Fool of Main Beach

by Tara Lain

  “Come see the closet and the bathroom.”

  “Can’t wait.” His eyes crept up the ladder; then he turned to follow Billy.

  “Hey, Merle.”

  What? He glanced toward the voice. Billy stopped behind him.

  “Hey. Up here.”

  Merle’s gaze rose up the ladder rung by rung, muscle by muscle, until he looked into the grinning face of Tom Henry. For a second the whole scene felt out of context. “Hi, Tom.”

  “How come you came? I would have talked to Ru if I needed anything.”

  Billy said from behind him, “Merle? You know Tom?”

  Merle glanced over his shoulder, then back up the ladder. “Yes. Remember I told you a guy intervened last night and saved me? It was Tom.”

  “No shit. Hey, Tom, good job saving my friend, Merle.”

  For a second Tom looked confused, and then a slow grin spread across his face. “Merle’s your friend too? That’s so cool. Do you have dogs?”

  Merle glanced at Billy, who gazed at Tom with the obvious patience of a man who didn’t mind dealing with him. “No, no dogs. I have cats, Tom.”

  He clambered down a couple of rungs. “You do? Can I see them?”

  “Sure. We’ll work that out. They live at my house with me and Shaz.”

  “I’ll bet they love Shaz. Who wouldn’t?”

  “I agree.”

  Tom shifted focus to Merle. “So we’re both friends with Billy.”

  Merle’s heart beat oddly hard. “Yes, we are.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “But you’re here.”

  “This is my house, Tom.”

  “What?”

  “This house is mine. Billy’s renovating it for me, and I’ll be moving in to it.”

  He smiled. “Wow. This is so pretty.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” Oddly true.

  “That means I’m working on your house?” It didn’t seem like Tom’s face could have lit up any more, but it did—crinkles and dimples and bright blue eyes.

  “Yes. That’s really great, since Billy only uses the best people.”

  A crease popped between his brows. “Oh right. I better get back to work so you have a good outlet.”

  Tom reclimbed the ladder and balanced himself, the massive muscles in his back and shoulders flexing in the bright morning light.

  Merle looked at Billy, who flashed a grin and walked into the bathroom.

  Inside, granite counters and slate walls surrounded them. “This is gorgeous, Billy. I’m so glad you suggested slate. It’s perfect and so unique.” He peeked toward the door and lowered his voice. “I can’t believe the guy who saved me works for you. What are the chances?”

  Billy nodded. “Actually, Tom was at the party last night before you got there, but he can only handle crowds so long, so he left. He must have gone to the beach.”

  “He was playing with the stray dogs.”

  “He loves animals. He works at the shelter on his days off.”

  “Is he—?” What was a good word?

  “I don’t know why Tom is the way he is. He’s a great carpenter and electrician, which are tough jobs. He even has an electrician’s license, and I’m not sure how he got it, but the test is a killer. He’s steady as that granite, never misses a day of work, is unfailingly kind and generous. Some people won’t hire him because they assume he’s stupid, but their loss is my gain. I’d happily have five more of him.”

  Merle crossed his arms. “He wasn’t kind to those assholes last night. There were four of them. He took out two, let one off who hadn’t been a part of the beating, and the fourth—the fucker who was strangling me—got scared, and Tom let him go. Part of the reason I didn’t go to the police was I know how things can boomerang, and I didn’t want them hauling Tom in for questioning.”

  “That was good.” Billy shook his head. “I’m not sure I would have believed Tom could be violent.”

  “Funny, he was the most unviolent violent person you ever saw. He intimidated my attackers by sheer size and skill with his fists. Otherwise, he was sweet as candy.”

  “Still, it blows me away. Who knew he could fight—or would be willing to? He’s a peacemaker, that one.” He walked to the far wall of the bathroom. “So come look at your closet.”

  Merle peered into the big room that had been built out with hanging bars, cabinets, shelves, and drawers. There was a full-length three-way mirror and a spot for an easy chair. He smiled. “I may never leave this room. I can’t wait to move in.”

