by Tara Lain
When he walked through the door, Lily was chatting with Mrs. H. and Merle was talking on the phone. Mist had her head in his lap, and he was petting her softly. It made Tom smile.
Merle said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be there. Don’t cancel the shoot.” He clicked off and looked up at Tom. “Do you and Lily have time to get a few things for the house so you can stay there? I’m so sorry to ask you to do it—”
Tom put a finger to his lips. “Shh. We got this, right Lily?”
She nodded. “Hey, you’re taking Mist. We owe ya.” A phone rang and Tom looked toward Merle, but Lily reached in her pocket. She made a face toward Tom, then sighed real loud and answered. “Hi.” She frowned. “Yes, I’m doing everything you wanted.” She listened, still looking pissed. “No, I’m not planning on coming home soon. I’m doing my studies here.” She glanced up at Tom. “Right, he can’t hear me.” Wow, she got an even more upset look. “No, I don’t need to see him, and I’m not coming home to do it.” Pause. “I don’t care what he likes or what he wants. Screw that.” An even bigger breath made her chest expand. “Okay, sorry. I’m doing everything, so just give me a break. Yes, fine. Talk to you soon, and I’ll send some money.” She clicked off, and her eyes met Tom’s.
He nodded. “We’ll send off something today, okay?”
“Thanks, Bro. I don’t know what else to do.”
Merle said, “Is everything okay? Was that your father?”
Lily looked at him. “Yeah. They just need money, as usual, so we need to send them some.”
Merle frowned. Tom could tell he didn’t like that Tom and Lily’s mom and dad took money from him, but Merle didn’t understand. His folks were rich.
“What did you mean about what some man wanted?”
She glanced at Tom again and shrugged. “Just some guy who likes me. He’s unhappy that I’m here instead of there.”
Merle looked up at Tom. “What can I do to help?”
Merle was so nice. Tom shook his head. “Everything’s okay, Merle. No worries.”
Lily gave him her wide eyes like saying he shouldn’t be lying, but she knew Merle had already done enough for them. She smiled at Merle real honest. “We’re doing great, Merle. Just go do your movie and let us take care of everything here, okay?”
He stared at her a minute like looking to see if she was telling the truth; then he nodded, but he sure seemed tired. “Okay.” He reached in his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed Lily a credit card. “Use this for everything.”
“Hmm, are new shoes and a trip to Paris included?” She grinned. Lily was so funny.
“Shoes, maybe.” He smiled back. Merle sure is sweet.
Tom said, “You don’t need to give us money, Merle. I’ve got some.”
“Hey, you’re buying stuff for my house. I also called Billy and told him you’re staying there and asked if he and Shaz can help you with anything you need.”
“Thank you, Merle.” He smiled and tried to not stare at Merle’s beautifulness.
Merle stood, still touching Mist. “You two take good care of my dog, okay?”
Tom nodded. “I will. I love—her.”
Merle looked up into Tom’s eyes, and Tom couldn’t look away. He spoke really soft. “I love—her too.” He leaned down and kissed Mist on the head. “You be a good girl. Mind Tom and Lily.” Then he stared at Tom again for a minute and looked like he might say something else—but he didn’t. He just left.
As Merle drove out of the parking lot, Tom said, “Okay, Lily. Come on. You get to help me with my secret plan.”
TWO WEEKS later, Merle walked off the old house set and collapsed in a canvas chair. Whipped. They’d moved from San Diego to the ghost town of Ridgecrest, where they’d been shooting for a week pretty much nonstop and often fifteen hours a day.
René patted one of his cameramen on the arm and walked over to Merle, flopping in the chair beside him. “Tired?”
Merle grinned. “Who am I to complain? You work hours after your actors have quit.”
“I’m running on the sheer excitement of all the great footage you guys are giving me.”
“That’s music to my ears.”
“At least you have a few days off before we start again in New York.”
“I’m looking forward to every relaxing hour.”
“Are you going to LA or Laguna?” He turned toward Merle. “Or maybe you’re leaving for New York early to visit your family?”
