Careless: A Movie Star Accidental Marriage Romance (Santa Barbara Secrets Book 2)

by Marcella Swann

  Callen loaded up a plate with two sandwiches and a mound of chips. I reached for my own turkey club when my phone dinged, signaling a text message. I pulled my phone from my pocket while following Callen to a cluster of tables and chairs. He took a seat at a table with a few other actors and I settled into the seat at the next table, close enough to get him anything he needed.

  The text was from Chris, the chef from the restaurant where Anjella had embarrassed me. That already seemed like a lifetime ago, my whole outlook had changed so much since then.

  You feel like coming to the restaurant for a free meal tonight? I’ll eat with you this time. I’d love to see you again.

  I smiled softly at the message. A free meal did sound good and the company was sure to be pretty great too. But I hesitated. I was moving away soon. Did I really want to get involved with someone right now?

  I glanced at Callen. One of his co-stars, Isabella Lopez, sat close. Callen said something, and she threw her head back laughing, playfully swatting his arm. There was chemistry there.

  Not that I cared.

  At all.

  Returning my attention to my phone, I decided I had nothing to lose. It was just dinner.

  Sounds great. 7:00?

  I knew that we should be done here by around five-thirty today, so that would give me plenty of time to take Callen home first. Chris’ response came quickly.

  Can’t wait

  I focused on my food for the rest of the meal, not sparing another glance for Callen and the busty Latin beauty he was fawning over. Why would I care about that? I had a date with a nice guy tonight.

  When lunch ended, Callen pulled me aside. “I’m going out tonight. No, not to drink,” he said, talking quickly when I opened my mouth to object. “It’s a date.”

  “I told you no random hook-ups. Especially with co-workers.”

  “How did you know who—”

  “It’s my job to know what you’re up to and who you’re flirting with,” I said, internally cringing. Did I sound jealous?

  “It’s not a hook-up, it’s a date and I’m going,” Callen insisted, his mouth forming a thin line. I could see, from the look on his face, that this was a fight I wouldn’t win.

  “Fine, but only because I have a date, too. You guys will come to the restaurant with me so that I can be sure that you don’t drink or do anything that I wouldn’t approve of.”

  “You have a date?” he asked, his eyes searching mine.

  “Yes, with the chef of the restaurant.”

  Callen was silent for a moment, contemplating. “Fine,” he said with a sigh. “It’ll be a double date then.”

  Nine

  Callen

  The restaurant was a little brick building that I would describe as charming. It wasn’t overly impressive from the outside, but I had to approve of the heavenly smells that wafted through the place as we walked in.

  Lyssa told the hostess that a man named Chris was expecting us. I wondered how she knew this guy. Was she some kind of foodie or something?

  Lyssa had gone home to change before picking me up for this date. Isabella was meeting us here. I had the feeling thatLyssa had arranged things this way to better control me.

  A man emerged from the back and walked toward us. His smile turned predatory as he looked at Lyssa, who wore a blue wrap-around dress that showed off her curves. I had appreciated it myself when she picked me up, but I didn’t like the way that this guy ogled her. The twinkle in his eye bothered me.

  “Chris, this is Callen,” Lyssa introduced us. I shook the man’s hand, squeezing just a little tighter than necessary. I had never immediately disliked someone like this. I must just be moody because of my forced sobriety.

  “Nice to meet you. I’ve got two tables put aside in our private section, so no one will bother us.”

  I nodded. I was sure that had nothing to do with my celebrity status, he had probably already planned that, so he could put the moves on Lyssa. Good luck with that now, buddy.

  This date was already off to a crappy start.

  Chris led us to the private section, a small room that was located at the back of the restaurant and out of view of the other tables. I followed along behind them and saw Chris place his hand on the small of Lyssa’s back to guide her along.

  Yep, really didn’t like this guy.

  I needed a drink.

  As if she had heard my thought, Lyssa turned to Chris once we were at the tables and said, “Callen and I will not be drinking tonight. We are not to receive any alcohol at all.”

