Meg (Beach Brides Book 1)

by Julie Jarnagin

  She shook her head. “I don’t want a makeup line. I love working here, and if I don’t do something soon, the theater will shut down.”

  She really did care about this shabby little place. It was touching, and a little baffling. “And you’re the only person who can fix it? There has to be someone else who can take care of the place while you’re gone.”

  An older man in a worn T-shirt and loose jeans walked out from the main theater.

  Meg turned to him. “Raymond, I didn’t think you’d be here today.”

  “I wanted to get a head start on the backdrops.”

  Meg swiveled back to Elliot, sighed, and said, “This is Raymond, our set designer.”

  Elliot put a hand out. “Great to meet you.”

  Raymond’s calloused hand shook his. “What brings you to our theater?”

  “I came to talk to Meg about a television show I produce.”

  His eyes widened. “Television, huh? Well, that’s impressive. What show?”

  “One True Love.”

  Meg dipped her chin low. “You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s a reality dating—”

  “I know what it is.” Raymond said. “Such a shame Colby broke off the engagement. I thought they were going to be in it for the long haul. Not like Britt and Nathan. Those two were as compatible as a yard dog and an alley cat.”

  “You’re a fan?” Elliot knew they had viewers beyond their target audience of twenty-to-fifty-year-old women, but Raymond was unexpected.

  The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes creased. “My wife used to watch it with our granddaughter. When she passed away, I kept up the tradition.”

  He liked this man, and he had a feeling Raymond was going to be his ally in convincing Meg to do the show. “It would be great to hear your feedback about the production.”

  Raymond smiled, the lines on his face deepening. “Oh, I’d love that. Not many people except my granddaughter want to hear my thoughts about the dates.”

  “Actually, Elliot was just leaving,” Meg gave him a pointed look.

  “I have plenty of time.” He glanced back to Raymond. “Meg and I won’t fly out until tomorrow.”

  Meg glared. “You won’t fly out until tomorrow.”

  Elliot laughed, enjoying the little wrinkle that formed between her eyebrows as she scowled at him.

  Raymond cleared his throat. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but it sure is entertaining to watch.”

  And that was precisely why Meg was the perfect woman for his show.

  ****

  Had Meg stepped into the twilight zone when she’d walked down the stairs? This was insane. She turned her attention to Raymond. “Elliot has this crazy idea that I’m going to be on One True Love. But it isn’t going to happen.” Not even if Patrick Dempsey himself had asked her. The fact that Elliot looked like the star wouldn’t sway her.

  “Raymond, is she always this stubborn?” Elliot asked.

  Raymond opened his mouth.

  “Don’t answer that,” she said. Who did Elliot think he was, strolling in here with his good looks and that perfect smile? He must think she would fall for his Hollywood charm, but she knew better. Like a lot of men in his industry, Elliot was handsome, confident, and, no doubt, as untrustworthy as a snake-oil salesman.

  Raymond laughed. “You are a little stubborn, but in the best way possible. How else would the theater have survived this long?”

  Elliot smiled, seeming unaffected by her repeated refusal. “What is it going to take to change your mind?”

  Speaking of stubborn.

  His phone buzzed, and he pulled it from his pocket. “I’m sorry. I need to take this call. I’ll be right back.” He touched the screen and lifted his phone to his ear, turning to walk away.

  Raymond nudged her with his elbow. “Isn’t this something? The producer of One True Love is in our theater. This is the most exciting thing to happen around here since the mayor’s wife burned all his clothes on the courthouse lawn after finding those photos of his secretary.”

  Excitement wasn’t what Meg had been looking for when she’d moved back to Alna. She’d quickly learned the glitz and glamour of the New York theater scene came at a cost. The routine and authenticity of Alna was exactly why she loved it and what she’d missed when she was gone.

  Raymond rubbed a hand across the coarse stubble on his jaw. “I, for one, think you should take him up on his offer.”

  She stepped back in surprise. “Are you joking? You’re supposed to be on my side.”

  “I’m always on your side, kid. You know that. But if I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s that if a big opportunity presents itself, you should take it. Embrace it. You’re only young once. It could be fun, and if it’s terrible, come back to Alna, and we’ll all be here waiting for you. What do you have to lose?”

  Elliot walked up. “The man makes a valid point. What do you have to lose?”

  Plenty! Her reputation. Her self-respect. Her theater. “I need to stay here and figure out a way to pay the bills, or we’re going to have to shut down.” It was a pity Elliot wasn’t offering enough money to solve the theater’s financial woes.

  “We’ll figure out something,” Raymond said. “Maybe Elliot here could give us some ideas about how to fix our cash flow problem.”

  Elliot held his hands up. “There’s not much I can do. I have a show to produce.”

  Meg’s eyes widened. “Raymond, you’re a genius.” She turned her attention to Elliot. “You’re the one who can fix it. When would this season of One True Love air?”

  Elliot’s salesman-like persona melted away, and his brow wrinkled. “Mid-September, which only gives us a couple of months. With three weeks of filming, it’s a tight turn around. I need you on a plane as soon as—”

  “This could work,” she said, now pacing across the room.

