All the Right Things (Love in LA) (12 page)

Annie:
I’ve missed you.

Gabe:
God, I’ve missed you, too.

Annie:
You fucking broke my heart, you know?

Wow. That had come out a lot harsher than she intended. But at the same time, she meant every word. He had made her fall so hard for him, and then ripped the ground out from under her before she knew what was happening.

Gabe:
Damnit, I didn’t mean for that to happen. You know that.

Annie:
I dunno…

Gabe:
I would never do anything intentional to hurt you. Ever.

Annie:
I want to believe you.

Gabe:
You should. It’s the truth.

Annie:
I just don’t know if I can ever trust you again.

Gabe:
What do I have to do to prove it to you? Tell me. I’ll do anything.

Annie:
It’s not that easy, you know. It’s more complicated than that.

Gabe:
Why? Because of that guy? Casey?

Annie:
Well, yeah. You left me. You said you were getting back together with your pregnant ex-girlfriend.

Gabe:
I know.

Annie:
What was I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for you to change your mind?

Gabe:
No, I know you had every right to move on. And I know I don’t have any right to ask you to give me another chance, but I can’t help it. I need you in my life. Please give me another chance. I’m fucking begging you. I swear I will never break your heart again.

Annie closed her eyes and breathed deeply. What the hell was she supposed to do? This was the craziest situation she’d ever been in. She’d never expected to have two incredible guys interested in her at the same time. Casey was a good guy and so amazing, and she really wanted to spend more time with him. But Gabe had literally rocked her world. And then he’d left and broken her heart, leaving it in about a million shattered pieces. Was being with him worth the risk? He could leave her again in a heartbeat after making her trust him again. But then, so could Casey. Life was all about risks and gambles. Did she have the guts to gamble now?

Annie:
I don’t know. I need time to think.

Gabe:
That’s okay. I’ll wait.

Annie:
You might be waiting for a little while… this is a really hard decision for more than one reason.

Gabe:
Like I said, I’ll wait.

Annie:
Suit yourself. I’ll call when I have my answer.

Sighing, Annie stared at the TV, praying for divine inspiration to tell her the right path to follow. She was about to get up and start making herself some tea when her phone rang. Glancing down, she frowned at the strange number, not recognizing the area code.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi, may I speak to Annie? This is Lee Inman calling from Starway Productions.”

“Oh hi. Yes, this is she.” Recognizing the name of the production company behind
The Next American Superstar
, Annie could feel her palms start to sweat, and her heart began to beat faster.

“Hey Annie, how are you doing?”

“I’m good, how are you?”

“Doing just great. Listen, is this a good time? Do you have a few minutes to chat?”

Sitting forward on the edge of the couch, Annie nodded and then almost laughed out loud as she realized he couldn’t see her nodding.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Great, great. So, the producers have spent a lot of time reviewing all of the auditions, and it’s my pleasure to say congratulations and let you know that you have qualified to move onto the next round. We’d love for you to join us for our final round of auditions in New York.

“Shut the fuck up.”

Lee just laughed at her response.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean to say that out loud. But are you freaking serious?”

“As a heart attack,” he assured her, still chuckling.

“I seriously can’t believe this is real. Thank you so much!” Annie exclaimed, jumping up

from the couch and bouncing up and down excitedly as she danced around her living room. “What do I need to do?”

“I’m going to turn you over to Janice and she’ll get your information so she can book your flights. You’ll be staying at The Waldorf Astoria, courtesy of the show.”

“Oh wow, how cool! Thank you again.”

“You’re very welcome. I’m sure you’re going to do great. Listen, one more thing before I turn you over to Janice. Someone should be contacting you in the next few days to schedule a film crew to come out and record you receiving this phone call, which we’ll reenact together. You good with that?”

“Oh yeah, sure, of course.” Annie shook her head in disbelief as she spoke, ready to pinch herself. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Do you still live with your family?”

“No, I have my own place.”

“Okay well, for the piece, we’ll want to film you receiving the call at your family’s house, if that’s possible.”

“Um yeah, I think that should be okay. I’ll just have to clear it with my parents first.”

“Not a problem. Janice will give you a number to call once you’re ready to move forward with scheduling.”

“Okay, that sounds good.”

“Great, great. We’ll talk soon then. Here’s Janice.”

He turned her over to Janice, the production coordinator, who was surprisingly very sweet and kind. She waited patiently for Annie to find something to write on, then gave her the number to call. Annie had barely thanked the woman and ended the call before she started jumping around again, feeling the most ecstatic she’d ever been in her life.

“Oh my God, oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening!”

Instinctively, the first person she texted was… Casey.

Annie:
Well, you were right. I just got my call.

He texted her back immediately.

Casey:
Yeah?? And? :)

Annie:
And I’m in!

Casey:
Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Congrats, princess. Super stoked for you.

Annie:
Thanks :)

Casey:
We’ll celebrate next weekend when you come see me in SF.

Annie:
Hehe kk… ttyl… safe flight.

Casey:
Thanks.

This was perfect—more than she could have hoped for. Casey would be at the finals with her. She hadn’t thought she would have someone there to offer her moral support through what she was sure would be the toughest week of her life… if she even made it to the end of the week.

Annie then texted Alex and asked him if she could come over. He told her “of course”, and a minute later, she was at his door.

“Door’s open!” she heard him call.

Letting herself in, Annie spotted Alex in the kitchen with his elbows deep in what looked like the raw mixture for meatloaf.

