by Shawn Lane
MORE THAN SUMMER
Shawn Lane
www.loose-id.com
More Than Summer
Copyright © August 2017 by Shawn Lane
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eISBN 9781682524145
Editor: T. Mitchell
Cover Artist: April Martinez
Published in the United States of America
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More Than Summer
He was standing by the pool, holding a glass of rum and fruit juice in his left hand, when I saw him. He wore Hawaiian-flowered red Bermuda shorts and a white tank top that clung to his muscular torso and exposed his toned, bulging biceps. His skin was bronzed, whether from exposure to the sun or to a tanning bed, I didn’t know. His dark eyebrows were carefully salon-sculpted, and as he smiled and laughed with his throng of admirers hanging on his every word, his long lashes lowered over brown eyes dark enough to be black.
“Do you know who that is?” Rick hissed in my ear.
We were standing next to an enormous gas grill we’d purchased for the backyard when we’d rented this bungalow home off Laurel Canyon with its magnificent views of the hills and the valley. Rick and I were not a couple, just friends. We worked together at Lauren Canyon Medical Center, Rick in administration and I as a nurse. This place was probably way more than we ought to be paying, and the truth was if we didn’t get a couple of other roommates into the house soon, we’d have to vacate. But for now, for the summer, it was ours.
The backyard had been the selling point for me. Besides the tiled and cemented patio area next to the kidney-shaped pool, on the edges of the yard were lush, leafy trees that provided shelter from the afternoon heat, as well as one lemon and two orange trees.
This was not our first pool party since renting the place—we’d had three already—but it was the first time I had invited this particular guest, and I had been pretty surprised he had agreed to come.
“That’s Brady Laurens,” Rick continued before I’d had a chance to answer. “The actor. He’s the villain on that new television show everyone is talking about.”
I lifted my beer to my lips, tilting the bottle back to take a drink. “Yes, I know.”
“How in the hell did he end up at our party of all places?” He opened the lid of the gas grill. “You think Marcia invited him?”
Marcia Brown was one of his coworkers and a woman Rick wanted to pursue personally. She had been friendly but uninterested in his romantic overtures. Marcia was definitely one of the women who surrounded Brady Laurens. Currently he had the attention of both men and women by the pool, where he held court.
“No,” I replied. “Marcia didn’t invite him. I did.”
The lid of the grill fell as Rick turned to face me. “You? You know Brady Laurens?”
“He’s just a guy, Rick. Calm down.”
“Wait. Did you—were you…?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No. We were never lovers. Brady and I knew each other in grade and middle school in San Fernando Valley. After that he switched to a private school, and we lost touch.”
“Then how is he here?”
“He came into the hospital last week.” I shrugged. “Nothing serious. I was working that day and recognized him. To be honest, I never expected him to come when I invited him. It was completely casual.”
Not that I hadn’t wanted him to come. Brady was insanely hot and had, quite recently, come out as gay. I’d been surprised. I had thought he might be, back when we were kids—that wasn’t why I’d been surprised—but the fact that he’d come out in Hollywood and risk losing leading man roles had been surprising. Perhaps he preferred more villainous roles.
“Huh,” Rick said, reaching for his red wine. “I never would have guessed you knew a celebrity. You never said.”
“Well, as to that. I don’t really know him. I knew him. Don’t know much about him at all now.”
“Marcia’s over there gawking at him like she has a chance.” Rick eyed me dispassionately. “I’m going over there.”
I smiled and gestured with a wave. “Be my guest.”
* * * *
One of the things I loved about this place was that it was up on a little hill—not large enough to worry too much about mudslides, a frequent worry here, but enough so you could look over the walled-in backyard and get pretty spectacular views of the city and even your neighbors’ more extravagant homes.
The owner of our particular bungalow was the son of an old Hollywood B movies actress. She’d owned it herself until she’d gone to live in the Motion Picture and Television Fund Home in Woodland Hills. The son had a larger home closer to where his mother was now but didn’t want to part with a huge piece of his family’s history.
“Jerry?”
I involuntarily shivered at the deep timbre of his voice as he came up behind me while I looked out over the wall. I turned slightly to face him. “I go by Jeremiah these days.”
Brady’s smile was genuine instead of the practiced Hollywood-actor smile I’d noticed earlier when he’d been by the pool. “What are you doing? Spying on the neighbors?”
I laughed and shook my head, turning back to the view. “Well. Not intentionally, exactly.” I noticed down below to the left a woman sunbathing by her pool, which was situated in a grotto surrounded by bougainvillea.
