Page 51 of Grunt: A Marine Romance

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BRET ALWAYS LOVEDthe drive to Bolinas. It was windy and beautiful. The perfect escape from Hollywood and Selena.

The producers had the idea of filming his last practice session with Robyn on the beach, which was fine with Bret. Bolinas was his dream town. He vowed to one day own a little cottage on the beach and spend his days woodworking and throwing driftwood to his dog. An ideal artist community, Bolinas was the home to surfers, poets, writers, artists, and recluses.

In order to keep their little slice of paradise hidden, the locals always destroyed any signs that identified the town. Robyn and Bret made the journey without needing a map, but Bret was delighted when they lost the filming crew behind them. He figured the crew would head further down Highway One before they realized they missed the unmarked turn.

Robyn pointed ahead. “Could you stop here?”

Bret pulled in front of the Coast Café. They ran inside and ordered two coffees. Bret loved the surfboards that were hanging from the ceiling.

Robyn seemed mesmerized by the quaint town. They looked at the locals down below on the courtyard from the café’s sunny deck.

Bret took a sip of his coffee. “I feel like I’m back in the sixties.”

“Yeah, isn’t it awesome?” Robyn blended into the local scene.

Bret couldn’t help his mind drift to Selena. They had spent their last weekend together here before the miscarriage story leaked. Selena had even mentioned that she wanted to get married on the beach.

Robyn put her hand on Bret’s shoulder. “I can see you are struggling with something.”

“There’s nothing to say. Selena and I gave our relationship another try and it didn’t work out. End of story.”

“This isn’t about that, is it? This is about her miscarriage. I read the article.”

Bret grimaced. Though they had never talked about it, he was sure that Robyn must’ve heard the rumors on set of his and Selena’s relationship.

“Look, Bret. Selena was young. I know that must be hard for you to accept, but in my beliefs, the soul doesn’t enter the body until the first breath—the breath of life.”

Bret wasn’t in the mood to listen to her new age dogma. “Well in my beliefs and religion, the soul is present from the moment of conception. It’s not her fault that she had a miscarriage, but I’m sure the stress of her lying to me and leaving me didn’t help the situation. I just can’t trust her, not for lying back then, but more for not telling me when we got back together.”

“Don’t you see, Bret? This was your path. Had you and Selena had the baby, you may have never gone on the show. She might have never done the show either. Then you wouldn’t be able to raise the money for your friend’s family. Everything happens for a reason. We don’t have to share the same beliefs, but you can’t live in the past. You must be present, be here now.”

“I never thought of it that way.” He had been so angry with Selena for lying to him, that he couldn’t even see past the betrayal.

“You know, things haven’t always been perfect with me and Xavier. In the earlier years, I found out that he had cheated on me when he was on the road. I was devastated—filled with so much rage. I blamed him, myself, his music. I left him and filed for divorce. It ended up being a good time for me though. I focused on improving myself—I learned how to meditate, studied yoga, took a painting class. Once I released all the anger I had toward Xavi, I realized that no matter what, I still loved him. I am happier with him, despite his betrayal, than I am on my own. He had learned from his mistakes also and now we are stronger than ever. So what I’m saying is that if Selena makes you happy and you truly love her, you owe it to yourself to forgive her or you’ll never be at peace.”

The cool ocean breeze made Bret shiver. “I still don’t see how we could ever create a life together. We’re just too different.”

“Yes, you are different. But she loves you, I can see that. And sometimes, that is enough.”

They finished their coffee and headed into town. The shoot was on “The Patch”—a gorgeous stretch of sand that was popular for long boarders. A group of photographers stood under a makeup canopy, with production people huddled behind them. Bret was sure the locals were not thrilled with the shoot littering their beloved beach with cameras, dressing trailers, and stylists.

As Bret sat in the makeup chair for his final on location clip, he scanned the scenery for Selena just in case she popped up with Xavier. She had a habit of showing up everywhere he was lately, even though Bret had been trying to avoid her. But no matter how hard he tried to push her out of his mind, she kept haunting his thoughts.