Glamour Girl (West Coast Girlz: Book Two) (2 page)

And he was here, seemingly alone, in the secluded house of Gavin Elliot. That could mean only one thing. He was Gavin’s
friend
.

Rosanna moaned softly and turned back around to face Gavin. It was true, all the good ones were either taken or they were gay.

“Ms. Carmichael…” Gavin waved a grand gesture and eyed his companion sternly as he moved moved toward them. “This is—”

“I’m Jase.” Mr. Hottie stood over Rosanna, offering his hand. She accepted it. “Otherwise, sometimes known as the bane of his existence.”

Gavin erupted with rumbling laughter. “That’s one way to put it.”

“I trust you’re playing nice with our guest,” Jase said, sitting on the couch.

Our guest
. Well that sealed the deal. Not that she hadn’t already figured out they were a
they
, but this was just added confirmation.

“And why should I do that?” There was an obvious bite in Gavin’s tone.

“Because if you don’t,” Jase said, “I’m going to—”

“Hold up.” Rosanna stood and raised her hands in surrender. “You guys don’t need to argue on my account.” She glanced back and forth between the two men. “I’m not sure why I was called in, but clearly Mr. Elliot isn’t interested in doing a photo shoot.” She shrugged. “So why don’t I just leave? I’m sure that’ll make us both happy.” Rosanna smiled at Gavin and headed for the door.

She heard one of them, probably Jase, calling after her. But if he thought she was going to stop and reconsider, he had another thing coming. Once Rosanna started for the door, there was no stopping her. She’d had plenty of practice at premature escapes.

CHAPTER 3

ON THE DRIVE BACK
from Gavin’s place, Rosanna had thought about heading back to L.A. that night, but decided against it because she wasn’t keen on driving that far alone at night.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the door of her motel room. She’d call Kelly, her agent, tomorrow and let her know this assignment hadn’t worked out. Rosanna wasn’t worried. Kelly would have another project lined up in a jiff. Rosanna Carmichael’s photographs were in high demand.

Rosanna walked inside the motel room, swung the door shut and tossed her keys and purse onto the little table by the window.

She still hadn’t eaten anything, and she was ravenous. She glanced back at the brochure on the table, remembering there wasn’t anything on the menus that whetted her appetite.

She could always go out exploring to try to find something. Yeah, and she’d probably get so lost that even her GPS would have a hard time finding the way back to this godforsaken place. Well, actually, it was really quite beautiful up here. Too bad it was just a little too secluded to suit her. When you had nothing much to do, life could get boring after a week or two.

Rosanna snatched up the brochure and sat down on the edge of the bed, but she was already predisposed to find none of it appealing.

Just as she began to peruse the first menu, a solid knock at the door distracted her. Good. Well, she thought it was good until she realized she didn’t know anybody here.

She tossed the brochure back onto the table and stepped toward the door.

Who can this be?
She opened the door and had to make a conscious effort not to let her mouth drop open when her eyes met with Jase’s. She tried giving him a
what-are-you-doing-here
look.

“I’m here to offer an apology.” He tucked his fingertips into the front pockets of his blue jeans and successfully disarmed her with his smile.

“An apology?” Her inquiry came out weaker than she’d anticipated. “I wasn’t aware I was due one,” she added, regaining her voice.

“Well...your departure from the vineyard would suggest otherwise.” He stood there, waiting, and obviously had no plans to go anywhere.

“Look...” Rosanna moved away from the door, leaving it standing open. “It’s pretty clear, at least to me anyway, that Gavin Elliot doesn’t want to do a photo shoot, so why force it on him?”

Jase stepped just inside the room, but kept his distance. “Because if he doesn’t, his brother’s going to take over the vineyard and cut him off.”

That got her attention. Rosanna turned to face Jase. “What?” Surely it was a joke.

Jase leaned against the dresser. “No matter who you are, you always have to answer to someone. In Gavin’s case, that’d be his brother.”

“So the photo shoot was his brother’s idea.” That explained a lot.

“Yes. And one he’s going to have to agree to...if he wants to retain leadership over the vineyard.”

“Would his brother really assume control out from under him?”

Jase snorted. “In a second.”

“Poor Gavin.” Rosanna could just see it. Gavin’s brother was probably punishing him because he was gay. “Well then...I guess the only thing left for us to do is make sure he makes it through the photo shoot.”

“Suffers through is more like it.” Jase laughed and pushed himself away from the dresser. “Say, would you like to have dinner with me?”

“What about Gavin?” Even as she asked it, what she really wanted to say was
yes
, thinking he’d know where to get some decent food.

“He’s quite capable of feeding himself.”

“All right.” It was just dinner. And besides, Jase probably thought he was making up for Gavin’s behavior. She grabbed her purse and keys off the table. “You driving? Or should I follow you?”

“I’ll drive.” He stepped toward the door, opened it and waited for her to step outside. “You like steak or seafood?” he asked, following her and closing the door behind him.

“I’m a fan of both,” she said, without looking over her shoulder. She went to the passenger’s side of the Jeep, and was surprised when he opened the door for her.

He trotted around the vehicle, seeming so manly, Rosanna almost forgot that he played for the other team. And in view of the fact that he was years younger than Gavin, he was most likely an opportunist. She wondered what the odds were that she’d end up paying for dinner.

