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Because she loved him as much as he loved her.
“Of course I’m listening. I always listen to you,” he reminded her. He did, too. He just didn’t always heed her advice.
He could tell her about Kacey. Doing so would certainly take every breath of air out of her worry sails. But it could also take Kacey away from him.
“Did it ever occur to you that Willie’s presence in my home is the reason for no other visitors? That maybe my usual activities are curtailed because of him?” The truth would set him free. If not for Willie, he’d have had breakfast with Kacey on Saturday. And maybe he would even have seen her later...
Not that he’d ever done so in the past, because Lacey was always around. Missed opportunity? Or gift horse? The jury was still out on that one.
“Oh!” Her surprise was so genuine he actually smiled. “Ohhhh. No, it didn’t!” At least one of them was feeling happy. “Well, then...um...okay, well, you want to come to dinner?”
His sister now thought he had a girlfriend.
If thinking he had a secret girlfriend made his family happy, then where was the harm? Right?
“Yeah, we’ll be there for dinner,” he said, wishing he could hang up and call Kacey.
He texted her instead. Just to find out if she was driving to Santa Raquel that night or the next morning in time for her class.
When she didn’t immediately text back, he knew she was on set.
In her real life.
And that it was up to him to deal with his.
* * *
MIKE WAS AT DINNER, seated across from Willie with his sister and her husband on opposite ends of the table in their eat-in kitchen when his phone vibrated against his hip.
I’m just getting ready to leave now. Can you talk?
Checking his phone while at a meal wasn’t all that uncommon for him. Emergencies didn’t always choose convenient times.
But all eating stopped for a second when he put down his fork to reply to the text.
Later tonight?
He looked around the table. Saw everyone quickly resume eating, trying to pretend they hadn’t been interested in him. He smiled inside.
This whole secret girlfriend thing might work out just fine.
* * *
KACEY WENT OUT Thursday night—down to the beach. When Lacey offered to accompany her, she’d told her sister that she just wanted some quiet time.
And knew Lacey knew she was lying the second she said the words. Lacey always knew. Just as Kacey knew her sister had been lying when she’d told Kacey the previous summer that she didn’t have feelings for Jem Bridges.
“Just tell me you want to have a private conversation with no risk of being overheard,” Lacey told her.
“I want to have a private conversation. And I want to walk down to the beach.”
“I don’t like you out there alone. Especially at night. At least take the car.”
She nodded. Being alone on the beach in the dark of night, even in Santa Raquel, probably wasn’t smart. She’d drive down to the beach and wait for Michael’s call. They’d hardly talked all week.
“Dare I hope he’s someone not from Beverly Hills?” Lacey’s question took her by surprise. She’d been friends with Michael for months and her sister had never suspected anything.
And probably didn’t now. The question had been innocuous. “As in, someone from, say, Hollywood?” she asked.
