by Ruby Forrest
Ashlyn considered calling after Brandon, but neither did she want someone in the house to see their interaction and think her desperate. She didn’t want to be the center of the house’s gossip, even though she knew that the crew probably already talked about her.
Ashlyn watched Brandon’s form until he had mounted the steps and disappeared over the bridge into the parking lot beyond. Ashlyn closed her eyes and listened to the crash of the waves on the shore. The waves receded then crashed once more. Ashlyn wondered if it was safe to sleep out on the beach. She knew that the sound of the waves would lull her to sleep in a minute. Ashlyn sighed.
She needed to go inside and get ready for bed. The day was over, and that was that. Worrying over Brandon or trying to understand his hurried goodbye would not change anything. But even Ashlyn’s excellent advice did not help her. She knew that she would still lie in bed that night thinking over every moment of that kiss and its aftermath. When she saw Brandon again, she would kiss him hard and let him know that she enjoyed his kiss.
***
Ashlyn woke up the next morning ready to see Brandon. She wasn’t sure what the filming schedule was for the extras, but she knew that it would take a minimum of three days. There were a lot of scenes with extras on the beach. Ashlyn determined that she would get a moment alone with Brandon to say something.
Sure enough, he was at the set the next day, and Ashlyn hurried over to him. Her camera was all set up, and they still had ten minutes until it was time to film. That was plenty of time to talk.
“Good morning, Brandon,” Ashlyn said.
Brandon nodded at her and sipped his coffee. “Good morning, Sunshine.” Ashlyn wondered at the weird nickname and looked for signs of trouble. Brandon didn’t seem bothered by anything. Should she even mention their kiss?
“How was the dog last night?” Ashlyn said to fill up the conversation as she tried to figure out what to do.
“She was just fine,” Brandon replied. “She’s a very calm pup. I might bring her to the beach sometime so you can meet her.”
He was planning on seeing her in the future. That was clear from what he had just said. Ashlyn decided not to mention anything. There didn’t seem to be any problem, at least from Brandon’s point of view.
“I better get to my camera, but I hope to see you at lunchtime.”
Ashlyn hurried over to her camera stand with a smile on her face. All was well. She watched as Brandon, so personable, struck up conversation with Gary. Gary was normally quite agitated on mornings like this, but he seemed fine talking to Brandon for about five minutes before he was needed to solve a problem. Ashlyn was amazed at how good Brandon was with people. She thought of a saying she had once heard that really applied to Brandon. He could sell ice to Eskimos. Brandon was excellent at making himself likeable and easy to be around. Even if someone didn’t want to like him, they probably would.
Ashlyn certainly liked being around him.
When it was lunchtime, Ashlyn immediately headed over to Brandon, but Mark interceded her. “Have you had a good morning filming?” Mark asked.
Ashlyn nodded cautiously. She always felt self-conscious when she was around Mark. She could never be sure if he was really just trying to patch things up or if he only saw her someone he had slept with. She certainly couldn’t place as much trust in Mark as she could in say, Pamela. Pamela would never do something purposely to hurt Ashlyn.
“I saw you talking to that extra,” Mark said, nodding in the general direction of Brandon. Ashlyn instantly crossed her arms and readied herself for confrontation. “Hey, Ashlyn, I’m just trying to take care of you.”
Ashlyn raised her eyebrows. “Obviously, that’s what you want to do. Maybe I wasn’t great at judging your character, but I’m normally quite good. Brandon is a gentleman.”
“I agree,” Mark replied. That surprised Ashlyn. She thought this was some case of ex-boyfriend’s revenge, but Mark seemed to be telling the truth. “I just want to tell you something as a friend, because I still care about you even though I know you don’t think anything of me now. How did Brandon become an extra? You told him about the spot, didn’t you?”
Ashlyn wondered how Mark knew so much. Had he been a spy before he worked on filming? “And once he knew about the spot, he got the idea of moving up the world. Most people don’t know the acting world well. They think it’s easy. They think that once you’re in, you earn big bucks. Brandon is using you to get a higher place. He’s using you just like the lowest rung on a ladder. He doesn’t mind walking all over you if it means getting higher up.”
