Susan Hatler - Just One Kiss (Kissed by the Bay Book 3)

by Unknown

  The thoughts swirled around my brain until I felt dizzy. I had a dozen reasons to say no to this dinner. I knew I should say no. But somehow I found myself saying, “I’d love to go to dinner with you.”

  Even though Wendy and Max were standing right here witnessing our exchange, Luke’s face broke into a smile. “Great. Then it’s a date.”

  A date? Had Luke just called our dinner a date? With all of my concerns, I knew I should be proceeding with caution. Instead, I felt a big goofy smile spread across my face. And I was already looking forward to our date, even though I was pretty sure I shouldn’t be.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, I paced the confines of my room feeling restless and nervous. I’d tossed and turned all night, thinking about Luke and my thoughts were still a jumbled mess. Why did I agree to go out with him when I didn’t know if he was also dating Adele? Tabloids often blew things up just to give a story, but sometimes what they printed was true.

  Luke also could’ve asked me to dinner in a friendly way, just so I could fill him in on Blue Moon Bay. That was a depressing thought. I was looking forward to our dinner date way too much, and we hadn’t even set the time or day yet.

  My cell phone chirped on my nightstand. Could that be Luke? Had he called while I was in the shower earlier? My heart raced as I picked up my phone only to find three missed calls from Claire. I groaned. She’d probably called to ask questions about Luke, none of which I’d likely be able to answer.

  Letting out a sigh, I stared out the window at the vast expanse of blue-gray water and shining sand below. As I watched each wave roll in, my anxiety mellowed. This feeling of peace was why I’d moved back to Blue Moon Bay, and why I wanted to keep this house. The sight of all that endless and shimmering water comforted me, and maybe, just maybe, it was helping reinvigorate my belief in dreams again.

  The check from Just One Love caught my eye on the nightstand. These funds would keep me in the house for about a year, but it wasn’t a permanent solution. I needed to figure out what to do with my life.

  My cell phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. I checked the screen expecting to see Claire’s number but instead saw the name “Maggie Sparks.” Why was the show’s producer calling me? One way to find out. I clicked the “answer” button.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Charlie.” Maggie voice was all business. “Your sister is here on set, and is asking for you. I don’t mind that she’s here, but the writers and I are going over scenes.”

  “Thank you for calling. I’ll be right up,” I said, wishing Claire would’ve left me a voicemail letting me know she was coming, instead of appearing uninvited on the set. I hoped the intrusion hadn’t interrupted the show at all.

  I hurried up the stairs to the main floor where the crew was filming. Sure enough, there was Claire, chatting with Anna, and gazing around with avid interest. I grit my teeth. I’d wanted to lay low while the show was here, and maybe watch filming from a corner unnoticed. But my sister was anything but inconspicuous. I hurried toward her.

  “I’m needed in hair and make-up,” Anna said, giving Claire a one-armed hug like they had become best buddies. “So great to meet you. We’ll have to talk more later.”

  “Sure thing.” Claire smiled, then her gaze fastened on a handsome cameraman. She sashayed over to him. “Wow, zooming in, and zooming out, that all looks complicated.”

  He smiled at her, clearly charmed. “Once you get the hang of it it’s fine.”

  Oh no. Now Claire was flirting with the crew? I had to get her out of there. I clasped my hand on her arm. “Hi, sis. Let’s go get some coffee in the kitchen,” I suggested, firmly.

  Claire brushed me off. “In a minute, isn’t that Adele Andrews? Oh wow, it is! I can’t believe you have Just One Love filming in your house.”

  “Me, either,” I said, tugging at my sister’s arm again. Was I going to have to pick Claire up and haul her off like a sack of potatoes? Was I even strong enough to do that? I didn’t have time to find out, because she wiggled free and headed for a little knot of actors standing against the far wall, waiting for their cues.

  “Hi, there!” Claire gave them all a little wave and promptly asked if they bought their own clothes or if the show gave them to them. A conversation about fashion designers ensued.

