Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Jersey nodded.
“Then what happened? You had a falling out and you ended up in a homeless shelter?”
“Exactly.”
“What was the falling out about?”
“Oh, just the usual stuff. He’d been so busy in the studio and meeting with important people about videos and shit like that. I was feeling lonely. So I asked him to stay home one night with me and have sex, but he didn’t. I told him I was going to have sex with someone that night. He thought I was joking.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t.”
Natasha blinked a few times before laughing. “That’s your story? Ian Cooper wouldn’t have sex with you, so you found another guy to have sex with? And then what? He got mad because you cheated on him and you broke up? Which…” she held up her hand “…for the record, no woman in her right mind would cheat on a rock star, right? It would be a step down. Unless you slept with another rock star … or an actor. But what are the chances of that? So that part of your story just ruins the rest. It’s too unbelievable. You have to keep it a tiny bit believable if you want to keep your audience engaged.”
“Well, I didn’t cheat on him. We weren’t married. And I wasn’t his girlfriend.”
“Oh …” Natasha sported a sly grin. “Gotcha. That’s a relief. Cheating is just awful. Not so much flirting, or even a kiss that could lead to something, as long as someone stops it. But going as far as to have sex is unforgivable.”
Jersey set her coffee cup down and traced the rim of it. “Why? It’s just sex.”
“Sex is intimate, sacred in some ways.”
“Sacred?” Jersey’s head tipped to the side.
“Yeah, like special. The pinnacle of intimacy.”
It wasn’t. Not for Jersey. Sex had been used as a weapon, a punishment, a bargaining tool, and a means to barter for goods.
“Someday you should make things right with Ian.” She used air quotes with his name. “Bad relationships follow you around. They bleed into all your future relationships. It’s uh …” She glanced up at the ceiling, lips twisted. “Bad karma … bad luck. If your head is right, and you feel confident about moving on, you should go make things right with Ian. Find closure and make it peaceful.”
Jersey held her fingers up in air quotes. “Why are you doing this every time you say his name?”
Natasha returned the hairy eyeball. “On the off-chance that your Ian is not the actual Ian Cooper. Which…” she nodded, squinting her eyes into a weird expression “…I totally believe you. I’m just saying other people might find it a bit unlikely.”
Jersey glanced at the clock behind the counter. “Listen. My break is over. But I’m interested in this karma thing. I think I have a lot of bad karma in my life. I’m willing to try to make things right with Ian, but I don’t remember where he lives. I’m not great with directions.”
“Do you have his address?”
“No. Do you have it?”
Natasha chuckled. “Are we back to talking about the rock star?”
“Yes.”
“Sure. I can probably track down an address and get you to his house. Shall I pick you up after work?”
“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”
Natasha stood, shaking her head while grinning. “Oh girl … you sure are entertaining.” She set a twenty-dollar bill on the table. “What time are you off?”
“Seven.”
“Then I’ll see you at seven.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
“That’s his house.” Natasha pointed past the gate from the street. “I’m not sure he’s living there since there’s still construction going on.” She narrowed her eyes a fraction at Jersey, clearly still not buying the Ian Cooper story but indulging Jersey just the same.
“He was staying at his neighbor’s house.” Jersey pointed across the street. “But it appears like they’re home again from the looks of the kids playing with their toys out front. Hmm … this is fine.” She opened her door. “I’ll get out and see what I can find out. If he’s not around, I’ll find my way back or call for a ride.”
“You sure? I don’t mind staying.”
Jersey poked her head back into the car. “Because you don’t believe me?”
Natasha shook her head and laughed. “No judgment here.”
“Go home. I’ll send you photos for proof if I find him.”
“Yeah, you do that.”
As Natasha drove off, Jersey typed in the code to Ian’s gate, and it opened. She surveyed the perimeter before ringing the doorbell. No one answered. She tried to open it. It was locked.
Traipsing across the street, she waved at the neighbor whom she’d never met, but Chris had. “Hi. I’m a friend of Ian’s. Jersey. I stayed here with him for a while right after the fire.” She gripped the iron bars to their gate. She knew their code too but decided not to freak them out quite yet.