6. Everybody Talks

CHAPTER 6

EVERYBODY TALKS

NEON TREES

I’m surprised I’m not dead after the brutal workout this morning. When Steve said we were going fucking hard after my phone call—he meant it. He even made me take a stupid selfie with him and posted the damn thing. That’s all over the internet now, which normally causes my phone to blow up, but I deleted the app for the day because I don’t want the distraction. I also don’t care about anything the press has to say about my body or what outlandish gossip the click-baiters will start today. Today, I’m way too pumped for that kind of bullshit.

So pumped that I’ve been standing in front of the mirror for fifteen minutes, trying to decide if I should shave or leave the scruff. I end up texting James’s wife, Lexi. She says if I shave, she’s going to come over to the house and take my dogs. Rude, but she made her point. She was a fan of mine long before she fell for my best friend. Now, she’s another sister I never had, right there with Dani.

I drop onto the edge of the bed and pull up the address Ren sent me to see how long it’s going to take. For all I know, she could live clear across the city or down in Long Beach, but I have a vague recollection of Dani mentioning they lived pretty close by.

I could have met Ren ages ago if Dani had introduced us, but I was in a shitty headspace before. The decision to take back control of my life took time, and until a few months ago, I wouldn’t have given Ren and me a shot in hell. Life is so damn weird, but I’m glad it waited for better times to introduce her to me.

The pin on the map drops near the East Hollywood area—super close. Even with the LA traffic, it should only take me about fifteen minutes to get there, which means I have about an hour before I need to leave and I’m already dressed and waiting. This is worse than prom.

I’m staring in the mirror, and that’s when the doubt creeps in. I examine every wrinkle around my eyes and the way my forehead creases when I’m stressed or angry. I over-analyze the way the suit fits me too tightly in some places. I question the way my face looks since I haven’t shaved. With a deep breath, I stop and center myself, forcing a smile. But it fades as fast as it came.

What if she doesn’t like me or thinks I’m weird? Do I look stupid? What if she finds out that I’m a mess and she decides I’m worth it? What if the paps see us? This is a terrible idea, and it’s going to end badly—publicly. Again.

The walls are closing in and breathing isn’t as easy as a minute ago. I need to get this suit off and to get some air. But I know the suit isn’t the real issue.

What if I hurt her? What if I’m about to ruin her life in the same way I ruined Cassie’s? What if she hates me? So damn many what ifs.

A shuffle by the door followed by Pongo’s nose on my hand and his ninety-pound body leaning against my leg brings me back out of the spiral. As my breathing steadies again, I crouch down and let him lick my face. I take a few deep breaths to pull my head together. I’ve worked hard to learn how to pull myself out of the doom spiral.

“Good boy, buddy. Thank you.”

“Hey man, all good?” Devin asks as he knocks on the door frame and pokes his head inside. “Pongo jumped up and took off, so I wanted to come up and check on you.”

“Thanks, Dev. We’re good. Pongo senses the shift in me before I do a lot of times.”

After Cassie, I lost a couple of gigs because of my depression and panic attacks. I was sick all the time, lost way too much weight, couldn’t even think straight. I admitted I needed help and, lucky for me, I have friends who made sure I got it. A few sessions into therapy, the doc recommended Pongo, a pit bull being trained as a Psychiatric Service dog by a friend of his. The press and public assume I’m another one of those celebrities who gets a dog and takes him everywhere. They had no idea they were a big part of the reason I needed him in the first place. He’s been a literal lifesaver on more than one occasion, and Dev knows that. Not a lot of other people do, and I like to keep it that way.

“Maybe you should take Pongo?”

I scritch behind his ears and kiss his head. “What do you think, Pongo? I don’t think you meet the dress code there, hotshot.” I stand back up and nod to Devin, “It’s alright, I uh, I’m a nervous wreck.”

“You got this, and if you don’t, you got me. I’m headed out to the game, but I’m not starting tonight, so if you need me, call. I’ll be there.”

“I love you, even if you are a dick sometimes and brush your fucking teeth in my kitchen like a caveman.”

“Yeah, yeah. You have to love me, asshole. I’m the baby.” He crosses the room and gives me a hug. We’ve always been close, even if we are eleven years apart. “You look good, man. Go knock ‘em dead, but don’t knock her up. I mean, unless you want to. You do you, but the kid isn’t getting my room. Just saying.”

“You…are so strange, man.”

I finish getting ready and give the dogs their food before I grab my keys. Twenty minutes later, I’m pulling into a parking lot in front of a veterinarian’s office with a Korean restaurant and a fast-food joint at opposite ends. There’s a joke in here, but I’m sure as fuck not touching it with a ten-foot pole. I park and realize the Jaguar sticks out like a sore thumb. Instantly, I feel like a douche and the doubt creeps back in.

She’s sent me here because I’m an idiot and she doesn’t want people to know she’s going out with me. Or she’s standing me up and trying to prove a point. I should have borrowed Jamie’s jeep. She’s a teacher and I’ve seen Dani’s car. I’m overdoing it. As always.

Fuck it. She’s my date, which means she’ll get treated like the fucking queen she is. Assuming she’s even here.

I crack my neck and climb out, looking around and trying to give off a confident bravado. Inside, I’m jello. As I turn back to the car, the door to the vet’s office opens up and there she is. My mouth hangs open, but I can’t get my brain to fire off anything, so I continue staring. She’s fucking gorgeous, and I can’t even tell her that.

