Missed: Rafael & Lisa

by Tess Thompson

  “Thanks for having us,” Rafael said. “You have a beautiful home.”

  Eden motioned for one of the servers.

  He bustled over, reminding Rafael of a puppy with feet too big for his body. “Another martini, Miss Nash?”

  “Thank you, doll.” Eden looked over at them. “What’re you drinking? I’m on my second so you’ll have to catch up.”

  “I’ll have a glass of white wine.” Lisa looked up at Rafael. “Would you like a beer?”

  “Whiskey. Neat.” This party required the hard stuff.

  Eden cackled. “Oh love, you’ve found yourself a rugged type.” She turned to the server, who stared at his shoes as the tips of his ears turned bright pink.

  I feel you, brother.

  “Make sure it’s the good stuff,” Eden said.

  “Yes, Miss Nash.”

  Eden slipped her arm into Rafael’s. “Now come with me. I’ll introduce you to my husband.” She pointed across the pool, where a white-haired man huddled with several women. “He’s currently talking with the latest Victoria’s Secret cover model. He thinks she wants to sleep with him. Delusional old man.”

  “Eden, that’s not nice,” Lisa said.

  Something or someone had caught Eden’s attention away from them. She turned toward the house, clearly startled. Rafael followed her gaze to a young man wearing teal pants and a white shirt. He made a mental note to point those teal pants out to Lisa.

  “It’s Nicky. What’s he doing here?” Eden whispered.

  “You didn’t invite him, did you?” Lisa asked.

  “Of course not. Grayson will have a fit.”

  “Does he know about you two?” Lisa asked.

  “He found a few messages on my phone, but nothing that couldn’t be explained away as texts between good friends. I mean, he knows how it is when you do a movie with someone.”

  Eden snapped her fingers toward the server, who was putting their drinks on the tray over by the bar. “Hurry up.”

  He bounded over to them, spilling some of the martini onto the tray. Eden snatched it from him and downed at least a fourth of it before excusing herself, presumably to tell Nicky to leave.

  The server handed them their drinks and slunk away.

  “She’s interesting,” Rafael said.

  “That’s a good word for Eden.”

  “She’s having an affair? Right under her husband’s nose?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” Lisa said. “I think they have an arrangement.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “For the record, I don’t believe in arrangements.”

  She clinked his glass. “Me either.”

  They were interrupted when a petite redhead approached. She played Lisa’s maid in Indigo Road. “Look at you, gorgeous.” She planted kisses on each of Lisa’s cheeks before she turned to Rafael. “I’m Callie Carter. You must be the boyfriend.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He held out his hand.

  She ignored the formal gesture by throwing herself into his arms instead. “I’m a hugger.”

  “Well, sure. Okay then.” He extricated himself from the hugger’s arms and drew closer to Lisa.

  “You’re in luck,” Callie said to Lisa. “Moses heard you were bringing a boyfriend and decided not to come.”

  “I feel bad,” Lisa said.

  “Don’t. You’ve been honest with him all along,” Callie said. “Anyway, he’s been finding comfort from a supermodel this summer.”

  They chatted with Callie for a few more minutes until someone swept her away.

  “Does anyone here eat?” Rafael asked.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving.” His stomach had been growling for a good five minutes.

  She poked him in the chest. “I thought you weren’t hungry for food, only me.”

  “A man has to keep his strength up. You never know what the night will bring.”

  “Good point.” She took his hand and dragged him across the yard. “A feast awaits.”

  A buffet was spread out on a long table. His mouth watered at the sight of various sushi rolls, tiny sandwiches, shrimp, egg rolls, meat on skewers, and piles of fruits and cheese. He filled his plate with a little of everything. Lisa put two pieces of a tuna roll on one of the small plates. “Would you like to sit?” He glanced at her high-heeled sandals. “Do your feet need a rest?”

  “They would love a rest,” she said.