“Ooh, whatcha makin’? Is it meatloaf?” she asked, perching on a barstool as she watched him.

“Close. I’m making Waikiki meatballs,” Alex said as he started rolling the first meatball.

“What’s that?”

“Meatballs in a sweet and sour sauce. It has peppers and pineapple, and you can serve it over rice.”

“Hmm, sounds interesting.”

“It’s good—you’ll see. Just give it a chance.”

“I guess that means I’m invited to stay for dinner?”

“Even though you cancelled on me first. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were spending the weekend with Magic Mike?”

“Oh my God, I almost forgot why I came over here! You’re never going to believe who I saw today when Casey and I were having lunch at the Farmers Market by the Grove.”

“Uh oh,” Alex murmured, eyeing her curiously. “Nate?”

“Ha, no, although that would have been just as bad. It was Gabe.”

“Shut the fuck up. Did he see you? Did you talk to him? Was that skank he impregnated there with them?”

Rolling her eyes, Annie shook her head. “No, he was there having lunch with his mom. He came over to our table while Casey was using the restroom, but Casey came back before he left, so I had to introduce them to each other.”

“Oh shit! Did Casey know who he was?”

“No, and I didn’t offer the information, but I could tell he was suspicious. I was admittedly acting a little weird after Gabe left.”

“Well, honey, that’s understandable. That dude sure pulled a number on you.”

“I haven’t even told you the worst part.”

Alex’s eyebrows shot up as he watched her, waiting for her to spill the beans. “So tell me already.”

Annie sighed. “Genevieve isn’t pregnant with his baby. She lied—he’s not the father.”

“Holy fuck.”

“You can say that again.”

Pulling a skillet from one of the kitchen cabinets, Alex turned on a burner and started to brown the meatballs. “So what’s the deal? Does he want you back now?”

“Yeah,” she said and then groaned. “Alex, I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do now. Casey is amazing, but the chemistry I had with Gabe was pretty fantastic.”

“Yeah, but you haven’t even slept with Casey, yet… or have you now?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Laughing out loud, Annie shook her head. “Slept, yes. Sex, no.”

“Aww, well that’s no fun… but I’m glad you’re taking it slow this time.”

“Yeah, me too… except that right now, it’d be nice to be able to compare. Does that sound shallow?”

“Not really. Just realistic.” Alex had finished browning the meatballs and turned the burner off. Then he scrounged around again in his cabinets before pulling out a small crockpot.

“Anyhow, aside from my chaotic and complicated love life, I have other news. I just got a call from one of the producers for
The Next American Superstar
, and I made it to the finals!”

“Oh my God, Annie! That is so awesome,” Alex cheered, moving around the counter to give her a hug. “I’m so proud of you, baby girl.”

“Thanks, I’m super excited.”

“You should be. When do you leave for the next round?”

“In about a month, but they want to come out and film a reenactment of my phone call from the producer sometime this week.”

“Ooh, check you out, Miss Thing! Moving on up. Don’t forget me when you’re famous, darling.” He moved back into the kitchen and started measuring out some rice and water into the rice cooker.

Annie blushed and shook her head. “I couldn’t have done it without your moral support, that’s for sure.”

“Sure you could have, but I’ll take the credit since you’re offering,” he said with a grin as he winked at her. “Where are the finals?”

“In New York.”

“Nice! You’ve never been there before, right?”

“Nope. Never been anywhere on the east coast before.”

“Well, you’re going to need to go shopping. It’s going to be pretty cold there.”

“Oh yeah, I didn’t even think about that. Good idea. See, I knew I kept you around for a reason,” Annie teased as she smirked at him. “If I win, I’m totally hiring you as my personal assistant.”

“And I will totally take that job in a heartbeat. Well, girl, it sounds like you’ve got a lot going on for you right now. I say you should just forget about the boys for now. You need to do you and focus on winning that competition.”

“I know… you’re right. Casey made it through to the finals, too, by the way.”

“Oh really? Now won’t
that
be interesting. What are you going to do if his crew beats you? Are you going to let your feelings for him get in the way of you taking the crown?”

“Aw, hell no. I mean, I care about Casey, and I wish nothing but the best for him and his crew, but this is my dream career we’re talking about. I’m not going to let anything stand in my way.”

“Atta girl!”

Holding the phone away from her ear, Annie winced as her mother screeched gleefully through the receiver. Lena Chang might have been small of stature at five foot three, but her voice was loud enough for a woman much larger.

“Are you kidding me? Why didn’t you tell me you were auditioning? Oh my God, darling! I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Mom, but I’m not deaf… well, now I might be. And I didn’t want to say anything until I had gotten through to the final round.”

“I’m sorry—couldn’t help myself, but yay! I can’t believe my daughter is going to be on national television with millions of people voting for her!”

“I only made it to the final round of auditions in New York. I don’t know if I’ll even make it to the live tapings when the audience gets to vote.”

“But they’ll still show the auditions, won’t they?”

Annie let out an exasperated laugh at her mother’s excitement. “Yes, they’ll show the auditions.”

“So I’ll get to see my baby on TV!”

“Yes, you’ll get to see me on TV.”

“I can’t wait to tell the family and all my friends! Everybody’s going to go nuts with the news. We should have a viewing party. We could have it here, and—”

Rolling her eyes, she interrupted her mother’s frantic planning. “Now hold on, Mom. Please don’t go telling anybody anything, yet. I don’t know what we’re allowed to say. We may not be able to tell anyone until later.”