Sunrise: Movie Star, Fake Relationship Romance (Chasing The Sun Duet Book 1)

by Kaci Rose

  "The bridge on and off the island? How? There was no way the storm was that bad."

  "Well, a few months ago, there was another storm, and a waterspout hit the bridge. They are thinking it weakened it, and when one of the fishing boats got loose from the harbor and crashed into the bridge last night, it was enough. We haven't been down there, but I'm sure we will get pictures soon," Brynn says.

  "Martha, Joe's wife, called and said she was going to change her morning walking path up that way and send us some," Lin adds.

  "How long before it's fixed?" I ask.

  "A few weeks," Brynn says.

  "Okay, well, I will just get a boat to the mainland," I say, thinking of all the boats we saw in the harbor yesterday.

  "Ahhh, I don't think you can. The waterway between here and the island is scattered with debris from the bridge, boat, and the storm. The closest port is Wilmington, but only a few boats here can make that trip. But the boats are grounded. They can't get out until the waterway is cleared out," Brynn says.

  I can't help but think this might be a joke. Things like this don't happen in this day and age.

  "What about a plane?" I ask.

  "No runway," Lin says.

  "You have to be bloody kidding me," I say, sounding more like Wren than myself. "What about supplies for the island?"

  "Well, supply trucks generally come once a week, and they came yesterday. We are fine here at the inn, and people in town will help those who need it. We also have the option of having a helicopter drop supplies to us if needed. We had to do that five years ago, but it's expensive, and the town likes to avoid it if we can," Brynn tells me.

  “What if there is a medical emergency?" I ask.

  “The Coast Guard will do a medical lift if it's something the clinic on the island can't treat," Brynn says.

  "Hey, at least no press can get to you." Lin smiles at me.

  Her smile makes my heart skip a beat. She is trying to look at the positive side but doesn't realize she's the most dangerous person of all to me.

  "Yeah, but the town still can." I sigh.

  "Hey, I'm going to head into town this afternoon to check on the houses and see if there are any updates by then," Brynn says.

  "You want me to go so you can avoid Mr. Kiwi?" Lin asks with a completely straight face.

  "Who the heck is Mr. Kiwi?" I ask.

  "Her ex," Lin says, and then turns right back to Brynn.

  "No, I will do it. I don't want the town thinking I'm hiding away, especially after this storm. I'll check on your place to let you know if anything needs to be fixed," Brynn says.

  "I thought you guys lived at the inns?" I ask as I finish off my cinnamon roll and grab another.

  "We do, but we kept our parents' houses and fixed them up to rent out in season. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we make more in rent on them than if we were to rent them out in a year lease. They are booked all season and on and off in the off-season. Thankfully, they are both empty right now, so fixing any damage won't be a pain," Lin says.

  "Why did you move out of them?" I ask without thinking.

  When both girls go quiet, I think I overstepped my welcome.

  "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking," I say.

  "Well, it's a lot of house for the two of us and a lot of memories. We sat down with our accountant and worked the numbers. If we each took one room at the inn and rented the houses out, we would make the most money. More than even sharing one house. We jumped at getting away from the memories. We aren't ready to sell the houses, so this works." Lin shrugs.

  I nod. I don't think I could sell the ranch if anything happened to my parents either. I guess I should call them and let them know I'm okay. Touch base with Wren to let him know I'm stuck here.

  "Well, I have some phone calls to make. I'm sure Wren will be thrilled with this news." I stand to head out.

  "Ahhh, you might want to use the phone in my office," Lin says.

  "Why? I have my cell upstairs." I point toward the stairs.

  "Yes, but cell service has been spotty. A tower was damaged in the storm," Lin says.

  "Of course, it has. How do you have all this news and photos?" I ask.

  Brynn shrugs. "Social media."

  Linn laughs then and stands. "Come on. I'll show you to the office."

  I follow Lin down the hallway I always see her disappear down. We turn the corner, and she opens the door on the left. Inside is a pretty small office, but it's very neat and organized and has a view looking over to the Sunset.

  "Be warned that window is Brynn's office. She likes to play pranks," Lin warns me.

  I look at the door at the end of the hallway that looks almost like a suite.

  "What's that door?" I ask her.

  "That's my room. It used to be a ground floor suite. Sunset had one too, but we took them for our rooms," Linn says.

  I nod. "Thank you for this." I walk to the desk and sit down.

