Buoyed by their encounter in the bathroom yesterday morning – Kat might say she wasn’t interested, but her eyes had said something else when she’d come across him – Zac decided he was going to make the most of the weekend. Sunday was already taken care of, unbeknown to Kat, and today. Well, he was going to head to the beach.
And because he knew Mark was busy, it meant Kat would have to come with him.
‘Seriously.’ Kat, dressed today in jeans rather than black trousers, though still with the obligatory black T-shirt, gave him one of her searching looks as she walked into the kitchen. ‘You want to head to Brighton for the day?’
‘The sun is out. It’s summer. The beach seems a good place to head.’
‘Sure, if you’ve got kids.’
He gave her a dazzling smile. ‘Excellent. We can take Debs. And she can take a friend, if she wants.’
‘Now wait a minute.’ He’d never seen so much suspicion in a pair of eyes before. ‘First you want to head to the beach. Now you’re playing happy families. Only we’re not a family. I’m your bodyguard.’
‘A fact you’ve made very clear.’ Choosing to ignore her, he took a bite of his toast. ‘I’ve arranged a picnic.’
‘For crying out loud.’ She made a strangled sounding noise. ‘This is getting worse. Next you’ll be telling me to pack my bikini.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t be averse to seeing you in one.’ He wasn’t a hundred percent sure what she said next, but it sounded suspiciously like a strong swear word. ‘Though wearing one is entirely optional,’ he added, before she burst a blood vessel.
‘Well, gee, that’s mighty kind of you.’ She ran a hand down her face in what he suspected was an attempt to gather herself, before muttering, ‘I need to see what Debs has planned.’
The girl herself chose that moment to wander into the kitchen and glare accusingly at Kat. ‘I couldn’t get back to sleep after you woke me when you used my shower.’
‘Sorry Munchkin. The plumber is coming on Monday.’
‘Your aunt is welcome to use my bathroom.’ Zac gave Kat an innocent look. ‘I believe yesterday proved there’s plenty of room in there for both of us.’
Kat did something very rare. She started to blush.
‘Err, is there something I need to know?’ Debs looked at them both questioningly.
‘Only that Zac is a major wind-up merchant.’ Kat gave him a dirty look before turning back to her niece. ‘I went to use the bathroom yesterday, not realising Zac was already in there.’
‘Oh.’ She started to giggle. ‘Was he, like, you know, in the shower or taking a p—’
‘No!’
Zac couldn’t help smirking at Kat’s horrified expression. It was rare to see her so unbalanced.
‘He was cleaning his teeth, that’s all. Now,’ she continued hurriedly, clearly anxious to end the line of conversation. ‘Zac wants to go to the beach today, so I need to go with him. He’s suggested you and a friend come along too, if you want to.’
‘Really?’ Her clear excitement was a pleasure to see. ‘That sounds well good. I’ll message Anna.’
As she darted back up the stairs, Zac glanced at Kat. ‘At least someone is looking forward to the trip.’
‘So it appears.’
Kat’s less than enthusiastic response to the whole idea started to prick at his happy bubble. ‘Come on, out with it. You’re not usually so hesitant about voicing your opinion.’
‘I’m just wondering what, exactly, you’re trying to do?’ She started to pace back and forwards. ‘First the sudden desire to head to the beach, then winding Debs up about what happened in the bathroom.’ Her eyes drilled into his. ‘It’s not a flaming joke, Zac. This is my job.’
‘You think I don’t know that? You’ve reminded me often enough.’ Irked, he jammed his hands into the pockets of his shorts. Ralph Lauren would be livid.
‘Then what are you playing at?’
‘I’m an unwanted guest in your house. What am I supposed to do this weekend, Kat? Sit around and get in your way? I thought at least this way we could both have a reasonable day.’
She stopped the pacing. ‘And that’s all this is? It isn’t you trying to …’ She bit into her lip, glancing down at the floor before meeting his eyes. ‘Trying to take me on a date?’
It was exactly that, and it frustrated him no end that she clearly found the idea so abhorrent. ‘If it was, you’d run a mile, so no. It’s just a day at the beach.’
Her shoulders relaxed and she gave him a hesitant smile. ‘Okay then.’
Relief vied with simmering disappointment. He’d get his day with her, just not the way he wanted it. ‘Excellent. We can go as soon as the hamper is delivered.’
