Falling Star

by Laura DeLuca

  “I think I can handle staying up for a bit longer.” Acting completely on instinct, Lainey grabbed Drew’s hand. She paused for a fraction of a second when a spark of electricity snuck up her arm as soon as they made contact. “Come here for a second. I want to show you something.”

  Drew narrowed his eyes playfully. “Uh-oh. Is the mace coming out again?”

  Lainey snickered. “No, silly. Just come with me to my car.”

  Her Fiat and the Honda, which had to be Drew’s rental, were the only two cars left in the lot and there were no other people for as far as she could see. Even the bus stop was deserted, and aside from a few crickets and cicadas clicking their serenade, the night was still and silent. Normally, Lainey spent evenings like this sitting on the slab of concrete she called a balcony, jotting down notes in her copybook. But no matter how much she liked him, she wasn’t bringing a guy home on her first date. Instead, she guided Drew to her Fiat and jumped onto the hood. He followed her lead, but seemed confused.

  “What are we doing?”

  “You said you came here for peace and quiet,” Lainey reminded him. “There’s no greater peace than drinking in the beauty of the universe.”

  Following her example, he leaned back. It was a tight fit, and their heads were so close they almost touched, but staring straight up at the sky from the hood of the car offered a picturesque scene of everything from the Orion’s Belt to a tiny spot she was pretty sure was Venus. Since they’re hands were already clasped, Drew gave her fingers a light squeeze. For a while they admired the scenery in silence, until he stroked a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

  “This is definitely the best view I’ve had in a long time,” Drew whispered.

  “You aren’t even looking at the stars.”

  “I know.” He sighed. “I’ve seen more than enough stars for one lifetime, but I’ve never seen anyone quite like you. You make me believe anything is possible—that I could free myself from everything that holds me back from being happy, even if it’s only for a little while.”

  Before she had time to blush, his lips covered hers, warm, gentle, and sweet. It was one light brush, but Lainey sunk into the embrace with her entire being, loving the feel of his hands gliding through her hair, along the small of her back. As innocent as it was, she burned with instant arousal. Nothing had ever felt so right; no man had ever seemed so perfect, and her body screamed for more. He released her with obvious reluctance. For a few heartbeats, they simply stared at one another, memorizing every last detail. She tried to push away the thought that he’d be leaving in only a few short weeks and live in that one perfect moment. When Drew leaned down to kiss her a second time, Lainey was certain even the mother moon looked down on them with envy.

  Chapter Four

  Drew shivered under his down comforter. Even with only his head poking from the mountain of blankets, the morning air felt damp and frigid. He was fairly certain he’d left the windows open when he should’ve turned the heater up full blast. He wasn’t accustomed to chilly wake-up calls, and the last thing he wanted was to throw off the covers and drag his jet-lagged body to the dresser, but the shrill sound of his cellphone demanded attention. Ignoring the light pounding in his temples and praying it wouldn’t grow into a full-fledged migraine, Drew forced himself to face the day.

  Maybe it’s Lainey.

  The possibility had him bolting across the room in nothing but his boxer briefs, both the cold and his headache forgotten. He made a clumsy grab for the phone, almost dropping it more than once before he finally looked down at the screen. His vision was blurry from sleep, making it difficult to focus on the flashing numbers, but if it was Lainey, he didn’t want to miss her, so he hit the talk button without thinking it through.

  “Hello?”

  “Andy? What is going on? Where have you disappeared to?”

  Drew blinked a few times, trying to place the ear-piercing screech with a person when he was barely semi-conscious. It definitely wasn’t Lainey’s sweet melodic voice. It was harsher and had a thick French accent.

  “Cat?” Drew wondered if he was still dreaming or more appropriately, having a nightmare. How could his former co-star be on the line? He’d made damn sure she’d never gotten his personal number. Very few people in his work circle were privy to it.

  “Of course it’s me!” Catherine shrilled. “Who else were you expecting? I cannot believe you flew off and left me behind. You didn’t even have the courtesy to say goodbye.”

