Everything But (29 page)

His father followed him and said, “We’re not done yet.”

“Yeah, we are.  I don’t have to stand around and listen to this shit.”  And he was proud of himself.  He didn’t slam the door on the way out
like the angry, rebellious teenager inside wanted to do
.

God…he
really
wanted a drink.  And he wanted to see Erin.  And he knew they were both
way
off limits.

Chapter Twenty-nine

ERIN WAS SHOCKED
when Riley just left.  Well, that was the
first
emotion she’d felt. 
After she regained her senses, s
he found her cell phone and called
him
. 
Something
weird had just happened.  It was like something had happened that made him run
, but she had no way of figuring what it was
.  Had she said or done something wrong?

At least he’d left the wine.

But she had to know.  So, without thinking, she called him.  But she got his voicemail.  Moment of truth…should she say anything or just let him go?

Well, if she were smart, she’d say
good riddance
(silently)
and count her lucky stars.  But she’d been feeling lots more for him than she should and she couldn’t help it.  Something
odd
was happening to him—was it the drugs or need for al
cohol that had him acting so strange
ly?  She paused after the beep, still debating if she should say a word, but her emotions pushed her.  “Riley, I can’t help but think I missed something huge just now.  Did I say or do something that made you feel like you had to leave?  If you
wanna
talk, well…you know where I am.”  She ended the call.  God, she’d sounded so stupid.

So then she cleaned up the kitchen, her body moving
like a robot.  In her mind, s
he relived the events of the evening and couldn’t make sense of them, and no amount of thinking would help.  So, once the kitchen was cleaned, she called Jackie.  She’d just wanted to hear a friendly voice, especially since Riley was definitely not going to return her call, but Jackie knew right away that her friend needed her.  “I’m coming over.”

Well, she hadn’t wanted to bother her friend, but she wasn’t going to send Jackie on her merry way.
  Truth was, she was stinging a little and talking with her friend might help.
  No, she was stinging a lot.  It was bad enough that Riley didn’t want anything permanent, but she could live with that.  She understood his limits. 
But then to just treat her like trash?
  She wasn’t quite sure how to deal with that.  It made her feel like she was with Frank again.

Jackie got there fast and she had a white plastic
grocery
bag in hand. 
She tackled
Erin
with a hug, her long, curly black hair drowning her friend.  But Erin didn’t care; the vibes coming off Jackie were enough to cheer her already.  “Come with me, girlfriend,” Jackie said, tugging at Erin’s hand and walking toward the kitchen.  Jackie grabbed a couple of spoons out of the silverware drawer and handed one to Erin.  Then, after they sat at the table, she pulled a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream out of the bag and pried off the lid.  She scooped out a spoonful and slid it in her mouth.  Erin grinned and did the same.  “Chocolate fixes everything,” Jackie murmured.  Once the ice cream had dissolved in her mouth, she said, “So…tell me what asinine thing the rock star did
this
time
.”

When Jackie put it that way, it made Riley sound like he wasn’t a person.  But he was, and he was a sweet, caring one.  She
knew
that.  But maybe she could figure it out if she talked about it.  “Well, you know, things were going really well.”

“Yeah, as of this morning, they were.  You were all hearts and butterflies and forever this morning.”  She scooped up another spoonful of ice cream.  “So what the hell happened?”

Erin sighed.  The ice cream really
was
good.  “Remember this morning when I told you that you should romance Carl to get him in the mood?”
  Jackie nodded and smiled, sucking on a chunk of ice cream.  “That got me to thinking…so I made this really cool romantic dinner.”

“That why the candles?”

Erin looked at them still standing tall on her table. 
“Oh…yeah.”

“And you should throw the flowers away.  They don’t help.”

“But they still look and smell
nice
.”

Jackie smirked.  “I’ll reserve judgment until you finish your story.”

Erin inhaled a deep breath.  “So, he came over and he was acting really weird.  He brought a bottle of wine and—I told you he’s been sober three years, right?”  Jackie nodded, sucking on her spoon.  “Anyway, I called him on it, and he told me he was high.
  And then he relaxed and acted normal again
…for a while.
”

“What’s normal for a rock star?”

“He’s a
normal
guy,
Jax
. 
Seriously.
  He’s not some weird freak.”

“And you know this after less than a week.”

“I can’t explain it.  Just...we’ve talked enough that I know there really
is
a normal Riley.”

“Maybe he’s a split personality.”  Erin frowned.  Jackie said, “I’m just kidding.”  She let out a small breath between pursed lips.  “I guess you’re a lot more serious about him than I realized.”

“Yeah, and I’m not sure how that happened.  But it doesn’t matter.  It
has
and so there are other issues I need to deal with
.”

“Okay, so then he was acting normal. 
Then what?”

“Well, without going into detail, we had some really great sex with the exception that it reminded me some of sex with Frank.”

“Oh, Jesus…that’s a deal breaker, Erin.  You can
not
be with someone who reminds you of Frank.”

“You’re telling me.  But that’s not the worst part.  Afterwards…he just left.”

“No snuggling, no nothing?”

“Nope.
  Just said he had to go.  But it was weird…it was like he was wearing a mask, like he was hiding something.”

