by Taylor Hart
She’d been wearing a mask since she’d met him, and now it slipped. He saw it. He recognized it because he wore masks all the time.
She blinked, and then the mask was back. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He scoffed. “Okay, don’t tell me yet, but you will at some point.”
She shook her head. “You’re cocky.”
“Maybe, but you’re in the water.”
At this, she splashed the water hard.
Unlike before, he was ready for it. He took her by the wrists. “Whoa there.” As she tried to yank her hand back, he turned her so she was facing away from him and held her in a bear hug. “You can’t just splash a man like me without consequences,” he whispered into her ear.
She heaved in a breath. “You asked me to get in, so you were taking your chances.”
He grunted and let her go. “True.”
Jewel backed away, but not too far. “Look, I don’t know why you’re here. But I’m not one of those fangirls.”
He grimaced. “You’re obviously not my fangirl, because you turned me down for dinner two times—though technically, I never got to finish asking the last time.”
She held his gaze, and he felt it again. It was more than just chemistry. It was something so real and so unsettling. He didn’t know how to describe it.
“Let me take you out tonight,” he whispered. He hadn’t planned on asking again, but why not chance another round of humiliation?
She let out a breath. “Am I the one girl in LA who won’t go to dinner with you? Is that what makes you so intrigued?”
“Fine, maybe that’s part of it, but there’s another part you’re not thinking about.”
She glared at him and crossed her arms. “You stalk me and ask me to dinner. What am I not thinking about?”
“Sheesh.” As hard as Grant tried, this woman’s rebuffs made him feel like he was doing it all wrong.
“What? What have I missed?”
He let out another laugh and flashed her his movie-star smile.
“That’s your fake smile.” She pointed at him.
“What? This one?” He gave her the one he’d recently shown on The Today Show.
“Yeah, that one.”
“It works for America.”
Now she grunted, clearly unimpressed. “It works for hacks.”
That was hitting below the belt. “Why are you such a hard sell?”
Without missing a beat, she said, “Maybe you should ask yourself why you’re such an easy one.”
Grant squirmed, unprepared to be bested by his own question. He began to wonder if maybe he shouldn’t have taken the trip down this rabbit hole. Who cared if the woman thought he was a hack? Fine, okay, she was smoking hot in a way that was genuine, but he didn’t need this. So why did he find himself asking, “You think I’m an easy sell?”
“Aren’t you supposed to have a girlfriend?”
Oh. “Well, it’s not a thing. Hasn’t been for a while.”
Looking skeptical, she turned away.
“Hey, why don’t you tell me about the guy last night? Why did you kiss him?”
“To get you to leave me alone,” she answered, giving him a “duh” expression.
Grant barked out a laugh, startling both of them. He was unable to remember the last time a woman had tried to scare him off. “That’s awesome,” he said, sighing and knowing that he had to get her on a date. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.
She grinned. “You’re sick.”
“Why?”
“Because me saying that makes you want to go out with me even more, doesn’t it?”
“No.”
“Liar.” She pointed at him.
He shook his head. “Unbelievable.”
She rolled her eyes.
For a moment, both of them stood there, not saying anything. Then he took his chances again, gesturing toward the pier. “Fine. What would you say if I just bought you a soft pretzel and we talked for a bit?”
Her eyes twinkled. “Really, Hollywood? There’s no other woman in the wings waiting for you?”
It unsettled him the way she said Hollywood. Even more unsettling was the fact that she really thought he would hit on her like this if he was with Tracy. “I wouldn’t ask you out if I was with Tracy.” He met her gaze with self-righteousness. “I wouldn’t.”
She seemed to be sizing him up.
Deciding he’d better tell the truth, he said, “It was in the contract that we ‘appear’ to be a couple for the last movie. I’m not going to lie. We were a couple for a while, until—” He covered his mouth with his fist and mumbled, “She slept with my stunt double.”
“What was that?” She leaned closer, turning her ear toward him.
“I caught her in bed with the stunt guy,” he said again.
She winced. “Ouch.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Tracy and I can’t be publicly broken up because the contract holds until the premiere at the end of January, but,” he said, “unofficially, we’re broken up.”
“So, in real life, but not in fake life, you’re broken up.”
At this moment, Grant realized his brothers had a point. He’d needed this woman to shove it in his face before he could see how true it was. He was a fake. Floundering for a way to follow this up, he said, “I’m supposed to be staying off-grid right now, socially, so it was a good call to get rid of the dreads.”
Her face took on a bit of scorn. “Oh, is this why you want to date me, a mere schoolteacher? So you can stay ‘off-grid’?” She made air quotes, clearly mimicking him.
Man, why was the woman so angry? “No,” he sputtered, blindsided that she had thought about it that way.
She started out of the ocean. “Whatever.”
Was she hurt? That was insane. She’d been turning him down over and over again. He followed her out of the ocean.
Once more, she pulled on her cover-up, then reached for her flip-flops, pounding them against each other before putting them on.
If he was going to get her to keep talking to him, his only choice was to keep being honest. “Look, I liked you. I was impressed with you—not just because you insulted me, but because you’re a good person.”
