Hersch pounded down Scenic Drive, multimillion-dollar houses on his left and the ocean tormenting him on the right. He rounded the point, where beautiful sand stretched beneath him, and kids were playing, and people were picnicking, and a lifeguard tower was set up so lifeguards could keep an eye on the swimmers. It would be so easy to jog down those steps, run along the beach, and cool off in the water. Or it would have been so easy two years ago. Despite yesterday’s progress, he still didn’t feel confident about the water without Mila by his side. As hot as he was, he faced forward so that his view was asphalt rather than rolling ocean waves and the caramel-colored beach.
As he ran, Herschel couldn’t stop thinking about Mila. She had kissed him. So passionately it had almost knocked him over. Then she’d had to leave to go shopping? He’d barely slept all night thinking about her soft lips and her sexy body, and the way she made him feel like he could do anything. Anything! He had let himself succumb to her completely.
What had he been thinking? The truth was, he wasn’t a spontaneous man. He liked to think things through, and he’d always taken life seriously.
But maybe it was time to stop. He still held to his belief that he could never leave a woman he loved and a potential family behind while he did a dangerous job with no guarantee of a return. And if anyone ever needed proof of that, it was a guy who’d come within a hair’s breadth of drowning on his return from a mission.
However, Mila was both spontaneous and had been very clear that she wasn’t looking for marriage or commitments or ties. And maybe that made everything okay. Maybe if she could hold that attitude and get through her life perfectly well, he could too. Maybe he shouldn’t give up on her.
He knew one thing. He couldn’t keep going night after night dreaming of her beside him, especially now that he knew she was open to the idea of the two of them becoming intimate.
He ran faster than he should have, for longer than he’d intended, but at least he’d come to a decision.
He would have kept going if his phone hadn’t rung. He slowed to a halt, hoping it was Mila. But his screen showed a number he didn’t recognize.
“Herschel Greenfield,” he said.
“Herschel, it’s Jay Malone. The agent. What are you up to right now?”
Hersch grimaced. Hadn’t he made it very clear several times already that he wasn’t interested in having a movie made about his life?
“I’m out running,” Herschel replied.
“Ah, keeping fit. I like it,” Jay said. “Well, I hope you don’t mind me calling you out of the blue, but I’m at Archer Davenport’s place, and we wondered if you’d like to come over and discuss the movie.”
What movie? “That’s kind of you, but I don’t think there’s really anything to discuss.”
Jay laughed. “Once you get talking with Archer and see for yourself what a fantastic actor he is, I think you might change your mind.”
Hersch paused. Since Jay had murmured the word Davenport, his heartbeat had quickened again as if he were still running. He hated to admit it, but he was curious to meet one of Mila’s siblings. Was he curious enough to humor a meeting about a biopic?
Before he could speak, Jay said, “I know you have your reservations, but if you could just spare an hour, or even thirty minutes, we’ll supply the coffee, and all you have to do is listen.”
Hersch made a noncommittal sound.
“Look,” Jay continued, because the man was nothing if not persistent, “at least come and tell the hottest actor working in Hollywood, and one of the best looking, why you don’t want him to play you in the movie of your life.”
Hersch laughed then. “Since I’m pretty much neighbors with Archer now that I’ve moved to town, I guess I could come over for some neighborly coffee.”
Jay let out a triumphant sound. He said he’d text the address, and Hersch hung up, wondering what on earth he’d gotten himself into. As he headed back to his new home, he wondered if there was also maybe a tiny bit of himself that was flattered that anyone would want to make a movie about him.
* * *
A shower and a change of clothes later, Hersch followed his phone’s directions to Archer Davenport’s place on Scenic Drive, where he’d been running earlier. He briefly wondered if they’d seen him and that was why Jay had made the call, but he shook away the idea—surely not even Jay Malone was that conniving.
As he walked up to the door, he was impressed by the beauty of Archer’s home. He’d expected something spectacular—Archer was an A-list celebrity—but this place was a modern masterpiece of glass and sharp angles. Its crisp white paint job sparkled in the sun.
The dark gray front door was built to be intimidating, with a series of security cameras around the buzzer, but Hersch was used to high-level security. He rang the bell.
To his surprise, Archer himself opened the door. “Come right in,” he said. “So glad you could join us. I’m Arch.”
Hersch knew that Archer had recently broken his leg, but the only clue was that he walked with a slight limp. He’d clearly made a great recovery. Archer flashed him a true Hollywood-heartthrob smile and ushered him in.
He showed Hersch through to an enormous living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased the ocean view. Jay Malone, sitting on a cream leather couch, jumped to his feet and came straight over to shake Hersch’s hand like they had already made a deal. Hersch was thankful to have something to focus on besides the view. Jay was wearing a sharp navy suit. Did the man ever give himself a minute off?
Archer told Hersch to make himself comfortable. “I’m so happy to have a real-life hero in my living room,” he said. “It’s an honor.”
Hersch tried not to cringe. He was anything but a hero, but these two men kept insisting otherwise. Rather than taking a seat right away, Hersch turned his back on the windows to look at the art. Archer was obviously a collector. He was drawn to a group of paintings that were different, softer and more expressive than some of the others. “Are these Tessa Taylor’s paintings? I saw an exhibition of her work. They’re beautiful.”