  Chris looked surprised and I could’ve sworn I saw a flash of disappointment in his eyes, but he nodded. “And the other guest?”

  “Isabella can do whatever she wants,” Lyssa said. I swear that I heard a hint of the dismissive in her voice. Was she jealous?

  I ground my teeth together in frustration. This was a disaster. What was I supposed to tell Isabella about why I couldn’t drink? The truth would never do, it made me look bad. Chris left to speak to our waitress and I hurled myself into my chair.

  “Was that really necessary? You think one glass of wine will knock me that far off the path you’ve laid out for me?” I glared at Lyssa. Her back stiffened and she met my gaze head-on.

  “You know the rules.”

  I rolled my eyes at her, but before I could retort, the hostess led Isabella into the room. She was hot as hell in her short black dress with a halter top that accentuated her chest, not that it needed it. She was all curves and knew exactly how to flaunt them.

  I stood and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lyssa turn away. Feeling smug, I directed Isabella into her seat. “You look great.”

  “I know,” she replied with a smirk.

  Lyssa’s blush the other night when she called me sexy came to mind all of a sudden. It had been so endearing.

  What was I doing thinking of that when I had Isabella sitting so close that the entire right side of her body was pressed against me? I must be nuts.

  Chris walked back into the room and introduced himself to Isabella. As they shook hands, I distinctively saw his eyes flicker over her breasts and the exposed flesh there. I narrowed my eyes in anger. Lyssa was sitting right there.

  I vaguely thought that I should probably be upset that it was my date he was checking out, but I wasn’t. Isabella was a sexy actress, men fawned over her all the time.

  The waitress returned to take our drink orders. Isabella ordered a cocktail and Chris a glass of scotch. My voice was bitter as I asked for a water.

  “So, you guys are on a TV show together?” Chris asked.

  “Yeah, I play the girlfriend of one of the main characters, not Callen’s character, unfortunately.” The lighting reflected off her shiny lip gloss and the thought of the greasy feel of her lips brushing against mine made me shutter.

  “You should definitely check it out when the show premieres,” Lyssa said. “I watched a couple scenes being filmed today and Callen is very talented. I can’t wait to see the final product.”

  She was talking to Chris, but her eyes turned to me. My chest seemed to expand as pride filled me. Her praise meant a lot because I had the feeling that she didn’t give it away frivolously.

  “Yes, I’ve seen some of his early work,” Chris said, his voice uninterested.

  “I’ve improved since I was a teenager,” I said defensively.

  Just then, the waitress appeared with our drinks. I didn’t touch the water, too pissed off about being unable to order an alcoholic drink. I just wanted a beer to take the edge off because Chris was grinding my gears as he leaned over to whisper something into Lyssa’s ear, making her laugh lightly.

  Maybe I shouldn’t care, and I wasn’t even sure why I did. The woman had been a thorn in my side so far, driving me crazy with her rules.

  “I really recommend the Cajun shrimp pasta. It’s my newest addition to the menu.”

  “Funny, I just made shrimp for dinner last night,” Lyssa sa
id.

  “Oh, yeah? How was it?” he asked.

  “Delicious,” I cut in.

  “That’s great,” he said, without taking his eyes off of her. “Maybe we should cook together sometime? I’d love to teach you a few things one-on-one.”

  I seethed as the meaning of his words sank in but forced my attention to my own date. Isabella was the woman I should be focused on anyway.

  “Wow, was it that good?” I asked, gesturing to the empty glass. She shrugged.

  “It gave me a bit of a buzz, so it’s a start,” she said, ordering another.

  “Tell me about yourself,” I said, grabbing a roll from the basket in the middle of the table and tearing off a piece to pop into my mouth.

  “Well, I was in a music video with Logan Tatum and few years ago and that really kicked off my career. Before that, I had just been in a local commercial for a car dealership in my hometown.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “Nowhere you’d have heard of. Just some Podunk town in the middle of Nowhere, USA. I’m so glad to be here, instead. I want to be really famous, like A-list celebrity status. I wanna be the next Anjella Pruitt. Take a look at this.”