Crossing her arms, she looked him up and down. “There’s a tad too much of public and unofficial going on, Hollywood.”
He didn’t know if he liked this nickname or not. It was uncomfortable to have a woman evaluate him as she was doing. “Just get a pretzel with me and talk.” Why was he still asking her?
“You don’t give up, do you?”
“Nope.”
Silence reigned. He wasn’t sure what she would say.
Letting out a puff of breath, she shrugged. “Fine, only because I believe in Christmas deeds too.”
Her cockiness made him laugh. “O-kay, I’ll take it.” Liking that they were at least talking, he motioned her to his stuff. “Let me put this on. Then we’ll walk over.” He put his shirt and flip-flops on, shoving his glasses and baseball cap back on last.
Giving him another look, she sighed. “Back to hiding. Great.”
He tugged off his hat and sunglasses. “Fine, I’ll be in the public. I don’t care.” And he really didn’t, he realized, even if it got him in hot water with his agent. Not that he liked the idea of the producer being mad at him. He wanted that Batman role.
She moved toward the pier. “Put on your stuff. I don’t need your fan club swarming.”
She was right. He put the disguise back on and matched her pace. It felt like another win, and he would take it.
He decided to change the topic. “So you have another fake hot date with the neighbor tonight?”
“No, I told you I’m going on a road trip tomorrow, and I have to get packed, so I can’t be out for very long.”
Wanting to ask more, but not wanting to appear too stalker-like, he agreed. “One soft pretzel. If that’s all I get, I’ll take it.”
Chapter 8
H
anging out with Grant Kent was definitely different from any date she’d been on before. Not that it was a date, she reminded herself.
The truth he’d been sniffing around earlier, about someone hurting her, was kinda true. She’d gotten a bad taste for actors a long time ago, and she didn’t make that mistake anymore.
Sure, he was incredibly good-looking. Sure, he was wittier than she had thought he would be. And sure, she found herself kinda comparing him to every movie she’d ever seen of his. But this was not her life.
It was so far from her life.
“What are you thinking?” he asked as they stood in line at the pretzel shop.
The sun was starting to set, and there were more people leaving the beach. A guy played his guitar down the pier with a hat out. It was unnerving how much attention Grant was paying to her. She settled for saying, “I love the sunset.”
“Nope, you were staring at me.” Grant scrunched up his face at her.
“Okay, first of all, we’ve established you’re the creepy stalker in our relationship. Second of all, can’t I look at the guy who’s offered to buy me a hot pretzel?” She pointed at him. “Big spender, by the way.”
He shook his head. “Man, you don’t let me get away with anything, do you?”
She smiled back at him. It was kind of nice being here with him, even though it still didn’t feel normal. The funny thing was that it seemed like the more she pushed him away, the more he wanted to get to know her.
Note to self: keep pushing the guy away.
“There you go.” He pointed at her again. “What are you thinking?”
She let out a sigh, not wanting to answer. When would this pretzel line end? The shirtless guy in front of them had probably been a WWF wrestler when he was young, but now he looked like an older version of Hulk Hogan and he was arguing with the poor teenager running the truck. “I was thinking you kind of like me because I don’t like you,” she admitted.
Hesitation. His eyes narrowed, and he let out a slow breath. “Maybe you’re right. But I really don’t need you to psychoanalyze me. My brothers seem to be doing enough of that lately, and you really don’t know me … yet.”
“Point taken.” They got to the front of the line and ordered the pretzels and two waters. When the teenager handed them over, she tried to pull out a card she’d had in her pocket.
“No. We already agreed I’m buying.”
It didn’t suit her to let him pay, but he was right. “Thank you.”
Both of them took a bite of their pretzels and walked down the dock. The sky had turned purple with streaks of pink and orange. The waves were steady, and more surfers were flocking to the beach.
Intrigued by this man, she asked, “So what are you and Ari doing for the holiday?”
“As I mentioned, Ari is going to that acting camp. I take her and some friends to catch the red-eye tonight.” Grant looked nervous.
She smiled at him. “You like being her guardian.”
“More than I thought I would.” He shrugged. “She’s a sweetheart, and this might sound funny, but I think she takes care of me more than I take care of her.”
“Ari is a sweetheart, but watch out for that Jimmy.”
Surprise crossed his face. “I will,” he sputtered.
She laughed. “Naw, he’s a good kid.”
It was quiet for a beat.
He sighed. “Having Ari be part of my life is one of the best decisions I ever made.”
Jewel knew about Ari’s situation. After her parents had been killed in that car crash almost two years ago, her future had seemed uncertain. But Grant had stepped up and agreed to be her guardian, and since then Jewel had watched her flourish. “I think the girl has a thing about acting because she worships you.”
Grant shrugged. “I have a tendency toward being grounded these days because Ari is in my life. Well, that and my brothers pretty much keep me grounded.” He let out a huff. “Even though they’re buttheads.”
“O-kay.” She smiled, and it felt like a real smile. “I never had siblings, but I can feel the family love right now.”
“The jerks were just in LA a couple of days ago.”
