know where they live. In fact, I've been on their exact street before. There's no way I
could afford the rent over there, and I'm not trying to share a place with three other people either. It's sweet of her to offer, though," I said, trying not to seem like a total hick. I forgot Rachel and Collin made good money too. I had to remind myself that people who had money usually didn't talk about how much rent they could or couldn't afford. "I like my place," I said, smiling. "It's close to work."

"
I should just let you and Gretchen talk about it," Rachel said. "I'm not sure what they had in mind, but I think she's planning on calling you soon."

"Are they going to the party? I asked.

"Gretchen and Joel? No. Gretchen's not drinking right now… I mean… not that we're just going there to get
wasted
or anything, but, no. They're not coming. That's why I'm so glad you are. I'll know a few of Collin's people, but I'll be glad to have a friend there."

We finished our little excursion two hours to the minute from when we set off on the trail. We said our goodbyes and promised to be in touch in the morning before we headed south.

I spent the rest of the evening picking out the perfect outfit for the trip. I wanted to be comfortable, but I felt good when I put effort into my appearance. I gave some careful consideration to my clothes and accessories for the next night, even doing a little modeling for Sal, who barely lifted his head when I called his name to check me out. We weren't leaving until after lunch, so I knew I had plenty of time to play with my wardrobe choices in the morning.

****

Collin and Rachel picked me up on the street in front of my apartment building. I had a small piece of luggage and the end of Sal's leash in one hand and a Starbucks cup in the other.

"You look so cute,
" Rachel said as she opened the back door of Collin's truck.

"Thanks, so do you, I'm sur
e," I said. I hadn't looked at her yet, but Rachel always looked cute. I had to coax Sal to jump into the truck before I could climb in behind him. I wasn't about to lift his lazy butt into the backseat with my good clothes on. I was just closing the door when I heard the sound of a car horn. Collin told me to hold on as he eased back into traffic. I settled my cup into a holder and got situated in my seat as we pulled off.

I
'd spent enough time with Collin and Rachel during the last few weeks to safely say I enjoyed their company. During the drive, we talked about lots of things including dogs, dancing, and swimming… but mostly dogs. Sal knew he was the center of the conversation and he luxuriated in that knowledge the whole trip. What a ham.

Collin's parents planned this party last-minute when t
hey decided to skip Christmas and go on a cruise. Mrs. Blake said the whole thing had been such a good experience that she was officially making it a yearly tradition. She made sure her children knew they were welcome, but informed them that she and Mr. Blake would be doing a Christmas cruise every year, with or without them.

You would never have known
that this party was thrown together in less than a week, though. It was in full swing by eight o'clock that evening, and I was amazed at how many people turned up. They lived in a beautiful home with a huge outdoor entertainment space. Collin was the oldest of three. His brother Carson was twenty, and his sister Meredith, eighteen. They must have invited all of their friends, because the party had a much younger vibe than I anticipated—not that I thought we'd be playing pinochle all night or anything. The whole set up was really nice. The spread of finger foods and the full bar were tended by professionals, and I was impressed at the level of party planning for a last-minute thing.

E
veryone I'd been introduced to was friendly. They were all interested to learn more about what it's like to be a Laker Girl, and I was happy to talk about my job since I liked it so much. I'd been separated from Collin and Rachel for a while, but I was having fun. I checked on Sal, who was sawing logs on a rug in Collin's old room.

It was about nine o'clock when
the girl I was standing next to tried to introduce me to someone I remembered from Vegas. Josh used to be Collin's roommate, and was now Ethan's. I recognized him immediately. Not only because I remembered him from Vegas, but also because Ethan and I had just talked about him when we saw each other at Christmas. Also, I sort of expected to see him here since he lives in San Diego. It took Josh a little longer to register who I was. (At least I assumed that's what the stunned expression was all about.)

"Emily, what are you doing here?" Josh said it as if he was almost disappointed in me.

"It's nice to see you too, Josh," I said, laughing.

"Does Ethan know you're here?" he asked. "Please tell me you told him you were coming."

I laughed it off and turned to the girl who'd been about to introduce us. "I'm friends with his roommate," I explained.

"I know Ethan," she said. "Where is he?" She looked at Josh for the answer.

"Not here," Josh said. He looked at me. "I don'
t think he knew you were coming."

"He didn't," I said. "I did
n't want to tell him I changed my mind because I knew he'd already made other plans."

Josh smiled as he pulled his phone from his pocket.
"You know I have to tell him you're here, right?"

"No, don't do that!" I protested, reaching out for his phone. He easily dodged my efforts. "Seriously, he's got other stuff going on. Don't bother him
."

"
I think he's on a boat somewhere. It's likely he won't answer my text. But he'd be pissed at me if he found out I saw you here and I didn't let him know."

Josh sent a text to Ethan. He stared at his screen for a few seconds to see if he'd get an immediate response. When
nothing instant came, he returned his phone to his pocket.

We talked for a few more minutes before Collin walked up to join the conversation. Josh informed him that Ethan had no idea I'd be here. Collin put a hand to his forehead knowing that he'd be in trouble for not keeping Ethan in the loop. "I was wondering where he was," Collin said. "You're telling me he had no idea you were coming?"

I shrugged impishly.

"Does he know you're here now?" Collin asked.

"I text him,
" Josh said, "but he's out on a boat. I don't know if he has service."

Josh
and Collin saw someone they knew from college, and crossed the room to talk to him. They asked if I wanted to come along, but I used the opportunity to run upstairs to check on Sal again. I liked having the chance to take a deep breath and not have to watch my posture for a few seconds. Sal rolled over, so I knelt next to him, and gave him belly rub. He seemed content to hang out there even with the noise downstairs. I told him the party was only a few more hours, and I'd be coming to bed. He yawned, oblivious.

When I went back downstairs, I ended up hooking up with Coll
in's little sister Meredith. We were close in age, and she was a sweet, outgoing girl. She introduced me to nearly everyone we passed, stopping to talk to groups of people for a few minutes before moving on. She literally knew
everyone
at the party and they were all happy to make small talk with us.

It was around 10:30 when we ran into Josh again. The first thing out of his mouth when he caught sight of me walking up with Meredith was, "I haven't heard from him."

"Who?" Meredith asked. Even though it was obvious he'd directed the comment to me.

"Ethan," Josh said.

"Erickson?" Meredith asked.

Josh looked at her with over exaggerated patience. You could tell from the exchange that they behaved like siblings. "Yeah Erickson. What other
Ethans do you know?"