  She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture of her in a skimpy bikini sitting on a man’s lap on the deck of a yacht.

  “Is that Paul Kelley?” I asked, studying the man. He wore sunglasses, but his face was recognizable. The well-known veteran actor usually played the villain in action movies. He was also in his early fifties.

  “Yeah, isn’t that awesome? It’s my most popular picture on Instagram. But don’t worry,” she said, stroking my arm with a feather-light touch, “I just hung out with him for a while so he would get me a part in his last movie. I’m totally available.”

  “Is that so?” I asked, not feeling her vibe at all. I was pretty sure that hanging out with Paul Kelley had been akin to putting out for an acting job. It happened, but I wasn’t a fan of the practice and it was a big turn-off for me.

  “Can I take your orders?” the waitress asked, appearing out of nowhere. I opened my menu for the first time and ordered the first thing that caught my eye, a steak. I was surprised when Lyssa ordered the same.

  Isabella’s salad without dressing was far less of a shock. I couldn’t believe how fast she was putting away those cocktails though.

  By the time the food arrived, I was on edge. I couldn’t drink a drop of alcohol, while my date was putting away enough for both of us and Chris was trying to charm the pants off Lyssa.

  “Are you okay?” Lyssa asked me, catching my eye and clearly seeing something there that concerned her. She had cut Chris off mid-sentence.

  I just shook my head.

  “Why don’t you go get some air?” she suggested.

  “Am I allowed to do that by myself?” I snapped.

  I regretted my words immediately as she drew back as if she’d been slapped. Everyone was quiet and staring at me. I pushed back from the table, tossed my napkin on my plate and strode away. I walked out the front door and took a few deep breaths.

  That private room was stifling.

  Yeah, Isabella was hot but I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off Lyssa. I was in trouble here. Lyssa and I weren’t compatible, right? She was so different from me.

  Seeing she and Chris all flirty and shit had clearly pissed me off.

  I stayed outside for ten minutes, letting my irritation ebb before going back to the disastrous date. Isabella’s laughter and slurred words floated through the air. She was on her fourth drink by now. When I entered the private room, Lyssa was watching the doorway for me while Chris and Isabella talked.

  They were each leaning toward each other, as if there was a magnetic pull between them. The sexual tension was obvious. I stood there for a moment, watching. They were in their own little world, flirting and talking about hitting up a club at the end of Chris’ shift. That had turned fast.

  My gaze drifted to Lyssa, to see if she was upset by this turn of events, but she just shrugged and gave me that cute little half-smile of hers. “You wanna get out of here?” she asked.

  “Hell, yeah.” I was done with this date.

  I didn’t even feel upset about Isabella turning her sights on Chris the second I walked out of the room. That was a surefire sign that I was wasting my time. Whether it made sense or not, I didn’t feel for Isabella what I was starting to feel for Lyssa.

  The night was still young, and I desperately wanted a stiff drink, but Lyssa insisted that I come with her to her apartment and help pack up some boxes. If she was going to stay at the mansion, it needed to be done. It wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time, but I didn’t bother to argue.

  Lyssa’s apartment was a tiny one-bedroom flat in an apartment building on the north side of town. Walking around the place, I felt like I was glimpsing inside her head. There was so much personality here. I’d had no idea that a place could communicate so much about a person.

  I knew she liked to cook, but one look at the kitchen and it was apparent that she loved to cook. There was a pile of cookbooks in one corner of the countertop, stacked haphazardly with multiple bookmarks sticking out of every one of them.

  A big measuring conversion chart was stuck on the fridge and half the counter space was taken up by appliances that I didn’t even recognize. A platter of fresh-looking cookies sat on the counter. I helped myself and moaned in pleasure. It was the gooiest chocolate chip cookie I’d ever had.

