Into Thin Air Read online

I dig through the box. It’s amazing how much shit I’ve accumulated over the years.

  “Here it is.” I toss the wrinkled shirt at her.

  She tries to catch it, but it falls on the floor. She bends over slowly, and I look away.

  “Aww, how sweet. You saved one of my shirts. It’s your favorite one, right?”

  “It’s either I give it back to you or set it on fire in the middle of the street.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You’re so bitter. I’m the one who should be angry. You cheated on me.”

  “Think what you want. I never cheated on you. Now get out of my house and stay out of our lives.”

  She places her hands on her hips. “Our lives? You mean, you and Stella? Oh, I mean Ellie. The name you were yelling when you woke up in the hospital. I knew it was her. Don’t try to tell me you weren’t seeing her before the explosion. You humiliated me, and now it’s her turn.”

  “So you were the one behind the pictures. How much money did you get?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says with fake innocence.

  “What don’t you get, Jenny? We’re over. You only want money. Go find another sugar daddy. Stay away from Stella. She’s done nothing to you.”

  “Nah, it’s more fun to torture her because it’ll hurt you more. But I’m willing to make a deal. You either pay me fifty grand or you visit me in LA for some fun on the side. Take your pick. Maybe I can help you make your decision.”

  She strips off her shirt and stands there half naked.

  I point at the door. “Put your fucking shirt on and get out! Now! Or I’ll—”

  “You’ll what?” she goads me.

  I growl. “I’ll call the cops. And post some pictures of you in the back of a police car.”

  “You can’t honestly say that you don’t miss these.” She pushes her breasts together.

  I guffaw because this is so ridiculous. “Be careful. They might pop.”

  Her eyes spark with anger but she keeps her cool.

  “Stella is a plain Jane. Skinny, practically brown from all the disgusting freckles she has, and don’t get me started on that god-awful frizzy hair. Why would you want that when you can have this?” She traces her hands down her chest and stomach.

  I stomp over to the door. “You are so pathetic and out of your fucking mind. Get out! I’ve already wasted too much of my time on you. Stay away from Stella.”

  “Hey, Sam. Who the hell are you yelling at?” Jackson greets me at the door.

  I jerk my chin toward the kitchen. “Do you really need to ask?”

  Jenny shrieks and covers herself with her shirt. “It’s his fault. He took advantage of me. Not the other way around.”

  “That’s not what we heard, Jackson. She wants his money or sex. What else is new?” Cass walks out of the hallway and leans against the wall with crossed arms and legs. “These are her wishes in exchange to leave Stella alone.”

  “Where did you come from? That’s not true,” Jenny yells. “She’s lying.” Her face turns fire-engine red. “Cass has always hated me.”

  Cass cackles. “Wow. This is the first time I can ever say you’re right. But you got caught red-handed, dumbass.”

  My arm juts toward the door. “Get the hell out, Jenny. Never contact Stella or me again,” I warn with finality.

  She scurries out with her shirt covering her chest. I grab the other shirt and throw it out the door. Then slam it behind her.

  We all stand there wide-eyed and speechless. Cass breaks the silence. “Hopefully that scared her enough since we witnessed it.”

  JT walks around Cass. “I highly doubt it,” he says. “She’s got an agenda.”

  I drop my head in my hands. “No one says a word about this.”

  “Sam—”

  I cut Cass off. “Not a word.”

  ∞

  “How do you feel this morning? Still happy to be going?” Cass pulls the passenger door closed. I type the address for our final destination into the GPS. We’ve bought bags of chips, candy, and drinks to last us the next several hours. It feels like we’re in college again. I’ve spent most of my life on a strict diet for training, but a real road trip includes good old-fashioned junk food. I can cheat a little.

  The movers left my place around five last night. Cass and I left immediately afterward, and drove into the night. We stopped at a hotel somewhere around midnight. We decided it’d be better to break the trip up into two days since the drive to Seattle is around eighteen hours. The movers won’t arrive at the new place until tomorrow. I booked us rooms for the night at the Edgewater Hotel.

