Love in the Afternoon

by Alison Packard

  “I heard.” Sean adjusted the zipper of his wetsuit. In the distance he saw several seagulls fly toward the shore and heard their faint cawing. “Why’d you go after him?” he asked, shifting his gaze back to Matt.

  “He fucking hit me. With his fast ball,” Matt snapped, his dark eyes flashing with anger.

  “You’ve been hit dozens of times and never charged the mound. Did something else happen?”

  “No,” Matt said with a terse edge in his voice. “Nothing else happened.”

  “If you want to talk about it…”

  “I don’t.”

  Sean knew Matt well enough not to press him. His friend had gone through a hell Sean wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy. Matt kept insisting he was fine but his actions told a different story. Unlike Matt, Sean listened to sports radio. The latest buzz was that Matt’s behavior on and off the field might end with him being traded. Sean hoped that wouldn’t happen.

  “I caught your show the other day.” Matt rested his hands on his thighs. “Some of the guys watch it in the clubhouse,” he added. “Is Kayla Maxwell as hot in person as she in on television and in the movies?”

  Hotter, Sean thought. Just the other day wardrobe had her dressed in a skimpy black halter dress that sent his temperature through the roof. Her character, Shay, was pregnant but not showing yet and Jared had followed her to a party to try to convince her to marry him.

  “Movies? What movies?” he asked, forcing thoughts of Kayla’s hot body from his mind.

  Matt grinned. “Not porn, if that’s what you’re thinking. She was in a couple of slasher flicks.”

  “Which ones?”

  “Trick or Treat,” Matt replied. “And the sequel, Halloween Hell. They’re both classics.”

  “Never saw them,” he said, although he vaguely remembered the titles.

  “You should. Trust me. She wasn’t naked but there are a couple of scenes where she might as well have been.”

  For some reason the lascivious look on Matt’s face irritated Sean. “I’ve been working with her for the past few weeks. She’s a good actress,” Sean said, and then almost lost his balance in the choppy water. He put his hands on his board to steady himself and stay upright.

  “Of course she is.” Matt rolled his eyes “That’s why all the guys in the clubhouse watch the show. For her acting.” Matt laughed, annoying Sean even more. “Think you’ll have any love scenes with her?”

  “Probably.”

  Until Matt brought up Kayla’s name Sean had been doing a pretty decent job of not thinking about her. They’d been working together at least three or four days a week for the past three weeks, and the more he worked with her the more he appreciated her talent. For the first time in several years he felt challenged by his acting partner. Watching transform completely into the character of Shay showed a dedication to her craft he admired. What surprised him the most though, was the fact that she didn’t seem to grasp just how good she was. Most actresses were drama queens or had egos the size of the Goodyear Blimp. So far, Kayla hadn’t exhibited either trait. But if experience had taught him anything, she would; it was just a matter of time.

  “Man, I envy you sometimes.” Matt grinned. “How many guys get to kiss women as a part of their job?”

  “There’s like a million people standing around.”

  “Did you ever get a boner when you were kissing one of your co-stars?”

  “When I was nineteen,” Sean said. Glancing behind him, he noticed the bank of gray-tinged clouds that—as they did every day—would roll in to shore after sunset. “It was embarrassing.”

  “But you’re able to control yourself now, right?”

  Sean nodded and then grinned at his friend. “But Kayla is smokin’ hot.”

  “Do you still have those two rules you told me about?” Balancing himself on his board, Matt squinted at him. “No tongue…and what was the other one?”

  “No groping.”

  “So you’ve never slipped one of your co-stars the tongue?”

  “Actually, I did. And she was not amused.” He paused. “Why do you think I came up with the rules?”

  Matt threw back his head and laughed. For a moment Sean was reminded of the scraggly dark-haired kid he’d met in first grade, the friend who had helped Sean through the toughest time in his life. The death of the mother he adored.

  “I think I’ll try to catch a few waves before sundown.” Matt eased himself down on his board. “I’ll see you on the beach,” he said as he paddled away.

