Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
“ L auren, could I talk privately with you for a minute?” Katy asked.
Lauren looked up from her laptop where she and Eloise had been going over the film from the night before. They were sitting in the living room at the share house, where the cast was half-awake and helping themselves to bagels and coffee in the kitchen.
“Sure, let’s step outside for a minute.” Lauren led the way onto the deck that overlooked the beach. No one else was out there yet, so it was perfectly private. Lauren had seen the conversation between Katy and Anna, so she had a good idea of what she wanted to discuss.
“There’s so many people on the beach already,” Katy commented as they faced the ocean. There were people settling in with their beach chairs and others out walking and, as usual, plenty of dogs running up and down the beach.
“What did you want to talk about?” Lauren asked gently.
Katy hesitated, “It’s Billy. Anna suggested that I ask you about him. I know you dated for a while?”
Lauren nodded. “We did. I think he is a great guy in a lot of ways. I really liked him. Billy is a lot of fun—when his attention is on you. When that attention shifts—well, then it’s not so fun. Especially if you think things are fine, if you know what I mean?”
“So he really did cheat?” Katy sounded disappointed to hear it.
“Yes. And I found out accidentally, on TikTok of all places,” Lauren said.
“Oh, that sounds awful.”
“It was.” Lauren sighed. “Billy swore it would never happen again—and it might not have. But the trust was gone for me. In so many ways, he really is a great guy. I don’t know if he’s changed or if that is just who he is,” Lauren said.
Katy nodded. “Okay, thank you. I don’t even know if he’s interested—or just being Billy, you know?”
Lauren smiled. “Yes, I know exactly what you mean.”
“What was that about?” Eloise asked when Lauren returned to the table where they’d been sitting. Hudson was set up next to them and looked interested as well. Lauren filled them in on the conversation with Katy.
“Do you think she’ll back off now?” Eloise asked.
“I’m not sure. She seems pretty interested,” Lauren said.
“She won’t back off. I’d bet money on it,” Hudson said. “She may see it as a challenge now—to be the one that Billy falls for completely.”
“That is very possible,” Lauren agreed.
Just about everyone spent the morning on the beach, except for Eloise and Lauren who went door to door and invited all the neighbors to attend their party. Some of them seemed hesitant and Lauren didn’t really blame them after all, it was going to be filmed and there would be a live band, which meant it could get loud. Walter, the older gentleman that lived directly next to them, looked intrigued though when they stopped by.
“I’ll have to ask my lady friend. Kay makes all of those decisions.” His eyes twinkled adorably as he said her name. “I have a feeling we’ll probably be stopping by. Thank you for the invite.”
After lunch, they all headed to the Whaling Museum to start filming at two.
Marley and Lisa met them by the front door and they all walked in together. A crowd had gathered as part of the street in front of the museum was blocked off for filming, and people were curious to catch a glimpse of what was going on. As soon as the vans with the cast pulled up and everyone piled out, the excitement grew and a few people requested autographs from some of the influencers and many pictures and videos were taken as the group made their way inside.
Once they were in, Lauren introduced Marley and Lisa to everyone. “These are friends of mine that are going to walk with us and be in the background.”
It was hot outside and calm and cool in the museum. It had been years since Lauren went to the Whaling Museum and she was looking forward to seeing it again. There was so much interesting history shown to discover—several floors of displays of ships and whales and other artifacts of the island. There was a lot to see, and they had a private tour guide from the museum who led them through the exhibits and answered questions.
Almost two hours later, at the end of the tour, they reached the top floor anda roof deck with a reception set up for them. There was a charcuterie board with meats, cheeses, crackers, fresh fruit, and a stocked bar with a bartender. Everyone had a cocktail and commented on how impressed they were with the museum.
“Honestly, I was not that enthused to go to a museum,” Katy admitted. “But this was so cool and interesting. I also got some great shots and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have the winning video.”
“I agree, but I wouldn’t be too sure about having the best video. Mine is going to be tough to beat,” Billy said confidently, and flashed his most charming grin.
Honey laughed. “We got some great shots, too. It will be interesting to see which video wins.”
“This is such a great spot,” Anna said as she sipped her chardonnay and leaned against the railing. She lifted her phone and took a selfie video with the whole town in the background, “Living the Nantucket dream and leaning all about history and whales at the Whaling Museum. If you come here, this is a must see.”
Alfred, the museum guide, stood nearby and looked impressed. “I look forward to seeing that video,” he said. “All of them, actually.” He turned to Lauren. “We’re just so thrilled that you decided to visit and spotlight the museum.”
“We were happy to. I tell everyone to come here if they’re visiting the island.” Lauren sipped a smooth pinot grigio and looked around the deck. Everyone was laughing and chatting and seemed to be having a good time.
“Looks like your conversation didn’t deter her,” Hudson said softly. Lauren followed his gaze to where Katy and Billy were in deep conversation, slightly away from the rest of the group. Katy looked animated as she spoke and Billy’s attention was fully on her. Maybe there was something real brewing there.
“It does look that way,” Lauren agreed.
“And I don’t think she’s the only one,” Hudson said.
Suzanne and Noah were also talking and laughing, and it definitely seemed like there was a vibe there.
“Good,” Eloise said. “I was hoping for at least one romance. Now we might have two, which viewers will love. I was a little worried that nothing would happen.”
“I wasn’t worried. I knew something would develop. When you have a houseful of people living together like this, it’s almost inevitable,” Hudson said.
Lauren knew it was true. Forced proximity seemed to heighten emotions and move things along faster than they would go otherwise.
Lauren watched Katy and Billy for a moment. They looked completely oblivious to the rest of the world. There was another camera focused on them, so she’d be able to view that film later and listen to their conversation. She almost didn’t need to, though. It was clear from the body language that they were into each other. Katy had listened to what Lauren had told her and decided to take her chances, anyway. Lauren hoped it wouldn’t turn out to be a mistake.