21. Never Met a Famous Person Before
NEVER MET A FAMOUS PERSON BEFORE
ANNELISA
Never have I been more impressed by my own forethought than I am at this moment.
I’m currently standing inside my new pop-up tent, and in the ten minutes it took me to put up my temporary home, not so pleasant memories of how long it used to take when dealing with tent poles and ropes have resurfaced.
Although, in those days, I wasn’t putting up a tent solo.
“Hey, all done?” Morgan asks, sticking her head through the open tent flap.
“Just putting the finishing touches on my bed,” I say, nodding towards the inflatable mattress on the floor.
“Every camping trip, I am more and more grateful for our camper trailer,” she says, stepping aside so I can crawl out.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty nice trailer. The generator is also a nice touch.” I run my eyes over the comfortable looking site that is slowly forming.
As I was only the second to arrive, I’d helped them set up the communal meals area, working with monosyllabic Chris to get the gazebo up while Morgan kept the girls entertained inside the trailer.
Beyond their rather luxurious camper trailer, the water glistens in the afternoon sunlight.
It’s the first time I’ve been to Flat Rock in winter, but it’s just as stunning as I remember.
We used to come every summer for a week, but Morgan said they’d made the switch to winter a few years ago.
As Morgan and I start getting snacks ready at one of the folding tables we’d put up, Bri and Jake pull up in a rather nice looking four-wheel-drive, filled to the brim with camping stuff.
Morgan leaves me to keep cutting up fruit while she goes to help them unpack their car and little Ashton climbs into the trailer in search of his cousins.
Tara and Aiden are arriving tomorrow, and when Morgan’s friend Taylor arrives a few minutes later, I start to wish that I’d tagged along with them instead. The newcomer has been shooting me dirty looks ever since Morgan introduced us, but I have no idea what her problem with me is.
“Will, Kylie and Seth should be here soon,” Morgan tells Bri as they walk towards me.
“Kylie’s coming?” I ask, suddenly on the alert.
“Yeah. She and Seth arrived just after everything happened with Dad. They join us every year. Kind of the reason we made the switch to winter, so that Seth could join us in the off-season.”
Anxiety swirls in my stomach. I thought I’d been safe from dealing with her wrath while she was in Canada, but now it seems like I’m going to be coming face to face with her in a matter of minutes.
Between Chris (who has let it be known he’s still pissed at me), this Taylor chick and now Kylie, this definitely will not be a relaxing holiday for me.
Why the hell am I here?
While I’m contemplating packing up my tent and making the three-hour drive back to Brisbane, a large, black SUV, laden with camping gear, pulls up.
I don’t recognise the guy in the passenger seat, but the driver meets my gaze through dark sunglasses, and I swallow hard when the smile falls from Kylie’s face .
Will’s ute pulls up beside the SUV as the guy, who I assume is Seth, climbs out. While none of the guys in our group are exactly short, he is definitely the tallest, and has no trouble undoing the straps that hold their tent and a few other items onto the roof of the car.
“You’re here!” Kylie exclaims, running towards Bri with open arms.
The two women cling to each other while I try to make myself as small as possible without actually disappearing entirely. Taking a few steps back, I bump into Jake, who steadies me by placing his hands on my shoulders to keep me from falling forward.
“Easy, Lis. She doesn’t bite,” he says quietly, as though he can read my mind.
“Doesn’t she? Not sure I’m ready to find out,” I reply.
He gives me a knowing smile but thankfully doesn’t say anything else. I don’t need to be reminded that I deserve pretty much anything that Kylie might say to me right now.
As Kylie greets everyone else, I manage to avoid her attention for as long as possible, but suddenly she’s right in front of me, and there’s nowhere for me to go.
“Hey,” she says, her tone a little clipped.
“Hi,” I reply, feeling the tension building in my shoulders.
She flicks a glance over my shoulder, and I turn to see Will and Seth watching us from where they are unpacking the cars. Two identical little boys are clinging to Seth’s legs, and I can see the resemblance to Will. These must be Kylie’s twin boys.
Will is shooting Kylie a warning look, and I get the feeling that she has been told she needs to be on her best behaviour. The tight feeling in my stomach loosens a little when she brushes past me to join them.
Maybe if we just ignore each other for the next few days, we’ll come out of this trip alive.
Deciding it’s safest for me to avoid the group for a little while, I crawl back into my tent to finish setting myself up.
If this is an indication of how the rest of the trip is going to be, I need to turn this into my sanctuary.
I make my bed, having foregone a sleeping bag in favour of real sheets and a thick blanket to keep from freezing my ass off.
When I’ve run out of things to do, I grab my notebook and pen, deciding to go and find somewhere along the beach to do some writing.
Avoiding making eye contact with anyone as I climb out, I stand up and turn to zip the tent closed, letting out a yelp when something jumps on me.
I look down and smile when I see that it’s Alfie.
The dog put his paws on my hip and looks up at me with a big, doggy grin.
“Alfie! Down!” Will’s voice rings out with authority, and the dog scoots back to sit down, tapping his front feet while whining.
Will walks towards us with a lead in his hand, shaking his head.
“Sorry, he gets very excited when we go camping.” He leans down to clip the lead onto Alfie’s collar before straightening up to look at me. “You okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
I shake my head. “I’m fine. It’s okay.”
He’s standing so close that I have to look up to meet his gaze, and a fluttering sensation begins in the pit of my stomach.
I wonder if I’m ever going to be able to handle being in his presence without going weak at the knees.
Why couldn’t he have turned into a hunchback with an attitude problem while I was gone, instead of the hottest, nicest guy on the planet?
He glances down at the notebook in my hand. “Doing some writing?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, was going to find somewhere out of the way for a bit.” He follows my gaze to where Kylie is standing, talking to Taylor.