“That wouldn’t qualify as relaxing. No, I plan to spend the weekend in Laguna.”
“With Ru and Gray?”
“Uh, yeah.” He shook his head. What the hell? Might as well confess. “Actually, I’m not sure what I’ll find. I have a new pet and a pet sitter living in my house.”
“What are you talking about?” He laughed.
“Remember when I had to run off to Laguna that day?”
“Yes. An emergency.”
“Right. It was, but of the special, uh, Tom kind.”
“Tom? Is he okay?”
“I think so. His favorite dog from the shelter where he volunteers was almost adopted out to a really not-nice woman, and Tom was frantic. I rushed back, matched the woman’s donation, and took the dog myself, but of course I wasn’t there to keep her. Tom lives in a tiny room in an older lady’s house and this is a big dog, so Tom’s staying at my new place with the dog. But my place is a righteous mess with no furniture. Anyway, I know nothing about dogs except that I now own a year-old female Weimaraner named Mist. And I’ve got no idea what to expect when I get home.”
René just stared. “This doesn’t sound relaxing.”
“So true. But I’m sure it’ll be entertaining.”
“As with all things Tom-related.” René shook his head but smiled while doing it.
Merle looked at him sideways. Interesting that René thought of Tom that way.
“Those are beautiful dogs, Weimaraners.”
“Yes, and she’s a love. She’s really Tom’s dog and I’m just keeping her for him, I think.”
René gave him a level gaze. “Co-parenting.”
Merle swallowed hard but didn’t say anything.
“So I’ll see you in New York Tuesday.” René patted his arm.
“With bells on, as the saying goes.”
“Perhaps I’ll get another chance to meet your parents.”
“I’m sure they’d like nothing better.”
“Maybe I’ll wrangle some hard-to-get tickets and impress them.” He laughed.
Merle cocked a half smile. “As long as nobody sings, they’ll love it. Of course, you could probably even convince them that musicals are cool, intellectual commentaries on modern culture.”
“Aren’t they?”
Laughing, Merle hauled himself out of the chair. “I better get on the road before I fall asleep sitting here.”
“If things in Laguna get too entertaining, feel free to come to LA and relax with me.”
Merle forced a grin. René was so damned nice—and never quite gave up. “As if you’ll be relaxing. You’ll probably keep working a full shift all weekend.”
“You’re probably right.” But his eyes didn’t quite light up.
Merle walked to his car, where he’d already loaded in his small suitcase and his laptop bag. The area had pretty crappy internet, and that, combined with his grinding work schedule, meant he’d been on a communication desert island for two weeks. Talk about out of it. He wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t know what to expect. He’d talked to Tom once, who just said he was fine and Mist was doing great. Funny, he’d sounded sort of—cagey. Not a usual Tom thing. That worried the shit out of Merle. Were they starving to death on the floor of his empty house?
He made one stop at a local coffee shop to boost his caffeine level, then headed south. If the traffic wasn’t too bad, he’d make it in three hours. He clicked his phone. “Call Ru.”
The phone rang twice. “Hi, Baby. What’s happening?”
“I�
��m on my way to Laguna.”
“Oh.” He sounded surprised.
“Yeah. I have a couple of days off before I have to head for New York. How was Rio?”
“What? Oh, great. We had a wonderful time. I’ll tell you all about it.”
Funny, he sounded anxious to hang up. “Did I catch you in the middle of something?”
“Kind of. I have a couple of clients here.”
“Sorry. I wondered if you’d heard how Tom’s doing.”
“Uh, did you ask him?”
“Sure, but you know Tom. If he’s sleeping in a puddle of dog piss on the floor, he’d never complain.”
“I haven’t heard that the dog is actually pissing on the floor, but I’ll be sure to ask.”
“Thanks a bunch. So I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“How many’s a few?”
“Probably about three.”
“Oh, okay.” He sounded surprised again. “Are you going to the house first, uh, or coming here?”
“I guess I’ll go to the house first. If I lie down, I may sleep until Monday.”
