The Last Second Chance by Lucy Score

25

“Wake up, baby. It’s time to get up.” Jax’s voice sounded like it was coming from a hundred miles away rather than the pillow next to her head.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She opened one eye suspiciously. “We don’t have to be there until six tonight, right?”

“Yeah, but we have to get you a dress. Besides, it’s like ten o’clock eastern time.”

“I’m on vacation. Vacation means not getting up until at least eleven,” she said, her voice muffled by pillow. “A good boyfriend would know that.”

“You can sleep as late as you want tomorrow, and your boyfriend will murder anyone who tries to drag you out of bed early.”

Eyes closed, Joey let the corners of her lips curl up. Boyfriend. Last night hadn’t been just a beautiful, terrifying dream after all.

“Come on, let’s try out the twelve-person shower together.” He dragged her out from under the tangle of sheets and pillows and guided her into the bathroom.

“You know what this marble mausoleum doesn’t have?” she grumbled. “A damn coffeemaker.”

“I’ll get you coffee after the shower,” Jax promised, twisting the faucets to release a steamy stream of water from both showerheads. “Come on. You’ll feel better when you’re awake.”

“Still don’t see why we have to start getting ready so early,” Joey muttered. But she ducked her head under the gentle flow from the rain showerhead.

“You can use these, too, if you want,” Jax said, demonstrating how to turn on the wall of jets.

“Maybe this isn’t so bad,” Joey admitted grudgingly as the pulsing water hit her full force. And when Jax came up behind her, wet and hard, she decided it might have actually been worth getting out of bed for.

After some sudsy fun, Joey contemplated crawling back into bed to bask in the post-lovemaking bliss until Jax tossed a pair of jeans at her and a t-shirt.

“Where are we going?” she asked, digging through her bag for a bra.

“We’re going to get you coffee and a dress.”

Joey grudgingly dried her hair and pulled on clothes and flip-flops. Jax marched her through the lobby and out the glass front of the hotel. It was another sunny Southern California day with temperatures in the high fifties and not a foot of snow to be seen anywhere. They started down the block on a quest for coffee that Joey felt strongly should have been readily available in their room.

“How far do you Californians travel for coffee?” she muttered, letting Jax pull her along.

“As far as we have to. In this case, half a block,” he said pointing at the café and juice bar sign in front of them.

“I’m not drinking any of that juice crap,” Joey warned him.

“Strictly caffeine for us, Jojo,” Jax told her, holding the glass door open for her.

She stepped inside the bright space. It reminded her of OJs by Julia in Blue Moon with its décor, but this place was overflowing with people. Some were in workout gear, others in suits, a few wearing jeans that cost more than her mortgage. One woman had a tiny dog in her very large purse. The only things all the customers had in common was the fact that they all wore their sunglasses indoors and they were all on their cell phones.

“This place is weird,” Joey whispered to Jax.

“Yeah, but the coffee is good.” He winked and ran his hand down her back.

“I feel like we should put our sunglasses back on and call each other.”

Jax rubbed the tension out of her shoulders. “Just pretend you’re observing a new horse for any odd behaviors in quarantine.”

“Oh, I’m observing the hell out of some odd behaviors,” she said, nodding at the woman in front of them dropping f-bombs on a conference call.

The baristas were completely unfazed by the weirdness of it all. They called out orders like mochachino non-fat whip and hemp milk green goodness over the dull roar of everyone else’s preoccupation.

By the time they got to the front of the line, Joey wasn’t sure if the staff was even speaking English anymore.

“Welcome to Zia’s. What may I serve you today?” the wan, six-foot-tall blonde with nose ring asked.

“Uh, coffee? With sugar?” Joey tried.

“We have a Sulawesi, a Tanzania Peaberry, a Guatemalan reserve, a Costa Rica Helsar—”

“Oh my God. Just a regular coffee with sugar.”

“For your choice of sweetener, we have demarara, Stevia, natural sugar cane…”

Joey looked at Jax in panic.

“We’ll have two café cubanos to go, please,” he said, swiping his credit card.

Joey looked at him in horror as he escorted her toward the pick-up counter. “What the hell is a café cubano? And did you really just pay thirteen dollars for two cups of coffee?”

“Relax. It’s all part of the experience.”

“Is this what homesickness feels like?” she wondered out loud.

Jax laughed, and his eyes crinkled in that way that made Joey’s stomach feel warm and slippery. “God, I love you. I’m so glad I brought you out here. I can’t wait to see you at the premiere tonight.”

“Oh. My. God,” a breathy baby angel voice floated about the din of the coffee shop. “Jackson Pierce! When did you get back in town?”

Joey turned toward the sound of the nebulous voice and almost poked her eyes out on a pair of breasts the size of prize-winning watermelons. The breasts looked vaguely familiar.

