Chapter 14
Carly tipped her head to one side as she inspected her outfit.
Was it too…dressy? No, she was wearing a sundress, not a formal gown.
She’d purchased the pale blue dress because it brought out her eyes and complimented her skin.
It was a solid choice. So why did she feel so nervous suddenly?
Like her entire fate rested on this one outfit?
It was just that everything seemed to be so perfect. She couldn’t help but worry that something might come up to snatch it all away.
Stop, Carly. And step away from the mirror.
A familiar ring chimed on her phone, and she shuffled out of her room in her heels, trying to remember exactly where she’d left it. Carly looked on the counter and table and came up empty. She stepped further into the kitchen, following the chiming sound all the way to the front area of the home.
The coffee table! She hurried over to the glowing device, smiling when she saw that Jill was the one calling.
She wouldn’t be able to talk long, since Gage would be there to get her soon, but Carly had discovered how fun it was to talk about the cute guy she was falling for.
Of course, the truth of who that guy actually was remained unconfirmed for now.
“Hi there, Jilly Billy.”
“Turn on your TV, quick. Star Chat is featuring him as soon as they get back from their break.
Him. Carly didn’t need more details than that.
At once the remote was in her hand and pointed at the big screen mounted in the corner.
She pressed the button, pausing to see if she’d landed on the right channel before pressing it once more.
How many channels would she have to scan past before she came to it? Would she miss the feature altogether?
“Wait, I don’t even know what channel it would be on here,” she grumbled as she scanned past newscasts, sitcoms, and game shows.
“They’re back on. Hurry, it’s on Tritsi Youngman right now.”
Carly shook her head, picturing the woman Jill was referring to—one of Star Chat’s popular hosts. And there she was.
“…famous Craven family has given us a whole lot to crave between star football player Beau and movie star hunk Mark. But it turns out they’ve been holding out on us.
Meet Gage Craven: he majors in architecture, minors in theatre, and is about to make a real splash on the big screen while playing the part of a pro surfer. ”
A gorgeous photo of Gage in a tux popped onto the screen.
A sharp knot dug into Carly’s gut as she took in the rest of the image where a beautiful redhead in a flowing gown held onto his arm.
“He’s been spotted on more than one occasion with Hollywood’s favorite socialite, Diana McCarthy,” the cohost Brock Willis said.
“Most of you know that Mark Craven, the man known for being one of Hollywood’s most committed husbands in real life, had quite the bad-boy image before marrying his sons’ mother Joan.
” A photo of his brother Beau in uniform came onto the screen next.
“Already we’ve seen that Beau Craven knows how to play the field in football and women alike, but what women all around the world are dying to know is this: will Gage follow Mark and Beau’s footsteps by playing the field as well? ”
“Maybe this recent photo can help answer that question,” Tristi said as the image changed once again. It took Carly a moment to identify the couple lying on the sandy beach, the blue sky in the distance.
A hand shot to her sputtering heart. “That’s me. That’s us.”
“Shh….” Jill scolded.
“We don’t have confirmation about who this mystery girl is just yet, but rumor has it she’s a surfing instructor employed by the private resort where Craven’s training for his role.”
“Mystery girl?” Jill echoed.
“Wait,” Brock said. “Is this role going to be the part of a pro surfer or a pro playboy on the beach?”
Tristi tipped her head as the camera settled back on her. “Possibly both. Star Chat caught up with his father, actor Mark Craven, earlier today, and here’s what he had to say on that matter.”
The shot changed to a swarm of paparazzi around a black SUV. The tinted window rolled down to reveal the handsome face she’d seen on the big screen time after time. Carly could hardly believe how much Gage resembled him. Same strong jaw, dark brows, and confident poise.
“What do you have to say about your son hooking up with his alleged surfing instructor while preparing for his next lead?”
When it panned back to Mark Craven, Carly recognized the smolder in his deep brown eyes.
So much like Gage. The handsome man glanced from one popping lens to the next as flashing lights filled the darkened sky.
“I’d say that’s part of preparing for the role, if you ask me.
” The window began rolling up as more questions came, one louder than the rest.
“So you’re saying that all the hopeful ladies out there need not fear?”
The window eased back down.
A rush of pounding, echoing beats pulsed in Carly’s head as she waited for the man’s reply. Chest aching. Throat clenching.
“I spoke with Gage myself just the other night. He assures me that it’s not serious. Don’t you worry, ladies, there’ll be plenty of Gage Craven to go around once he’s back in town.”
Carly’s heart sank. Nausea rumbled through her gut.
The hosts came back on. Tristi said one last thing on the topic, but Carly hadn’t caught it. She was too distracted by what Mark Craven had said. Was that true? Had Gage really told him that just last night?
“That was crazy!” Jill cheered. “I can’t believe you were on TV! I can’t believe you’re dating the son of that gorgeous hunk!”
Carly flicked off the TV and plopped onto her couch, the impact knocking the breath right out of her. “Yeah, but didn’t you hear what Mark Craven said?”
