They sat on one of the balconies off from the conference center, a smaller one that was empty at the moment.
“Yes, I’ve watched him in movies but I’ve never seen him kiss someone like that.”
Emma shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”
Then Gary surprised her. “I have seen all of the Max Booker films, and I agree with Ashley. The guy is into you. And now that I’ve said that, I need to go find my man card.” He stood and kissed Ashley on the cheek. “The movie star has ruined you for my kisses, I fear.”
Ashley laughed and tugged him in for a real kiss. They stared at each other for a moment, and Gary walked away with a smile, singing, “Oh, where, oh, where, can my man card have gone?” to the tune of the song about the little dog.
Emma stared after him. “Your husband is weirder than I thought.”
“He is, but that is not the subject of this discussion, that being that Noah Sullivan is totally into you.”
“Will fire ants help this situation?”
Ashley leaned forward, grimaced as the belly of all bellies stopped her. Thinking better of it, she reached out a hand to take Emma’s. “No more fire ants. No more joking. You have had a crush on him for years. And he just kissed you. That was no coincidence.”
“Everyone asked for a romance scene.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t have to go along with it.”
“And then he walked off to do his thing. The rest of his thing. This conference. Mingling with his peeps, as it were. I’m not one of his peeps.”
“Oh, honey, did you not see how he looked at you?”
All of Emma’s insecurities came up. She had seen, but he was an accomplished actor.
“What will you do if he asks you out?”
Growing quiet, Emma looked at Ashley. “You know he wants a family. That’s why Preston said he divorced his ex — because she pretended she wanted a family but then she finally admitted to him that she wasn’t about to ruin her figure like that. He left her, among other reasons, because she refused to create a family.”
Ashley opened her mouth to speak, but Emma held up a hand. “If he asks me out, I’ll have to say no. He won’t want someone broken like me.”
“Oh, honey, there are lots of other options.”
“Plus he’s unattainable. Do you know there are fifteen million women I’d be competing with?”
“You’re not competing with anyone. I saw how he looked at you.”
A text sounded, and she groaned.
“Trevor?”
“Yes.” Emma shook her head and read aloud: “You’ve got to sign the house papers.”
“Yes, you do. It’s the last tie between you, and it’s not healthy for you to drag it out like this. I know you’re getting back at him for the hurt and ugliness he gave you, but you’re also holding on to that hurt and ugliness by not just signing the papers.”
Emma closed her eyes. “Can we please stop talking about all of this? It’s more than I can handle right now.”
“Sure, honey.” Ashley was still for a moment, then gasped.
Emma’s eyes flashed open to see her friend with her hands on her belly and a grimace on her face.
“Oh, my gosh, are you going into labor? Gary will never forgive me for bringing you here. Are you okay?”
When she jumped up, Ashley started laughing, lifting her hands from her belly. “You were getting entirely too serious.”
Emma frowned. “That’s not even remotely funny.”
“If you could see your face, you wouldn’t agree with that statement.”
Emma stood. “I’m going back to the house. I need to update the social media and upload my pictures.”
“You can do that later. First, help me up.”
Emma put out a hand to her friend, who took it and heaved herself upright. Emma leaned in close and scowled. “No more joking about being in labor. I mean it.”
“Okay, fine. Spoilsport.”
“I need to talk with you.” Noah put a hand on his buddy’s arm.
Preston looked after his bride, who’d just announced she was going to the pool.
“Now.”
Preston sighed. “Make it quick.”
“Not here.” He led Preston to his bedroom, the only place he was guaranteed to have privacy.
“What’s this about?” Preston crossed his arms.
“Sit. Listen. Help me.”
A furrow on his forehead, Preston sat on one of the two chairs next to a small round glass-topped table. “Are you in some kind of trouble?” He sounded concerned.
“No. Yes. I don’t know.” He flopped onto the edge of the bed.
“Noah, the most beautiful woman in the world is waiting for me down by the pool. I don’t have time for this.”
“It’s Emma.”
Instantly alert, Preston tipped his head. “What about Emma?”
“You remember how she used to tag around after us when we were kids? And we had meetings in our tree house and she yelled to come up?”
“Yeeaaaahhhh?” Preston stretched the word out questioningly.
“I thought she was cute.”
“Emma?”
“Yes. Emma. But she was your little sister and I was ten years old and so I knew I couldn’t think she was cute.”
“And...?”
“And then I went away to Hawaii and got on with my life and lost track of her. But it wouldn’t have mattered, because she was still your sister, and then I met Deena and got married and now here we are. Here. We. Are.”
Preston’s eyes narrowed. “Where are we, exactly?”
Noah looked his buddy in the eye. “I think I have a crush on Emma.”
“A crush.”
That sounded so ... childish. He felt much more than that for Emma. He’d had a crush on her when he was a boy. Now? He had to admit to himself that now he was maybe falling in love with Emma.
Preston laughed.
“No, seriously, dude.” Noah had to made his friend understand. “I kissed her today.”
“In your workshop. Big deal.”
“Preston,” he said sharply.