  Pictures of Lyssa with another young woman, one with brown skin and a shining smile, dotted the living room walls. There were shots taken of them running in a marathon, at a birthday party, and one where they were making funny faces at the camera.

  “Shayla?” I asked.

  “Yeah. We grew up together. Been best friends since third grade.”

  “Who’s this?” I asked, pointing to a picture of a tall man with dark hair.

  “My dad, it’s the only picture I have of him. He died when I was a baby.”

  “Your dad?” My voice was dubious.

  “I know, we look nothing alike,” she said and laughed. “I’m practically a clone of my mom. Except the dimples. See?” She pointed to the picture and I could just make out a dimple on his left cheek.

  “Yeah,” I said, turning to look at her.

  We were standing way too close. I could feel her breath fan over my neck when she exhaled. I gulped.

  Lyssa took a step back, breaking the moment. Probably for the best.

  “I’ve got some boxes in the bedroom. Be right back.”

  She disappeared and I looked around more. The style was unique. The walls were all white, but the furniture and decorations made the room colorful. None of her furniture matched, but it all seemed to go together anyway. It all felt modern, with clean lines and a square edged couch. It was all incredibly clean, too. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.

  I was perusing a large shelf full of movies when Lyssa walked back in, a roll of packing tape around her wrist and her arms full of boxes. I hurried forward to help her.

  We sat on the floor putting boxes together. Then she gave me a roll of bubble wrap and started handing me fragile pieces of decoration to wrap up and pack away.

  “How long have you lived here?” I asked, taking special care while wrapping the picture of her dad.

  “About a year. The timing on this is perfect because my lease is up.”

  I didn’t like the reminder that she would be leaving soon, so I searched around for another topic. “Where did you live before this? Are you from Santa Barbara?”

  “Before I was here, I lived with my boyfriend for about two years.” Great, another topic I wasn’t a fan of. “But I left him and he moved to L.A. As far as Santa Barbara, yeah. I was born and raised right here on the Westside.”

  “The Westside? Where?”

  “My childhood home is on Robbins street. Why?”

  “Are you serious? I grew up on San Pascual Street. That must’ve been like five stre
ets over from you.”

  “You’re kidding. Really? Did you go to Bohnett Park?”

  “Of course,” I said. “I even had my first kiss there on the swings when I was eleven.”

  “That’s crazy. Shayla and I used to go there all the time.”

  “Small world.”

  We had finished our first box and started on another. It wasn’t too bad, this packing thing, especially as I kept getting up to get more cookies.

  “You know you’re not being as sneaky as you think,” Lyssa said while I walked back into the living room with two cookies hidden behind my back.

  “I can’t help it,” I said, taking a big bite out of one. “These are the best. My mom was a lousy cook, so I have been deprived the benefit of homemade cookies for most of my life.”

  “Does your mom still live around here?” she asked.

  “No, we had a falling out years ago.”

  “That have anything to do with your teen stardom?”

  “Yeah. She was the driving force behind all that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad in a lot of ways. I like my life. But she turned into a frigid monster that tried to dictate every aspect of my life. I wasn’t allowed to be a kid anymore at fifteen years old. It was all because she wanted me to keep making money. That was all that mattered to her. It all came to a head when I reached adulthood and had control over my own finances.”

  “That’s terrible,” Lyssa said, compassion softening her features. I coughed awkwardly.

  “Yeah, well, it is what it is. Listen, why don’t I pay a crew to move your stuff tomorrow? I have lines that I need to learn. Will you come back to my house and help me?”

  “Of course,” she said. “Let me pack an overnight bag.”

  We went back to the mansion and ran lines together for hours. Then, at eleven o’clock, I went to bed on my own, completely exhausted.

  Ten

  Callen

  Lyssa stuck to her strict schedule the next day. I woke up at seven in the morning to the sound of her knocking on the bedroom door and saying that breakfast would be ready in fifteen minutes. I had to admit that I felt good. Being fully rested with no hangover headache clearly had its advantages.