  "Oh here, let me log into the computer in case you want to get online." She rounds the desk to stand next to me.

  She pulls the keyboard out until it's resting against my stomach. I should move back, but I like forcing her into my space. She bends forward, tucking some hair behind her ear before she starts typing. I can't take my eyes off her. Up close like this, I can tell she doesn't have a stitch of makeup on, and she is still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

  Her scent of sea salt and coconuts fills the air, and I'm addicted to it. It calms my nerves that had ramped up at the thought of being stuck on the island. All too soon, she is standing up and pulling away, and I need to get myself in order. The last thing I want her to see is how hard she made me without even touching me.

  "You should be good to go. Let me know if you need anything. I'm going to go survey the inns and make sure there is no damage," Lin says, her voice a bit higher than normal as she quickly makes her way to the door.

  "Thank you," I grit out as she closes the door behind her.

  I relax into the chair and rub my hand down my face. Her scent is still in the air, which means I'm still hard as nails. I'm so fucked being stuck here with a girl I can't touch and that turns me on like no other girl ever has.

  The first call I make is to Wren. I know I will be waking him up, but I really don't care at this point.

  "Hello?" Wren asks.

  "It's Kade. The bridge on the island washed out in the storms last night, so I'm stuck here until it's fixed. A few more weeks maybe." I lay it all out.

  "Okay, well, this is good. I will talk to Gina, but if it gets out you are there, we can spin a story of how you just needed a break and ended up stranded on an island. Best case, no one finds out and you stay out of the press that much longer," Wren says.

  Gina is my publicist, and she's great at spinning any story. How she has put up with me all these years, I will never know.

  "What did Gina say about your plan to banish me here?"

  "Ahhh, it may have been her idea. To keep you out of the press for awhile as she comes up with a new plan of attack," Wren admits.

  "Of course, it was," I mumble.

  "Hey, whose phone are you calling me on? I don't have this number saved."

  "It's the inn's landline. Cell service is spotty. I guess a tower was damaged last night too."

  "Okay, I will save this number and call Gina. Just relax and keep your head down," Wren says before hanging up without so much as a goodbye.

  The next call I make is to my parents. The call goes to the answering machine just like I knew it would. They have learned over the years to screen their calls if they don't know the numbers. Since they still have an old landline and an even older answering machine, I just start talking.

  "Mom, Dad, it's Kade. Pick up. This is the inn's landline. There was a storm last..."

  "Hey, baby, why didn't you call from your cell phone?" my mom answers.

  "I was getting to that. A storm last night knocked out the bridge to get on and off the island and damaged a cell t
ower. I'm fine, but I'm stuck here a bit longer than planned. I wanted to let you know before you heard it elsewhere."

  "This is God's way of telling you to slow down and relax. He knew the only way to get you to do it was to strand you somewhere," Mom says.

  Mom and Dad are God-fearing Christians. They work hard, play hard, but they go to church every Sunday and haven't missed a Christmas service since the year I had my appendix taken out when I was six.

  I don't share their strong beliefs, but I learned a long time ago not to fight them on it either. It saves a lot of lectures.

  "I'm sure it is, Mom. It's a good thing I like it here so far. I'm just another guy. I don't know how long it will last, but I can hope."

  "What does Wren think of all this?" she asks.

  "He's happy to have me stay under the radar. He's talking to a few studios, pitting them against each other, is my guess. Last I heard, they want me to clean up my reputation some. I've been trying, but it's not easy."

  I haven't hidden my past from my parents. Not that I could if I wanted to, since my face has been over countless tabloids in the grocery lines all over the country. My mom sees them all.

  "What you need is a nice girl to go out with, even if it's only a few dates. Show that you want to date and are willing to commit to a relationship. Play it up that she broke up with you broke your heart, and the press will eat it up," Mom says, shocking me into silence.

  "What?" I ask.

  "It's what Shelly at the market said. I guess it's what Tom something did after one of his breakups. Or was it a Brad? I don't know I can't keep up, but it's been done before totally and turned the tables," she says.

  "Damn, Mom, maybe you should move to California with me and be my publicist," I joke.

  "Not in your life will I step foot in that god-awful state for more than a weekend."

  My parents hate California. They hate the smog, the noise, the people, and mostly the politics. They prefer I come to visit them but will make the trip for a movie premier or award show.

