by Maree Green
She shook her head. “I don’t think that will happen. She’s seen a side of you that not many women have seen—either from you choosing to have it that way, or them not being willing to see past the celebrity. I think the person she knows you to be now, is the way she’ll always see you.”
I gave her a skeptical look. I wasn’t sure that was a chance I wanted to take.
Amy smiled kindly. “I just think she should know, Josh. I’m saying this as a girl. Have you thought about what happens when the summer’s over?”
“Nothing happens,” I said. “I’m off to Florida, and she’s starting a new job.”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” she said, giving me a slightly exhausted look. “I mean, what happens when Liv leaves here? Were you planning on keeping in touch with her? What happens when she goes off to work? When she makes a bunch of new friends? When they take her out? Go to parties? To the movies?” Understanding started creeping in. “How do you think she’s going to feel when she realizes who you are, Josh?”
I frowned. How had I not thought about this before now?
She smiled and reached out to squeeze my arm. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do, honey, but I think you should know there’s a possibility she could feel lied to in some way if you don’t tell her. Like you were keeping that part of yourself away from her.”
Hanging my head, I sighed. Why did shit have to be so fucking hard? I knew she was right. It was something I’d been trying to ignore since I’d discovered Liv had no clue who I was. But obviously, my need to have her like me as a person clouded my sense of what was right for her. I was being selfish.
“Just think about it,” she said, patting my arm. “I just wanted you to see it from another angle.”
“Thanks, Ames. I appreciate it. This is seriously weird for me. I honestly don’t know what I’m doing. I should be staying away from her, but I just can’t make myself. It’s crazy.”
She smiled and shrugged like it didn’t matter. “It’s called fate, Josh. There’s a reason you two are being thrown together. You don’t need to know what that reason is right now. You just need to go with it and see where it takes you.”
Inhaling deeply, I gave her a withering look. “I’ll try.”
Standing, she let out a light laugh. “I’ll leave you to it. I’m going to see how the loves of my life are doing.”
As she disappeared inside, I glanced out to the ocean and thought over her words. Liv was the kindest person I knew. When I thought about how deserving she was of everything good, I knew Amy was right. I was being selfish. Liv deserved to know.
Picking up my cell, I tapped out a quick message.
Good morning beautiful
Her reply came back almost immediately.
Good morning!
I sighed. There was no time like the present.
Want to join me for breakfast?
When all I got back from her was an emoticon of a thinking face, I chuckled, but then she sent another message straight after.
I guess it depends what you’re offering
I laughed. I could even imagine her teasing expression as she said it.
Meet me down on the beach in 5 minutes and I’ll show you
I sipped on the last of my coffee as I waited for her response. It took longer than it should have, making me sweat a little, but when it finally came through, I smiled.
Okay
Jumping up, I strode into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of the savory pastries from the fridge and threw them in the microwave. While they were heating, I tossed a bottle of juice in a bag, along with a couple of plastic cups. When it was all ready to go, I scooped up the bag and made my way down the trail to the beach.
Liv was halfway to my house by the time I got down to the sand, so I kept going until I met her. She smiled brilliantly as she stopped before me. “Here I am. You can wow me now.”
Dropping the bag to the ground, I took her face in my hands and kissed her slow. “Good enough?”
Her eyes stayed closed as I looked down at her, a content little smile on her lips. “Mmmhmm.”
Laughing loudly, I released her and stepped away. “You’re so easily pleased. But I did actually bring you food. And drink.”
“Oh, how you spoil me,” she said, flopping down on the sand.
Dropping down next to her, I pulled out a pastry and handed it to her. “Heated it myself.”
Her eyes widened. “No way.”
“Just eat your damn pastry before I have to spank you.”
I watched her bite into it, my mind working overtime, trying to figure out how I was going to say what needed to be said. “Did your aunt end up coming home last night?” I said instead. I was a pussy.
She shook her head as she chewed. “No, it was too late by the time she’d finished. I told her to stay there and come home this morning. She’s on her way now.”
Nodding, I drew in a long, slow breath. I could do this. She was a cool chick. She’d understand. Picking a piece off my own pastry, I decided to jump before I chickened out. “Liv, there’s something I need to tell you.” Her eyes met mine with a certain amount of expectation as she chewed. I took another breath. “You know how I said I was an actor?”
She nodded, curiosity creeping into her expression. “Mmmhmm.”
“Well . . .”
“Crap,” she said, pulling out her cell and looking down at the screen. “Sorry, it’s Aunt Jenny.”
I listened to her answer the call, muttering a few words before she hung up again.
“I’m sorry, Josh. I’ve got to head back to the house. She’s just about home, and apparently, she’s got guests with her. I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll text you later and let you know.”
As much as I was frustrated I couldn’t just get the words out, the news of other people coming wasn’t good. I needed to let Daniel know. “Yeah, all right,” I said. “Come see me when you can.”
Leaning over, she gave me a lingering kiss, her eyes closed as she breathed me in. The contented look on her face did strange things to my chest. “Bye, cute boy,” she whispered against my lips.
“Bye, beautiful.”
