“I was hoping for something simpler,” she finally said, turning to face the saleswoman named Jaclyn. Paula had taken charge when they first arrived so the changing room had been filled with beautiful dresses, but none of them felt quite right. “I look like a visual representation of Las Vegas. I was hoping for something far simpler. These dresses are gorgeous but they’re wearing me, not the other way around.”
Jaclyn didn’t get a chance to respond, however, because Tara joined them, a huge smile on her face and her cheeks pink with excitement. She was carrying a dress over her arm and she presented it with a flourish.
“Ta da! Well…what do you think?”
It looked like a white shapeless blob on the hanger, but Riley didn’t want to say that out loud. Clearly Tara was excited about her find.
“I think you’ll look beautiful in it. But I thought you already had a dress for the party.”
Rolling her eyes, Tara pressed the garment into Riley’s hands. “It’s not for me, it’s for you. I think this is what you’ve been looking for.”
Paula frowned at the dress. “You don’t like the one she has on?”
“She looks like a fancy cake.”
Paula frowned harder and then burst into laughter. “Oh dear, I think you might be right. I just wanted something… Special, I guess.”
“That’s special, alright,” Tara giggled, giving Riley a push toward the changing room. “Go try it on. You’re looking at me like I’m crazy but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to pick out a dress.”
She had a point. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to take a few minutes and try it on, if only for her best friend.
Closing the changing room door behind her, Riley took off the fancy cake dress and then removed the new dress from its hanger. Up close the silky white fabric looked completely different, shot with threads of gold that caught the light whenever it moved.
It slipped over her body easily, the fabric cool against her skin. Stepping back from the mirror to get a better look, her eyes widened in surprise. What had looked like a shapeless bag on the hanger was actually a gorgeous dress that lovingly hugged every curve of her figure without being obscene. The delicate spaghetti straps held up a bodice that draped over her cleavage in a vee, ending in the valley between her breasts. The back of the dress was cut low with crisscross straps, and the skirt ended in a soft puddle of fabric around her feet. It was simple yet sophisticated and she looked like a million bucks in it.
If I do say so myself.
“Are you going to show us or not?”
Tara’s voice could be heard through the flimsy door and Riley didn’t take any more time to admire herself in the mirror. She stepped out and twirled around a few times for their inspection. She didn’t need their approval, but it would be nice if they liked it too. There was only one question left in her mind.
Just how much does this cost? Will I have to take out a mortgage for it?
Tara clapped her hands together and practically jumped up and down. “That’s it. That’s the one. It’s perfect and you look amazing in it.”
Paula had stood and was inspecting the dress closely, but she was smiling, too. “I stand corrected. This is what you should be wearing to the party Saturday night. It is perfect.”
Even the saleslady was beaming and nodding her head, and she hadn’t cracked a smile in almost an hour.
“How did you know?” Riley asked Tara, who was snapping photos with her cell phone.
“You cannot judge a dress by how it looks on a hanger, but even I didn’t know it was going to look this good. I just liked the fabric.”
Riley ducked into the changing room and slipped off the dress and back into her own clothes. When she was done, she held her breath and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again to search for the price tag. She only hoped it would be less than the monthly payment on her condo. She still had to find shoes that would go with the outfit. She didn’t have anything that would look right with this. Luckily, she had jewelry that would be fine.
She found the tag pinned discreetly inside the dress and swallowed hard as she forced herself to read it.
She exhaled slowly, partly from shock and partly from relief. The price was more than she’d intended to spend today, but it wasn’t the king’s ransom that she had been imagining. She did some quick mental arithmetic and decided that she could swing it. Normally she liked to pay off her credit card every month but that wasn’t going to be possible this time. Maybe next time, too. She’d have to tighten her belt and put off replacing her aging refrigerator, but the dress was simply too beautiful to pass up. If she didn’t go crazy in the shoe department she’d be okay.
This one time she could be frivolous and unpractical. Let someone else be the adult today.
An image of Sam’s face when he saw her all dressed up popped into her mind, but she ruthlessly pushed it away.
He wasn’t her boyfriend. He was a nice, attractive man and he was becoming a good friend these last few days, but he wasn’t anyone she should be having romantic thoughts about. That simply wasn’t going to happen.
It didn’t help that she’d spent three evenings with Sam this week, talking and having dinner. He had a way of making a person feel like they were the only human being in the world at that moment and his focus was solely on you. She was sure it was an affectation he’d perfected in Hollywood, but it sure as heck worked. She found herself thinking about him far more than she should, daydreaming when she should be concentrating on something else. Last night as she’d watched him drive away she’d given herself a stern talking to about the futility of falling for movie stars. It was just that…
Sam seemed to enjoy her company as much as she liked his. He laughed, joked, and in general appeared to be having a good time. She gave him all sorts of excuses and outs but he continued to try and see her every day, even it was only for a few minutes. Part of her kept saying that he was just being polite, but there was a small part of her that thought that maybe…just maybe…he was attracted to her too.
