by Lee Kilraine
The diner stayed quiet . . . for a half a second. Then heads moved together and whispers passed from one table to the next while phones whipped out faster than guns at the O.K. Corral.
“I was damn serious about what was between us,” Sijan said. “I would like to see you again, Avery.”
Avery shook her head, and tore her gaze away from Sijan’s to look around for Renee with those burgers. She needed to end this confrontation with Sijan before she did something stupid. Her body wanted to say yes and jump the man, but her heart and mind knew that was a path to heartbreak. “I don’t think so, Sijan. I mean, it was, um, great and all, but no. I think it’s for the best to end things here.”
“Best? Or do you mean easiest? Because some of the best things in life aren’t easy, Avery. I am serious about wanting to find out what this is between us.”
Avery could feel all eyes on her. The gossip flew at lightning speed around the diner. She looked into Sijan’s eyes and wanted so, so badly to believe him. Only she knew she didn’t have the heart to get rejected again. Could this be love? She couldn’t afford the risk. Because this time, if it wasn’t, it would break her. “I’m sorry, Sijan. I . . . I can’t. I’ll let you handle announcing the end of our engagement.”
Sijan opened his mouth to speak when Barbara, the brunette they’d met over at Yadkin’s during happy hour, walked over and tried to pry Sijan up out of the seat. “Sijan, you poor man. I’ll help you get through this.”
“Okay, that’s it.” The pretty blonde sitting with Sijan’s brother, Quinn, jumped up from their booth and stood next to Barbara with her arms across her chest and her left eye twitching. “When the barracuda shows up, this has gone beyond a feeding frenzy. Barbara, walk away. I know the smell of blood in the water drew you, but walk away. Now.” She stared Barbara down until she slunk away.
The woman leaned over, holding out her hand to Avery. Her light brown eyes were friendly. “I’m Delaney Lyons. Quinn Cates, the good looking one over there, is my fiancé, which makes this idiot”—Delaney managed to hit Sijan on the back of his head—“my soon-to-be brother-in-law.”
Avery shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Delaney. I’m Avery Danford. This is my friend Pia Stirling.”
“Now. I’m just learning this myself, but the way to handle the Climax Grapevine is to force people to talk in front of you instead of behind your back. Take control. Isn’t that right, Quinn?”
“Baby, you’re so right.”
“You want me to handle this one for you?” Delaney offered while managing to hit Sijan on the back of the head again.
Avery threw Pia a look, not really sure. Pia raised her eyebrows. It was seeing Sijan shake his head no that had Avery saying, “Yes, please, Delaney.”
“Okay, people! Apparently Sijan and Avery slept together. They enjoyed it. Based on the goofy look on Avery’s face, and the craziness of Sijan’s behavior, I’d say they score it a fifteen on a ten-point scale. But it looks like Sijan blew the dismount. That concludes tonight’s entertainment. Now, Renee, for the love of God, please give them their burgers to go, even if you have to empty your purse for them to carry them out in. Quinn, shoot anyone who tries to follow them. And don’t play favorites. That goes for Sijan too.”
Avery’s heart lightened. Just a little. She scooted out of the booth, looked at Delaney, and said, “You know, I do feel better. Thank you, Delaney.”
“I sure as hell don’t,” Sijan grumbled as he got up to let Pia out after she poked him a few times.
Renee hustled over with two to-go boxes and a shrug.
Quinn escorted Avery and Pia to the door. Once they were outside, he said, “Avery, idiocy aside, Sijan is actually a great guy. He might be worth a second look. For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen him act like this around a woman.”
“You don’t even know me. Why would you tell me this?”
“I wasn’t there, but I heard about your first meeting. Let’s just say I’m a firm believer in love at first sight.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Blew the dismount? That’s what you call helping me?” Sijan was pacing in the family room of his parents’ ranch-style house. They had turned down his offer of a new house a few years ago and renovated instead. They’d removed walls and the dark paneling and popcorn ceilings that dated it, giving it a more up-to-date, open-concept feeling.
Tonight, his family was gathered to help Sijan with his problem. That’s what they did. That’s who they were. His close-knit family always pulled together when someone was in need. And brother, was he in need. But, looking at Delaney, he realized she was new to this, having grown up with dysfunctional parents. Maybe she didn’t understand how the helping part actually worked.
