“No!” Amanda bit her lips like she could take her sudden and unexpected enthusiasm back. “You—you can bring her.” She glanced at Tanner for final approval.
He held up his hands. “He’s practically my boss, so that call is between the two of you,” he laughed. “Can I pick her up?” Amanda asked just as the small dog hopped up, resting its front paws on Amanda’s thighs. It stretched out its little body and let out the most adorable yawn while looking right up at her.
“Well, I think you have to,” Sam said, a smile in his voice. “Here.” He slid on his cowboy hat, then took Amanda’s bags from her and just as quickly she reached down and scooped the adorable mutt up into the cradle of her arms. The pup immediately started licking the side of her hand.
“Oh my God. You are so cute,” she cooed. She glanced back up at Sam. “Actually, you can leave. I have what I need.”
“You tell Miss Leona Lovell where her favorite dog is in the morning.”
“Okay. Yeah, no.”
“Come on. I’ll show you to your room.”
Amanda thanked Tanner, then followed Sam through the lobby.
“How was the drive?” Sam asked, glancing over his shoulder as they made their way to her room. Amanda had to swallow again. For some dumb reason she really hadn’t wanted to see him again, but now that he was here and she wasn’t running down the street crying, she was reminded all over again how much she was drawn to him. It helped that she already knew how warm his touch could be, how good of a kisser he was.
“Uh, the drive was fine. There was some traffic getting out of LA, but once I hit the 60 it was pretty smooth sailing.”
“Nice.” Another knee-melting smile over his shoulder. Finally they arrived at her room and Amanda shifted little Poppy in her arms and used the keycard to open the door. The suite was huge. Way too big for one person. She looked at the large sitting area and the cute desk in the corner. There were double barn doors at the far end of the space, opening to the bedroom where she could see the foot of a massive four-poster bed.
“This is bigger than my place,” Amanda said. She set Poppy on the floor, then went toward the bathroom, and sure enough there was a copper-wrapped clawfoot tub big enough for her to do laps in.
“We don’t get many cancellations, but lucky for you,” Sam said as she stepped back into the sitting room. He set down her bag on the armchair by the TV, then took off his cowboy hat again. She stopped herself from smiling, thinking about who had raised this boy right.
“Well, you should be all set here. Tanner’s on until five a.m., if you need anything. Enjoy that bed.”
“Actually thought I would take a bath and then pass out, but I’m wide awake.”
“Hey, I know it would involve hanging out with me, but if you want you’re welcome to come back to my brother’s place. My cousins are over there and we were doing a Friday the Thirteenth marathon. We were partway through Jason X when I left and we were gonna watch Jason Takes Manhattan next. You’re welcome to join us.”
Amanda glanced toward the bed and considered the sleep she could desperately use. And then she thought for a moment if what she really wanted was to be alone. “You sure your family won’t mind? I don’t want to just bust in on their movie night.”
“Nah, it’s all good. For real, if you want to come, come. The rest of the dogs are there, hanging out.”
“Oh well, why didn’t you say that?”
“So you’re coming?”
“Yeah, why not.” Amanda grabbed her purse and double-checked that she had her keycard. “Lead the way.”
“Alright. Let’s go, Poppy.” He scooped the dog off the floor and tucked her under his arm. Amanda followed as Sam opened the door for her. She stopped before she stepped out into the hall.
“Listen. It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you. I just—”
“You don’t have to explain. I read my cousin’s copy of He’s Just Not That into You when I was in high school.”
“No, Sam,” Amanda laughed. “I just didn’t expect to see you again. And not so soon. Not under those circumstances. It was a lot to process while trying to be present for Helene and Ignacio.”
“I get it.”
“Sometimes you’re—you have no vision for something and then it lands in your lap twice. I was overwhelmed.”
“So was I, but I just rolled with it.”
“Hmmm,” Amanda replied. She could admit to herself that maybe Sam was also handling this wild situation as best he could. Maybe she wasn’t the only one feeling a little out of sorts. “Did you know you were inviting me down here for Valentine’s Day weekend?” she asked with a smirk.