“I know.”
“Ari told everyone, of course.”
She grinned. “Your firefighter brother won a trip to Maui, and he’s taking Will.”
“She needs to keep her mouth shut.” He rolled his eyes. “They wouldn’t like everyone knowing.”
She waved a hand at him. “I don’t think you and your brothers can stop the media sensation you are, Hollywood. And what are you going to do with her gone?”
He shrugged. “My butthead brothers actually want me to meet them in Maui, so I guess I could take the jet over.”
“Take the jet?” She laughed at how easily he said it, in such a dismissive voice. She couldn’t even afford gas money. “Like you’re Bruce Wayne or something.”
With a light smile, he said, “Maybe soon if things work out.”
“No. Way!” Forgetting herself, she pushed him in the chest. She was a huge fan of the Batman series. “Are you kidding me?”
“My agent says if I can lie low and keep the whole breakup with Tracy out of the public that I might have a shot. It’s the same producer as the car movies, and he likes me.”
“That is cool!” Excitement for him overwhelmed her. “You could be on the Batplane.” She whispered it in a horrible Batman voice imitation.
“Batplane,” he repeated, sounding so spot-on Batman.
She laughed. “Okay, you’ve got that one down.”
“I know that’s true, because I know you would call me a hack if it sounded wrong.”
“Look, I’m sorry—”
“No.” He winked at her, a gentle smile on his face. “It was good for me.”
Something about being here with him, eating a hot pretzel and just chatting, was really nice. “So the dream is Batman?”
He nodded. “It’s why I’m keeping up this fiasco with Tracy, to appease everyone and hopefully get my shot.”
She was mystified by all the hoops Hollywood made people jump through. “That’s crazy.”
“I don’t like it, but it’s what I gotta do for the dream, I guess.” He shrugged.
She changed the subject. “So Maui, wow.” The idea of a warm beach and warm water sounded perfect. “I’ve never been.”
“You haven’t?” he asked, sounding a bit snobbish.
“No.” She adopted a fake English accent. “My lady-in-waiting has never made the arrangements, and I shan’t want to stay anywhere less than the best.”
He paused. “Fair enough. But I may want to stalk this woman I just met a bit more than I want to go to Maui.”
She let out a light laugh and pinned him with look that said checkmate. “I hear she’s leaving town, and your agent has given you orders to stay off the radar and away from other women.”
“Nice polka-dot swimsuit.” He pointed to her shoulder, where it was showing through her cover-up.
It felt like he was trying to change the topic. She shifted her shoulders. “I like my swimsuit.”
He finished his pretzel and threw the wrapper in the trash. “I do too. Tell me more about this road trip.”
This subject again. Jewel didn’t want to talk about it, even though she had almost told him earlier. “Nothing to tell.” She took another bite of her pretzel.
“Hold on, who are you going with? Wait, don’t tell me. The neighbor you’re not in a relationship with.”
“No one.” She liked how he was trying to analyze this. It was sort of cute.
He gave her an unbelieving look. “No one? The week before Christmas?”
“I like head space when I get breaks from the students.” Which was technically true.
“Hmm.” He glanced at her. “It just seems like a woman like you would have a boyfriend.”
“I did,” she grumbled. “It’s been a year since we broke up, but let’s just say there’s a reason I don’t date acto
rs.”
“So I was right. He did a number on you.”
She glared out of the corner of her eye. “Caught him cheating with my friend from college, the one who came to LA with me to become an actress. We used to be roommates.”
Lifting his eyebrows, he let out a sigh. “Sorry.”
The truth was that she didn’t regret any of it anymore. “It hurt. I’m not gonna lie. I guess everything teaches you something.” She frowned. “The guy taught me to stay away from guys like you.”
He put a hand to his chest. “Like who?”
“The fake kind.” She pointed at him. “The kind that signs papers about who they’ll be in relationships with.” It’d always given her a bad taste in her mouth when she heard about stuff like this.
“Ha.” He sighed. “I guess I asked for that.”
Even if Grant was a bit obnoxious, Jewel liked that they could talk so freely. When was the last time she’d really talked with anyone?
“So you’re not going to tell me where you’re going?”
“Confidential,” she said, wondering if she would really go through with it now. She’d already lied to her mom earlier, and she didn’t like it.
He sputtered out a laugh. “Ah, right, it’s a ‘you’ll have to kill me if you tell me’ kind of thing, huh?”
Jewel turned to the trash can and tossed her wrapper into it, her mind clouded with what she should do. “Something like that.” She walked up the pier toward the parking lot. “Thanks for the pretzel and chatting, but speaking of the road trip, I better get going. Still gotta pack.”
He followed her. “Why are you pushing me away before we’ve even gotten to know each other?”
They got to the parking lot, and she opened her door, hesitating. “Grant, look, I appreciate the flirting and flattery. I really do. But I can’t do this right now.”
“Because your life is complicated.”
“I think yours is complicated,” she pointed out, crossing her arms.
“True. What if I’m not looking for anything more than a friend?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s what you want? A friend?”
“Sure.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re the first girl to call me a hack and …”
