Courageous Love: A Christian Romance Novel (The Hawaii Love Series, #1) (4 page)

Daniel stopped from dusting his pants and looked up. “Thanks,” he said. The two had interacted briefly during their shoot in Hawaii, but never really had a chance to talk with each other.

“I really like what you do. Where did you learn to do all that?” Marshall asked, seemingly interested in Daniel’s professional resume.

“I trained with mixed martial arts most of my life,” Daniel told him. “Actually,” Daniel stopped, thinking just how long it had been. “I started training when I was eight.”

“Hey, that’s the same age my parents enrolled me in acting lessons.” Marshall pressed his lips into a smile. “Thank goodness our parents had the foresight to know where our talents were. I can still remember the first school play I performed in.” He threw a hand into the air. “I was the lion that saved the forest.” A loud roar escaped his mouth, and Marshall chuckled at himself. “That play gave me a taste of what it was like to be the hero, and ever since that play, I made up my mind to become an action hero. And here I am.” He drew a hand toward the set. “Can you imagine what would have happened if my parents didn’t believe in me? I might be here doing stunt work like you.”

Daniel bit his lower lip. While he admired most of the action actors he encountered, Marshall was turning out to be the exception. If it was one thing Daniel couldn’t stand, it was a pompous actor who thought they were God’s gift to the film industry.

He quickly excused himself, telling Marshall he needed to call his fiancé, Kimberly, who would be anxiously awaiting his call. Daniel offered the actor a curt handshake and said good-bye before hurrying to his car. But before he could exit the building, the sound of Fred’s voice caught his attention.

“Daniel . . . Hey Daniel, got a minute?”

Daniel didn’t want to stop. But when Fred asked if you had a minute, you never said no, especially if you wanted a role in the next big movie. He stole a glance at his black sports watch as he forced a sigh from his lips. He hoped Kimberly would be understanding with his late call, knowing how important his career was.

“Daniel,” Fred went on as he approached Daniel, not waiting for a response. “I know of another upcoming action film Marshall’s doing that you might be interested in.”

Daniel tried to keep a pleasant face. Even though Marshall could be a royal pain in the butt, Daniel enjoyed performing the variety of breathtaking stunts in his movies. While the storylines weren’t Oscar worthy, his fans loved the action scenes, and it seemed every new movie Marshall released topped the box office during its first opening weekend. Working with Marshall really stretched Daniel’s skills and gave him the opportunity to be seen by a lot of big name agents.

“It requires some more advanced techniques like high falls and rappelling. If you’re interested, you need to attend a special advanced stunt double training session in L.A.,” Fred went on, assuming Daniel would jump at the chance. “You’ll need to attend for two weeks, and I’ll give you the details. What are you doing for the rest of this week?” Fred knew Daniel had flown to the island from California but wasn’t sure what his plans were after their filming in Hawaii was done.

“Actually,” Daniel said, turning to look at Fred. “I was planning to pack up and head back to California early.”

“Why don’t you stick around and sightsee with the rest of us?” Fred asked, hoping to win Daniel over so he could secure him for the next Marshall King film.

“I’d love to, but remember, I’ve got a wedding to plan,” he said smiling. Before Daniel took the role in Marshall’s latest movie, he had told Fred about his upcoming wedding to his fiancée Kimberly and how all his free time would be spent making preparations for the big event. Even though his fiancée knew how important his career was, Kimberly had made it more than clear that she expected him back home on time so he could help her finish all the plans.

“Oh yeah,” said Fred. “Planning a wedding does take a lot of time. I remember when my wife and I got married. I never knew so much went into planning a wedding. I thought the hard part was picking out the ring. Boy was I wrong.” Fred chuckled. “That Kimberly must be a special woman if you’re willing to pass up the opportunity to sightsee Hawaii.”

Daniel smiled half-heartedly. “I want Kimberly to be happy,” said Daniel. “Besides, if I didn’t,” he added, “I’d never hear the end of it.”

Fred continued, giving Daniel some helpful pointers from his own marital experience. When their discussion was finished, Daniel shook Fred’s hand, grabbed his bags and headed out the door to his hotel. Fred bid him farewell by shouting a final tip, “Happy wife, happy life!”

