A Summer To Remember (Seasons of Love & Lust Book 1) (12 page)

“Whatcha doin’?” I sat next to him.

He leaned over and kissed me good morning. “You taste as good as you look. Reading the latest shenanigans of my favorite fictional detective, Alex Cross.”

I rolled my eyes. “How can you still read him? James Patterson’s books are all rubbish now.”

“Don’t be such a literary snob, Jerri. I really like James Patterson. He’s my guilty pleasure, so let it go. You don’t see me with my face in a twist when you’re reading the latest book by any of those cheesy authors you read that are sixty percent sex and forty percent plot.”

“Ha. Don’t knock it. As you said, it’s a guilty pleasure.”

It was a simple conversation that could have easily turned into a lover’s spat but it hadn’t and it was times like this I was more than convinced Paul and I were meant for each other. I had no unrealistic expectations and knew there would be some knockdown, drag out fights between the two of us, but as long as we had communication on our side, we would always be okay.

Chapter Fourteen

The rest of the weekend flew by and before we all knew it, we were driving back to Manhattan. We’d left early Sunday morning to beat most of the traffic and we still didn’t get home until almost one in the afternoon.

I hadn’t seen or heard from Talia since the day I saw her walk off with Seth. Both Jude and Paul assured me she was fine and Savannah pulled me to the side during a rest stop on our way home to let me know she’d heard from her and not only was she okay but she was happy.

“Are you satisfied now? You can’t be her keeper forever. She’s a grown woman and she can do what she likes whether you approve or not.”

Life slowly returned back to normal the moment I was back at work and the memories of Martha’s Vineyard became less vibrant as I became bogged down by arriving paintings and sculptures, appointments with important clients, and keeping up to date with finances courtesy of Alastor.

I sat on the phone in my office on a Wednesday looking out of the window as Paul and I tried to pick out a restaurant for that evening.

“You love that little Japanese place and it’s also only a block from your loft,” he suggested.

“Yes but you don’t share your spacious upper Eastside two bedroom with anyone,” I whispered into my Bluetooth as I surfed on my Facebook page. “I can meet you at CDG Investments. We can leave from there together and go to that really expensive and highly delicious French restaurant that is less than half a mile from where you live.”

“Why do I get the feeling this is an argument I am not going to win?”

“Because you aren’t.”

He laughed on the other end of the phone. “Fine. Meet me at the office and we will go to the obnoxiously expensive Chez Jourdan de Restieu.”

“That’s much more like it, especially if you plan on getting any more sex out of me.”

“Now that would just be cruel and unusual punishment if that is how you propose to punish me. Cutting off sex sounds highly unfair.”

“Yes, I know. Now be a good boy and get back to work!” I laughed to myself as I removed my Bluetooth and turned around to face Talia, who had quietly walked into the room and sat down on the beige sofa I had in my personal office.

I knew I had to be cordial because I wasn’t aware how much of the conversation she’d heard between Paul and me. At the same time, I was so angry with her, it was completely irrational and I understood that. Her personal life was her own and I wasn’t her mother but I always thought we were best friends and she would tell me what was going on in her relationships with the men in her life. I had never once lied to her about what went on between Kevin and me, and I’d expected the same courtesy, yet had not received it.

“I know you’re pissed off at me because Savannah called and told me about how she told you the truth about the whole ‘incident’ at Vassar. I didn’t lie for the reasons you think I did so I wish you would stop looking at me like that,” she said without a hint of a greeting.

I crossed my arms against my chest. “I don’t know why I would be pissed off. You only told me Seth wanted nothing else to do with you and college was more important than having a child. I went to that abortion clinic with you because I thought you were doing what was best for your future. Never in a million years did it ever occur to me you were doing it to get some guy out of your life.”

“Stop being so self-righteous, Jerrica, because it doesn’t really mesh with you and your new cheerful personality. You know as well as I do my mother would have murdered me if I bought home a baby by someone like Seth. They weren’t the Winter’s Regret they are now and you know damn well my mother would have flipped her lid. She left Boston and married my stepfather to get out of poverty and here I would be: her only daughter stepping right back into her old shoes.”

