Page 36 of Beautifully Used
Chapter 28
Gabrielle
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The week flew by. I’d never been so busy in my life, writing all day, singing every night. Lena and I were good together. “A unique sound,” Brodie had called it. Complementing each other with her higher soprano and my soft, wispy, raspiness—Brodie’s description, not mine—we were able to perform almost any type of arrangement.
We left home bright and early on Thursday morning and headed south to Malibu. Jackson, Lena, Brodie, and I rode together in Jackson’s SUV. Kipper and Denny followed behind us in Denny’s truck, which held all the equipment. Brodie and Jackson shared the driving duties of the SUV. Lena and I had offered to do some, but both guys quickly nixed that idea. I rolled my eyes at Lena, and she shrugged and shook her head in defeat. Neither one of us wanted to ruin the trip by arguing with them about it. The topic of women’s equality would have to be shelved for some other time. It was just as well, though. I had my laptop, and had managed to set up the next few chapters in the book; incorporating some of the gorgeous mountain wine country I’d marveled at as we’d traveled through into a setting for one of the scenes. It was a long ride to southern California, roughly nine hours if we didn’t stop. But by the time noon came around, everyone needed a potty break and our stomachs rumbled and screamed for fuel.
“There’s an In And Out. Let’s stop there,” Brodie suggested. I wasn’t all that keen on the fast food idea, considering I’d already gained about five pounds from eating all the junk food Brodie insisted on having around the house, but we’d all agreed that the quicker the stop, the faster we’d get to Malibu. Maybe I could talk one of them into a jog along the beach later tonight or early in the morning.
We rolled into Malibu roughly around seven that night. The hotel we’d booked sat right on the beach. Sweet. After being in the car for the past four hours, I got out and immediately headed for the restroom. “I’ll be there in a minute,” I said to Brodie and Lena, pointing to the ladies’ room as they headed toward the registration desk. When I came back out, everyone just stood looking at me, well, everyone, except Kipper and Denny, who’d already taken off to their room. The way the three of them stared at me, tight-lipped and worried, I thought maybe I had toilet paper stuck to my shoe or something. I quickly glanced down at my purple flip-flops, which were completely devoid of any nasty tissue.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, now worried. Something was up. “Did they not have our reservation?”
Jackson cleared his throat. “Yeah, they had it.”
“They screwed it up though,” Lena added. “They only had us down for three rooms. They got mixed up because they thought we were booking two to each room.”
“Well, let’s just get another room, then,” I supplied, matter-of-factly. A simple solution I decided, but they shook their heads. “Why not? I don’t mind paying more.”
“That’s not the issue, Gabrielle,” Brodie swiped his hand through his thick auburn locks. “They don’t have any more rooms. It’s peak season, and they’re all booked up.”
“Not to worry,” Lena put her arm around me. “You and I can share a room and Brodie and Jackson can have the other one.”
I shook my head. “No. That’s not fair to you guys. You’ve been looking forward to this, Lena.” I pulled her aside and lowered my voice. “You even told me how excited you were about spending some romantic time down here with Jackson.”
“It will be okay,” she said.
“No.” I turned back around to Brodie. “How many beds are in the room?”
“Just one.” Jeez, by the solemn look on his face, you’d think he’d just been told he had to have a root canal.
I swallowed nodding slowly. “Ooookay.” Everyone just stared at me. “Really, we’re responsible adults, we can do this. We can put up some sort of barrier between us, or better yet, I can sleep on the floor. I don’t mind.”
“You’re not going to sleep on the floor,” Brodie picked up two of the large duffle bags, slung one over each shoulder and headed toward the elevator. Jackson grabbed the two smaller bags and laptop, while Lena and I followed behind them, towing our small rollable suitcases behind us. At least our rooms were right next to each other. My eyes practically popped out of their sockets when I got a look at the view of the ocean. I hurried over to the sliding glass door and slid it open. Salt-filled air flowed into my nostrils as I inhaled deeply. No amount of worry about sleeping arrangements or anything else could take away the smile on my face. I turned to call out to Brodie to come and look at the view, and smooshed my nose into his firm chest. “Ouch.”
“Sorry.” He smiled and looked out at the water, side-stepping around me. He leaned against the railing, hands splayed out and whistled softly. Waves lapped up on the sand, and I wanted to hoist my body over the three-foot-high railing around our little patio and sink my toes into it. I managed to contain myself, but only because we were on the fifth floor and getting down presented a bit of a challenge. I moved to one of the two wicker chairs on the balcony and sat, unable to take my eyes away from the mesmerizing movement of the ocean. Brodie sat in the other chair. I don’t think either of us moved or said a word for at least fifteen minutes. When I heard Brodie’s chair scrape the cement as he stood, I pulled my eyes away from the beautiful view, only to find another. Brodie’s face. He hadn’t shaved that morning, and his dark stubbles gave his already chiseled jaw new dimension. His shirt was off, and the tight ripped muscles of his stomach shined with a coat of sweaty mist. He looked like a Greek god. How would I ever survive sleeping in the same room with him this weekend?
Chapter 29
Brodie
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As I sat in the chair, getting lost in the mesmerizing sounds and movement of the ocean, I decided right then and there that someday I would move to the beach. I inhaled deeply. The air was crisp and clean. Nothing like the smells at home. Those smells were great, too, with the scent of pine and redwood trees around us, but this… this was pure heaven.
I glanced over at Gabrielle. It looked as if the same ideas inhabited her mind, but then I remembered, she’d recently moved away from the beach to come up north. Perhaps she wasn’t the beach type. Though I’d never believe that by the way she studied the water, the way her wide, brown eyes danced with excitement as they followed the flight of a seagull swooping down to pick up a yummy treasure from the sand.
The sun still glowed high in the sky and warmed my body. I tugged my shirt up over my head and off to enjoy the rays. After a short while, I became thirsty and stood to go find something to drink.
Gabrielle glanced up at the sound of the chair scraping and stared up at me with surprise. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to find something to drink.”
“There’s probably a vending machine in the hallway somewhere with sodas and water. If you find one, could you get me a water?”
“Sure.” I turned to head out, but realized it wasn’t soda or water that I wanted. I’d been cooped up in a car for the past eight hours, and driving for about five of them. I knew what I wanted, and I wasn’t going to find it in any vending machine. I pulled my shirt back on and turned to her. “Hey, how about we go check out the bar downstairs. I could really go for a beer right about now.”
