Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Over lunch at a nearby café, Kaia wanted to rehash every word Ella had said, and Jax couldn't bring himself to even try to tamp down her enthusiasm.
She was completely caught up in Walter and Reina's love story, and he was starting to worry that she would be the one most disappointed if Reina didn't want to connect.
"Sorry," Kaia said with an apologetic smile as she finally ran out of steam.
"For what?"
"Talking incessantly for the past half hour," she said with a laugh. "Probably boring you to death."
"The last adjective I would use to describe you is boring."
She flushed at his words. "Well, thank you for that. I still can't believe you bought that record player just so you could hear their music, especially since you don't even allow me to turn on the radio in the car."
"That was an overreaction," he allowed.
"You think?" she teased. "So, you do listen to music."
"Not much, but when I do it's not country. I've been staying away from that."
"Are you afraid one of your songs will come on the radio?"
"I'm not sure how much they're being played anymore, but I haven't wanted to take that chance. I am curious to hear Reina's voice, though. I did find two of Anita's songs online that I listened to the other day."
Surprise flashed in her eyes. "Really?"
"Yes, but I couldn't find any of Reina's songs. I wonder if she sounds like her sister or if there's a difference."
"I'd like to hear the records, too."
"We can do it when we get back."
His words made her glance at her watch, and then she frowned. "We need to get going. I promised Lexie I'd stop by the Art Nest for her photography show. Do you mind going with me? It will be faster than if I have to take you back to Ocean Shores first. I have to get to work by three."
He hesitated. It was one thing to hang out in San Diego, a busy city miles away from Ocean Shores, and another to go to the art gallery in Oceanside very close to where he'd seen the photographer a few days ago.
"It won't take that long," Kaia said.
"It's not the time involved…"
"It's the possibility of getting photographed again," she said. "Do you really care? Because I'm not worried about getting caught in a picture with you. I'm not famous. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me."
"You have no idea what it's like to become a target of online hate. Many people believe I hurt Wren. And her fans would like to have my head for that. If you're seen with me, you could become the target of the same hate."
She frowned. "Okay, I get it. Maybe I am being na?ve. But there are already photos of us together. So, I can't stop whatever is going to come from that. I doubt it will get any worse with more photos. But if you're really concerned, I'll drop you off and then go to the gallery."
He felt bad for making her go out of her way when they might not even run into anyone from the media.
"It's fine. I'll go," he said shortly. "I know you have to work later. I don't want to make your life more difficult."
"I think it will be okay," she said. "And I know Lexie will appreciate you being there."
"I'm sure she'll be happier that you're there. You really show up for your friends, don't you, Kaia?"
"We show up for each other. I think that's part of the definition of being a friend."
"Not everyone shows up."
Her gaze narrowed. "Did your friends show up for you when all the bad stuff happened? Or did you not let them?"
"Maybe I didn't stick around long enough to find out," he conceded. "There was a lot going on."
"And you couldn't or wouldn't explain."
Kaia was not just pretty and smart; she was also perceptive. "There was that, too."
"Someday you're going to have to tell me the whole story, Jax."
"Someday," he echoed as he picked up the bill and put down some cash. They walked back to the car in silence, but as Kaia started the drive back to Oceanside, he decided to change the subject. "Why don't you tell me about Lexie's work and what I'm going to see at the gallery?"
"Well, I don't know how much you've gotten to know Lexie…"
"I know that she's Josie's niece and she does freelance photography work, sometimes for a magazine, and that she's involved with the owner of the building. That's about it."
"Well, Lexie has an interesting history.
She used to be a lawyer. But she hated it so much, she finally quit.
She threw her high-powered career away and came to Ocean Shores where she could find the support and encouragement that she was not getting at home.
Her father is a lawyer, and he did not approve of her abrupt departure from the profession.
But Lexie wanted to be creative. She started her own business, but then she got caught up in shooting weddings, baby showers, and taking corporate headshots, and she realized she'd traded one boring job for another. "
"I can see how that could happen."
"She finally realized that she had to take a bigger risk if she wanted to have the career that she'd given up her previous life for. What she really wanted to do was travel and shoot exotic, but not well-known locations, find meaning in small things, and offer a different perspective on the world."