“Okay. We’ll see you soon. Bye.” He hung up.
Merle glanced at the phone. Why was Ru acting weird? Guess I’ll know soon enough.
He flipped on his music and Alicia filled the car—with memories of Tom. Tom’s smile, Tom’s laughter, Tom’s delicious moans when he fucked Merle’s ass. Whoa. Like a snake being charmed, his cock wiggled, danced, and rose.
He took a deep breath. Why? Why does Tom do it for me? Why does only Tom do it for me? He’s handsome, he’s unconsciously sexy, he’s amazing in bed, but—come on. I’m an actor. I see mouthwatering men every day. So why?
He punched off the music and took a breath. Maybe it’s because I know he won’t judge me. Maybe Tom’s just easy.
Shit. Bad reason.
He changed the music to something blaring, turned up the volume, and blasted his way to Laguna. As he drove past Main Beach, he finally turned the sound down. Okay, I’ve got a dog. I’ve got to figure out what to do about that.
Oh man, he was so tired. The whole thing—the house, the dog, the unexplained attachment to Tom—sat on his neck like so many rocks. Too much.
He stopped at the light, then turned right to get to the beach and his beach house. After winding down the entry road, he turned up his street. From several doors down, he could see the sun shining off the big windows. As he pulled closer, he noticed the flowers and bushes lining his yard, with a beautiful big tree commanding a perfect position off center to the house. They weren’t there before, were they?
He pulled into the driveway and stared around. Who hired the landscaper? Certainly not him. Maybe he had Billy to thank.
He left his suitcase and hopped out of the driver’s seat. His butt hurt. He stretched forward.
“Woof!”
Mist came running out the door at a full lope, and behind her galloped Fluffy and Tigger, barking louder but running slower. In a flash he was all about dogs. Mist hung back, but the little guys leaped and licked all over him.
Then that soft, deep voice said, “Sit.” All three dogs did just that.
Shivers tingled through Merle before he even looked up. He wanted to sit too and let the puppy master do whatever he wanted. Instead he met Tom with a smile. “Hey.”
“Hi, Merle.” He grinned, and after weeks of nothing but Hollywood people with hidden agendas, the warmth and openness flooded Merle with reality. Tom got close and said, “It’s okay, Mist.”
The sleek dog broke her sit and approached Merle—not cautiously, exactly. More like deferentially. Merle squatted and extended his hands. She nuzzled them, and he began to pet. Every silken stroke seemed to soothe another layer of tension. “Have you been a good girl for Tom?”
“She’s been wonderful. She missed you, but she sure does love living in your house.”
“After all that time in a cage, I’ll bet it’s good to be out.”
“No. She likes your house specially.”
Merle caught a gleam of some kind of hidden delight in Tom’s blue eyes. I’d like to explore that further. “I hope it hasn’t been too awful for you, camping out here.”
“No. No, it hasn’t been awful at all.”
“Shall I come in? I can go straight to Ru and Gray’s. Then I won’t be in your way. I’m so sorry to ask you to stay longer, but I have to leave again Monday. I’ll be in New York another couple of weeks, then I should be able to settle in here, get some furniture, and have a life.”
“That’s okay, Merle. I like it here fine.” His lips tugged upward. “I mean, I get to be with the dogs.”
Merle stopped petting Mist and stood. She bumped his hand, and he laughed. “Okay, I won’t stop scratching.” He petted her head, and she stayed beside him as he walked forward. “I’ll come in and spend some time with her.”
“Good. That’ll be good.”
“The landscaping sure looks nice. Did Billy do it?”
“Uh, yes. He helped.”
“It sure looks great. I love that big tree.” He pointed.
“Yes, it’s a jacaranda. It’s kind of messy, but it gets those beautiful purple flowers. You’ll like it.”
“I already do.” He had a feeling Tom picked out that tree.
They walked up the steps. Tom crowded ahead and opened the front door. The two little dogs scampered in, but Mist stayed beside Merle. He stepped inside and—
“Surprise!”
“Welcome home!”