  Drew pressed his free hand against his temples. This was definitely not helping his head. “I could’ve sworn we exchanged farewells when we left the set of that talk show the other day.”

  “You should have told me you were going away,” she continued, as though he hadn’t spoken at all. “I could have come with you.”

  “This is a personal retreat,” Drew informed her. “I needed some time alone.”

  He hoped she’d take the hint. He should’ve known better.

  “Don’t be silly. It is no fun traveling alone,” Catherine purred. “Come along, love, tell me where you are. I’ll take the next plane out to meet you.”

  Drew was tempted to bang his head against the wall. “Cat, listen—”

  “I’m so glad Paulie called me,” she interrupted. “A vacation is the perfect time to go public with our relationship. So where are you? The Bahamas? Tahiti? I would guess Europe, but after all the time we recently spent in France, I am thinking a luxurious beach resort would be more to your liking. Yes?”

  Damn that Paulie. Drew should’ve known his agent wasn’t going to give up on playing matchmaker that easily. The way he encouraged the tabloid gossip, he might as well be on their payroll. And as far as Catherine was concerned—well, her guess was too close for comfort. The last thing Drew wanted was his co-star tracking him down and dragging a gaggle of reporters in her wake. Catherine enjoyed the spotlight too much to avoid it for long. Sometimes Drew thought he was the only person in Hollywood who preferred to keep his private life private.

  “None of the above,” Drew assured her. “I’m roughing it. Camping out in the woods. No room service. No bathrooms. Completely living off the land. You’d have to hike about ten miles to reach my campsite, but if you’re game I have a sleeping bag with your name on it.”

  There was a long pause. Just as he expected. No self-respecting diva was going to squat in the bushes. Finally, after a full minute of silence, Catherine huffed, “When are you coming back to Los Angeles?”

  “Eventually.”

  A snort of indignation. “What about our movie?”

  “Masked Secrets will be in post-production for a while,” Drew reminded her. “The premiere isn’t scheduled until the middle of November, but I promise I’ll be there for the red carpet debut. I guarantee at least that much.”

  “With me on your arm?”

  “Do I have a choice?” Drew saw no point in arguing with her. He wanted to hang up the phone and swallow a whole bottle of aspirin. He would’ve said almost anything to accomplish that task.

  “Of course not, but in the meantime, we should plan on meeting when you get back ... for publicity of course.”

  Drew sighed. Obviously it was going to take drastic measures to end this call. “Uh, Cat, I’ve really gotta go. I think I see a bear.”

  She gasped. It was so heartfelt, Drew almost believed she gave a damn. “What? A bear? Are you certain?”

  “Yeah, a great big one. I’m gonna have to cut this short. You wouldn’t want me to get mauled before the movie comes out, would you?”

  “No, no!”

  “Then I’ll talk to you later.”

  Drew disconnected the line, congratulating himself for his quick thinking and Catherine’s gullibility. Not that he liked lying to anyone, but nothing short of a bear attack would get Catherine to back off once she had her mind set on something—and the starlet definitely had her sights set on Drew. He had no idea if there were any real feelings invested or if it was all about the
marketing. Either way, Drew wanted nothing to do with her. At the moment, he had his sights set firmly elsewhere.

  Lainey.

  Just thinking about her caused an embarrassing rise in his lower region, made all the more prominent by the fact that he was still in his underwear. When he’d kissed her last night, he’d never experienced anything quite like it. It was as though he’d been jolted with a thousand volts of electricity, but instead of pain, it sent pleasure coursing through every nerve ending in his body. Even that simple touch was captivating, breathtaking. Her lips were soft and gentle, her hair like silk to the touch. Lainey was his own personal elemental spirit, forming from the very mist of the ocean to fulfill his every fantasy—and at the moment Drew was having some pretty dirty fantasies.

  But you lied to her....

