Page 11 of Half Notes and Highlights
“I’ve never been surfing. Can you teach me after we go for a bike ride?”
“Slow down.” She handed him a bottle of water from her backpack. “I can barely keep up with this conversation.”
After securing her bike in one of those bike rack things on the back of her car, they drove to the beach. Conveniently, a bicycle rental shop was right on the boardwalk, and a purple one was calling him by name.
“Didn’t they have a hot pink one?” Iris asked when he rolled the bike to where she was waiting by a bench.
“Please, girl. That would have beensogarish. I want to make a statement, not cause a pileup on the bike path.” He paused with his hand on his hip and chewed his lip. “I made an impulse purchase, and I’m starting to think it wasn’t such a good idea.”
“Let me guess. Streamers?”
“No. Streamers are always a good idea. Why aren’t they selling streamers? That’s a missed opportunity.” He pulled a baseball hat from a bag in the basket on the front of his bike and put it on his head. “Is it too much? Should I Coco Chanel it?”
“I’m not sure.” Iris studied it intently. “It’s . . . so normal looking.”
“I know, right? What’s wrong with me? I bought a plain white hat.” He handed it to her. “Take this thing away from me.”
She stuck it on her head and adjusted it. “I like it. But what about you? You’re not going to tie your hair up?”
He put his face into the breeze and closed his eyes. “I like the wind in my hair. It’s freeing.”
“Yeah,” she joked. “Because you’re so inhibited.”
Free wasn’t free enough as far as he was concerned. He hated limitations and had a hard time exercising any kind of restraint, but respected boundaries. At least he tried to. He thought about this as he rode down the bike path that bordered the sand. He’d crossed a professional line by sleeping with Ethan. But was that really so bad? The real concern, the reason he implemented the rule in the first place, was that he’d lose a client when the fling was over. Because, let’s face it, none of his hookups turned intoanything serious, and he’d end up losing half his client list if he slept with whoever he wanted to without a second thought.
A quick jab to his heart reminded him that one hookup turned into something that could have been life changing, but that didn’t work out. A sigh left his lungs. One of these days he was going to think about his ex and not feel like his heart was cut in half.It’s been over three fucking years. Get over it!his inner voice screamed. He was trying to. And Ethan seemed like the perfect guy to do just that. In all this time, Ethan’s the only one that held his full attention. He couldn’t stop thinking about the guy, so when Iris pulled over near an agua fresca stand, Tyler decided to tell her about him.
Sitting on one of the concrete benches sipping the sweet watermelon drink, he blurted out, “I fucked Ethan Jones last night.”
Iris literally choked on her drink and sprayed a mouthful of agua fresca all over the pavement. “What?” she squeaked, wiping her mouth.
“Ethan Jones. Lead singer of Wolf Pack.”
“I know who he is. Did you just say you fucked him?”
“Actually, it was the other way around, but that’s just logistics.”
She lowered her chin and placed her hand on her forehead. “I don’t need graphic details.” Her hand quickly dropped to her lap, and she leaned closer, curiosity lighting up her eyes. “But tell me everything. Where did you meet him?”
Tyler had to think about the contents of the NDA he signed when he was commissioned to cut Ethan’s hair. It said nothing about disclosing that they had a physical relationship, probably because they didn’t have one at the time. It stated that he was prohibited from talking about anything that transpired during the appointment or profiting in any way in regard to Ethan’s haircut. It even went as far to specifically mention the saleof locks of his hair and combs and brushes used on the rock star’s head would be a breach of the contract. “He’s a client. I don’t usually fool around with my clients, but Ethan’s different. It’s not just physical attraction. He’s sweet. And funny. And he seems to really like me.”
The huge smile on Iris’ face turned downward.
“What’s wrong?”
She paused while she looked at him with doleful eyes. “You know he’s in a longtime relationship with his bass player, Wolf Wheeler. Right?”
Tyler’s heart landed on the pavement and fried in the hot sun. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Yeah,” she said on a nod. “I don’t think it’s a committed relationship. They’ve both been photographed with other people, but everyone who follows the band knows they’re a thing and have been for years.”
The ache in Tyler’s chest turned into stone and anger burned in his belly. He slammed his plastic cup on the bench hard enough for the lid to pop off. “That son of a bitch!”
CHAPTER SIX
“Who do you keep calling?”
Ethan threw his phone on the seat next to him and walked to the front of the tour bus. He looked out the windshield and at the dark road ahead. They were on their way to Sacramento, and he hadn’t been able to reach Tyler since they slept together five days ago. “The hairstylist,” he replied after a significant pause. “He’s blowing me off.”
