Page 14 of Only for the Moment
Chapter Six
The view reminded him of the Highlands outside Bondi, not because they were similar—the highlands were wine country, mountains, and Vegas was desert—but the sheer grandeur of the vista was similar. It should’ve inspired him, but instead he found himself remembering camping with Oliver on school trips into the mountains, how the wilderness appealed to them both with their rigid,regimented lives and families.
How much it had made them long to be free.
He was the only one free of that life now. Oliver was gone, almost five years. And fuck if that didn’t tear his heart out every time he thought about it.
The guitar beneath his tense fingers remained stubbornly silent as he stared into the distance. Refusing to speak to him. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised. For twodays he’d slept, rested, even meditated, for Christ’s sake. Anything to light the spark that had disappeared into a darkness he couldn’t seem to plumb. It had convinced him of only one thing: no amount of rest was going to heal whatever was wrong with his goddamn head. The only thing that lit a spark was Kennedy, and that spark wasn’t in his creativity.
She’d taken his breath Sunday night, illuminatedby candlelight and crystal reflections, the dim atmosphere of the restaurant enhancing the mysterious slant of her eyes and the dusky hue of her hair. What man wouldn’t prefer to focus his attention on the beautiful woman just out of reach rather than the impotent instrument he’d become?
Except wanting Kennedy was equally as impotent. She’d made it plain two nights ago that distance between themwas best. And he’d given it, if only to prove to both of them that distance wasn’t going to make a fucking thing go away. It certainly hadn’t helped him. He couldn’t imagine, after seeing the need in those gorgeous green eyes, that the intervening time had been any easier for her.
Too bad he couldn’t translatethatinto music.
Steps outside the closed bedroom door alerted him to Nick’s presence.His friend entered, cell phone in hand—the one they reserved for business. Isaac’s chest tightened.
“You’re not asleep.”
As if he hadn’t done enough sleeping already. Or pretending to. Rest hadn’t relieved him of his nightmares. How long was he supposed to stay in bed, especially all by himself?
Nick frowned, his gaze resting on the guitar. “Sorry to interrupt, boss, but I knew you’d want this.”
Isaac waved away the apology. “Who is it?”
“Grace.”
The knot dropped to his gut even as he reached for the phone. “Thanks.”
Nick nodded, his concern washing down Isaac’s skin like dirty water as he passed the cell over. Grace’s calls were never easy on him, but he didn’t refuse one, ever. Unless he was performing, she got his attention. It was the least she deserved—and too often the most hecould give her.
“Grace?”
“Hey. Not too early, yeah?”
The sweet sound of her voice soothed the anxiety that had been building inside him. More like a sister than a longtime friend, she was closer than any family he’d ever had—certainly closer than the two people who called themselves his parents. Grace was the only woman he could say with all honesty that he loved. “It’s never too early foryou, love.”
Her laughter crackled through the line. “It’s not early for me, remember? Almost midnight here.”
“Too right.” Australia was eighteen hours ahead of Nevada, so yeah. “What’s up? Everything all right?”
“Just busy with the benefit. This time of year is…hard.”
He thought he detected more thanhardin her voice, but she’d spill it when she was ready, he knew. This time of year was astruggle for him as well. He and Grace had met through her brother, Oliver, back when Isaac had started boarding school at age ten. They’d grown up together, the three of them, and he and Oliver had been best friends. Now there were only two of them left, and every year the anniversary of Oliver’s death hit him like a semi. It was even worse for Grace, mourning her only sibling while running a charityto honor his memory. LIVE supported LGBT youth in crisis, the kind of support Oliver never received. The yearly benefit concert for the charity was held the week of the anniversary of Oliver’s suicide, less than a month away now.
Isaac’s stomach cramped all over again at the realization.
“So where are you in this crazy world right now?”
Her question, one he heard every time they talked, liftedthe corners of his mouth the tiniest bit. “Las Vegas.”
“Ah, Sin City. I bet you’re doing a lot of that, Mr. Rock Star.”
He laughed. “Not as much as I’d like.” Launching into the tale of his most recent adventures took his mind off the guitar clutched in his lap and all it represented. Grace laughed too, the sadness that had laced her voice easing as they talked. He’d missed her; he realizedthat now. Most times he could push it away with work, but now…well, work wasn’t helping with much of anything right now. Maybe after the benefit he could convince her to come to the States on an extended vacation. He hadn’t seen her in a couple of years, but there was one place he didn’t travel—home—and Grace was so busy with the foundation that getting away proved difficult. He needed her, though,needed the only true family he had left.
“Well, as exciting as all that sounds, it’s really not why I called.”
As if he hadn’t already guessed as much, though the seriousness of her tone put him on alert. “What’s wrong?”