She stood and began to pace. “I was a coward and a fool. I have to live with what I did and you don’t think it burns Seth alive I killed our child? It drives me crazy because I am in love with him. But love doesn’t mean shit when you have an overbearing mother and a wealthy stepfather who are willing to cut you off at the drop of a hat for making a selfish and silly mistake.”

“Then make me understand,” I pleaded. “Okay, you slept with Seth and…what? Did you two use any protection? Was it planned or an accident? What the hell is it with this guy that is so special you can’t let go of him?”

“What’s so special about Paul?” Talia turned toward me and stopped pacing. “Seth is
everything
to me. He’s my first love and the only man who has ever truly understood me. We were each other’s first loves. He took my virginity that night when I slept with him after the concert and even now, I know I was waiting…for him.

“It never seemed fair how we were just ripped apart, and although he is part of this huge band now and can have any woman he wants, he always comes back to me. Do you know what that feels like? How I can’t find happiness or contentment unless I am in his arms? He’s the air I breathe and the first person I want to see when I wake up in the morning and I ruined our chance to be happy over
bullshit
!”

I stood and walked over to my best friend. “If you feel that strongly about him then why don’t you do something about it? Make him stop sleeping with groupies and force him to make a commitment to you. I want you to be happy and I can’t stand the way you mope about because everything in your life has managed to fall apart.

“You can’t be a singer because they would rather you write songs for other well-known artists, and you can’t be with the man you want because there seems to be this impasse between the two of you. Is this some kind of game you like to play? Would you be happier living in L.A. again?”

She touched my face softly with her right hand. “I’m not going back to L.A. but I won’t be staying here either. He’s got a low key pre-concert gig in Miami next month. He’s invited all of my closest friends to the show and after party which is being held at The Setai Hotel. These are just teaser shows before they officially kick off their tour in September in Las Vegas. They are headlining with Scarlet Fever and they’re extremely excited about the developments. He wants me to accompany them on tour so we can work on their new album. As soon as the tour ends, they are going back into the studio and they want the album written by then. We’ve even come up with a title:
Gorgeous Deceptions
. I already wrote the lyrics for the title track and the band is really stoked. They want to use it as part of the show even if it will be on the new album.”

I allowed the bombshell to sink in though I wasn’t the least bit surprised. Talia was tired of following her parents’ rules and now she was going to live the life she wanted to live whether they approved or not.

“I suppose that is good news, right?”

“It depends who you ask. My mother is having a shit fit and my stepdad isn’t handling it much better, but I can’t live my life for them. I need to do what makes me happy and this might lead to studio time. Seth wants us to do a duet together and I think it is a great idea.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “You mean he isn’t intimidated by your Mariah Carey-Christina Aguilera pipes?”

“Not really because he knows I can tone it down for the song and it is beautiful. When we sang acapella with him only playing the acoustic guitar, it was mind-blowing.”

“If this is what you want to do then you know I will support you. You’re my best friend and I only want you to be happy.”

“I am not trying to become another Sharon den Adel or Amy Lee. I have absolutely no desire to be a rock chick. Unfortunately, I am being pushed in that direction. I’d rather be a Rihanna and be able to decide what fits a certain song and go with it. I want my albums to be a roller coaster ride of emotion and an exploration of music. So if I have a few rock-influenced tracks, that would be cool, but I also want to do some neo-soul and dance songs as well,” Talia explained.

“I think you are capable of doing anything you want to do. Your ability to play piano doesn’t hurt either.”

“I know. Seth wants me to initially join Winter’s Regret as a keyboardist and then I will have a clear path to branch out. I don’t know if that is such a good idea…working with the man I am in love with day in and day out. The groupies, being involved in a band where I am the only female and surrounded by a bunch of horny, good looking tattooed guys? It just might be a bit too much for my hormones.”

I grinned. “Okay, on your way, you, so I can get some work to do. Miami is definitely on but keep in touch and let me know what’s going on, okay?”

