by Elena Aitken
“The last thing you want,” he said, “is to be tied down with a woman right now. I mean, this is your chance. No, this is our chance. This show is going to be a hit, I know it. Before long we are going to be the latest it boys.”
Cal laughed. “What does that even mean? It boys?”
“Think about it. As soon as this show premieres, women and teenage girls everywhere are going to want our picture on their bedroom wall. Publicists love this kind of thing. There’ll be photo shoots, parties, women everywhere. All the time. The last thing you want is to be tied down with a girlfriend, even one as hot as Bridget Murphy.”
Cal didn’t have time to disagree; they were already at the Grizzly Paw. And even if he did, he wasn’t sure he could. There was definitely something to be said about being single right now. He had enough to think about with the show. The last thing he really needed was to worry about a relationship. Maybe the timing was right? After all, things did happen for a reason. Besides, even if he did want to protest Byron’s theory, he was pretty sure the other man wasn’t going to listen. Cal shook his head with a laugh and followed his new friend into the pub. Byron did have a point; it would be a lot easier to stay single right now. A woman wouldn’t be anything but a distraction.
Milena should be working. It had been two days since she’d run into Cal down at the gazebo at the beach. And although she had plenty of other things to keep her busy, she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him.
Forget it, Milena. He’s a celebrity, for goodness’ sake.
Milena had never been one to fantasize about celebrities. She’d never been a silly teenage girl who got all googly-eyed over good-looking movie stars like the rest of her friends had. She’d only ever been interested in a real man. The down-to-earth, hard-working, caring and loving, real man. Just like her father. When she closed her eyes and pictured what her husband would be like one day, that’s the type of man she imagined: not a celebrity, not a television star, and most definitely not a model.
Which was why it was so crazy that she couldn’t seem to get Cal McCormick out of her head.
She needed to focus.
She’d only had her real estate license for little over a month, and what she really needed to be doing was focusing on getting new listings and getting new clients to view those listings. Cedar Springs was a growing market. What had once been a sleepy little summer town had been completely revitalized by the opening of the upscale Springs resort and then the reopening of Stone Summit ski hill. Cedar Springs was most definitely an up-and-coming real estate market, which was exactly why she jumped on getting her real estate license. There was only one other realtor in town: Estelle Perkins, the older, slightly eccentric, but completely lovable woman who currently sat on the other side of the office from her. She was an old family friend, and ever since Milena’s mother had died when she was young, Estelle had made Milena a priority in her life, always looking out for her.
It had been Estelle who had approached Milena about getting her license, and perhaps taking over her real estate office. Milena’s first reaction had been to say no. But that was the old Milena talking. The overweight, frumpy, shy, insecure girl who didn’t believe she was worth anything, and there was no point in trying to achieve anything of worth. But she was no longer that girl.
It was so crazy for her to think back on how weak she had been, and how her life would have been so different if she hadn’t have stumbled upon Gwen Henderson’s blog that day. She couldn’t even remember what she’d been looking for online, but when she started reading about this other woman who once didn’t think she was worth anything, who then changed her entire life just by changing how she felt about herself first, it struck a chord.
Not only did Milena feel terrible about herself, she was in a relationship with Michael Malone, who reminded her of that daily. To say that she was emotionally abused was an understatement. But by the time she realized that that’s what was happening, Milena felt trapped. At least until that day.
That day she sat in her room, reading Gwen’s blog until she read every single post. And then she read them again. And then she clicked over to a new tab and typed in the search bar: weight loss and self-esteem. A number of things came up in the search, but the one line that stood out was a website advertising yoga. She clicked over to that site, and started reading. Within the hour, she was on her living room floor, trying out some of the poses.
And the rest was history. It had taken her six months to lose the weight, and a few months longer to get up the courage to kick Michael Malone out of her house and out of her life. She deserved better. Just the way her father and Estelle had been telling her for years. She hadn’t been ready to believe them, until then.
It was after that Estelle approached her about getting her real estate license. Maybe the other woman hadn’t felt she was ready until then, but after regaining her life, her sense of self, Milena was ready for anything. And she was definitely ready to sell houses.
That’s exactly what she was going to do.
She pushed thoughts of Cal McCormick, and memories of the past, out of her head and grabbed the files on her desk. She needed to get focused. There was no time for men.
“Milena, I just got a call from a family who’s looking to find a summer home. Is it okay if I pass that lead onto you?” Estelle grinned over at her. Of course it was okay; she knew it was more than okay.
“Of course.” Milena laughed. “Estelle, you just keep on giving me whatever leads you don’t want. I promise I’ll let you.”
“Oh, I know, kiddo. You’ve already made me so proud with the way you handled that deal for Mitch McCormick. It’s hard to believe that was even your first showing, you handled it like such a pro. It’s only a matter of time before you’re running this place.”
Milena shook her head. “I’m not trying to run you out of here. And I hardly think I’m qualified to run the place after one showing.”
“Kiddo, I want you to run me out of here. I’m ready to retire already. And you might not be qualified yet, but you will be soon. Keep up the good work. I’ll get you the details of that family, and you can contact them.”
