Chapter 6
Standing at her window, she took in the colors lacing the sky.
It was something she had been doing for the past two years, and it never got stale.
She never got tired of seeing the amazing streak of colors, from rose to orange and melting into gold as the sun ascended, bathing everything in sight.
But this morning, she was treated to something
Bryce.
He had started jogging along the beaten path and had chosen to do so in the early hours of the morning.
She started to turn away when he stopped and stretched.
Her breath caught and her fingers curled into fists.
He was wearing just a t-shirt – he was going to catch a cold, she thought faintly.
The shirt was white and molded to his upper body like a second skin.
Muscles rippled and strained as he pulled his arms high above his head.
From where she was standing, she could see the wind tossed hair and the shape of his face.
And hell! The taut buttocks in the giving material of his jogging pants.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and stepped away from the window.
She had firmly told him that it was friendship only and she meant it.
She would certainly be a fool to think that there could ever be more.
Biting her lip, she moved back and sat on the edge of the bed.
The memories were forcing their way inside her brain.
What it felt like to be touched by him, the first time they made love.
His kisses…
“Oh, hell no!”
She muttered grimly and stood up.
Marching towards the bathroom, she stripped and stepped into the shower install.
He was a friend, nothing more.
*****
“Hey!”
“Hey!”
It took a moment for her to steady herself when she saw him at the dining table.
He had showered and was wearing a thin black sweater and black denims.
His hair was still damp from his shower and curling madly.
“I took a book from the library.
Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
The couple had not come down yet as the time was still shy of seven.
“Coffee?”
“You read my mind.
I went for a run.”
She almost answered that she already knew that and kept her mouth shut just in time.
“I hope you were properly clad.
I once had a guest who went out wearing shorts and a tank top and came down with pneumonia.
His trip went downhill after that.”
“I admit that I was only wearing a t-shirt and no jacket, but the wind on my skin felt exhilarating.”
He laughed, blue eyes twinkling, white teeth flashing against sensuous lips and making her acutely aware of him.
“You need to be careful.”
Her tone was brisk, causing him to give her a curious look.
“The weather is unpredictable, and I am certain getting sick is not on your agenda.”
“It’s definitely not.”
With a nod, she went towards the kitchen with him staring after her.
A brooding expression settled on his face.
He had gone for a run to clear his head.
He did not want only friendship and had come to that realization in the early hours of the morning.
He had enjoyed their conversations, which had brought back memories of happier times.
He wanted more, but he was going to have to bide his time.
His thoughts were interrupted when she came back with a pot of coffee and some delicious looking biscuits.
“I have to start breakfast.
Jessica is going to be a little late.
If you need anything, just shout.”
“I will.”
Picking up the pot, he poured coffee and took a sip.
And brooded some more.
Inside her tidy and cozy kitchen, Zahra was doing her own brooding.
He bothered her.
She wished she could stick to her own resolves of friendship.
She wanted it to be so, but every pore, everything inside her was aware of him.
The elusive and expensive cologne, she had a feeling it was his signature scent.
He was plastered on billboards every damn where.
Lounging on silk sheets wearing only underwear, or silk pajamas.
Jeans and cotton shirt open to the waist, revealing tantalizing glimpses of tanned skin with the coverings of dense dark hairs.
At the beach, with a stunning blonde wrapped around his almost naked body.
She had seen it all, including the movie where he had been naked, making passionate love to a very famous actress.
One who had been involved with him for close to a year.
She would be a fool to forget who he was and what he represented.
He was not the gawky teenager who had given her the first kiss and labored over her body, whispering how much he loved her.
That boy had matured into a gorgeous man – a movie star and certainly very experienced.
He had gone on to bigger and better things while she had… She shook her head as she pounded on the dough.
She had been involved with one other guy, and it had been disastrous.
She had been frozen in time.
And she was okay with it.
Or was she? The errant thought haunted her enough to make her stop and blow out a breath.
Of course she was.
They would go back to being friends and that was the end of that.