‘Hamper?’ She stared at him wide-eyed. ‘You’ve seriously ordered a hamper?’
‘Why not?’
‘One of those wicker jobs with the plates, cutlery, glasses and carefully folded check napkins?’
‘Yes.’ He was starting to feel defensive now.
‘We’re going to sit on Brighton beach eating a posh person’s picnic? Smoked salmon and roast beef with a side order of caviar. All topped off with, let me guess … champagne?’
Irritation pricked, along with a sense of acute disappointment. She was taking the piss out of him now. ‘Unless you have something against the idea.’
‘Of course not.’ She looked at him questioningly. ‘Where is this hamper of untold goodies coming from?’
And now he felt every inch the entitled prick she clearly thought he was. ‘Fortnum and Mason.’
‘Of course, it is.’ She half laughed, shaking her head. ‘Jesus, Zac. How much has that cost?’
‘It hardly matters, does it. I’m paying.’
‘But you didn’t need to do that. We’ve got a fridge full of stuff. We could have made sandwiches.’
He’d wanted the day to be special, though. Damn it, he’d wanted to treat her. ‘My mistake,’ he said stiffly. ‘Should there ever be another occasion, I’ll make sure to check with you first.’
‘No, it’s not that. It’s your day, you should do as you want.’ As if aware she’d upset him, she smiled. ‘I’m sure Debs and her friend will get a real kick out of it.’
But not you. Feeling foolish, he turned away from her and, for want of something to do, began to fill the kettle.
A moment later, her phone rang. Digging it out of her jeans pocket, she glanced down at the caller ID. ‘Sorry, I’ve got to get this.’
He thought he heard her say ‘Hello Mark,’ before she went into the study and closed the door behind her.
Maybe he’d be sharing the blasted hamper with Mark now, Zac thought grimly as he waited for the kettle to boil.
***
They’d walked along the prom, skimmed stones in the sea and eaten the picnic. Now Debs and Anna had decided to go on the pier, leaving Kat and Zac to chill out on the beach.
Breathing in a lungful of sea air, Kat lay back on the blanket. There was no sand between her toes, no swishing of palm trees. Instead seagulls squawked, fighting over a bag of discarded chips, and pebbles dug into her back, yet they hardly registered.
This, right now, felt like a little taste of heaven.
The sky was a stunning shade of blue, the sun was warm on her skin, and – forgetting who he was for just a moment – the man lying next to her, took her breath away. In chino shorts and a turquoise T-shirt that fitted snugly across his pecs, he was on a level of attractiveness far beyond anything this beach had ever seen. Even with a baseball cap jammed on his head, and shades covering his face.
‘Is that a sigh of boredom?’
As he angled his face towards her, Kat huffed out a laugh. ‘Hardly. It was an I’m relaxed, sigh.’
‘So this non date isn’t so terrible, after all?’
Her mouth itched to smile. ‘Not so terrible, no.’
‘And the picnic? Was that bearable?’
There it was again. The edge to his voice. She thought she’d heard it when she’d been taking the mick out of him earlier. ‘It was delicious.’ When he didn’t reply, she glanced over to find him staring up at the sky. ‘I’m sorry if I sounded ungrateful before.’
‘No matter.’
But it did matter, she realised belatedly. Unwittingly, she’d hurt him. The private Zac Edwards was clearly more sensitive, perhaps more insecure, than his public persona suggested. ‘It was a sweet thought. Debs really—’
‘Enjoyed it,’ he interrupted. ‘You said. So did she. Several times, I believe.’
‘I enjoyed it, too,’ Kat added quietly, which finally got him to look her way. ‘It’s just I’m not used to being … well, I suppose cossetted. Fussed over. Wined and dined.’
‘You should be.’ His eyes pressed hers. ‘If I dated you, Kat Parker, I would wine and dine you every night.’
That’s not me. She was about to tell him, when she realised it would only encourage a conversation she didn’t want to have. Instead it was time to broach one they needed to have. ‘Do you remember the call I had earlier?’ She levered herself up onto her elbows. ‘It was from Mark. Apparently, a note from our lipstick friend was delivered to the Vision Films offices this morning, addressed to you.’
His body tensed. ‘And?’
‘It said You can run from the hotel, but you can’t hide.’
