by Unknown
My defenses rose. “I did try and I got smuggled out of a restaurant in a cook’s apron and cap, stuffed into the backseat of a car with a several-days-old fish.”
Olivia giggled. “Now that’s a hilarious story to tell your grandkids.”
“Very funny,” I quipped, but the thought of Luke and I having kids, and grandkids, was a scenario that appealed to me. Funny how I’d never even pictured having kids with Rex. “There’s a problem, though. Remember that part I’ve been offered in L.A.? Well, Luke and his ex broke up after doing a long-distance relationship. He told me he’d never do one again.”
“That’s not fair,” Wendy said. “He might think that ‘in theory’ but if you told him how much that part means to you he might change his mind.”
Olivia tilted her head. “You’re not planning to pass on the part, are you?”
I folded my hands. “I don’t know what to do.”
“This could be your big break that leads to bigger roles,” Olivia pointed out.
I nodded. “Yeah, but Luke and I are really connecting. My feelings are . . . I don’t know exactly. But if I want to be with Luke I can’t be in Los Angeles while he’s in San Francisco. And L.A. is where I’d have to be to take that part. So it’s a choice between Luke and that movie.”
Olivia tossed her napkin on the table. “You can’t give up your career for a guy, even one as great as Luke. You’re an actress and this role is your shot. Rex got you to put your dreams aside, but now it’s your choice.”
“Okay, I see what Olivia’s saying, but I think you also have to ask yourself the question I had to ask myself, too . . .”
Uh oh. I braced myself, already knowing what was coming.
Wendy stared me down. “What’s more important to you, Charlie? A career—or love?”
There it was, the whole core of the dilemma. I wanted both.
Chapter Twenty-two
I’d pushed my dilemma out of my mind over the weekend. Luke took me sailing around the bay, which was a lovely distraction from my problems. On Sunday, we drove to the Napa Valley and went wine tasting at several wineries. Again, we had a wonderful time.
The more I got to know Luke, the more I wanted to be with him.
On the downside, I didn’t receive a script over the weekend, which meant I didn’t have any lines on Monday. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Had Adele gotten me fired after all?
It didn’t matter. At least, that’s what I told myself Monday morning as I grabbed my purse and headed out of the house as fast as possible so I could avoid the cast and crew. It didn’t matter why I didn’t have any lines because it was a beautiful day, too beautiful to skulk around my own house hoping nobody from the show would pity me—or give me bad news.
I cranked up the black convertible I’d saved from the divorce buzzards and put the top down. The sun spilled over my head and shoulders and a smile lit my face as I decided to spend the morning at the Blue Moon Bay library.
The library had always made me feel safe and happy. So, I zoomed out of the driveway and past my gate, relieved to find the paparazzi were apparently occupied elsewhere for a change. Maybe my luck was changing for the better.
As the wind whipped through my hair, I gazed out at the cerulean ocean, sparkling with splashes of light that hit each cresting wave. The Inn at Blue Moon Bay sat below and I watched it come into view. I continued along the highway until I reached the downtown, where charming shops lined the cobblestone streets.
I loved my quaint and picturesque hometown. A pang hit my heart. I’d made it back to Blue Moon Bay, back to some part of myself—who I was before—and if I took that part in L.A., I’d have to leave again.
Or, I could say no to the part. I could stay here eating gelato all day long, get four or five cats, and become a colorful character like half the people in town already were.
I could also continue working on Just One Love—assuming my character was written into an actual scene again—and chill out with my friends on the weekends, watching the sunset over our magnificent bay, while drinking lemonade on my back deck.
But what if the producers got rid of my character? What if they blamed Piper (unfairly) for Sebastian’s death and locked her away in a cell never to be seen or heard from again? I had nothing on my résumé to land me another part. Then the bill collectors would come knocking and I’d end up broke and homeless.
That last scenario dimmed my mood.
