Total Control (27 page)

“You helped me a lot by telling me what to expect. One week down, three to go, but it’s really not that bad.” I told him about my first week. He was pleasantly surprised with the inner peace I’d made with Lex.

“You’re doing so well, Gia. I’m really proud of you, and so is Ethan.”

What? Did he just say Ethan?
My heart about leaped out of my chest. I was in shock and I didn’t speak, I just stared at him.

“Jeez, Gia, I hope someone feels that way about me someday!” He chuckled. “Yes, Ethan is proud of you, and loves you. He wanted me to tell you that.”

I couldn’t believe what he’d just said. Tears ran down my cheeks and I had a relieved smile on my face. I still couldn’t speak. I stared at Sean, my eyes pleading for him to give me more of what I needed.

He couldn’t stop smiling
, either. He shook his head. “You two are sickening, ya know that? First, I had to listen to him tell me how great you are.” My knees got weak and I tightened my grip on Sean’s hand. “And now I have to watch you have some sort of orgasmic experience as I tell you about it.” We laughed.

“I’m
sorry. You shocked me with that. How—when—why did you talk to Ethan?” I couldn’t figure it out.

“Don’t get mad,” he said.

I raised my eyebrows at him. Then I was really curious.

“I gave my card to Dana and Jo and asked them to give it to him. I wanted to talk to him about you. I wanted to check him out, make sure he had your best interests in mind. I knew he was upset with you and hadn’t answered your email
. I had to make sure he was good enough for you.” He winked and smiled.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” I sighed and looked dreamily up to the sky.

“He’s all right,” Sean joked.

I pulled his hand and led him to a bench in the sun. “Tell me everything. Is he still upset with me? What
exactly
did he say?”

“
He’ll be here next week. He can answer all your questions then, in person.”

“What? He’s coming to visit me? Next week? On Sunday?” Poor Sean, he nodded, exasperated with all my questions. I smiled, put his arm around my shoulder, and nuzzled next to him.

“Sorry,” I said.

He squeezed me and kissed the top o
f my head. He was such a good friend. I’d never had a male friend like Sean. He understood me better than anyone did. He’d been to the darkest place, as I had, and he was a godsend to me and my recovery.

“How was your week? More ups? Or more downs?” I asked.

“It was good. I was worried about you for most of it, until I couldn’t take it anymore, so I came over and had a chat with Laura. Now I see how great you’re doing, and I’m very relaxed and content.” I peeked up at him. He had his face to the sun, head tilted back and eyes closed.

“You don’t know what it means to me that you came tod
ay,” I said.

“Yes, I do.” Again he squeezed me and kissed the top of my head.

“How long can you stay?”

“Until they kick me out.” He smiled.

We had lunch and played cards. Brynn came by after her mom left and we talked her into joining us. She taught us a fun card game and we told Sean about our trip to the beach. It was a great day and I didn’t want it to end. Brynn knew it was getting close, so she said goodbye to Sean and headed in.

“Ethan wants me to call him and let him know how you’re doing,” Sean said. “Is there anything you want me to tell him?” My mind raced. There were a million things I wanted to tell him
.

“Uh…um…” I was thinking.

“Try to keep it clean, or at least PG-13.” He rolled his eyes. I was flustered.

“Tell him, uh, tell him to bring me another shirt.” I sighed at the thought of his scent.

“Jesus.” He put his face in his hands. “Don’t even tell me, I don’t want to know.”

I laughed. “It’s innocent, I promise.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him. Anything else?”

“
Once Bitten
, track nine.” It was one, of many, that reminded me of him.

“What?”

“Just tell him, he’ll get it.” I was happy with my choice.

“Okay. Whatever you’re doing in here, keep it up. Call me when you can, if you want.” He was shy all of a sudden.

“Stop it, I hate good-byes.” I grabbed him and hugged him hard. He held onto me just as tight. He still smelled fantastic, but not like Ethan. Ethan had a scent all his own, not from a bottle. I couldn’t wait for another of his shirts. The one I had was beginning to smell like me.

***

I worked out after dinner. Brynn joined me, so I didn’t do my usual routine with Ethan. She asked me about Sean. I think she had a little crush on him. Who wouldn’t? He was all that and a tub of Ben & Jerry’s. I’d have to ask him what he thought of her. They’d make a cute couple. We headed to our rooms for the night. I showered and got comfy in bed with my iPod. As the next song started, I closed my eyes. I was in Ethan’s arms in his kitchen.

Tesla –
What You Give.
“Ahh, dancing with you in my kitchen. I know it was probably cheesy to you, but it’s definitely one of my favorite moments. I was making you dinner, and you were in
your
spot on my countertop. If I could have moments like that with you every day, I’d never ask for anything more.”

It was one of my favorite moments
, too. I loved how he recalled the simple moments. He was a romantic for sure. I was one lucky woman. I turned off my music and thought of Ethan until I fell asleep.

Chapter 18

Ethan

I stayed pretty focused at
Saturday morning’s meeting. I’d been up to Sunset, which had become one of my favorite places while Gia was in California. I chuckled as Rose went over the dress code again. She stressed the “ass cheeks must be at least fifty percent covered” rule for the third time that year. Poor Rose, she got so worked up over that.

Trey and I visited for a few minutes, but Dana was
back at his place, so he was in a rush to get outta there. Lucky bastard. “I’ve got this,” I told him. “Go have fun.”

“Call me if you need me,” he said as he practically ran to the truck.