They and their owner, a curvy, perfectly made-up woman with silver blonde hair and wide brown eyes, were now hugging Jax. She gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek leaving behind a crimson stain.

Joey would have stepped in with a nice right hook, but the look of pure fear on Jax’s face was enough to make her temporarily holster her temper.

“Didi,” was all Jax managed to say. He was gaping like a fish looking back and forth between Joey and Didi. She had to give him credit. At least he was looking the woman in the eyes and not the rack. And that’s when it clicked. During one of her backslides into looking Jax up online, she’d come across a picture of Jax with Boobs Magee on his arm at some red carpet thing.

“Didi,” Jax began again. “This is Joey. Joey, this is Didi.”

Joey held out a hand to the woman and was immediately engulfed in a very soft, squishy hug. She wondered if it was possible that boobs that big could be real.

“Ah, okay. You’re a hugger.” Joey patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

Didi giggled. “Guilty! We’re all huggers back home.”

Judging from the twang, home was somewhere in the heart of Texas.

“Joey’s my girlfriend,” Jax said, still working through the shellshock.

“We’re seeing each other, sort of,” Joey corrected reflexively. Jax glared at her, and Joey stuck her tongue out at him.

“What a coincidence! Jax and I dated a while back,” Didi said, looking inordinately pleased.

“Oh, you did, did you?” Joey shot a pointed look at Jax who looked like he was praying the bamboo floor would open up and transport him anywhere but here.

“We sure did. That was what a year or two ago?” Didi said, tapping a neatly manicured fingertip to her chin. “Wait a minute. Are you the Joey?”

Joey wasn’t sure if she was the Joey. She also didn’t think it was possible for Jax to be more uncomfortable.

“This is so exciting!” Didi chirped. “You’re the reason Jax and I broke up. I always knew you two would end up together.”

“I’m… sorry?” Joey looked back and forth between Jax and Didi wondering what alternate universe she’d stepped into. Oh, right. L.A.

“One night we had too much sake, and Jax here just spilled his guts—figuratively—about this girl he left at home. And just the way he talked about you, I just knew you were his one and only. So I broke up with him, and now here we are!”

“And here we are,” Joey echoed.

“Oh, my goodness! I almost forgot. Congratulations on your guild nomination. You must be over the moon,” Didi gushed.

Jax’s color rose, and Joey listened raptly. A window to the L.A. world that Jax lived had just opened for Joey.

“Nominated for what?” she asked.

“Modest to a fault, this one,” Didi said shaking her head. “Jax was nominated for best original screen play.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Jax said, shrugging uncomfortably.

“It sounds like a big deal,” Joey corrected.

“Oh, it is. There are writers who’ve been doing this for decades and never see a nomination. Jax is one of the youngest nominees in guild history.”

“Is it one of those big awards ceremonies?” Joey wondered.

“It’s strictly for writers, so the ceremony’s more low-key than the Oscars or the Emmys. But it’s still a very big deal,” Didi said. “So what brings y’all to town?”

“Two café cubanos,” the barista called from the counter.

Jax like a man who had just been offered a reprieve. “Oh, what a shame. That’s our order. I should—”

“Oh, no.” Joey shook her head at him. “I’ll go grab them. You two catch up.” She snickered the whole way up to the counter where she picked up two recycled paper cups filled with a creamy-looking liquid. She snagged lids and snazzy cardboard sleeves and made her way back to Jax and Didi.

Didi punctuated every word with a facial expression and a matching hand gesture. The woman had to be an actress.

“Oh my gosh, Jax was just telling me you’re in town for the premiere. How exciting is that?”

“Very?” Joey guessed. “Are you going?”

“I’ll be the very sparkly date of a certain handsome actor. We’re just friends, but we’re working on a project together,” she said proudly. “So who are you wearing?”

“Huh?”

“I sound like one of those entertainment hosts on the red carpet. I mean who’s the designer who did your dress?” Didi giggled, and somewhere Joey imagined a unicorn just got its wings.

“I don’t have a dress yet. We’re going shopping now.”

Didi gasped. “Jax! No dress yet! Do you not know how things work around here?”

“Relax. I’m taking her to Brigid’s place.”

“Who’s Brigid?” Joey asked. And had Jax dated her too, she wondered.

Didi clapped her hands together. “Perfect! Maybe you’re not such a putz. Brigid is a costume designer who is planning to launch her own label. She’s amazing!”

“So who are you wearing?” Joey asked.

“Dior,” Didi sighed, clasping her hands together.

“Uh, awesome. Dior is… great.”

“Now what about hair and makeup?”

Shit. “I guess I’m doing my own?” Joey looked at Jax who shrugged.

“Yeah, I’m sure that will be fine,” he said encouragingly.