  I hired a company to paint and fix up the condo for when it goes on the market. I couldn’t be bothered at this point. I’ve already listed it with a realtor, so they’ll take care of showing it. I don’t need to be there.

  “I’m good to go. I’ll miss the hell out of you and JT. Of course, I’ll miss Coach and the team too. They’ve been my life for how many years? But I’m ready for the change that’s coming.”

  Cass searches through her phone for some good music.

  “I know that change will probably include Stella. But will you be able to balance your new job with her? You make it sound like you’ll end up together, but you need to focus on your job first. It’s a lot for you to take on. For anyone to take on.”

  I flip the left turn signal and move to merge onto the highway. “I’m going to take it as it comes. Let me get there first and get moved into my new place. I can’t wait for you to meet her. I think you’ll finally like someone I want to date.”

  “We’ll see about that, but you might be right,” Cass says.

  “Have you found something to listen to? And not JT. I love JT’s music, but I need a break.”

  Five hours of driving and only one break later, I’m getting tired. Cass is asleep next to me. I should wake her up and make her drive.

  My phone rings. Diana’s number pops up. Lately, I’ve been dreading seeing her name on my phone. Soon she won’t be my publicist anymore.

  “Hey, Diana. What’s up? Miss me already?” I chuckle. Cass stretches in her seat.

  “We’ve got a problem. Have you spoken to Stella? Some shit came out about her. It’s not good.”

  “Fuck!” I slam my fist on the steering wheel.

  “Watch how you’re driving,” Cass shouts. “Pull over somewhere so I can drive.”

  Good idea, because I’m already pissed off and I don’t even know what happened. I pull off at the next exit while Diana explains the situation.

  “Diana, Cass and I are switching drivers. I’m going to try to call Stella now. If I get a hold of her, let’s do a conference call. If anything else comes up, please call Cass’s number so my line is open for Stella.”

  “You got it. I’m sorry, Sam. I don’t even know Stella, and I want to defend her. Count on me for whatever you need.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come work for me?” I joke.

  “Let’s stay on track. I’ll be waiting for your call. Drive safely.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up.”

  I stop in a grocery store parking lot and jump out of the car. I’m too pissed off right now to call Ellie. She hates it when I call her at work anyway. I have to wait until she calls me. I’ll send her a text message when I calm down. I pace back and forth. Cass stands next to the car, quiet as a mouse. She knows to back off when I’m like this.

  “Let’s go.” I sit in the passenger’s seat.

  She drives off while I send Ellie a text. I google the internet for the article that was released. The more I read, the worse I feel. There’s no way Ellie won’t see this. We drive for another hour and still no response.

  “I’m going to lose my mind if she doesn’t call soon.”

  “I can feel your rage, so you’d better chill out. You’ll get through this. She’ll call. Maybe she’s in meetings or in court. You told me she’s always hard to get hold of during the day.”

  “I know
you’re trying to make me feel better, but it’s not working.” I open the window to get some air.

  “Then sit back and stuff your face with some chips. It always works for me.”

  “I’d probably puke with the amount of adrenaline pumping through me right now. Just drive as fast as you can.”

  We have two more hours to go when the phone finally rings. “Stella!”

  “Sam, what the hell is going on? Who wrote that article throwing me under the fucking bus? A coworker told me the article is on Facebook and trending on Twitter and who knows where else. Did you read it? I am so pissed off right now.”

  “Stella, Diana told me about it. I read it on my phone since I’m in the car. I have no idea who wrote it.”

  “Were you close to getting engaged to Jenny?” Ellie yells. “You made it sound like you weren’t serious and were only together for a short time.”

  I scrub my face and growl. “It’s all bullshit. I can’t emphasize this enough.”

  “It says you were cheating on Jenny with me. That I’m basically a whore and stole you away from her. Then it says we were sneaking around and that’s why we were together in the Seattle airport.”

  I slam my fist on the door. “Give me a second, I’m going to call Diana.”

  “Hurry up, because I’m at work. People have been coming in and out of my office nonstop today because of this shit.”

