Chapter 21
Songs: Santa Monica – Theory of a Deadman & A Few Small Bruises – Maria Mena
Thursday passed quickly, all things considered. My director at the day care allowed me to resign without two weeks notice, but I still had to work a half day on Friday. It all went over much better than I could have expected. She supported my opportunity in L.A. and assured me that they would miss me at the school. It was nice to know I could leave on a good note and keep all the friends I had made while working there.
Emmett met me in the evening and we joined my parents for the dinner we had planned. They were definitely surprised by my news, but were very supportive. They were ecstatic that Emmett was giving me a job that would make use of my degree. I knew it was easier for them to accept my big move knowing that Em would be there with me.
I had to work at the bar with Rosalie that night, so after dinner we rushed back to my apartment and changed our clothes before heading out again.
Emmett had no trouble keeping himself entertained and making friends while we worked, but hovered around Rose’s side of the bar much more than mine. The smile she wore for him was more than her patented “big tip” seduction. As for Emmett, I can’t say his flirtations surprised me in the least. In fact, it was quite amusing to watch from the sidelines, as they were the two biggest flirts I had ever known. She was definitely an eager participant in whatever little game they were playing, so I didn’t ask questions, opting to simply enjoy the show from my station.
On Friday afternoon, Emmett and I worked on packing and organizing everything I would be taking with me. When I went in for my last night of bartending, he spent a little more time with his mom.
Saturday morning came too soon. Emmett, Rosalie and I finished all the last minute details while we waited for my parents and the movers to arrive before we left for the airport. Mom and dad were going to sell my car for me, and once everything was settled in California, I would buy something new. Absolutely everything in my life was changing, so I focused on small tasks and taking things one step at a time. If I allowed myself to get caught up in the whirlwind of it all, I would probably have another breakdown. Keeping myself busy helped.
Rose and I were inside labeling the last few boxes while Emmett packed our luggage in the rental car. When we finished, I pulled out my phone to call my parents and find out how soon they would arrive. Rose stared nervously at me, shifting around in an uncharacteristic manner for such a confident person. I tucked my phone back in my pocket and asked her what was wrong.
“I have to tell you something.”
I stared at her expectantly. “Well? What’s up? I want to make sure I have everything I need in the rental before we leave.”
I watched my best friend bite her unglossed lip and tug on her ponytail. She looked nervous, and I could not for the life of me figure out why. We were both sad about saying goodbye, but I didn’t understand this apprehension.
“Bella, don’t be mad at me, but IsortoftoldJacobtocomeover.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “Rose, why?”
She cringed, but straightened up to stand her ground. “You need to say goodbye to him. Even though you already broke up, he was your friend for a long time. He deserves a proper goodbye.”
“Rosalie,” I groaned. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, but this is going to be so awkward!”
Her hand rose to my shoulder and gave it a pat. “I know, but it’s too late now. I saw his truck coming up the street. Felix and Garrett are supposed to be with him, so it won’t be terrible.”
“Fine,” I grumbled as I went back outside.
As we walked out the door, I saw Emmett shaking hands and greeting Jacob, Felix and Garrett. Jacob saw us and gave me a tentative smile, but his eyes were sad. Rosalie skipped over to hug Felix while I turned back into the apartment and motioned Jacob to follow.
“Umm, hey Bell- whoa. You’re moving?” he said. The surprise in his voice was obvious.
“Yeah,” I hedged. I had no idea what else to say at the moment.
“Did you and Rose finally decide to get a place together?”
“No, Jake,” I said, looking down. “I’m going to Los Angeles. With Emmett. That’s why he’s here.”
“Oh,” he said softly. I peeked up at him through my eyelashes and saw him look away. “That’s…great. Good for you,” he said half-heartedly.
Without thinking, I flung my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek into his chest. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. Sorry for hurting you…sorry for not being able to love you.
I could feel his arms lift and hesitate behind me. After a few moments, his hands splayed out across my back, and he rested his chin on the top of my head. It wasn’t an intimate gesture, just…accepting.
“Good luck, Bells. We’ll miss you,” he said as he released me. I noticed he didn’t say I, but I understood. The wounds I had inflicted on him were still fresh.
“Me too. Take care, okay?” I said. My stomach rolled with anxiety driven nausea.
He nodded once, and we went back outside to our friends.
The movers had arrived while we were inside, and Emmett was giving them some instructions while the others talked nearby. I made my way over to them to say the rest of my goodbyes.