  Claire had always been able to make friends wherever she went. Everyone loved her sense of humor and her warmth and today was no exception. But this was not the time or place, since I was trying to be discreet here. I started toward her again just as she turned to Adele, who wore her usual scowl.

  “I’d love to know how you get your skin to glow that way. Gorgeous,” Claire said.

  Adele actually smiled. “I use a seaweed toner and cleanser every day, and I adore—”

  “Quiet please!” Maggie called out. “Adele? We need you . . .”

  Adele winked at Claire, then hurried off.

  I walked up to Claire, and whispered, “What are you doing here?”

  “Making sure you didn’t get sucked into a weird soap opera dimension. I called you a zillion times this morning but you didn’t answer.” Claire gave me an annoyed look then gasped as Luke and Adele strode on the set together. “Oh, look. . . There’s your guy.”

  My face burned. “He’s not my guy.”

  “Why isn’t he in uniform?”

  “Derek got promoted to detective, so how he wears plain clothes as he searches for Sebastian’s killer. But I do miss the uniform . . .” Oops. I’d accidentally said that last part aloud.

  Luckily, the director yelled “Action!” and the scene began before Claire could respond. Claire and I watched with rapt attention.

  Adele swept into the living room, one hand pressed to her breast and her elegant dress fluttering around her body. She gazed up at Luke with a desperate look and then ran to him, tossing herself into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here, Derek. Things just keep getting worse. The life insurance company says they’re investigating and Sebastian’s family won’t talk to me.”

  His hands clenched her waist. “Catrina—”

  “Oh, Derek, you have to help me. I didn’t kill my husband. Everyone thinks I’m a murderer just because we’d had an argument. I did say I was going to kill him but I didn’t mean it. If they convicted wives for saying they were going to kill their husbands most of the women in the world would be behind bars,” she said, sobbing.

  “Catrina, calm down. Please. It isn’t doing any good being this upset.”

  Adele managed to turn on a veritable waterworks. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her slender body shook. “What if they put me in prison? What will happen to me then?”

  “I won’t let you go to prison, Catrina. I promise you.”

  Their gazes locked.

  Their faces moved closer together.

  And then they kissed.

  A bolt of jealousy surged through me. I tried hard to squash it to no avail. My stomach clenched even as my mind rationalized that Luke was kissing Adele as part of his job. Or was it more? Did he enjoy kissing her? And, hello, were they ever going to end this freaking kiss? Enough already.

  “You call that a kiss?’ Claire whispered.

  “What?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off of them.

  “No chemistry,” she said, shaking her head. “He might as well be kissing a cod.”

  I smothered a laugh, just as Catrina dropped away from Derek, and strolled across the floor, her skirt swirling behind her. “I need a drink. Let me calle for the maid.” She glanced in the direction of the kitchen, and called out, “Piper!”

  Nobody came.

  Adele, appearing obviously thrown, glanced around expectantly then called out, “Piper?”

  “Cut!” Roger yelled. “Where’s the maid? I was told the maid is here!”

  Maggie hurried around the set, speaking to people. “The extra who was to play the maid didn’t show. This will set us back, but it’s such a no brainer part. We need a maid!” />
  Claire put her hands on my back and shoved me hard in Maggie’s direction, pushing me out into the center of the room. “Charlie would be happy to play the maid!”

  Maggie clapped her hands. “Thank you, Charlie! Someone get her into a maid’s uniform now!”

  I turned to gape at my sister as others gathered around. Claire smirked at me, and I shot her a quelling look—one that said if there weren’t so many people around then there would be a real murder in the house. But I couldn’t back out.

  Like it or not, I was about to appear in a scene on Just One Love.

  Chapter Six

  My mind was reveling in all of the ways I could make my sister pay for trapping me into the part of Piper, Catrina Holloway’s new summer house maid, on Just One Love. Standing still for the wardrobe lady, I shot Claire a you’re-so-in-trouble look, but she ignored me. It was obvious she thought she was clever, which irked me even more.

  Acting in a scene was so the opposite of my goal to be inconspicuous.

  I’d wanted to protest but since everyone started thanking me for stepping up to do this very minor part I’d been unable to extricate myself without coming off as a bad sport.