“When I invited you, no, I didn’t, but my brother let me know I was potentially playing myself, but hey, here we are.”
“Here we are.”
“Pals.”
“Pals.”
“Who might sleep with each other again.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and started walking down the hall, back toward the lobby. “Let’s go, Tex.”
“After you.”
Chapter 11
Amanda watched the road as they made their way back to Sam’s brother’s house. Absently she made note of every landmark and turn, the changes in fences as they passed different farms and fields. Soon the landscape cleared again and it looked like there were miles and miles of open desert between them and the snowcapped mountains up ahead. The small pup in her arms shifted and rested its head in the crook of her arm. It took all she had not to let out the most ridiculous, contented sigh. She didn’t need a spa to relax, just a clear night with a big moon in the sky and the cutest dog ever in her arms.
“She likes you,” Sam said, over the low-playing music.
Amanda looked down and scratched the scuff on the back of Poppy’s soft head before she glanced over at Sam and flashed him a confident grin.
“What’s not to like?”
“You got me there.”
“I didn’t know cowboys drove luxury sedans,” she said, changing the subject. Every moment she spent with Sam Pleasant felt like she was gambling with her self-control. She knew what she’d said and wasn’t foolish enough to lie to herself about how pushing Sam away was in direct contradiction to how she was starting to feel about him. But she knew it was less than a good idea to bring attention to the way he looked at her or the fact that they both couldn’t seem to stop flirting with each other. The car. The car was a safe subject.
“It’s a little cold for us to take the ATVs.”
“I’m just messing with you,” she replied even though she was trying to marry these two images of Sam Pleasant she had in her head. The cowboy hat and the worn jeans cut quite the figure behind the wheel of a sleek new Tesla.
“My agent told me to stop showing up for meetings in my truck after I started getting real jobs. Also I don’t know if you’ve tried to park an extended cab anywhere in LA but—”
“Actually.”
“Oh, word? Actually what?” His warm laugh filled the car.
“Back in my set PA days I drove a ten pass van for, like, three months. Finding places to park that thing was such a pain in the ass.”
“So you get it.”
“I do.”
“I gave my truck to my cousin.”
“That’s nice of you.”
A soft smile touched the corner of his lips, making Amanda think there was more to that story, but she didn’t push. “So who am I meeting tonight?”
“I think you met my brother Jesse before the wedding.”
“Briefly, yes.”
“It’s his house we’re going to. My brother Zach and his fiancée, Evie, are doing regular date night before date night extreme tomorrow. So they won’t be around.”
“Okay,” Amanda laughed.
“My cousin Lilah will be there. She’s the youngest of all the Pleasants. Well, the grandkids. There are four great-grandkids now.”
“Oh wow, how many grandkids are there?”
“Fifteen. Lilah’s the youngest of eight.”
“Double wow.”
“Did you just say double wow?”
“Sure did. So your brother and your cousin.”
“And my play cousin Corie, she’s Miss Leona’s personal assistant, but we’ve known her her whole life so she’s family.”
“Okay. Got it.”
“And Corie’s kinda girlfriend, Vega.”
“What’s the kinda about?”
“They’ve been doing the will-they won’t-they dance for a minute, but they’re clearly feeling each other.”
“Okay. So siblings, cousins, maybe girlfriend doing the delicate dance.” They came to another high fenced property. Amanda could see the lights from some houses off in the distance, but not much else. Sam slowed the car, then flipped his turn signal even though the long desert road was empty. She did love a responsible driver. She glanced up and saw the lone street sign that looked out of place in this very particular way.
Pleasant Lane. Sam turned toward a set of massive gates, then pushed a button up in his visor. The gate slowly opened.
“Oh. So you have your own street. That’s cool.”