Didi looked at him as if he’d suddenly squatted down in the middle of the café and started quacking like a duck. “No, it will not be fine. Don’t worry, Joey. I’ll take care of everything,” Didi announced, whipping out her cell phone. “Where are you staying?”

“The Cyprus,” Joey said. Jax stepped on her foot.

“Perfect, that’s even closer to the theatre than my place. I’ll bring hair and makeup to you, and we can get ready together. What’s your number?”

* * *

“What just happened back there?Did I imagine the whole thing? Am I in a coma?” Joey asked, blindly reaching for Jax’s hand.

“I’m not really sure what just happened. How many apologies do I owe you for this?” He steered her down the block and called for an Uber on his phone. “Drink your coffee. You’ll feel better with some caffeine in you.”

Joey took a hesitant sip and then looked at the cup. “Hey, this is kind of really good.”

“I had a feeling you’d like it.”

“So back to Didi—”

Jax cringed. He felt like a jerk. If it had been one of Joey’s exes, he’d probably have punched the guy out the second he swooped in to kiss her hello. “I’ll call her and tell her there’s been a change of plans. I’ll get us out of this somehow. I’m so sorry.”

“I think an apology would only be necessary if Didi was a grade A bitch. She actually seems pretty nice.”

“She is. She’s just a lot of work.”

“Speaking of work—”

Jax shook his head and put his sunglasses back on. “Do not ask me that question. We aren’t discussing the anatomy of former significant others.”

“They’re significant all right. But are they real? Like seriously. I have to know.”

He shoved her into the backseat of a baby blue Prius. “Drink your coffee and be quiet.”

“Is that any way to talk to your girlfriend?” Joey demanded.

His girlfriend. It really had happened. Joey Greer agreed to be his girl, and he wasn’t going to stop there. He intended to make her his wife.

He pulled her into him, still not believing that she was his. “That may not be the best way to treat my girlfriend, but this is.” He lowered his mouth to hers, and desire sparked the second her lips parted for him. He teased her, gently at first, but found himself wrapped up in the taste of her. He wanted to breathe her in, to be as close as possible to her. He wanted to memorize every inch of her body and then spend his life worshipping it.

He finally gathered his wits about him and pulled back. “Behave yourself,” he teased her.

“I believe you are the one who stuck his tongue down my throat,” she shot back, snuggling into his side.

“Point taken.” His lips brushed her temple as she watched the traffic and buildings flash by her window. “So what do you think of L.A. so far?”

She turned her head and gave him that heart-breaking smartass smile. “It doesn’t suck too much.”

He pinched her in the side, and she laughed. It was beautiful to see her so free, so relaxed. The woman could roll with just about anything. And that was good because tonight he was going to tell her about the screenplay before anyone else could drop that particular bombshell on her.

The car pulled up in front of a Spanish-style duplex, and they got out. “I was expecting a store,” Joey said, skeptically studying the broad expanse of white garage door. “Am I just pawing through some stranger’s closet?”

It was Jax’s turn to grin. “Something like that,” he said and rang the bell next to the bland brown front door.

* * *

The door burst open,and they were greeted by a little yappy dog and a woman with dyed pewter hair that matched the stud in her nose. She wore violet contact lenses and scarred motorcycle boots under seriously distressed jeans decorated with safety pins.

“Jax!” She threw her lean arms around his neck and gave him a smacking kiss on the mouth.

Before Joey had the chance to decide whether she wanted to knock Brigid’s block off, the woman turned and grabbed Joey’s hand. “It’s cool. I’m a lesbian,” she said with a quick grin. “You must be Joey. I’m Brigid. Damn, Jax. You weren’t kidding. She is gorgeous.”

Joey shot a bemused look at him, and Jax smiled innocently.

“Come on in,” Brigid said, stooping to pick up the tan ball of fluff that had yet to stop barking. She waved them into a narrow ceramic tiled hallway and opened the first door on the right.

Brigid had converted her garage into a design studio. Fabrics in every shade of the rainbow and textures sumptuous enough to wrap up in cascaded from tables, racks, and shelves. Three rolling racks held dresses in varying stages of completion on the far wall. Two counter height tables held matching industrial-looking sewing machines. There were colorful displays of threads, dishes of sparkle, and a three-way mirror in front of a curtained off corner.

“Welcome to my lair,” Brigid said, setting the little dog down on the floor and bowing with a flourish.

“Wow,” Joey said. It looked to Joey as if a rainbow and a craft store had an orgy.

“Okay, so I have a head’s up on what the trend for tonight is. A lot of black and white—as if we haven’t done that to death—so I pulled two pieces that I think would make a statement without pushing you too far outside your comfort zone,” she chattered on.

