A wave of apprehension rolled over Tia as they left the sanctuary of Maxi’s property. She was wearing a puffy ski coat over her clothes with a scarf and beanie, as well as a pair of sunglasses, so she wasn’t necessarily afraid of being recognized and confronted by Kouretas. At least she was no longer inside her condo with an army of media crowding the gate, drawing all kinds of attention and making her feel vulnerable and outnumbered. Besides, she had Seth with her; she finally had the advantage. It was more that this would be her first social gathering, and one that would include the family of the man she’d just slept with. She and Seth were both adults. What they did was their own business—as long as it didn’t hurt anyone else, of course. She understood that. But these people knew and loved his late wife and might perceive Tia as an interloper if they suspected anything physical was going on. They also knew that Seth still loved Shiloh, so they’d wonder what she’d been thinking. They might even feel sorry for her.
That just made it awkward. She didn’t belong in this group.
Tempted to ask if they could turn back, she glanced over at Seth. He hadn’t bothered to shave and was also wearing a beanie with his coat, which was unzipped over a waffle-knit shirt he wore with a pair of chinos. Driving with one arm slung over the steering wheel of his sleek sports car, he looked far more comfortable than she felt. She thought he’d make a good advertisement for Porsche, but she knew she shouldn’t allow herself to admire him too much. Her emotions were scrambled from the accident and its aftermath, which made her vulnerable. After the crazy, thrilling and even tender night she’d spent in his bed, she could easily get too caught up in him and wind up in an even worse situation after her stay in Silver Springs came to an end.
That was another reason she had no business going to this brunch with him.
She opened her mouth to suggest turning around but couldn’t bring herself to pose the question. It was almost noon. The time it would take for him to return her to the guesthouse could easily mean he’d miss the family meal.
She should’ve tried harder to refuse in the first place. While the idea of an outing appealed to her, especially after how long she’d been cooped up, she could’ve driven to Santa Barbara or somewhere else for the day.
Although...driving was always a daunting challenge since the accident. Not only that, but where would she go and what would she do once she got there? Wander around alone on a cold beach?
“Quit fidgeting,” he said, giving her a mock scowl. “You’re going to be fine.”
“How do you know?” she retorted.
He turned down the stereo, which was playing “The Show Must Go On” by Queen. “Because I’m here to make sure of it.”
She recalled how he’d pulled his Porsche as close to her doorstep as the walkway and landscaping would allow and rushed her out of the house and into the passenger seat of his car as though he was her new security detail. “Why are you even trying to take me with you?”
His eyes slid her way. “Because we’re friends.”
Friends and lovers—after last night. They called that Friends with Benefits, didn’t they? She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. She’d never dreamed she’d find herself in such an arrangement. According to her parents, and what she’d been taught, premarital sex was a sin—even for two people who were in love.
But it was just one night, she reminded herself. They’d both needed someone. And now it was over. She wasn’t going to beat herself up over it. Better to let it go, pretend it’d never happened.
“What’re you thinking?” he asked.
She turned her head to gaze out at the passing scenery. “Nothing.”
“I can tell that’s not true.”
She didn’t attempt to bolster the lie. He kept checking the rearview mirror, so she twisted around to see why. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You seem worried that someone might be following us.”
“You trusted me enough to come out, so I’m being cautious, just in case.”
She checked again, but there wasn’t even a car there. She was too nervous to focus on anything except meeting more of Seth’s family, anyway—so nervous that as they drew closer to New Horizons, she started jiggling her leg.
He put his hand on her knee to stop her. “Will you calm down?”
She didn’t want to like the warmth or the weight of his hand as much as she did. After last night it felt somewhat familiar—and far too welcome, which only made her more anxious. “No,” she said simply. “Who’s going to be there?”
“You know who’s going to be there. My family.”
“All of them?”
“My four younger brothers won’t be in town until closer to Christmas.”
“So it’s just the older ones? And their wives and children?”
He took his hand off her knee as he turned under the New Horizons arch, and the coldness that rushed upon her in its absence felt grossly disproportionate. “I don’t know. We’ll have to see.”
“Just give me an idea,” she pressed.
He rolled his eyes as though she was being ridiculous. “Fine. We’ll go over them one by one. Gavin might be there. He does the grounds and maintenance for the school, so he might be able to shuffle his duties around a bit.”
“And Eli?” She didn’t mind Eli, since she’d already met him, but Seth shook his head.
“I doubt it. Eli will most likely be running the school, since my mother’s not there.”
“Eli and Gavin have wives, don’t they?” She remembered hearing a handful of children the night Seth had first arrived. It was doubtful that they all belonged to one person.
“Yes, but Cora teaches, so it’s unlikely we’ll see her, either. Savanna could be there, if she doesn’t have something else going on.”