When his brothers stopped laughing, he raised an eyebrow at Delaney.
“I’m sorry. I’m not a wordsmith. But did you see her face when everyone started talking? She would have been eaten alive. You think I’m a marshmallow, Mama C? Uh-uh. This woman is spun sugar.” Delaney put her hands on her hips and got up close in Sijan’s face. “What were you thinking, making a scene in public like that? You should have stuck with making toothpicks all day.”
Sijan released a sigh and sat down heavily on the brown leather couch next to his mom. He leaned his elbows on his widespread knees and rested his head in his hands. “You’re right. I’m an idiot. I wasn’t thinking. In fact”—he looked up at Delaney—“thank you for looking out for her.”
“Well, she reminded me of me. Only a lot nicer.” Delaney sat next to Quinn on the loveseat. “I mean, it wasn’t too long ago I was the hot topic of the Grapevine.”
Paxton, the lawyer, of course wanted it all laid out like evidence. “Sijan, tell us exactly what you want and how we can help.”
“I don’t know, exactly.” Sijan got up to pace some more.
“Because if you want out, you’ve got that. Walk away. Hell, head back to L.A. today and move on.” Kaz gestured with the sandwich he’d just assembled.
Sijan sat again. His dad lounged in a recliner in front of the empty brick fireplace. Paxton and Kaz were sitting at the table eating sandwiches and whatever leftovers they’d found in the fridge. Ty was working late at his job site. Apparently, he’d gotten behind after having to clean up Sijan’s distracted work from this morning.
“No, I don’t want to leave.”
“It sounds like you need to get to know her, Sijan.” His mom patted his shoulder.
“I know, Ma. Obviously I rushed things. I want to get to know her, but she’s a little pissed at me right now.”
Paxton snatched the other half of Kaz’s sandwich. “You’re a stubborn guy. Which most of the time is a pain in the ass, but it’s also gotten you almost everything you’ve set out for. You can wear her down.”
“You have to know what you want first.” His mom frowned at Sijan. “It’s not fair to this poor woman it you aren’t serious.”
“Oh, I’m serious. I need to be around her. I want to get to know her. I want her to get to know me—and then you all.”
“Woo, boy—when you Cates brothers finally fall, you fall fast and deep, don’t you?” Delaney said.
“Is there any other way?” Quinn asked. “It’s the same way we like our s—”
“Quinlan Cates, I raised you better than that.”
Seamus, the Cates brothers’ father, winked at his son and said, “Submarines, love. The boy was talking about submarines. Now, Sijan, give the woman a little space and time to get over the hurt. Then go wear her down and use all the Cates charm you were born with.”
Sijan shook his head. “She seemed pretty immune to the Cates charm tonight.”
“She sure did. Never thought I’d see the day when the famous movie star Sijan Cates had trouble getting a woman.”
“Shut up, Quinn. Or as your fiancée used to say . . . bite me.”
Sijan spent the next morning helping his dad clean out their gutters. Tynan took pity on him and let him back on the job site in the after
noon. Monitored, of course. But when swinging the hammer around wasn’t distracting him enough from thinking of Avery, he headed to the 24/7 for a workout.
Even if he did move from acting to writing screenplays, he was still contracted for two more films. And yeah, he had a stunt double, but he had to be at his peak of fitness to manage all the action scenes. Luckily he enjoyed his workouts as much as his female fans seemed to enjoy the results.
Finally, after a two-hour workout and shower, he felt more himself. He was talking to Hawk and Gage, one of the gym’s co-owners, at the front desk when his cell phone rang. It was Beatrice Simon reporting that Avery and Pia had finished work for the day and called over to Dave’s Diner for burgers to go. Delaney, who was there picking up an order to take to Quinn on the night shift, made Renee offer to let the busboy, Twig, deliver their food to the hotel. So the Grapevine sounded the “all clear,” or as Beatrice said, “The rooster crowed at midnight.”
“Either of you want to grab a bite over at the diner?” Sijan asked, still too keyed up to head home.
“I could eat,” Hawk said.