Daniel arrived at his hotel just as the sun was dipping low over the rocky Hawaiian coastline. He peered out the window overlooking the beautiful vista below and thanked God for the opportunity of witnessing such marvelous wonders. Being a stuntman was something that Daniel had always wanted to do. Even as a little boy, he would outrun, out punch and out fight his two older brothers. The Louis boys were well known to all the teachers at St. Mary’s, but Daniel was especially popular. And not always in a good way.

As the youngest child in a less than stable home in Michigan, Daniel learned quickly how to fend for himself. Although his older brothers tried to take care of him, Daniel was left on his own when they went off to college. His father was a science professor and his mother was also a teacher. But they lived well beyond their means financially and morally. For most of his life, Daniel had been exposed to hypocrisy, indulgence and less than ethical behavior. The private school, fancy home, and well-dressed children were all a front. Both of Daniel’s parents were gone a lot. When Daniel was younger, his father spent time camping, hiking and doing other guy stuff with Daniel and his brothers. But when Daniel got older, his father took a professorship at the University of Michigan and rarely spent time with the boys. Daniel and his brothers all swore they would never grow up to be like their parents. Eventually, Daniel’s mother got saved and changed her ways. But his father didn’t.

When Daniel’s older brothers headed off to college, Daniel dove into the martial arts classes he had been enrolled in as a child. His father had started Daniel on this path. But when the university job came up, Daniel’s father left Daniel to fend for himself. After his brothers had gone to college, Daniel spent all of his spare time at martial arts classes, perfecting his skills. When he landed his first job as a stunt double in Hollywood, his brothers were less than thrilled, worried that Daniel would follow a path of pretenses and material worth like their parents had. But over time, they came to realize that Daniel had forged his own way along a path of righteousness and faith. A path that also just happened to include stunt doubling.

His career had been good to him. Not only had it taken him far away from his parents and the small Michigan town that he was born in, it took him to exotic and exciting places, places a middle-class boy from Michigan might never see. The money he made was great. And the projects he landed usually covered all of his expenses, including travel, dining, entertainment and most important to Daniel, training. Daniel was in excellent shape and worked hard to stay that way. To compete in his field, he needed to be at the top of his game. This meant training hard, eating right and looking good all the time.

But Daniel longed for more. Sure, he was paid well. Sure, the job had good perks. But he didn’t have the one thing he craved. He didn’t have fame. When Marshall King arrived on the set, all heads turned. He had bodyguards to keep adoring fans from crushing him. His name, his face, even his voice were known around the world. That’s what Daniel wanted. He wanted it more than money. He wanted it more than success. He might have even wanted it more than his future with Kimberly.

Daniel glided past the long mirror, stopping briefly to admire his toned physique. His large arms stretched the fabric of the black tee shirt he wore. A simple black leather belt held his faded jeans snugly on his slim waist. He turned sideways, then forward, then sideways again. He lifted his hand up to his thick black hair and stopped, dropping his left hand in his right.

His fingers twisted over and under and finally came to rest on the spot where his wedding ring would soon be, in place of the purity ring he now wore. He touched the tan skin as he sat on the bed and looked at himself in the mirror wondering why he felt the way he did. He loved Kimberly, he was sure of it. He loved his career. He was sure of that too. And he just got the opportunity to get even broader exposure with agents. His chances of making the leap from stunt double to real actor were within his grasp.

But as his fingers slid over the silver band of purity commitment, Daniel began to doubt if he was ready for the gold band of marital commitment. The problem was, he wasn’t sure what he was doubting. Images of Kimberly Reed floated before him. Beautiful Kimberly Reed, daughter of the wealthy Patrick Reed of Reed Publishing, one of the largest publishing houses on the west coast.  He remembered her long bleached blonde hair and her delicate features. Her golden brown skin glistened as he pictured her on the first day they met.

