“Right. So shut it. You want anotherbeer?”
“Yup.”
And it pretty much went on like that for the rest of theday.
He brought it up, every once in a while, pointing out that we now had the fallout of this shit storm to deal with, but offering no suggestions on how to deal with it. Finally I asked him, “So what do you want me to do about it now? I can’t turn backtime.”
And he said, “Maybe we should talk toBrody.”
That was his answer foreverything.
Let’s talk toBrody.
Brody will have theanswer.
Usually, he did. But on this one, I was hardly gonna defer toBrody.
“Let’s just do the rest of the fucking auditions,” I said, “and let the bullshit with Sethdrop.”
“Fine with me,” he said. But after a minute he added, “Don’t think Jesse’s gonna let it drop,though.”
“Jesse can bite me,” I said, and Dylan finally shutup.
By now, I was pissed right off. I knew Dylan meant well. He was just concerned. Trying to do his part. Thinking that coming over to talk to me over beers before the next round of auditions wouldhelp.
Itdidn’t.
It just made me feel more defensive of what I’d done, and more defensive of Seth. This was Dylan; he was gonna be the easiest on me, and it was already feeling hard. If he was having this much of a problem with what I’d done, what the hell was Jesse gonna say?Brody?
But I couldn’t exactly start defending Seth to the guys without setting off warning bells—and another shitstorm.
By the time Dylan left, I knew, byhowdefensive I felt of Seth, that I had to see him again. There was so much left undone there, andunsaid.
It took mere seconds from the time Dylan sped off in his boat for me to get Joanie on thephone.
“I’m gonna text you an address,” I told her. “I need you to send a car there, to pick up SethBrothers.”
Chapter Eighteen
Seth
Iarrivedat Elle’s place just as the sun was going down. It was a sprawling mansion on the coast, low white slabs and glass, hidden in the trees. By the time the car stopped in the driveway, I was wound right up. My heart was beating too hard. My palms weresweating.
All the way here, I’d been wondering what this was about—a car service showing up at Ray’s place and the driver telling me he was supposed to take me to some house in Lions Bay, forJoanie.
I knew exactly whose house it wouldbe.
As for why Elle had sent a car for me, there could only be one reason: she wasn’t finished with meyet.
She didn’t want me to leave Woo’s place; she’d made that clear. She’d also said she was staying in Kauai for a few more days, but now here she was, the very next day. Either she was pissed at me, royally, or she wanted to see me for some otherreason.
One look at her when she opened her front door told me what that reasonwas.
I stepped inside, feeling uneasy. I’d never been in this house before, but I barely looked around. There was a white entrance hall and a giant, sweeping staircase leading upstairs, behind her. But all I really saw was Elle, standing there in her minusculedress.
It was a sundress, innocent at first glance, white, with colorful flowers splashed across it. But it was thin and covered barely anything. One floss-like strap had drifted off her shoulder. She wasn’t wearing a bra; her firm breasts pressed against the soft, gauze-like fabric, her nipples pokingout.
I wondered if she was wearing panties; the hemline barely covered herclit.