“So four, maybe five people?”
“Tia, you’re making too big a deal out of this.”
She probably was, but the scars on her face suddenly felt like they were on fire. She flipped down the visor so that she could see herself. Fortunately, the scarf did a decent job of concealing the damage, but she couldn’t leave the scarf on inside the house...
“Relax.” He flipped the visor back up. “We’re going to have a nice meal.”
She was overreacting, but she was a celebrity. Most people were excited to meet her. She didn’t want to disappoint them if they’d seen the movie and expected her to look like she had before.
She didn’t want to feel their disappointment, either. She felt enough of her own.
After Seth parked in front of Aiyana’s large yellow house, he came around to her side of the car and opened the door. “Let’s go.”
She stared miserably at their ultimate destination. “Do we have to?”
He chuckled, but she felt his hand at her elbow as soon as she got out, all the way until they’d climbed the steps of the wide front porch. He only dropped it when he opened the door. “I hope you saved some food for us,” he called out as he walked in, waved her through and shut the door.
“Look who it is!” Aiyana hurried from the kitchen to give her a hug. “I’m so excited you decided to come. Can I take your coat?”
“I got it,” Seth told her and held out his hand to Tia.
Tia reluctantly stripped off her jacket and nudged his hand away when he left it there as though he expected her to pile her beanie and scarf on top of it, too.
“You keep that stuff on, you’re going to melt in here,” he murmured under his breath, but that didn’t change her mind. She took off her sunglasses and shoved them in her purse but wasn’t willing to relinquish the rest quite yet.
Aiyana stepped back as three other people drifted in from the kitchen. “Dallas, Emery, Gavin, this is Tia Beckett.”
Gavin had long dark hair and a beard, kind eyes and a gentle manner. “Nice to meet you,” he said.
Dallas allowed his wife to shake her hand before he did. He was almost as handsome as Seth, but he had a completely different build. While Seth was tall and slender, taller than Gavin and Dallas, Dallas was more compact, with powerful-looking shoulders. His wife was a petite woman with big blue eyes and long blond hair. “Thanks for allowing me to crash your party.”
Emery gave her a warm smile. “You’re welcome here.”
That none of them seemed remotely surprised that the leading actress of Expect the Worst was standing in their living room indicated Aiyana had prepared them.
“Have a seat.” Dallas gestured at one of the recliners, but Aiyana slipped her arm through Tia’s and drew her to the kitchen.
“Actually, why don’t the four of you visit in here while Tia and I finish up? You wouldn’t mind helping me, would you, Tia?”
“Of course not.” Relieved to be able to escape the attention she would otherwise have received, Tia left Seth with his brothers and Emery.
“You look beautiful, even with that scarf hiding half your face,” Aiyana said once they were alone. “But it might be hard to eat with that thing on,” she teased.
Tia unwound the scarf but left it hanging from her neck so that she could cover up again if she felt the need. “I’m sorry. Getting used to my new...look isn’t easy.”
Aiyana flipped the pancakes she had cooking on a griddle. “I understand. You’re incredibly brave to come out at all. How’re you feeling today? Any better?”
The memory of Seth’s naked body against hers in the hot tub last night flashed before Tia’s mind’s eye. That had helped a great deal, had enabled them both to work out some frustration and anger and not feel quite so alone. But she didn’t want to dwell on it. “Better,” she affirmed.
“You know, Emery’s father is a gifted plastic surgeon. He lives in Boston these days, but he worked in Los Angeles for years. Although he won’t name names, word has it he’s worked on many famous people. At some point, you might want to have him take a look at your face. There might be something he can do.”
“Thanks, but I’m guessing that will be quite expensive, and I’m not sure that would be the smartest way to spend my money, given the situation. I had to back out of several projects in the days immediately following the accident, so I’m essentially unemployed.” Even if she took the gamble and spent the money, there was no guarantee cosmetic surgery would help. That was what her doctor had told her. He’d said she could spend a fortune and end up making things worse—or at least create a face she no longer recognized.
“I see. Well, there will be time to decide later.”
Except, when later finally came, she would’ve lost all of her momentum in Hollywood. Comebacks after a long drought, especially those that included an altered face—even if it wasn’t quite as bad as it was now—were unlikely. “Yeah,” she agreed, simply because it made her sick to face the truth, and she preferred to avoid the rougher realities for now.
Aiyana had Tia carry the food—the pancakes, an egg soufflé and some bacon—to the table as she called, “Come and get it!”
Seth was the first one through the doorway. He arched an eyebrow at Tia as if to ask if she was okay, and she forced a smile. She’d known this wouldn’t be easy, but it was good to get out and to talk to people again. Wallowing in her disappointment certainly wasn’t making it any better.
