Page 6 of Rockstar Untamed
But some things were worth more than wealth, hell, alotof things, Bodhi told himself. His son, first and foremost. He had to try and find a way to get through to Tim. Whether Tim realized it or not, Bodhi had grown to love him, it was just, at this moment, he didn’t know whether helikedhim.
A new life. A new assistant. A newfriend.Sailor.Bodhi laughed and shook his head. How quickly life changes. Of course, he was a man, and her fragile beauty hadn’t passed him by. The long waves of her dark brown hair that almost reached her waist, those big dark eyes, the pink flush of her cheeks, and her smile was breathtaking. Finally, after the trauma of her near-rape, he’d made her laugh at lunch, and her smile had made his day. It lit up her face. She was young, too young for that sort of crap to happen to her.
And she’s probably too young for you, buddy, so keep your thoughts pure. With a sigh, Bodhi knew the truth of that. If he wanted to keep Sailor in his life, he would have to be professional, keep his more erotic thoughts to himself. She deserved that much from him.
At dinner, he told Tim about his new assistant, but Tim just shrugged and said “Okay.” Bodhi wondered if the kid cared less about who was in his life.
“Hey, how about we go to the beach this weekend? Have you ever been to Venice Beach?”
“Evan used to take me all the time.”
Of courseOf course, Bodhi was really starting to dislike this ‘Evan.’ “Okay then, how about to the Caribbean? I have a friend with a place on an island down there.”
Tim’s eyes opened wide, and Bodhi felt a rush of joy. Finally, Tim was impressed. “For reals?”
“For reals. We can go on Friday after school, come back Sunday. What do you say?”
Tim studied his father and Bodhi, for the millionth time, wondered what was going on in his head. “Okay.”
Bodhi smiled. He wanted to say more, suggest other things they could do, but he didn’t want to push his luck. This was enough…for now.
“TheCaribbean?” Sailor gaped at him as Bodhi laughed at her expression, the next morning.
“That’s right. Want to come? All expenses paid, of course.”
Sailor sat back in the passenger seat, shaking her head in disbelief. “Twenty-four hours ago, we didn’t even know each other, and you saved me from being raped, or murdered, hired me at a wildly generous salary,andoffered me a dream vacation to a tropical island? This isn’t real.”
Bodhi grinned. “Listen, if it freaks you out, just think of it as a working trip. I need to figure out what to do going forward and I need you to help me.”
“On atropicalisland.” She repeated, then laughed. “Well…I’d love to, but I don’t have a passport.”
Bodhi’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t?”
“Uh-ah.” Sailor shook her head, her smile fading. Bodhi studied her for a long moment then turned back to the road.
“Okay…well, we could get that arranged by Friday, no problem. You have a birth certificate, right?”
Sailor nodded. She’d stolen it from Bart’s cabinet the day he’d left her alone in his office, along with anything she could find with her name on. When she’d arrived in L.A., she’d gone to City Hall to legally change her name from the near unique-sounding Sailor King to the more generic Sarah Halls. At least then, she could use that name legally, but finding it hard to call herself ‘Sarah,' she told people her nickname was Sailor, figuring it was safe enough to do so.
“Have you never traveled, Sailor?”
She blinked back in the present and shook her head. “No, never. Never been on a plane, never gone anywhere.”
Bodhi looked amazed but then smiled. “Then it’s decided. It’s outrageous you’ve never traveled. Particularly with a name likeSailor. We’ll get your passport arranged and you can come with us. Okay?”
Sailor hesitated then nodded. “Okay…thank you, Bodhi.” She gave a short laugh. “Iamdreaming, I’m sure.”
Later that day, after they’d spent all day talking about what Bodhi would be looking for in an assistant, and Sailor getting very excited for the challenge, she rode in the car with him as Bodhi picked Tim up from school and introduced him to Sailor. Sailor grinned at the young boy.
“Hey, it’s good to meet you.” She indicated a patch on his jacket of a rooster spewing fire. “Hey, you like Rhett and Link?”
Tim looked amazed that a grown-up would know who Rhett and Link were and nodded, half smiling at her. “Today we’re going to eat hair gel flavored ice cream.”
Sailor grinned, knowing he wanted her to give the catchphrase of the two Internet comedians. “Let’s talk about that,” she quipped back, and Tim laughed delightedly.
Bodhi looked between them. “I have no idea what either of you is talking about.”
Sailor rolled her eyes and winked at Tim. “Granddad,” she said in a stage whisper, making Tim giggle. Bodhi grinned at the sound, and then looked gratefully at Sailor.
