Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
H ollis sat on the couch reading a new script. She liked the story. The character was strong, yet flawed, and didn’t trust easily.
It was a Western saga, which was new for her. She liked Elsa—a tough, confident woman making her own way in a challenging world, who also falls for a stoic lawman.
Hmm . It seemed she and Elsa had a thing for stoic men of the law.
There were also some Native American characters who were going to be played by some great up-and-coming Native American actors. The lawman was being played by an actor she respected. The female director attached was brilliant. Hollis had worked with her before.
She lowered the script and smiled. She felt good. The morning’s drama was long over, thank God. With some perspective, she was sure she’d just panicked over some noises and imagined things. She felt a buzz of excitement for this script, and for the up-and-coming barbecue on the beach.
She glanced at her watch. She needed to get ready.
Setting the script aside, she headed for the bedroom. She loved Archer’s house. She couldn’t believe he didn’t come here more often. In the walk-in closet, she studied the clothes she’d brought with her. Sawyer and his cousin’s family were going to be attending tonight. He’d told her it would be small and casual. She chewed on her lip and pulled some clothes out.
That was too casual. She tossed the trousers on the bed. That was too dressy. She hung the dress back up.
She wanted to look good, but not like she was trying too hard.
There . She pulled a pretty, red, wrap dress out. Casual but nice.
She slipped on a black bikini, then pulled on the dress and tied the belt.
Perfect . She didn’t wear red a lot, but she didn’t not wear it. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun, and kept her makeup natural. She was well aware that someone could recognize her tonight, but she couldn’t wear sunglasses and a cap at nighttime. Hopefully, Sawyer’s friends wouldn’t feel the need to post her picture on social media.
Since the barbeque was on the beach, she wouldn’t wear too much jewelry. Maybe just her favorite silver bracelet. It had been a gift from Dave when she’d landed her first movie role. Sure, it had only been a tiny part in a teen flick, but it had meant the world to her. Dave had acted like she’d already won an Oscar. Unsurprisingly, her mom hadn’t given her anything.
She pulled a face and headed over to the dresser. She opened her jewelry case and skimmed her gaze over the few pieces she’d been wearing lately.
But no bracelet.
She frowned. “Crap.” She remembered putting it right there last night. She searched the bedroom, then the bathroom.
No bracelet.
Feeling a little panicked, she searched the kitchen and living room.
“ Dammit .” She’d be upset if she’d lost it.
She hadn’t worn it today. She distinctly remembered setting it on the dresser last night. She felt a tinge of unease, but shook it off. No one had broken in. Why would someone take a bracelet? There was more expensive jewelry on offer.
She glanced at her watch. Crap, she needed to go, or she’d be late. She’d look for the bracelet later, and hope she’d just dropped it somewhere in the house.
She slipped on some cute, strappy sandals and headed out.
The sunset was gorgeous. She hit the beach and turned right, but her gaze stayed on the way the golden light changed the colors of the water. The sound of voices ahead caught her ear.
She spotted the glimmer of a bonfire, and smiled. She was excited to see Sawyer.
She shouldn’t be. She wasn’t here to find a man. Brody, the last man she’d dated, had left her more than a little wary.
As she got closer to the cookout, she noted the big crowd. She tensed. This didn’t look small. There was a bonfire, and food roasting on it. And lots of people sitting on chairs and blankets.
Sawyer had said it was just his cousin and family, but this looked far bigger than that. She slowed her steps. What if people recognized her and caused a fuss?
Then she saw Sawyer’s large form emerge from the throng, walking toward her.
“Hi,” he said.
He was wearing khaki cargo shorts, and a black shirt that clung to his body. The band on the sleeves was tight on his biceps.
Hollis tipped her head back. “Hi.” Her gaze flicked to the crowd. “Um…I didn’t realize there would be so many people.”
He took her hand. “Benny’s wife has a big family. When they grill on the beach, everyone comes. Aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins.”
“Sawyer…”
“I promise no one will bother you.” He pulled her close. “I won’t let them.”
Her heart skipped a beat. When was the last time someone had shielded her, cared for her? Or at least someone who wasn’t on her payroll. “There’s always someone willing to sell a photo of me.”
“I already talked with everyone. That’s not going to happen.”
He seemed so sure, but she’d been burned too many times before. She walked with him, and he led her over to a blanket.