She’s wearing a blue, floor-length skirt with two slits damn near all the way up the side. I can’t breathe as I take in the way it hugs her, showing off that ass and those beautiful thighs. She’s wearing a top with fabric criss-crossing over her chest and I can’t stop staring at how amazing it makes her tits look. I have got to stop staring at them, but holy shit, it’s hard not to. She looks like she’s headed out to accept an Oscar, not to dinner with some dork like me.

“Is this not okay? I read it’s formal attire.”

Her voice brings me back to reality as I pull in the breath I’ve been needing to take for a while now. “I…you…uhm.”

“You know, for a guy who basically talks for a living, you’re not very good at it,” she teases.

I clear my throat as a nervous laugh escapes before I jog to the other side of the car and hold the door open for her. “You look phenomenal, Ren. I mean it.”

“Thanks,” she replies with a confident wink as she ducks into the car, pulling her skirt in so it doesn’t get caught on the door.

“Okay, Chase. DO NOT fuck this up. Do not! Fuck! This! Up!” I mumble to myself as I jog back around and get in. “Sorry if I kept you waiting.”

“I showed up early. My neighbor works as a tech at the veterinarian’s clinic and she let me borrow these shoes. Since I had to pick them up here, I played with the puppies after work. I even brought a change of clothes, just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“You came to your senses and changed your mind. I figured being around puppies would make a satisfactory alternative to the evening if someone stood me up.”

I glance at her, still trying not to stare. “You left puppies for me? I’m honored.”

“Mr. Cooper?—”

“Chase. Or Coop. Hell, you can call me anything you want, just, please, not Mr. Cooper.”

“Okay, Chase, I don’t know if you know this or not, but you’re kind of famous and you’re also kind of good looking. You’re also kind of rich. School teachers don’t get picked to accompany Hollywood hot shots to dinner.”

“Okay, fair points, but what if she’s a smoking hot teacher who looks absolutely stunning in my car?”

Whoa. That… almost sounded smooth. Shit, I might not fuck this up.

She laughs, and she doesn’t hold back. I doubt there’s a shy bone in this woman’s body and it makes me like her more. “Okay, let’s be real here before we get too many drinks in us. This isn’t going anywhere, and by this, I mean us. You want to show off your toys and your flashy suit that probably costs more than my car. The problem is, those things don’t mean a damn thing to me. I’m being nice to the generous—and gorgeous—man who bought me a fucking smart board.”

“Oh,” I reply, eyes on the road. Maybe I should have brought Pongo. No. No, I can do this. “So, if I burn the cars, the house, the suits, all of it, would that give me a fighting chance? Because I can get some lighter fluid while we’re out and get started with this suit.”

She laughs again and adjusts her skirt in a way that exposes more of her light brown thigh, turning my mouth into a desert.

“You okay, Chase?”

“How about a deal?” I spit out before I can think.

“A deal? Like a bet?”

“No, a deal. Tonight, we agree to be ourselves, have some fun, and enjoy the evening. See how it goes. If I’m a dud, you say so, and I’ll leave you alone. You won’t have to worry about me bothering you again. I promise.”

“What if I don’t think you’re a dud?” I catch her biting her lip out of the corner of my eye and I pray that I’m not a dud.

“If that happens, I’d like to take you out again in whatever capacity interests you.”

She stares at me as we pull into the driveway and up to the valet station. I should have circled the block a dozen more times so we could continue the conversation, but there’s no turning back now. Before I can open the door, there’s a knock on the window from the valet, Marco, who happens to be buddies with my brother. He waves me around back to a private lot. When we climb out, Marco takes the keys from me with a grin and I hand him two hockey tickets.

“Dev says hi. You should come by next week; I’ll be out of town, but he’s living at my place now and he’d love to see you.”

“Sweet, thanks, Coop. Go ahead inside. They know you’re coming.” He looks Ren up and down as she slides in next to me and he gives her a coy smirk. “Miss, if it don’t work out with Prince Charming, I can get you in here any night you want.”

“Seriously, Marco? I invited you to my house two seconds ago, and you’re already trying to take my girl?” I laugh and catch the pink spread over her cheeks when I call her my girl. I don’t want to scare her off, but I need her to know I’m serious about wanting to give this a shot. I hold out my elbow and she slips her arm through. It’s a little awkward and I have to lean down a bit, but we work it out.

“ Your girl, huh?”

“A guy can hope, can’t he?”

“So what happens if the night ends and you realize I’m the dud?”

I hold the door open and she steps into the dark hallway, giving us a quiet moment together as our eyes adjust. We’re so close I can smell her perfume, and it smells like summer. Like warmth and sunflowers. I want to kiss her so damn badly.

“That isn’t possible.” I grin, reaching out and letting my finger trace down her necklace. “You’re an intoxicating person, Ren. You can’t hide that. Intelligent, bold, and absolutely breathtaking. You couldn’t be a dud if you tried.”

To my surprise, she pushes hard against my chest, backing me up to the wall. Grabbing my tie, she wraps it between her fingers, giving it a pull like a leash. Her rich, brown eyes stare up at me over her gold glasses and my knees are officially weak. I don’t think I’ve ever been this turned on in my whole life, but I’m also terrified I’ve said the wrong thing. I’m well aware that it’s fucked up to think about on our first semi-date, but I can’t help wondering how fun she must be in bed.

She leans in and I can’t stop staring at her lips as my heart pounds out of my chest. In a low, sultry voice, she says, “Well, you have yourself a deal. Let’s see where tonight takes us, eh, puppy?”