  “It won’t be long now.” Billy motioned toward the door. “I need to go check in with Jim on the schedule. You want to come say hi or keep looking?”

  “Say hi to Jim for me. I want to explore the nooks and crannies.”

  “You’ll see Jim and Ken tonight anyway. Ru and Gray invited us all over for dinner.”

  “Great. That’ll be fun.”

  Billy left the closet, and Merle took a breath. Funny how affected he was by seeing Tom. Last night had seemed kind of like a dream. Attacked by villains, saved by a gentle giant—a scene out of a storybook that didn’t affect real life. But watching Tom, all muscle and sinew, on top of that ladder doing a skilled task and respected by someone Merle knew? That was a whole new set of rules. Tom wasn’t a cyclops or a unicorn. He was a person with a life beyond the petting of puppies. Somehow that made Merle feel warm—and a little uneasy.

  He opened doors and smooth, self-closing drawers in his closet, then walked into the bathroom and did the same. He turned on the tap in the rain shower and let the water explode out from three different directions.

  “That’s really cool, isn’t it?”

  Merle turned to find Tom standing in the bathroom doorway—filling it might be a better description.

  “I put in all those tiles, but I didn’t do the shower. That was the plumber. He’s a specialist.”

  “I love the stone and tile too.”

  “I’m glad.” He walked a few paces into the big room. “I’ll bet it’s fun to take a shower in there. All those showerheads would feel so good.”

  An image of Tom standing naked in the shower with jets of water pounding his cock made Merle’s knees weak, and he leaned against the granite counter. I should be ashamed, perving on that sweet guy. He cleared his throat. “Thank you again for coming to my rescue last night. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

  Tom shrugged and walked over to peek into Merle’s closet. “Sometimes there are bad people. You can’t let them get you down.”

  Again, Merle fought a laugh. The weird, wonderful wisdom of that statement gave him a kick in the chest.

  “Do you have enough clothes to fit in here?”

  He did laugh at that. “I’m ashamed to admit I do.”

  Tom turned. Yep, those eyes are bluer than an ingénue’s pinafore. “I’ll bet they look really good on you.”

  “I hope so.” He grinned.

  “I hope I get to see that.” The crinkles beside his eyes spoke of sunshine, not age. The guy couldn’t be more than Merle’s twenty-five. Probably younger.

  “Maybe you will.”

  “Good. I better get back to work now. Thank you for talking to me.” He turned and left the bathroom—and a space in Merle’s heart.

  TOM OPENED the front door of the house. The TV blared from the living room—Mrs. Allison isn’t wearing her hearing aid again. He peered around the wall and shouted, “Hey, Mrs. Allison, I’m home.”

  She waved. “Hi, Tom. The boys were barking.”

  “Sorry. I’ll take them out now.”

  He ran up the steps and opened the door to his bedroom. Furry bombshells hit him from two sides, and he collapsed on the floor in the small space between the bed and the dresser, laughing as the two dogs licked him and burrowed into whatever parts they could reach. “Okay. Okay. Walk time.”

  Tom struggled to his feet as the dogs sat shaking all over because they loved their walks so much. Fluff
y jumped up and grabbed the end of one of the leashes in his mouth.

  “No. That’s my job. Be a good boy.” He smiled as the curly black dog calmed and waited for the leash to hook in.

  He snapped the second leash on Tigger, who was kind of stripy. They were both small dogs, because Mrs. Allison didn’t want big ones and was making an exception for him anyway, she said. Plus it wasn’t fair to have big dogs in one room—even though they kept them in cages at the shelter, and he always wanted to let them all go, but he knew they’d get hurt out there.

  His cell phone sat on the dresser, still connected to its charger—like usual. Better take it in case. He never knew in case of what. He opened the door, and the guys led him down the stairs. “We’re going out now.” With a push he opened the door, and the dogs leaped onto the porch. He loved walking the guys as much as they loved going.

  Like always, he strolled down the street toward the park. The boys liked the park, and if there were no other dogs, he let them off the leashes. Tonight he was a little later than usual because he’d wanted to work extra hard on Merle’s house. Tom loved that house. His favorite he’d ever worked on. It was even better now that he knew it was Merle’s.

