Page 48 of Play to Win
“I think what they’re trying to say, E, is that you may have made a mistake letting Portia walk out of your life,” Del stated.
“Are you serious?” Ethan asked them incredulously. “She left. Just like my mother and just like Stacey. I didn’t tell her to go.”
“But you didn’t tell her to stay,” Lance added.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” he continued, stalking across the street until he came to a stop directly in front of the steps that led to the house he’d sworn to hate forever.
He paced back and forth, trying to push back the immediate anger that had erupted in him at their words. They were out of line. Way out of line coming at him this way.
“You, Lance, are the last one of us that would beg a woman to do anything for you. Are you really suggesting I should’ve insisted that she stay here with me? And do what? What?”
Lance and the others had followed Ethan across the street, so as he’d shouted, Lance had stood toe-to-toe with him waiting.
Rock stood a few steps away, his arms behind him. “You ever thought your life was meant to be different, Ethan? Maybe all the bad things that happened to you were meant to prepare you for something good.”
Ethan shook his head. “None of you believe in happy ever afters. We’re all back here trying to make the best of the hands we’ve been dealt. There’s no fantasy world we get to reside in after going through hell.”
Del shrugged. “Not a fantasy world, but maybe just a place where we can have happiness. Finally. Kind of like what you’re trying to create for the kids here in town.”
Ethan swung around to stare at Del.
“That’s different.”
“Is it?” Del asked. “You plan to offer those kids hope and solutions, but you’re not willing to put your ego and your stupid three strikes deal out of your mind, to go after the one thing you’ve always wanted. It’s her, E. We all saw it the moment she walked back into town. You’ve always wanted her. You had her and you foolishly let her go.”
“So now what do you plan to do about that?” Lance asked.
* * *
“Your book has been on the bestseller’s list for a month,” Sunny said, her voice brimming with excitement. “And now they’ve offered you a movie deal. Is it going to be like that other sex movie that came from a book that everybody was raving about?”
“No.” Portia shook her head and laughed as she held the phone between her ear and her shoulder. “I think the plan is to be more like a documentary type production, with actors from the adult entertainment industry performing some of the things I wrote and commentary from couples who actually put my steps into play in their relationship. At least that’s what my agent said after her preliminary discussions with the production company. We’re planning a face-to-face meeting in the next few weeks. Even though I won’t have control over what they ultimately decide to do, they’re open to at least sharing their ideas with me.”
Her agent had told Portia that was a good point to negotiate in the deal. Portia had simply taken her advice because this wasn’t something she’d ever imagined would happen. Tonight, she was speaking at another conference in San Diego. This time it was a psychiatrists’ convention where she’d been invited to talk about her theories connecting intimacy to cognitive human functioning. The invitation had sealed the deal for the new proposal presented to her agent and in addition to the movie deal, another book deal was now in the works.
Her professional life was on a fast and invigorating track. As for her personal life, well, that was once again on the back burner.
“I think I’m going to come back to the states for Christmas,” Sunny said.
Portia had just picked up the jacket to her black pantsuit and was pulling it on. “That would be great. This is my last engagement until February when I have some Valentine’s themed promotional videos planned. We can definitely spend some time together. Are you coming to Seattle?”
“No. I was thinking of stopping in D.C. to see Judy. I miss my old friend from time-to-time. I know you won’t come to that little reunion, but maybe you could come back to the east coast. This house’ll probably be sold by then, but we could get a hotel and visit Providence. You remember how they did the town up real nice for the holidays? And the big party they used to have on New Year’s Eve?”
“Yes, I remember,” Portia said with a sigh. “And I know what you’re trying to do, Sunny. The answer is no. Not because I don’t love you and don’t want to spend time with you, but because I’m not going back to Providence with the hope of seeing Ethan. That bird has flown the coup.”
Sunny laughed. “Listen to you talking like me now. I guess I’ve whispered in your ear long enough to have something rubbing off.”
Portia laughed too.
“Listen, I gotta go. But we’ll talk soon about where we can meet up to spend the holidays together. I really want to make that happen.”
“Then we’ll make it happen. I’m mighty proud of you, Ladybug,” Sunny said. “Have a good event and knock ‘em dead.”
“Thanks, Sunny. Love you!”
“Love you too!” Sunny said before disconnecting.
Portia turned off her phone and headed out of her hotel room. She caught the elevator down to the meeting room floor and exited with her mind focused on what she would say. She had her trusty notecards in her jacket pocket, her phone in the other. It was show time, something she’d gotten used to over the last leg of the book tour. Did she miss girls’ night with Camy and Rylan? Yes. And she’d thought about her failure with Jeret’s hot wings on more than one occasion. He’d dared her to try them again. Portia kind of wanted to take him up on that.
She shook her head free of those thoughts and walked into the room to see that all the seats had already been taken. Everyone seated was waiting to hear from her. One of the conference organizers met her at the door and walked her to the front of the room. Portia stood behind the podium, and pulled out her cards to begin speaking. She addressed the crowd, “Good evening. Thank you for coming.”
And then she paused.
There was someone she knew standing all the way in the back of the room.
