Walker Spirit

by Bernadette Marie

  When the light changed, he realized he was close to the quaint street where he’d met Audrey, and her sister’s bridal store was close by. Slowing his pace, he jogged toward the storefront and stopped. He took his earbuds out and let them hang over the neck of his T-shirt.

  The sign on the bridal shop said closed, but her sister was inside, just as she’d said she would be to meet him.

  The woman behind the counter looked up. A blonde with eyes that looked right into his soul, just as his dog’s eyes did. But he decided this was a protective big sister, and he could respect that. He had one of those, and he was big brother to a younger brother. There was a code.

  “Good afternoon,” the blonde behind the counter greeted him.

  “Hi. Pearl, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks for meeting me.”

  Pearl crossed her arms in front of her, a stance he’d grown accustomed to when people looked him over while they decided whether to trust him or not. “Why do you want to buy her that dress? I’d let her borrow it for another day.”

  He shrugged. “She looks good in it. It’s not as formal where I come from. She could wear it as a casual sundress for a long time,” he smiled when he saw the glimmer in her eye. “She said she has a brother getting married. What a fantastic dress for such an event.”

  “Again, I’d let her use it, but I assume she might be in the wedding. I don’t know the plans yet. They might just get married on a race track.”

  “Cars?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Cool,” he said walking to the counter and leaning up against it. “Either way. I think it would be a nice gesture, and what would we have to talk about over dinner if I didn’t have a story about walking into her sister’s bridal shop to pay for the dress.”

  Pearl smiled, and he took that as a good sign. “You know, Audrey isn’t very trusting.”

  “I gathered that when she told me she’d meet me at the restaurant.”

  “Sounds like her. You already know where she works and you’ve met her family. Making sure you don’t know where she lives is her last defense I suppose.”

  “I think I have a lot more to learn than just that. What kind of wine does she like?”

  “White.”

  “Flowers?”

  “Tulips.”

  “Color?”

  Pearl laughed. “I might as well give you her address.”

  He shook his head. “That won’t help me build trust on our first date.”

  “First? You’re planning more?”

  He shrugged. “That’ll depend if I impress her with the white wine and some kind of tulips.”

  “Pink ones. Though I’m not sure if they have them at the grocery store. Our flower shop isn’t open on Sundays.”

  “That’s a shame, but I’ll figure something out.”

  He pulled his credit card from the band on his arm that held his phone. “Here’s my card. Run it for the dress and the handbag. Did you lend her the shoes too?”

  “Those were hers.”

  “She said she wanted some Jimmy Choo shoes if I were going all out.”

  Pearl’s eyes went wide. “You’re not really going to do that are you?”

  “And what would I have left to buy for the second date then?”

  She laughed again as she passed the charge slip toward him to sign. “You do understand that I have to warn you to take care of her, right? I have a huge family that will… I don’t know what they will do to you, but don’t hurt her.”

  Now he laughed as he took his card back from her and slipped it in the band on his arm. “I never set out to hurt people. I admit, I made dumb decisions sometimes—like stopping in Vegas when I should be here doing my job. But I try to own up to it and do it quickly. I would never hurt Audrey on purpose. So far I’m looking forward to a nice dinner. Nothing more, I promise.”

  “You sound sincere enough.”

  “You might not believe it, but I get lonely, and it’s not always easy to make friends. People always want things, even if it’s just to say I’m their friend. Sometimes I’d just like one that doesn’t care who the hell I am.”

  She nodded. “You might be okay then. She’s not impressed by fame. I think Bethany ruined us on thinking that anyone from Hollywood is royalty.” She winced. “I’m sorry. I guess that sounds bad.”

  “No. I get it. I’m grateful to Bethany and Kent for the opportunity to be in this film. I’m grateful anytime I get to work.”

  “It’s not always easy, is it?”

  “I’m sure you know from Bethany, the pressure is sickening.”

  “She’s happy out of the spotlight.”

  Gregory adjusted the armband and untangled his headphones. “Will you call her and let her know I took care of the dress?”

  “You’re not going to call her?”

  “I don’t have her number. I’m going to trust that she’ll be at the restaurant.”

  “I have no doubt she’ll be there, and early.”

  He made a mental note of that and waved as he let himself out of the store.

  Replacing the earbuds in his ears, he started back toward his hotel. Maybe he’d call the Alexander Hotel, and see if they could arrange the flowers—pink tulips. This would be one of those moments where dropping his name might come in handy.

  4

  Pearl had called and confirmed that Audrey did indeed own the dress she was now examining in the mirror. She’d made a few adjustments since she could. Nothing big, she’d just cut out all the tags and the stupid extra pieces meant to keep it on a hanger in the store.

  She’d pulled her hair up into a messy bun, which had taken her an hour to get just the way she wanted it. Her neck was bare, though she’d tried on four different necklaces.

  The dress was formal, but if she downplayed it, it made the dress more casual.

