Chapter 14
Suzette called herself a fool for taking such extra care with her appearance that evening.
Her hair was coiled into an elegant twist, a few deliberate tendrils escaping to soften the look.
The dress — Grecian in its simplicity, a blend of ivory, champagne gold, and the palest sea-foam green chiffon — skimmed her ankles, revealing flat sandals of muted gold that caught the light with every step.
She told herself it was only dinner. Christmas dinner. An event where she was on duty. Nothing more.
But she couldn’t shake the memory of his raw vulnerability when he’d admitted their … connection might become public. The regret in his voice. The pain in his eyes at the thought of his fame hurting her. All of it spoke of a sincerity she hadn’t expected. A truth she wasn’t prepared for.
He wasn’t a movie star toying with her.
What he felt was real.
Before heading out to the boma, she made a quick turn through the kitchen. The place hummed with quiet efficiency. A full complement of staff, laughter spilling between the clatter of utensils, and the scent of roasted garlic and herbs. Relief loosened her shoulders.
“Everything under control?” she asked, teasing as she leaned against the counter.
“Ja, Mies Suzette, no worries,” came the cheerful reply.
She smiled, trading a few light quips, the way she always did, keeping her tone bright and easy. No one would have guessed that her pulse was skipping to a completely different rhythm, Justin’s words still echoing through her mind.
You’re my soulmate, Suzette. My leading lady.
I’m ready to walk away. To embrace something different. Something with you at the center of it.
There’d been no pretense in his eyes when he said it — only truth, stark and disarming. And she’d lived enough, loved enough, to recognize that what she felt for Justin McKenzie ran far deeper than an infatuation with a movie star.
Except association with him came with a darker side.
Your past will be dissected. Some people will vilify you.
Dare she throw caution to the wind? Run the risk of heartache? Give them both a taste what life could be like with her, Suzette Bosch, as his leading lady?
Not taking that chance? That would’ve been the biggest mistake of my life.
His words kept circling back, unsettling something deep inside her.
What if turning away from him now — from whatever was happening between them — became the biggest mistake of her life?
Suzette pressed her fingertips to her temples, where a dull throb pulsed beneath the surface, and drew in a steadying breath.
Then she straightened her shoulders and stepped outside.
Right now, she had a job to do. One she loved.
As twilight deepened over the bay, guests made their way to the boma.
The open-air, stone-walled enclosure centered around a glowing firepit, where flames leapt as bright as the sunset fading beyond the dunes.
Traditionally a place for warmth, storytelling, and shared indulgence beneath the stars, tonight it had been transformed.
Tables draped in white and blue linen, accented with touches of green and red, and softened by the flicker of candlelight, spoke of the season at hand — a Christmas Eve celebration woven with coastal charm and quiet luxury.
She mingled with the guest, making small talk, but her eyes kept straying, ever watchful. Waiting.
Hoping.
*
Justin stood in the shadows, fully aware that stepping into the ring of light would expose him instantly. So far there’d been no fallout from yesterday’s debacle, and maybe — just maybe — he’d panicked for nothing.
But joining her now, with nothing more than a bit of greying scruff on his jaw to disguise him … that would be reckless.
You should’ve stayed away altogether.
Left her to her quiet life.
A life she fought to build. A life she wanted.
But he hadn’t.
And here he was, lingering at the edges of her world, unable to look away. Because she was it for him. The one thing real enough to make everything else fade to nothing.
The question gnawed at him: was he selfish enough to reach for that happiness, knowing exactly what it might cost her?
“Treat her with care, mister movie man. If you don’t …”
His attention snapped sideways as Miem moved in beside him.
“You’ll chop me up and feed my body to the sharks,” he quipped, repeating the threat she’d tossed at him that morning they worked in the kitchen.
Her smile tipped toward wicked. “Net so.”
Suzette’s lilting laugh drifted on the breeze, music to his ears. The thought of not hearing that every day tore straight into him, tightening his throat.
“Suzette told me about what happened yesterday,” Miem murmured. “You’ve really complicated her life.”
Guilt settled like a stone in his chest. “I know.” Soft light flickered across Suzette’s face, catching in her hair. Justin shoved his hands into his pockets, fighting the near-overwhelming urge to move and stand beside her — where he wanted to be. “The thing is … she’s important to me.”