  Looking up at the sky, Sean figured he had about an hour of daylight left. He hadn’t been surfing in a while but today he’d decided to brave the cold waters of the Pacific. The ocean never failed to relax him. Today however, he found it hard to relax and keep his mind off work. Or more specifically, off Kayla Maxwell.

  * * *

  Sitting in her kitchen, Kayla half listened to the six o’clock news while she opened her fan mail. Just as she sliced open an envelope with her letter opener, her cell phone played “Who Can It Be Now,” startling her. Setting the opener and the envelope down, she reached for her phone and saw her sister’s name on the caller ID.

  Kelly’s naturally husky voice greeted her. “How’s my favorite sister?”

  “Your only sister,” she said with a wry smile. “I’m fine. How about you?”

  Kelly let out a long sigh. “Stressed. One of the players got pulled over by the highway patrol last night. Drunk driving. There was a little too much celebrating after the team’s win yesterday. We’ve been doing damage control all day.”

  “And here I thought you just sat around all day surrounded by hunky baseball players.” Glancing at the television, she saw the sports segment was on and the station was running a clip of the Dodgers game. Kayla watched the batter get hit by a pitch. He threw his bat to the ground and sprinted toward the pitcher. When he reached him, he punched him square in the face. In seconds, both dugouts had cleared and punches were being thrown left and right. “Holy cow,” she said, unable to look away. “I’m watching the news and they’re showing a hell of a brawl between the Dodgers and the Padres.”

  “I saw that,” Kelly said. “I’m glad Matt Scanlon isn’t with the Blaze. I’d never get a day off. The rumor is that the Dodgers are going to cut him loose. Oh, by the way, I’ll be in L.A. in early July when the Blaze play the Dodgers. It’s a four-game series so we’ll get to spend some time together.”

  “Do you want to stay with me? I finally fixed up my guest room.”

  “Sure,” Kelly said. “I’ll rent a car so you don’t have to drive me around. And if you want to come to one of the games I’m sure I can arrange it.”

  “I’d love to.” Kayla glanced down at her fan mail and saw an envelope addressed to her character rather than to her.

  “By the way, I saw Greg on one of those Hollywood gossip shows.” Kelly’s voice hardened. “I really hate that asshole.”

  “You never did like him, did you?” Kayla asked as she studied the precise block lettering on the envelope.

  “No. The first time I met him I knew what a controlling bastard he was.”

  “You didn’t tell me.”

  “I tried, but you had stars in your eyes.” Kelly sighed. “I knew you’d figure it out eventually. You’re a smart cookie.”

  “Not smart enough. I spent nearly two years with him.”

  “He didn’t break you, Kayla,” Kelly said after a lengthy silence.

  Kayla’s eyes grew moist. “He almost did. I was ready to leave Hollywood and my career behind because of him.”

  “But you didn’t,” Kelly reminded her. “And you showed him. You’re on the number one daytime show in the country. And what’s he doing?” Kelly’s snort was derisive. “Voiceovers.”

  “You can make good money doing voiceovers,” Kayla pointed out.

  “But Greg wants to be a movie star. He’s got the ego of Tom Cruise but only a fraction of the talent.” Kelly’s laugh was devilish. “I would lo
ve to run into him and give him a piece of my mind. I know exactly what I’d say to him.”

  “I’m sure it involves a lot of cussing.”

  “You know me too well,” Kelly said dryly.

  After promising to talk on the weekend, she and Kelly said their goodbyes. Kayla put her phone aside and looked down at the small white envelope she still held in her hand. It wasn’t unheard of for her to get fan mail addressed to her character. Just like the woman in the grocery store a few weeks ago, there were people out there that confused her with Shay McKade.

  Slipping the piece of paper from the envelope, Kayla opened it and sucked in a shocked breath as she read the bold block print written in blood red ink.

  WHORE! LEAVE TOWN OR YOU’LL BE SORRY!

  Quickly, her shock turned to puzzlement. It wasn’t like she hadn’t received letters similar to this one before. After all, her character wasn’t exactly Snow White. But really? Did this so-called fan think a letter like this would accomplish anything? All it did was prove that some people took their soap operas way too seriously. Folding the letter, she tossed it and the envelope on the table and reached for another one. She opened it quickly and started reading.