“Benny,” Sawyer said.
A man turned toward them. He had on a gray T-shirt that said Born to Windsurf, Forced to Work .
“This is Hollis,” Sawyer said.
Benny smiled. The man looked nothing like Sawyer. He was shorter, with a lean body, and beach-blond hair that brushed his shoulders. “Welcome, Hollis. Grab some food before it’s gone. This crowd is never shy, and they are always willing to eat.”
“Thanks.”
“Sit,” Sawyer told her. “I’ll get you a plate of food.” He hesitated. “Ah, you don’t just eat salad, do you?”
She laughed. “No, I like meat, and I’m always willing to eat. It just means I work out more.”
He nodded.
She sat on the blanket and watched him move to the food table. She couldn’t take her eyes off that big, powerful body. People stopped to talk with him, and a few older women patted his beard-covered cheek. One even patted his ass.
Hollis giggled.
He returned with two plates, and a glass of white wine. He handed one plate and the glass to her.
“Thanks. I should’ve brought a plate of something.”
“We’re more than covered for food.” He sat down beside her. “Now, eat.”
The food looked delicious, the ocean was beautiful, and the man beside her mouthwatering.
“Thanks for inviting me,” she murmured.
He smiled. “Thanks for coming.”
He knew the food was good, but he barely tasted anything.
Sawyer watched the stars appear in the sky, and firelight flicker over Hollis’s face.
She was finally relaxed, and had surprised him by eating nearly everything on the plate. She clearly enjoyed it.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said.
He kept his gaze on her. “Yeah, it is.”
She smiled at him. “I can understand why you came here. And stayed.” She paused, pushing one toe through the sand. “It must have been a huge change of pace.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Two young boys raced past, kicking up sand.
Sawyer shot out an arm and caught one of them. “Hey, you need to watch where you’re running.” He tipped the boy upside down.
The kid giggled. “Sorry, Uncle Sawyer.”
Sawyer set Kalani’s nephew on his feet and tickled him. “Careful, or I’ll arrest you.”
That got Sawyer a wide, unconcerned grin. The boy raced off to find his partner in crime.
When he looked over, Hollis was smiling at him. She leaned back, her hands in the sand. “Do you miss the military?”
“Parts of it.” He was quiet a moment. “It was challenging, and I liked that. I liked pushing myself, and I was good at it. And I believed in what I was doing. In protecting my country.”
“What branch?”
“Navy. I was a SEAL.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow. That’s tough work.”
“I enjoyed it. And being on a team, with people I could trust. That’s special. But eventually, all the things I’d seen, the fights I’d been in… I knew I had to get out.”
She nodded, her face serious.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I don’t have family in Montana anymore, and I didn’t want to go to Florida where my mom is. Benny invited me to Maui.”
She glanced over at Benny. He had an arm around his beautiful, dark-haired wife.
“They saved me,” Sawyer said quietly. “Benny, Kalani, her family. When I first arrived, I was always getting dragged out to dinner, or a family birthday party, or windsurfing. Still am. They didn’t let me sit and brood. Much.”
Her lips tipped. “I bet you’re good at brooding.”
He laughed, and sipped his beer. “I have my moments.”
On the other side of the fire, music started. Uncle Duke was strumming his battered guitar, and a young man—one of Kalani’s cousins—started playing a ukelele. A moment later, an auntie started singing in Hawaiian.
“They’re good.” Hollis swayed in time to the music.
He knew she’d worked with some of the best composers and singers for her movies. “You love Hollywood?”
“No, I hate Hollywood.”
His eyebrows shot up.
She pulled a face. “It’s all so fake and cutthroat. But I love acting. Sometimes I think it saved my sanity. I had a stepfather for a while. A really great guy. He was a firefighter, who didn’t mind inheriting an awkward, teenage stepdaughter. He loved classic movies and got me watching them. Movie night with Dave was one of my favorite things. We’d make popcorn and fight over the remote.”
Sawyer smiled. “What was his favorite movie?”
“ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid .”
“And yours?”
“I couldn’t just pick one, but I am partial to The Wizard of Oz . I’d kill for a pair of shiny, red shoes. Plus, Dorothy’s hair looked red to me. Another sign.”
“You don’t see Dave anymore.”