Felix gave me a hug, and I made him promise to take care of Rosalie. I wasn’t sure how things would turn out for them, but I could only wish them the best. I knew she would need him more than ever with me leaving.
Garrett pulled me into a tight embrace and whispered dirty things in my ear until I started giggling.
“There’s my favorite smile,” he said quietly so only I could hear.
“I’m going to miss you,” I told him.
He smiled back at me reassuringly. “You too, babe. We’ll keep in touch. Don’t break too many surfer boy hearts down there, all right?”
My parents arrived minutes later to say goodbye and collect my car, and after another series of hugs and a few tears, Emmett and I left for the airport.
………………….
“Yes mom, we just boarded the plane, so I should go…I will call you when we land…Okay, love you too, and dad…Bye mom.” I knew she was mourning the loss of her “baby” to this move, but I was entirely too exhausted to deal with my weepy mother at the moment.
I snapped my phone shut, glancing over at Emmett, who was laughing.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said with a smile, shaking his head.
I was ready to make a smartass comment when my phone rang again. Sighing, I answered without looking at the caller ID.
“Mom! I told you I’d call when we land!”
“Bella?”
The voice on the other end was not my mom.
Emmett gave me a questioning look, most likely because I was practically chewing my lower lip to a pulp. It was too soon. I wasn’t ready to deal with this.
“Hey Edward. This isn’t really a good time.” In truth, I wanted nothing more than to hear his voice, but doing so was pure torture; a reminder of something else I couldn’t have and shouldn’t want.
“Did you say ‘when we land?’” he asked. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Umm, yeah. I’m going to L.A.” I replied hesitantly.
“Oh, well, when do you get back?” His anxious words came too fast for me to interrupt or get a word in edgewise. “I need to see you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, and I want to talk. I want to be with you, Bella. I thought I could walk away after the other night, but I can’t. So much has happened in the last few months that I want to tell you about, so when can I see you?”
I could already feel the hot tears rolling down my cheeks as I listened. Emmett was elbowing me, trying to figure out what was being said on the other end of my phone. I took in a single shaky breath, hoping my words would sound clear and not choked out when I spoke. He was saying the things my heart had always wanted to hear from him, even if my head had convinced me otherwise. Worse yet, he sounded so hopeful and excited. Why now of all times?
“Edward, I’m…I’m not going on vacation,” I said in a hoarse whisper, still fighting back my impending tears. “I’m moving.”
For a moment, I thought the line had gone dead, but then I heard Edward’s heavy breaths.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was solemn, causing a sharp pang of guilt to wash over me.
“It was a last minute decision. I didn’t know when I saw you.”
“When did you decide then? That was only four days ago!”
“Wednesday,” I whispered.
“Wednesday? As in the day after we…” he trailed off quietly. “Is this because of me? Shit, Bella. I thought…oh god. Please tell me this is a joke.”
“Edward, this isn’t a good time,” I managed to get out. “The flight attendant is coming this way to have me turn off my phone.”
“We need to talk about this. I need to talk to you. Fuck, why are you leaving?”
“I have to go now,” I said, not truly wanting to say goodbye.
“God, please call me soon. Please.”
“Bye,” I whispered, not waiting for a reply before I ended the call. I handed the phone to Emmett, who turned it off and stowed it for me. His arms carefully wrapped around my shoulders, and I fell against his chest sobbing.
“Shh, sweetie, it’s okay. Everything is going to be all right,” he said soothingly as his hand ran up and down my back in a comforting gesture. “Why don’t you get some sleep and we’ll talk about it later, all right?”
I nodded in agreement, snuggling against him a little more. I felt the plane lift off the runway a few minutes later, and then I was gone.
Waking up about a half hour before our scheduled landing time, I cringed at the stiffness in my neck from my awkward position.
“Hey Princess Aurora,” Emmett said jovially when I opened my eyes and stretched. He handed me his Coke, which I gratefully accepted. The stale air of the cabin had left me quite parched.
“How do you know that Sleeping Beauty is Princess Aurora?” I asked with a hint of laughter in my voice.
He shrugged and smiled widely. His dimples were fully exposed with that expression. “Do you forget how many times you made me watch that movie with you?”
“You’ve got me there, but I think you made up for it with G.I. Joe, Transformers, and He-Man.”
We chuckled quietly at our memories, and my smile did not dissipate until I remembered the phone call before my nap. Seeing my fallen face, Emmett took my hand and patted it.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Not really.”