Sam responded with a slight smile as he maneuvered the car up the driveway that seemed a whole mile long. Amanda used Poppy to ground herself in reality as they pulled up to a sprawling cul-de-sac with three large Spanish-style ranch houses. The small dog betrayed her though as soon as they pulled to a stop in the wide driveway of the first house. It started wiggling in her arms, eager to hop out.
“This is where you grew up?” she said. There was no reason for her to be surprised. His grandmother was Hollywood royalty and clearly his brothers weren’t doing too bad for themselves either. A beautiful private estate in the middle of nowhere was the least they could do for themselves.
“No,” Sam said as they parked next to a shiny black pickup truck. “ We moved here after my grandfather passed away. My dad wanted us to be close together so he had Pleasant Lane built.” He cut off the car, then turned to her.
“Ready.”
“Should I not be?”
“I was saying that more to myself.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’ve never brought a girl home after she dumped me.”
Amanda leaned back, glaring at him as a smooth, punch-me-in-the-face smile spread out over his mouth. “You know I thought you would be cool about this, but I’ll give you that. You get one.”
“I’ll take it. Thanks.” His smile flashed even wider before he opened the door and stepped out of the car. Amanda rolled her eyes, following close behind him as she carried Poppy with her back into the cold night air. She could hear more dogs barking inside, but only for a second. Something or someone suddenly silenced them as she and Sam made their way to the front door. Sam opened the door for her and ushered her into the warmth of the dimly lit entryway, where they were greeted by three more dogs.
“Oh my gosh. Hello.” She gently set Poppy down and then set about petting and patting every dog she could reach.
“Here. Leave your shoes here.” He nodded toward a row of boots and sneakers by the front door. Some were close to her size but the rest of them were large enough to row a woman and at least three children to safety. His brother Jesse Pleasant was not a small man.
“Oh sure.” She abandoned the puppy parade and toed out of her Converse, setting them beside Sam’s worn boots.
“Come on this way,” he said, motioning down the hallway, where she could suddenly hear voices. The dogs pushed their way ahead, guiding them into the large open living room–kitchen area like a welcoming committee. Sam’s brother was in the kitchen, digging for something in the large pantry. Three women around her age were sitting on the massive sectional and the love seat that took up most of the living space. There was a TV that had to have been eight feet wide mounted to the wall above a Spanish tile fireplace. The opening credits of Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan paused on the screen.
“Finally,” the plus-size woman on the love seat groaned as soon as she saw them. The petite woman beside her who appeared to be biracial, Black and Asian, stood, ready to make proper introductions. Another girl who could have been Sam’s twin poked her head up from the couch and offered Amanda a kind smile.
“Corie, shut up. Guys, this is my friend Amanda McQueen. This is Vega,” he said, motioning toward the biracial woman. She came over and shook Amanda’s hand.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
“And that’s my cousin Lilah over there,” he said, motioning toward the couch.
“Hi,” Lilah said in a quiet, sweet voice as she sat up on the cushions on her knees. She was wearing a pink pajama top that said CHAMPAGNE DREAMS. Amanda had a feeling they would get along.
“The rude mufucka on over there is Corie.”
“Amanda, I’m sorry. It’s great to meet you. But you said you’d be back in five minutes,” Corie replied, fixing Sam with a sarcastic grin. Yeah, they were more like siblings than play cousins. Amanda tried her best not to laugh at their back-and-forth.
“Not a damn thing in this whole county is within five minutes of this house,” Sam laughed. “I said you guys didn’t have to wait.”
“Some of us have manners. Nice to see you again, Amanda,” Jesse said as he turned around. He had a tub of cheeseballs in his hand.
She smiled back at him even though his expression was blank and impossible to read. That he’d remembered her after their nearly nonexistent interaction the week before shocked her a bit. “Likewise. Thanks for having me in your home.”
“Of course. Can I get you something to drink?”
“I’m fine. Thank you though.”
“She likes you.” He nodded toward her side. Amanda looked down and realized she’d been absently stroking the soft head of the black Lab that had parked itself by her socked feet.