“When can’t you eat?” Gage shook his head. “I’m here until midnight.”
Sijan called Tynan on their way out. He figured the least he could do was buy him a meal after wreaking havoc on his job site two days in a row. Tynan was quick to accept.
It was quiet at the diner. Which, of course it was, since the Grapevine had already spread the word that there would be no Avery/Sijan show tonight. They all ordered burgers.
Hawk leaned back giving Renee room to slide the drinks on the table. “Renee, why are you working the night shift?”
“I traded shifts for the next two weeks. Evenings are when all the good stuff goes down with Sijan and Avery,” Renee said. “Although tonight looks like a bust, Sijan. I could be home watching you half naked and sweaty on Netflix.”
Hawk shook his head. “I just saw that at the gym. Didn’t do a thing for me.”
Tynan and Sijan grinned as Renee walked away.
“So, you gave the lady space today?” Hawk looked across the table at Sijan.
“I did.”
“Just about drove me crazy,” Tynan said. “I mean, I like having you around, Si, but when you’re not your normal focused self, it’s hell on my work schedule. Maybe tomorrow you can go help Kaz put a computer together or something.”
Renee delivered their burgers to the table and they spent the next few minutes eating and peppering Sijan with questions about hot actresses. He had them laughing as he recounted filming the love scene in his latest movie after the romantic female lead had gorged on bean burritos the night before. Her nickname had been Tooty for the rest of the shoot.
“Sijan, I saved you the last piece of Aunt Marie’s banana cream pie if you want dessert.” Renee cleared the dishes and looked at Sijan. “I know it’s your favorite, and it goes fast when she bakes one.”
Tynan spread his arms wide. “Renee, you’re breaking my heart. What are we, chopped liver? We like pie too.”
“Tynan Cates, don’t you dare suggest I play favorites. You happen to like key lime best, and Hawk here likes the chocolate ice-box pie. We have plenty of those. Besides, I heard from the Simon sisters that Sijan can get George Clooney’s autograph.” Renee winked. “A round of pie, coming up.”
The bell sounded above the entrance door, and Renee glanced up from dishing the pie onto plates. What started out as, “I’ll be with you in a minute, hon” turned into “Holy cow, Dirk Ferris! Two movie stars in Climax might be more than we women can handle.”
Sijan swung around to look. Sure enough, Dirk Ferris, the actor, stood by the door with a duffel bag in his hand. He wouldn’t call Dirk a close friend, but Dirk had held a small role in Sijan’s last movie. They’d often worked out together at the gym closest to the location set during the four months of filming. “Hey, Dirk. Come join us.” Sijan stood up to shake hands and introduced him to the others. “What brings you to Climax? Looking for a part in my next film?”
“That’s one reason, but I’ve also come looking for someone,” Dirk said, nodding to the other two men at the table. He leaned over, pulled a newspaper out of his bag, and tossed it onto the table. It was this week’s copy of The Tattler, and staring up at them was the full-color photo of Sijan and Avery. “I’m looking for her.”
Sijan’s gaze whipped from the photo to Tynan and back to Dirk. “Why?”
“Why? You’re kidding me, right? That’s Ariel.”
That didn’t clear anything up for Sijan and Tynan, but a light bulb went off for Hawk, who said, “That’s where I knew her from. I told you she looked familiar. Ariel Diamond. Wow. Only she had black hair and dark eyes in all her films.”
“Ariel Diamond? I’ve seen her movies.” Renee dished out the pie distractedly since she was focused on dishing out the gossip. “The Grapevine is going to love this.”
“What are you talking about? That’s Avery Danford and she’s a . . .” Sijan looked over at Tynan.
Tynan crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, she never did tell us what she does, did she?”
Dirk tapped his finger on Avery’s stunning face. “That is Ariel Diamond. Five years ago, she was the freshest and hottest talent in film, and then she up and disappeared. I should know. I dated her. And was in her last film. No one’s seen a trace of her for five years. Until this photo appeared two days ago. Hell, that’s all anyone can talk about in the big H.”
Sijan did not like where his mind was heading. If he had a two-by-four and a hammer right now, he’d be making splinters out of toothpicks. What the hell was going on?