“Need to talk about it anyway?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, thankful that he knew me so well.
“What did he say?”
“He was shocked that I left. Upset about it.”
Emmett didn’t say anything, but I knew he wanted me to continue.
Steeling myself to say the words aloud, I sucked in a lungful of air. “He said he needed to talk to me about stuff…about these last few months. That he wants to be with me.” Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head and fought back another stupid crying fit. Fuck, I had been crying way too much lately.
“Hey now, baby B. It’s all going to be okay. I’m not saying he did or didn’t really mean that, but do you really want to be with someone with that much baggage? You’re coming with me to simplify your life. To make it better. I think it’s best to leave this in your past, no matter how difficult it may be.”
“I know, you’re right. It’s just…why does he keep saying all those things? It’s killing me. If he wasn’t married, things could have gone so much differently for us. It’s hard to hear him say stuff like that.”
“You can’t change what he’s said, nor can you control him,” he said with understanding. “But you can control where you go from here. The decision has already been made. We’re almost home. Your new life starts today, Belly.”
“You’re right,” I sighed. “I have to try and put him out of my mind and focus on the future.”
“Exactly. A new home, a new life, and a new perspective. You’re going to love it here.”
We continued talking for a while, and it truly helped me keep my mind on the reason I decided to leave Washington. I wasn’t running away, I was starting over. In truth, I didn’t want to be in the Seattle area any longer. The last twenty-five years of my life had been spent there, and it was time for something different. I needed to experience things I never had before and meet new people. Maybe I wouldn’t stay here forever, but this could be a steppingstone. Working for Emmett could get my foot in the door for a variety of career paths. I was already familiar with the area considering all my summers spent with Emmett and Carlisle, so I knew I wouldn’t hate it. It helped that I would have a few friends already. Jasper and I had not spoken since Carlisle’s wedding last summer, but I knew things would not be awkward between us. We had parted on a good note, and the prospect of his friendship was comforting.
By evening, we were in L.A. and rolling our luggage into Emmett’s condo. Before I knew it, my attitude was much better. Thank God for my cousin. I dropped my bags in my new bedroom and then went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. On the granite countertop was a bottle of 1800 tequila and a note with my name on it.
Bella,
Welcome back! Emmett and I are so glad you’re here to stay. I’m looking forward to drinking this with you. ~Jasper
“What’s that?” Emmett asked when he came in a few minutes later.
I held the bottle up with a smile. “From Jasper.”
“Ahh, his favorite. He’ll try to make a convert out of you,” he chuckled.
“I don’t discriminate when it comes to top shelf liquor, especially when it’s free!” I joked.
We stayed in the kitchen chatting for a few more minutes. After discussing dinner plans, I went back to my room to unpack the small amount of clothes in my suitcase and take a shower.
We went out to a Mongolian grill a couple hours later, and over dinner Emmett told me about my new job at the club.
“The position is V.I.P. Liason and Special Events Coordinator. Basically, it means that when we have high profile guests in the club, you make sure they’re happy, taken care of, and not being harassed. The second part is overseeing and coordinating events when people rent the club out for private parties,” he explained.
I stared at him, completely dumbfounded. “What you’re telling me is that I’ll be there to preen over all the socialites, celebrities, and athletes who come to the club?”
“Yes indeed, Belly Button. You’ll be great at it.” The biggest, dumbest smile stretched across his face.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I said flatly. “Am I really going from preschool teacher to Hollywood hostess?”
“I shit you not, little cuz. You want to use that P.R. degree? Keep the beautiful people happy, and my club will remain a hot spot.”
This was definitely not what I expected when Emmett told me he had a job for me. I thought he would want me to do advertising or something of that nature. Obviously, I knew there was a lot of celebrity clientele at Rendezvous, I just didn’t think I would be the one responsible for keeping them happy. The whole prospect was a bit daunting. People go crazy about celebrity gossip magazines and websites. Now I would be hanging out with famous people on a daily basis. Just…wow! I couldn’t wait to tell Rosalie about this!
I could not believe Emmett would trust me with such an important position at the club. I had done internships in college, but that was really the extent of my experience in the public relations field. He was essentially placing the reputation of the club on my shoulders. The atmosphere, service, and music make a huge impact on keeping customers satisfied, but if the big names weren’t happy when they came to the club, it was unlikely they would come back. That meant a bad name could be created amongst Hollywood insiders, thus dooming the entire establishment. Yes, there would always be the non-V.I.P. clientele, but most of them tended to flock to wherever the celebs went, forever attempting to get their foot in the door or make a name for themselves on the social scene.