Ashlyn opened her mouth to protest. She was not going to let Brandon walk all over her like she was some piece of trash. “I know what I am doing thank you very much. You’ve already taught me one lesson, and that’s all I need from you. I won’t get drunk, and I’ll keep making intelligent decisions. You don’t know the conversation that has passed between Brandon and I before he even knew where I worked. You don’t know anything about him. So just move on and ruin someone else’s day.”
Ashlyn turned away from Mark, but she already didn’t have an appetite. She saw Brandon jovially talking with a few crew members. Ashlyn just wanted a few moments by herself to think. Mark wasn’t right. He couldn’t possibly be right. He was just jealous, but Ashlyn couldn’t keep the doubt from creeping into her mind.
Chapter Five
Ashlyn felt grumpy. She hated the feeling of distrust, and right now, she didn’t know who she could trust. Mark had obviously done something to break her trust. She wouldn’t trust herself in his hands again, but did that mean that she should trust his words? Brandon hadn’t done anything to break her trust. He had been the joking, considerate gentleman that she had always wanted to find. But Mark’s claims could be true. There was always the possibility. How was she going to be able to get rid of her doubts without ruining her relationship with Brandon?
Ashlyn felt tears pricking at her eyes. No fantasy could ever really be a fantasy. Something always shattered her hopes of a romance like there was in the movie. Ashlyn hurried over to her camera and forewent having lunch, preferring to call her mom.
“Hi, Ashlyn!” her mom answered in a perky voice. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. How is Aunt Jennifer?”
“She’s doing much better. I wish that you could have come out to see her, though. I think she would have really appreciated it.”
“I know, Mom. I wish I could have too, but by the time I would have gotten there, she would have already come out of the hospital. I will fly back to see you guys at Christmas if all goes well.”
“That’s a long way away.”
“I know, Mom. I miss both of you.”
“I miss you too, darling.” Ashlyn had been planning to ask her mom for advice when it came to the guys, but now just talking to her mom seemed to make her feel better, even without having a solution to her problem. Besides, how would she be able to privately explain what was going on when anyone nearby would be able to hear here?
“What were you calling for?” Mom asked.
“I just wanted to talk to you. My schedule is so crazy that I hardly have a free minute,” Ashlyn was trying to make an excuse for not calling earlier.
“I understand, Sweetheart. You’re an adult now. You have your own life.”
Ashlyn smiled bittersweetly. Suddenly, she wanted her mom to tell her exactly what to do, so she walked away from all the cameras and poured out everything that had happened in the last few weeks, not leaving out anything. She even told her mom about the confusing situation with Mark. She ended with, “I don’t think he would hurt me. I think Mark cares for me, but I don’t know if I can trust what he says.”
“Sweetheart,” her mom sighed, and Ashlyn waited impatiently for her mother’s wisdom. “I can’t tell you what to do.” Now Ashlyn was copying her mom’s sigh. “I know you want me to, but I don’t know either one of these men. I can’t make the decision for you.”
“I know, Mom. I want to trust Brandon, and I don’t have any reason not to trust him. But then again, Mark could be telling the truth.”
“And Mark could be exaggerating. Tell me this, if you really trust Brandon, why do Mark’s words bother you so much?”
Ashlyn thought over her mom’s question for a few minutes. “I guess it bothers me, because I am scared that he’s right. I don’t know Brandon very well. I think we’re going on day four or something. I’ve known Mark longer.”
“Exactly, if you’ve only known Brandon for four days, then you can’t expect yourself to know everything about him. Give it some time.”
“It’s just that I don’t know how much time we have,” Ashlyn told her mom. “We’re only filming here for two weeks. Is that enough time to really get to know someone?”
“You have to ask yourself what your plans are after the filming. Will you try to work on filming another movie? Where is that movie going to be filming? Are you willing to give up a chance at filming to stay at the beach near Brandon?”