I stopped at a red light in town, thinking about the last few weeks and the money the show had paid me. I needed my own career and my own income. I had to have some independence. Otherwise I’d keep my status quo. Which was, to put it bluntly, broke.
I pulled into the library parking lot, put the top up, and cut off the car. The library had never been as cute and pretty as everything else in town. It had been erected long ago as a square functional building and now it looked weathered and sad. Hopefully the benefit Olivia was putting together would bring the needed funds to give this building the TLC it deserved.
Strolling through the front door, I gave the librarian a wave and headed to the stacks, browsing past tattered romance novels and mystery thrillers until I turned a corner and came to the spot where the magazines rested on the shelves.
Luke had asked me out over there. Happy sigh.
Ready to relax and push my troubles out of my mind, I took a magazine and started for a chair as my phone rang. Maybe it was the set! Maybe they needed me for filming after all!
I fumbled in my purse for the phone, and the incessant ringing had an elderly woman shooting me a scolding look. Cringing, I hit the button to answer without even checking the number, and I immediately regretted that decision when I heard Rex’s voice in my ear.
“I can’t believe you would do that to me!”
I rolled my eyes, hurrying from the annoyed woman, heading deeper into the tall shelves of books. “Did what, Rex?”
“Set me up with that girl at Over the Moon when you were supposed to meet me for lunch. She waltzed right in and said you sent her and then she ate my pancakes. She ate my pancakes, Charlie, right off my plate.”
“Oh, that.” I set the magazine down and gave the aisle a careful look before lowering my voice yet again. “Anna’s a nice girl and she wanted to meet you. Sorry if you’re upset.”
“No, you aren’t.”
I rubbed my temple as a couple of teens headed down the aisle and I gave them a wide berth before darting into another aisle a few rows down. “Okay, I’m not really sorry.”
“Not sorry you sent her or not sorry you didn’t show up?”
I rested my elbow on one of the shelves. “Both. I might be a little more sorry about missing the pancakes, though. Those little discs are delish.”
“You’re joking about this, Charlie? I’m trying here. I love you, baby. I know I messed up but can’t you just—”
“It’s always about what you want. Isn’t it, Rex? You’re not even listening to me,” I said, keeping my voice low in case there was somebody in the aisle directly behind mine.
“Could you explain that to me?”
“My life is no longer about you. We’re divorced. Now my life is about me. And I told you I didn’t want to meet you for lunch. But you wouldn’t leave my house until I agreed, so I agreed even though I didn’t mean it.”
His sharp inhalation of breath echoed across the distance. “You’re right, it should be about you more often. I guess I had to find that out the hard way, but my success means nothing without you. I love you, baby. I know it didn’t always seem like it but I’ve never stopped loving you.”
Tears formed in my eyes. He sounded like old Ronnie, the hometown guy with the big dreams who wanted nothing more than to be a musician.
“I’m glad you’re understanding that relationships are more important than fame. But it’s still over between us, Rex. I put my dreams on hold for you because when you love someone that means supporting them, giving everything to that person. Only it was never
reciprocated. You would never support me and somehow I gave up my dreams completely.”
“I’m sorry. I really, truly am sorry.”
“I lost myself for a long time, Rex. Now I’ve found who I am again. I deserve to follow my dreams, too.” I paused for a moment, realizing I was talking to myself as well as my ex. I let out a long cleansing breath. “Thank you for the apology. I wish you well, but I’m not in love with you any more. In fact, I’m in love with someone else. It’s time for you to let me go.”
“Charlie—”
I hung up the phone, feeling completely free. It wasn’t until this moment that I understood how I’d given up on my dreams. When it became clear my relationship wasn’t a two-way street, I should’ve believed in myself. I should’ve gone back to school. But now I finally got it.
I strode down the aisle, coming out from behind the bookshelves, and stopped in my tracks. Sitting on a big chair in front of me was Luke. He had a book lying open in his lap and the expression on his face told me he’d heard every word I’d just said.
