Stargazing (The Walker Family Book 2) (12 page)

Back in her bathroom there were pills to stop the vomiting. There were pills to keep her calm. She could sleep all night if she were just home.

“Bethany? Are you in here? Are you okay?”

Kent’s voice echoed in the bathroom.

“You can’t be in here. It’s a ladies’ room.”

“You’ve been in here for twenty minutes. I told the manager I was coming in to get you.”

She saw his feet under the door. He stopped right above her and pushed open the door.

“You need a doctor,” he said looking down at her.

“I’m just a little sick. I’ll be fine.”

“C’mon, let me get you upstairs.”

Though the thought of the pills back home seemed enticing, so did laying down on a soft bed.

Kent helped her from the floor and slowly they walked to the elevator. He kept his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

As the elevator door closed, he could hear her sob.

“Are you okay?”

“No,” she moaned. “You must think I’m a mess of a person. I’ll understand that if you take me home tomorrow, you’ll never want to see me again.”

That’s not what he wanted at all. Everyone was allowed bad days. So this one was a horrible one for her. He understood that. He’d had a million of them himself. God, when he thought back to the file drawer he had of rejection letters, it was a wonder he ever wrote another word.

“Let’s get you feeling better. I can’t imagine that I won’t want to see you again. I happen to like you a lot.”

“You do?” She stumbled against him as the elevator door opened.

“I do.”

She was quiet the rest of the evening. He’d managed to get her into his bed, pull off her shoes, and cover her up. She hadn’t gotten sick again and he was very grateful for that.

Kent had laid a cold, wet towel on her forehead and she’d drifted off to sleep. She may have thought she wanted sex with him, but that was very obviously not going to happen now.

Because his mother had raised him properly, he managed to find Susan’s phone number and call her. He wanted her to know that Bethany was in good hands.

“Is she okay?” she asked.

“She’s going to be. I just wanted you to know what happened and that I have her.”

“I feel awful. I’m sure she was so worked up over today that it made her sick. I shouldn’t have told her she was fired. I’ve dropped trays and been late before.”

“I’m sure once you talk it out everything will be okay,” he offered.

“I can bring over some clothes. Anything you need.”

“I think she’s fine. I’ll call you if anything happens. I’m going to let her sleep it all off. I don’t have to be anywhere tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Kent.”

He smiled as he watched her sleep peacefully. “It’s all my pleasure.”

Disconnecting the call, he set his phone on the table. A few moments later his alarm went off to call his nephew before bed.

He winced. There was no way he could read a bedtime story tonight. Quickly, he texted his sister.

I have company. Can’t call.

She returned his text nearly immediately.
You got her to your room?

He sighed.
Long story. Not so glamourous. Will call in the morning. Love you all. Goodnight.

Bethany stirred as he set his phone back down.

Instinct had him move to her and kneel down next to the bed. “Can I get you anything?”

“Water.”

“I can do that.”

“A T-shirt.”

He chuckled. “I can do that too.” He stood and walked to the dresser where he pulled out his biggest T-shirt, to give her some comfort.

He walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge next to her. “I’ll go down and get you a bottle of water. Here’s the shirt.”

Bethany moved the towel from her forehead. “Will you help me put it on? I promise not to jump you or anything,” she said weakly.

He’d dreamed of touching her. In fact, he was very sure he knew what her skin would feel like under the tips of his fingers. This, however, wasn’t how he imagined getting the opportunity.

As she tried to sit up, he moved to help her. The dress was bunched around her and he thought, as she inched it up, he might have a heart attack.

Kent helped pull the fabric from her pale skin and up over her head. Quickly he held up the T-shirt hoping to escape without his fingers touching her skin or his gaze getting stuck on her breasts and how they beautifully filled the delicate bra.

He swallowed hard as he slipped the T-shirt over her head and his fingers then brushed down her back as he eased the fabric on her.

The moment she was covered he stood.