‘I see.’ He drew his hands up behind his head, his face turned once again towards the sky. ‘Was there anything else the pair of you discussed that concerned me?’
‘Whoa, hang on a minute.’ She sat upright and stared down at him, frustrated to find the sunglasses made reading his expression almost impossible. ‘Where did that come from?’
‘It came from you locking yourself in your study to discuss a matter that concerned me.’
‘I didn’t know it concerned you, until I spoke to him,’ she countered, wondering at his reaction. She’d expected him to be upset, worried, but not this. Not the anger, directed at her.
‘So you always speak to Mark behind a locked door, do you?’
‘Yes.’ Annoyed now, she glared into eyes still shielded by shades. ‘Often the things we talk about, the safety of celebrities, of people in the spotlight, are highly sensitive. I’ve got into a habit of always making sure I’m away from prying ears when I answer his calls.’
Silence. Just the rise and fall of his chest as he inhaled a few deep breaths before slipping off his sunglasses. ‘Shit.’ Slowly, avoiding her eyes, he, too, sat up, drawing up his legs and resting his forearms on them. ‘Sorry.’
Unsure what was going on in his head, she nodded. ‘Accepted.’
He gave her a small smile before turning his attention towards the gently rolling waves of the English Channel. ‘I’d like to blame my fit of pique on the shock of the note, but it would be a lie. Truth is, I find myself annoyingly, frustratingly, jealous of Mark.’
Thump went her heart. ‘I told you before, we’re not—’
‘I know.’ He turned to her, and the sombre look in his eyes squeezed her heart. ‘Sadly, it doesn’t appear to help.’
‘I’m … crap, I don’t know what to say.’
For a long while they both stared out to sea, the only sounds those of the waves, and the hovering seagulls. Was it fair of her to let him keep going out on a limb, voicing his feelings, when she kept hers all screwed up in a tight ball? Because while she couldn’t act on them, she could at least share some of them.
‘That time Debs and her class came to the studio.’ Kat was aware that his head turned sharply to face her, but she couldn’t look at him. ‘I didn’t like seeing you flirt with the teacher.’ She paused. ‘And I didn’t like watching you kiss another woman on set.’
‘No?’
When she got up the nerve to look at him, there was no smug smile, as she’d expected, and as she could have coped with. Instead his eyes held a hopefulness that made all her worries leap back into life. ‘That doesn’t mean—’
‘I know.’ Once again, he interrupted her. ‘But it’s comforting to know I’m not the only one suffering.’
They remained in silence for a few more minutes, their attention on the sea. Kat was so lost in her thoughts, she gave a start when she felt a warm hand curl around hers.
‘Relax, I’m only helping you up.’ He jumped nimbly to his feet and gave her hand a gentle tug. ‘I thought we could pack up the car and then take a stroll. Maybe find Debs and Anna on the pier.’
‘Okay.’ She scrambled up with considerably less grace. ‘But only if you buy me a hot donut.’
‘Seriously?’ He screwed up his face in disgust. ‘All that fat, all that sugar?’
‘Are you saying I need to watch my weight?’
‘What? No, God no.’ His eyes ran down her legs – he’d somehow managed to convince her she couldn’t go to the beach in jeans and boots – and then back up to her face. ‘You look perfect to me. I just meant, all that mess.’
With that, and the accompanying expression on his face, Kat couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. ‘Oh my God, Zac Edwards, it’s high time I got you crumpled and dirty. And before you look too excited about the prospect,’ she added as she saw the corner of his mouth lift in a smirk, ‘I mean we’re going to paddle in the sea, where I might accidentally splash you, so be warned. Then we’re going to stuff our faces with donuts on the pier and let the sugar stick to our lips, and the grease stain our clothes.’
‘Clearly an experience not to missed.’ His vivid green eyes rested on her mouth. ‘Do I get to lick the sugar off?’
Hot damn. A slow sizzle began in the pit of her stomach. The man was incorrigible. Funnily enough though, she could have fended off that, fended off the handsome flirt.
It was the other side of Zac. The man who’d ordered the picnic because, she suspected, he’d thought she might like it. Who’d listened to her worries about Debs, held her and then encouraged her to talk to her niece about her own experiences. The man who’d been brave enough to open up to her about his feelings despite getting very little in return.
It was that man she was finding she had no defence against.