But that might just be even worse.
They led completely different lives. He traveled the world and made movies, she lived in a tiny beach town and taught kindergarten. He made millions. She made thousands. Her car was a nice, sensible Honda Accord that she’d paid cash for used. She didn’t know what he normally drove when he was at home, but she’d bet it wasn’t an Accord. It was probably a sports car, racy and red, worth more than she made in a year. Or five years. They didn’t have enough in common to make it work. It was better that they were simply friends.
Tomorrow night she’d attend the engagement party with Sam and then the next day he’d catch a plane – first class, of course – and fly back to his real life. Getting any more involved with him than she already was wouldn’t be prudent. She didn’t run around and chase rainbows and unicorns. Reality was where she lived, not the make-believe of Hollywood.
“Are you ready to go yet?”
Tara’s voice once again drifted through the door, sounding impatient to go. They still had more shopping to do and it was already past dinnertime. Riley wasn’t seeing Sam tonight, but he probably wanted to spend some time with his mother. Paula was, after all, the real reason he was here.
A fact that Riley simply couldn’t allow herself to forget. Not for one single second.
CHAPTER TEN
“Do you even want to do another Thunder movie?”
Sam couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with one of his best friends Nate Mason. He’d assumed that they were all done with the Thunder franchise. They’d fulfilled their contracts and even the last film had felt a little tired, the premise having run its course. The studio had more movies planned but with a younger, fresher cast, including the hot new actor on the block Kirby Glenn. Now, however, based on some focus group from hell, the studio wanted to bring back some of the original cast including Sam, Nate, Max, and Tyler.
“Not particularly,” Nate replied, his voice so
ft. His wife Paige had just put their twin babies Andrew and Annabelle down for the night and he didn’t want to wake them up. They’d been cranky because of the time change between London and New York where the couple was filming the adaptation of one of Paige’s novels. “I don’t even know how they would write my character since he died in the last movie, for chrissake.”
Sam had forgotten about that. Nate’s character had been killed and his death had spurred the entire team to go and get the bad guys.
“That would be a problem unless they want you to show up as the voice of a ghost or our conscience. Did they indicate how they would bring you back?”
“My agent thinks they’re thinking a prequel. A movie that wouldn’t be with the newer cast but one with just us old farts. Jesus, I’m too old to be jumping off buildings on a motorcycle. What about you?”
If Nate was too old, then Sam was ancient.
“I’m definitely too old.”
Nate chuckled on the other end. “That’s not what I was asking. Are you interested in doing another Thunder movie? Whether it’s a prequel or a continuing part of a series?”
“No.”
That was the short answer.
“My agent says they’re going to throw a truckload of money at us.”
That’s what Sam’s agent had said as well. Money up front and points on the back end too, plus producer credits.
“How much money do you need? Those kids already running up bills?” Sam teased his friend. “If I remember correctly, you’re so frugal you should squeak when you walk. You must have saved a mint these last ten years.”
“It’s not the babies, they’re great. But you know how expensive it is to produce your own movies? I’d rather be able to finance them myself than have to go begging for cash from investors. I think you would, too.”
And that was the longer answer. Sam had all the money he would ever need. Personally.
Professionally was a whole other kettle of fish. More money equaled the ability to get projects green-lighted that right now were only a pipe dream. He could even have it written into his contract that if he did the Thunder movie the studio would finance his next indie project.
“It would have to be a pretty big money truck,” Sam finally replied. “I’m kind of over my character and I think I’ve done all I can with him, frankly.”
“The studio execs don’t care about art. They only see dollar signs.”
“I know and that explains the last two pictures, but another one? Are they planning to turn back the hands of time and make all of us look younger, too? We started making these films thirteen years ago and now they want to do a prequel. We’re going to need a plastic surgeon on the set.”
“No one with a knife is coming near me,” Nate growled. “I’m with you about the movie but I’m not sure I can pass up the money, to be honest, although I hate to say it. That kind of payday would go a long way toward a second film for Paige’s book series.”
“What does Max and Tyler say?”
“You know Tyler,” Nate laughed. “He said he was booked for the next two years but if they wanted to wait he’d think about it, which is basically his way of saying no. Max would rather have oral surgery with no anesthetic, or at least that’s how he put it. You know he’s getting ready to start rehearsals for a play in the West End, so his mind isn’t on Hollywood.”
“Well, I told my agent that I wasn’t committing to anything until I saw a contract, a finished script, and the director attached to the project.”
Actually, he’d said that he wanted directorial approval but Nate didn’t need to know that. Hell, Nate may have said the same.
“With any luck this will all go away like so many ideas do,” Nate said. “So when are we going to see you again? Don’t you start filming in New York in a few weeks?”
“I do,” Sam confirmed, stretching out on the sofa of his mother’s living room. It was unnaturally quiet when Paula wasn’t there. She’d gone shopping with Riley and Tara. “Looking forward to it. The script is good, the cast is good, and the director isn’t an egotistical asshole. It might even be fun.”
