Not Second Best by Christa Maurice Page A

diet.”
    Brett surveyed her face. She looked a little fuller in the cheeks than he remembered, and she had worn baggy clothes, but his best memories of her were when she lived in his house after leaving Logan and could go whole days without eating if he didn’t monitor her. “Why? Brian tell you you were fat?”
    “No! I’m just trying to stay away from pop for a while. It’s bad for my teeth.” She stared into her water. “Back to Tessa. You know their father abandoned them when they were kids.”
    “Whose father?” The whole baggy-clothes-wearing-not-drinking-Coke issue bothered him.
    “Jason and Tessa’s.”
    “I thought he died.”
    “He didn’t. He walked out when they were little kids and remarried twice. Eva, Jason’s live-in house sitter, is his half sister.
    “I didn’t know they had a live-in house sitter.”
    “Oh. Well, they do. She’s Jason’s half-sister. Cass is very excited about the whole family being together.”
    “How do you know all this stuff?”
    “I ask questions.”
    “So what does that have to do with me and Tessa?”
    “It’s going to make her very wary about men. My guess is she thinks you’re going to leave her before you’ve even gotten there.”
    The waiter arrived with their lunches. Suzi’s diet apparently included cheeseburgers and fries.
    Baggy clothes plus full face and cheeseburgers and fries, minus Coke with a secretive, glowy expression. “You knocked up again?”
    “Shh! No!” She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye, smiling.
    He caught his breath at how beautiful she was. He’d never have her, but he could appreciate her. It made for a nice change. Pure, like the appreciation of a gorgeous sunset or an amazing landscape.
    Then the pain came. He’d wandered into what Tessa would look like, telling a friend she was having a baby. Having his baby.
    Which would never happen.
    Suzi grabbed his hand. “You can’t tell anybody.”
    “It’s a secret? People are going to find out.”
    “Just for a little while. Just until I’m sure I’m—”
    Not going to lose it again . He squeezed her hand. “Sure, Suzi. I’ve kept your secrets before. I can do it again. Did you tell Brian?”
    “Yes, he knows.” She blushed and held up her wrist. Brett had noticed the diamond and ruby bracelet but hadn’t thought anything of it. Lots of rock wives and girlfriends dripped with jewelry, but Suzi never had. “I can’t believe I’ve managed to keep track of it this long.”
    From the woman who managed to lose her cell phone daily, she probably would, and Brian probably wouldn’t mind. Those guys had been around for a long time and had sold a ton of records. Their whole back office, Sandy, Tessa, Helen, even Jody, had been around from the beginning, too. The band would not be paying their office peanuts. Tessa’s house in the hills, modest as it was, couldn’t have been cheap. So much for getting her flashy gifts to impress her.
    “What? You look like the cat just ate your canary.”
    “I was just thinking Tessa probably has more money than I do.”
    “Probably. Those guys have been very careful with their money. Have you seen Bear’s itty bitty house?” Suzi shrugged. “Besides, I don’t think Tessa wants you for your money.”
    “You think she wants me?”
    “At least in one way. Probably others. What do you have to offer her?”
    “Nothing.” Brett poked the chicken he’d ordered with his fork. “She’s rich. She’s powerful. I know guys who would kill for fifteen minutes alone with her cell phone contact list. She’s been around fame most of her life. You should see some of the pictures on her walls.”
    “I have.”
    “Oh, yeah. I forgot.” He sank into his chair. Abandoning his fork, he picked up his drink. “I don’t have anything to offer her except sex.”
    “You have more than that. You’re creative, talented, ambitious, intelligent.”
    “I never finished high school.”
    “That doesn’t mean you’re not intelligent.