Lord have mercy, could I handle that much responsibility? Zero experience plus the highest of expectations was an intimidating combination. No, those people were not royalty by any means, but many of them thought of themselves that way. In this game, you had to cater to your demographic or fail.
“Just do one thing for me,” I requested seriously.
“What’s that, hun?” Emmett asked.
“Please stop calling me Belly Button in public. I can’t think of anything less professional.”
A roar of laughter consumed our booth, with Emmett’s signature dimples making an appearance. I swear I saw a waitress look over at his outburst and swoon. Emmett did not lack charm, and I was certain that living with him was going to be quite the adventure, even with all my baggage.
We went to Rendezvous after dinner, and Emmett quickly began introducing me to all of his employees. Almost everyone was friendly and welcoming, and it didn’t escape my notice when a couple of the bouncers looked me over as if I was their next conquest. Oddly, I felt no desire to flirt or play that game with them. The thrill I normally experienced from that kind of attention simply wasn’t there. Regardless, I still heard Emmett tell them I was off limits. My natural inclination was to analyze my cousin’s actions, as well as those of the two attractive security specialists, but all of my recent drama had left me too exhausted to deal with men right now. It was a strange feeling. I made a mental note to revisit those thoughts later.
While on that subject, my mind drifted to Jasper. Even though I wasn’t feeling so keen on dealing with men right now and I had already convinced myself that things would be amicable and friendly with him, it would still be an interesting situation. We would be living together for some indefinite amount of time and also working together. If things were not as agreeable as my previous assumption, it could all get really awkward and uncomfortable. Then again, he had left that note and bottle of tequila for me. It was a very friendly and welcoming gesture. He surely wouldn’t have gone out of his way if the prospect of being around me so much made him uncomfortable.
I didn’t allow my musings to go any farther than that, though. For one thing, I had this sense that the brief hook up at Carlisle’s wedding was a thing of the past. Things after that had been almost serene. The ease of our conversation and kissing was pleasant, but not weighed down with expectation. In a way, we had served a need for one another – as a temporary distraction and a physical need to be close and comfortable with someone who didn’t have expectations or stress attached to them. I had no regrets about what had happened between us last summer.
With my head full of Jasper, I began to wonder why I hadn’t seen him yet. He wasn’t home when Emmett and I arrived, and he wasn’t here at Rendezvous. It was still early for a Saturday night, and the other DJ was up in the booth. I had never met her, but Emmett mentioned to me that her name was Maggie. She was quite pretty, with a round face and curly, golden brown hair. She wore jeans and a tank top, showing off a sleeve of tattoos on her right arm as well a variety of other designs scattered across her left arm, chest, and shoulders. All her ink made me think of Edward.
Before I could travel down that dead end path, I turned my attention back to Emmett. We were sitting at the bar as he chatted with one of the bartenders. She had a clipboard out, and I overheard them saying something about the liquor order. When he finished with her, I smiled up at him.
“Where’s Jasper? Is he not working tonight?” I inquired.
“Not yet,” he said. “He’ll be here later. I think he was with his girlfriend all day.”
Oh, so there was a girlfriend. I was proud that it didn’t make me feel uneasy or jealous. It would probably make things much easier between us.
“That’s cool,” I nodded. “Is she coming here too? I’d like to meet her.”
“You actually met her before.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, the one who went to the wedding with us, remember? I guess you were right about Jasper still having feelings for her.”
“Ali?”
“Mmmhmm,” he hummed in confirmation as he scanned the club to ensure everything was in order.
Yeah, I guess I was. Well, I could scratch that thought about things being easier with him having a girlfriend. Ali and I didn’t part on the best terms after the wedding, and I wasn’t sure what she would think of me living a few steps down the hall from her man. Not that I was interested in him that way, but she definitely gave me a little territorial vibe when I had to drop her off at her house.
The only thing I could do was wait and see.
I really hoped that there wouldn’t be any drama surrounding that situation. I had come to L.A. to start fresh. I wasn’t trying to escape my problems; I was attempting to leave my sordid past behind me and start living my life, just like Emmett had said. Nearly every situation and circumstance of my life in Washington was a mess. Yes, my parents and Rose were there, but the rest of it was a train wreck.