Brady came to stand next to me, gazing out over the valley. “Nice. But you don’t own it, right?”
“Nah, I wish. I can’t afford a place like this. Honestly, it’s a struggle for Rick and me to pay the rent. Probably have to move out in the fall when our lease is up.”
“Rick. Is he your boyfriend?”
I glanced at him in surprise. Not because he knew I was gay—I’d always been pretty open about that—but that he hadn’t figured out that Rick was not. Rick had been pretty flirtatious with our female guests.
“No. We’re friends only. Met at the hospital a few years back where we both work. Rick’s straight.”
Brady nodded. “That’s good for me then.”
“Is it?”
He moved fractionally closer, and his smile widened. “It was good to see you again after all this time, Jerry
.”
I was too stunned to correct him over my preferred name now. Brady was interested in me? I was no slouch or anything, but a guy like Brady could have anyone he wanted. That was plain enough.
To hide my surprise and prepare myself for what I was going to say, I lifted my beer bottle to my lips and took a drink. I winced over the taste of the too warm beer.
“It was good to see you too. I’m sorry it had to be because you went to the hospital, though.”
“The studio is a little freaked out by liability. You get a paper cut and they want you checked out.” Brady moved closer again and I knew I didn’t imagine his interest.
Brady had grown up to be about two inches over six feet, I’d guess, so with me being two inches under, he ended up looking down at me, his dark gaze intense on my face.
“I was glad you invited me. Gave me a chance to see you again for longer and under better circumstances.”
I swallowed, my own gaze drawn to his pouty lips. “I was surprised you came.”
“Yeah? I thought I was pretty obvious when you were handling my finger. Maybe I’m losing my touch.” His smile now was self-deprecating.
“More likely I always have trouble thinking a hot guy is in to me. And honestly, Brady, you’re a celebrity. You probably have guys knocking down your door.”
Brady rolled his eyes. “I really hate that cliché. People assume you don’t have normal problems like anyone else. I like sincerity in the guys I date, Jere, not guys out to be seen with me.”
My lips quirked. “Somehow I still think my dating issues are more pronounced than yours are.”
He smiled a little and reached over to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. “All right, maybe. Do you have to hang around or can you come for a drive with me?”
“A drive?”
“In the Corvette.”
The way he said it sort of sounded like bragging, but I wasn’t offended. It wasn’t like he could hide the fact he was rich and privileged. And I’d never ridden in a Corvette in my life.
I glanced around, but Rick was standing on the other side of the pool, talking to a group of people holding wineglasses. I doubted he’d miss me for a while.
“Let’s do it.”
I followed Brady to the yard’s side entrance, which was in the shape of an arch and was decorated with vining flowers, and went through the opening after he unlatched the door. There were uneven stone steps leading down a hill to the street below, where I noticed a bright cherry-red Corvette parked.
“Surprised it’s not a convertible,” I remarked as I headed to the passenger side.
Brady shook his head as he clicked the electronic lock. “I don’t like convertibles. Messes up the hair.”
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes as I opened the door and scooted inside, sort of wondering if I would have to crawl out to get back out again. It was pretty low to the ground.
Brady revved up the engine with a saucy grin and pulled away from the curb.
This was the guy who played a very convincing villain on television. It occurred to me that many fans might be wary of him when they met him.
I decided to ask him about it.
“Ever get people afraid of you?”
He shot me a brief glance before his gaze returned to the road. “Afraid?”
He was flying through the canyon streets way faster than I was comfortable with, and so I clutched at the door handle.
“Yeah, you know. Because of your character. What’s his name?”
“Devlin. Devlin McClure.”
“Sounds very Hollywood.”
“Sure is. And to answer your question, yeah. I get that. There’s always someone who has trouble separating you from a character you play. Imagine how Captain Kangaroo felt all his life.”
That made me chuckle for some reason. “I hardly think your villain is like him.”
“No,” he agreed. “Same concept though.”
I quickly realized he was headed toward the ocean. “Beach?”
“Just for a little while. Remember that summer your folks let you come with my family for the day?”
Of course I remembered. Back in grade school I’d had a giant crush on Brady. My first one. It was summer before sixth grade, and I’d been thrilled he had even invited me. For years after it was a cherished memory.
“I do,” I murmured.
He’d made it to the Pacific Coast Highway and was headed down it, his gaze scanning for our destination, I presumed. Finally he pulled into a pay-by-the-hour beach parking lot and found a spot facing the ocean.
“We can watch the sunset,” Brady said.