Archer looked like Hersch had just paid him the greatest compliment in the world. “Yes, wow. I can’t believe you recognize her style. I’m always telling Tessa she’s one of a kind, but she doesn’t believe me. She’ll be thrilled when I tell her that Herschel Greenfield spotted her work and liked it.” Then, almost as though he were giving away state secrets, he said, “We’re engaged.”
“Congratulations.”
“Just announced it to the press last night,” Jay said in his forceful way.
“Tessa’s very talented,” Hersch said. He looked carefully at Archer’s face, realizing as he did that he was seeking traces of Mila there. What had that taken—two minutes before he was thinking about Mila again?
Jay guided Hersch to a chair, and Arch poured him a cup of coffee.
“I was reading online that your movie with Smith Sullivan is coming out soon. Congratulations.”
Arch smiled, but it was a modest smile. “Ah, thanks. We’re pretty excited about it. The movie had a great screenwriter and director, and the crew were just amazing. They made it easy for me. Plus, I was working with my best bud, which helps.”
“I’m sure that your breaking your leg on set will help with ticket sales,” Jay interjected. To Hersch, he said, “The man never broke character, so they kept filming.”
Hersch was amazed that Archer was so down-to-earth. He’d been expecting to meet a flashy, self-involved guy, but Archer just seemed like a regular Joe who happened to be good-looking. “I hear Mila sold you a house,” Arch said. “She’s a great Realtor, but she’ll have you out surfing if you give her half a chance. We all surf. You’ll have to come out with us sometime.”
Hersch felt himself relax and realized he’d very much been on his guard until now. “I’d like that a lot,” he said. Which was true even if it was unlikely. “I’ve been missing doing a range of outdoor activities. I used to compete in Ironman, but I sat the last one out.”
Jay clapped his hands and said, “Arch has done an Ironman. Just one, though—not fifteen.”
Hersch shuddered a little at the research Jay had obviously been doing. But luckily Archer stepped in and said, “It’s hard work and a lot of commitment. I’m not sure I’ll ever do another one.”
Archer had a warmth and sincerity about him that immediately put Hersch at ease. “I’m not sure I’ll ever do another one either,” he admitted. “Now I run to keep in shape.”
“I run too. Clears the mind.”
“Yes,” said Jay, “that would be a great way for you guys to get to know one another better. You see, Herschel, for this movie, we want to go deep into character. We want it to be an authentic character study. From your modest beginnings, through to your training for the space program, a successful mission that leads to near tragedy. And you, making sure everyone else got out safely. It’s going to be comprehensive and gut-wrenching, and I just know it’s going to inspire millions.” Jay sat back, looking pretty pleased with himself.
Hersch was about to protest when he heard a woman’s voice call Archer’s name—a familiar voice—and in walked Mila, holding what looked like the dress bag she’d been carrying the other day. His stomach flipped. Every time he saw her, she took his breath away. She was wearing worn jeans and a loose sweater, and her long hair was wound into a bun at the nape of her neck. She knew how to be a goddess on sea and land both, and it never failed to amaze him. What was she doing here?
Mila obviously hadn’t expected to see him either. A split second of confusion, and then her eyes lit up. She was as pleased to see him as he was her. He wanted to leap up from his seat and kiss her senseless and take her far from here to somewhere private. Like his bed. From the way her eyes opened wide and her cheeks flushed as she took in the scene, he was almost certain she was experiencing the same fantasy.
Archer said to Mila, “Can’t a man have some privacy in his own home? You ever heard of knocking? I gave you all the key code for emergencies, not so you could waltz in here like you’re about to sell the place.”
Mila quickly recovered her composure. “Is this a secret boys’ club meeting? Shall I go and leave you to your treehouse?”
Arch laughed. “What are you doing here, anyway? And what is that?”
“I came to drop something off for Tessa,” Mila explained. “And no, don’t ask me any more. It’s none of your business.”
Hersch smiled a small smile, enjoying their sibling squabble.
“Come on, you two,” Jay said fondly, clearly having been a witness to their banter many times before. “We’re having an informal meeting. No biggie.” He looked at Mila and then Hersch and back again.
Hersch suddenly felt exposed. Could Jay tell that he had a crush on Mila as big as the moon?
Jay said, “What would you think about your brother playing Herschel in a biopic?”
Mila turned on him. “If you bullied him into this, Jay, I swear I’ll—”
“We’re just talking,” Hersch interrupted.
Archer jumped in and said, “Yeah, we’re talking about guy stuff here. Why don’t you go upstairs and do whatever secret girl thing you and Tessa have planned?”
Mila rolled her eyes. “First, we both know I could take you down in under five seconds. And second, I’m pretty sure ‘guy stuff’ isn’t dressing up and pretending to be someone else. So, yeah, I’d definitely rather go upstairs.”
She turned to Hersch. “Good to see you.” To Jay, she said, “Wish I could say the same,” with a teasing smile, and disappeared upstairs.
A few minutes later, Hersch heard her come down, and then the front door clicked shut. Jay and Archer had long gone back to talking about the movie, but all Hersch could think about was Mila. Their surprise encounter made him think that maybe she wanted him as badly as he did her. Hersch wasn’t the kind of guy to sit around and do nothing. He was going to win over Mila Davenport, even if she would give him only one night. Casual sex had never been his thing, but at thirty-five years old, maybe it was time to try something new. Having made that decision, he felt better than he had in days.
Because once he’d made a decision, he tended to act on it right away.