  On her wrist, she’d added a large band of pearls her mother had given her for graduation, years ago. With one more look, she decided it was as good as it was going to get. Now all she had to do was convince herself that this was a good idea to meet a man she didn’t know at a restaurant. What did she owe him for the dress? Last night she was all but ready to pay up, no matter the price, with just one look at him. Today, however, she wouldn’t sell herself that short. It was good to meet him at the restaurant. Having him not know where she lived gave her anonymity. He’d have to appreciate that, right? After all, that’s why movie stars had big walls built around their houses.

  Maybe it would have been better to suggest somewhere that wasn’t buried in a hotel. If she could have driven by to see if he was there, wouldn’t that have been better?

  Then again, they could bury themselves in the restaurant, which offered private booth dining. And hadn’t Todd told her that Gregory had caused a stir at her aunt’s ball?

  She squeezed her eyes shut. One of the things she was most skilled at was overthinking things. This was a nice dinner with a man who looked like a god. He’d bought her a dress, and he’d be in town for a few months. Nothing more would come of this than dinner.

  Opening her eyes, she walked away from the mirror and headed out the door.

  Gregory was pleased with Audrey’s choice of restaurants. He’d arrived early to ensure that the tulips he’d ordered had indeed been placed on the table. That’s when he found out there was a Chef’s Table, and he couldn’t resist that.

  Now he stood outside the restaurant and waited for his date. It was at that moment he realized he hadn’t seen Audrey’s face in the full light. Would he know her? He assumed he’d recognize the dress which he’d bought, he thought with a chuckle.

  And then he saw her walking toward the hotel. There had been no doubt it was her. His heart rate ramped up the moment she crossed the street.

  Gregory sucked in a breath. She’d been stunning in the dark, but in the light, she was breathtaking. He licked his lips, realizing his mouth had gone dry. What was it about this woman? Gregory had dated supermodels and Holl
ywood elite, but none of them had him gasping for air just by looking at them.

  Audrey walked through the revolving door to the hotel, focused on tucking her keys into the small purse that went with the dress. When she lifted her head and saw him, she stopped in her tracks. For a long, silent moment, they simply stared at each other. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d had the same effect on her as she’d had on him.

  He pulled in a breath and finally felt he could speak. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you. You look very handsome as well. That’s a fantastic suit.”

  “Thank you. I have a table already.” He offered his arm, but he noticed the hesitant look in her eye before she accepted it as he escorted her to their table.

  When they walked back toward the kitchen, Audrey pulled back and stopped. “Where are you going?”

  “Trust me,” he said as he pushed open the door and led her to the table in the kitchen. “Nothing better than the Chef’s Table, don’t you agree?”

  Her eyes had gone wide. “I didn’t even know this existed.”

  “You’re in for a treat then.” He pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit before he took the other chair.

  “You must have talked to my sister. I assume you had the tulips put on the table?”

  He smiled. “I’m looking to impress you. Am I succeeding so far?”

  “I’d better let you in on a secret. I’m not impressed with people too often. In my business, you spend your days listening to everyone’s gossip and problems. It puts a chip on my shoulder.”

  He didn’t take it personally. They probably had a lot in common when it came to being impressed by someone. But now he had a goal. “I can respect that. People are always trying to impress me, but I like genuine.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll take that as a good sign then. We have something in common.”

  For the first time, he saw her smile, and he eased. He’d never been too worried about impressing someone, but it was different with Audrey. He seemed to be obsessed with her liking him.

  When the chef came to the table to introduce himself, he noted the genuine smile that crossed Audrey’s lips. She might have had that chip on her shoulder, but to him, it looked as though she appreciated meeting new people. Perhaps it was only him that she’d been reserved about. After all, he’d met her in a moment of weakness when he’d gone to apologize to her brother-in-law.

  The chef explained the meal he was going to bring them and suggested a white wine that would pair well.

  “That sounds fantastic,” she said as the chef pulled the cork from the bottle.

  “Would you like to sample it first?” he asked, posing his question to Gregory.

  “I’m fine. Audrey?”

  “I have no idea how to test a bottle of wine. I trust your judgment,” she said to him, and with a nod, he poured each of them a glass. Once he was finished, he put the wine in a silver bucket of ice next to the table.

  Audrey picked up her glass and looked at it. “I guess that would be fun, right? To learn about wine.”

  “Where do we sign up for that class? And if we start to sample wines, does that make us snobs?”

  She laughed and eased back in her chair. “Aficionados,” she said. “Then we could take the train through Napa Valley and try everything they had to offer.”

  “See, I must have impressed you somewhere. You’re planning trips instead of second dates.”

  Now her lips pursed. “I was making conversation.”

  “As am I.” He sipped his wine. “This is nice.”

  She finally took a sip of her wine. “I enjoy white wine.”

  Instead of telling her that he’d already known that, and talked to the chef, he simply enjoyed her watching the bustle of the kitchen.

  “What made you pick this restaurant?” he asked.

  “I knew I wouldn’t be too dressed up. Seriously, this dress is fantastic, but it’s not a dinner dress.”

  Gregory shrugged. “We’re just from different parts of the world. It would fly in L.A.”

  “I don’t think much of L.A. and Hollywood. I’m sure you understand.”

  How could he blame her? He didn’t think much of it either. “Your sister?”