I tried to turn my gaze to the beautiful sea and the sun glistening on it, but I kept being repeatedly drawn to his profile. He really was too good looking. He’d always been cute in school, or I’d thought so, but now…I was learning that there was such a thing as too good looking. Maybe that was unfair. But Brady definitely knew he was hot.
“Nice, huh?” he asked, stretching his arm across toward the passenger seat. “Think you’d like to come to my house?”
I was torn. After all there was a party at my place. Sure, it had been mostly Rick’s idea, but shouldn’t I play host? Of course I had already left, hadn’t I? I wasn’t much of a host anyway.
He moved his hand up to play with the strands of my hair next to my ear. “Please?”
I’d never been naive. I knew Brady was inviting me over for sex. I had no commitments elsewhere to anyone. So a casual hookup was certainly not out of the question. And seriously? When would I ever get such an opportunity again? Try never.
“I have to call Rick and let him know.” I wriggled up in the seat, trying to get my phone out of my back pocket without too much awkwardness.
Brady smiled and handed me his. “Here.”
I licked my suddenly dry lips and punched in the number for Rick’s cell. It rang four times and then went to voice mail.
“Hey, it’s Jeremiah. Listen, I’m out with Brady, and he invited me over to his place,” I said, feeling awkward, since the man himself was sitting right there [0]listening to me. “I know we’re having the party and everything, but I think you can handle it without me. I’ll check with you later. Okay? Bye.”
I pushed End Call and handed it back to Brady, who took it with a sexy smirk.
“I feel a little guilty,” I admitted.
“But not guilty enough to go home, I hope.”
My stomach fluttered. “No.”
“Sunset.” He reached over and turned my head to look back at the ocean.
It really was stunning. The sun turned a darker orange, almost red as it went down over the water. I didn’t spend a lot of time gazing at sunsets. I worked a lot. Most nurses did. And when I wasn’t working, I spent my time doing other things. I wasn’t much of a nature guy. And yet, it was breathtaking.
Brady started the car, glancing at me. “Ready?”
“Sure.”
Brady pulled out of the parking lot, pausing to pay at the gate as he did so. He turned right onto PCH. “Want to stop somewhere for something? You hungry?”
“Not really, but we can stop for food if you are.”
“Nope. There’s just some good food along here,” Brady said as he moved to get into a left-turn lane that led through a different canyon road than the one we’d come from.
“Where exactly do you live?”
“Little beach bungalow off Kanan.”
“You came kind of far to our party then.”
Brady grinned. “I like to drive. And I especially like to drive this car.”
“Fast too,” I murmured.
He laughed at that. “Maybe a little. You nervous, Nurse Lincoln?”
“Speed kills. Or wrecks bodies.” I sounded a little prim and proper. But I was surprised when he did slow down. Just a smidge. “Thank you.”
“Hey, no worries.” He made the turn and then another couple turns before going up a long, straight road.
“I have
to get up pretty early tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, Cinderella, I’ll have you back in time.”
He turned the Corvette sideways in front of a gate and then jumped out almost before the car had stopped. He punched a code into a box on the side of the gate, and the gate swung open. Brady ran back to the car and drove through. The gate closed behind us.
“I’ve been meaning to get that fixed so I can do it from the car, but it’s still set up the way the old owners had it.”
“Who used to own the place?” I wondered.
“An exec from Paramount Studios. He and his wife decided to move to Pacific Palisades.”
The Corvette was now on a winding stone driveway that led up to a magnificent house that was made to look like an old European castle.
I stared at Brady as he pulled to a stop in front of the portcullis. Okay it was just an ordinary front door. “A little beach bungalow?”
“Well.” Brady grinned as he got out of the car. “There are amazing views of the ocean. Come check them out.”
When I managed to get out of the car with some kind of grace, I followed him. He was making his way toward the side of the house, facing the west. He had long legs, and it was a little hard to keep up when he wanted to go fast, I noticed.
The castle was on a hill that overlooked the ocean, and below that some kind of fruit orchard. Maybe orange trees. Looked like citrus. It was hard to see, as it was getting a lot darker.
“It’s not that easy to see at night, I guess,” Brady said. “But during the day you can see for miles. I sometimes take a chair out here and watch the sailboats and surfers.” He sighed. “Not that I get a lot of free time.”
“Show’s on summer hiatus, right?”
“Yeah, just for another month or so. Then it’s back to work. Plus my agency is fielding offers for a movie or two. I’ll see what comes up.” Brady smiled and gestured to the back of the house. “This way.”
I nearly swallowed my tongue when he showed me his infinity pool.
“God, I hate you.”
He gave a startled laugh. “What?”