“What?” His friend glanced at his watch.
“I think I might be in love with Emma.”
“With my annoying little sister?” The grin that spread across Preston’s face was the last thing Noah had expected. “That’s great.”
Surprised, Noah stared at him. “You’re okay with me wanting to date your sister?”
“I’ve been waiting for the day when you would realize how cute Emma is. Date her. Court her. Whatever. But don’t you dare hurt her. She’s a little raw at the moment.” Preston stood, clapped Noah on the shoulder, and laughed again. “Now I’m going out to find my bride.”
Noah looked after his friend, astonished.
Emma sat on a lounge chair on the small private beach at the rental house, Xena on her lap. She petted the little dog, moving her hand gently down the little back, scratching behind the tiny ears. Such a big attitude in such a teeny body always amused Emma.
She was looking forward to some time on the larger beach, but so far her duties at the conference had been intense. Plus June in Fiji was winter. The weather was still beautiful — in the low eighties during the day and about sixty-eight at night — but sunrise and sunset times were at six at both ends of the day. By the time they set up at the convention center and had dinner afterward, the sun was setting before they left the building.
There was beach time planned in to the official schedule later in the week, but she was thankful their rental had a small slice of heaven. The waves lapped gently at the sand, and the sound was soothing to her soul. There were strands of lights strung between the palm trees and the three small cabanas, and running up along the white fencing on either side that kept the beach private, making a charming setting. There was a small boat house and dock, too.
Even with the strands of lights, there seemed to be a million stars overhead.
She’d decided to
avoid the hot tub tonight. She couldn’t chance another run-in with Mr. Kiss-’Em-and-Leave-’Em-With-Their-Knees-Weak.
Chief ran up and licked her arm. “Oh, yuck, Chief, what are you doing?” But she petted him, too — big, derpy dog that he was.
He sniffed at Xena and she raised her head regally, as if to say, What do you want, peasant?
He licked her head and that decided it for Xena — she stood, shook herself, and took off running through the sand, up toward the pool and the house. The bigger dog chased after.
A moment later, Noah pulled up a lounge chair. “May I join you?”
If she’d had sunglasses on, she’d have lowered them to add to her glare. As it was, she just glared.
With a grin, he plopped down next to her. “Thanks. I’d love to.”
She shrugged. “Make yourself at home.”
He put his hands behind his head and stared back at the dogs. “They’re making friends.”
“I’m glad.”
She sighed and laid her head back down, pulling the towel up over her face. She needed some space from the kiss-stealing Noah Sullivan. The kissing scene expert.
She really wanted another kiss from him.
After a moment, he said, “Do you always wear towels like like that?”
She pulled it back down. There was no space when Noah was around. There wasn’t enough air to breath when he was around. He was like a black hole that sucked in everything — including her.
She really wanted another kiss from him. Would it be so bad to get another one? For real, this time, and not just a demonstration at a workshop.
She decided to be nice. “You did a really great job at the workshop today. You had those people watching every move you made.”
He grinned and she knew he was thinking of the move he’d made with her. Her face warmed and she was glad the sun wasn’t out to let him see it.
“Do you like living in Waco?”
Surprised, she said, “Yes. Why?”
“I haven’t been back much since the movies took off. I’ve been missing the quieter pace there.”
“Max Booker will never have a quieter pace. Not for the rest of Max’s life.”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.”
His voice was pensive, unlike the confident public Noah. This version of Noah, the more vulnerable one, tugged at her. Here they were, all alone on a private beach, and he’d kissed her earlier and made her realize that she’d never been kissed better. Noah was a handsome man. And she felt her earlier crush on him come crashing back in on her, even larger than before.
Would it be a bad thing to just have an island romance with him? Did he even want a romance with her, island or otherwise? She didn’t know. When he locked gazes with hers, she flushed again. He was looking at her as though he’d like a romance.
It couldn’t go too far or she’d be left devastated, but what if she got another kiss or two from Noah while they were here? Maybe even here, on this beach, tonight?
Laughter sounded and voices moved toward them from the house. Noah looked almost disappointed. She certainly was.
Soon, the camera crew and security guys joined them. Jennifer sat next to Emma. “We brought you some kokoda.”
“What’s that?” Emma sat up.
“Apparently this is the national dish of Fiji or something. They marinate fish in citrus juices, then cook it with some onions, tomatoes, coconut cream, and some other stuff. It’s kind of spicy, but really good.”
Jennifer carefully lifted a coconut shell out of the box that Quinton was carrying and handed it to Emma, along with a spoon.
As Jennifer passed one to Noah, Emma breathed in. “That smells amazing. I shouldn’t be hungry after dinner, but this I’ve got to try.”
Noah took a bite. “It’s amazing.”
And, just like that, the hoped-for time alone with Noah vanished for the rest of the evening.
9
My Dream Camera
Conference Day 3
Quirky Characters & Settings
“Emma could teach them,” Preston said, shrugging.
“Shh,” Emma whispered. “Emma doesn’t want to.”
