by Noelle Adams
“Who are you?”
The deep male voice behind her made Sadie jump and turn, dragging her attention from the vision on the beach.
“I’m Gemma. And you are?”
“Matt.”
“Zach’s brother,” Sadie clarified for Gemma’s sake.
“I can see that.”
Sadie studied the guy dressed in a white polo shirt, tan Dockers, and brown deck shoes. The mug in his hand matched theirs, steam curling into the air as he leaned against the door leading from their guest bedroom to the deck.
Though lighter in hair coloring and not as tall, Gemma was right, the family resemblance was evident in Matt’s strong jaw line and green eyes. And his expression. She’d seen a similar look on Zach’s face that day in his office, when he hadn’t been quite sure of her name and was wondering exactly how it’d happened that she’d shown up to interview him.
Only, Matt’s gaze held a lot more suspicion. Come to think of it, he looked mighty comfortable leaning there with his morning caffeine, as if he’d been settled in there for a bit already. Heat crept up along her neck when she mentally replayed the conversation she and her sister had been having minutes earlier.
“Maybe I’ll take him,” Gemma said in a teasing aside to Sadie. Raising her voice, she asked, “Are you rich, too?”
“It’s Zach’s house,” Matt answered without answering.
Joking or not, Sadie wanted to smack her sister, lounging back against the railing, showing off her model body and gorgeous tan in her borrowed bikini top and shorts.
“Ignore my sister,” she said instead. “She’s still drunk from last night.”
“Charming,” he muttered, shifting his gaze past their shoulders.
“I am not drunk!”
Sadie took her own advice and ignored Gemma to turn and watch Zach climb the steps as he ran a towel over his chest before lifting it to his dripping hair.
Matt straightened from the doorway and strode out onto the deck. “Hey bro, how’s the water?”
“Wet.” White teeth flashed against the stubble somewhat camouflaging the dark bruise that now shadowed his jaw.
“Dude, what happened to your face?”
Not good enough.
“Long story,” Zach replied shortly, as if he didn’t want to talk about it. His gaze swept across the deck, seemed to pause on the blue bikini and shorts for a brief moment as his brows lifted, then shifted to Sadie. Her heart skipped a beat from the slow smile he gave her while lowering the towel.
“Good morning.”
As their gazes held, she managed a “Hi,” and was lucky to get that out.
Beside her, Malibu Barbie gave a soft laugh. “Theory tested and proved.”
Fifteen
Gemma’s odd comment reminded Zach there were other people standing on his deck. He noted a mug in Sadie’s hand and another on the rail as he was careful to avoid most of her sister’s exposed skin on the visual trek back to Matt. Because if he let his gaze linger too long he’d imagine that’s exactly what Sadie looked like in a bikini and end up embarrassing himself. The effects of the cold ocean water would only last so long.
“Seeing as you’ve already got coffee, I assume you’ve met Sadie and Gemma?” he asked his brother.
“Gemma introduced herself,” Matt replied, an odd tone in his voice.
Sadie stepped forward to set her mug on the table and extended her hand with a smile. “Hi, I’m Sadie.”
“Obviously.”
He made no move to accept her greeting as he raised his mug for a sip. Clearly taken aback, her smile faded and she lowered her arm back to her side. Uncomfortable silence reigned as Zach narrowed his gaze on his brother.
What the hell was he all put out about? Before he could voice the question, Sadie stuffed her hands in her back pockets and lifted her chin to an angle that could only be described as challenging.
“I believe your brother is under the impression we’re on the hunt for some rich sugar daddies to pay the rent.”
“What?” Zach exclaimed, fingers tightening on the towel he held at his waist.
Matt shrugged, oblivious to Zach’s anger as he met Sadie’s ice-blue gaze. “You said it, not me.”
Zach opened his mouth to tell his brother to shut the hell up.
“Yes I did.”
His gaze zipped to Sadie as Gemma went to stand next to her sister, arms crossed over her chest.