Aiyana insisted on putting on some Christmas music before they could eat. Tia guessed Seth wasn’t excited about it, but his mother came up behind where he was seated at the table and dropped a kiss on his cheek as if to ask him to indulge her. And he briefly covered the hand that rested on his shoulder with his, as if he’d give her anything. Tia loved witnessing that exchange—and wished she had as caring a relationship with her mother as he had with Aiyana.
Seth caught her watching them, so she focused on passing the syrup Aiyana had placed closest to her.
“Seth tells us you’re babysitting a parrot,” Emery said. “What’s that like?”
Tia accepted the eggs Seth was handing to her and scooped a small amount onto her plate. “It’s kind of fun. Kiki’s not only beautiful, she’s incredibly smart.”
“Can she say anything?”
“I’ve heard a few phrases. She says pretty girl quite a bit. Then there’s Shh, be quiet. And she barks like a dog.”
Gavin laughed. “I heard her the other night.”
“Drives me nuts,” Seth grumbled, and they all laughed.
“That would be annoying,” Dallas allowed.
“Apparently she’s not partial to humans,” Tia said. “She’s willing to learn from any species.”
“What made Maxi want to get a parrot?” Emery asked. “Do you know?”
“He told me he has a friend in South America who has one,” Tia replied. “He loved it so much he decided to build an atrium so he could get one for himself.”
“I heard caged birds can get lonely and depressed and start pulling out their feathers,” Dallas said.
Emery nudged her husband. “Spoken like a man who prizes his freedom above all else.”
“I don’t love it more than you, honey,” he said with an exaggerated wink, but Tia could tell what he said was true, which made her feel as warm and happy as when she’d witnessed the interaction between Seth and Aiyana. She’d been so consumed with her career and achieving her dreams. Maybe there were still enough good things left to her in life that she could be happy herself.
“Kiki has it pretty good,” she told them. “The atrium is huge and always the perfect temperature. And I got the impression Maxi spends a lot of time with her. That’s why he wanted someone there while he was gone—not just to feed her but to play with her.”
“It must be cool getting to know such an exotic bird,” Gavin said.
Aiyana took a seat at the head of the table. “I’m not surprised she’s thriving. Maxi never does anything halfway.”
“What do you do for a living?” Tia asked Dallas, intrigued by Emery’s earlier reference to her husband loving his freedom.
“Dallas is a professional rock climber,” Gavin piped up. “He has a sponsor and everything.”
Dallas nudged his brother. “Don’t sound so surprised when you add that part.”
“You look as fit as he does,” Tia said to Emery. “Do you climb, too?”
“I go out with him sometimes, but not professionally. I’m nowhere near as good as he is and don’t even attempt the really hard stuff.”
“You’ve come a long way in only a year,” Dallas said.
Tia couldn’t put it off any longer: she had to unwrap her scarf to take her first bite. But once she did, no one seemed to pay her any additional attention, so it wasn’t as uncomfortable as she’d feared. Aiyana must’ve warned them about the damage to her face when she’d prepped them for her visit because they took her scars in stride, just as they did her presence, and that helped. “You’ve only been climbing for a year?” she asked Emery.
All eyes turned her way, but again, no one acted as though they saw anything too shocking. Emery merely used her fork to gesture at her husband. “Only since I hooked up with this guy last Christmas. Before that, I was a news anchor in LA—”
“I thought you looked familiar!” Tia broke in, starting to feel more and more comfortable in this group. “I admit I don’t watch much TV, but I must’ve seen you at some point.”
“Do you think you’ll ever go back to reporting the news?” Gavin asked his sister-in-law.
“I enjoyed my job, so I would never say never.” She turned her attention to Tia to explain. “I write a travel blog these days, from a climber’s perspective, and post some of the crazy pictures we get with the GoPro.”
“And she’s wildly successful,” Aiyana added.
The pride Aiyana felt at Emery’s accomplishments was evident in her voice, and based on Emery’s smile, she heard it, too. “Thanks, Mom,” she said. “I’m surprised by how big my following has become, so that’s fun,” she added for Tia’s sake. “I love interacting with the community I’m creating. I might even enjoy what I’m doing now more than what I was doing before, which surprises me. I was so set on that career path.”
“You can do this job in your pajamas,” Dallas pointed out.
She grinned at him. “You just like that it leaves me free to traipse around the world with you.”
“Damn right,” he said, and everyone laughed.
The conversation moved to Gavin, the new tennis courts he was helping build at the school and the fact that his wife, Savanna, was overseeing a homeschool program for kids in the area. She was going to stop by the brunch, but she’d got caught up.
