Moonlight House (Book 2, Lonstino & Greenwood Series)

Chapter 10 - Damaged

MATT

It's been a long time since I've slept so well. I've shared my bed with Wendy for almost a year and having all the space for myself feels like a treat. My alarm clock says it's a bit past noon and I lie back on my pillows to enjoy the rare occasion of sleeping late.

When I came back home last night, Wendy and Kyle were gone, together with her things. Where to, I don't know and I don't care. If she didn't appreciate the good life she had with me, then she's better off somewhere else. After leaving the club last night, I reflected on our relationship and realized that it was never a good one to begin with. I met her at a Halloween party and we were both terribly drunk and horny. I brought her home and my mind was blown by her energy and sensuality. The next day, she asked me if she could use my phone when I was about to take a shower. I then heard her conversation where she told the other person on the line that she had been thrown out of her apartment and had spent the previous nights in her car.

I felt really bad for her and took the sudden decision of asking her to stay. My mother has always criticized me for taking decisions without giving them proper thought, but in this case, I felt that any time spent thinking would mean that Wendy had to sleep in her car. I didn't know anything about her besides that she was great in bed. Things worked out for a while and she seemed grateful to have a safe place to stay. Until I had a photo shooting out of town and she got madly jealous when she realized I would be working with models. Things escalated to even a worse point when she found the brief for the project and read that it was about swimsuits. I tried to talk some sense into her. Models are colleagues and my main objective is to photograph the piece of clothing they wear. I even invited Wendy to come along and meet them, but she couldn't be bothered. That's when I started doubting on whether we were right for each other. I love my career and it annoyed me immensely that she threw a fit and didn't trust me. I'm kind of glad that this is over and I can do as I please without having to walk on eggshells around her.

Charged with positive energy about my new circumstances, I get out of bed and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I reach for the toothpaste, I see the faint silhouette of the moon stamped on my hand and it makes me smile. Erin was great company and I'm so grateful for her care and attention; it made me forget about my misery for a while.

My stomach growls and once again, I take the sudden decision to try the lunch menu at Moonlight House. If I'm lucky, I'll not only have food as good as what I had last night, I'll be able to say hi to Erin.

The short drive is pleasant and uneventful and I feel lucky to find a spot to park in the street. The guy at the entrance booth gives me a once-over that makes me feel a bit self-conscious but he then smiles at me.

"Welcome to Moonlight House. Lunch or just a drink? Party of one?"

"Lunch please, and yes, it's just me."

The man grabs a menu and I follow him up a set of stairs I didn't see the night before. My assumption was that they set tables in the club area for people to eat at. Once upstairs, I see the gallery that surrounds the club space on three sides that is quite busy. The host motions me to a table and I take a look over the balcony. My heart does a happy flip when I see the bar downstairs and the stage, the setting of an unforgettable night. The blonde guy that I believe is called Noah seems busy mounting lights, which gives me good hopes that Erin might be around as well. I grab my menu, but I feel curious about the other people having lunch and how they are talking and laughing. This is the first time in my life that I sit by myself in a restaurant, but I don't feel lonely, more like at home. It's also difficult to believe that I'm in the same loud place of last night.

"What can I get you to drink?" A beautiful woman with long black hair and dark eyes set on tanned skin asks me.

"A soda, please. Hey, sorry to bother you. I assume you have eaten here often. What do you recommend? I can't make my mind as there are too many nice choices."