  He followed her across the pool deck to a low table between two love seats. They sat together. She crossed her legs. Those sandals might be torturous, but they made her calves and dainty ankles look incredible. He took a bite out of one of the egg rolls. The crunchy wrap broke into bits and drifted into his lap. Swallowing his bite, he set the rest of the flaky piece back onto the plate. Why did they always make party food so hard to eat? He brushed the crumbs from his pants, hoping they hadn’t stained the fabric of this suit that probably cost more than his mortgage payment. With a stealthy sidelong glance at Lisa, he swiped his chin with the napkin. Had she noticed that he was a careless, messy pig?

  She smiled as she reached over and plucked what must have been yet another wayward piece of the egg roll’s shell from his cheek. “Tricky little things to eat.” Leaning toward him, she placed her hand on his knee and cocked her head to the side. “You’re brave. I never eat in public.” She kissed the side of his face where the greasy crumb had been.

  “Is that true?”

  “My mother says I’m a loud chewer and that loud chewers should eat as little as possible in front of other people.”

  “No, that can’t be right.” He reached under the chain she wore around her neck and adjusted it so that the clasp was at the back of her neck. “Everything you do is beautiful. Even chewing.”

  “You’re incorrect, sir, but we’ll leave it for now.”

  It was as if she caressed him with her eyes. One night, during the Mullens’ honeymoon, he’d stood outside a restaurant, keeping watch for any hint of a threat to his employers. At one point, he’d glanced at Kara through the window. Her eyes had shone in the candlelight as she’d gazed at her husband from across the table as if he were the eighth wonder of the world. A pang of jealousy had shot through him. Not coveting another’s wife, but someone to love him that much—to look at him as though he was the only sight worth seeing. He’d wondered then if there was someone out there, searching for him, yearning for him?

  And here, right now, this graceful, elegant woman looked over at him with eyes that told the story of her soul. Could he be the one for her? Was she the one he’d waited for?

  He skimmed her jawline with the backs of his fingers. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  “Not for food,” she whispered in his ear. “Do you know what I want?” She ran a finger under the collar of his shirt without meeting his eyes, her voice low and husky.

  He almost choked on a piece of shrimp. “I know what I want.”

  “I do hope it’s the same thing.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “Now focus on that plate of food so we can get out of here.”

  For the next few minutes he ate, careful to stay away from the egg roll. She sipped her wine, seemingly lost in thought. He was nearly finished when Lisa squeezed his arm and spoke under her breath. “Oh my God, that’s Genevieve Banks.”

  “No way.” Genevieve Banks was the highest paid actress in the world. He’d seen all her movies, like most people. Why did these actresses look so much smaller in real life than on the big screen?

  Genevieve headed their way with a plate of food in her hands. It took a moment for him to realize she was on her way to them.

  Genevieve flashed her famous smile. “May I join you?”

  He glanced at Lisa. She stared up at Genevieve with eyes as wide as the sushi rolls.

  “Sure, please,” Rafael said.

  Genevieve set her plate of food on the table. “My husband’s over getting drinks but he asked me to fix a plate for him. He says the shrimp are always the first to go
.”

  Next to him, Lisa only nodded, clearly unable to speak.

  “That table has a lot of food for a crowd that doesn’t eat,” Rafael said.

  “That’s what Stefan always says. Men don’t know what it’s like to have to count every calorie.” Genevieve turned her attention to Lisa. “I hope you don’t mind my intrusion, but I wanted to come introduce myself. I’m a huge fan of Indigo Road.” She lowered her voice. “And especially of you. I told Stefan that actors trained in New York always bring so much craft to the table.”

  Lisa continued to stare at Genevieve with round eyes. Her bottom lip had disappeared under the upper one.

  Rafael nudged his date in the ribs with his elbow. “What a nice compliment. Isn’t it, Lisa?”

  She startled. “Yes. Yes, thank you. I’m a little starstruck right now.” She sounded breathless, as though she’d just climbed a steep hill. “You’ve been my idol forever.”