“Feeling’s mutual,” she replied with a shrug.
“You’re a dog person?”
“An animal person.”
“You’ll have to go by the stables tomorrow then. Meet Sam’s horse,” Jesse suggested.
“I’d be happy to take you,” Sam said. And something warm bloomed in Amanda’s chest. This was not the plan. She was supposed to be asleep in a king-size ranch bed. Tomorrow she was supposed to take full advantage of a free trip to the spa, but all she wanted was to spend time with Sam and his horse. And the dogs too.
“I need to use the restroom. Don’t start without me,” Jesse said as he set the cheeseballs down on the counter.
“Bitch, you had like thirty minutes,” Corie said. Amanda managed to hold in her laughter. Lilah covered hers with a pathetic cough.
“Corie, you’re free to go back to your house. In Sacramento,” Jesse said.
“Just hurry up. It’s already late as hell and this is the best one,” Corie replied.
“Yeah, yeah. Amanda, please make yourself at home.”
“Thank you. I will.”
“Come on.” Sam nodded across the room and guided her over to the couch with a hand on the small of her back. The dogs followed, gathering at her feet again as soon as she and Sam were comfortable on the couch next to Lilah. Vega made herself comfortable on the love seat next to Corie and then Amanda saw it, what Sam was talking about with their obvious relationship. Corie sat back and pulled Vega’s legs across her lap. Amanda quickly shut down all thoughts of her proximity to Sam. How she’d put to bed any chance of simple, casual, familiar touches developing between them.
Not that casual touches, or an under-the-blanket couch snuggle was something she considered having with Sam, but seeing the ease between Vega and Corie brought an odd loneliness back to the surface, that odd tug that had convinced her to sleep with Sam in the first place. She was lonely and worse, she was dying for an affectionate touch. She’d have to settle for Jason’s murderous rampage across the island of Manhattan. She made herself comfortable on the worn leather cushions be
tween Sam and his cousin and did her best to think of anything besides how close their thighs were to touching.
“So how’d you two meet?” Vega asked. “Sam ran out of here so fast we didn’t get to ask him follow-up questions.”
“Uh, through mutual friends. Helene and Ignacio. After the, um, Oscars, I went to the Vanity Fair party with Helene and he wouldn’t stop talking to me on the dance floor.” After weeks of lying to Dru, it felt weird to tell the truth.
“Typical,” Vega teased.
“I’m so happy they got married,” Lilah said with a dreamy sigh. “I know you’re not supposed to ship real people, but when they were doing press for Magnet the fangirl in me prayed that true love would find two people so talented and beautiful.”
“They are a great match,” Amanda said, laughing about Lilah’s earnest declaration. “It’s like looking directly at the sun when they are together.”
“You’re in the industry too?” Vega asked.
“Yeah, she’s a writer,” Sam said. The touch of pride in his voice turned her stomach. So much for the truth.
“Damn, I was hoping for another ally. I’m a nurse.”
“No on-camera work, no horses?” Amanda replied, trying to keep the focus on Vega.
“No. Private-care nurse. Usually for the elderly. I love it, but I’m always looking for someone to relate to when I have no fucking idea what the hell they are all talking about.”
“Well, I know jack about running a ranch, so you and I can be clueless there together.”
“Deal,” Vega laughed.
“What are you working on?” Corie asked.
“Oh, uh. Top-secret thing in development.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
“It’ll be my first writing credit.” Amanda hated how smoothly the lie rolled off her tongue. She knew the drill. Knowing her name was enough. All they had to do was a quick search and her profile or lack thereof would pop up in the online movie database. Her first two PA credits were listed, but that was it. She didn’t want to lie to Sam or his family, but for now she needed some part of her life that Dru couldn’t touch. Luckily, she’d never been added to the call sheet so there wasn’t an Internet trail of “Assistant to Ms. Anastasia.” Still, work was the last thing she wanted to talk about.
If the Boot Fits Page 11
