Chapter 15
15
G rant leaned against a boulder near the south entrance to Be-Seen Beach. Before him lay a ribbon of pristine sand dotted with palm trees. Fifty or so people relaxed on tropical-themed towels or splashed in the medium-sized waves. Every now and then, a monster wave rose up from nowhere, crashing into anything in its path. The few ocean goers seemed to be sticking to the shallows. This was good, because getting much deeper with waves like that could quickly get an inexperienced swimmer into trouble.
Behind him, a dozen well-tended mansions, their ocean fronts jutted with balconies and glass, formed a wall of conspicuous wealth that shielded the private hideaway from the roadway. Between that and the scary-looking private security guards stationed at each end of the beach, Grant saw little need for the ‘Keep Out. Private’ signs posted at regular intervals.
He’d heard whispers of a secret celebrity beach, but assumed they were just stories, because, legally, weren’t all of California’s beaches open to the public? The longer Grant lived in LA, the more he understood that rules apply differently to different people. Sadie wouldn’t likely have access to a place like Be-Seen either, but Ronny would. He must have suggested and arranged this place, a paparazzi paradise, for their last date.
Even on this sunny day, Grant’s thoughts clouded over. Their last date.
Would it signal the end of a six-year pipe dream or be the beginning of his life with the woman who captured his heart the moment he saw her?
The fact that Sadie had allowed Ronny to share the details of date number three with him in advance ignited the tiniest spark of hope. Perhaps their mud wrestling evening had thawed something between them after all? Or maybe Ronny had leaned on Sadie harder now that Ronny was Grant’s agent.
Hoping to calm his fraying nerves, he closed his eyes and tipped his head toward the sun. His mind stilled, and he heard Amrita’s words again: “Patience is the most beautiful prayer.” Yes. Love at first sight for him didn't mean that Sadie would automatically return those feelings. Patience remained his best plan, especially since there was no way to know where he stood until she arrived. Only then could try to get a read on her feelings toward him.
“There you are, Grantee,” Sadie said from his right. He opened his eyes, and his hopes of discerning her feelings plummeted. A Barbie doll would have lost the ‘Painted on Smile Award’ to Sadie. They were in public, so she was already in acting mode.
“You certainly look ready to be seen,” she said next. “Hoping to impress someone today?”
He felt the nakedness of his torso as she looked him up and down. He wasn’t big into the gym, but he loved running and watched what he ate.
“Only you,” he said, giving her a genuine smile. Taking in her outfit, he added, “And you look…very protected.” An oversized and completely shapeless army-green t-shirt dwarfed her torso, beneath which a long-sleeved, high-necked, and bright orange swimsuit covered her legs all the way to her knees. A faded and badly bent gray baseball cap with a frog embroidered on the front corralled her curls, and a thick white paste coated her button nose. “What’s that on your nose? SPF 6000?”
“Zinc cream.” She pulled on the stretchy material at her thigh and gave it a snap. “Unlike you, I can’t be too careful about wrinkles. Leading men develop character as they age, but leading ladies become character actors.”
“Well, no wrinkles are going to pierce your defenses today,” Grant said. He motioned toward the water. “Should we head to the beach?”
She nodded and they began making their way over the sand. He would have offered to carry her beach bag or chair, but she had only the towel slung over her arm. The Sadie of their college days had been the “mom” of her group of friends. Everyone counted on her to plan for whatever snacks or supplies they might need on a day trip or even a library study session. Either she was no longer that person, or she didn’t expect to be at the beach for long.
“This is quite a spot,” she said.
“No kidding. I thought it was apocryphal.”
“I’d never heard of it, and I’ve lived in LA my whole life.” She whistled as she looked around. “Oh, my. Just look at the all the beautiful women.”
“I think the guards only let good-looking people in,” Grant said.
“Good thing Ronny put my name on a list then,” Sadie said.
Grant laughed. “Even wearing enough UV protection to vacation on the sun, you’re the prettiest woman here—by a long shot.”
“You know,” Sadie said in a lowered voice, “the sounds of the waves and wind are probably loud enough that we don’t have to worry too much about people overhearing. We just need to keep up visual pretenses for the photographers. Smile, smile, smile.”
“Oh, okay, that’s probably true,” he replied. He forced himself to smile, but inside, his heart crumpled. So far, she didn’t seem to feel any differently toward him. She was still doing a job. But with his next breath, he forced those thoughts down. He couldn’t afford to let negativity ruin his chances. If this date wasn’t over, his dream wasn’t either. There had to be some way to strike up a real conversation. Oddly, she kept stealing glances at him as they walked. Maybe she was trying to come up with something to talk about too.