“At some point, I have to be willing to give up something,” Ashlyn replied softly. “I can’t keep going against guys who show interest in me just because it doesn’t fit into my plans right then. In the future, it might fit perfectly.”
“That’s what you have to work through, Ashlyn. Maybe you have to do a long distance relationship for a while. But get to know him as much as you can. Use your common sense.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Ashlyn said, noticing the others hurrying over to their cameras. “I think I need to go. I’ll let you know how everything works out.”
“Have a good afternoon, and I hope to hear from you soon. Goodbye, honey!”
Ashlyn pressed the end call button and stuffed her phone in her pocket. Her mom hadn’t really cleared anything up. She hadn’t told Ashlyn to listen to Mark or to go against everything that Mark said. She had simply told Ashlyn to get to know Brandon more.
Ashlyn looked over to where Brandon was joking with one of the other extras. He was so naturally kind to everyone that there was no way he could just be using this as an opportunity to get higher up in the world. Then Ashlyn realized something. That could very well be what he was doing. After all, the more friends he made on set, the more a chance he would have of getting another part. Ashlyn swallowed hard. Why were men so complicated?
Chapter Six
That evening, Ashlyn didn’t approach Brandon. She wanted to observe him a little and see what he would do. Was he only interested in spending more time with the crew? Would he be interested in spending time with her? They hadn’t really had a conversation since the night before. Ashlyn was worried to let her guard down in case Brandon might turn around and stab her back. At the same time, she was also nervous to have her guard up and lose an amazing guy.
As Ashlyn started down the beach with her camera in tow, Brandon hurried to catch up with her. “Do you want to walk with me again tonight and see if the turtles are going to hatch?”
Ashlyn was quite interested in the turtles, and going to see them would give her a chance to talk to Brandon one-on-one. “Sure,” she replied. “What time?”
“It needs to be dark. What about nine o’clock? I’ll go home first and let old Slippers have her dinner.”
“Slippers?”
“Yeah, that’s the dog’s name,” Brandon smiled. “Hey, like I said, she’s not mine, so you can’t blame me if she has a silly name.”
“Okay, I’ll come out to the beach at nine o’clock.”
Brandon seemed to realize that Ashlyn was carrying her camera. “Do you want me to carry that for you?”
“Oh,” Ashlyn looked down at the camera. “No, I’m fine. I don’t mind. But, thanks.” Letting Brandon do things for her would be the first sign of weakening. She couldn’t let herself be swept away by his gentlemanly ways. She had to be strong.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you tonight then,” Brandon said. He headed off down the beach, and Ashlyn wondered if he was going to swim in the ocean before he went back to his house. She almost wanted to join him. She hadn’t had a swim in the ocean since she had first met Brandon, and that swim had been quite a bit less enjoyable than most were.
As soon as Ashlyn had finished cleaning off her camera, she showered and carefully applied a fresh layer of makeup. She didn’t pick anything too fancy, but her clothes clearly gave the message that she was interested in him. Because, Ashlyn decided, no matter what Mark said, Ashlyn was interested in Brandon. Besides, maybe the only way to find out his real intentions for spending time with her would be to show him that she was interested.
Ashlyn’s mind floated back to their previous kiss, and she smiled. There was nothing like tasting Brandon’s lips. Now if only their kiss wouldn’t scare him off if it happened again!
A few minutes before nine, Ashlyn headed down the steps to the beach. She left her shoes and began walking toward the boardwalk where she assumed she would find Brandon. The sun was just sinking over the horizon, and the moon was already high in the sky. This would be a perfect night if the turtles were coming out.
“Hi,” Ashlyn said, coming up behind Brandon as he stared out across the ocean. She naturally slipped her hand into his, her heart beating rapidly.