Voices rang out all around him. He gasped and pressed a hand on his chest. Mist leaned against his leg—maybe for comfort or to reassure him.
Ahead at the bottom of the wide stairs stood Ru and Gray. Behind them, two stairs up, Billy and Shaz waved at him. And all around him—rugs, tables, chairs, light fixtures—all the accoutrements of a finished house.
He fell backward a step on shaky knees and two powerful hands caught him. “Surprise, Merle. I—uh, we hope you like it.”
“You guys—you—but—”
Shaz bounded down the few steps. “I hope you won’t think we were being highhanded, dear, but we knew how little time you have and how tired you’d be when you were finished with the film. We wanted you to have a completed home to settle into. You can change anything you want and we promise to not be offended.”
“Much.” Ru laughed.
Merle wiped a hand over his face just to check he wasn’t dreaming. Tom still held him lightly by the arms. “I can’t even believe you guys did all this for me. Hell, you’re busier than I am.”
Gray laughed. “There’re more of us.”
Ru gave him a sideways smile. “And Tom did so much of the work, we just had to wave our arms around.”
Merle looked up over his shoulder into that sweet face. “Thank you. What a wonderful surprise.”
“I’m so happy you like it. Lily helped a lot too, but she’s at Mrs. A.’s studying for some homeschool test she has to take. She’s so smart.” He grinned. “She says you better like it or she’ll kick your ass. That’s exactly what she said, and she made me promise to tell you.”
Ru snorted. “She’s the one to do it too. That female is a force of nature.”
Merle didn’t want to move since it meant losing those warm hands on his arms. But— “So take me on a tour.”
Chapter Twenty-five
THE WHOLE troop of them led Merle through his house. Mist stayed close to his side, like she was part of the tour. He just kept saying “Wow” over and over—like he was Tom. His hangout room on the first floor was complete down to the jars of olives in the refrigerator behind the bar. All he had to do was collapse on the huge sectional and flip on the remote to watch a show. “It feels like everything I would have chosen myself. I can’t believe it.”
Ru chuckled. “You think we don’t know you by now, luv?”
He peeked in the gym, complete with treadmill, weight system, and even a Pilates reformer. Then he wandered to the guest room. The queen-sized bed
was made and a small gym bag stood in the open closet. Tom stared at the floor. “Me and Mist and the boys have been staying in here so we didn’t mess up anyplace else.”
Shit, his chest hurt. Tom did all this for him and still felt like he couldn’t relax in the space? Ru gave him that little Mona Lisa smile, like he knew more about everything than Merle did. Since the other guys stood around the door in a circle, Merle said nothing.
If downstairs was a study in comfort, the upstairs was a work of art. Middle Eastern rugs overlapped each other on the polished wood floors, and a filtered light shade covered the huge windows, looking almost transparent when open but providing privacy when closed. Couches and big cushy chairs just screamed “Come sit in me,” and there was a convenient table for every hand. Table lamps promised to give warm, cozy light at night, while the paintings and wall hangings spoke of Merle’s taste down to the ground.
Tom tugged his arm. “Come see your room, Merle.”
Merle followed Tom down the hall, then Tom stepped back so he could walk in. He stopped and exhaled slowly. The room was dominated by a huge king-sized bed on a polished wood platform with built-in places for lamps and for sitting to put on your shoes. Surprisingly, the bedcover featured large muted flowers embroidered in shades of teal and deep rose that should have looked weird and effeminate but instead looked gorgeous. Contrasting the sleek modernity of the bed was an ancient Asian painting of the path of the enlightened one on the wall above it. In front of the windows, a chaise lounge in deep teal invited reading in the soft light, and tucked in the corner was the new dog bed—pink.
Mist licked his hand, then walked over and curled up in her bed. The boys, Fluffy and Tigger, barked, but she didn’t move, just gazing at Merle with those light, penetrating eyes that seemed to say this was where she belonged and she was glad.
The tears burst out of Merle’s eyes before he even knew they threatened, and he slapped a hand to his cheek in surprise.