  His pesky conscience socked him one right in the gut, and chased away any visions of his sea sprite in the buff. Catherine wasn’t the only one he’d been less than truthful with. Drew had told Lainey a pretty big whopper when he implied he worked “behind the scenes”. It was stupid really. How long would it be before she learned she’d been kissing a movie star? Considering the fact that Andy Palmer was a household name, Drew was amazed she hadn’t made the connection already. While he did look different without all the makeup and Hollywood glam, he was still recognizable. In L.A., people ran up to him all the time, begging for autographs. Of course, on the boulevard people expected to see stars mingled among them. Here in the quiet town of Wildwood, New Jersey, no one paid him much attention.—which was exactly why Drew had chosen this location.

  Drew still felt some pretty serious guilt pangs about not giving Lainey the courtesy of full disclosure. She deserved to know what she got herself mixed up with. But the truth was, Drew was sick to death of being Andy Palmer. He didn’t want Lainey to be overwhelmed by the shadow of his alter ego. He wanted her to like Drew DiPalma—and Andy Palmer be damned. Yet he couldn’t build a promising relationship based on lies. Drew resolved to tell Lainey everything the very next time they met. But first, he really needed to take a shower and put some clothes on. He decided to skip shaving. Now that he didn’t have to worry about rolling cameras, it was one chore he could forego. Besides, a little scruff would only provide more camouflage since his fans were used to a baby-faced Andy.

  Twenty minutes later, Drew was freshly dressed but still freezing. He pulled a sweatshirt over his tee and paged through the address book on his cell until he located Lainey’s name. They’d exchanged numbers before parting for the evening, and he took that as a good sign there was mutual interest. He was about to hit the automatic dial when he checked the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was already two o’clock.

  Wow, I really slept in.

  Drew blamed his sluggishness on the jetlag. Back home it was only eleven in the morning and he’d been up for over an hour, so by those standards it wasn’t that bad. The problem was, it was Thursday afternoon which meant Lainey was busy working the nine-to-five grind—or in her case eight-to-four, and he didn’t want to cause any trouble by calling her when she was on the clock. A text couldn’t hurt though. He’d already missed her lunch hour for sure, but Drew hoped they could meet up for dinner. Of course, he didn’t want to start off sounding too desperate.

  Had fun last night.

  He typed and hit the send button, and then, as though to prove how desperate he truly was, he sat and stared at his phone for a good five minutes waiting for a reply. Drew dragged his hand along his face, shaking his head at his own absurdity.

  “She’s at work, idiot,” he said to himself. “She’ll reply when she has a break.”

  His pep talk didn’t make him feel any better. Drew worried things hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped, but all he could do was wait and see. In the meantime, he decided to get something to eat. The only food he had in the townhouse were a six-pack and some chips, so he decided to run out for coffee. Even though the sky was overcast, he pulled into the driveway of a fast food chain with both his sunglasses and ball cap in place. It was too late for breakfast, but it was the only place with a drive-through, and the more he avoided crowds the better. He ordered a large coffee and a burger and was about to pull back onto the main road when his phone buzzed.

  “Dammit!” Drew mumbled a curse under his breath when he splashed hot coffee on his jeans, but he still glided into a parking spot to check the message.

  Camping? Who U kiddin?

  Definitely not from Lainey. Paulie was on his case again, and there was now no doubt he and Catherine were double-teaming him. Drew decided to ignore his agent. He poured sugar and cream into his coffee before grabbing a few aspirin from the glove compartment. He swallowed the pills dry and then washed them down with a bite of his burger. He’d just finished off the sandwich when the message he’d been waiting for finally came through.

  Sorry. Working. I had fun 2.

  Busy 2 nite? Wanna do dinner?

  Drew texted back immediately, hoping to catch her while she was free. She did reply almost instantly, but it wasn’t the affirmation he’d hoped for.

  Can’t. Previous engagement.

  Drew’s heart sank. Could he have imagined their instant connection? Had he read the signs all wrong? Maybe she didn’t like him. Or maybe she’d discovered who he really was and it sent her screaming in the opposite direction. Drew didn’t have to ponder it long. Before he went into a total panic, another message popped up on the screen.

