“Earth to Emma!” Will waves his hand in front of my face, and I blink.
“Uh, sorry. I spaced out there for a moment.”
“You OK? How much did you drink tonight?” His voice is laced with concern.
“I’m fine. Really. I just was remembering the conversation. I can’t believe Andy wants to talk with me. It’s just…crazy. I mean, I had a few minor celebrities lined up to interview, and I am going to interview that indie production company that I told you about, but I never imagined people like Andy and Blythe would care about my project. It could be a real game-changer. Hell, it could change the whole direction of the project.”
“Does that bother you?” he asks, glancing over at me.
I curl my legs beneath me and settle into the seat like I’m at a therapist’s office. “I don’t know. I mean, I was planning on filming over the spring, editing over the summer, and presenting it in the fall, but now…I’m not sure. If I can get some major celebrities to work with me, I don’t want to miss that opportunity, you know?”
“You shouldn’t. It could change the trajectory of your project.”
I nod. “I know.” I bite my lip as I consider this. It could change the whole trajectory of my life.
“You look a little green over there. You sure you are OK?”
I shake off the nerves I’m suddenly feeling. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed.”
“It’ll be fine. You’ll see. How about some tunes?” Will switches on his music, and we chat about the celebrities we saw tonight. It takes an hour to get there, but the drive along the coast is peaceful this time of night. I make Will roll down the windows, so I can hear the ocean waves.
As we approach Malibu, I rattle off the address and use my phone to find the house. It doesn’t look overly huge like I had anticipated. In fact, it seems too small to host an after-party. Will manages to find street parking not far away, which is a miracle of sorts. He gives me a piggyback ride as we walk over there, after I complain about my shoes.
At the gate, I ring a buzzer and give the man on the other end our names. A moment later, the gate opens, and we are greeted by an enormous guy. I mean, like a sumo wrestler, a giant, and a professional weightlifter had a baby. He’s HUGE!
“Miss Baldwin and guest?” he asks.
I nod and swallow.
“Follow the lights up to the house.” He motions to the front door beyond a small lit pathway.
“Thanks,” I murmur as I head toward the door. I take a breath before pushing it open, unsure of what lies on the other side.
Chapter Seven
Grady
I sit in my car parked in the neighbor’s driveway. He’s a producer and an old family friend who is currently out of town. I can see the lights on in Mom’s house. People are milling around with drinks in their hands. Rhett and Max should be up there by now. I’m just not sure I want to party tonight. I get out of my car and walk around the backside of the house to the beach, leaving my shoes at the corner of Mom’s property as I survey the back of the house. There are a few people from the party out on the deck by the pool, but otherwise, the beach is empty. I walk along it for a little while, enjoying the cool night breeze. I need a moment to compose myself, a moment where I can be just me, not Grady the promising former race car driver, not Grady the lead singer of Monumental Mistake, not Grady the son of Ken and Blythe Daniels.
I see someone sitting down a few houses on the beach. As I approach them, I can see it’s a woman in a dress, a very nice dress. Then a security light illuminates my view.
Well, fuck me. It’s Emma, the woman I met earlier. I cock my head to one side as I study her and contemplate my move. She doesn’t seem upset from where I stand, more like she’s enjoying the peacefulness of the solitary beachfront.
I start walking toward her and she turns to look over at me. I can practically hear her sigh. I grin. She thinks I’m a narcissistic asshole. She’s not wrong about the asshole part.
“Hey,” I call out as I walk over to her, my feet sinking into the sand with each step.
She looks up at me, clearly suspicious of my motives. “Need something?”
I shrug and plop down next to her, staring out at the ocean, the waves glisten with dinoflagellates as they crash on the shore.
“Just enjoying the peace and quiet before heading inside,” I admit, surprised with myself for speaking the truth.
“It’s beautiful out here,” she says on a sigh as she pulls her knees up to her chest, crossing her arms over them and resting her chin on top.
“Aren’t you worried about getting your dress dirty?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “It’s just sand.”
I grin again, and motion with my head toward the house. “Most of the women up there would say you are nuts for sitting on the wet sand in such an expensive dress.”
She rolls her head to the side and surveys my face. “I guess I’m not most women.”
I look back out at the ocean to hide my amusement. “Is that so?”
She huffs and slowly stands, dusting off her dress as she does. “I should get back inside. My date’s waiting for me.”
“Why is he not out here with you now?”
“He’s talking with someone and I didn’t want to bother him, not that that’s any of your business.”
I stand to face her, and she freezes like a deer in the headlights. “You intrigue me, Emma Baldwin.”
She rolls her eyes. “Does that line really work on women?”
I open my mouth to speak but she presses a finger to my lips. “Nope, just no. Don’t answer that. It was a pleasure, Grady. I’ll see you around.” And just like that, she takes off toward the house.
I stand there for a long moment watching her fine ass sway as she powers through the sand and back up to the deck. There’s no way that Will kid could possibly handle a woman like that. She’s got too much sassiness for him. But just the right amount for me. Bring it on, Goldilocks, you’ve met your match.
Emma
I find Will standing in the kitchen talking to this guy named Trevor that I’ve seen around school. Turns out Trevor’s mom is an actress and is also friends with Blythe. Oh, the six, strike that, two degrees of Hollywood separation.
“How’s it going?” I ask Will as I playfully bump his arm.
“Good. How was the beach?” he asks.
I shrug. “A little cold, but it’s pretty out there.”
“I’m sure.” He wraps his arm around me and rubs my shoulder.
“Hey! Where’d you go? I was looking for you!” Quinlan asks as she walks into the room.
I point out to the beach.
“Oh, yeah, it’s an awesome stretch of beach.”
She starts to talk about some filming that just finished in the area, but my attention is drawn to Grady as he steps inside the house. He doesn’t look in my direction because a few people are calling his name in the living room. I glance over to see that his bandmates are here. I do love their music, and for a brief moment, I’m starstruck.
Then I refocus on Quinlan because the more mature, less-attracted-to-bad-boys part of my brain says I’m being irrational and should stay here by my boy-next-door date and my mentor.