  The small park seemed to be empty, so he unhooked the boys, and they scampered around for a few minutes. He hunkered down by a tree trunk and smelled the eucalyptus. Nice. It cleared his sinuses.

  Fluffy ran over and jumped onto his lap, even though he was squatting. The dog practically fell through. Tom grabbed him and held him up. Then Tigger got jealous and wanted some love too. No problem. He snuggled one dog in each hand and let them lick him. “Guess what I’m doing, guys?” The two fuzzy faces gazed at him. “I’m putting in electrical for Merle. He’s my new friend. You’d like him a lot. He likes dogs, and he’s really pretty. You should see his golden hair.”

  His phone chimed. Okay, this must be just in case. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. Wow. Lily. He hit the button. “Hi.”

  “Tom?”

  “Sure.”

  “You okay?”

  “The dogs are licking me.”

  “You’re weird.”

  “I know. Are you okay?”

  “No. Mom and Dad are out of bucks again, and I need a new dress for the school dance.”

  “Do you like to dance?”

  “Sure, Tom. But can you send me some money?”

  “Sure, Lily.”

  “Thanks. Right away?”

  “I’ll take it to the post office tomorrow.”

  “Okay. How much?”

  “How much is the dress?”

  “Two hundred.”

  He swallowed. “Is that how much dresses cost? I didn’t know.”

  She breathed in his ear. “Party dresses do.”

  “Oh, okay. So I’ll send it tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Tom.”

  “Who are you going to dance with?”

  “Just some guy. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Okay. I have a new friend.”

  “Good. Look, I’ve got to go.”

  “Okay. I love you, Lily.”

  “Sure. Love you too.” She hung up.

  He pressed his cheek against Tigger’s kind of prickly fur. Not as soft as Fluffy but nice too. “You wouldn’t believe how much dresses cost.”

  Chapter Four

  OKAY, ENOUGH hiding. Go be sociable.

  Merle heard the hum of voices from the great room down the hall. He stood in the door to his bedroom. The odd feeling of unreality still clung to him. Couldn’t shake it. Somehow getting attacked and then saved had challenged his assumptions about the world, and he couldn’t quite get his damned feet under him. I need a drink.

  He purposefully softened his expression into one more appropriate for friends and strode down the hall to the gathering. Seven men sat around the great room—six friends and one familiar-looking stranger.

  Ru, adorable as usual with his black hair and geeky glasses and jeans and T-shirt, so chic they should have gotten an award—oh right, they probably did—bounced up and gave him a hug. “Here you are finally. Oh God, dear, Billy told us what happened to you. How are you feeling?”

  “Oddly surreal, actually. But otherwise fine.”

  He gave a little wave to Gray—the face that launched a thousand action movies—and Shaz and Billy looking snuggly on the couch. Then he walked over and shook hands with big, hunky Jim and his gloriously handsome husband, the cardiologist Ken Tanaka. “Hey, guys, great to see you. Where are Ian and Braden?”

  Ken smiled—definitely an expression designed to stop the heart. “Off doing something with their kids, as usual.”

  “Tell them I’m sorry I missed them.”

  Jim said, “I’m sure you’ll see them soon.”

  Merle’s eyes crept to the not-quite stranger. “Hi, I’m Merle Justice. I feel like I know you.” He extended his hand, and the man shook it firmly, although his graceful fingers looked more like they should be painting or performing surgery.

  Gray spoke from behind him, but there was a big smile in his voice. “Merle, this is René Montrose.”

  Merle’s mouth opened but nothing came out. He tried again. “The director?”

  Montrose rose and smiled. “The very same.”

  “Sweet Jesus, I’m a huge fan.”

  “How lovely.” He grinned, which lit up his thin face with charm and humor. Everything about Montrose was slim. He couldn’t be more than five seven or eight and weighed maybe a hundred and forty with big shoes—and his were slim and elegant. His dark hair was slicked back and showed a tiny trace of silver on the sides. Though he looked thirty-five, his bio Merle had read put him more like forty, which meant he could be forty-five.