  “She was raised in the industry. I know her mother wasn’t an A-lister, but it messed her up.”

  “Your sister was quite successful in her own right.”

  “I know,” she said smugly. “She’s fantastic, but I’ll admit it took me some time to realize that.”

  “She came with baggage.”

  “I assume you do, too.”

  That stung a bit, he thought, but she had every reason to consider that it was true. “You want the history?”

  “We have time,” she said as she picked up her wine and took, what he considered a sexy, long drink.

  Before he could begin, the chef brought an appetizer to the table. He explained the simple Caprese skewers that he brought to start them.

  Audrey picked one up and bit the tomato from the bottom, sliding it from the skewer with her teeth. He was sure she hadn’t meant to drip the simple motion with sex, but he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his mouth from falling open.

  Talking might offer him an out, he thought, as he watched her with great enjoyment. “I’m from Nebraska. Cornhusker fan all the way.” He waited for a reaction, but she suppressed it if she had one. “Anyway, Dad is a farmer. He met Mom in college. She was from San Francisco and couldn’t quite hack the farm wife role. When they divorced, she took my brother, sister, and me back to California with her.”

  “How’d you get into acting?”

  “Sophomore year of high school I got the lead in Camelot.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Which lead. Camelot has two distinct male leads.”

  He couldn’t help but smile now. “You know your stuff. I’d like to say I was Lancelot. Everyone thinks Lancelot and assumes stud.”

  “King Arthur?”

  “To this day, best role I’ve ever had. On the stage that is.”

  “As a sophomore?”

  He laughed. “Oh, it pissed off a lot of people.”

  “So you sing?”

  “I can hold a note.”

  She sipped her wine again, and then licked her lips. Perhaps she was playing him now. “One lead in a high school musical doesn’t get you into movies.”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes it does. My junior year, my uncle came to see our piss-poor production of Les Miserables. My rendition of Jean Valjean won him over. He was casting for a show about some high school band. It was aimed at middle school viewers. We ran for three seasons.”

  Audrey’s eyes went wide. “Our High School Band?”

  He laughed. “You remember the show?”

  “It was horrible,” she said with such sincerity that he laughed aloud and even the kitchen crew sent him glances.

  “That’s honest.”

  Her cheeks flushed with color. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you worked hard on it.”

  “We did. We busted our asses for them.” Deciding it would be easier to hold a conversation if they were closer, he picked up his wine and moved to the chair next to her. “I fell in love with Tasha McAllister.”

  “The blonde drummer?”

  “You do remember the show. If only we’d had a few million true followers like you,” he joked. “But yeah. She was my first true love.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “Overdosed at twenty-one.”

  Audrey tossed her hands in the air. “And you wonder why I’m not sold on Hollywood types?”

  Gregory nodded. “I’ve never done a drug in my life.”

  “I’m supposed to believe that?”

  “I’ll have a glass of wine. I’ll throw back a few beers. But I’ll do yoga for a headache before I take a Motrin. I see it every day. Pop this, down that. I may not grace movie posters or the front pages of tabloids my whole life. But wouldn’t it be good to be still alive
and do something else?”

  Her shoulders eased. “Bethany was addicted to prescription meds. So was her mother.”

  He nodded. “I remember her mother’s death. That’s the tragic side.” He decided the conversation was taking a drastic downturn, so he changed the tone. “I’m still a Cornhuskers fan, and I make it to Nebraska for harvest every year.”

  The flash in her eyes said she knew what he was doing. “You blew off the first reading of the movie you’re in now for a night in Vegas. That must have been fairly important to you.”

  Ah, but she wasn't done raking him over the coals. Well, he thought, he'd oblige her. “I did. Privilege gets me in trouble, but not drugs.”

  Audrey tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Did you at least win while you were in Vegas?” She smiled when she asked.

  “Lost two grand at craps, won it back in blackjack.”

  “So you’re a gambling man?”

  “I gambled on a dress and won a dinner date.”

  She leaned in closer to him. “This might be the only date you get out of me.”

  “I don’t doubt it. But don’t tell me you’re ready to run out yet. I promise I’ll be too busy with the movie next week to bother you too much.”

  Audrey considered for a moment. “I’ll stay for dinner. You fascinate me, but I’m not sold.”

  Gregory was a man on a mission he decided at that moment. She’d be sold by the time they wrapped up in Georgia. He’d bet on it.

  5

  Audrey would have to admit that the dinner at the Chef’s Table was spectacular. She’d never quite had an experience like that. Usually, she’d like to have control over what she ate, but there was something fascinating about food being brought to the table.

  She ate items she might not have chosen to try on the menu. There was a texture issue when it came to eating clams, but at least Gregory hadn’t laughed when she gagged. He simply finished the clams.

  Now he walked her to the car, and his hands were tucked safely in his pockets, she noted. That was fine. This was a one-time thing, and something she could brag about to her friends down the line. After all, he was the sexiest man in the world, according to the tabloids. She, on the other hand, was just a hair stylist trying to build something for herself. Their worlds were not compatible, nor were they probably going to cross paths again.