  “How sweet,” Genevieve said, laughing. “I guess this means I’m officially old. I keep telling Stefan I’m going to retire when I’m forty, but he doesn’t believe it.”

  A man’s voice came from behind them. “That’s because it’s a bald-faced lie.”

  Stefan Spencer handed his wife a glass of wine and set a tumbler of scotch on the table. “I’m Stefan.” He plopped onto the love seat next to Genevieve. Not that Rafael could judge whether other men were attractive, but he’d wager a guess Stefan topped the charts. He had piercing eyes that conveyed sensitivity and intelligence, high cheekbones, and a full mouth. Purposely messy hair hung over his forehead. Yet he seemed like a man’s man, rugged under his fancy jeans and untucked shirt.

  “I know who you are,” Rafael said. “I’m a big fan.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “I’m Rafael, and this is Lisa Perry.” Rafael shook Stefan’s hand from across the low table. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, man.” He turned to Lisa. “Lisa Perry in the flesh. My wife can’t stop going on about your performance in Indigo Road. She’s obsessed. I swear she watched the entire season twice.”

  Genevieve poked him in the shoulder. “Don’t tell them that. You’ll make me sound like a stalker or something.”

  Stefan’s eyes twinkled. “I was starting to get a little jealous. She thinks you’re prettier than me.”

  “She’s obviously prettier than you,” Genevieve said.

  “True enough.” Stefan popped a shrimp in his mouth and grabbed another.

  “I watched the season twice, too,” Rafael said. “Personally, I couldn’t take my eyes off Lisa.”

  “Right?” Genevieve leaned over the table for emphasis. “You have a quality that makes it impossible to watch anyone else on the screen. There’s such raw truth in your work.”

  “Thank you,” Lisa said, sounding breathless. “That means a lot coming from you.”

  Genevieve smiled. “That scene with Harry in the garden. I don’t think I breathed the entire time.”

  Swept away in the conversation, Rafael forgot he was talking to the most famous movie star in the world. “I just knew they were going to get caught.”

  “And then poor Harry would be in even more trouble than he already was,” Genevieve said. “However, the second time I watched it, I could breathe. I was lost in your performance, Lisa. How torn she was between duty and love.” She fanned herself. “Honestly, I think it’s one of the finest love scenes ever filmed.”

  Lisa thanked her again. Heat radiated from her bare arm against his hand.

  “Honey, you’re embarrassing her,” Stefan said.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll stop.” Genevieve took a drink from her glass.

  Stefan took a break from the shrimp to look over at Rafael. “You’re obviously not an actor.”

  “How’d you know?” Rafael asked.

  “You didn’t immediately start talking about yourself,” Stefan said. “Or hitting us up for a favor.”

  “Honey, it’s not that bad,” Genevieve said, laughing.

  “What do you do?” Stefan asked.

  “Retired military. Former cop. Now I run security for a family in the private sector.”

  “A real-life hero,” Genevieve said. “It’s such an honor to meet you.”

  Stefan nodded. “Thank you for your service.”

  Rafael played with the buttons on his jacket, embarrassed. “Thanks.”

  “Rafael was a Navy SEAL,” Lisa said. “He did three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

  He glanced at her in surprise. Now she could talk?

  “That must’ve been rough,” Stefan said.

  “Depended on the day,” Rafael said. “I helped find some bad men, which, you know, felt good, after everything that went down.”

  “Bad men?” Genevieve asked. “Like how bad?”

  “As bad as they get,” Rafael said. “I wasn’t responsible for finding the worst one, but some of my buddies were. I helped with some others.”

  “I could never do that kind of work. I’m way too chicken,” Genevieve said.

  “Baby, no offense, but I don’t think you could pass the physical exam,” Stefan said. “You have to weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet.”

  “Very funny,” Genevieve said.

  “You’re brave,” Lisa said to Genevieve. “You took down a really bad man, too—a man who might have been president if not for you.”

  Genevieve sipped from her glass before answering, her dark eyes serious. “That’s true.”