“So, did you manage to get all the mud off you?” he asked. “I swear I was still finding it in my ears three days later. That sure was fun though.”
“It all washed off,” she said flatly.
So much for that . Maybe he needed to stick to current topics.
Out of the blue, she pointed toward a large-chested woman in an apricot bikini playing frisbee. “Look at those double lattes. Bet you’d like to get coffee with her!”
Grant glanced at the woman, but only because Sadie had asked him too. “I wanted to thank you for giving me a heads up about this date. It was nice to know where we were going.”
“I figured if I didn’t, you’d show up in a tux.”
“Do I come off that stuffy to you?”
“You have been overdressed for everything we’ve done, and you enjoy polishing shoes.”
Grant wanted to object—it wasn’t his fault he’d been overdressed—but remembered again how Sadie always brought out the best in people. Had he come off as “stuffy” back in college too and missed her efforts to get him to relax? Did that explain at least part of her dislike for him? Once they were sitting down and feeling more comfortable, maybe he would ask. They walked on in silence as he wracked his brain for something neutral to say.
“Nice weather for a day at the beach, huh?” he said eventually, sounding exactly as lame as he felt, but she ignored his question.
“Oh, look at that spread,” she exclaimed. To their left, an enormous, creamy yellow beach umbrella with crocheted boho trim protected a large colorful beach blanket. On it lay a dozen color-coordinated cushions of differing sizes, and a shiny metal cooler. “Someone was out to impress.”
Grant’s heart crumpled anew. He’d prepared this for the two of them. The yellow umbrella reminded him of the outfit she’d worn to the Indian festival, and the sofa at her college apartment always held a tumble of colorful pillows. But had he done too much? Would this come off as stuffy too?
“Uh, I got here early and…this is our spot. I hope I didn’t go overboard.”
Painful seconds ticked by like hours as she stared at his efforts, saying nothing. Finally, she started moving toward it. “It’s fine.”
As they took seats on the blanket, both of them facing the water, three women walked by. One veered close enough to step on the blanket.
“Excuse me!” Grant said. The woman giggled into her hand and winked at him as the trio kept walking.
“Looks like you’ve made some friends,” Sadie said.
He leaned forward and shook sand off the blanket. “Not my kind of friends.”
“Why not? They look like they’re ready for some fun.”
“Because I’ve already got a friend here.”
She simply stared out at the water.
Maybe hunger was making her irritable. The cooler waited behind them. He patted the lid. “Do you like sushi? I seem to remember that you do?” He opened the lid and showed her the tray he’d ordered just for her. After picking it up from the sushi place that morning, he’d stopped by the florist and added delicate purple orchids to the standard garnishes. “I went with California rolls because I didn’t think raw fish was the best idea out here in the heat.”
Again, she paused for a long time. “It’s so nice, Grantee.” She reached out and gave his arm a perfunctory squeeze. “Maybe later.”
He pulled two tall glasses from the cooler. “I’ve got iced coffee, flavored seltzers, or mojitos. What are you in the mood for?”
She tilted her head up and around, looking at the umbrella. “Can we take this down? I'm afraid it’s going to block the photographers.”
“But I thought you were worried about the sun?”
She gave him a raised eyebrow, are-you-kidding-me, stare. “Not wearing this I’m not.”
He looked up at the umbrella too. “You really want me to take it down?”
“I do. It will upset Julia if no one can get good pictures on our last date.”
Reluctantly, he stood and walked around to the back of the umbrella. It probably was obstructing the photographers—he just didn’t see that as a bad thing. Their earlier photos had done what Julia and Ronny needed them to do. Surely, Julia’s contract with Brad was safe. Grant craved private time on this final date with Sadie, and the umbrella offered a chance at that.
Suddenly, two women approached.
“Are you Grant Mason?” one of them said, her voice breathy. The triangle of fabric making up the lower half of her bikini was smaller than your average toast point.
“It is him! We love you on social media!” squealed the other woman, whose one-piece looked more like beginners knitting than something designed for water.
Before Grant knew what was happening, the women grabbed his arms and began pulling him away. A third showed up to push him from behind.
“Come take selfies with us,” the knitted-suit wearer said.
“No…I…” Grant protested.
“Take us swimming,” the toast-point woman cooed.
“But…”
“Will you autograph my body?” said the third. “You can do it anywhere you want.”
Between his shock and how physically off-balance they had him, the three women managed to run him toward the water. Careening his head back, he saw an annoyed-looking Sadie standing and picking up her towel. Was she leaving?