"Sounds ambitious."
"It is, but it's working out great. She freelances for a magazine, that pays her to travel to locations around the world. She also still works for herself. As soon as you see her work, you'll see how talented she is. Her pictures make me look at things differently."
"Sounds like you're a fan and not just a friend."
"I'm definitely both. I've always admired creative people. I wish I had a talent for something, but I haven't found one yet."
"You have a talent for getting people together," he said lightly, drawing a smile, which felt like just the reward he'd needed.
"We don't know yet if Walter and Reina will get together."
"I was thinking more about you getting me involved with your friends."
"Oh. Well, I am glad you came last night."
"It seemed like you were trying to avoid me."
"I just wanted you to meet people on your own without me hovering."
"Was that the reason? Or did you want to prevent them from seeing us together?"
She shot him a quick look. "It was the first, Jax. I don't care what people say about me. That's why I don't care about my photo being online. I'm fine with someone identifying you as a superstar and me as the unknown redhead."
"It might say unknown, but there would be other adjectives, like stunning, mysterious, unforgettable..."
"I do like those words," she said with a laugh.
He smiled back at her, thinking how unique she was.
There had been plenty of women he'd dated, who had either been dying to get photographed with him or had hated every picture they were in.
But no one had ever been completely unconcerned or totally uninterested.
It was refreshing, and another reason he was starting to like her so much.
"You know," Kaia began, drawing his attention back to her. "Everyone around Ocean Shores calls you our mystery man."
"Someone mentioned that last night. I think they said you gave me the name."
Guilt flitted across her expression. "Maybe I did. Before I knew you. It's actually kind of fun that I can be the mystery woman on your side of things."
He sighed. "Trust me, the press is rarely kind and never fun."
"I'm a nobody. I'm sure if you were seen with an actress or a singer or some rich girl, they'd be far more interested. I bet you've dated a few of those. You're a celebrity; isn't that part of the gig?"
"Fame created a new social group. Not necessarily a better one."
"Did it bother you that Wren was the face of your music? Were you like Reina was to Anita, always in the background, while Wren stole the spotlight?"
"I never wanted the spotlight. That was never an issue between us."
"What were your issues?"
Now she was treading into dangerous territory. "I really don't want to talk about that right now."
"Did you write your own songs?" she asked, only slightly changing the topic.
"Some of them."
"Did you do it together? Was it an equal collaboration?"
"I was better with lyrics. Wren had a way of putting the right word to the right note that made it sparkle. It was mostly a joint effort." Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "Have you heard anything from your brother? I saw you checking your texts at the café."
She shook her head. "Nothing from Ben yet, but he might not have gotten there that early."
"Hopefully, everything is okay."
"Hopefully," she echoed as she took the next exit and headed into downtown Oceanside.
As they weaved their way through the crowded streets, he grew tense, but he hoped the crush of people would make him less conspicuous.
It would be easier to blend in with a crowd.
Kaia was able to squeeze into what she called a secret parking lot around the corner from the gallery.
When they got out of the car, she grabbed his hand and said, "It's going to be okay. "
"I don't know where you get your confidence, but I'm going with it."
Her smile once again lit up her face, making him wonder how he would ever be able to walk away and never see her again. But that was too big a question to ponder now.
She let go of his hand when they reached the gallery. Again, he had to wonder if that was because they were about to see her friends, or if it was just because she wanted to open the door. But that was another question he didn't really need to be thinking about.
The Art Nest had tall front windows, with light spilling across the polished hardwood floors, and as they stepped inside, they joined a crowd of people.
Lexie's exhibit was at the back of the gallery, and every few steps, someone stopped to greet Kaia with a smile or a hug.
She didn't introduce him, and he was fine with that.
He didn't recognize any of them until they got to the exhibit where Lexie was standing with Grayson, Madison, Gabe, and her Aunt Josie.
As soon as she saw them, she immediately came over. "Thank you so much for coming," she said, giving Kaia a hug before offering him a warm smile. "It's nice to see you here, Jax."