“We were joking, jackass.”
“Gemma,” Sadie chastised.
“Didn’t sound like it to me, Barbie.”
Both girls bristled, and Zach lifted a hand toward them, and the fisted towel toward his brother. “Hey, enough name calling.” To Matt, he added, “What the hell is your problem? And what are you even doing here?”
His gaze remained on the girls. “I came by to see if you wanted to come car shopping with me. It’s not my fault I overheard their schemes.”
“There is no scheme,” Gemma stated in a furious tone.
He glanced from his brother to Sadie. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Me?”
“Yes you. Obviously, my brother misunderstood. I’d like to hear your side of it.”
She gave a small laugh, shaking her head. “There’s nothing to explain. No sides.”
“You’ve got nothing to say?” Matt challenged.
“No. Whatever I say won’t change your mind so why should I waste my breath?”
She stepped forward and began gathering the dirty dishes from the table. Plates and napkins were deposited on the serving tray he’d set out on the counter before his swim. When she turned to gather the mugs from the railing, he reached for her arm.
“Sadie, just leave that. I’ll take care of it later.”
Now he felt the full effects of that chilled gaze as she pulled out of his grasp and banged the mugs onto the tray. “We don’t need anyone to take care of us, thank you very much. Gemma get your stuff.”
She jerked the tray up, clattering dishes and toppling a mug as she marched into the house. Gemma followed, her accusing gaze lasered on Matt as she passed. Jaw clenched hard, Zach shot his brother a glare that should’ve dropped him where he stood.
“What?” Matt exclaimed as if he were completely innocent.
Still unclear where everything had gone so wrong, Zach said the first thing he could think of. “Car shopping? Really?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” Matt replied, as if it were no big deal.
Heaving a sigh that bordered on a growl, Zach strode across the deck to his room so he could change before trying to talk to Sadie. “Next time call first, would ya?”
Matt followed and sat on the unmade bed as Zach grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom. “I would’ve if I’d have known you had…company.”
The way he said company pissed Zach off. He stuck his head out the door to glare at his brother once more. “It’s not like that—you know me better than that.”
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t say no to a threesome with those two, why should you?”
“Shut. Up.” Ducking back into the bathroom, he changed into clean briefs and shorts before dragging a dark green T-shirt over his head. A shower to rinse the saltwater would be great, but Sadie’s parting words told him he didn’t have time.
From the other room, Matt said, “Why are you mad at me? It’s obvious she’s pissed because someone figured out her plan before she could set the hook in you too deep.”
Zach stormed from the bathroom straight to the bedroom door. “Seriously, shut up. You don’t know anything about her.”
Again, Matt trailed after him, down the hall toward the stairs as he spoke in a low undertone. “I know she misses extravagant luxury. And that she plans to leverage some interview you’ve granted into something more profitable.”
Zach swung around.
Matt jerked to a stop, hands raised, palms out. “Her words, not mine.”
That didn’t sound like Sadie…but
then again, she hadn’t denied what Matt said he’d overheard. Was Gemma’s claim they’d been joking a cover-up, or the truth? His heart insisted truth; experience warned to beware the cover-up. Just because he wanted her to be different didn’t mean she wasn’t exactly like Melissa.
At his hesitation, Matt lowered his hands and moved closer. “Hey, we look out for each other, right?”
He glanced down below, didn’t see anyone in the living room, and raised his gaze. “Yeah.”
“So, maybe I’m wrong.” Concern darkened his brother’s brown eyes as shrugged his shoulders beneath the white polo shirt. “But if I’m right…”
“Yeah, I know.” He backed up, hands up to keep Matt at a distance. “Just…let me deal with this right now, okay?”
“All yours.” He slid an imaginary zipper across his lips.