And then she was skipping back off up the beach. As I watched her disappear up the trail to her house, I struggled to push the relief I felt aside. Yep, that settled it. I was a certified pussy, and a selfish one at that.
Chapter 29
Olivia
My pre-Africa days came rushing at me the minute Aunt Jenny walked in the door with her guests. I stood staring at the woman and two girls, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. It was hard to gauge what ages the girls were with the amounts of makeup they were wearing, but at a guess, I thought they would’ve been around the same age as me. They were decked out with all the bells and whistles, from heels and handbags, to immaculate hair, designer sunglasses and clothes.
Blinking, I tried to push it all aside and focus on the people underneath it all. “Hi,” I said, giving them a genuine smile.
Aunt Jenny dropped her bag on the table and let out a sound of exhaustion. “What a trip! Liv, this is Paula and her daughters, Ashley and Sarah. They’re here from New York.”
“Oh, awesome. I’ve always wanted to go to New York,” I said, happy to meet them.
The girls smirked, and the one Aunt Jenny pointed out as Ashley raised her eyebrows. “Oh, wow. You’ve never been to New York?”
I tried to ignore the condescending tone to her voice. “Not yet. I’ll get there one day.”
“Paula and I have some work to go over today, so I thought you girls might like to enjoy the beach for a while. There’s a mall not far from here, so you could probably do some shopping later, if you want. Ashley can drive if you want to take my car, since you don’t have your license yet, Liv.”
The other girl’s eyebrows shot up, and she giggled. “You don’t have your license?”
The woman—Paula—gave the girl a firm look. “Sarah.”
I let her jud
gment slide off me. “Not yet,” I said. “There wasn’t really a need for me to have one in Africa.”
“All right,” Aunt Jenny said, shooting me a look that could only be interpreted as wishing me luck. “Let’s have something to eat. I’m starved.”
Deciding to make myself busy, I started preparing some fruit and other organic snacks the girls were requesting as Aunt Jenny chatted. As much as I tried to look past their entitled attitudes, it still gnawed at me. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would’ve turned out like them if I’d stayed in Cali the last six years. Mom and Dad’s honest nature made me doubtful, but it was a scary thought regardless.
I watched them pick at the food I’d served with interest. I knew the world was filled with all types of people, and I needed to get used to those who were more focused on themselves than those around them, but it was hard to find some sort of connection with these girls that would allow me to effectively entertain them. The only things they seemed to find valuable were, in my opinion, shallow, and I wasn’t sure I could ever think that way again.
When everyone had eaten and I’d washed all the dishes (while the girls sat absorbed by their cell phones), Aunt Jenny gave me a kiss on the cheek. “We’ll leave you girls to it, then.”
The look Aunt Jenny gave me before she disappeared down to her office was pure guilt. She knew they were trouble. She was so going to owe me for this.
Turning to the girls, I smiled. “Do you want to hit the beach?”
“Obviously,” Ashley said, looking down at her arms. “My tan need some serious work.”
“Tell me about it,” Sarah agreed, pouting. “My spray tan faded so fast this time.”
I watched a distasteful look come over Ashley’s face. “Oh my God, I know, right? I’m seriously thinking about complaining. I mean, what if we were doing a shoot this week? This would never do.”
I cleared my throat. “So, you model?”
They both looked at me like I was stupid. “Well, yah,” Sarah said, scoffing. “Isn’t it obvious?”
I was quick to nod. It seemed the easiest thing to do. “Totally. I’ve just never met models before, so I couldn’t be sure.”
“Oh my God,” Ashley said, pity streaming from her every pore. “I can’t believe your parents forced you to live in Africa. You poor thing. If you need any help with . . .”—her gaze ran from my hair, to my face, to my clothing—“how to make yourself more presentable, you only have to ask. Sarah and I don’t mind helping. We’re kind of like your parents in that way. We often help those less fortunate than ourselves. It’s the least we can do in our position.”
Words evaded me as I stared at her. How the hell did I respond to that?
Pressing my lips together, I nodded in a continuous manner while I scrambled for an answer. “That’s so kind of you. I’ll definitely let you know when I’m in need of help.”
A pleased smile fell to her lips. “I really do think you’ve got a lot of potential. You just need some work, that’s all.”
“Well, thank you for that. I appreciate it. Should we get changed and head down to the beach, then?”
They both clapped their hands and bounced on the balls of their feet. “Yes!” they said in unison.
Oh boy. This was going to be the longest day in history. How long did Aunt Jenny say they were here for? Heading up to my room, I pulled out my cell to let Josh know what was going on. I wondered if he and the guys would be interested in hanging out.
Aunt Jenny brought home the OMG squad. I’m dying here.
His answer come back straightaway. Please explain
I giggled. AJ’s work colleague is here with her 2 daughters. Apparently they’re models. Good news is they’re willing to help me with my appearance bcs I have ‘potential’
I waited for his response with a grin stretched across my face. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he replied with something about the guys being excited to see these models. They were guys, after all. But his message was a little shorter than that.
Do you know how long they’re staying for?
There was nothing about his message that should’ve made me feel uneasy, but the tone seemed to be the opposite of what I was expecting.