  “My friends and I followed the whole story when we lived in New York,” Lisa said. “We’d experienced so much harassment from men in the industry and outside of it. My friend Pepper was assaulted when we were in college, and it meant so much to her…to all of us…to see justice served. At least once.”

  “More than a few men in Hollywood are about to get the same treatment,” Stefan said. “It’s a long time coming.”

  “I’d have a different method of punishment for those assholes,” Rafael said. “Going through the court system’s too good for them.”

  Stefan laughed. “Amen, Rafael.” He turned to his wife. “We could take him to River Valley with us. He’d fit right in.”

  “That’s a compliment,” Genevieve said. “Our friends in River Valley are Stefan’s favorite people.”

  “Except for my wife,” Stefan said. “And our baby son, of course.”

  “We live part time in Oregon,” Genevieve said. “And part time here.” She pointed to the house next door, barely visible through the climbing clematis that grew along the iron fence. “We love living out here by the beach when we’re working, but the minute we wrap up a project, we’re back to Oregon.”

  “I’d like an arrangement like that,” Lisa said. “It’s possible? You don’t have to live here all the time?”

  The wistful quality in her voice caused an ache in his chest. Was it possible she wanted to live in Cliffside Bay forever? With him?

  “Totally,” Stefan said. “Especially for someone as talented as you. You’ll have the opportunity to pick your projects carefully. We only do what we have a heart for or that excites us.”

  “You have to take care of yourself or this town will eat your soul,” Genevieve said.

  “Are you guys living in LA now?” Stefan asked.

  “We live in Cliffside Bay,” Lisa said.

  “Cliffside Bay? Never heard of it,” Stefan said.

  “The locals like it that way,” Rafael said. “A few have been known to take road signs down in the middle of the night.”

  “Awesome,” Stefan said.

  Genevieve pulled a slim phone from her clutch. “We’d love to have dinner while you’re in town. Can I call you?”

  Lisa had once again gone mute.

  “That’d be great.” Rafael took his phone from the inside of his suit jacket and asked for her number, then told her his.

  “Can you deal with three actors for an entire evening?” Stefan asked him.

  Rafael smil
ed. “I’m sure I can suffer through one night.”

  Genevieve set aside her glass. “We have to go. Our baby’s at home with my mother, and we promised to relieve her so she could come over to the party for a minute. Honestly, this isn’t really our thing, but when Eden told us you were going to be here, I had to come meet you.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Lisa said.

  “I’ll give you a call tomorrow and we’ll set up a night for dinner.” Genevieve stood. “We’ll look forward to seeing you soon. Good luck tomorrow with your premiere. I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Stefan said as he uncurled from the love seat. He grabbed one more piece of shrimp from his plate before following his wife.

  Rafael waited until they were out of earshot before he turned to look at Lisa.

  She wrung her hands over and over, like she was trying to wash out a stain. “Oh my God. Just oh my God. Genevieve Banks and Stefan Spencer just invited us to dinner. It’s all because of you.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. His stomach fell to the bottom of the earth.

  “None of this has anything to do with me,” he said. “You’ve gotten the world’s attention. This is the beginning.”

  He was a selfish bastard. All he could think about was himself. The more Stefans and Genevieves in Lisa’s life, the less likely someone like him would be allowed anywhere near her. She was a rising star. Everything important he was ever going to do, he’d already done. His life was about simplicity—friends and family and making ends meet, not Hollywood parties and premieres.

  Lisa’s costar in Raven, Glynnis Newman, appeared before them. All sharp angles, she reminded Rafael of a Picasso painting during his cubist phase. Beady eyes fixed on Lisa. He had an image of a steel scrubbing brush ripping a piece of silk to shreds.

  “Lisa Perry. You look like you belong here. They’ve put you into a nice package.” She raised one eyebrow. “That didn’t take long.”

  “Hi, Glynnis.” Lisa stood and held out her hand.

  The older woman ignored her outstretched hand and sat across from them.

  Rafael took Lisa’s hand and helped her back into their seat.