Authors: Andrew Hess
“Maybe he got stuck at work. Maybe he’s on the phone with his agent. Maybe he…”
“Maybe he changed his mind and decided it was better to ignore my calls than tell me to my face.”
“Sara, he wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble to set up a perfect date for you if he didn’t want to be with you. If he didn’t call like he said he would, then something must’ve prevented him from calling you.”
An image of Evan lying in a pool of blood with a shadow of a man popped into her head. Another showed broken glass littering the concrete. The front end of a car was smashed in with the driver leaning over the steering wheel.
Fearing the worst brought a river to Sara’s eyes. “I have to find him. I have to make sure he’s okay.”
“Whoa! What got into you?”
“What if something happened to him? What if he’s hurt?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that he must’ve had a good reason for not calling you.” She paused to let her words sink in. “I’m sure he’s fine. You just need to relax and get some sleep. He’ll probably call you in the morning.”
“Okay, but can you come over anyway?”
“Sure, I’ll be over in a half hour.”
The next morning came quicker than Sara hoped. The sun was peeking out through the heavy clouds, letting glimpses of sunshine light the room. Sara’s eyes fluttered open, catching the momentary beams of light. A blinding pain erupted in her head, reminding her of the consequences she faced from the night before. An empty wine glass sat on the corner of her table with two uncorked bottles resting beside it. A glass of water with two tablets sat on her nightstand. Sara popped the pills into her mouth, downing them with a long swig of water.
“Why did I get drunk last night?” Sara looked down and found her phone next to the glass of water. “Oh yeah, now I remember.” She looked around the room for her friend. She remembered calling her last night to come over for drinks, but Julie didn’t come over empty handed. There were two bottles of wine, held tightly in a brown paper bag. She held them up for Sara to see before placing them on the table and popping the corks. After an hour, everything was a blur.
Her phone dinged, letting her know she had a new text message. Hesitantly, she checked the screen and saw there were two messages. She checked Julie’s first.
J
: Hey girl. How you feeling?”
S:
Like my head was used for batting practice.
J:
Yeah well, that’s what happens when you drink too much.
S
: How much did I have?”
J
: You see the two bottles on you table? You drank both of them and left me only one glass.
I’m such an idiot. How’d I let myself get so twisted and drunk last night?
Then she remembered why. Sara backed out of her conversation with Julie and opened her other messages. The second unread text was from Evan.
E
: Sorry about last night. Family drama caused me to walk home from work, and passed out when I got home. Phone’s dying now. Will call you later.
S
: It’s okay. Are you free to talk now?
E
: Not a good time. My publicist and a personal trainer just showed up unexpectedly. Can I call you when we’re done?
Sara stared at her phone in disbelief. She was being pushed off again, this time for a supposed publicist and personal trainer. When her phone dinged again, she was ready to give Evan hell. She looked down at the sender, and noticed Julie’s name.
J:
You hear from Romeo yet?
S:
Yeah, just got his text a minute ago. Gave me some bullshit excuse about family drama, and that he passed out last night.
J:
You don’t believe him?
S:
I don’t know what to believe.
J:
So confront him about it.
S:
How? He’s on Long Island and I’m here in Jersey.
J:
So we go there.
S:
We?
J:
Yeah, that way if things don’t go your way, we can team up and kick his ass.
S:
One problem. We have no idea how to find him.
J:
Leave it to me. He found me. Now I’ll find him.
Sara didn’t know what that entailed, but she was sure if Evan didn’t call back, Julie would make sure he would pay. Knowing how protective her friend was, brought a smile to Sara’s face, a smile that lasted all of five seconds. The room started spinning, her stomach gurgled, and nausea took over her body.
Thank God I’m off today.
The front door to the Taylor household opened. Audrey was the first to enter, followed by Theo as he carried a thoroughly exhausted Evan inside.
“Come on; follow me,” Audrey commanded as they marched through the house. “Let’s get him some water and some ice.”
“This kid needs food he wants to bulk up,” Theo said as he gently placed Evan in a leather high top chair next to the marble kitchen island. “I’ll check the fridge. Just make sure he doesn’t fall.”
Audrey stood near Evan, but refused to get close to the darkened gray t-shirt that was drenched in sweat. Theo returned with a large plate of food. He stacked chicken, pasta, and leftover steak onto the platter and placed them in the microwave.
“What about water? We can’t have our client die from dehydration on our first day.”
Theo opened the fridge and pulled out three bottles of water. He placed each one in front of Evan. Audrey reached for one, but her hand was swatted away. “They’re not for you. They’re for the kid.” He pushed Evan back in the chair and held one of the bottles up to his lips.