“Are ready to get back to work? It must be boring sitting on the beach all day long working on your tan.”
Sam hadn’t been to the beach since the night he and Riley had taken a walk after dinner. He’d made double-sure that they didn’t share any more moonlit strolls together after that first one. She’d been far too beautiful and tempting for a mere mortal man such as himself. The sooner he exited town the better. He was enjoying her company far too much for comfort.
He didn’t have what she needed. A woman like Riley needed a husband and a family. The kind of man that sat down to dinner every night and went to the hardware store on the weekends so he could tinker with some home improvement project. The kind of man that was there when the chips were down and the shit hit the fan. He wasn’t that guy.
“I’m ready. Let’s meet up when I get to New York.”
Tomorrow night he’d escort Riley to the party and make sure that Chad and Monica knew that she wasn’t heartbroken or sad. Then Sunday morning he’d pack his bags and hightail it out of town. He’d enjoyed every single second that he’d spent with her this week, but that was all he was going to get. If he was smart, he’d keep his distance tomorrow night, play it cool and not get too close.
But then no one had ever accused him of being all that intelligent.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Riley looked incredibly gorgeous. Sam had seen a multitude of beautiful women in his lifetime but not one could hold a candle to the woman standing in front of him in her living room. He’d been nervous tonight as he’d dressed in his tuxedo and tried to tame his hair that had grown a tad too long in the last few weeks, but when she’d opened the door he’d almost swallowed his own spit.
Her dark blonde hair was coiled up off of her neck and face, showing off creamy skin that didn’t need all the layers of cosmetics he was so used to seeing. Her dress was white, cut high on her leg and low in the back, showing off every mouthwatering curve of her body and highlighting her golden Florida tan. Good old Chad was going to kick himself repeatedly in the ass for leaving this woman.
“Are you ready to go?”
Surprisingly, his voice sounded completely normal despite his body vibrating from the inside out. His reaction wasn’t only to her physical beauty; it was also that he knew what lay beyond it. The intelligence, the kindness, even the silly sense of humor. She was fun, sweet, and the most normal woman he’d met in ages.
This is not real. You’re just doing a favor.
Riley turned and checked her reflection in the foyer mirror. “I think so. This is about as good as it’s going to get.”
“You look beautiful,” he assured her. “You’re a knockout and every man at that party tonight is going to wish he was me.”
Laughing, she gathered up her purse and dropped her house keys inside. “Of course, they’re going to wish they were you. You’re Sam Collins, movie star. It won’t have anything to do with me.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
“And you give yourself too little.”
The drive to the party was short and Riley kept him entertained with stories of his mother with the children at school. When he pulled into the long driveway in front of the beachside mansion, he had a quick moment of doubt that he felt deep in the pit of his stomach. It felt all wrong to be pretending this way with Riley. She wasn’t one of the actresses he usually worked with that knew the movie business rules inside and out. If he’d learned anything about her this week it was that she was an honest person and what they were about to do was far from those ideals.
“There’s still time for me to turn around and go back,” he heard himself say. “I know Paula pretty much cornered you into this.”
“She cornered you, too,” Riley reminded him. “We’re here now so we might as well go in, but I doubt I’ll want to stay long. I can’t imagine that we’re going to h
ave much fun tonight.”
Sam was determined that Riley was going to enjoy herself despite everything they had going against them. He just needed to know one more thing…
“How do you want to do this? Do you want to make sure that Chad and Monica see us together? Seek them out? Or just go in and have fun and if they see us, then fine?”
“The latter.” Riley’s tone was firm. “I’m not sure it’s even all that smart to be here so I don’t want to make a production of it. Other people can do that for us if they want to. Let’s find your mother and Tara, have a few cocktails, and maybe even dance. Everyone will know that we’re having a good time and then we can leave. How does that sound?”
“It sounds perfect to me, but I would have been good either way, although I have to tell you that my mom might have other ideas. She’s the one that’s pushing this, remember?”
As if they could forget that Paula had thrown Riley under the bus. And Sam along with her. Those tires hurt like a bitch.
“I think she knows she overstepped,” Riley replied as they pulled up in front of the home, a large modern monstrosity that tonight was all lit up with people bustling around the entrance. “I don’t think she’ll be pushy tonight.”
Riley’s prediction turned out to be true. Paula was on her best behavior at the party, gushing about how they were the most handsome couple there and pulling them both in for big hugs. Riley nudged his elbow and nodded toward Paula who was flirting harmlessly with a young waiter bearing champagne flutes.
“You should ask your mother to dance. She’d love that.”
“I haven’t even danced with you yet.”
Smiling, Riley’s gaze settled on Paula. “I can wait. She’s your mother and the real reason you’ve spent your vacation here. I think she’s earned the first dance. I’ll be fine here with Tara.”
Tara had come as Paula’s date since her husband, the firefighter, was on duty at the last minute.
Love in the Spotlight Page 6
