She’s right. He is. But I never knew there were other ways. I just felt like the dumb brother. For most of my life, people have told me that my looks would only get me so far. Well, so far, they led me to Hollywood to be a global movie star, and right now, they’ve led me to her.
“Social Learning Theory…” I murmur, wanting to remember it. “How do you learn?”
“Good question. I’m probably like Sawyer. I was pretty studious at school. Always had my head in a book.”
“Like you,” I tell James, and he nods. They’re both textbook fiends.
James yawns, and I look at my watch. It’s getting late.
“I’m going to bed,” James says, giving his sister a hug, and I offer my fist.
“Night, Sutton.” He fist-bumps me, then wanders down the small hall, and I hear his door close.
Turning to Nikki, I smile. “He’s a good kid.”
She gives me a small smile in return. She’s not telling me everything; I can feel it. But I don’t expect her to. Considering they could be anyone, though, I feel extremely comfortable here, in her home, in her presence.
“I love him. I would put my life down for his.” There’s something about the way she says those words that makes me think that might be a choice she has to make in the future. I don’t like it one bit.
“Is that something you need to consider?”
She bites the inside of her lip. “I hope not.”
Well, that doesn’t leave me feeling any more settled.
“Sawyer thinks you might have a record.”
Her eyes widen. “Like, a criminal record?”
When I nod, she laughs, and then snorts, making me grin. “Not yet,” she teases.
“His bruised ego for rejecting his job had him thinking all kinds of things, I’m sure.” I watch her, waiting to see how much she’ll tell me.
“I need a cash job. I can’t be traceable. Rochelle provides that. And I want to be close to the school… I don’t ever want to be away from James.”
I pull in a sharp breath. She’s doing all this for that kid. She herself is an adult, so she can go anywhere, do anything she wants. But she won't leave him.
“My turn to ask some questions…”
Surprised, I nod. “Sure.”
“What’s a global movie star hiding from that he’s here in Whispers, sitting in my little garden cottage on an old timber chair?”
That has me sighing. “Well, starting tomorrow, I’m working on a top secret project with Tanner and Connor at the distillery.”
“But that isn’t what brought you here was it?”
I forgot how smart she was.
“No, it wasn’t.” Taking a deep breath, I clear my throat. “The media was getting increasingly intense in LA. It made it almost impossible to stay there. Weird things kept happening…”
“What kind of weird things?”
I can’t help but wince before sharing. “I got home from a trip I took to Cabo and found a young girl naked in my bed.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Is that a common theme among movie stars?”
“Nope. This one was underage. Not sure how she got in, and not sure why. I had my security team with me who dealt with it, but now I can’t even walk into my own home without them completing a thorough sweep. It’s creepy. Doesn't feel like my safe place anymore.”