Chapter Twenty-three
I stared at Luke. He wore a pair of plain jeans, well-fitted, a dark-blue long-sleeved button down shirt, and a pair of plain brown loafers. The casual look suited him, yet he still looked every inch the star even in those clothes. How had he managed to be at the wrong place at just the right time? I’d made an idiot of myself right in front of him!
My face heated. I stuffed my phone back in my purse but it started ringing again. I grabbed my phone, turned the ringer off, and pasted a pleasant smile on my face. “Hi, Luke.”
“Hi, there.” He stood up and kissed my cheek, making my skin hum.
“Shouldn’t you be, um, filming?”
He set his book down on a table. His eyes held mine. “No lines today.”
My mouth fell open. “You didn’t have any lines either?”
“They’re doing massive rewrites of the script today. I didn’t want to hang out there while they shot scenes they didn’t need me in.”
“They’re rewriting scenes?” I gnawed at my bottom lip. That was probably it for me then. I hadn’t had any scenes and now they were rewriting the script, probably to make sure they could film without me.
Too curious to be cautious, I asked, “Are they making Adele’s part bigger or something?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what they’re changing. I didn’t see Adele in there today.”
Now that we’d gotten through the work talk, I had a sneaking suspicion he’d ask about my phone conversation with Rex. I twisted my fingers together. “Well, nice running into you. I’ll let you get back to your book. Talk to you later.”
I strode off without knowing where I was going. I spotted a door that led to the old verandah and headed for it. I felt like I might cry.
“Wait a minute, Charlie.” Luke’s hand caught my arm, his touch sending little tingles down my skin. He shifted from foot-to-foot, his hand still on my arm. “I need to know what’s going on. I’m not Rex, you know. I don’t cheat and I’ll always support your dreams.”
“I know that,” I stammered. I knew Luke was everything I’d always wanted, but I was probably out of the soap and I couldn’t take the part in L.A. without giving up Luke. I didn’t want to make that choice. I couldn’t tell Luke any of this. I wouldn’t want him to feel guilty if I chose to stay in Blue Moon Bay.
He caressed my cheek. “I care so much about you, sweetheart. Pushing me away won’t change that, either.”
“I can’t do this right now.” I took a step back, tripping into a little footrest behind me, and I would’ve fallen if he hadn’t caught me. He brought me right up against him. Our bodies collided and I stared up at him, trying to deny to myself how much I loved being in his arms and that was where I wanted to be forever.
“I heard you on the phone, Charlie. I know you’re scared and I get it but . . .”
I couldn’t hear that right now. I wriggled away from him. He had an answer to every doubt and if I listened he would convince me to stay. Not that I needed much convincing. I ran for the door, not even paying attention to the little sign posted on one side.
The alarm went off. The piercing shriek rang over and over. I stood there, unable to even think of what to do as the loud shrill got even louder. A man appeared and I ducked, thinking he was a paparazzi coming to snap pictures of me.
Instead, he hit a button. The alarm stopped. He unlocked the door, and looked from me to Luke. “The verandah needs some work done so we don’t let people out there usually. But if you two need it then go ahead.”
I rushed out the door. The verandah had been one of my favorite places as a kid. The long wide boards and pretty railings were in disrepair now though. The boards were splintered and the railing looked weak in spots. The deep rattan chairs and couches were all gone now. I headed for a spot near the inner corner of the building and heard footsteps behind me.
“Luke, please don’t—”
“Look at that view, Charlie.”
My gaze followed his and the view of the bay was spectacular. The wide sweep of the ocean shimmered blue and spangled gold. Green grass ran across the park all the way to the sand, emerald and well-cut. The ocean was soothing, making everything timeless and worries obsolete.
“It’s beautiful.” I scooted over as he joined me at the railing. The wind blew our hair back from our faces. I snuck a little look over at him and saw that he was regarding me with a serious expression stamped all over his face.
“You’re scared. Not just of me but of really going for anything. You stopped going for what you wanted. You settled for Rex being famous. You settled for being his wife and you didn’t even know it, not then.”