  “What are you talking about?” Elliot asked.

  She turned to look at him. “I’ll do the show. On one condition.”

  He rubbed his hands together. “Okay. Now, we’re talking.”

  “You’ll air something about the theater. If people see how important it is, maybe we’d get some extra donations, bring some attention to it.”

  He groaned. “I never make promises about what we will or won’t air. There’s a lot to squeeze into the show every week.”

  She crossed her arms. “Well then, good luck on your search.”

  “Hang on,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll take some footage of the theater.”

  “That’s not good enough. I want it in my contract that information about the theater will be on the air. I need people to know about this place, so they’ll want to help.”

  He looked to Raymond.

  The man shrugged. “Sounds fair to me.”

  Elliot sighed. “You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll have the lawyers draw up the contract. As long as your background check comes back okay, you’ll fly out tomorrow.”

  Tomorrow? Panic wound its way down her spine. “No way. I can’t leave tomorrow.”

  Elliot blew out a long breath as if he were dealing with a toddler. “The crew and the rest of the cast are already there. We can’t start filming until you arrive, and we only have three weeks to film. It has to be tomorrow.” He batted his eyes at her. “Think of the theater.”

  She gritted her teeth. “You expect someone to fall in love in three weeks.”

  Raymond put a hand on her shoulder. “We can handle things here.”

  Was she really doing this? It was crazy. Visions of the kids and the people who depended on the theater swirled in her mind. “Fine,” she whispered. “I’ll do it.”

  His gaze locked on hers, Elliot held his hand out. “Perfect. We have a deal.”

  She slowly put her hand in his and shook it. Heat rushed up her fingers and through her body.

  “Just think, Meg,” Raymond said. “You might find your one true love while you’re there.”

  She scoffed, pulling he
r hand away. “That is never going to happen.” She pointed at Elliot. “And I refuse to get into a hot tub with anyone.”

  “We’re not that kind of show, Meg. We’re classy. I won’t let you look bad.”

  Sure. She’d trusted a man in show business before, and that had ended in disaster.

  Chapter Three

  Elliot checked the screen of departures. Their flight would be boarding soon, and he hadn’t heard from Meg. With every second that passed, he was more convinced she’d changed her mind. What would he tell the network? What about all the crew who were ready to start filming? A familiar anxiety burned in his chest.

  He paced the floor in front of their gate, staring out the wall of glass to the planes and taxiways. He should have insisted she ride in his rental car, but she refused.

  “You drink too much coffee this morning?” a familiar voice asked.

  Relief washed over him. He turned to see Meg’s pretty face staring at him.

  Clasping the handle of a bright red carry-on suitcase, she blew a strand of hair out of her eye. “Sorry I’m late. My brother is the slowest driver ever. He wanted as much time as possible to talk me out of this. Dad put him up to it, I’m sure. And the security line was ridiculous.”

  The security lines in this little airport were nothing compared to those in Los Angeles, but he wouldn’t dare argue with her. After he’d been thoroughly convinced she was standing him up, he wanted to hug her. “You’re here. That’s all that matters.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Of course, I’m here. You thought I wasn’t coming? I considered it after you were so stubborn about us flying out today. Why couldn’t you have let me come tomorrow?”

  He took the suitcase handle from her. “And risk you not showing up? Not a chance. I want you on that flight with me. Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

  “Oh, yeah.” She pulled it out of her pocket and fiddled with it. “I turned it off because my dad kept calling. Have I mentioned he doesn’t support this decision?” She held it up. The screen read 16 Missed Calls. “I should probably talk to him.”

  The gate agent called for boarding over the intercom, but Meg already had her phone to her ear. He waited with her bag, determined not to let her out of his sight. Even in jeans, a gray T-shirt, and white tennis shoes, she looked camera ready.

  She held a finger in her ear. “I know, Dad. It’ll be fine,” she said. “You don’t need to remind me about New York.”

  New York? She’d never mentioned anything about New York.

  Meg blew out a breath. “We’re about to board. I’ll call you when I get there, okay? I love you.”

  After she’d hung up, her brow wrinkled. “Sorry about that.”

  “Your family’s worried about you. That’s nice.” He missed having a family to worry about him. Not that his dad ever had worried much. His philosophy was to shove Elliot out of his comfort zone and hope for the best.

  She squeezed the phone. “My dad and brother need some time to get used to the idea. They’re protective.”

  He nodded toward the line of passengers. “I take it they’re not fans of the show like Raymond.”

  She shook her head. “My brother’s heard of it, but that’s not the problem. They were both relieved when I moved back home a few years ago.”

  They joined the slow-moving line toward a man scanning boarding passes. “What were you doing in New York?”

  Her face flushed, and she dug in her purse. “It was no big deal. I just thought I would give the acting thing a try after college.”

  “Like Broadway? I thought you didn’t want to be famous.”

  She pulled out a crumpled boarding pass. “It wasn’t about being famous. I wanted to be a stage actor.” She gave a stiff laugh. “That was the dream anyway. I packed up the things in my little apartment and moved to New York City all by myself.”

  “Pretty brave.” The more he learned about Meg, the more he admired her.