Nothing more.
He would go back to his world, and she would marry someone like William, she grimaced at the thought of it.
He was a nice guy, but boring as hell.
So what? She thought angrily as she painted the dough with homemade honey and butter.
So, the hell what? Was she being fair to William? He was not Bryce Whitlock, but then again, no one was.
He was a decent man who worked for a living.
He was an accountant and… She closed her eyes briefly and put aside the brush.
Picking up the dish of raisons, she liberally added them to the dough.
And decided that she was not going to overthink anything.
*****
“If I wasn’t already madly in love and married to that gorgeous man, I would ask for your hand.
Straight or not.”
Sandra grabbed the white paper bag and inhaled the delicious cream pastries.
“I love you.”
Zahra laughed at her friend’s enraptured expression and went to see about making tea in the tiny kitchenette.
She had escaped as soon as Jessica arrived, telling herself that she was not running away.
She needed to see her friend and run some errands.
Go to the bank, that sort of thing.
She had left Bryce ensconced in the library, making phone calls and curled up on a sofa with a book next to him.
She brought back the tea and set it in front of her friend.
The shop was not buzzing at the moment and besides, Sandra’s assistant was out front.
“Now, bitch…”
She bit into the delicate pastry and closed her eyes in delight.
“I might be in love with you, but I am still upset.
Why the hell didn’t you tell me you have a celebrity staying at the inn?”
She poured tea carefully and contemplated how much to tell her friend.
They were close and told each other mostly everything, but some things were too personal to share.
Not even to a woman she considered her best friend.
“It’s Bryce Whitlock.”
“I know who he damn well is.
Action star hero of the big screen.
I almost waddled my way up there to make a fool of myself and fall at his feet.”
Sandra eyed her curiously.
“What the hell is he doing here?”
“He wanted to be somewhere he would not be harassed.”
“He’s a bloody well-known movie star.
How did he think he would accomplish that impossible task?”
She demanded.
“I know him.”
“Of course you do.
He’s known to every blessed soul who has a TV or a smart phone or a tablet.”
“No,”
she shook her head and handed her friend the cup.
“I knew him when we were children.
We went to school together.”
She almost lost the plot at the blank expression on the girl’s face.
“That’s like saying Brad Pitt and I were neighbors.
What do you mean you went to school with him and why on earth have you never said anything?”
“I never thought of it.”
“You never…,”
Sandra threw up her hands in disgust.
“Girl, we sat in that stuffy movie theater watching ‘Hot on the Trail’, just two months ago and I was salivating.
He had blood all over him and that shirt clinging to his very buffed chest and a black band over his forehead to keep the sweat from going into his eyes.
And you never said a word.”
“You were salivating, I was not.”
Sandra glared at her and considered.
“Come to think of it.
You were as cool as cucumber.
I wondered about that.
You knew him. How well?”
“We were friends,”
she said casually as she picked up her cup.
“You were friends.
With that gorgeous hunk and never said a word. Why not?”
“It was no big deal.”
Her friend simply stared at her in shock.
“Not a big deal.
That man happens to be the most successful male actor, on a level with Brad Pitt and Jason Statham and you said it’s not a big deal.
Who the hell are you?”
Forcing herself to appear nonchalant, Zahra picked up a pastry even though she was not hungry and took a nibble.
“We both had tumultuous childhood and somehow bonded.
He was far different from the person he is now – quite gawky and awkward and was bullied.
I stood up for him and we became friends.”
Sandra stared as if she was just now meeting her.
“You stood up for him.
For Bryce Whitlock.
Girl, you could make millions with a story like that.
The tabloids would pay through their teeth to get that in print.”
“Not from me,”
she knew her friend was joking, but she took it seriously.
“Of course not.”
She waved a hand dismissively.
“But still.
Did you know he was coming here?”
She shook her head.
“We did not stay connected.
And he booked under an assumed name.”
“And now?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re reunited with the man from your past who is now a famous celebrity.
How do you feel? And did he remember you?”