“It all makes sense, Si. I mean, if she’s trying to jump-start her acting career again, then getting her photograph in the paper with you was the fastest way, wasn’t it?”
Tynan might be making sense, but Sijan’s gut didn’t want to believe it. He could still see Avery’s face the last time he’d assumed the worst about her. Even if this was more damning than the pregnancy test kit, this time he was going to give her the full benefit of the doubt. He remembered the sweetness in her face as they’d talked in bed late into the night. No way was he risking losing Avery a second time based on rumor. It was only a small point of procedure that he didn’t actually “have” her to lose right now. But damn, he was working on it.
“Avery. Ariel. Whoever the hell she is, she isn’t trying to use me to jump-start her career.” Sijan picked up his fork and started in on his pie. “It’s not like actors haven’t tried to ricochet off my name to fame before. I mean if anyone would know, I would, right?”
“Why else would she turn up here of all places after a five-year absence? Anyone know where I can find her? Obviously, Sijan, you were with her three days ago. That’s how I tracked her down to Climax.” Dirk gathered up the paper and looked at the photo again before tucking it back into the bag at his feet. He waited for a response. When none came, he said, “Well, let’s catch up, Sijan. I’m going to check in over at the hotel I saw across the street. I’ll start asking around for Ariel tomorrow.”
Tynan looked closely at Sijan, who gave one shake of his head. He didn’t want Dirk tracking Avery down and confronting her until he had talked to her himself.
“Dirk, we’re real friendly here in Climax, and any friend of Sijan’s is a friend of mine. We wouldn’t think of having you stuck at an old rundown hotel.” Tynan stood up from the booth. “I’ve got a guest bedroom that never gets used. Come on over to my place, and we’ll all go find Avery, I mean Ariel, tomorrow.”
Dirk smiled the smile that made him a heartthrob among today’s teenagers. “I appreciate it. Hotels get old real fast in this business, right, Sijan?” He picked up his bag and let Tynan steer him out of the diner.
Renee walked over to refill their drinks, but sat down across from Sijan instead. “Honey, I think it’s great the way you stuck up for Avery this time, I do. But since I like you so much, and don’t want you to be blindsided tomorrow when you find Avery,
I think I should pass on the latest Grapevine news.”
“Renee, I appreciate it, but I’m fine. I believe Avery. Except for the times she lied to me”—and he had to admit there had probably been more than a few in that meeting at the VFW—“that woman doesn’t have a deceptive bone in her body.”
Hawk and Renee raised their eyebrows at him. Of course, he wasn’t making any sense, but he knew what he was feeling, right? He was going to trust that.
“I heard from a trusted source Avery will be over on Levi’s Pond Road in Guilford Grove tomorrow. Filming. With a guy named Petey.” Renee patted Sijan’s hand. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”
“No, it doesn’t. Doesn’t mean a thing.” Sijan’s hand gripped the fork tighter and his jaw clenched. He pushed the plate of half-eaten pie away from him with a sigh. If things went south tomorrow, he would remember this day as the day he stopped liking banana cream pie. That would be a sad day, like the fall of man.
Chapter Fifteen
Avery, Pia, and the crew sat around in portable canvas chairs eating Krispy Kreme donuts and drinking coffee while they waited for the star of their commercial. Petey was known for his tantrums, which was why this normally one-day film shoot had turned into three days. But time was money, literally, since some of the equipment was rented, so it was possible they’d have to look for a replacement for Petey soon.
Kent was in the middle of telling an off-color joke that had Avery blushing when the crunch of gravel on the long driveway broke through the conversation. Avery turned her head to watch Sijan’s silver extended crew-cab pickup truck roll down the lane. Huh. She should have guessed it was only a matter of time until their NSA-style Grapevine had pinpointed her whereabouts and life details, probably down to her bra size. In the days she’d had to deal with it, the Climax Grapevine had been scary efficient, if sometimes inaccurate.
Sijan parked the truck and the men climbed out, the sunshine reflecting brightly off their dark sunglasses. The rugged handsomeness of all three men exiting the truck would have made for a sexy truck commercial. It looked like Sijan, Tynan, and oh, holy Christ—