“Stay at Chrome’s until he comes back. There is more than enough room. Leave whatever you don’t need behind in the room, or check out. It’s up to you, but if he comes sniffing back around here, I’ll tell him you checked out and left town.”
River has my back, and I can’t thank my lucky stars enough. He is offering his brother’s house to me, and I almost feel bad taking him up on the offer. That is before I think about what Chrome would do if he wasn’t a state away.
CHAPTER 9
Tuesday morning, I wake to my phone ringing in a strange place. I look around the room, taking in the light blue walls, and the comfort of the king size bed. I remember where I am. Chrome’s bed. Apparently the guest room wasn’t good enough to sleep in for two nights before his highness got back from whatever top secret operation he was running. River argued on the phone with him about it, but in the end Chrome won out. It’s beginning to seem like a pattern. I want to laugh, but I know there is nothing fucking funny about what he is doing.
Looking at the caller ID on my phone, I see Katy’s name pop up. We emailed a couple times yesterday about the house. She tried to talk me out of it, but she soon realized I’m set on buying the house. After contacting the small real estate agent located a couple towns away with a cash offer, she told me they immediately accepted. I never thought buying a house could be so easy, but apparently when you don’t have to deal with mortgage companies, it is a walk in the park.
“What’s up, Katy?”
She gives me all the details about the last bit of paperwork needed to complete the purchase. Once the details are all set, the dreaded conversation of my career rears its ugly head. I knew I would have to face it at some point in time. I just didn’t think it would be this soon. I’d hoped for a good month of peace from porn.
“So, you’re done?” she asks, her mood sour. I can tell without even seeing her face. She probably has her glasses off, massaging her temples, trying her best not to lunge through the phone and rip my head off. She’s a friend, but she is a business woman. I make her a lot of money.
“I am done, really done this time. I just can’t go back to that life, Katy. It’s toxic for me.”
She knows better than I do. All the times I tried rehab and walked away thinking I was magically cured of my addiction, like that was possible. Only to end up on set of a flick called Long Dong Silver snorting lines of blow off an extra’s tits. It just wasn’t an environment I could control myself in.
“I understand, Star. I really do, and I wish you the best of luck in whatever you take on. But you know I can’t work with you anymore if this is the case, right?” I knew, but I was hoping she would stay with me and manage all my shit. It was a nice idea, just not a very business savvy one.
“Yeah, I knew it would come to that. I don’t want to lose you, but I know you are a professional, Katy.” I hate goodbyes. I really do. I would never ask her to take such a pay cut to stay with me as nothing more than a personal assistant.
“You have me ‘til the first of the year.”
I’m thankful for the next few months, so I can get my own shit together and start handling my own affairs. Maybe I can hire Journey or Paisley to be my personal assistant. I am sure Paisley would love it. If I could ever coax her back from her newest love nest in Florida. I will work on her come Friday, after I see whatever bomb my parents drop on us.
A soft knock sounds on the door, and River peeks into the room.
“Got a minute?” I nod in his direction while I finish up my call with Katy. She mentions overnighting a couple documents, and then we should be all set with the house by Monday at the latest. A lot quicker than I anticipated, but I know it needs so much work that it will be longer before it’s actually safe to live in.
“What’s up, River?”
He looks tired, and I am pretty sure he should be at work already.
“I’m late to take over my shift at the motel, and Scarlett is sick at school. The school nurse just called, and I have no one else to go pick her up. Can you grab her for me, and just bring her back here?”
Me? Handle a sick kid? My mind spins in a million different directions. I’m nervous, but I am not going to leave them all high and dry when they have gone above and beyond for me.
This is what family does for each other, right? We may not be blood, or marriage, but they are slowly becoming the only family I have besides my distant sisters. If they will accept me, I will do my best to accept them.
“Yeah, just tell me where to go and what I have to do.”
He passes me a note with directions scribbled on the paper. Her school isn’t far from the house, easy to find. I should know where schools are in this little podunk town, but my shit-tastic parents thought homeschooling was a fantastic idea. They taught us all a bunch of nothing.
“I’ll call the school ahead of time and let them know you’re picking her up. You will have to show them your ID in the office.” Jesus, do they want a fucking DNA sample, too? I guess you can never be too careful these days, but seriously? It seems like overkill.
“You’re a lifesaver, Star!” He wraps his arms around me, plants a kiss on my cheek, and runs out of the house. The moderately sized house they all share. It is four bedrooms, but they are all pretty small. River has the smallest, then Scarlett. Of course the man of the house needs the giant master bedroom. It fits their little family perfectly.
When I walk into the office at the school, poor Scarlett is sitting in a chair with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her face looks almost white. Aren’t kids supposed to look green when they’re sick? Her eyes are soft as they meet mine, and she manages a pathetic smile.
“I’m here for Scarlett Grant. Star Bloom.” I hand my license to the woman behind the desk and sign some early dismissal form. I carry Scarlett’s backpack to the car once we’re free to go; I would carry her if I thought I was strong enough.
“Want me to stop at Maggie’s and get you some soup?” Soup makes everything better, right?
“Yes, please.” She’s quiet. Not her normally talkative self. I feel bad, but if I was in her position, I probably wouldn’t want to be chatting it up, either.
“What’s wrong, Scarlett?”
“I barfed all over my teacher. Must be a stomach thing.”
I slowly lean toward the driver’s side window, trying to get as far away from her vomit germs as I can get. I can almost feel them hopping across the car and resting all over my body. It is probably hysterical to watch from the outside, though. I know way too many people who would be taking pleasure in this scene right now.
The phone rings and rings. I don’t answer it, because this isn’t my fucking house. I don’t live here, and it isn’t my business. I don’t want it to wake up Scarlett, though, since she is finally fast asleep, so I take it off the hook. Before I know it, my cell phone rings.
I pick it up on the second ring, cautious that it may be someone I really don’t want to talk to. I always assume unknown numbers are going to be reporters, or Blue. He’s always pretty good at finding out where I was; phone calls just tip me off that he’s on my trail. This time around, I already know he’s on the prowl.
“Hello?” I almost whisper. My tone is no match for the pissed off voice on the other end of the line.
“You could have answered the damn phone. I’ve been fucking worried sick.” Chrome isn’t yelling, but he certainly isn’t happy, either. I feel bad. I should have called him, but the simple realization that I don’t know his damn phone number stopped me. Something so simple we forgot in our short time together.