“Uh, you’re looking at my comfort zone,” Joey said raising her arms and looking down at her long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans.

Brigid eyed her up and down. “Sequins are definitely out,” she said to Jax. “But I think I have the absolutely perfect thing. Come with me.”

She gave Joey no room to disagree and herded her toward the curtained corner. Joey nervously clutched her coffee and flopped down on a padded ottoman behind the gray drapes.

“I’ll be right back,” Brigid announced and disappeared.

She reappeared in seconds with a garment bag slung over her arm. “Okay, this is my number one pick, and if you hate it, you’re going to crush my artistic spirit, and I’ll hate you forever.”

“Don’t hate the dress. Got it.” Joey nodded.

Brigid hung the bag from a hook and unzipped it, revealing layers of dusky rose tulle.

“Uhh…”

“Don’t freak out yet. In fact, don’t even look until I get it on you. Strip,” Brigid ordered.

Not usually one to take off her clothes in front of a stranger, Joey decided when in L.A. she might as well do as the Angelinos do. She peeled her t-shirt and jeans off and tossed them on the ottoman.

“Okay, just step in,” Brigid said, pooling the dress on the rug.

Joey did as she was told and let Brigid stuff her into the dress. The top was an ivory tank in some kind of silky material with just the slightest shimmer to it. The skirt was a fantasy of rosy tulle layers that fell from a cinched waist.

“How’s that for comfortable?” Brigid asked, eyeing the fit.

Joey’s hands traveled down over the full skirt and discovered pockets sewn into soft jersey lining under the tulle.

“Pockets? Awesome,” Joey said.

“Yep. You can stash your phone in there and some lip gloss and be good to go. How does it feel?”

Joey swayed her hips from side to side, letting the tulle bell out. She moved to the ottoman and sat. Nothing embarrassing popped out, and she didn’t feel like she was being strangled by anything.

“It feels pretty good,” Joey said suspiciously, waiting for something to poke her or the material to rip in two.

“Let’s see how it looks.” Brigid led the way out of the dressing area and pushed Joey in front of the three-way mirror.

She looked… good. Great, actually. Joey turned from one side to the other.

“Oh, yeah.” Brigid nodded. “How tall are you?”

“Five-nine?”

“Perfect. I don’t even have to hem the length. I can take it in here and here,” she said gesturing to the waist. “And the straps need to be shortened just a hair, but other than that, it’s perfect. What do you think, Jax?”

Joey looked at him in the reflection and was pleasantly surprised to see a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“You okay?” Joey asked him.

Jax snapped back and walked over. “You look… just wow.” He told her to spin with a circle of his finger.

Joey obliged with a sassy pirouette, enjoying the feel of the full skirt as the tulle billowed out.

Brigid was grinning. “I freaking rock.”

“You sure do,” Jax said, still not taking his eyes off Joey.

“You’ll wear your hair down like it is now,” Brigid instructed. “Maybe add some loose curls. Keep it kind of fanciful. Really dewy makeup. Yeah, you’re going to be the hit of the red carpet.”

While Brigid chattered on, Joey’s gaze stayed locked on Jax. There was something new flaming to life in those cool gray eyes, and though she couldn’t read it, its significance was palpable. He looked at her, into her, his expression both dark and loving.

“So what do you think?” Brigid asked.

“Perfection,” Jax answered.

“And who am I wearing?” Joey asked, running her palms over the tulle.

“Brigid Winston. Don’t you forget it,” she said through a mouthful of pins as she tucked and tweaked the shape of the dress.

The dress was like nothing she’d ever worn before. She stuck with jeans whenever possible, and on the rare occasion that dressing up was required, she had two dresses in her closet. A black sheath and a navy wrap. Both serviceable and classic. She’d never have an occasion to wear this romantic dream of a dress again, but, oh, she wanted it.

“How much?” Joey asked.

“It’s already paid for,” Jax cut in.

Joey whirled, her skirt swirling with her. “Oh, no. First the bacon and then the dog and the horses. You’re not getting the dress too.”

“Bacon? Nice,” Brigid said approvingly. “And you can quit arguing because the dress is on me.”

“The hell it is,” Jax and Joey said in unison.

“Look, I need to get this business off the ground so I can stop fixing on-set wardrobe malfunctions for models-slash-actresses who lie about their measurements. And if you wear this dress on that carpet tonight, people are going to notice. And if you blubber about how deeply talented and exclusive this no-name designer is, I’ll have five publicists knocking on my door tomorrow morning.”

Joey shared a look with Jax.

“So you’re not paying for it, but you will gush,” Brigid instructed her.

“I can gush,” Joey nodded at her reflection.

Jax was circling her, taking her in from all angles. “You look incredible,” he said finally.

“Thanks,” Joey and Brigid said in unison.