My apartment sucked. It was cramped, old, and in a shitty neighborhood. I sort of despised the small town I had been living in, but stayed because I didn’t really have anywhere else to go. Now I would be living in Los Angeles, free from the dreary Seattle weather. Although I didn’t have my own place, Emmett’s condo was a major step up. It was nicer than any house my family ever owned.
My jobs were not leading me anywhere. I loved the kids at the school and I had fun bartending, but it wasn’t as if either allowed me any luxuries. At Rendezvous, I would be doing something that actually related to my college degree, and I would be working with my cousin who I considered my boy BFF. Instead of poopy-diapered toddlers and blue-collar assholes, I would be surrounded by people whose faces graced magazines and movie screens. It was a bit surreal.
Then there was Jacob. Poor Jacob. He was such an innocent bystander in all of this, and my guilt remained even after leaving. He wasn’t perfect, but he was a good guy. A genuine, sweet, generous man who just happened to fall in love with the wrong girl. He was there for me when I needed him, and I had never been able to return the devotion he showed me. It killed me that I hurt him, especially how that breakup occurred. As if running out on him wasn’t bad enough, I had to twist the knife by basically letting him see me with another man. I couldn’t imagine how much he was hurting. I didn’t even want to consider it, lest I be guilt-ridden. In all honesty, I hoped that my abrupt disappearance from his life would help him. If I wasn’t around as a constant reminder of our failed relationship, perhaps he could get over me sooner. He should move on and find someone more worthy of his love. He has pretty much everything going for him – a fantastic job, multiple automobiles, great looks, a good-natured personality, not to mention the skills in bed. Jacob deserved a really great woman at his side, and I hoped he would find her.
But Edward. My Edward. No, I couldn’t allow myself to think of him that way, yet it was challenging not to. He told me he loves me and then said he wanted to be with me. My heart ached for him. I could literally feel my pulse throbbing in my ears when I thought about him. My stomach tightened and I became hot and uncomfortable. This was all so damn hard. It had always been that way with Edward, but this was the worst of it all.
Unable to block it out any longer, his call from earlier in the day came back to me. I thought of what he said on the phone as I sat on the plane awaiting departure. His words were so certain, his tone determined and honest. Those handful of words, strung together into heart wrenching statements, were difficult to fathom.
From the very beginning, even when we were just fooling around and our feelings hadn’t surfaced, Edward had always been on the defensive about any affectionate sentiments. We had gotten in fights about his nervous nature and hadn’t spoken for weeks. At the time, I wasn’t necessarily concerned about how Edward felt about me, but I was comfortable with the status of our relationship. For my own reasons, I had been as guarded as he had. I wasn’t with him to fall in love or even get a boyfriend. It was sex and fun with an insanely beautiful, intriguing man. His marriage didn’t matter to me because I really only wanted one thing from him. Eventually, I felt remorse for our situation, but it wasn’t enough to deter me from enjoying his company.
Somewhere along the way, heavier emotions dug their claws deep beneath our skin. We became friends, and with that change, we were less of fuck buddies and more of lovers. Sharing details of our lives felt natural and good. Granted, we did not discuss our personal lives outside our bubble, but we really began to know one another. Falling for him had been easy. Too easy. It wasn’t a sudden occurrence; it was a slow build, strengthening our friendship and bond carefully along the way.
I had stupidly denied it for so long. Really, I was just trying to protect myself. I couldn’t seem to stay away from or refuse Edward, but it was a constant internal struggle to prevent heartache. Over and over, so many times I had lost count, he told me that he had to stay with his wife and his son. I couldn’t begrudge him that fact. They obviously had a lot of history I would never understand, and it wasn’t my place to get involved in his personal business. All the while, I was juggling relationships of sorts with Jacob and Garrett, which strengthened my beliefs that I had no right to question Edward.
They say hindsight is twenty-twenty, and whoever “they” are, yeah, they’re right. Had I possibly been able to see things clearly back then, I might have realized what I was dealing with. I might have recognized that I was falling in love with Edward more and more with each phone call, conversation, and moment together. If I could go back and change things, would I? That was a question I honestly could not answer. We had both tried to walk away several times, and we always ended up back together. Another attempt to do so probably would have failed as well.
I guess that’s the thing about perspective. What I felt and understood now was so different from when it was all happening in the moment. That’s life though. None of us are mind readers or psychics, we just go by what we know, see, and feel around us. We try to make the best decisions based on what we perceive, and quite often, we make mistakes.
There was no right way for Edward and me to handle what we shared. The entire thing was wrong on so many levels, but I suppose that deep down, a part of me understood that he was something more than I forced myself to believe. What other reason would I have for continuing a relationship of that nature?
