Fall (Seaside #4)(9)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

He could be some sixteen-year-old cousin to one of the guys and I would have no idea. I was just about to click out of the app when he messaged again.

Jamie Hudson: Want to watch a movie?

Me: You planning on moving to Oregon?

Jamie Hudson: I prefer Malibu.

Didn’t all rock stars and friends of rock stars?

Me: Then I don’t see how that’s possible.

Jamie Hudson: Easy, love. You have Netflix right?

Me: Yeah?

Jamie Hudson: Pick out a movie and I’ll watch the same one.

Me: Are you serious?

He couldn’t be serious. I mean, we’d never even met and now randomly he wants to watch a movie, but not really watch a movie with me? I guess it was better than doing nothing.

Biting my lip, I typed.

Me: Fine, as long as it’s not a Jaymeson movie.

Jamie Hudson: Got a thing against Brits?

Me: No, just jerks.

Jamie Hudson: He was a jerk to you.

The way he typed it, it wasn’t a question, almost like he was stating that Jaymeson was, in fact, a total jerk to me and hadn’t ever apologized.

Me: No big deal. Water under the bridge and all that. I’m trying this new thing where I don’t talk about him — ever.

Jamie Hudson: How’s that working out?

Me: Good until now.

Jamie Hudson: Ouch, sorry. Okay, how about I pick a movie?

Me: You got good taste?

Jamie Hudson: Sweetheart, I’ve got the best taste, just wait.

Two hours later, and I was watching the credits roll on the black screen. Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Who knew he’d choose such a good movie?

My alert went off.

Jamie Hudson: Sweet dreams, Pris.

There went my stupid heart hammering out of my chest again. I replied with a smiley face and promised myself it wasn’t a big deal. He was just a guy, a nice guy, far away, who was bored.

Wow, what a day. I think it’s going to be the most boring weekend ever and I already have two run-ins. One with Smith and one with Jamie.

With a stupid grin on my face, I made my way up the stairs to my room, singing Breakfast at Tiffany’s the entire way there.

Chapter Seven

Jaymeson

Yup. It was official. The minute I’d stepped into my rented beach house in Seaside — I’d lost it.

Seriously.

I’d lost my head.

My mind.

My shit.

My everything.

And I freaking sat home alone on a Saturday night — talking to a girl who didn’t really know who I was, and, oh yeah, watched an old Audrey Hepburn movie.

The minute the credits rolled, I had an epiphany. Maybe I was having a nervous breakdown? Don’t roll your eyes! It happens! I knew a guy from Hollywood that ended up walking three miles in the snow with nothing on but a smile — all because he was convinced that nothing could hurt him. He’d played a superhero in his last film and apparently the whole “pretend” theory didn’t really ride well with him.

He got frostbite on his ass.

His ass!

Another guy ended up getting so into his role of playing a chicken that he asked a hypnotist to make it so that he actually believed he was a chicken.

It kind of stuck. Now he works at FunLand.

What can I say? Money does crazy things to people.

My point? It happens. It happens more than the general public even knows! Hollywood is all about pressure. It’s about being the best, and even when people say you’ve finally made it? All it takes is another blockbuster or an unknown actor to tip the scales out of your favor and then suddenly you’re working at McDonald’s and asking if people want fries with their burgers.

I set my phone on the counter and tugged my shirt off as sweat poured down my body.

See? It was even hot as hell in Seaside! Or maybe it was just my house. I took a few more soothing breaths and looked down at my phone just as an alert went off.

Priscilla had sent me a picture. She had her PJ’s on and a stuffed brown horse in her hands as she waved. The caption said goodnight.

My heart may have fluttered.

And my throat may have gone dry as my eyes stared at the picture — nearly burning a hole into it.

I had to have her.

And I didn’t even know why. I wanted to hate myself for wanting her. I knew the only reason was because she was innocent — off limits — and because she hated me.

I didn’t know how to go about it. How did one actually pursue a girl without having sex first? I mean, I knew in theory that’s how it worked, I’d just never actually done it before.

Dating?

Did I want to date?

I grabbed a beer from the fridge that the agency had stocked for me and sat on the couch, putting my head in my hands as I thought it through — like really thought it through until my head throbbed.

I didn’t want to date her.

I kind of just wanted to… see her? Was that it? Hold her hand? Get her to forgive me? How creepy could I be? I could see myself now, getting caught watching her with a huge-assed grin on my face. Yeah, I’d probably end up in prison, and my face was way too expensive to get messed up by a cross-dresser named Frank.

I groaned. Hell, I had no idea what I wanted. Maybe it was just the fact that we’d left things so horribly. Okay fine, I’d left things horribly.

Tomorrow. I’d think about it tomorrow. I snatched my phone and scrolled through my e-mail and original instructions from Peter.

To my utter horror — there was an e-mail from Peter… the subject? Your job while you “vacation” in paradise.

He’d called it paradise to piss me off.

I clicked the e-mail and read through the instructions.

Then promptly threw my phone against the couch and punched the cushion with my fist over and over again.

It had to me a mistake.

It was a joke, right?

A joke. A joke. A joke. I tried to laugh.

No laugh came.

I was officially helping out with the Chamber of Commerce. My first stop? A church.

Here’s to hoping I don’t get struck by lightning the minute I step over the threshold.

I held up my beer into the air. “Cheers.”

Chapter Eight

Priscilla

I tossed in my bed for what felt like hours. Each position felt uncomfortable and awkward. Embarrassed that my thoughts were consumed with a certain Jamie Hudson and his silly baseball hat, I unplugged my phone — so I wouldn’t stalk my Facebook messages — and set it across the room.

Satisfied, I padded back to my bed and tucked the sheets up to my chin then fell into a dreamless sleep… until I heard sirens.

I jolted out of bed like someone had shocked me and ran to the window. They sounded really close. I opened the window and peered out as the fire truck made its way to my house followed by two police cars and an ambulance.