  She shrugged. “I needed to get it out of my system before I settled down in Alna. My dad and brother think this is going to make me want to move back to New York again.”

  “It might. You could give it another shot.” Most people who were on the show tried to take advantage of their celebrity. Most of them ended up going back to their old lives eventually.

  Her gaze met his. “It won’t. Trust me,” she said gravely. “Moving out there wasn’t anything like I expected it to be. I loved acting, but I wasn’t cut out for it.”

  “Do you want me to talk to your father for you? Not to brag, but parents love me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Are you always this cocky?”

  “Not always, but I don’t let that stop me.”

  Meg laughed. “Obviously not.”

  He wanted to know more about her family, about what made her move back to Oklahoma, and about what she wanted out of life, but the producer in him knew that all those things would be better revealed when the cameras were rolling. Meg was different than the other women on the show—different than any woman he’d ever met. This season was either going to change everything for him or convince the network to drop the show for good.

  Once he and Meg had made it down the jet bridge and onto the plane, the flight attendant pointed them to their seats.

  He lifted her carry-on into the overhead compartment. “Would you prefer the window or the aisle?”

  She smiled at him. “I’ll take the window. Thanks.”

  She grabbed his arm as she slid by him, and he caught the sweet scent of her shampoo. Every cell in his body reacted to her nearness. He swallowed hard. She had the perfect chemistry for this role. The audience wouldn’t be able to resist her. He just had to make sure he didn’t let himself be cast under her spell because he had a job to do. Sure. She was beautiful. All the women who’d been on the show had been beautiful in their own ways. But Meg had a sweetness and an inner strength like he’d never seen before. His usual laser focus on work went fuzzy whenever she was around.

  But it was his job to find her true love among the men they’d cast on the show. Only then could he keep the show on the air and keep his father’s legacy alive. And that was what he intended to do.

  She leaned forward and slid her purse under the seat in front of her. “Thanks for the plane ticket, but you didn’t have to spring for first class. I’ve already agreed to do the show.”

  He laughed. His past stars would’ve complained about the brand of champagne on the flight and the firmness of the pillow the flight attendant gave her. “You’re welcome, but I didn’t personally pay for it. Our production company did.”

  She glanced at the flight attendant handing a blanket to a man in a suit and tie. Her eyebrows rose. “I’ve never flown first-class before. It feels…different.”

  He buckled his seatbelt, wondering what she thought of him. Did she think he was a spoiled brat? When he was alone, he flew coach. No reason to put a strain on the production budget for a little more leg room, but he’d learned that the contestants enjoyed it when he made a fuss over them. At least the contestants who’d come before Meg. “A lot of things are about to change for you.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure I want things to change. I’m comfortable in Oklahoma.” Her gaze moved up to his. “I have a feeling we’re both going to find out you chose the wrong person for this.”

  “I didn’t,” he said without a single doubt in his body.

  “How do you know?”

  Because he felt it in his gut. How could he convince her based on that alone? “Trust me. You’re the right person.” He wished he could take her hand and reassure her, but for once, his instincts were betraying him instead of helping him. He needed to keep things professional.

  She shrugged. “Okay, but shouldn’t you want someone who buys into the process?

  “What matters is that you believe in love. You believe the right man is out there for you.” If she didn’t believe that, she never would have thrown that bottle into the ocean. “The women w
ho haven’t worked out were the ones doing it purely for the attention.”

  “What about the men on the show?” she asked. “You’d already cast them before you found me. You didn’t even pick these guys out for me. They were for the first woman, right? You have no idea if they’re even the kind of guy I would look for.”

  She had a good point. He couldn’t really envision any of the guys waiting on the island with Meg, but he wasn’t sure who he could picture her with. “I believe there’s a little fate involved.” At least he hoped so. “Just promise me that you’ll be open to connecting with someone. That’s all I ask.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “I guess I’m going to have to trust you.”

  He wouldn’t let her down. He’d find a way to make this work and to save the show. It’s what his dad would want. A flight attendant handed him a set of headphones, and he passed them onto Meg. “Try to relax. Once we land, things are going to get hectic.”

  She took a deep breath. “I’ll try. As long as you know that I have no delusions that I’m going to fall for someone while I’m on the show.”

  Elliot wished he could say the same thing, but he’d already started falling for Meg.

  ****

  Warm island air welcomed Meg as she stepped outside from the baggage claim area. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

  “You ready for this?” Elliot asked.

  “I guess.” As much as she blamed him for her being on the show, it was comforting to have him with her. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. She’d enjoy a free vacation and meet some fun, interesting people. The idea that this would lead to lasting love was laughable, but she’d seen the show once or twice, and the guys were usually nice enough.

  Most importantly, the show would save the theater, and then she could go back to her old life. She’d have Elliot to walk her through the whole process, and she’d figured out that beneath his smooth-talking Hollywood exterior, she enjoyed having him around. And he was gorgeous. When he looked at her with those dark eyes, heat rushed through her. If only he weren’t in the industry. She’d dated men like him. Directors and producers were much better at acting than the actors. Lies rolled off their tongues like tornados over the plains.