Chapter Two

Reese hurried into the guesthouse sopping wet. She closed the door behind her with a loud click then grabbed a towel off the stack of blue and white striped pool towels piled neatly in the entryway.

She wrapped the soft terrycloth around herself and sagged against the inside of the door. “Was that weird? I think it was weird.”

The plant on the console table didn’t answer. Not that she expected it to.

She’d been standing at the edge of the pool worried about betraying Cam’s trust when bam, she and a very hard body fell into the pool. The tumble was better than splashing cold water on her face to get her out of her ruminations. And then to break the surface and be face-to-face with him? A mix of relief and anxiety is what that was.

Relief to see and laugh with him, one of her oldest and best friends. Her rock. Her island. The guy she could always turn to for help, guidance, a shoulder to cry on. His friendship meant the world to her. For as long as she could remember, she’d gravitated toward him. Not Nash or Gael, even though they were like brothers to her and she’d often sought them out. No, it was Cam who held the most special place in her heart. Some invisible string connected her to him, and he’d always been kind enough to be her white knight.

At ten years old when she and her parents were visiting for Pixie’s birthday, and she’d fallen into the creek and cut her leg open. Cam, thirteen at the time, carried her back to the house to get bandaged.

At sixteen when her dog, Salamay, passed away. He’d listened to her cry on the phone and then texted her funny animal pictures to cheer her up.

At eighteen when she had her heart broken for the first time. He’d left his fraternity party at USC and driven to her house thirty miles away to keep her company since her parents were out of town.

And from nineteen until now, when she’d decided college wasn’t for her and she didn’t fit into the traditional societal standards of picking a career and sticking with it. Cam never made her feel bad about her constant boredom when it came to work. He never made her doubt herself or her choices. Being a planner and liking routine, he didn’t agree with her practice of frequently changing jobs—and made the funniest face when he got frustrated with her—but he accepted her anyway and was there to catch her if she fell.

Not that she couldn’t take care of herself. She could. They both knew it. And she caught him, too, when the film industry stressed him out, or more commonly when his past crept into his present.

She ran the towel down her legs and over the tops of her feet. A new job every few months meant new experiences and encounters. She wasn’t stuck doing the same thing every day, every week, every month.

She knew she was chasing something. She just didn’t know what.

Until now.

Until the job at the talent agency. Reese loved working with Shay Oakley at CTC. Reading new scripts all the time. Talking to different clients. Sitting in on Shay’s meetings and always learning something new.

For the first time in her life, Reese felt the unexplainable pull to be in that office, to work her butt off and learn everything she could. Not only was her head engaged, but her heart, too. The fast pace, the deals, the people whose dreams of success became hers, too.

Shay hadn’t just taken Reese under her wing. Shay wanted to be the wind beneath Reese’s wings. Talk about an amazing boss. It wasn’t all perfect, though. Some people thought it unfair that Reese had skipped working in the mailroom. She tried not to let it bother her and vowed to win them over with hard work and team spirit. She needed a paycheck just like they did and was committed to making the agency better. The one person she didn’t care for as of late was Leo Halston, Cam’s agent.

Reese had met Leo a few times at different events Cam brought her to. He’d always been pleasant enough and the best thing about him was how strongly he believed in Cam. Leo had signed Cam when other agents had passed. He’d sold Cam’s scripts, opened doors for him he couldn’t open by himself, and championed his work from day one. In return, Cam had brought Leo a great deal of recognition. Leo rose to a new level of respect with Cam’s screenwriting success.

So when Leo cornered her in the office three days ago and told her Cam’s reputation and career were in jeopardy if he didn’t turn in the action-packed screenplay agreed upon, she didn’t know what to think. Until Leo demanded she spy on him to make sure he finished writing the exact film owed to the studio. “At minimum, I need a weekly update,” Leo had said, “and if I don’t get it or Cam doesn’t turn in what’s expected, then consider yourself fired and Cam done in this business.”

She didn’t know if Leo could do that to her, considering she didn’t work for him, but he held a huge amount of clout at the agency. He could hurt Cam, and his intimidation carried enough weight to make her worry.

Typically, she would bid adieu to Shay and Leo and CTC, ready for something new without a glance back. But she didn’t want to do that. Not this time.

Trying to appear unaffected by Leo’s threats, Reese told him okay. He said something to Shay that had her agreeing to let Reese work remotely for the rest of the month, and now here she was in the small town of Rustic Creek, her home away from home, for the first time in a while, with her second family, and guilt churning her insides.

She reminded herself she wasn’t doing it just for herself. She was doing it to help her best friend. Leo was looking out for Cam’s career and he needed a pair of eyes on his star client. And really, this was a minor thing. A little omission. She already encouraged Cam to write and often offered to read his pages or brainstorm with him. Plus, she did have a ton of manuscripts to read and write coverage for.

Legs and feet dry, she strode down the hallway toward the back bedroom and a hot shower, turning her thoughts to Cam and their tumble into the pool. He had the dark brown hair, light hazel eyes, chiseled jaw thing going on and she never tired of looking at him. Like a favorite painting or photograph, she appreciated his good looks, admired them, and loved that he was hers. Her girlfriends thought her crazy for not pursuing more than friendship with him. But what they had as friends was rare and she’d never jeopardize it. Besides, her last boyfriend, let’s just call him Lucifer, had dumped her because she wasn’t driven enough. He liked what he saw on the outside, but told her she needed a personality upgrade, specifically a goal in life. His ambition far surpassed hers, he’d said unkindly. Without a college degree, she’d go nowhere, he’d added. Then, because that wasn’t enough, he said the only reason he stayed with her for as long as he had was because of the sex.

She blinked back tears. He wasn’t the first guy to hurt her, and she worried he wouldn’t be the last. A girl could only take so much rejection and so she was off men for the foreseeable future.