The ice cold water slid through Evan’s slightly parted lips and down his throat. He coughed and flailed his arms around in a panic. “Help! Help, I’m drowning.” Evan’s body fell from the chair, landing on the pristine white tiled floor. He shook off the fall and held onto the kitchen island as he rose to his feet. “What the hell happened?”
“You passed out,” Theo laughed.
“How long was I working out for?”
“Two and a half hours.”
“But it’s seven o’clock.”
“Yeah it took us a while to peel you off the floor. Then we had to remember where you lived.”
Evan placed a hand on the side of his head. He heard someone open and close the microwave, causing him to lift his head. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Making you dinner,” Theo spat. “You need to eat as much as you can to help you bulk up. Plus, it’ll help you during your workouts.”
“I have to do more of those?”
“Three to four times a week,” Audrey said while tapping her nails on the counter. “Eat and rest up. We have another long day tomorrow.”
“What about work?”
“You’re done working until we’re done with this book tour. I need your full commitment and attention.” She started towards the door, but stopped abruptly. “Has Mr. Waters mentioned anything about you writing another book?”
“He’s mentioned it a couple of times, but I haven’t come up with anything just yet.”
“Evan, if this tour becomes a success, and I think it will, you need to work on your next project so you can capitalize on your success.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I know I’m right. Now, any time you are not meeting with Theo or myself, I want you working on plotting, outlining, or writing your next book.”
The plate of food is moved from the microwave and placed in front of Evan. He grabs a fork from the kitchen island and pierces the chicken with it.
“Oh no,” a shrill voice shouted from around the corner. “My son is not going to waste his time running around the country pretending he’s a somebody, when he’s really a nobody.” Mrs. Taylor stepped into the kitchen. Her face was redder than a tomato. Evan knew it was the dehydration, but he swore there was steam coming out of his mother’s ears. She pointed a stern finger at Audrey. “And definitely won’t be spending his time at the gym or writing when he should be at work making real money.”
Evan tried to read Audrey’s stone cold expression. He didn’t know how she would react. She was used to dealing with men who tried to flaunt their dominance and put them in their place. But Mrs. Taylor was different. She was a client’s mother.
Audrey stepped away from the counter. The clicks of her heels echoed the floor of the now silent kitchen. She marched up to Mrs. Taylor with an intense anger burning in her eyes. “I’ll have you know, this business you seem to make a mockery of, makes more money than you realize. And your son, he has the potential to make far more than he would working in some retail store.”
“I do,” Evan whispered.
Theo’s hand patted Evan on the shoulder. “I suggest staying quiet and keeping out of this.”
Audrey glared at Evan before turning her attention back to Mrs. Taylor. “I’ve been in this business for nearly ten years, and have had more clients reach the top ten New York Best Sellers List than you can imagine.”
“I don’t care what you say. All those words are nothing but false promises. And as long as he lives in this house, he will abide by my rules. And I say he will go back to work tomorrow or he will work for his brother’s store.”
“What you say and your rules means nothing to me. Evan is my client, and I will do everything in my power to make sure he is a success, including getting him away from a nagging shrew like you.”
“ENOUGH!” Evan’s voice boomed over Audrey and his mother’s. “I’ve had enough of this.” Mrs. Taylor smiled as if knowing Evan would side with her. “Wipe that smirk off your face mom. It’s you I’ve had enough of.” She stepped back and held a hand to her chest as if hearing Evan stand up to her was a shock. “You do nothing but put me and my dreams down. I’m sick of it, and I’m sick of you. I’m done with you.”
Evan moved towards the staircase, but felt a hand close around his wrist. “How dare you speak to your mother like that?”
“You’re right.” He lowered his voice to make his words seem genuine. “I’m sorry.” His pleading eyes stared at his mother’s before the hatred returned. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you a bitch sooner.” He wrenched his wrist from her grasp and stormed off towards the stairs. Audrey and Theo hurried behind him.
A hand closed on Evan’s shoulder. “Nice, if you bring that fire to the gym every day, you’ll be looking like a beast in no time.”
“Yeah, the problem is now I’ll have to deal with the wrath of my father. He’ll probably threaten to kick me out of the house again.”
“Let him try,” Audrey said. “If I see you’re committed to me and to this tour, I can have a place ready for you within the next couple of days.”
“I don’t have the money to go out on my own, especially if I’m not working.”
“You let me worry about that. You just go upstairs, start packing your bags, and get some sleep.”
“Yeah, cause that’s gonna happen.”
“Well, you won’t hear from us for the rest of the night.” Evan watched as Audrey directed Theo to the door. “But tomorrow, we start again bright and early.”
“How early?”