“I’ll go get that water.”

Did he look to her to be as frightened as he felt, he wondered as he grabbed the room key card off the dresser and headed down the hall for a four dollar bottle of water.

The expense was nothing. The moment alone was priceless.

What had caused her to get so sick? He’d sure planned the night to end differently than it was. He worried about her, though. In two days, he had to leave Georgia for a week. The book tour couldn’t be postponed.

Maybe she’d like to go with him. If she began to feel better, that would be an option.

He laughed at himself as the bottle of water dropped from the machine. Why would she want to travel with him? They didn’t know each other at all, really. Just because he’d been just a little obsessed with her when he saw her, didn’t mean she’d want to get to know him. No, it was a bad idea.

However, maybe it would help her out.

He picked up the water and headed back to the room.

From what he already knew about her she wasn’t close to her father. Her mother had passed and her family was just coming into acceptance of her. Would it really matter that she left town with a man she didn’t know very well? Would they actually notice she was gone?

It would give her and Susan some time apart. Maybe they could both cool off after their fight earlier that day.

He slipped his key into the door. When she felt better, he’d ask her.

She was asleep again when he walked into the room. Only now she was uncovered and the T-shirt had hiked up over her hip.

It might be worth calling the front desk to ask if they had another room. Having her in his bed, half naked, was going to drive him absolutely mad.

Chapter Fifteen

Bethany woke with a pounding headache. She sat up slowly and rested her head in her hands.

She’d made a mess of everything yesterday, including her date with Kent.

Kent.

When she looked around, he wasn’t there. Had she scared him away? Forced him to leave his own hotel room?

With that in her head, she looked around for her dress, which he’d hung up in the closet. She pulled it from the hanger, stripped out of the T-shirt, and slipped on the dress.

After a quick glance in the mirror, she realized she looked as bad as she felt. Dark circles had formed under her sunken eyes. Her skin wasn’t a normal color either.

A very deep seeded worry began to creep into her. She’d seen her mother’s transformation from vibrant to dead. How could she possibly look like her mother had?

Turning on the water, she splashed her face to wash off the previous night. She swished water in her mouth to dilute the taste.

With her fingers, she attempted to settle the curls, opting to braid her hair instead.

One more look in the mirror and she realized nothing had helped. Who would want to cast her in any movie?

No one—and that was why she was in Georgia in the first place.

Bethany gathered her shoes in her hand and flung her purse over her shoulder just as the door opened and Kent walked through.

“You’re up,” he said with a smile that quickly faded. “And you’re leaving.”

“I thought I ran you off. I should just go home and get…”

His eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you sit down for a few more minutes. I brought some coffee, some juice, bananas, muffins.” He nodded to the paper bag he had in his arms. “Let’s have some breakfast and then I’ll give you a ride home.”

Her stomach clenched at the very thought of food. But she knew she needed to eat. If she was going to break the chain of destruction her mother had programmed her with, she needed to start now.

Bethany set her purse down on the bed and followed Kent to the table where he set out a little buffet.

“I didn’t know what you’d eat. I got a little of everything I thought would be okay for an upset stomach.”

“I’m sorry about last night,” she said reaching for a banana. “I hadn’t eaten all day and I got carried away. And the wine…”

“You don’t have to apologize to me.” He picked up a muffin and began to peel back the wrapper. “I called Susan last night to tell her you were sick and that I was taking care of you.”

Bethany bit into the banana and chewed slowly. “Did she even care?”

His brows narrowed together. “Of course she cared. Why wouldn’t she?”

“I’m sorry,” she rested her elbow on the table and her head in her palm. “I’m used to people throwing you to the curb when you mess up. When you’re not perfect.”

“I’ve never met a perfect person in my life.”

“You didn’t grow up under the scrutiny of Hollywood.”

“Thank God.” He set his muffin down. “Come on tour with me.”

Bethany stared at him, the banana poised at her mouth for a bit. “Go with you?”