“He has to say stuff like that. They’ll sell more tickets if women think they have a chance with him.”
Carly tried to ignore the knot of jealousy the statement caused. “I guess,” she managed.
“Not that any of us have a real chance with a movie star,” her sister added. “Except you, obviously. Do you think Gage saw it too?”
A small tap came to her door.
“No,” Carly said in a whisper. “Because he just showed up at my place.”
“He did? You’ll have to tell him about it.”
“Yeah, I will. I better go.”
“Have fun,” Jill said. “Can’t believe this is happening to you. Oh, and be good.” She disconnected the line then, leaving Carly on the couch with Gage at her door, and a mass of confusion in her mind.
“Just a second,” she managed. But just what was she supposed to do about the media clip? Confront Gage about what his father had said or just act like she hadn’t seen it?
Her legs felt like jelly as she came to a stand and headed for the door.
The moment she spotted him through the glass, Carly was thrown off.
What was with the hat? Not that it didn’t look nice on him; it was impossible for anything to look bad on a guy like Gage, but with the NY Giants’ ball cap he looked more like Christian. From a distance, anyway.
Carly hurried over to the door and pushed it open while eyeing the rest of him. A pair of dark slacks, a polo shirt, and that five-o’clock shadow doing wonders for his chiseled jawline.
Gage stepped inside, pulled a long stem flower from the open top of his shirt, and presented it to her. A gorgeous lily. “For you,” he said.
Carly forced a grin as she took it. “Thank you. Come on in and I’ll put it in water.” Heavenly scents of his aftershave preceded him as he stepped inside. It was almost enough to distract her from what she’d just seen. Almost.
“You’re never going to believe what I just saw on TV.” Her voice sounded shaky. Even worse, as she removed the tall, glass pitcher from the cupboard, her hands shook.
“What was it?” Gage sounded a bit leery; perhaps he could sense that she was off.
“Um…us.” She rested the pitcher at the base of the sink and turned on the water.
“Us? What do you mean?” He came up beside her at the sink and shut off the water.
Carly focused on the pitcher in time to see that she’d filled it all the way to the top. She poured half of the water out and slid the heavy thing onto the counter.
Gage retrieved the lily lying beside it and sank the stem into the vase. “Carly,” he said, his tone serious now. “Tell me what you saw.”
The look of concern in his eyes seemed to echo what his father had said. That he didn’t want anyone to know about them. About their relationship. But that’s not how he’d acted last night.
“It was just, they just were talking about you, saying that you were caught making out with your surfing instructor and they had some…crummy picture of it, but you couldn’t see a whole lot.”
“Did they know where we were?” Gage moved from her periphery until they were face-to-face, his eyes filled with concern.
She shook her head. “No. They just called it a private resort.”
Gage pushed a hand to his chest and sighed. “Good.” He nodded and walked toward the massive windows leading to the beach. “That’s good. Let’s…maybe you should close these things.” He reached for the sheer curtains hanging at either side of the wall.
“They’re transparent,” she said, but he was already dragging them along the length of the room where they met in the center. Carly couldn’t shake the impression that he was ashamed of her somehow. Maybe that was it. It’d be better for his image if she were Diana McCarthy.
Gage spun around and looked over the room. “Do you have a hat or something? Or some big sunglasses, maybe?”
Her eyes nearly doubled in size. Was he kidding? “What, suddenly you’re trying to hide me?”
Gage blanched from the comment. “Not hide—protect. You don’t want to lose your job, and I don’t want the paparazzi beating down your door and digging into your life. Do you?”
She shrugged. “They won’t find much. I mean, my mom’s sort of had a wild life, but she’s settled down now. My dad’s never even been in my life so I don’t think that’s a problem.” How much searching would they really do? It wasn’t like she was dating the president, for crying out loud.
“Christian said we could use the golf cart,” Gage said as he made his way back to the kitchen. He was definitely acting strange. Maybe his father had called and chewed him out for …for what? Kissing some random woman at the beach?
The conversation was far from over, but it was clear that Gage wanted to get from Point A to Point B, and fast.
She’d save what she had to say—including details about his dad—until they got to his place. For now, Carly would try not to panic.
It probably wasn’t justified to be so fearful of losing him at such an early stage, but the truth was, she really had fallen for him.
For the idea that they might possibly have a future.
But as good as it felt to be falling in love with Gage, to have him falling for her in return, Carly couldn’t accept a replica of what she’d endured with Jimmy.
If she had to be Gage’s dirty little secret, so much that even his own father couldn’t know about her, she’d rather end things now.
At the mere thought, Carly felt that familiar burn surrounding her heart.
She recalled her dream with the giant hole in her chest, and was surprised to admit, inwardly anyway, that losing Gage would hurt a whole lot more than saying goodbye to Jimmy.
While the cowboy poet had claim to only her past, Carly had been so hopeful that Gage could be part of her future.
The idea urged her to offer a prayer to the heavens. Please, help me to make it through this, no matter the outcome.