Eli stopped in at the end of the meal. He said hello to Tia as he grabbed a paper plate and piled it high with pancakes, eggs and bacon, but he treated her just like everyone else. That Seth and his family didn’t make her the focal point of every conversation and hadn’t even brought up the movie or her accident made her feel like an average person—like she was one of them—and that was a nice reprieve.
By the time Eli and Gavin rushed out to return to the school, Tia had all but forgotten about her lost career, her scars, Kouretas being in town—even the fact that she’d slept with Seth last night—until after she’d helped Aiyana with the dishes and went into the living room, where Seth was chatting with his brother and sister-in-law. Although they’d offered to help clean up, too, Aiyana had shooed them out, allowing only Tia to stay with her, which made Tia feel even more at home. She could tell Aiyana was keeping her close whenever possible.
Seth glanced up when she approached the three of them and asked if she wanted to sit down, but as soon as she accepted his invitation, she caught sight of the pictures on the mantel. Front and center was an eight-by-ten of Seth and Shiloh at their wedding, smiling happily for the camera: two gorgeous people who looked totally happy and absolutely in love.
That was when she realized, as relaxed and welcome as she’d begun to feel, she’d been right in the beginning—she didn’t belong here.
“You’re quiet,” Seth said as they drove back to Maxi’s.
“I’m tired. You woke me up this morning, remember?”
He chuckled. “It was almost noon.”
“I know. I’m joking.”
She didn’t reference the fact that he’d kept her up most of the night. He wondered what she was thinking about that. He hadn’t let himself think about it too much. It made him feel disloyal to Shiloh, but he’d be lying to himself if he tried to say he didn’t enjoy it. “Brunch seemed to go okay.”
She kept staring out the window. “Brunch was great. You have a wonderful family, and they obviously love you very much.”
It was starting to rain. Fat drops hit the windshield with a solid splat. “Then...what is it?”
He saw her chest lift as she drew a deep breath. “Nothing,” she said. “I need to plan out a new life, so I’m just trying to do that.”
“What do you think you’ll do?”
“I’d like to stay in the movie industry. I can’t help how much I love it. I’ve spent my whole life dreaming of being an actress. So...maybe I’ll become a director.”
He switched on the wipers. “Is that feasible? What would it entail?”
“It wouldn’t be easy, but it’s possible. First, I’d have to go back to school and get a bachelor’s in film.”
“How long would that take?”
“The standard four years.”
“How would you get into the industry once you graduated?”
“There’s more than one way, but I’d probably try to become an assistant to an established director.”
Lightning flashed in the sky, and thunder boomed a few seconds after. The temperature was dropping, but it was so warm inside the car, the windows were starting to steam, so he switched on the defroster. “How hard is that?”
“Very hard.”
“Do you think Maxi would put in a good word for you?”
“I hope so, but I’m not convinced it’d be right to even ask him. No doubt he’s got enough people at him for those kinds of favors.”
“Maybe he’d be happy to do it. He knows you’re a talented actress. He told me you deserve an Oscar for your performance in Expect the Worst.”
That drew her attention away from the window. “Maxi said that?”
“He did.” Seth stopped at the light at one end of town. “The nominees will be named shortly, won’t they?”
“In January.”
“Are you excited?”
“Not really. I’m sort of dreading it, to be honest.”
“Why?”
“If I’m nominated, I won’t feel comfortable showing up to see if I win. And if I’m not nominated, I’ll feel like that was my only shot.”
“Maybe as an actor. But you could get one for directing. A lot of actors go into directing, right? Angelina Jolie, Kevin Costner, Bradley Cooper, Denzel Washington. There have to be others.”
She sent him a sly glance. “I thought you didn’t know much about the movies.”
“I don’t. If you’ll notice, those names have been around for a while,” he said with a chuckle.
“True.” She began playing with the ends of her scarf. “Your mother thinks I should give the paparazzi the picture they want. Arrange it beforehand and make whoever I choose pay me for it.”
After he’d taken a moment to consider the idea, he nodded. It wasn’t hard to see Aiyana’s wisdom. “Sounds like a good idea to me. Are you leaning that way?”
“I am.”
“Right away or after Christmas?”
“After Christmas. I need a little more time.”
She’d already been through so much. That she had this on the horizon made him feel protective of her. Maybe people wouldn’t be mean to her face, but he could easily guess that some of those on the internet would be cruel. No doubt there would be many jokes at her expense—probably quite a few memes, too.
Sadly, there wasn’t anything he could do to stop all that. He might be able to hold off Kouretas for a while, but she couldn’t hide forever.
He could give her Christmas, however—and he intended to do just that. “There’s no rush. Take the time you need. You’ll know when you’re ready.”
She nodded as though she was relieved that she had the respite she needed.
But as soon as they pulled up to the gate at Maxi’s place, they found Kouretas, sitting in his car, waiting for them.