“OK, then, what things are you thinking about? What are you remembering?”
Vision upon erotic vision crashed into his brain all at once, each one involving Lane, and each one sending heat to his face. The X rating must have been obvious.
His brother started laughing.
Evie blushed. “Oh. Well, tell her that then.”
“Listen,” Tyler said a moment later, “I don’t know what you should say, or honestly even what you should do, but it seems pretty obvious you have feelings for this woman and the only foolish thing would be to not give it another chance. Sometimes life gives you a do-over, so make the most of it. Call her. And don’t be a douche bag.”
MY SISTER WOULD KILL ME IF SHE KNEW I WAS SENDING U A TEXT, BUT U SHOULD WATCH TONIGHT’S SPECIAL EPISODE OF POP ROCKS. STARTS IN 15. JUST SAYIN. MELODY MASTERSON
Dinner was over and the second bottle of wine was almost finished when that text showed up on Grant’s phone. He stared at it for a full minute, wondering if he’d had too much to drink and read it wrong. Maybe his brain was imagining things.
“Bad news?” Tyler finally asked.
“I’m not sure. It’s from Lane’s sister.”
Evie’s eyes lit up. She’d had on lots of makeup at the wedding, but tonight without any she looked more sweet than elegant. She was still completely out of his brother’s league, but after spending this evening together, talking and laughing and getting better acquainted, he could see she and Tyler really were ideal for each other. It made Grant happy for them, but reminded him of just what he was missing.
“A text? What’s it say?” she asked.
“It says I should watch Pop Rocks tonight, in fifteen minutes.” He couldn’t decide how he felt about that. His instinct wires were crossing again. Falling in love had made him a second-guesser.
Evie sat forward. “Really? Want to watch it here?” It was obvious she was now fully invested in the outcome of this relationship.
“I don’t know if I want to watch it at all.” But he knew he would. Even if it was like watching a car crash, he knew he wouldn’t be able to look away, and he’d have to watch it here because he still had yet to hook up any sort of television at his house.
Tyler stood up. “We might need more wine.”
Fifteen minutes passed in a blink and Grant realized he should’ve gone home just as soon as the opening credits began. Sitting here watching his Elaine traipse about in some palatial Beverly Hills home was going to make his head explode. Would her hair be blonde again? Would she even sound the same? Did she know the picture of the two of them together at the Heartbreak Hotel had been splashed all over a tabloid magazine? Was she hurt, mad, vengeful, relieved? Inquiring minds wanted to know.
Then there she was, on the screen. Her hair was still dark but straighter. He liked the waves better but this wasn’t too drastic. She had on a plain white blouse and jeans, and was sitting cross-legged in a flowered armchair in an average-looking living room. And she was barefoot. For some reason that melted his defenses just a little bit more. Maybe some part of him had worried she’d be that Delaney from the first magazine, with the slinky dress or the tight miniskirt. Not that she hadn’t looked smokin’ in those outfits, but barefoot in jeans, that was Elaine. That was the one he’d fallen for.
A bleached-blonde interviewer sat across from Delaney in another chair. She made some inane introductions, explaining that this was a special segment leading into tonight’s regular episode.
Tyler and Evie fell silent as the show progressed, or maybe they’d gotten up and left the room, or maybe they were having wild monkey sex right behind the couch. He really had no idea, because his eyes, ears, and heart were focused on the screen as all his senses tried to communicate with Delaney through the airwaves.
The interviewer smiled, showing off perfectly white teeth. “Delaney, I know your family is happy to have you back safe and sound. Can you share with the viewers what you’ve been doing for the last few weeks?”
Would she mention him? The house, the car, the tour bus, the hotel? The stolen backpack? The love? Any of it?
Lane smiled and gave a little laugh to cover up her hiccup. He might not have even noticed the hiccup if he didn’t know her so well.
“The last few weeks have been . . . memorable for a lot of reasons. I’d like to focus on what I’ve learned rather than the specifics of where I was or what I was doing. First of all, I’ve realized that even though I share part of my life with the public, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a right to privacy. Everyone has a right to privacy, especially in the bedroom.”
Grant took a glug of wine as Lane continued.
“As most viewers are aware, a video of me surfaced recently that was recorded and distributed without my knowledge or consent. That’s not only hurtful to me and my family, it’s also illegal and I intend to have the person responsible prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”