His jaw tightens a little when the pretty blonde glances our way before she turns back to his sister. “I get it. I won’t keep you, then.” He steps back, and I move past him, my shoulder brushing his arm.
I let out a breath as I try to ignore the tingling feeling from the contact between us and leave in search of somewhere secluded to hide for a while.
Several hours later, I notice that the shadows on the ground have grown longer.
The row of tall trees behind me hides the sun as I face the waves while sitting on my towel on the sand, and a shiver runs through me.
I’m hidden from view of the campsite, but have heard some of the conversation as the others get their tents set up.
The small humans have dominated most of the attention of the adults, and I feel even more like an outsider.
I wish Tara and Aiden were here and am cursing the timing of the excursion Aiden was on that kept them from arriving with the rest of us.
Voices on the other side of the dune pull my attention away from the page of bullet points I’ve put together for the new novel I’m trying to plot, and I can see Taylor’s blonde head.
“I don’t understand why she’s even here,” the woman says, and my brows come together when I realise she’s talking about me.
“I asked her to come,” Morgan replies, although I can’t see her at all.
“But why, though? After what she did… How can you be friends with someone like that?” The judgement in Taylor’s voice is scathing, and I feel my already low mood plummet further.
“She was my best friend my whole life, and I’ve missed her. And Will’s fine with her being here. He was the one who convinced her to come after she told me no.” At least Morgan sounds like she wants me here.
“I just… There’s no way Will and I stand a chance of ever getting back together with her around, Morgan.”
And just like that, everything about Taylor’s attitude towards me makes perfect sense. I haven’t been stupid enough to think that Will’s been a monk while I’ve been gone, but coming face to face with one of his exes was not how I expected this holiday to go.
While I’m pondering how to process this latest bit of information, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Surprised when I see the name on the screen, I open the message that has come through on the one social media app I don’t have the notifications switched off on.
Sebastian
Hey. Have you decided if you’re coming back yet?
Confused, I type back a reply.
Annelisa
I’m paid up for the next two months. Why?
Sebastian
Maggie’s sister is coming in 8 weeks and she wants to move in.
Annelisa
Okay… But it’s my room. Can’t Maggie find somewhere to live with her, instead?
Sebastian
Well, there’s no point in her moving out if you’re just going to stay in Australia. Can you let us know in the next week or so?
Annelisa
Sure…
I frown at the phone. It’s like the universe is conspiring against me, determined to give me reasons that I should stay.
I put the phone back down, letting out a long breath. I’ve been refusing to make a decision about what I’m going to do with my life once Mum gets back from her trip in a few weeks… Maybe this is a sign… Though, what it’s pointing to, I wouldn’t know .
When night falls, I’m forced to return to camp, where the others are putting dinner together. Morgan smiles at me and hands me a plate of sausages and salad.
“Did you get much writing done?” she asks once I sit down beside her in my camp chair.
The kids are all sitting together on a nearby picnic rug, happily eating their hotdogs. All except Caidin, who is in her highchair next to Chris, feeding herself from a bowl of vegetables while Chris chats to Will, Jake and Seth.
Across the fire brazier, Kylie and Bri are having an animated conversation that I can’t hear, although the air is frequently punctuated with Kylie’s laughter.
I shake my head. “Honestly, I’ve been struggling with writer’s block for a while now. My publisher is getting impatient with me.”
On Morgan’s other side, Taylor looks over at me with reluctant interest. “You’re a writer?”
I nod as I take a bite of food.
“What do you write?”
“She’s a romance author,” Morgan answers for me, and I can hear the pride in her voice.
She always was one of my biggest cheerleaders.
“Oh, really? Would I know any of your books?”
I exchange a look with Morgan before replying. “Um… Have you heard of Selena James?”
Taylor’s eyes go wide. “Seriously? Like, the super famous romance author? Yeah, I’ve definitely heard of her. I have all her books.”
Morgan grins and jabs her thumb in my direction. “Meet Selena.”
Taylor’s mouth falls open as she stares at me. “Wow… I’ve never met a famous person before.”
I huff a laugh. “I’m not famous.”
“Yes, you are. She’s just being modest. And also, Seth’s famous and you’ve met him before,” Morgan says, nodding towards where Kylie’s husband is stopping one of the twins from shoving a carrot up his brother’s nose.
Taylor shrugs. “I don’t know anything about ice hockey, so that doesn’t count.” She returns her attention to me. “You haven’t released anything in a while, though, right? Not for like five years? Not since that second chance one, with the accidental pregnancy.”
I shake my head, swallowing when I notice Will watching the exchange, his expression unreadable. “Not under that pen name, no. I’ve been working on other stuff, though.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know you were using a different pen name?” Morgan says.
“Yeah, I liked the second chance romance you wrote before that, but that last one wasn’t your best work. Accidental pregnancy is kind of lame,” Taylor says, and I can’t help but notice the harshness of her tone.
We seem to be drawing more attention from the rest of the group, and I keep my head down, wishing the ground would swallow me up while the other conversations cease and everyone looks at me. I can feel Will’s gaze boring into the side of my face, and can’t bring myself to look at him.
“Yeah. My publisher wasn’t really into my newer work, so I made the switch to self-publishing for a while. But I have a contract for two more books, which is what I’m trying to work on now. But my voice has changed, which is why I’m struggling to get the words on the page.”
“Oh.” Taylor’s interest seems to have waned, and I’m almost grateful when her expression shutters over once she notices Will’s eyes on me.
Eventually, the others resume their conversations, and relief floods through me now that I’m no longer the centre of everyone’s attention. Will’s gaze hasn’t shifted, though, and I know he’s probably got some questions.
I just don’t think I’m ready to give him the answers.