They made their way to the kitchen, where the tray had been cleared and dishes apparently put away in the dishwasher. Sadie swiped a cloth across the counter before reaching to turn on the faucet. Gemma lounged nearby, phone in hand. Thankfully she’d covered the skimpy bikini top with a button down shirt tied at the waist. Her clothes from the night before sat off to her right.
Zach leaned a hip against the counter so he could see Sadie’s face. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Without a word, she rinsed the dish cloth, wrung it out, and draped it over the sink divider.
“Gemma, right?”
Zach tensed at Matt’s question, wishing he’d butt out like he’d promised. He shot a warning glance toward his brother and caught Gemma’s hostile expression along the way. Matt motioned Gemma toward the living room with a jerk of his head.
“Let’s give them some privacy.”
“Ooh, that’s rich coming from you,” she sneered. And yet she grabbed her things and swept out of the room with a haughty lift of her chin.
Matt gave him a wry grin before joining her, and Zach turned his attention back to Sadie. Having moved away from the sink, she now faced him, arms crossed over her chest. The confrontational stance increased the cleavage made visible by the V of of her shirt, but only a stupid man would openly focus on that right now.
It took some effort to avoid stupidity, but he managed to keep his gaze above her chin. Her expression was closed and distant, and he missed that nervous habit she had of clasping her hands tight in front of her. At least then he knew she cared about the outcome of the conversation.
“I’m sorry for my brother,” he began.
“Your brother should be sorry for himself, but considering his recent breakup, I guess I can take his conclusions with a grain of salt.”
“Then why are you so upset?”
“I’m not upset.”
Skepticism sent his eyebrows skyward.
“Not anymore,” she quickly added. “I’m just resigned to reality.”
“And what’s that?”
“People judging based on who you are and who I am.”
“If you know why you’re here, and I know why you’re here, what does it matter what he thinks?”
“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one being judged.”
“So change his mind. Show Matt he’s wrong.”
“You know, I always have to prove myself. I had to do it with you the day of the commercial. I had to do it the day of the interview. I tried with Life’s a Beach, and now with your brother?” She shook her head in defeat.
“Everyone has something to prove every day,” he argued. “Consciously or subconsciously—we’re all proving ourselves all the time.”
“Well, I’m tired, and at this point, I’d rather go home. I’ve got nothing to prove there.”
Did she realize her actions alone were a step in proving Matt wrong?
“You’ve got nothing to prove with me.”
He moved forward, wishing he could touch her and somehow get back to where they’d left off last night—and he didn’t mean physically. Though her gaze dropped to his mouth and color tinted her cheeks, she backed against the counter. A car horn sounded outside and relief flitted across her face as her gaze shot toward the living room.
“Cab’s here,” Gemma called.
They’d called a cab? Sadie gave him a quick glance before walking away. Over her shoulder she said, “Thank you for the ride and your hospitality, but we’ve imposed on you enough.”
He detoured to grab his wallet and keys then met her at the front door. “I can give you a ride home, Sadie. Save your money.”
“Cab’s already here.”
Out in the driveway, Zach saw Matt reach to open the back passenger door for Gemma.
“Just wait,” he called out. His long strides overtook Sadie on the driver’s side and he reached the open cab window as her hand closed on the back door handle. Extracting a fifty from his wallet, he told the cabbie, “Sorry for your trouble, but we don’t need—”
“No!” Sadie released the passenger door handle and lunged forward to snatch the bill from his hand before the guy could take it. She slapped the money against Zach’s chest, shoving him back a step. “How dare you think just because you have money you can dictate our lives.”
Door open, Matt stood beside Gemma as she paused before getting into the back seat.
“Sadie, don’t be ridiculous,” Zach reasoned. “You can’t afford a cab ride all the way back to Reseda.”
Her glare seared hotter than the morning sun. “That’s for me to decide, not you.” Furious blue eyes didn’t waver from his as she ordered, “Gemma, get in.”
Obviously, he wasn’t going to win about the ride. “Then at least let me pay for—”
“No.”