I gripped the railing. “I know that now.”
His shoulder brushed against mine. “You’re scared, Charlie. It’s all over you. You’re scared to let go. You’re scared to just dive in. Rex taught you not to trust yourself first and that was the worst thing he ever did to you no matter how messed up the rest of it was.”
“You’re right,” I said, tears spilling down my cheeks. I didn’t know if it was the view of the ocean, or Luke’s low and soothing voice that cracked my defenses.
He lifted my chin. The ball of his left thumb ran under my eye, wiping the tears away. “I believe in you as a person and as an actress. I will never fail to support you. Can’t you see that?”
My throat clenched. “I do.”
“You seem worried about your part on the show. Maybe that’s what brought this on?” He hugged me and I melted into him, unable to answer him. He caressed my hair. “Look, if Adele can’t handle you being a major character then I’ll talk to the director and all the producers. You belong on Just One Love. I’ll go to bat for you and if Adele wants to play hardball, then I will too.”
I wiped my face dry. “What do you mean?”
“I mean if she keeps threatening to quit unless your character gets written off, then I’ll threaten to quit if you do get written off.” His chest vibrated as he laughed. “It’ll be an impasse of epic proportions.”
“You’d give up your career? For me?”
“I’d do anything for you,” he said, his blue-gray eyes heated. Then his mouth captured mine. It was all there in just one kiss. How we felt about each other. How far we were both willing to go for each other.
And then I made my decision.
I wanted Luke more than that part in Hollywood. It might have been foolish to trust my heart again but Luke made me believe that dreams were possible. He made me believe that love was worth more than anything else. And I loved him.
Chapter Twenty-four
I walked into the dress shop a few hours later, the door chiming as I opened it. Megan was standing near the front arranging a colorful swatch of silk on a mannequin. She turned around to check the door and gave me one of her sunny smiles.
“Hey, Charlie. What brings you here?”
I scoped out a few of the dresses on display. “I’m looking f
or a dress. Luke asked me to be his date for the library fundraiser and I want to go all out.”
Megan walked toward me. “Oh? Is that a month or so away?”
“Yes,” I said, exchanging a secret smile with her. “It’s black-tie optional, so I’d like a fancy cocktail dress.”
Megan nodded. “I got it. Well, you don’t want silk. The fundraiser’s taking place at Wendy’s inn, so if you walk on the beach after and get salt spray on the silk then you’ll ruin the dress.”
“True.” I fingered the sleeve of a darling little rose-colored frock. “This is cute.”
Megan shook her head. “We just got that in so it’s marked up sky-high. Don’t buy it yet. I’m waiting for it to go on sale. As soon as it does, I’m adding my employee discount into the mix and buying it.”
I released the dress. “What do you recommend?”
Megan began selecting dresses off various racks and then she herded me toward a dressing room. “Is this upcoming date the reason you look so happy? Does it have anything to do with it being so far away, yet you seem sure you’ll still be with Luke?”
“Probably.” I gnawed my lip, bursting to tell her. “I called my lawyer and left her a message telling her I’m turning down the part in Cherries Jubilee. I’m just waiting for her to call me back and then I will have officially made my decision to stay in Blue Moon Bay.”
Megan paused in the act of opening the door to the dressing room. A frown creased her forehead. “What happened? I thought you wanted that part so badly.”
“I do. I mean I did. But I want to live closer to Luke and since I’d have to be in L.A. for that part I decided that was too far away.”
Megan handed me a stunning bottle-green frock. “Hmm. Try this dress on first.”
I paused halfway in the door. “Are you changing the subject because you don’t approve?”
Megan sighed. “I’m just surprised by your decision. I thought acting was your dream. Are you sure you’re doing what’s best for you? No, I won’t ask that. Obviously you are but . . . well, wasn’t it hard to give that up? I’m only asking because you were so fired up about that part and so sure it would stretch you as an actress and lead to more parts.”