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Ashlyn felt grumpy. She hated the feeling of distrust, and right now, she didn’t know who she could trust. Mark had obviously done something to break her trust. She wouldn’t trust herself in his hands again, but did that mean that she should trust his words? Brandon hadn’t done anything to break her trust. He had been the joking, considerate gentleman that she had always wanted to find. But Mark’s claims could be true. There was always the possibility. How was she going to be able to get rid of her doubts without ruining her relationship with Brandon?
Ashlyn felt tears pricking at her eyes. No fantasy could ever really be a fantasy. Something always shattered her hopes of a romance like there was in the movie. Ashlyn hurried over to her camera and forewent having lunch, preferring to call her mom.
“Hi, Ashlyn!” her mom answered in a perky voice. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. How is Aunt Jennifer?”
“She’s doing much better. I wish that you could have come out to see her, though. I think she would have really appreciated it.”
“I know, Mom. I wish I could have too, but by the time I would have gotten there, she would have already come out of the hospital. I will fly back to see you guys at Christmas if all goes well.”
“That’s a long way away.”
“I know, Mom. I miss both of you.”
“I miss you too, darling.” Ashlyn had been planning to ask her mom for advice when it came to the guys, but now just talking to her mom seemed to make her feel better, even without having a solution to her problem. Besides, how would she be able to privately explain what was going on when anyone nearby would be able to hear here?
“What were you calling for?” Mom asked.
“I just wanted to talk to you. My schedule is so crazy that I hardly have a free minute,” Ashlyn was trying to make an excuse for not calling earlier.
“I understand, Sweetheart. You’re an adult now. You have your own life.”
Ashlyn smiled bittersweetly. Suddenly, she wanted her mom to tell her exactly what to do, so she walked away from all the cameras and poured out everything that had happened in the last few weeks, not leaving out anything. She even told her mom about the confusing situation with Mark. She ended with, “I don’t think he would hurt me. I think Mark cares for me, but I don’t know if I can trust what he says.”
“Sweetheart,” her mom sighed, and Ashlyn waited impatiently for her mother’s wisdom. “I can’t tell you what to do.” Now Ashlyn was copying her mom’s sigh. “I know you want me to, but I don’t know either one of these men. I can’t make the decision for you.”
“I know, Mom. I want to trust Brandon, and I don’t have any reason not to trust him. But then again, Mark could be telling the truth.”
“And Mark could be exaggerating. Tell me this, if you really trust Brandon, why do Mark’s words bother you so much?”
Ashlyn thought over her mom’s question for a few minutes. “I guess it bothers me, because I am scared that he’s right. I don’t know Brandon very well. I think we’re going on day four or something. I’ve known Mark longer.”
“Exactly, if you’ve only known Brandon for four days, then you can’t expect yourself to know everything about him. Give it some time.”
“It’s just that I don’t know how much time we have,” Ashlyn told her mom. “We’re only filming here for two weeks. Is that enough time to really get to know someone?”
“You have to ask yourself what your plans are after the filming. Will you try to work on filming another movie? Where is that movie going to be filming? Are you willing to give up a chance at filming to stay at the beach near Brandon?”
“At some point, I have to be willing to give up something,” Ashlyn replied softly. “I can’t keep going against guys who show interest in me just because it doesn’t fit into my plans right then. In the future, it might fit perfectly.”
“That’s what you have to work through, Ashlyn. Maybe you have to do a long distance relationship for a while. But get to know him as much as you can. Use your common sense.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Ashlyn said, noticing the others hurrying over to their cameras. “I think I need to go. I’ll let you know how everything works out.”
“Have a good afternoon, and I hope to hear from you soon. Goodbye, honey!”
Ashlyn pressed the end call button and stuffed her phone in her pocket. Her mom hadn’t really cleared anything up. She hadn’t told Ashlyn to listen to Mark or to go against everything that Mark said. She had simply told Ashlyn to get to know Brandon more.
Ashlyn looked over to where Brandon was joking with one of the other extras. He was so naturally kind to everyone that there was no way he could just be using this as an opportunity to get higher up in the world. Then Ashlyn realized something. That could very well be what he was doing. After all, the more friends he made on set, the more a chance he would have of getting another part. Ashlyn swallowed hard. Why were men so complicated?
Chapter Six
That evening, Ashlyn didn’t approach Brandon. She wanted to observe him a little and see what he would do. Was he only interested in spending more time with the crew? Would he be interested in spending time with her? They hadn’t really had a conversation since the night before. Ashlyn was worried to let her guard down in case Brandon might turn around and stab her back. At the same time, she was also nervous to have her guard up and lose an amazing guy.
As Ashlyn started down the beach with her camera in tow, Brandon hurried to catch up with her. “Do you want to walk with me again tonight and see if the turtles are going to hatch?”
Ashlyn was quite interested in the turtles, and going to see them would give her a chance to talk to Brandon one-on-one. “Sure,” she replied. “What time?”