Talia’s green eyes paled. “How did you know I was leaving so soon?”

“Call it female intuition.”

She grabbed my hands and held them within her own. “Love you.”

“Love you too, sweetie.”

I watched her leave my office and although I wanted to drop my ridiculous grin, I couldn’t fault her for wanting to be close to the man she loved. I would have done the same in a heartbeat if the situation were reversed and it was Paul we were speaking of instead of Seth.

***

That evening, Paul and I spent a perfectly satisfying evening at one of my favorite French restaurants. We talked about our work and Talia’s decision.

“I’m happy for her, and just to let you in on the latest news, she left because she agreed to the keyboardist position. She’s tired of writing other musicians’ number one hits.”

“Believe me I understand her frustration but she was getting paid, not the artist, since she was the songwriter.”

“True. However, this new album she and Seth are working on is going to be a masterpiece if what she did for Scarlet Fever’s newest album is any indication. She has a knack for knowing what is right for different groups. She can compose a song for an artist like Joss Stone or a song for Kelly Clarkson. She can assess music and has an ear that is a natural gift.”

Paul paused as he swigged from his wine. “Talia consulted both Jude and me before she made her decision and we went over her contract. We both agreed it was a good idea and Seth is no idiot. He knows she isn’t someone to be messed over and he would do anything to keep her. I can respect that and I couldn’t help but want them to finally be together.”

My right hand caressed his left hand on the table. “So, I’m assuming you knew about Miami in August?”

“Yep. I thought it would be a great idea and I really want to get you all to myself on a beautiful, exotic beach. Sue me already.”

I smiled at him. “You’re incorrigible, Paul.”

He leaned over the table and kissed my lips. “I guess I should tell you a bit of news just in case it comes up later on. Savannah and Jude are messing around, but it’s not anything serious so stop with the stars forming in your eyes or imagining their marriage and two children with a Golden Retriever in the yard. It’s just a little playful affair that people our age have, okay?”

“You mean they aren’t like you and me?”

“No one is like you and me, babe. I want to marry you and I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else, but you but I don’t want you to think I am perfect because I’m not.” He was silent for a moment as he refilled our wine glasses. “I was your typical asshole jerk at Harvard and believed in the whole ‘sluts’ versus ‘virtuous women’ thing. I admit I thought like a typical guy and my past isn’t exactly stellar.”

“What are you trying to say, Paul?”

“I’m saying there was a scandal when I was at Harvard. Unlike yours, it never got out because I was a guy and the young woman involved didn’t come from a family as privileged as mine. You know I was in a fraternity, right? Jude and I were in the same fraternity. It’s for all the super wealthy kids who come from families with mega wealth.”

I drank down half my wine in a couple of long gulps. “What happened while you were in the fraternity, babe?”

“One night there was a party and this young woman got out of her head drunk. She was still coherent and there was a…train…pulled on her. Literally, ten guys must have fucked her right after the other, maybe more. I was the second and I think Jude was the first but after the sixth or seventh guy, I lost count. I was really drunk but not too wasted I didn’t use a condom.

“The story got out and the young woman charged us all with rape. We were saved because one of our fraternity brothers filmed the whole incident and she kept urging guys on even though she was really drunk. I’m not proud about the way I acted that night and there isn’t anything I can say to excuse my behavior. I was a junior in college so I knew exactly what I was doing. At the time, I was a fucking idiot and didn’t realize what my actions might do to that poor young woman.”

I took in deep breaths. “We have all done certain activities in college we aren’t proud of, Paul. I never thought you were perfect and I know there was stuff that went down at Harvard you’re hardly going to brag about with me.”

He took both my hands and squeezed tightly. “I didn’t realize how much I could affect someone else’s life until I saw what Kevin did to you and then I thought about what I did. She was someone’s daughter and sister too. I hate that we think that because we are privileged it gives us carte blanche to mess up another person’s life. I am so sorry for what I did to her and I feel even worse for what Kevin did to you.”