Now she had even more work to do. And even less reason to be surfing the Internet. But even so, Milena’s eyes drifted from the files in front of her back to her computer screen, where she typed Cal McCormick into the search bar. Immediately Cal’s gorgeous face flooded her screen. He had done a lot of modeling work in Australia. Everything from fast-food restaurants, clothing chains, cologne, to underwear. Milena’s face grew hot when she looked at those images of him half dressed.
Damn, he was sexy.
But there were other pictures too. Pictures of him with a super-hot blonde. Bridget Murphy. She was the star of some show. She was hot. And they looked very close. Milena clicked on one picture and read the headline: “Beach Bodies star dumped by model boyfriend.”
She couldn’t help the little feeling of glee inside her. Cal had dumped her. Still, she had no business fantasizing about the man. He was clearly used to dating movie stars and not chubby, small-town real estate agents.
Milena clicked off her computer and once again turned her attention to the files in front of her. The top one was the final documents for Mitch McCormick’s new house. She had worked wonders with that one, getting him an incredibly fast possession date. Like, two days fast. It was unheard of. But when Milena explained to the seller what Mitch was trying to do—namely, propose to and then subsequently marry his girlfriend, Jade, in a surprise ceremony—the seller was remarkably accommodating. And apparently a sucker for love. That being said, they did still have the final paperwork to sign, which they were doing in about twenty minutes over lunch at the Grizzly Paw. Which meant she needed to turn off the computer and focus on her job.
The Grizzly Paw was busy for a Monday afternoon, but Milena managed to find a seat at the table in the middle of the room. She positioned herself so she could see the door when Mitch walked in. It wasn’t super profe
ssional to meet at the pub, but in Cedar Springs that seemed to be where most business was conducted. Besides, it was one of the best places to grab a good lunch. The owner, Samantha Burke—or Harrison, which was her married name now—had done a great job revitalizing the place after her dad had almost run it into the ground a few years earlier. It had definitely become the hub of the community. Although Samantha had a minor setback when her good friend and chef, Archer Wolfe, had left to go to Panama, it seemed she had found a new cook. And he was being tutored by Jax Carver, the head chef up at the exclusive Stillwater restaurant at the Springs resort, so the food at the Paw had never been better.
She made a mental note to tell Samantha how impressed she was with the pub, and what a good job she’d done. Once upon a time, Milena and Sam had been pretty good friends, but Milena had let a lot of her friendships die when she was with Michael. It sometimes seemed overwhelming to try to fix them.
With her back to the room, Milena managed to ignore most of the noise, although she did hear some chatter about Mr. Summer and the cast. It was a pretty common subject matter in Cedar Springs lately. But she stayed focused, especially when Mitch walked in a few minutes later.
“Milena, it’s good to see you.” Mitch greeted her with a quick hug. All the McCormick brothers were good-looking—there was definitely some strong genetics at play—but ever since Mitch and Jade’s quickie surprise wedding, there was a different type of glow about Mitch altogether.
“It’s good to see you.” They sat. “I know things have been really busy for you the last few days, with the wedding and all. But this will be one less thing you have to worry about.” She shuffled the papers in front of her.
“It has been pretty crazy,” he said. “I’m so glad it’s summer and I don’t really have to worry about working yet. Well, besides the Dockside.”
“I heard a rumor that you might be teaching at the Cedar Springs school in the fall?”
“It’s not just a rumor, I hope. I mean, my job back in the city was great, but I’m not going to lie when I tell you it would be nice to get away from the private school environment. Besides, Cedar Springs is where Jade and I want to stay. And I can’t thank you enough for everything you did getting the house for us. You are totally amazing.”
Milena blushed and shrugged off the compliment. It was a carryover from her old life, but she still wasn’t very good at taking compliments.
“I don’t think the wedding would’ve been the same if it wasn’t for the house.”
“The wedding was beautiful,” she said. “And I’m sure no matter where it was, it would have been just as beautiful. But I’m really glad I could make it happen for you.”
“Well, I’ll tell you what, I’m going to recommend you to anyone and everyone who’s looking for a property in Cedar Springs. But first, what do you say we grab something to eat?”
Milena laughed. “I think that’s a great idea.” For the next hour, they chatted like old friends, and when they finally finished, and Mitch had signed all the final paperwork to close the real estate deal officially, Milena found herself not quite ready to leave. “We’ll have to do this again sometime,” she said. “It would be really nice to get to know Jade better as well. Especially since you’re both staying in town.”
“Absolutely,” Mitch said. “She was hoping to join us today, but she’s been so busy with the show. Today was the first script read-through, but it must be finished because I think I see the star of the show now.”
Mitch stood and waved at the exact moment Milena’s heart leapt into her throat.
Cal? Here?
Of course Cal would be at the Grizzly Paw. It was a small town, and there weren’t all that many places to go for lunch.
She only had a moment to compose herself before Mitch greeted his brother with a back slap hug. “Hey, how did it go this morning?”