  “Why, thank you…” she glanced down at the signature, “…Janice, my number one fan in Ocala, Florida. I think Shay is too good for Stefan too.” She put the letter on the stack with the ones she would send a personal reply to and grabbed the next one. The cute little pink envelope was adorned festively with hand-drawn smiley faces. It had to be a nice one, right?

  Wrong.

  “Holy crap,” she muttered after reading it. “For the last time, people, Nikki wasn’t fired because of me. I liked Nikki.” Kayla threw the letter down, done for the evening. She rose from the table, picked up the small stack of nasty letters and moved into the kitchen, where she tossed them into the trash and didn’t give them a second thought.

  Chapter Five

  Shay: I can’t marry you. I don’t love you, and you don’t love me.

  Jared: I know. It’s perfect.

  The second Kayla walked into the make-up room after Monday morning’s rehearsal she wished she hadn’t. Sitting in one of the four chairs was Rachel Hixson, and Kayla had no desire whatsoever to engage in polite chit-chat with her. Sandy, who was applying foundation to Rachel’s pale cheeks, shot her a quick smile as Kayla sat in the chair farthest from Rachel.

  “Hi, Kayla,” Sandy said cheerfully. She smoothed the make-up sponge over Rachel’s jawline. “Did you have a nice weekend?”

  Settling back in the cushioned chair, Kayla noticed the sidelong glance Rachel gave her. “Yes. How was yours?”

  “Busy,” Sandy said. “I did make-up for a runway show on Saturday night.”

  “I went to the premiere of the new Ben Affleck movie,” Rachel said, inserting herself into the conversation. “Ben and I are friends, you know,” she added with a smile more practiced than genuine. “There were paparazzi absolutely everywhere. We couldn’t get away from them.”

  Kayla noticed Sandy trying to hold back a smile. “They usually do come out in droves for those red carpet events,” Kayla said, refusing to take the bait regarding the famous actor. Rachel claimed to be friends with a lot of movie stars but Kayla highly doubted it. Rachel also claimed to be a natural blonde and everyone knew that wasn’t true either.

  Sandy put the make-up sponge on a small towel and picked up one of her many blush compacts. “So, Kayla, I’m hearing good things about the scenes you and Sean have been taping.” She opened the compact and then grabbed a brush.

  “Really?” Kayla was surprised. She glanced at Rachel and saw her fake smile had disappeared.

  “I saw Bill and Ken in the break room on Friday. Bill was telling Ken that you and Sean have been kicking ass.”

  Kayla’s jaw dropped. “He actually said that?”

  Sandy shrugged. “More or less. I could be paraphrasing.”

  “You must be,” Rachel said. “We all know Sean is an excellent actor but…” Rachel’s eyes met Kayla’s, “…you’ve only been on the show a short time. You still have a lot to learn about acting.” Kayla bristled but decided to keep her mouth shut. Rachel’s words were nearly identical to the ones Greg had told her countless times. A part of her knew that Rachel was a spiteful person, but still, another part of her wondered—was Rachel right?

  “Sean’s an excellent actor,” Kayla said, keeping her voice neutral. There was no way she was going to let Rachel know she’d struck a nerve. “I’m very fortunate to be working with him.”

  “It won’t last,” Rachel said. “The fans won’t accept Shay with Jared any more than they accepted her with Stefan.” Rachel’s mouth twisted in a smirk. “The letter writing campaign they organized forced the writers to bring Cassie and Stefan back together.”

  Kayla pushed her insecurities away and met Rachel’s gaze, her smile just as fake as Rachel’s had been. Two could play this game, after all. “I’m sure you’re thrilled to be working with Marcus again. After all, when it comes to talent, you’re evenly matched.”

  Rachel’s eyes narrowed and Sandy made a noise that sounded like a giggle but quickly covered it with a cough. “You’re done, Rachel.” Sandy’s choice of words seemed to have a double meaning, but her expression was benign as she stepped back and spun Rachel around in the chair. “Off to hair you go.” Sandy pulled the black cape from around Rachel’s neck.