  Gray said, “Sit, Merle. What can I get you to drink?”

  “Beer if you’ve got it.”

  “You know we do.” He grinned as he walked to the bar. Merle and Gray had famously gotten drunk on beer back when they both were trying to impress Ru. Merle never had a chance. Sadly, that could be said in more areas than love.

  Somehow they maneuvered him into the comfy chair with the footstool that just happened to be beside René. Gray handed him his beer in a frosty glass. Noise from the partly open kitchen made him look back. Antonia, the sometimes cook, seemed to be busily working on their dinner, and the big table was set for eight. Gray didn’t keep regular staff since he and Ru liked their privacy, but Antonia came in at least a few days a week, as well as a housecleaning service that tidied up every day.

  Shaz sipped his favorite bubbly. “Darling, I’m so horrified that you got bashed on the beach during our party. It’s so terrible, I want to go to the police. We can’t have this kind of thing in Laguna.”

  Gray settled back in his chair. “Ru and I can go with you. We have a certain acquaintance with Laguna’s finest.” He laughed, and they all joined in—except for René, who looked confused. Gray said, “Ru got accused of being an accessory to murder, and we got pretty up close and personal with the police department. Of course, he was innocent.”

  Ru took Gray’s hand. “Which the world’s biggest movie star took time out of his busy schedule to help prove.”

  René fanned himself. “Sounds like a movie plot.”

  Shaz laughed. “Oh, it is, darling. It is.”

  Merle leaned forward. “Actually, Billy and I kind of agreed that it’s best not to file a complaint. The guy who saved me from these assholes is—well, he’s Tom.”

  Shaz pressed a hand to his chest. “Our Tom?”

  “Yes.”

  Shaz looked at Billy, who said, “I didn’t want to tell you from work since Tom was there.”

  “Tom?” Shaz’s eyes got even wider.

  Merle shrugged. “Billy was amazed too.”

  René looked mystified again.

  Merle turned to him. “I was getting gay-bashed by these four guys on the beach last night. This huge dude—I mean, in my bleary state I thought of him as Sasquatch—wades in and takes o
ut two of them and chases off the other two. But then he turns out to be this—I don’t know—a big puppy dog.”

  Billy nodded. “Tom has an innocence that no one and nothing seems to be able to touch. We just want to keep him away from the police if he doesn’t have to go. And Merle says there’s a chance he couldn’t identify his attackers for sure, even if they were stupid enough to show up again.”

  René wrinkled his elegant brow. “Is this Tom a fool?”

  Merle snapped, “No!” Whoa. Okay, I’ve thought that myself. “Sorry. I guess I feel really protective of Tom.” He laughed.

  Ru and Shaz exchanged a glance and laughed with him.

  René said, “Maybe I wasn’t quite following the story.”

  Merle grinned ruefully. “No, you were. The guy defies logic, but he’s so sweet, it’s tough to define him negatively.”

  “How interesting.”

  Antonia spoke from the kitchen. “Gray, the dinner’s ready when you are.”

  “Thanks, Antonia.” He looked around the group. “Everyone hungry?”

  That got them all moving and, once again, Merle found himself next to René at the table. Okay, guys, not subtle. But would the famous director have an interest in the also-ran vampire actor? Maybe for a one-nighter.

  Antonia served a fantastic giant Caesar salad, which everyone dug into.

  Merle smiled at René between bites. “So what are you working on?”

  “Actually, that’s something I wanted to talk with you about. I’m doing a new film, and I think one of the roles might be perfect for you.”

  Merle heard the clatter of silver against china before he noticed the fork had fallen from his hand. He gave his head a little shake. “Excuse me. Clumsy.” Slowly he tried to take another bite. No go. He stared at René. “Are you kidding?”

  “No, of course not. I’m a big fan.”

  “What?” Come on, no one had to go this far to get him into bed.

  “Why should that be so hard to believe?”

  Ru said, “He underestimates his talent, René. All the time.”