“He did and we talked.”
“Just that.
What’s he like?”
Her friend leaned forward, an avid look on her face and it struck her to realize that this was what he faced on a regular basis.
He was talked about, speculated on, dissected and regarded as an object, not a person.
For the first time in her life, she felt a stirring of pity for him and others like him.
“He’s just a person.”
She found herself saying.
“With normal likes and dislikes.
He gets annoyed and insecure.
He came here to try and reconnect with his inner self.” She shrugged.
“He came her to try and find some peace. He desperately wants that.”
Sandra leaned back on the cushions and nodded in understanding.
“It’s funny.
We see them on the screen and never once considered them to be just people.
Albeit people with loads of money, but people just the same.”
She sipped tea thoughtfully.
“And he came to the right place.
The residents here are not in the habit of being star struck.
And if they realizes that he’s a friend of yours, he will be treated as such.”
“You’re right.
I should pass the word around.”
“Leave that to me, honey,”
Sandra had a sparkle in her eyes as she said it.
*****
And thinking of the conversation, it made it easier for her to treat him as a friend.
Another couple had registered and kept her busy with the details of seeing to their rooms and making sure they had everything they needed.
He opted to eat lunch in his suite, and she sent Jessica up with some lunch for him.
When she was finished, she knocked on his door to check on him.
“Come on in,”
he swept the door open with a smile.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. No.”
He blew out a breath as he walked into the bedroom where he had been sitting around the small desk.
His laptop and phone was there as well as some papers.
“Which is it?”
Raking a hand through his already disordered hair, he went to stand by the window, his expression bleak.
“I just received a call from Blaine. My dad.”
“Is he alright?”
“Yes.
He discovered where I am staying and gave me the lecture.
It seems the papers are speculating on where I have taken off to and spinning all sorts of stories.
My parents like things to be tidy and in their proper places.
Nothing out of order.
Even when my dad is having his affairs, there’s always some order to it.”
He shrugged and looked so unhappy and miserable that she had had to quell the urge to go to him.
“He’s ordered me to come back home.”
She felt a jolt at that.
“You’re a grown man.”
“I reminded him of that.”
He turned then and smiled at her, just a slight movement of his lips that sent emotions and sympathy racing through her.
“And told him to go to hell.” He mused.
“I would never have found the courage to tell him that if it wasn’t for you.”
“Me?”
She stared at him in surprise.
“Yes.”
He wanted to go to her, take her in his arms and kiss her until they were both lost in the sensation, but stood where he was.
“Being here,”
he gestured around the room vaguely.
“Being here with you has settled me, is settling me.
I had no idea how much I needed the normalcy, the quiet and the freedom to just slip off the mask.” He came towards her then and took her hands in his. “Thanks.”
“I…”
She gripped his hands and allowed herself to feel, just for the moment.
“You’re welcome.”
“You always looked beyond who I was.
Back then and even now.
I can be myself with you Zahra.
I don’t have to put up defenses or put on a mask.
I can be a human being with you. It had always been like that.”
He started to say something else and decided against it.
Now was not the time.
“Feeling better?”
She asked him softly.
He found himself staring at her upturned face, enjoying the look of her, the smooth skin, the eloquent dark eyes and the curve her lips.
“Much.”
He murmured.
Letting go of her hands, he turned away before he did something that would drive her away.
“Thanks for checking in.”
“You’re welcome.”
She started for the door, turning as she reached for the knob.
“There’s a concert at the community center.
I am sure you would enjoy it.”
“Would I?”
She nodded, with a smile.
“Why don’t you see for yourself?”
*****
And he did.
The community center was packed with people, and it seemed like everyone in town had turned out for the event.
It was not a spectacular show, in fact the performances were amateurish at best and a little mechanical, but he enjoyed it and found himself laughing along with the rest.
He was treated with friendly cordiality and referred to as ‘Zahra’s famous friend’.