"This looks amazing," he said, waving his hand toward her wall of photography.
"I hope it is," Lexie said, a nervous edge to her voice. "It's always terrifying to put yourself out there in a very public way. I'm more comfortable behind the camera."
"You should relax and enjoy every bit of this attention," Kaia said. "Your work speaks for itself. By the way, did you put up those photos from Morocco?"
"I did. I'll show you."
As they moved away, Josie joined him, while Madison, Gabe, and Grayson went to speak to Ava and Liam, who had also just arrived. Kaia was right. It wasn't just Kaia who showed up for her friends. Everyone at Ocean Shores seemed to do the same thing.
Josie gave him a proud, beaming smile. "Look what my girl has done." She waved her hand toward the wall of photos.
"I haven't had a chance to really look at them, but from what I can see, they're impressive."
"They are definitely that. Lexie is so good at seeing what other people cannot and calling our attention to what we've missed."
"That's what Kaia said. That's quite a talent. Did she get that from you?"
"Oh, no! This is all her, and only her. No one else in the family has a creative bone in their body. Lexie is the unicorn." She paused. "I'm glad you came."
"I'm not sure this trip won't come back to bite me."
Josie gave a quick glance around them to make sure no one was within earshot, then said, "I saw the photographs online of you and Kaia. Her face is turned away from the camera, so she's not identifiable, but you are."
He stiffened. "Where did you see those?"
"One of those gossip sites. You didn't know they were up?"
"Once I saw the photographer, I figured they'd go up, but I didn't want to look."
"What you don't see can't hurt you?"
"Something like that."
"I haven't noticed any strangers around the building. Maybe they don't know where you live."
"It won't take too much longer for someone to figure it out."
"And if they do, then what?" she asked.
He met her gaze and shrugged. "I don't know. I probably should have left already."
"But you're tired of running."
"Tired of feeling like I need to," he said.
"That's what happened to me when I got to Ocean Shores. I had finally found a place that felt right, and I didn't want to have to go looking for another one. The thing is, Jax, everything blows over. Sometimes going into hiding only prolongs the story. It makes it more of a mystery."
"I'm sure you're right, but the couple of weeks after the news came out were exhausting. I couldn't breathe. I felt sick all the time. Getting away felt like the only way out."
"I understand. But you're breathing better now. You're making friends. You're joining activities. I think our community will continue to be good for you."
"They're going to find out who I am. And then they'll feel differently about me. It's only a matter of time."
"It's easier to judge someone you don't know. But people are more than one thing, and the better you know someone, the more apparent that is." Josie paused. "Kaia doesn't seem to be judging you, and she's one of the more critical ones in the group. For what it's worth, I hope you'll stay."
"It's a risk."
"Sometimes risk pays off. Lexie took one and look where she ended up."
He nodded, but he knew that risk didn't always pay off. Sometimes, it ended in disaster.
An hour later, they got back to Ocean Shores. "I really wish I could just hang out at the pool this afternoon, but duty calls," Kaia said as she parked the car.
"I hope it's an easy shift."
"Who knows? It's Saturday and almost the fourth of July, so I'm sure we'll start getting calls from idiots getting drunk and trying to set off fireworks that they don't know how to control."
"Do you get a lot of that?"
"Unfortunately, yes." She turned in her seat. "Thanks for coming with me to see Ella and also to the gallery."
"It was fun."
"I would like to hear Reina's record. But I don't get off until eleven tonight, so it will have to be tomorrow."
He wanted to tell her he'd wait up for her, but he knew a late-night visit with her would be playing with fire. "Tomorrow works," he said.
As they got out of the car, he heard voices in the parking lot, and his pulse jumped. But it was just Frank talking to Margaret.
Kaia followed his gaze and gave him a knowing smile. "No photographers."
"Not yet," he muttered. "We should get inside. You don't have much time before you have to leave for work."
As they entered the courtyard together, his pulse leaped once more at the sight of the tall, blond man wearing a white polo shirt and khaki pants. He stopped abruptly, swearing under his breath.
Kaia gave him a look of alarm. "Is that someone from the press?"
"No. He's not a photographer; he's even worse."