That thought stopped her short.Was that why he’d offloaded her to his brother?Because he wanted to be friends with her?But would someone who wanted to be “friends” beat feet out of her house like his pants were on fire?
What the hell was going on?
Julian feltlike absolute shit as he drove away from Isla’s and headed for practice in the Valley.Witnessing her stunned expression when he’d told her Jackson would be handling her case had been like a hot arrow hitting his chest.He hated that he’d somehow managed to hurt her feelings by doing the right thing for both of them.
She was in a vulnerable spot, and though she wouldn’t realize it right away, he’d done her a favor by bowing out of the entire situation.The last thing she needed was a commitment-resistant guy encouraging an attraction that became stronger every time he saw her and remained on simmer in between meetings.
It’d taken every ounce of fortitude he could summon to leave her just now, and that wouldn’t do.He couldn’t encourage something with a single mom of two kids that had nowhere to go, even now that he was no longer representing her.That didn’t change the equation for him.
When things calmed down for her, she’d find a great guy who wanted to be a husband to her and a father to her kids, a thought that made him feel slightly sick to his stomach.
Julian gripped the wheel tighter as he kept the car directed toward the practice, resisting every opportunity for a U-turn that would take him right back to her.
This, right here, thisturmoil, was exactly why he avoided relationships.Who needed to feel this way about something he could no more control than he could the changing tides or that the sun would rise and set each day?Not him.He thrived on control and was determined to maintain it in every aspect of his life.
Maybe a night at Club Quantum to work out his frustrations would be in order to get things back on track.That’d worked for him in the past any time he’d felt things getting out of hand.Not that it happened very often, and it’d never been because he’d met someone he had trouble walking away from.That’d happened only once before, when he and Aimee had broken up, and it’d nearly killed him.
“Think about how hard that sucked,” he said as he took Laurel Canyon Boulevard toward the Ventura Freeway.“Remember what you said at the time, that you’d never put yourself through anything like that again.”For weeks after they’d split up for good, he’d felt like he was underwater, struggling to breathe, sleep, eat and function.That was the only semester he hadn’t made the Dean’s List at USC.He’d been a total wreck, and in the ensuing years, he’d done everything in his power to keep from ever again finding himself in that hellish mental state.
After three times in the presence of Isla Santana, he somehow understood that she posed the same kind of threat to his peace of mind that Aimee once had.
Spending more time with her wouldn’t make anything easier, so if he knew that and understood the stakes with her being his close friend’s precious younger sister, why then did he have to stay in the right lane to avoid the overwhelming desire to make that U-turn?
The band had a three-day engagement next weekend at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go on Sunset Boulevard, which was the most exciting thing to ever happen to any of them.The Whisky was a legendary club that dated back to the 1960s, having hosted luminaries such as The Byrds, The Doors, Mötley Crüe, Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin.Booking a gig there was one of the pinnacles for anyone in the LA music scene, and thanks to Troy’s relentless efforts, they’d finally gotten in.
That was another reason why Julian couldn’t make that U-turn.The band was counting on him to be at their second-to-last practice before they hit the big time.For the others in the band, especially Vixen, Stix and Troy, the Whisky gig could be a gateway to bigger and better things.Julian worried about the band taking off and him having to bow out due to his day job.Denny had the same concerns, since he had a business to run and teenagers to finish raising and couldn’t tour with the band.
Julian had made his choice years ago when he’d chosen the college-law school path over the music, and he’d never had regrets about that.And while he hoped for bigger and better things for the band, he and Denny were tied to LA in a way the others weren’t.
They practiced in a warehouse in Glendale that Julian paid for since the others couldn’t afford to contribute.When he pulled up next to Denny’s truck, he realized he was the last to arrive.
With his stomach still in knots over the tense scene at Isla’s, he grabbed the bag containing a change of clothes from the back seat and went inside to find Denny waiting for him.
“What the hell, man?You pawned my sister off on your brother?Isn’t he fresh out of law school?”
“That’s not what happened.He’s four years out of law school and an excellent attorney.”
“I asked you to handle this for me, not your brother.”
“Jackson has more time to devote to her case.We’re still doing it pro bono, so don’t worry about that.”
“I don’t give a shit about the money.I care about Isla and her kids getting the best-possible attorney.That’s why I wantedyou.Supposedly, you’re the best.”
“I’m Jackson’s boss and mentor.She’s in very good hands.I promise.”
“Why do I feel like there’s something else going on here that you’re not telling me?”
“There’s nothing going on, and it’s going to stay that way.Don’t worry.”
When Julian started to turn away, Denny grabbed him by the arm and spun him around.
“What the fuck does that mean?‘Nothing going on, and it’s going to stay that way’?”
Julian pulled his arm free.“Just what I said.”
“What was going on?”
“Nothing.”