Everything was so screwed up. It was why I had to leave. I tried to be with Jake. Edward went back to his family. Yet the first time we saw each other, we ended up back at square one. Neither of us seemed to have the self-control to do the right thing, so this forced separation was really the only solution. If we did not have access to one another, there could be no opportunities for slips. Edward could focus on his life just as he had before I came along, and I could put my time and attention on my career.
It would be a good thing in the long run.
I could hardly convince myself that was true considering that I had no idea what my future held anymore, but if I kept repeating it, maybe it would work out that way.
I didn’t want to think about being in love with Edward, even if I hadn’t said those words to him. I didn’t want to think about him admitting he loves me or saying that he wants to be with me. I was dying to know what it was he wanted to discuss. He had sounded so adamant on the phone, but he didn’t give me much to go by. I could see absolutely no way we could have made that happen, even if I had stayed in Washington. How many times had he told me he couldn’t bear to be away from Finn? He loved his son so much, and he didn’t want to give up being a part of his child’s life every single day. I couldn’t blame him for that. In fact, I admired his devotion and love.
Therefore, the fact remained that no matter what Edward claimed he needed to tell me, we were doomed to continue down that same circular path. It hurt so much right now, but time would make things easier. The longing would fade. The ache would subside. The more days I survived without him, the less I would need him. Everything would be okay eventually.
Today, though…today was tough. Today hurt a lot.
Things would not change overnight, but I had a sudden realization. I could change my location, my career, and the people who surrounded me, but if I didn’t put forth the effort to make positive changes in myself, nothing would be different. Yes, those first things would remain, but I could easily fall back into the same lifestyle I had been living. It made me question whether it was really Washington I was unhappy with, or if it was myself. Perhaps a combination of all those.
I suddenly felt sick.
What kind of person had I become? As a little girl, I always had this dream of what my life would be like. I would have some high power career, wearing designer suits with stiletto heels as I led boardroom meetings. I would meet my sweetheart in college and we’d be married shortly after graduation. Of course, we would begin working on our family right away. That life would include a large house, a nice luxury vehicle, and dinner parties with all our friends.
None of that happened for me.
In reality, as I grew older and experienced the real world, my expectations changed. In many ways, they lowered.
I dated guys in college, but never met anyone who made me want to settle down. Then I met James, and there was really no explanation for that relationship. I let it take over everything in my life, and I completely lost my way. Instead of focusing on success, love and a family, my priorities became friends, fun, and sex. It was self-centered, immature, and foolish.
How I could have justified my behavior is beyond me. After James, I should have gotten my ass in gear and started looking for a real job. But woulda, shoulda, coulda were getting me nowhere. I couldn’t change what I had done. I couldn’t change the fact that I used sex and attention from men as a means of coping with my failed life plan.
My hope lay in the fact that I am still relatively young, and it was early enough to recreate myself. I still wanted to be Bella, I just didn’t want to continue living my life with such a shallow worldview. It would be easy to get caught up in frivolous things working at Rendezvous, but if I kept my focus on my job and not the famous individuals, this could be a successful venture for me. Not to mention the opportunity to support and improve Emmett’s business. He was going so far out of his way to help me. This was the way I could give back to him and say thank you for everything.
With my new sense of determination, I began to feel better. My epiphany did not make my problems disappear, but it gave me the resolve I needed to be a better person.
If I wanted it, success could be mine. I just needed to make it my top priority instead of dwelling on all the issues of my love life. If nothing else, it would be a much needed distraction.
The night passed pleasantly enough. I greeted Jasper when he arrived at the club, but he had to get to work, not affording us much time for conversation. There would be plenty of opportunities for that later. After meeting a few more employees and checking out my new office, Emmett and I headed home early, at least in terms of club time.
I slept hard, and I slept late. When I woke up to the California sunshine pouring in through my windows, I saw my phone flashing on the nightstand. I picked it up and read the text message that had arrived overnight.
You didn’t call me back -EC
She fills my bed with gasoline
You think I wouldn't notice
Her mind's made up
Her love is gone
I think someone's trying to show us a sign
That even if we thought it would last
The moment would pass
My bones will break and my heart would give
You think I wouldn't notice
Her mind's made up
Her love is gone
I think someone's trying to show us a sign
That even if we thought it would last
The moment would pass
My bones will break and my heart would give
Oh, it hurts to live
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman
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