  “Hold still, I just need to pin this a bit,” the wardrobe lady said to me.

  “Or a lot,” Claire suggested, wearing a wicked grin. “ Charlie could be a sexy maid if you took that hem up by half a mile. That uniform’s skirt looks like it was made for a giant.”

  For some unfathomable reason, the wardrobe lady chuckled. “Oh, Claire.”

  I stood still, staring at Claire, who moved on to chat merrily with other actors. I’d wanted my sister to leave and instead she’d become the most popular person in the room. Sigh.

  “That should do it.” The wardrobe lady took a step back to survey the uniform.

  “Thank you.” I gazed down at the ugly black uniform and tried not to think about the fact that I was about to be on camera. On television!

  “Okay, let’s get you ready for your mark,” Maggie said, putting an arm around me. “When Catrina calls for you, just walk in, stop on the blue mark, and say ‘You called me, ma’am?’ and then when she orders you to get them something to drink, you go to that sink over there. It’s a fake sink and there’s no bottom, so make sure you don’t let the water keep running. Okay?”

  “Got it,” I said, forcing a smile. Yeah, I was about to be on camera instead of hiding behind a potted plant, but I could be a good sport. What’s the big deal in doing a tiny part in a scene? Oh, right. More ammunition for the tabloids. I cringed thinking about what they’d write about this.

  A wave of laughter bellowed across the room and I glanced to where Claire was showing some actors how to do the Blue Moon Shuffle, a dance we used to do at the Pumpkin Festival every year. As if sensing me staring, Claire looked over. Her gaze met mine. I narrowed my eyes. In return, she grinned broadly. Really, she was impossible.

  “Are you ready, Charlie?” Maggie asked.

  No. Not in a million years would I be ready for this.

  “Yes,” I said, politely.

  “Action!” Roger Abbot bellowed.

  Luke and Adele took their marks and then Adele called out, “Piper!”

  I took a bracing breath and then walked into the room. “You called me, ma’am?”

  As soon as I got near Luke, tingles skittered up my spine. His eyes locked on mine and for a second or two we stared at each other. Butterflies burst into flight in my belly.

  He smiled, a long sexy smile.

  My knees went weak.

  Adele sucked in a breath. “Piper, fetch us a drink.”

  I could barely tear my gaze away from Luke, because he was still staring at me. But I managed to turn and head toward the little fake sink. I took the glasses down as Adele muttered something to Derek about good help being so hard to find.

  The camera was not on me. My only job was to run some water into the glasses and take them to Catrina and Derek and then leave. I turned away from the sink and stepped toward the duo. I handed Catrina her glass and then I handed Derek his glass. His fingers closed over mine.

  My pulse raced and my face heated. My body swayed toward Luke’s. . . From the corner of my eye, I saw Adele’s face darken.

  I took a step back just as Luke leaned a little closer.

  “Thank you, Piper,” he said. His voice was husky and low.

  My legs turned to spaghetti. How had Luke made thanking the maid sound so sexy?

  “You’re welcome, Detective.” I smiled, then strode off the shooting section of the room as Catrina and Derek exchanged their final words.

  “Cut!” Roger yelled.

  I let out a gusty sigh of relief.

  “Unacceptable!” Adele shouted in a rage. She headed for the little fake sink and just as she approached it with her glass out to set down, her arms flew up in the air, she let out a long shriek, and then she slid across the maple flooring, her feet skittering and sliding as she went.

  I stared as Adele slammed onto her bottom in the middle of the floor, her fluttery dress puffing upward just long enough to give everyone a glimpse of tanned upper thigh.

  Oh, no. I’d forgotten to turn off the water in the sink! Water still poured out of the sink, spilling onto the floor, and puddling around Adele. A few people I didn’t recognize ran to help her up and stem the water. I hoped Adele was okay, and that I’d paid my homeowners insurance in case Adele had broken her tailbone.

  “She left the water running on purpose!” Adele shouted.