Oh well, at least she didn’t have to worry about it turning into a nightmare of a date. Unlikely with a gay guy—a hot gay guy nonetheless, but still gay.

Once he was belted into his seat, he started the engine and shifted the car into gear. He glanced over his shoulder and laid his arm along the back of her seat, gently brushing against her shoulder. A flutter of chills spread over her as he guided the Jeep out of the parking space.

Get a grip
, she coached herself. It wasn’t like this guy was going to scratch her itch if she developed the hots for him. “So is this restaurant far?”

“Not too.” He maneuvered the car out into the light traffic. “But you know, it matters little how far you have to drive if the food is good when you get there.”

They traveled mostly in silence for about ten minutes until they came upon a rustic building with a packed parking lot, sitting majestically along the tree lined road. The sign out front proclaimed it to be the
Foothills Steak and Seafood House
.

They walked together toward the entrance and once they reached it, Jase opened the door and waited for her to go inside first.

The entryway was crowded, and Jase stopped her near the door. “Wait for me here and I’ll see if I can get us a table.”

He strolled toward the maitre d’ podium, and Rosanna couldn’t help enjoying the view. He made those blue jeans he was wearing look damn good. This guy should be a model with his well-defined body, handsome good looks, and sun-kissed blond hair.

He chatted with a couple of the employees and then made his way back to Rosanna’s side.

“Any luck?” she asked. “Or is the wait too long?”

“Five minutes.”

“Five minutes?”

“I guess the name Gavin Elliot carries a lot of weight around here,” he said with an innocent shrug.

“Maybe his brother should cut him some slack.” She wanted Jase to know she was on
their
side, not Gavin’s brother’s.

The maitre d’ approached them. “Jase, we’re ready for you.” With a nod, he coaxed them to follow.

“That was quick.” Jase gave Rosanna a wink and moved in line behind the maitre d’.

They followed him to a secluded table in the back. Jase waited until Rosanna had been seated before he took his chair.

Rosanna looked at the leather-bound menu on the table in front of her. Normally, she wouldn’t want to be involved with the obvious family drama going on between Gavin and his brother, but she could sympathize with Gavin’s plight. She knew what it was like to be backed into a corner. Her family had tried to do the same with her ten years ago when she started college.

To say her parents—well, mostly her father—weren’t happy when she chose to major in photography was an understatement. He’d wanted her to go to law school, just like he, his siblings, and his nephew had done. Rosanna wasn’t much for confrontations though, which is why she walked out on so many dates that weren’t progressing smoothly. She hated to argue. That was more her friend Casey’s department. Casey, being an attorney, loved to argue and Rosanna was happy to leave it to her.

Thankfully, Rosanna’s mother came around and took her side, which eventually made Rosanna’s father cave—about the time she graduated from college. But as far as Rosanna could see, Gavin didn’t have a family member on his side. He appeared to be alone in the fight. And that settled it, Rosanna would be his champion.

She’d start by making nice with Jase. “You seem to be familiar with the establishment.” She rested her hands on top of the menu. “What do you suggest?”

“What’s your favorite seafood?”

“Lobster.”

“And your favorite steak?”

“Filet Mignon.”

“Well...” He smiled. “That leaves you with one option. You definitely want the surf and turf with your favorite cut and catch.”

They placed their orders, Rosanna’s customized surf and turf and Jase’s prime rib, and cocktails to bide the time while they waited for their food.

The small talk came and went with nothing too personal laid out on the table. And then dinner was served.

“So how does one become a successful photographer such as yourself?” he asked, slicing into his prime rib.

“Well…” She worked on cutting her steak and lobster into bite size pieces. “One goes to college, learns to make pictures, and then works their tail off to prove themselves.”

“You said
make
pictures, rather than
take
them.”

“Anybody can take a picture.” She shrugged. “But to get paid the kind of money I do, you have to make a picture.”

“How would one make a picture…the way you do?”

Rosanna let out a sharp laugh. “That’s a secret.”

“Fair enough,” he said, and went back to his food.

After tasting both the steak and the lobster, Rosanna glanced at Jase. “So are you sure Gavin’s going to be okay with us moving forward on the photo shoot? I mean, if he’s not, I need to get back to L.A.”

“I can understand that. I’m sure you’ve got people lined up and waiting in the wings for your pictures.” He winked at her and topped it off with a smile that soon faded out. “But I can guarantee you…this photo shoot won’t be cancelled.”

“Listen…” She spoke in a stern voice just because she thought it might chase away her growing fascination with Jase. Nothing good could come from it—not even a one-night stand. “When you get back to the house tonight, would you explain to Gavin that I’m not the enemy? I’m going to make the best damn pictures his brother has ever seen. There’s no way anybody’s taking the winery away from him.”

“If we could just give Gavin a bit of your enthusiasm,” he said with a hint of laughter.

“Well, I’m leaving Gavin’s enthusiasm to you.”

“Me...?”

Yeah, you
. Who else?

CHAPTER 4

JASE LET OFF THE GAS
and the Jeep rolled to a stop in the space next to Rosanna’s car in the motel’s parking lot. She wasn’t sure if she was happy that she hadn’t been invited to stay at the house. She was becoming increasingly infatuated with Jase and she wanted to know him better, even if it was a bad idea.

But she’d been wrong about him. Back at the restaurant, she’d fully expected him to pass the check off to her. “Thanks for dinner,” she said, reaching for the door handle.