  I dial Diana’s number, and she answers right away. “Diana, I have Stella on the phone.”

  “Diana, do you know who wrote the article?”

  She inhales. Probably smoking. “I don’t know. The article says, ‘sources close to Jenny Parton.’ I’m sure she’s the one pushing it, though. She needs to get her attention and money somehow. You date the real winners.”

  “Oh, thanks,” Ellie snaps. “So, what am I supposed to do? Let me guess, just ignore it. Well, I can’t. This is my life these people are fucking with. My reputation as a lawyer is at stake. What will my clients say? And then there’s my mom!”

  We all fall silent for a moment. I’m quiet because I don’t know what to do.

  “So you have nothing to say? Sam? Wonderful. I didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m the one who has to suffer. I’m sure the stupid paparazzi are already at my office door and probably my apartment at this point. It’s bullshit, and I have to deal with this on my own. Again!”

  “Stella, you can make a statement to defend yourself. But it can make you look guilty. Sometimes silence is the best policy,” Diana admits. “You know this with your legal experience.”

  “I don’t know what to say other than I’m sorry. We’ll do everything we can to get it off the internet. It’ll take time, though.” I try to sound convincing but I’m not sure it’ll work.

  Silence.

  “Stella, are you there?”

  “Yes, but I can’t talk about this anymore. I’m too pissed off, and I have some tasks I need to finish before I can go home. Who knows how I’ll be able to focus after this.”

  “Stella, wait.” The line goes dead.

  “Sam. Sam.” Diana sounds like our damn parrot, Petie. “I can only do so much. It’s way out there. It’s huge on Twitter right now. It’s beyond our control at this point.”

  “You know this was Jenny.”

  “But there’s no proof yet. You can’t go after her. If you do, she’ll say you attacked her or something. You’ll be the one who gets screwed. Let’s see how this plays out first.”

  “She’s right,” Cass adds.

  “Diana, I need to go. I’m too angry right now. Thanks for warning me.”

  “Good luck, Sam. Let me know how it goes. Bye, Cass.”

  “Will do.” I cut the call.

  I turn to Cass. “We’re going straight to Ellie’s place. I need to talk to her. Is that okay?”

  “It’s fine by me. I’ll go wherever you want. I’m curious what will happen next. And I’m selfish because I want to meet Stella.”

  “Maybe you can talk to her and tell her about what you went through when you first met JT.”

  “It’s worth a try, but it sounds like Stella and I are two different people. I’m not sure she’ll listen.”

  ∞

  Cass and I decide to check into the Edgewater Hotel first. We drop our stuff off in our rooms and take off for Ellie’s apartment on foot. As expected, Ellie isn’t answering my calls or text messages.

  We stand in front of her apartment building, shocked that the paparazzi isn’t there. “I don’t want to ring her doorbell because I’m afraid she won’t let me in.”

  “What’s the chance of the door to the apartment building being unlocked? Try it.” Cass pushes me toward the entrance.

  I take a deep breath and reach for the door. I hesitate like it’s hot.

  “Don’t be such a wimp,” Cass growls as she edges me over and places her hands on the door to push it open. I squeeze my eyes shut, praying it will. And to my surprise, it does. My heart jolts with hope.

  My feet are faster than my brain. I stop in front of Ellie’s door and catch my breath. Cass stands to the side, breathing heavily too. I’m going to do something, and it could ruin everything and make me sound like a complete idiot.

  I knock on her door. “Stella, it’s Sam. Please let me in. Please let me see you.”

  No response.

  “Please, Stella… Ellie. Ellie. Ellie.” My voice peters out. Still no response from her, but I could swear I heard something inside.

  I lean my head against the door. Here goes nothing. “I’ve dreamed of you. Of us. Your name was Ellie, not Stella. You didn’t wear black glasses like you do now. We both wanted to be alone at our resort, but I couldn’t stay away from you. I made up a stupid excuse about needing some lemons to get your attention. You were so beautifully annoyed with me, but I knew you wanted me as much as I wanted you. I was lucky to get flashed when you got out of the pool.” I chuckle.