Her face fell. Sawyer couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and covering her hand with his.
“I had Dave for almost five years. He was the first and only person to tell me that he believed in me.” She shot Sawyer a sad smile. “Then, my brother died of a drug overdose, and one month after that, Dave had a heart attack. I lost them both.”
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Hollis.”
“Thanks.” She pinned on a smile. “I learned a long time ago that life isn’t always fair. That sometimes, things suck.”
“Yeah.” He’d had his share of that. “SEALs have a saying, embrace the suck. That the only easy day was yesterday.”
She laughed. “Not quite something you want stitched on a pillow, but I sometimes feel like the only easy day was months ago.”
He stroked her fingers with his. “You going to tell me what you’re running from?”
Instantly, she tensed up. Shit . He was sorry he’d pushed.
“Nothing.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Like I said, I was burned out and running on fumes. Maui seemed like a good place to recharge.”
She was a good actress, but even she couldn’t hide the entire truth. Eventually, he’d get it out of her. When she trusted him.
“And there’s always paparazzi and overzealous fans,” she added. “Hazard of the job.”
“None of those here.”
She tilted her head. “Oh, you’re not a fan?”
“I like your movies. I’m a fan, just not overzealous.”
He detected a faint flush on her cheeks. He found it attractive as hell that she could still blush. That she wasn’t too jaded by Hollywood.
“So no boyfriend, huh?” he asked.
She shook her head and sipped her wine. “The last guy I dated was a Hollywood agent. I thought he was charming, handsome, driven.”
Hell, Sawyer was none of those things. His hands tightened on his beer bottle.
“Right up to the point where he sold a tell-all exposé about me to a tabloid.”
Sawyer winced. “Asshole.”
“Of epic proportions. He also included a photo that he’d snapped of me, topless, in my own private swimming pool.”
Sawyer’s hand clenched in a fist. “Did you sue his ass?”
“I did. I don’t sue often. It’s just not worth it. If I sued whenever someone spread a lie about me, it would be like playing a whack-a-mole game. But this was personal, and I felt so violated.” She pushed her hair back over her shoulder. “Luckily, I have great breasts, so at least they looked good splashed on the cover of a gazillion magazines.” Her tone was as dry as dust.
He couldn’t help himself. His gaze dropped, noting the cleavage revealed by her red dress. “A silver lining.”
But he guessed that the motherfucker had rattled her trust.
He spotted a couple of Kalani’s young cousins hovering nearby, gazes flitting to Hollis. They cautiously approached, phones in hand.
“No photos,” he warned. “Hollis is on vacation.”
The girls both nodded.
“Sure thing, Sawyer,” the older of the pair said. “Um, Ms. Stanton, I’m such a fan.”
The other girl nodded and swallowed, clearly speechless.
“Can we…get your autograph?” the first girl asked hopefully.
Hollis smiled. “Sure thing. You have a pen.”
The girls pulled out a pen and paper. As she signed, Hollis chatted easily with them, asking them what movies they enjoyed.
“Thank you so much!” Beaming, the girls hurried off.
“Thanks for doing that,” Sawyer said.
She nodded. “I like interacting with fans.”
The music changed to something more upbeat. A few couples started dancing on the sand.
“Come on, you two.” Benny appeared and hauled Hollis to her feet.
Sawyer took her arm and led her toward the dancers. Benny went to claim his wife.
Clearing his throat, Sawyer pulled her closer. “I’m not much of a dancer.”
“Yet you’re doing it.” She leaned into him.
“Any excuse to hold you close.”
She nibbled on her lip, which gave him ideas, and her gaze drifted over his face. Then she rested her cheek against his chest, and they swayed to the music. The moon rose up over the ocean.
“God, it’s gorgeous.” She sighed. “You can’t see the stars in LA, and the moon doesn’t look anything like this. So clear and bright.”
He wanted to hold her closer, but he didn’t. There were dozens of reasons jumbling in his head why he needed to keep some distance from her.
She was an actress, she wasn’t from here, and she was way out of his league. And he had his own suitcase of baggage.
But they kept dancing, swaying to their own song.
People slowly started to leave the party. Parents ushered tired kids off the sand, couples drifted off, arm in arm, and the older family members hugged and kissed.
“I should probably get home,” she murmured.
Sawyer took her hand. “I’ll walk you back.”