  "Okay, Mom, I love you. Is Dad there?" I ask.

  "No, he went to have breakfast with the other ranchers at the diner. I'll let him know you called," she says.

  After we hang up, I decide to go for a walk and see if I can find Lin. As much as I know I should stay away, I can't seem to.

  Chapter 9

  Linly

  After I do a walkthrough of both inns and find the worst damage is a few small plants pelted by the rain, I decide to go for a walk on the beach. It's been a while since I've done so and even longer since I've gone for a swim.

  I just can't bring myself to go swimming in the same waters that took my parents from me. But a nice walk on the beach should help calm me after the storm.

  I'm lost in my thoughts of making sure everyone at the inn is taken care of, so I don't notice Kade walking beside me right away. When I do, I jump.

  "Christ, how long have you been there?" I ask him.

  "Only a few steps." He smirks. “Lost in thought?"

  "Yeah, was making plans for the inns if this bridge takes longer than two weeks to fix," I admit.

  "What are you doing out here?" he asks.

  "Oh, I thought I'd walk the beach see what might have washed up after the storm. I point down the beach to a man with a metal detector.”

  "That's Josh. He is always searching the beaches for stuff. He's found some gold coins and jewelry. He's semi-retired from the bank, and this has been his hobby for a few years now," I tell him.

  "Wow, all that really washes up here?" Kade asks in awe.

  "Yeah. Hey, Josh!" I call out.

  He stops and turns to me and smiles. He's an older man in his fifties and has always been nice to Brynn and me.

  "Lin! Find anything good on the beach?" he asks.

  "Just a few sharks' teeth. You should tell my friend here about those Spanish coins you found," Lin says.

  Josh looks Kade over and doesn't show an ounce of recognition before he just launches into his story.

  "So, after the big storm five years ago, it disrupted a lot of the ocean floor. All sorts of stuff were washing up onshore. A lot of trash and some good treasure too. I found a few Spanish silver coins from a 1700s shipwreck. Sold them to a company in Wilmington for over seven-thousand dollars. Best find yet. Mostly, I find a lot of jewelry, rings tourists take off and lose, earrings, or necklaces. It pays the bills," Josh says.

  "Find anything good today?" Kade asks.

  "Few plain gold rings is about it but still pays for my time out here for sure," Josh says.

  "Well, you know if you find some sea glass, Brynn is still hunting for it to make that art piece she wants for the lobby," I say.

  "Will do, pretty lady. Enjoy your walk." Josh tips his hat and turns his back to us as we keep walking.

  We both look at our feet as we walk, shifting the sand as we go.

  "He's interesting," Kade says.

  "Yeah, many of the people in town are quirky, but they mean well. They had our backs when everything happened with our parents. Only a few sour apples, but they are the ones who keep the gossip mill turning." I smirk and bend down to pick up some sea glass.

  "What's that?" Kade asks.

  I hold out my hand. "It's sea glass. The salt and the water tumble it along the sand, and it softens all the edges like this. Brynn is using the sea glass we find on the shore here for an art piece in the lobby. Her mom loved sea glass, so it's kind of a memorial for her."

  "It's beautiful," he says with honesty in his voice.

  "We collect the blue, green, and white ones. The brown and red ones we skip," I say and bend down and come back up with a shark's tooth. "We also like to collect the shark's teeth. John had an idea a few years back to put them in to little bags and sell them into the lobby. They do well. We can never keep them in stock."

  "Who's John?" Kade asks.

  "He's the Sunrise's maintenance man and married to our head housekeeper. You will see both of them around. They are the only two people here outside of security."

  "Did you ever think about leaving the island?" Kade asks.

  I think for a moment. Other than my time I would have spent in Wilmington, no, I never really thought to leave the island for more than a vacation. I'm glad I didn't leave too because I don't know what I would have done if I wasn't here when my parents died.

  "Brynn and I were going to go work in some inns in Wilmington before we took over from our patents here, but otherwise, not really. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't have to. I'd have been miserable in a bigger city," I admit. "What's Hollywood like?"

  "You would hate it. It's everything this place isn't. Crowded, loud, rushed, up all night, glitz, and glam. There is no loyalty even among family and, no one to have your back." he admits.

  I shake my head. "It makes me wonder why people give up everything to go there for a chance at something most will never get. I mean, really, how many people get cast on their first audition?"