  “But then you hit me in the head with a lemon. That’s when I fell. Literally—I fell head over heels for you.” I plant my hands on the doorframe. “We had a crazy parrot named Petie who was like a protective parent. You have a heart-shaped freckle below your shoulder. You love sea turtles, and I took you to see the baby turtles migrate to the ocean.” I catch myself smiling.

  “We played tic-tac-toe on the secluded beach we found one day. You had the cutest belly button and looked like a mermaid swept ashore, only there for me. You told me your mom was blind and that you love the infinity symbol. Is that true?

  “Should I keep going, or have I lost you forever? Everything about my dream was so incredibly real that I felt like I knew you already when we met. When I saw you at the law office, I couldn’t believe you were in front of me. I thought I’d never see you again because the unthinkable happened at the end of my dream.

  “If nothing else in that dream turns out to be true, there’s one thing that was. I’ve never told any other woman that I love her. You’re the only one, and I promise you, you’ll be the last. My love for you is infinite.”

  I glance at Cass. Her eyes are round as saucers and blinking.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” she whispers. I don’t know if she’s surprised or angry.

  I twitch and push away from the door when I hear the click of the lock. The doorknob turns. Cass gasps behind me.

  Chapter 37

  Ellie

  My trembling hands cover my mouth, and tears stream down my cheeks like a waterfall. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. It was real! Gale and Christy stand behind me as we listen to what Sam is saying through the door.

  “If nothing else in that dream turns out to be true, there’s one thing that was. I’ve never told any other woman that I love her. You’re the only one, and I promise you, you’ll be the last. My love for you is infinite,” Sam professes.

  I can’t stand it anymore. I need to see him. Gale nudges me gently forward. Look who believes me now.

  I unlock the door and open it. Sam’s face is full
of pain but his eyes brighten when he sees me. He looks beautiful with his disheveled hair and scruff. I hug my waist, but I want to hug him.

  “You made us lemonade with too much vodka. You had a migraine one night. I gave you a bath and took care of you all day. Petie told me you were sick. On our first date, a photographer took pictures of us on the beach at sunset.” We say sunset in unison. “We went scuba diving, even though I’m afraid of sharks. You told me I should get a belly ring.” I cover my belly button with my hand.

  “We got stuck in a storm and had to run back to our rooms from the beach. That was the most unforgettable night of my life. I told you I loved you. I still do and always will. Our love is infinite.” I jump into his arms and ugly cry. “Oh, Sam! Everybody said it was just a dream… all the facts were there, but I refused to believe them.”

  He holds my face in his hands and kisses my tears away. “We were both there, Ellie. It was real. Who cares if people don’t believe us? I only care that we do and we’re alive,” he says while his eyes lock on mine. “It was real. No one can take that away from us. Do you understand me? No one.”

  I sob again and bury my face into his yummy familiar neck. Gale clears his throat behind us and Christy sniffles. They’ve heard everything.

  I pull myself out of Sam’s arms then slide my hand in his. He lifts our hands and kisses the top of mine.

  “Still a perfect fit.” He flashes my favorite smile, and I cry again. My heart flutters, knowing he’s near. I can’t believe it was all true. I want to jump out of my skin.

  Christy dabs her eyes with a tissue, then hands me a couple. “I have no idea what that was, but it was beautiful,” she says. I dry my wet cheeks.

  “Gale, this is my Sam.” My grin is probably as big as this apartment. “The one I told you about in my dream.” Christy’s brown eyes are large blinking question marks. “Gale will have to fill you in after you leave.”

  She nods and giggles. “I can’t wait.”

  Gale and Sam shake hands. “It’s good to see you again, Samuel. I’m her cousin. And this is Christy.”

  Sam shakes her hand, and a sweet shade of pink appears on her cheeks.

  “Please call me Sam. I’m starting to hate the name Samuel.” We laugh as Sam wraps his arm tightly around my waist as if he’s afraid he’ll lose me again.