“Hey,” Brandon said, turning to her with a smile. “It’s good to see you.” He took a step closer then seemed to hesitate. It was as though he wanted to kiss her, but he didn’t want to. Fear started pounding through her. Why was he hesitating? Maybe he really wasn’t interested in her, but he felt like he had to keep up the charade. Maybe the whole reason he had apologized the night before was that he felt bad for taking advantage of her.
Ashlyn quickly dropped Brandon’s hand and took a step back. He stared at her strangely. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Ashlyn swiped at her eyes, furious with herself for wanting to cry at a moment like this. She had to be strong. “I don’t get you,” Ashlyn replied simply, her hands in fists at her side.
Brandon seemed frozen. “Pardon?”
Ashlyn shook her head and sucked her cheeks in. “It’s like some moments you’re such a gentleman, and then other moments, I doubt you. I know. I can’t expect to know everything about you right away. But. . .” Ashlyn shook her head as she trailed off. What was she doing? Trying to start a fight?
“Did something happen?” Brandon asked. He took a step toward her, but he didn’t touch her. He seemed content to let her figure it out herself.
Ashlyn decided to reveal her hand. “Someone said that in watching you, they think that the only reason you are interested in me is because you want to get a higher position in acting. You want to become rich and famous, so you are using me for an in.”
Brandon stared at her. He didn’t even ask who had said such a thing. “Do you believe that person? Do I seem like the kind of person who would take advantage of other people? Someone trusted me enough to leave me in their house for three months.”
Ashlyn swallowed, feeling angry and sad all at the same time. “I don’t know what to think. I thought I had you figured out. You’re the Southern gentleman that every woman wants, but then. . .I don’t know. When someone said that to me, I couldn’t put it out of my mind.”
“That’s fair,” Brandon replied. “You don’t know me. But I can assure you that being an extra had nothing to do with being famous. Who doesn’t want a little bit of fame? I thought it would be fun to go for three days and maybe see my face on the screen when the movie came out. Sure, who wouldn’t think that? But I would never use you for anything. You are a sweet woman, and I would never think of hurting you.”
Now a tear did escape. Ashlyn didn’t even wipe it away. She just let it run down her cheek and drop off the point of her chin. “Thanks,” Ashlyn said, scared that if she let any more words out that a whole floodgate of tears might escape too. Brandon pulled Ashlyn into his arms, and she laid her face on Brandon’s chest. He gently rubbed circles into her back
, and Ashlyn felt so secure that she wanted to cry. She wanted to stay there forever in Brandon’s arms. How could she have thought he would hurt her?
“I’m sorry,” Ashlyn whispered gently.
“For what?”
“For not trusting you. You’re a gentleman, and I don’t think you would hurt me.”
“Never intentionally,” Brandon replied. “But I’m not perfect. Ashlyn, I. . .you’re a very sweet girl.”
Now, a few more tears escaped from Ashlyn’s eyes. She squeezed Brandon in her arms to tell him that his words were just what she needed to hear. She finally pulled back, and Brandon quickly made busy wiping away the last trace of tears.
“Now,” he said, “let’s enjoy this evening.”
Ashlyn smiled and took Brandon’s hand. They started walking down the beach, and Ashlyn was doing more thinking than talking. Was Brandon the kind of guy that she would be with forever? A giddy part of her heart said he was. There was still a small corner of fear, though, that was telling her she should hold back.
“What are you thinking about?” Brandon asked.
“I was just thinking that I never met a guy like you before. It’s like you’re genuine, not just a fake guy.”
“That’s me,” Brandon smiled. “Genuine skin on this body. You won’t find no imitation.”
Ashlyn smiled at his sarcastic answer. As she smiled at him, she remembered their kiss. She had already blubbered like a baby in front of him. What else was she afraid of? “Why did you apologize for kissing me?”
Brandon was silent for a few minutes as though carefully considering his answer. Finally, he spoke. “You’re the kind of girl I could get lost with.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re strong, not afraid to be who you are, but that doesn’t keep you from being a woman too, emotional when that’s who you are. I guess you just used the word I mean. You’re genuine too.”