“I’ll let you sleep in a bit.” Audrey and Theo slipped out the front door, leaving Evan by himself. He breathed a sigh of relief before walking up the stairs.
Pain shot through his legs with every step he took, making his shins and thighs feel like fire ripped through his muscles. It was like climbing Mount Everest. Reaching the top seemed like an unattainable task. He gritted his teeth and used the banister to drag himself up the stairs. His body collapsed at the top step. The milestone was complete, but still left him short of reaching his destination.
His mother’s laughter echoed in his head. She tormented him even when she wasn’t near him. It was just the motivation he needed. He clawed at the banister, climbing back to his feet. He inched his way down the hall until he stood across from his bedroom. He pushed off and fell into his door.
“I can’t wait to just pass out,” Evan mumbled. It was the only thing he thought about all day, that and… “Sara!” Ignoring the pain surging through his body, Evan hurried to his bed and retrieved his phone.
****************************************************
Sara
Sara laid in bed, flipping through channels of boring TV shows. Nothing was satisfying her, not even the shrimp tempura from her favorite Chinese food restaurant. Work was a waste of time. Her clients cancelled their meeting, leaving her to sit in an empty room for an hour with nothing but her thoughts.
Why can’t I get this stupid guy out of my head?
It was the same question she asked herself throughout the day as she stared at her phone. She was never the one to wait for a guy to call. Either they called or she moved on. Evan Taylor was a man she didn’t want to move on from.
After eating half the container of shrimp tempura, Sara placed it on her nightstand and picked up the phone again. “Fucking asshole,” she spat before slamming the phone into a pillow. As she moved her hand, the phone let out a soft song. The name on the screen read “Evan T.” She darted for the phone to answer, but stopped herself before swiping her finger across the screen.
Fuck him. He’s the one not answering or returning my calls or texts. Let him wonder where I am and who I’m with.
The song ended abruptly. She thought blowing Evan off would be more satisfying, but all she wanted to do was talk to him. Sara stared at the phone, scrolling through the list of names from her contact list. Seeing Evan’s name brought the desire to see him again, to be in his warm loving arms, and feel like her world was complete.
The decision was obvious, she needed to call him back. She needed to hear his voice. Before she could dial, the phone rang again.
“Hey, I was hoping you’d pick up,” Evan said.
Sara wanted to tell him off, tell him it was about time he called her, and that he was an ass for making her wait. The grizzly exhausted sound of his voice wiped away any of those thoughts.
“I was hoping you’d call.”
“Sorry about that.” He sounded sincere, but it didn’t help how Sara felt about being stood-up even if it was just a phone call. “It’s been crazy here the last couple of days.”
“So you were saying. What happened?”
“My parents didn’t like that I went to Jersey to visit you, and hated the idea of me taking a few months off of work to go on the book tour.”
“So what? You’re an adult. It’s none of their business what you do with your life and who you go see. What are they going to do to you?”
“They took the car away from me. So I had to walk to and from work last night. It’s over three miles each way.”
“So when you said you were tired and passed out last night…”
“I literally walked in the door, went upstairs to my room, and passed out the minute my head hit the pillow.”
Knowing Evan lived at home with his parents was information she decided to tuck away into the recesses of her mind. She wasn’t happy to be dating someone that had no car and lived at home with his parents, but she would let it slide for now to see if it was a temporary situation.
“So what happened today?”
“My publicist started my makeover, and it started with her muscle bound personal trainer working me to death.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really. My body feels like it’s being ripped and torn into pieces. I barely made it back to my room.”
“That sucks. What’s your schedule look like tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. Audrey said she would be back in the morning to continue the makeover process.”
“Don’t you have work?”
“No, she told me I’m done working until after the tour. She wants me to devote all my time and attention to getting ready for the tour.”
“So you’re not working?” Sara didn’t want to come off as judgmental. It sounded as if Evan had enough of that in his life. But her tone had sadness hidden within it. She knew without his job Evan wouldn’t be able to come see her whenever either of them wanted.
“Is that a problem?”
Sara heaved a heavy sigh. “No, not really. I just…What about us? I mean…When can I see you again?”
The silence on the other end wasn’t the hopeful response Sara wanted. It was the soundless confirmation that was taking the last shred of fight away.
“Look, I don’t know how much time or freedom I’ll have to go out to Jersey. Audrey’s pretty convinced that I need a lot of work before the tour.”
Sara’s anger was reaching a boiling point. “Are you fucking her?” She knew the question was out of line, but she needed to know if this Audrey person was someone she had to worry about.
“What? No. She’s my publicist and that’s it.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just…you keep talking about her, and letting her dictate what you’re doing with your life.”