I hopped on the golf cart and headed to the arena. I checked in the beer and made rounds. The first band of the day was started by then, and everything was going smoothly. I walked backstage and visited with the new guy. He was having a hard time. He said he had some things back home that he shouldn’t have left, and he really needed to take care of them. I got the feeling he was talking about a girl, and I felt for him. He said he’d finish up the weekend, but was leaving on Monday. He apologized like crazy, but I assured him I was going to be fine. I wished him the best of luck. Shane caught up with me as I was leaving.

“Hey, Ethan, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you since last weekend, but I wanted to thank you for being my wingman. I know you weren’t really up for it.”

I patted him on the shoulder. “No problem, Shane. It wasn’t so bad. I just had some personal stuff goin’ on and I could only do so much.”

“Well, I hope you got it all worked out
. Thanks again.” He turned to head back to work.

“
Hey, Shane…” I stopped him. “If you’re still interested in the Entertainment Manager position, it’s yours.”

“What?” His eyes grew big, along with his smile.

“The new guy decided to move back home. He’s leaving on Monday, can you start then?”

He shook my hand enthusiastically
. “Yes, Ethan—thank you!” He was a good kid.

I
’d just about made it back to my place when I ran into Bridget and her friends. I could’ve gone the entire weekend without bumping into her and it would’ve been fine with me.

“Hey,
Ethan, thanks so much for the passes.” She grabbed my arm and held onto me as she introduced me to all her friends. I was uncomfortable with the way she rubbed her chest against my bicep.
What the hell is wrong with her? Isn’t she married?

“Nice to meet you ladies,” I told them. I turned to face Bridget. “How’s Mr. Evans doing?” I asked.
That ought to shut her up and get her tits off me.

“Oh, he’s good,” she said, not letting go of me.
What a bitch.

“I’ve got work to do. Have fun.” I turned and
tried to get back on the cart, but she was right there, not letting go.

“Maybe later we could have a drink together,” she said quietly. “You know, for old
times’ sake.”

“No, Bridget, I don’t think that’s gonna happen since you’re married and I have a girlfriend, but thanks for the offer.”

Her eyes turned cold and she licked her dark red lips. “Oh, that’s right, you’re seeing Gia. It’s a shame about her taking her little vacation right when the firm is so busy.” I wanted her to shut her mouth about Gia. “Thankfully, I have a friend who just moved to town and was looking for a job. She’s been a lifesaver to the firm, covering for Gia. She really wants a permanent position there, and from what I hear from Ken, she fits in perfectly.” I couldn’t believe her.

“What are you doing, Bridget? Has it gotten so bad for you that you have to blackmail men into having a drink with you?” She was shocked that I
’d called her on it. She looked around, embarrassed, making sure no one could hear us.

“Did I mention my friend is also looking for a place to stay? When
Ken and I reached out to help Gia, we didn’t intend for it to be a permanent handout, just until she got on her feet. I guess some people need a little nudge to get their shit together, huh?”
Fucking bitch.

“You’
re just a stone cold bitch, aren’t you,
Mrs. Evans
? I wonder what Mr. Evans would think of this conversation.”

“Mr. Evans
would think whatever I told him to think, just like he’ll do when I explain to him why Ms. Stone has overstayed her welcome.” She raised her brow at me and spun around to rejoin her friends.

I was dumbfounded. There was no way she was that cruel. I considered taking their VIP passes and having them thrown out, but then the wrath of Bridget would be on Gia for sure. I had to leave it alone and hope she was bluffing.

I went home and had something to eat. I booked my flight to California. It was gonna be a long week. I had to keep busy, so I left the house and didn’t head back home until the last concert was done. I had hoped for a call from Sean, but one never came.

“Hey
, Ethan, have you reconsidered that drink yet?” Bridget had come up behind me.

“Get the fuck away from me, Bridget. Can’t you see I’m not interested?” I wasn’t in the mood to beat around the bush.

“Poor little Ms. Stone,” I hated when she called Gia that. “She’ll wonder what in the world she did wrong. You know, a few years back you didn’t seem to mind having a drink with me. In fact, you didn’t seem to mind fucking my brains out, either. I happen to have some Viagra with me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

I got right up in her face. “
Viagra wouldn’t even make my dick hard if it meant I had to put it into you, Mrs. Evans.” That shut her up. I backed away from her and noticed Dana and Trey walking up from behind the Chevy, where they’d heard everything.

Dana walked right up to Bridget and punched her in the face.
Fuck!
They jumped together and it took all the strength Trey and I had to pull them apart. They were yelling shit at each other and we had quite the scene. I called for backup on my Walkie, and Mike was there in no time. I handed Bridget over to him and asked him to get her back to her campsite.

“Bridget, if you leave that site before nine o’clock tomorrow morning, you and your clan will be kicked out
of the campground and The Lock. Do you understand me?” She nodded and so did Mike.

“Nice right hook,” I told Dana.

“She should have a good shiner tomorrow,” Trey added. We all chuckled, but knew it could be a bad situation in the near future. We chatted for a bit. I filled them in on what had happened earlier. We decided we’d figure it out later, and headed off to bed. I undressed and brushed my teeth in record time. When my face hit Gia’s pillow, I relaxed.

When I awoke on Sunday morning
, I was anxious to get a move on. I knew I’d hear from Sean one way or another later. I got a lot done, and just as the last concert of the day was finishing up, I headed home. I showered, had some dinner, and was watching the news when Sean called.

“So, did you get in?” I was anxious to know everything.

“I did, and you’ll be happy to know that she’s doing great.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Did you tell her what I said?” I had to know if she was interested.