  Can get away 1 hr. Wanna walk on the boards?

  Drew nodded enthusiastically before he remembered she couldn’t see him.

  Sure.

  Meet me in Cape May at 4.

  Drew would’ve flown to Mars if it meant seeing Lainey again, but he was fairly certain Cape May was somewhat closer. Once he replied in the affirmative, she provided the address of her office, and he typed it into the GPS unit built into the car. He was so excited, he left for the twenty-minute drive immediately, without considering he had over an hour until Lainey got off work. Luckily, once he arrived in the Victorian town, he stumbled upon a quaint sidewalk mall. It was surprisingly busy considering the dark gray clouds looming overhead, but even the weather couldn’t take away from the charm of the horse drawn buggies and dollhouse style buildings decorated in pastels and gingerbread trims.

  Drew lucked out and located a parking spot right in between the mall and the insurance agency. He strolled along the cobblestone walkways, doing some mindless window-shopping while he waited for the time to pass. He still arrived at Lainey’s office early, and hoped it wouldn’t seem too stalkerish if he waited by her car. Several other employees definitely gave him funny stares as they climbed into their own vehicles. He tried to dispel his worries of being recognized—no one had gotten that close and he was incognito, but he kept his eyes downcast to avoid the curious onlookers.

  “You’re going to make me the talk of the office,” Drew heard a familiar voice chime. “They aren’t used to seeing strange men loitering around the parking lot.”

  Drew snapped his head up and his heart did a little flip. “Hey, Lainey.”

  One glance told him it hadn’t been his imagination. She was just as stunning now as she’d been the night before. Her long hair was pulled back on the sides, but still hung loose down her back. Sticking to earth tones, she was adorned in a green pleated skirt that fell a few inches below her knee and a rustic, brown, short sleeve sweater. But this time, his nymph wasn’t alone. There were two other girls on either side of her, studying him with open curiosity. The one in tan khakis, a pink blouse, and thick blonde curls smirked behind her sunglasses. The other, dressed in black pants and a white button down, was giving him the once over.

  “I’ve got to get the kids from school,” the blonde announced, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Steph,” Lainey and the girl in the black pants spoke in unison before turning back to Drew.

  Uh-oh, Drew thought. When girls moved in such perfect synchronization, it could only
mean one thing. Best friends.

  “This is Erin.” Lainey gestured to her tall companion. “We work here together, but she’s also been one of my closest friends since high school.”

  Great, the best friend test already. Drew almost wished he’d guessed wrong. He wasn’t prepared for this interrogation so soon, but he managed to stay collected. He offered Erin his hand, and she shifted her Coach handbag to accept it.

  “Hi, Erin. I’m Drew.”

  “Good to meet you. I’ve already heard lots of interesting things.” Erin toyed with the ends of her hair, poker straight and tinged with red highlights. Drew could only assume she was trying to determine if he met with her credentials. “I bet you never expected to be assaulted with a can of pepper spray your first day in town. You must like living on the wild side to ask her out after that fiasco.”

  Drew laughed. “What can I say? I enjoy a challenge.”

  “So how long are you staying in town?” Drew heard the concern in her voice. Erin didn’t want her friend to lose her heart to a vacation fling. He wished there was a way he could reassure her.

  “At least a month,” he explained. “And if things work out, I might get a secondary home down here. I should come to you two for insurance on that, right?”

  She appeared to like that answer and Drew breathed a sigh of relief. “Best rates at the shore,” Erin stated proudly. “But if you ask me, you might want to shop around Cape May instead of Wild-hood. Better investment.”

  Lainey nudged her friend’s shoulder. “Stop dissing my hometown, snob!”

  “She knows I’m right,” Erin confided to Drew before turning her attention back to Lainey. “Listen, I have to head home and get Nate settled in with the sitter, but I’ll see you at seven sharp. Don’t be late.”