He made a snap decision. Maybe it was time to try and turn the enemy into an ally. After all, the woman beside him had invited him to the Christmas dinner tonight. And if anyone knew Suzette — her heart, her fears — it was Miem.
“Tell me something, Miem,” he said quietly. “Am I being selfish?”
“That depends on your intentions,” she said, her tone cool but not unkind. “So tell me — what exactly are your intentions, mister movie man?”
To make her mine.
That was his first raw, instinctive thought.
But it went deeper than that. Much deeper.
“To make her happy,” he said at last. “To love her like she deserves. Protect her.” He exhaled, the sound more sigh than breath. “And if I need to walk away for that to happen, I will.”
Miem held his gaze for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. “That’s a good answer,” she said, her tone still edged with caution. “I just hope you don’t break her heart.”
Me too, Miem. Me too.
He gave a small smile. “Does that mean I have your blessing?”
Miem snorted, the sound somewhere between amusement and disbelief. “Blessing? Don’t get ahead of yourself, mister movie man. Let’s just say I’m not sharpening my knives. Yet.”
Even after Miem left, Justin remained in the shadows, watching the woman who’d slipped into his life and stolen his heart, indecision warring in his mind.
A gentle sea breeze drifted through the boma, carrying the notes of a live acoustic trio — soft jazz mingling with the steady rhythm of the waves. Attentive staff poured chilled sparkling wine and offered guests delicate seared abalone canapés crowned with a whisper of lemon foam.
Suzette moved with effortless grace among her guests, pausing to chat for a few minutes, removing an empty plate here, topping up a flute there, giving quiet instructions to the hovering waitstaff.
A smile. A laugh. A light touch on a guest’s shoulder.
He watched, enthralled. She was right — she belonged here.
Then, suddenly, she was gone. One moment she stood near the firelight; the next, she’d vanished into the movement of the crowd. A flicker of unease tightened his chest before logic intervened. She’s working. Probably popped into the kitchen.
One minute stretched into two. Then three. Five. Still no sign of her. The unease sharpened, blooming into panic. He reached for his phone, ready to check in with his security—
A light touch on his back made him spin around.
“Suzette,” he breathed, relief crashing through him. “You’re okay.” Before he could think better of it, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight, burying his face in her neck.
She laughed lightly, slipping her arms around his waist. “Why wouldn’t I be?” she teased, tilting her face toward him.
And before reason could intervene, he kissed her.
Because she was there. Safe. Warm, real, and heartbreakingly close. Because her mouth was right there, parted on a breath that brushed his cheek and undid him completely.
Her breath hitched and his hand came up to cradle the back of her head, his thumb sweeping along her jaw as he deepened the kiss, slow and reverent, as though afraid she might vanish if he moved too fast.
Everything in him stilled. The noise, the firelight, the music — all of it faded into the background. What remained was her heartbeat against his chest, her fingers curling into his shirt, the feeling of coming home after years of being untethered.
He hadn’t known peace could feel like this.
Hadn’t known rightness could taste like her lips.
Until Suzette walked into his life.
And there was no way on God’s green earth he was letting her go.
Ever.
The quiet scrape of a throat cut through the haze, dragging him back to the present.
Justin lifted his head, breath still unsteady, his forehead resting against hers for one lingering heartbeat before he looked up.
It was the night manager.
Justin swallowed a groan, tamping down the urge to punch the man, preferably somewhere that would make him think twice before clearing his throat again.
The man held up his hands, a flash of white teeth slashing across his dark skin. “Apologies, sir.” Then his gaze shifted to his boss. “Mies Suzette, it’s all set.”
“Thank you, Johannes.”
Justin was quietly satisfied to note the slight breathlessness in her voice.
Johannes flashed another cheeky grin in Justin’s direction before wisely making himself scarce.
Suzette chuckled, her fingers sliding easily into his. “Come with me,” she said, giving his hand a playful tug as she led him toward the path that wound back to the hotel.
He followed without question, her hand warm in his. And in that moment, Justin knew he’d walk after her anywhere — even into the bowels of hell itself — with a smile on his face and a spring in his step.