He had no idea how they had come to that conclusion, unaware that Sandra had circulated the term and warned people that Bryce had stopped by for a visit because he needed to get away from the frenzied craziness of his own life.
She had done well to play on people’s sympathy, and it had worked.
He was not bombarded for autographs and even the children kept their distances.
He was left alone to enjoy the show and afterwards, a full plate of goodies was thrust into his hands.
At the end of it all, he felt like one of the natives.
“So? What do you think?”
He had insisted on driving his leased car and that she accompany him.
“About the show or the people?”
He threw her a teasing look as he navigated the light traffic on the main road.
“Both.”
She settled back in her seat and stretched her legs out.
The night was pretty, the sky devoid of clouds, the stars twinkling.
“The show was delightful and the people friendly.”
She slid him a look that had him turning to look at her briefly.
“You don’t have to lie.”
His blue eyes twinkled.
“Why would you say such a thing?”
“The performance was dreadful.
It was supposed to be a romantic interlude, and I had to stop myself from laughing.
It was so stilted.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“You’re a Hollywood bigshot.”
She pointed out.
“Does not mean I cannot enjoy simple theater.”
He slid into the driveway and shut the engine off.
“You were sifting through all the flaws.”
“I was not!”
“You were.”
She turned sideways to stare at him.
“I could see a dozen thoughts racing through your mind.”
“I am not that transparent, and I did enjoy it.”
He turned to face her, and the confinement was not lost on him.
She filled his nostrils and tantalized his senses.
She had worn a sweater dress for the occasion, and it clung to every vibrant curve of her body.
His body stirred to life, and he had to shift slightly so she would not notice.
“To me you were.”
“What?”
He stared at her blankly for a second, having lost the trend of conversation.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
He turned away and took a deep breath.
“Just tired, I guess.”
“It’s not that late.”
“I was up until late last night and rose early this morning.
The air is what’s doing it to me.
Usually, I can go all night with only a few hours of sleep, but it’s different.”
He pushed open the door and stepped out, coming around to open hers.
He stepped back so that their bodies would not make contact.
He was not sure he would be able to handle it.
“Thanks for tonight.”
“You’re welcome.
How about a nightcap?”
He shook his head.
“I think I will go for a walk before turning in.”
“If you change your mind, you know where everything is in the kitchen.”
“I do.”
He smiled at her before turning in the direction of the hill.
He walked for a what seemed like miles, only stopping when he reached the top.
It was chilly, the breeze springing up and rustling everything around, including his jacket.
Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket, he stood there wrapped in the vibrant and somewhat untamed beauty of the area.
His hair was tousled by the fingers of the wind as if a lover was raking her fingers through the thick strands.
Could he live here? The thought came unbidden and had him blinking.
Where the hell had that come from?
Of course he could not.
He would be bored within a week and dying to get back to the swing of things.
He was a big city kind of guy.
He loved the bright lights and the frenzied activities.
This was just a pause for him. A rejuvenating of the spirit and soul and then he would be back home where he belongs. But what of her? What of Zahra?
“What about her?”
He had no idea he had spoken aloud, until he heard the echo of his voice in the stillness.
You have feelings for her.
“No.
Goddammit yes, but that does not matter.”
He laughed grimly and contemplated that he was going mad.
Here he was talking to himself.
It would never work, he decided.
She belonged here and he didn’t.
It would be ludicrous to think of himself living here of all places. He had homes in several countries.
Luxurious homes.
He hated the informality of hotels and preferred his own place.
The villa in Tuscany, the pied a’ terre in Paris, the flat in London and the one in Scotland.
There was also the place in the Bahamas.
And his townhouse in New York and an apartment in California.
He would never consider settling here.
But ever since he connected with her, the yearning had started.
He enjoyed being with her.
He could talk to her without having to hide his innermost thoughts.
She had never treated him like an object.
Lifting a hand, he passed it around the back of his neck.
It was no use wishing for something that could never happen, he thought grimly.
They did not belong together and that was that.
Wishing that things were different was just - well it was just stupid and unproductive.