“I have four stops next week. Come with me.”

“I don’t…”

“You don’t need to answer me right now. Well, by tomorrow you do.” He winked. “But get away from here for a few days. Let the dust settle between you and Susan.”

She took another bite of the banana and thought about what he was asking.

“You don’t know me,” she said.

“I can’t think of a better way to get to know you.”

Bethany sat back in the chair and studied him. His eyes were fixed on her—and she knew what she looked like. It didn’t seem to bother him that she could easily be mistaken for a zombie.

Taking another bite of her banana, she thought about it.

“If I’m not working—I don’t have anything. The Walkers might be well off enough, but I was never considered a…”

“I have enough to see us through. You’d be my guest.” He reached across the table for her hand. “I can give Susan some money for the rent too. Whatever it would take to have you join me.”

The tremble started from her toes and soon her entire body was shaking from nerves. This man
wanted
to spend time with her. He wanted to be alone with her and he had nothing to gain.

“I’m meeting my father for lunch today,” she said as she remembered. “Would you mind if I gave you an answer tonight?”

Kent eased back in his seat. “That would be fine.”

He took the lid off his coffee cup and blew the steam away as she finished the banana.

“And Bethany,” he said raising the cup to his lips. “I won’t be hurt if you say you won’t go with me. I’d still like to see you when I get back. I think we might have a little something between us.”

She bit down on her lip. “You’d come back to Georgia?”

“I’m finding I like it here quite a bit.”

~*~

Susan wasn’t home when Bethany walked through the door. Perhaps it was best. She’d have some time to get ready for her lunch with her father. It would also give her time to work on the apology she needed to give to Susan.

Bethany stepped into her shower and let the water wash off the night. It should have gone better than that, she thought. Kent shouldn’t have seen her at her lowest, but he had. The more amazing part was he didn’t seem put off by it.

She lathered shampoo into her hair and worked it around.

Thinking about his invitation, she realized no one had ever invited her to go away with them. She could still remember the look on her cousin Eric’s face when she asked to stay the night on his couch. She was use to her presence being a nuisance.

Then she thought of Susan. She hadn’t been a nuisance to her. She’d invited her to live with her having only known her for a few hours. They’d worked very well together until Bethany blew that.

She rinsed the shampoo from her hair, finished her shower, and stepped out. Wrapping the towel around her, she felt the hard reality of guilt land solidly in her stomach. It was a horrible feeling.

As she took another towel to wrap around her head, she noticed the bottles of pills still in her trash can from when she’d thrown them all there.

She wrapped the towel around her hair and looked down at them. They needed to stay there. She needed to carry them out to the trash can and say goodbye to them, but it was like seeing a part of her mother lay there in the trash.

Later. She’d deal with it later.

Right now she needed to get dressed for lunch with her father. If Susan happened to arrive before she left, she’d be ready to grovel.

Chapter Sixteen

Bethany felt right in her dress, pearls, heels, and makeup. Her hair flowed over her shoulders and the scent of her perfume lightened her mood. A little chain strap to the cute clutch hung over her shoulder. One thing she’d always enjoy, no matter if she were in Georgia or California, was a little glamour.

She could hear noise from the kitchen as she descended the staircase. It was calm noise, she decided. Not like the sound of pots and pans from the previous morning.

With care, Bethany slowly walked into the kitchen where Susan stood steeping a cup of tea as she scrolled through Facebook on her iPhone.

“Hello,” she said softly and Susan raised her head and smiled.

“Hello. How are you feeling? Kent said you were sick.”

Bethany forced her shoulders to ease, releasing the tension in her neck from her nerves.

“I was worked up. Too much wine. Too much pasta. I’m fine now.”

“Good.”

Bethany walked further into the kitchen. “I want to apologize for yesterday. I was a mess and I know I cost you more jobs and probably a great deal of money, which I can’t make up either. You’re very important to me and I’m sick over it all.”