Hot water rained down on her now, the shower erasing the scent of chlorine. The guesthouse made it possible for her to see Cam every day with enough distance to ease her guilty conscience. If he wanted, he could come over and write while she read. And if he didn’t, she’d add herself to his schedule. And if that didn’t work—a distinct possibility given he was Mr. Meticulous—she’d lure him over with baked goods. She knew his favorites and wasn’t above using them.

The shampoo Pixie stocked on the shower shelf smelled like strawberries and sugar, and as Reese rinsed it out of her long hair, she closed her eyes and once again thought back to falling into the pool with Cam. A wet and shirtless Cam garnered more consideration than normal. It was basic human nature. Him checking out her boobs was normal, too, right?

He was a guy. She was a girl. He scarcely looked at her that way, though. Like he enjoyed what he saw. She’d definitely appreciated his bare chest, but had made sure to appear indifferent.

She hadn’t been upset about their tumble in the least, although she still felt bad about his lucky shirt. Not just his. Gael’s and Nash’s too. All three of them had worn the threadbare cotton blend over the years. She smiled. As an only child, she’d loved her visits to Rustic Creek and being treated like part of their family. The four of them had often watched movies and played video games. They made scavenger hunts for one another, and obstacle courses. They’d ride bicycles into town for ice cream, and have water balloon fights on the grass. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t crushed on each of them at one time or another. Nash, with his sandy blond hair and blue eyes. Gael with his black hair and dark eyes. And Cam, with his striking features and the earnest, passionate vibes she could feel.

Don’t even get her started on the sly smile he tried to keep under wraps, his serious side often overtaking his playful one.

Steam fogged the mirror when she stepped out of the shower so she drew a happy face on the glass before drying off and slipping on her Baby Yoda T-shirt and plaid boxer shorts. Tying her wet hair into a bun on top of her head, she padded down the hallway to the main room for something to eat. She plucked a bowl of grapes out of the fridge, popping one into her mouth as she moved to the couch. Pixie had walked her to the guesthouse earlier and had kindly filled the fridge. She’d also included a basket with sweet treats and takeout menus for the restaurants in town. A vase of fresh flowers sat on the coffee table and along with the pool towels was sunscreen and a small stack of magazines. Pixie had thought of everything, indeed treating Reese like the daughter she’d never had.

Settling deeper into the couch, Reese lifted her laptop off the cushion beside her and checked her email. Shay had sent a few: making sure she’d arrived in Rustic Creek okay, prioritizing her reading order, and thanking her for being a wonderful assistant. Was it any wonder Reese loved this job so much? Not to mention Shay’s most important consideration was to build a diverse list of talent and find projects that changed the way people thought. The numerous scripts waiting to be read on Reese’s iPad and in her inbox were mostly serious bodies of work. But being that she and Shay both loved a happily-ever-after, there were also a few romantic comedies.

Reese replied, then closed her email to focus on the first script she needed to read. Just as she opened the Word doc, a glow outside caught the corner of her eye and she let her gaze stray to the large bay window and the setting sun. Acres of open space surrounded the property, with rolling hills in the distance. The flat, sprawling land invited long walks and exploration. She had so many fond memories of running around this land and made a mental note to get Cam to join her for some fresh air during his writing breaks.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Speak of the devil, she thought, recognizing the three raps as his. “Come in!”

“Hey,” he said, walking inside with a delicious smelling foil-covered plate in his hand. He wore jeans, a V-neck short-sleeved shirt, and his hair was neatly combed. He’d missed his usual haircut by at least a month, but she liked the soft waves of the longer strands. He flipped on the lamp next to the couch before sitting down next to her. “Special delivery.”

Reese placed her laptop on the coffee table and put out her hands. “Thank you. What is it?”

“Chicken parm with sautéed spinach from the Italian place in town.”

Right on cue, her stomach growled.

“I’d say my timing is perfect, but—”

“It always is,” she finished for him, taking the plate. Reese baked like a Betty Crocker sous chef, but when it came to cooking dinners and other sit-down meals, she lacked the desire and skill. Cam cooked like a champ, but couldn’t bake at all. And Pixie? She ordered in on the regular, having a knack for making food taste terrible. It was her one and only flaw.

Cam grabbed a fork and knife from the small kitchen and handed them to her. Without him, Reese would no doubt snack her way through meals.

She took a bite of the breaded chicken, humming as she chewed and swallowed. It was that good. Cam looked at her funny, like he had gas or something. “You okay?” she asked him.

He cleared his throat. “Fine.” His eyes darted to her laptop screen. “Looks like you’re already busy.”

“Uh-huh.” She filled her mouth with more food. The need to tell him everything about the situation at work overwhelmed her, as it often did when she had a dilemma. Only this time she couldn’t lean on him. This time she had to rely on herself and hope she could get him over his writer’s block.

Cam’s breakout film was full of action and great characters and she’d been so proud to tell everyone about the movie. She’d also paid to see it three times. For the popcorn, she’d teased him. Earning major blockbuster status like he had, she understood why the words weren’t flowing as easily this time. He had a lot to live up to.

Worry returned to the pit of her stomach. Hollywood filmmaking was big business, and success one day didn’t guarantee anything the next. If Leo didn’t get the film he wanted, he could drop Cam with a snap of his fingers.

“This is delicious,” she said, forcing her thoughts to food.

“You’ve got some spinach…” He pointed to her mouth. Top left side, where food always got stuck.

She used her fingernail like a toothpick between her teeth. “Did I get it?”

“You did.”

“You’re the best, you know that?”

“I do,” he said, with his usual adorable grin.

Her body tensed and her stomach dropped at the look of complete trust and warmth on his face. She’d never felt guild-ridden around him before and prayed they were still best friends at the end of the month.