Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
One Week Later…
The blue skies stretched cloudless overhead; not the pale icy blue back on the Cape, but a hazy glow, rippling with a soft ocean breeze and sunshine that warmed every inch of Ellie’s skin.
She yawned, shifting in her lounger as she gazed out at the view: golden Malibu sands stretching down to the glittering ocean.
Dash had borrowed a friend’s beach house for the week, and they’d done nothing but sunbathe and swim since the day they arrived.
Well, almost nothing else.
Ellie heard a noise behind her as Dash stepped out of the sliding glass doors with two glasses in his hands. “It’s not eggnog,” Dash teased, strolling over to join her. “But it’ll have to do.”
She took a sip of the delicious cocktail and let out a sigh of satisfaction. “If I never taste another cup of nog again, it’ll be too soon.”
“Not missing home yet then?” Dash sat beside her and draped one arm around her shoulder.
Ellie laughed. “What’s to miss: blocked up toilets and frozen pipes? No thank you. I’ll take a Malibu beach over freezing backwoods any day.”
Dash dropped a kiss on her temple. “Glad to hear it. But you will let me know if you’re feeling restless, won’t you? We can take a road trip, or vacation somewhere else. I don’t need to start pre-production for another month, and I know you wanted to get out and explore.”
She smiled up at him. “All my travel plans, they weren’t just about going somewhere. It was about getting out of town, trying something new. And I am, right here with you. Besides,” Ellie added, looking back at the ocean, “I could look at this view forever and not get bored.”
“Me too.”
When she turned, Dash was looking down at her.
Ellie flushed, feeling her heart swell again, so full of happiness she half expected it to burst. Just like he’d promised, every day with Dash was a new adventure—and every night, a private discovery.
They’d eaten in all the best restaurants, gone to all his favorite LA hotspots, and they’d even scouted locations for his next movie, but still Ellie’s favorite part of the trip was right there: the two of them, together.
The palm trees were pretty great, too.
Her phone buzzed from her beach bag. Ellie didn’t move. “That’ll just be my parents again,” she told him, relaxing back. “They want to know my plans.”
“Have you given any more thought to staying?”
She felt Dash’s lips graze her neck, his hands sliding lightly over her bare stomach. Ellie shivered. “You know how I feel about it,” he added, his mouth kissing lower.
“How’s that?” she teased.
“Pro,” Dash chuckled against her. “Definitely in favor.”
Ellie took a breath and tried to imagine it. For the first time in her life, her future was a blank page. Completely clear and full of potential. With her small savings hoarded all those years, she could go anywhere. Do anything.
Or stay right there in California. A fresh start—with Dash.
“If I stuck around,” Ellie said slowly, “what would I even do? For work, I mean. I don’t have a college degree, or any real qualifications.”
“Besides single-handedly organizing an entire town?” Dash lifted his head.
“You know what I mean. That’s not exactly a job.”
“Sure it is,” he chuckled. “Out here, we call that a producer, and pay them a fortune to keep things running on track.”
“A producer, hmm?” Her mind turned over the idea. She’d wrangled Sweetbriar into shape for years now. A movie set couldn’t be all that different.
Dash went back to kissing her. “And I’ve got a movie coming up that desperately needs someone cracking the whip. You’d be perfect. You are perfect,” he added, as his hands slid lower still.
She laughed. “Are you trying to talk me into bed?” Ellie teased, even as desire flooded through her. “You’re forgetting, I’m not impressed with you Hollywood hotshots.”
“No, ma’am,” Dash grinned. “I’m trying to talk you into forever.”
He kissed her as the sun beat down on them both, warm and bright, and full of possibilities.
THE END