A firm nudge of Sadie’s door against his thigh moved him out of the way so she could slip in. She leaned forward slightly and he thought she was about to speak to him, but all she did was give the driver their address while slamming the door.
Damn it. One step forward, two steps back. Last night he probably could’ve seduced her into his bed; this morning, she wouldn’t even let him pay for her ride home.
Zach transferred his gaze across the hood to the others. Her sister slid into the back seat, and Matt shrugged his shoulders as he closed the door. He bent slightly as Gemma lowered the window and said something Zach couldn’t hear.
Next to him, the cabbie shrugged as if to say “What can I do?” while putting the car in gear and backing onto the street.
“Still think she’s a gold-digger?” Zach asked when his brother came to stand beside him.
Matt remained silent for a long moment as they watched the cab’s departure. “Melissa was one hell of an actress.”
“Gemma’s the actress, not Sadie.”
Sixteen
Sadie squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and rounded the corner to push through the doors at MovieMail headquarters. She pasted a smile on her face as the redhead at the front desk glanced up from her computer screen and then did a double take.
“Hi, Tiffany. Sadie Barton, remember?”
The receptionist flipped her crimson locks back over her shoulder with a dismissive sniff. “Of course. You’re that reporter.”
Tiffany’s words and tone told her she still thought Sadie had written the damn article in Life’s a Beach. Confirming Zach’s comment that everyone had something to prove to someone every day. Of course she’d known that before he imparted his wisdom, but why did it sometimes feel like she had to work twice as hard as everyone else?
Her fingers tightened on the handle of her bag to resist the urge to run a hand down her black pencil skirt. She’d picked out the aqua dress shirt to bring out the color of her eyes; smoothed away any wrinkles from the ride when she’d stepped off the bus two blocks away; now all she had to do was remain poised and professional.
“I’m here to see Zach.”
Tiffany made a few clicks on her keyboard and a small frown drew her freckles together. “I don’t see you listed on Mr. Robinson’s Monday morning schedule. Did you have an appointment?�
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“No, but I’ll wait.”
“His schedule is booked.”
“I only need a minute.”
Just long enough to see if he would keep his word about the interview after the cab fiasco. She hadn’t heard from him the rest of the weekend and had to figure that despite his claim she had nothing to prove to him, his brother had used their words against them and convinced Zach otherwise.
Looking nonplussed, Tiffany tried again. “I really can’t—”
“I’m not leaving,” Sadie stated with more confidence than she felt. “Please let him know I’m here.”
The redhead’s frown deepened, but she picked up the phone and hovered a finger over the keypad. “If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll give Kris a call.”
A step in the right direction. Sadie inclined her head with a friendly smile. “Thank you.”
She skipped the chairs and strolled across the lobby to check out the wall of framed movie posters she’d completely missed during her last visit. Prince of Persia, True Grit, The Switch, Tangled, Charlie St. Cloud, Hot Tub Time Machine, Apollo 13, Dodge Ball, Toy Story 1,2, & 3, Ever After, Sweet Home Alabama, Eagle Eye, Daddy Day Care, Iron Man, and the list went on down the hall in no particular order. It wasn’t until she looked closer at the one for High Lonesome that she realized it was autographed by Trent Tomlin and his co-star, Emily Denton.
Her gaze moved to the next poster, and the one after, confirming the majority of them were autographed, many by more than one star of the movie.
Wow. Very cool. If Gemma could see these, she’d be giddy with excitement.
She paused in front of Sahara, its three stars featured prominently against the desert background. The poster had been signed by Matthew McConnaughey, Steve Zahn and Penelope Cruz.
“That’s one of my favorite movies.”
Sadie startled at the sound of Zach’s low voice directly behind her. She hadn’t heard his approach, and he was close enough his breath stirred the loose hairs at the nape of her neck. Praying her words came out steadier than her pulse, she remained facing the wall.
“You said there were too many to pick just one.”
“Movies. Plural. I have a whole list.”