  Rachel rose from the chair and admired her reflection in the mirror for several seconds before turning to meet Kayla’s eyes. “I saw in tomorrow’s script that we have a scene together,” she said, gazing down at her with a look of superiority Kayla knew all too well.

  “It appears so.” She’d read the script last night and wasn’t looking forward to it.

  “Maybe you can pick up a few pointers,” Rachel said, then breezed out of the room.

  Kayla met Sandy’s stunned gaze before they burst out laughing. “Oh, my God.” Sandy shook her head. “Could she be any more full of herself?”

  “Sadly, I think she could.”

  “She’s just jealous.” Sandy patted the now empty chair. “Can you sit here? I don’t want to move my stuff.”

  “Sure.” Kayla moved to the other chair. “Why would she be jealous of me?”

  “Hello? Look in the mirror.” Sandy put the make-up cape around her and fastened it behind her neck. “Rumor has it she got Nikki fired because she was jealous of her. She hated the fact that the fans loved Nikki’s character more than hers. And I’m sure she thought something was going on between Nikki and Sean even though Nikki’s married and totally crazy about her husband.”

  Kayla frowned. “But Rachel’s gorgeous. And she has a huge fan base.”

  “She’s threatened by other women. Especially beautiful and talented women. So, my friend, be warned.”

  “How could Rachel get Nikki fired?” Kayla didn’t think any one person could have that much power on the show. “Everyone loved her.”

  “Which is why it’s so odd she got canned.” Sandy moved to the side and picked up a bottle of foundation. “Like I said, it’s just a rumor. But as with most rumors, there’s probably a grain of truth to it.”

  “What rumor?” A masculine voice asked.

  Kayla, along with Sandy, turned to see Sean lounging against the doorframe. A slow grin spread over his handsome face. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but hear what you were saying.” He moved into the room and settled in the chair next to hers. “Please don’t tell me someone else is getting the axe.”

  “Not that I’ve heard,” Sandy said, reaching for a clean make-up sponge. “We were just talking about Nikki.”

  “Oh, yeah…that rumor.”

  “I’ve got to be the only person who didn’t hear it.” Kayla glanced at Sean. He was dressed in jeans and a Dodgers T-shirt that displayed the powerful outline of his chest to perfection.

  “Do you think it’s true?” Sandy asked.

  Sean shrugged. “Anything’s possible. Do you
really think Rachel has that much power?”

  “I don’t know. But I hope not.”

  “Me too,” Kayla chimed in with a grin. “Because if she does, I’m next.”

  “I guess Marcus is safe then.” Sean folded his arms across his chest. The move caused the hem of his T-shirt to rise up just a tad to reveal a sliver of his taut stomach. Suddenly it felt very warm in the make-up room and Kayla had to force herself to look away. “I think Rachel is the only person at the studio who can stand the guy.”

  “They both joined the show around the same time,” Sandy said as she dabbed some foundation on Kayla’s face, then used the sponge to blend it on her skin. “Maybe that’s it. Hey, did you see the fight yesterday at Dodger stadium?”

  “I heard about it, but I didn’t see it until I got back from Huntington and watched it on the news,” Sean said, crossing his leg over his knee. Kayla noticed he was wearing sneakers without socks and somehow it seemed to fit him. “It was one of the worst brawls I’ve seen in years.”

  “What’s up with Scanlon?” Sandy asked as she worked on Kayla’s forehead.

  “I wish I knew.” Sean’s voice sounded sad. “All I know is if he keeps it up, the Dodgers will trade his ass to San Francisco, or some equally pathetic team.”

  “Hey!” Kayla exclaimed, jerking her head toward him. “The Blaze aren’t pathetic. They made the playoffs last season.”

  “By the skin of their teeth. They were lucky to get the National League wild card spot. And then they were swept in the divisional series.”

  “And where were the Dodgers during the play-offs?” Kayla cocked her head and met his gaze. “At home eating pizza and drinking beer, that’s where.”