  I stepped forward, my face hot. So much for lying low while I did my one tiny scene. Not only had I wound up in the soap opera, but I’d almost done in its leading lady.

  “I’m truly sorry. I completely forgot to turn it off.”

  “That is wholly unprofessional,” Adele fumed, and then stomped off. Any attempt she might have made at a dignified exit was ruined by the big wet blotch on the back of her dress.

  I spotted Maggie and Roger, the director, deep in conversation in the corner of the room. My heart sank. They were probably trying to decide if I was a security risk right now.

  Luke came up beside me. “That was good work.”

  “Making Adele fall?”

  His grin was white and infectious. “No, I mean you have a lot of onscreen persona.”

  I fought to catch my breath. “Thank you. I just can’t believe I forgot the water . . .”

  “Charlie? Luke?” Maggie stalked toward us. “I just talked with Roger and the writers. We couldn’t help but notice the chemistry between Piper and Derek. The tension was dynamite. It really worked. Would you mind doing a few more lines for us tomorrow, Charlie?”

  “Of course she can. She was a drama major in college,” Claire chimed in.

  I glared at Claire. “I never graduated and that was a long time ago. I’m not really interested in acting anymore, but thank you for the compliment.”

  Maggie and Roger exchanged a panicked look.

  Maggie raised her palms. “It’s only one or two lines, Charlie. No big deal. And you’d be helping us out.”

  “It’ll be fun,” Luke added.

  Claire stuck her hand on her hip. “How many people get to say they were on a soap opera shot in their own home?”

  I threw my hands up, knowing when I was outnumbered. “Just one or two lines?”

  “Just one or two,” Roger confirmed.

  “All right. I’ll do it,” I agreed, then everyone dispersed.

  One or two more lines as Piper and then I was out. The first scene as Piper had happened so fast and then Adele had fallen. . . I hadn’t even had time to think about the actual acting. Now that I was alone, I thought about playing the part of Piper tomorrow, and something I hadn’t felt in a long time bubbled up inside me. Suddenly I felt excited again.

  Chapter Seven

  I’d managed to survive the afternoon being cast into the soap opera, but now I’d turned into a nervous wreck. My growing excitement over this part gave me the very
real possibility of disappointment, which meant I was living again.

  I had a tiny part on a soap opera to look forward to tomorrow, and an upcoming date with Luke. This meant one thing: I so needed my friends right now.

  As I got ready to meet Olivia, Wendy, and Megan at Frankie’s Fiesta that night, I rooted through my closet for something to wear. I settled on a pair of my oldest jeans, a long-sleeved sweater in a soft blue, and a pair of ballet flats.

  I pulled the sides of my dark hair up high on my head and then clipped it, letting the rest hang down in loose waves. I wrapped a scarf around my head, and checked my reflection. My big brown eyes sparkled with excitement, and I wanted to cover them with dark glasses so I’d be less recognizable. But, then again, sunglasses in the evening would make me stick out like a sore thumb. The scarf worked nicely, though, and hid my hair.

  I hopped in my black convertible, and zoomed down the highway and into town, my smile growing with each corner I turned. The invigorating sea breeze washed over me, blowing strands of hair in my face. The cry of the seagulls was loud and I glanced out above the ocean as the fiery red and gold tones of sunset mingled with the growing darkness of the sky.

  Olivia, Megan and Wendy were standing outside Frankie’s Fiesta’s entrance when I arrived. A surge of happiness hit me as I walked up and greeted them. Everything felt better now that I was with my friends, and enveloped in hugs and laughter.

  “Did you get a perm that went awry?” Megan asked.

  I blinked. “No. Why?”

  “Because the last time you walked around town in a scarf was in the tenth grade when you decided to give yourself a perm.”

  Wendy put a hand over her mouth, stifling her laughter. “I’d forgotten about that.”

  “I think I blocked that,” I joked, laughing at that memory. “I looked like someone had electro-shocked a poodle. Don’t worry, you can say it.”

  “I think we did say it,” Olivia said, joining in. She fiddled with one of her long, red strands. “But if that’s not what happened then why are you wearing a scarf?”