Just for tonight. They’re heading back 2 LA w AJ in the morning
I waited for a reply, but when nothing came back for a while, I decided to get changed into my bikini. When I was done tying my hair up and applying sunscreen, I thought about texting him again, but then one came through.
OK you do what you’ve gotta do. The guys and I are heading farther nth to catch some waves. Ttyl
I frowned at his message. It felt distant and clipped. Biting my lip, I contemplated just asking him if everything was all right, but why wouldn’t it be? Sighing, I left it alone, tossing my cell onto my bed and heading for the door. It was just one day. I could do this.
Surprisingly, the girls were ready when I made it back downstairs. Heading down to the beach, they picked a spot about halfway between Aunt Jenny’s house and Josh’s.
Ashley’s gaze roamed the elegant lines of Josh’s house as she spread her towel out on the sand. “Do you know whose house that is? I’ve heard there are a few celebrities near here.”
I’d been prepared to tell them about Josh and our little summer romance, but that was mostly because I thought he’d be down here with us and it would’ve been obvious anyway. “I’m not sure exactly who owns it, but there are bunch of guys vacationing there at the moment.”
Sarah’s interest sparked. “Guys? How old? Are they hot?”
I felt less inclined to say too much about the guys as each moment passed. I wasn’t sure why that was, but the feeling was hard for me to ignore. I tried to laugh it off, hoping they’d just drop it. “I think so, but what would I know? I’ve been living in Africa for the last six years. I think they’re out for the day anyway.”
Ashley nodded. “Good point. They’re probably a bunch of college dropouts.”
Sarah shuddered like there wasn’t anything worse.
Stripping off my dress, I tossed it down on my towel and grabbed my water bottle. When I looked up, Ashley and Sarah were staring at me. “What?”
“Oh, nothing, honey,” Ashley said, giving me a fake smile. “You know, you could be a model if wanted to. You have the height and colors for it. You’d just need to lose a few pounds. I could help you with that if you wanted me to.”
My brain struggled to work out if she’d just insulted me or given me a compliment. I decided to just go with a response that would feed her ego. “Aww, thank you, Ashley. You’re so kind. But I don’t think I’ll ever have what it takes to do what you do.”
They both nodded, clearly agreeing with me. “It does take a lot of natural talent,” Sarah said, lying back, her perfect model body showing off a pink designer bikini that left little to the imagination.
Ashley sighed, back on her cell phone again. “I think we came a few days too late, Sarah. Apparently, Lucas Cantrell was in LA on Friday. What I wouldn’t do for five minutes with that fine specimen of a male.”
My intrigue sparked at the mention of Lucas’s name.
Sarah made a sound of horror. “Oh my God, are you kidding? I’ve been following his movements online, and there wasn’t one mention of him coming to California at all!”
I almost laughed. I knew Josh had said Lucas was pretty well known, and we’d watched one of his movies the other day, but it was kind of strange hearing Ashley and Sarah talking about him like he was this elusive superstar they’d die to spend five minutes with. I couldn’t wait to tell Josh. I was sure he’d get a kick out of it.
Sarah pulled out her cell and started searching for God knew what on it with an intensity that almost scared me.
“Oh my God,” she said, twisting around and holding her phone higher. “I’m not getting any service. How are you getting service?”
Ashley’s brow creased. “Mine just disappeared too. What the hell?”
I tried not to laugh. It
was comical to watch, really.
“Do you have service?” Sarah asked me, a slightly panicked look in her eyes.
“Uh, I left my cell in my room.”
Both girls looked at me like I’d just committed some cardinal sin. “But, how do you update your story?” Sarah asked, confused.
“Story?”
“Your Snapchat story. How do you update it if you don’t carry your cell with you?”
Her questioning confused me. Of course, I knew what Snapchat was, but I didn’t understand why she assumed I had it. “Oh, I don’t use social media.”
Ashley recoiled. “You don’t—”
“Oh my God,” Sarah said, eyes wide. “Girl, you seriously need our help. You’re no one without social media. Everyone knows that.”
This was going from bad to worse. At this rate I wasn’t sure I was going to last the day. Deciding it would be best to distract them from wanting to ‘help’ me in any way, I racked my brain for a change in topic. “So, you like Lucas Cantrell? I saw one of his movies the other day. Descended. Are his other movies any good?”
An alarm sounded from Ashley’s cell, and both girls flipped over onto their stomachs. Obviously, there was some sort of art to tanning I’d missed out on learning while I’d been in Uganda.
“Please don’t tell us you didn’t watch any movies while you were in Africa,” Sarah said, wiggling her boobs into a more comfortable position.
“I watched movies,” I defended. “Just not recent ones.”
“Wait,” Ashley said, twisting her body to see me better. “Are you saying you don’t know who Lucas Cantrell is?”
Something told me I’d just opened a can of worms I wasn’t going to be able to close again. “Well, I wouldn’t say I don’t know who he is. I just haven’t seen any of his movies other than Descended.”
“What about Tom Bradford? You’ve seen his movies, though, right?”
Crap. I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know who that is.”
Horrified. That was the only way I was able to describe the look on both girls’ faces. Ashley sat up. “What about Joshua Emerson? You know who he is, don’t you?”