“Yeah…his bad guy self.”

Erin shook her head.  She appreciated her friend’s love and loyalty, but sometimes she could be exasperating.
  “No.  Something was bothering him. 
Really
bothering him.  And it was
bothering him
before he even got here.”

“That doesn’t excuse him treating you like shit.”

Erin nodded and slid another spoonful of the smooth, sweet ice cream in her mouth.  It didn’t make everything all better, but it sure didn’t hurt.  They both ate a few spoonfuls and then Erin said, “And…
then
I called him.”

“You
what
?
 
After he left? 
Oh,
shit
.  What did you say?”

Erin frowned.  “I can’t remember exactly.  I kept it short and sweet
…or tried to.
  I just said it felt like maybe I’d done something to upset him and asked him to call me if he wanted to talk.”

“Shit.  Now he has the upper hand.”

“Oh,
Jax
.
  It’s not a game.
  I just really want to know what’s going on.”

“This is what I mean about not really knowing him.  What makes you think he’s going to tell you anything?”

She shrugged.  “If he can get out of whatever funk he’s in…I think he might.”

“And, girlfriend, what makes you think
this
behavior isn’t normal for Mr. Riley Schultz, rock star?”

Erin set her spoon on the table.  “I don’t know
how
I know.  I just do.”

“Yeah, well, you go on believing—
”  Erin’s
cell phone rang, interrupting Jackie’s sentence.  Before Erin even got up to grab it off the counter, her friend said, “If it’s Riley, don’t you
dare
answer his call.”  Erin stood, raising her eyebrows.  “I mean it, girl.  Don’t do it.”

The ring was insistent.  Erin didn’t say a word, didn’t even stand up, even though she wanted to.  Part of her knew Jackie was right, that if she allowed a man to abuse her mentally
—just like Frank had—a
nd then forgive him immediately without even talking about it, without even telling him what he’d done was wrong, then she’d be in the same shitty kind of relationship she’d been in a two years ago.  It had taken her time to release herself from Frank’s grip and she didn’t want to be in that situation again.
  She would
not
allow herself to be a victim again.

So, even if Riley was apologizing and he was sincere, she didn’t have to talk to him
right this second
.

She knew it was him, though, because she’d assigned him his own ringtone, the song “Tempted,” the one she’d breathed to him during lovemaking.  And, based on the glint in her
friend’s
eyes,
she knew
Jackie knew it too. 
T
he
woman
was no fool.  She patted Erin’s hand and nodded.  “I’m proud of you.”

Erin sighed.  “So what if he’s sorry, really sorry?”

“Then he’ll still be sorry tomorrow.  Girl, there’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a good night’s sleep to clear your head.  Right now, you’re being ruled by your emotions.  If you get some distance, you’ll be able to see things with a little more clarity.”  Jackie waited until Erin looked up from Jackie’s hand to her eyes.  “Besides, it won’t hurt him to sweat a little.  I doubt he has to do that much in real life.
  Let him be a
real
man for a change instead of a spoiled rock star.
”

Erin knew her friend was right.  She was far too emotional tonight and she’d forgive Riley in a second.  Jackie was right on the money—Erin always thought better the next day with a little time and space.  She never should have slept with him, and she was surprised Jackie hadn’t already said that.  Erin knew she, for some stupid reason, felt the beginnings of a bond with a man when she got intimate with him.  She’d never mastered the art of separating the physical from the emotional like so many other women had.  Nope…and she’d tried it enough times to know it just didn’t work for her.  When she gave her body over to a man, she also gave him her heart.  There was no getting around it; the two were intertwined.

Jackie squeezed Erin’s hand.  “You
be
okay if I hit the road?”  Erin nodded, a slight smile crossing her face. 
“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll leave the rest of the ice cream.  You might need it.”  Jackie stood and pulled her friend up by her hands, wrapping her in a hug.  “Promise me you won’t call him tonight.”

“I won’t.”

Jackie let go of her friend and scrutinized her eyes.  “Promise me.”

Erin exhaled.  “I promise.”

Jackie smiled.  “Good.”  She picked u
p her purse off the chair.  “Now…t
ime
for
me
to make a baby.”

Erin giggled and walked Jackie out.  Once Jackie was heading down the stairs, she shut and locked the door, then shut off the outside light and headed back in the kitchen.

The phone was staring at her from across the room.

Well…just because she promised she wouldn’t
call
Riley didn’t mean she couldn’t
listen
to his call.

She looked at her phone.  He
had
left a message.  Then her phone rang
:
  Jackie. 
She answered it. 
“Did you forget something?”

“Just
makin
’ sure you’re
keepin
’ your promise.”

Erin rolled her eyes for the benefit of no one.  “Good night.”  She heard Jackie’s laughter as she disconnected the call.  Her friend knew her too well.

Still, she was going to
listen
.  She played the message.  “Erin…”  Her heart leaped in her throat just hearing his voice say her name.  Her knees felt like jelly, so she backed up to sit in a chair.  “I really need to talk to you.  I know I was acting
like
…
what did you call me the other day? 
An incorrigible ass.
  Only I was probably acting worse than that
. 
S
orry.  I want to explain it to you.  So…if you can forgive me, give me a call.”