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“It was Bowen O’Neal.”
Faith’s jaw dropped as she gaped at me. “Get out of here!”
She slapped my arm, and I grinned. “It’s true. He’s on vacation.”
“Where did you go with him? And feel free to share an X-rated story if that’s what happened.”
I rolled my eyes. “We went to lunch. Fish tacos on the boardwalk. Oh, and we had a drink in the bar last night.”
“So, that’s where you went when you disappeared from the party?”
I nodded. She didn’t look upset at my absence. In fact, there was a sparkle in her eye, like I was sharing the best gossip she’d heard all year.
“Are you dating a movie star?” she asked eagerly.
“No. No, no, no.” I didn’t want to even entertain that thought, mostly because it made my stomach flip-flop. I liked the idea way too much. “He’s just a nice guy that I’ve run into a couple of times. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Oh.” Faith was obviously disappointed. “Well, at least you have an interesting story. How many people can say they went to lunch with such a famous person?”
I understood what Faith was saying, but I really hadn’t thought much about how famous he was except for that brief moment last night when he was recognized in the bar. I just liked him. And he was nice to look at, of course.
Okay, I have a crush on him.
I could admit that to myself. But it didn’t matter because nothing would come of it. Not only was he way out of my league, but I wasn’t in a place in my life to pursueanyman. My baggage was way too much to bring into a relationship right now.
“You’re right,” I said as I was handed a different glass of wine, a rosé this time. “I’ve got a good memory to take home with me at the end of the week.”
CHAPTER6
Bowen
Itook a long shower before bed that night, letting the water fall against my back for a full half hour so that the heat could seep into my muscles. I liked to do as many of my own stunts as I could on the movie set and during the last day of filming that insistence resulted in a pulled muscle in my shoulder. I had been taking it easy for the last few days so that it could heal, but it was still a little sore.
By the time I was ready to get out of the shower stall, my fingers were shriveled and the bathroom mirror was covered in a thick layer of condensation despite running the exhaust fan the whole time. I grabbed the thick white towel and wrapped it around my waist just as I heard my phone start to ring in the other room.
I made my way to the bedroom of my hotel suite and picked the iPhone up off the bed only to toss it right back down when I saw my father’s name on the caller ID. I sighed as I returned to the bathroom and started drying off my body.
The man that called himself my father had never fulfilled the obligations that came with that role. In fact, he’d been missing from my life the entire time I was growing up. But after I became famous, he liked to hit me up for money every couple of weeks.
I was just glad that I was so far from my Los Angeles home because when I ignored his calls, my father liked to show up there and make a scene. He felt that he was entitled to some of my wealth just because we were biologically related. In my opinion, that didn’t matter nearly as much as actually being there for a child as he was growing up. He’d failed me and had nothing to do with the man that I became. So, as far as I was concerned, he was entitled to nothing.
Once my body was dry, I ran the towel over my hair. It was short and would air dry quickly. Pulling on just a pair of boxers, I walked into the kitchenette area. I wasn’t tired, so I figured I’d flip through the script that Sam sent to me.
Sitting up in bed with my back against the headboard, I put on my reading glasses and opened the folder. The script was thick, made up of loose pages printed on one side. I had no expectations as I removed the title page and started reading, but within minutes, I found myself completely engrossed in the words on the page.
This was nothing like the movies I had been doing for the past few years. I was usually typecast as an action star, a tough guy that had martial arts skills and rode motorcycles and narrowly escaped explosions. I was always the leading man that defeated the bad guys and got the girl.
It wasn’t a terrible role to land, even if I did do that same thing over and over. It was fun at first, and there was no denying that it had launched me into the realm of massive success. I had fame and money, which many people would be perfectly content with. But for a long time now, I’d wanted to break out of my shell and do more serious work. I didn’t get into acting to become famous. It was something that I truly loved to do. Taking on the role of someone else was just fun, and I really thought of it as an art form.
This script was exactly what I wanted it to be. The main character was a professor with a young daughter. It was a role grounded in reality, with hardships and heavy emotion. I would get a chance to use some real acting skills instead of rattling off snarky one-liners as I usually did.
By the time I finished reading the script, I was truly excited at the idea of doing this movie. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this way, and I didn’t waste any time grabbing my laptop and typing up an email for my manager. It was late, so I refrained from calling him, but I hoped he’d get this email first thing in the morning and set things in motion to secure my part in this movie. As a Hollywood A-lister, I was usually able to pick what parts I wanted, but if they preferred that I audition, I’d do it. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. I’d even consider cutting my vacation short if I had to.
But I hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. I was enjoying my time on the island. I’d spent the evening on the beach, walking along the shore. I breathed in the fresh air and enjoyed the feeling of the water running across my feet as the waves rolled in over and over again. I could feel my stress melting away.
There was also Marlee to think about. I wasn’t quite ready to leave her behind, either. Not until I got to know her better. I wanted to explore this attraction, to see if there was more between us than just the physical desire that I felt stirring in my gut every time I saw her.
Once the email was typed and sent, I glanced at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was after midnight. I’d been reading for much longer than I realized. Clicking off the lamp, I got under the covers, settling down with the intention of going straight to sleep.