“Really well.” Cal turned to greet her, and was it Milena’s imagination, or did his eyes take on a new spark when he saw her? It was likely her imagination, but it still made her feel good. “Hello,” he said to her. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything…”
“Not at all,” Mitch said. “Join us. Milena was just getting me to sign my life away. But it’s now officially official,” he said. “The house is mine.”
“That’s fantastic.” Cal slid into the seat between them and focused on Milena. “It’s amazing what you were able to do with that property on such short notice.”
“It really wasn’t me,” she said. “I mean, if the seller hadn’t been so agreeable…”
“Nonsense,” Mitch chimed in. “I have no doubt it was your considerable charm that made it all happen.”
“And your charm is definitely considerable.” Cal winked. “I’m glad I ran into you.”
“You are?” She tried desperately not to blush—or worse, look excited. “Why is that?”
Could it be that he’d actually been serious about having her try weight lifting? There was no way. That had all been flirty banter. Nothing more. There was no actual way Cal McCormick would be interested in—
“I was hoping you could work a little real estate magic for me, too.”
“Oh.” Despite her tempered expectations, Milena’s heart clenched with disappointment. “Of course,” she said. “You’re in the market for a house, too?”
“You are?” Mitch asked as well. “I had no idea you were thinking about buying.”
Cal shrugged. “I know it might seem a little premature since the show hasn’t even started filming yet, but I just know it will be a hit and—”
“Of course it’ll be a hit.” Milena swallowed hard, embarrassed. She sounded like a star-struck teenager.
If Cal noticed, he didn’t say anything. He gave her his trademarked smile and continued. “Well, even if it’s not, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to invest in some property in Cedar Springs.”
“It’s not a bad idea at all. The market is really on the way up.”
“Great.” Cal slapped the table. “Let’s make it happen. Can I call you?”
She tried, and was pretty sure she failed, to not look excessively excited as she handed him a business card. It wasn’t a date. She needed to remember that. It was a business meeting.
He examined the card in his hand and smiled. “I’ll give you a call and we can set something up.” He pushed up from his chair. “Oh, is this a business number only or can I reach you socially as well?”
Milena was sure she was going to completely melt into her seat, but somehow she managed to stay upright. “It’s my cell phone.”
“Perfect.” He tucked the card into his wallet. “Because I haven’t forgotten about our weight lifting-yoga date. I’ll call you.” And just like that, he was gone, leaving Milena to wonder what the hell had just happened.
It took her a moment to remember she wasn’t alone at the table. When finally she was able to refocus on Mitch, she was met with a knowing grin. Whatever had just happened between Milena and Cal, his big brother had noticed it too.
Chapter Three
Cal wasn’t interested in waiting a day or two. No doubt there was some sort of rule about how soon he was supposed to call a girl to ask her out, but the last thing he wanted to do was play any games. He wasn’t a teenager anymore; he knew what he wanted, and he didn’t want to waste time. Because what he wanted was to get to know Milena Hill better.
He wanted that very badly.
Which was exactly why he called later that night and set up their weightlifting-yoga date for the next morning. He was just going to get busier with the show, which meant he needed to take his opportunities when he had them. And if they ever got around to announcing who the female lead was, things were going to get much busier.
Wondering who was going to play Gwen Henderson on the show started to make him crazy. Chances were he’d never heard of her; after all, they were looking at getting as many up-and-coming actors as they could. But still, the way they were being so secret about it starte
d to make him a little bit nervous, as if he didn’t have enough to think about given that this was his first big job. He would have preferred to get to know who his co-star was going to be, develop a relationship of some kind so they could make sure their chemistry was right on-screen. But it wasn’t something he could control, so there was no point worrying about it.
What he could control was getting to know Milena better. And that was exactly what he was going to do.
He leaned against the wall and tried to look casual as he waited for her, although he was fairly sure he must look as nervous as he felt inside. It was a good sign that he was getting first date jitters. A good sign that Milena was special. Cal had a fun date planned, but he was pretty sure he’d have fun with her no matter what they did.
If she ever got there.
He pulled his phone out to check the time and saw an email from Jade Johnson. Maybe it was about who his co-star would be? He didn’t have time to look at it, because right then he heard the familiar voice that gave him a flutter in the stomach, just like a teenager.
He looked up from his phone and tucked it into his back pocket as he saw Milena walking across the field toward him. She was dressed in crop leggings and a short jacket. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She looked sporty and cute. Just the sight of her made Cal want to run over, pick her up in his arms and swing her around. But it was too soon for that. With any luck, he might be able to sneak in a kiss later. But first things first. “Hi there.” He waved and jogged over to meet her. “You look great.”
She blushed and tugged at her ponytail. “I don’t know how you can say that. I’m wearing workout clothes.”
“I can say that,” he said. “Because it’s true.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’re beautiful.” He waited until she looked him in the eyes. Cal couldn’t figure out why, but there was something about Milena. She was so unlike other girls he dated who knew exactly how gorgeous they were and weren’t afraid to use their beauty as a weapon. Milena was very different. For one thing, it was clear to him that she didn’t even know she was gorgeous. He had every intention of making her see that. “And I don’t think it matters,” he continued. “You could wear anything, and still be the prettiest girl in the room.”