The group was ready to leave on the Quirky Characters and Settings tour, except there had been a holdup on the tour buses.
“Absolutely,” Noah said. “You wouldn’t mind doing that, would you, Emma? Your work is so amazing. And that would give everyone something to learn while we wait for the buses.”
She looked into Noah’s eyes and sighed. “Sure. I’d love to.”
And, since her brother and Noah were attending each of the events in order to get the attendance and therefore the donations for the island as high as possible, she felt she needed to support them. After all, she was being paid extravagantly for this trip.
So, volunteered by her brother and her nemesis, Emma led the group onto the largest balcony of the conference center and spent the next thirty minutes doing an impromptu workshop for wannabe photographers.
When Preston announced, “The buses are here,” she raised a hand so the group would stay in their seats until she finished showing them a technique for outdoor photography. Then she said, “I’ll have a short workshop when we return for any of you who would like tips on loading any of today’s videos to YouTube.”
Soon they were climbing onto the buses. Only about half of the attendees had signed up for this tour, and she suspected there had been a run on ocean-play gear that morning. She couldn’t blame them. She was wishing for some seaside activities, herself. After all, to be in Fiji and not go snorkeling was killing her.
There were five big tour buses with waves and beach scenes painted on the sides in bright colors.
Noah stood next to her and his presence was so huge that she felt she could barely breathe.
When he went off to joke with guests as they boarded bus number four, she slipped away and climbed onto bus number two and took a seat in the front row.
Everyone was happy and talking as they climbed aboard. No one chose to sit by her, and she was okay with that. She liked being by herself and didn’t enjoy big crowds, and this trip had been nothing but big crowds.
She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, breathing in and out deeply, striving for the zen state her yoga instructor talked about. She placed her hands on her thighs and drew in the peace of the ocean waves all around this beautiful island.
Feeling more peaceful, she opened her eyes — just in time to see Noah climb aboard. When he spotted her, he shot her his signature adorable grin.
Standing with one hand on the top of her seat, he called back to the other riders. “Are you ready to have some fun today?”
They agreed that they were, indeed, ready for some fun.
He nodded, and then motioned to the bus driver. “Hey, y’all,” he drawled, “I’d like to introduce our driver and tour guide for the day, Ratu.”
“Thank you,” Ratu said over the speakers and nodded. “I’m glad to have you today.”
Now surely Noah would climb back down and introduce each of the drivers, but, no, he sank into the seat next to her. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
It was difficult to stay in the state of zen when she was sure all the women on this bus would gladly have clubbed her over the head to sit by their favorite movie star.
Ratu kept up a steady stream of information so Noah hadn’t had much chance to talk with Emma.
“Today you will see a man climb a coconut palm and pick a coconut, and then use an axe to open it. You can even eat the sweet meat inside.” Ratu kept his eyes on the road, which was a narrow one just wide enough for two vehicles. “We also have a belief that coconuts watch people and decide who to fall on, so be sure to watch for falling coconuts.”
Beside Noah, Emma chuckled. “That could be the theme for a Stephen King novel.”
“Killer Coconuts,” he said back softly, enjoying being with Emma. “I think I read that one.”
“He has scared m
e on so many levels that I had to stop reading his books.”
“You’ve scared me on a lot of levels, too.”
She looked exceptionally pretty today in a sundress that was white and a green he’d heard his mother call sea-foam green. It wasn’t a color he normally thought was pretty, but it looked awesome against her pale, freckled skin. He knew she wore a swimsuit underneath, as they all had since they’d be spending time on a beautiful tropical beach today. Her face glowed and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “I told you I was sorry about the fire ants.”
“Not just them. What about the time you and Ashley covered dog biscuits with chocolate and fed them to me and Preston?”
She chuckled again. “Ashley was an aspiring baker.”
“Of dog biscuits?”
She laughed. “Hey, you said they tasted good.”
“It was the principle of the thing.”
“And what was that principle?”
He mock-glared at her. “That you should never trust your friend’s sister and her friend.”
She waved a hand and he caught it in his. Her eyes widened, and she pulled back, slowly. He released her hand, just as slowly.
With a grin, she said, “Has that philosophy of mistrust helped you in your career?”
“Oh, yeah. I just extend it to all women, and I’m careful.”
“I think your ex-wife probably scared you more than Ashley and I ever did.” She shrugged. “And I only mention your ex because I have an ex, too, who scares me.”
He nodded and motioned to her to lower her voice. He leaned toward her, and whispered, “Let’s talk about private things in a whisper or in private. One of the downsides of all the fame is that people will record what I say or repeat it and it will be all over the internet.”
“Ahh, I see.” She raised her voice. “So how old were you when you finally learned to read? Ten? Eleven?”
Rolling his eyes, but chuckling, he said, “Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
“I don’t know. You’re getting pretty old now. Plus all that football probably rattled your brains. You may not remember it.”
“You’re a mean woman, Emma Archer.”
NOAH: A Childhood Nemesis Sweet Romantic Comedy (Waco Wranglers Reid Brothers Book 2) Page 6