Kimberly was a liaison for an author who had sold the movie rights to her book. Daniel was working on the set next to where the book/movie was being filmed and had run into Kimberly at the craft service. They had both gone to grab a quick snack of fresh fruit and had literally bumped into each other. When their hands touched, the sparks flew. They flirted casually the rest of the day and Daniel made it a point to wait for her when the shooting ended.

After an awkward introduction, Daniel discovered that Kimberly was an intellectual, not an actress, although he swore she was beautiful enough to be one. She worked with an author and was assisting her on the set while the movie of her book was being filmed. After several minutes of small talk, Kimberly agreed to meet Daniel for a cup of coffee the following evening. They met at a small café and spent hours getting to know one another. The physical attraction was strong, and Kimberly was drawn to Daniel’s rugged strength. Daniel was captivated by Kimberly’s intellect and the fact that she didn’t have any Hollywood aspirations. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d met a girl who didn’t want to be an actress. Kimberly was refreshing and just what Daniel had been looking for. Their first few months together were pure bliss.

Daniel rose from the bed, remembering he had to call Kimberly. Picking up his cell phone, he began pressing the keys. He would be returning to California in the morning and had promised Kimberly to call and check in. He laughed to himself as he thought about that. Call and check in. He sounded married already. Though it seemed funny, it also left him with an uncomfortable feeling. Maybe he was just tired, he thought. It had been a long day. The time change alone had made Daniel a little off all week. Add to that the physical demands of his job and wedding jitters, and anyone would feel uncomfortable. But even though he wasn’t ready to say it out loud ... Daniel thought it was more than that.

Kimberly and Daniel had taken it slow at first. They dated exclusively but hadn’t talked about their future together. Kimberly loved Daniel’s manly strength and loved that he could protect her no matter what. But after several months together, she was shocked to discover that he had every intention of continuing with his career as a stuntman. He could remember their previous conversation as if it were yesterday.

“You mean it’s not just a guy thing? Like a phase?” Kimberly asked one morning as they talked on the phone.

Daniel tried to hide his laughter. “No honey, it’s not just a guy thing or a phase.” He shook his head, smiling at the innocence of his adorable girlfriend. “I’ve trained for years to get where I am. And I’m finally starting to see the fruits of my labor.”

It wasn’t until years later that Daniel realized Kimberly’s words were anything but innocent. After dating for two years, Daniel proposed to Kimberly with every intention of doing everything in his power to make her the happiest woman on earth and make their wedding day the most memorable day of her life. He agreed to an all glass chapel overlooking the ocean in Palos Verdes for the wedding ceremony. He agreed to the obscenely expensive floral arrangements. He agreed to gray designer tuxes rather than black. He agreed to put a bid on the house she had her heart set on so they could move in by their wedding day. He even agreed to her demands that his best man, Paul Tucker,
not
throw him a bachelor party. But one thing he would not do, one thing he couldn’t agree to, was to change careers. His eyes drifted from the deep blue waters of the ocean view outside his hotel window to his bed as he focused on Kimberly’s voice on the other end of the phone.

“H
i sweetie, I’ve been waiting the last hour for your call.” Daniel could sense the impatience in her voice.

“I’m sorry, Kimberly, I got held up. Fred wanted to talk to me about work.”

“I hope it’s not about another job. You know how close it’s getting to the wedding. We still have lots to do, and I need you here to help me plan this. You wouldn’t want me to suffer through all that stress alone, would you?”

“Of course not, honey.” Daniel felt a twinge of guilt. It seemed the closer they got to the wedding, the more incapable his fiancé made him feel, and he began to wonder if that was what married men called being henpecked by their wives.

Kimberly’s voice lightened. “So how did your shoot go?”

A smile formed on Daniel’s face. “Everything went great. You should have seen me in action.” He swept his hand across his body as he reenacted one of his earlier fight scenes. “Even Marshall said I did a great job.”

“I’m glad for you. I hope the film does well,” Kimberly said with muted enthusiasm before her voice perked up. “You know, I’ve been thinking about how we should decorate the house, and I think the French Country style would be perfect for the informal dining room. And I was thinking the black metal fire set we saw at Patio Palace, remember that one? I think that would look amazing on the porch.”