Summer with a Star (Second Chances Book 1) (16 page)

Tasha wanted to cringe at the intrusive remark, but the sight of Spence and Heather smiling and laughing as they successfully launched the kite was just too wonderful.

“There was a mix-up with the beach house,” she explained. “His agent double-booked him in there with me. I guess the Cavanaros were bowled over by her stubbornness.” The idea hadn’t occurred to her until then, but now that it had, Tasha was angry all over that Yvonne could steamroll a nice, older couple like that. Or at least their real estate broker.

Brenda blinked at her. “You’re in Sand Dollar Point?”

Tasha nodded. “Yep. Fulfilling a childhood dream.”

“To date a movie star?” Tom added with a chuckle.

“Seriously, Tom?” Brenda scolded him.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, as apologetic as Tom would get. Tasha had endured his off-key jokes through more than a few parent-teacher conferences in the last year.

“He’s really nice,” she assured Brenda. “Not at all like a big-headed celebrity.” Not like she’d assumed he would be during their first meeting.

In fact, Spence had surprised her overall. He’d been warm and affectionate as things had heated up. He’d been far more open with her than Brad had ever been. He’d defended her and done his best to be considerate in all things. Not more than two minutes ago, she’d been texting Jenny, arguing whether the relationship was possible or if it defied some law of physics. There was no way someone like her should be dating a movie star. But as she looked down the beach, watched the kite soar and heard both Spence and Heather laughing, she didn’t feel like Spence was some high-ranked movie star at all. He was just the nice guy she’d met by chance at the beach.

She might just be able to do this after all.

“So what’s he like?” Brenda asked, reflecting her thoughts.

Tasha nodded to him. “That’s what he’s like. Pretty normal, actually.”

“He’s too hot to be normal,” Brenda said in a voice that was more than appreciative.

“Hey, I’m right here,” Tom complained. “I’m hot too.” He held his arms to the side as if displaying his hotness. Tom wasn’t unattractive, but clearly enjoyed his food and didn’t have an L.A. sense of grooming.

Brenda chuckled and moved to his side, hugging him and resting her head on his shoulder. “Aw, honey, you’re my movie star.”

The two of them grinned at each other, sharing a kiss. Something coiled and tightened in Tasha’s chest. That was what she’d always wanted, the kind of love that didn’t care what someone looked like or what they did for a living. She thought she’d had that with Brad, but she’d been wrong.

Tasha peeked down the beach at Spence again. He stood by Heather’s side now, one hand hovering protectively behind her back as she glanced up and up at the kite, now far overhead. They had it almost at the end of the small roll of string. Spence looked so natural beside the young girl, like he was her father. A powerful punch of maternal instinct pulsed through her. Did Spence ever want to have kids? Her ovaries practically squealed at the idea.

“How long are you down here for?” she asked Brenda and Tom to stop her thoughts from wandering off in directions that would, like as not, crush her mood.

“Just a week,” Brenda said. “We came for the Fourth, and we head back on Sunday.”

“I’ve got a big new project starting at work on Monday,” Tom added. She could see the pride in his face. Pride for a job in an office that the likes of Yvonne would probably turn her nose up at. Well, it would be Yvonne’s loss.

“Are you up here longer than that?” Brenda asked.

“Mmm hmm.” Tasha nodded. “For the whole summer.”

“And Spencer Ellis?” Brenda’s eyes took on a shine that they would have had if she’d mentioned staying with any man for a length of time.

Tasha couldn’t help but smile. “He’s there for the whole summer too.”

“Wow. And,” Brenda hesitated, “is anything going on?”

Tasha didn’t answer. She just grinned.

“Wow,” Brenda repeated. “I bet your ‘What I Did Last Summer’ essay is going to be interesting.”

“You mean ‘Who I Did Last Summer,’” Tom added.

“Tom,” Brenda scolded and jabbed an elbow in his gut.

“Sorry,” Tom apologized once again.

Rude as he was, Tasha found herself laughing. Maybe all she needed was a hint of her normal life—a hint that did not involve Brad or his asshole brother—to remind her of where she was in the world.

Unfortunately, a reminder of where Spence was in the world came strolling up the beach. Or at least it could be. A man with a camera approached their spot on the sand from the jetty at the far end. In a flash, Tasha was on edge.

“Uh oh.” She did her best to pretend her skin wasn’t crawling and sent an apologetic smile to Brenda and Tom. “I’d better warn Spence there’s a camera close by.”

“Ooh.” Brenda cringed. “Occupational hazard, huh?”

“Yep.” Tasha was willing to bet Brenda wouldn’t be asking the question if she’d ever had a random guy sidle up to her and start prying for information and waving money around.

They all started up the beach toward where Spence and Heather had backpedaled while flying the kite, Brenda calling, “Honey, it’s time to let Mr. Ellis finish his walk.”

The man with the camera didn’t seem to take much notice of Spence, but Tasha wasn’t willing to take any chances. When Spence sent her a questioning look, she pointed to the man with the camera. Spence nodded in understanding.

“Come on, Princess Heather. I think it’s time to put the kite to bed for the day,” he said.

“Aaw,” Heather moaned.

She let Spence help her reel the kite in anyhow, all the while looking up at him in adoration. It was a whole different kind of adoration from that of, say, Monica the superfan. Everything about Heather was genuine. She made Tasha smile and remember the good things in life.

“I’m going to miss having her in my class next year,” she told Spence as they walked briskly back toward the house. The wind was picking up and the clouds above threatened rain.

“She’s sweet,” Spence said. “I could have stayed out there with her and that kite all day.”

Something about the dreamy quality of Spence’s voice sent tendrils of lust through her as potent as if he’d kissed her.

“You like kids?” she asked, letting that lust settle around her heart and transform to something far more tender.

Spence only added to the pulsing in her chest when he sent her a sheepish, sideways smile. “Does it make me a wuss if I say I love them?”

“God no,” she told him. “It makes you sexy as hell.”

He laughed outright. “I don’t hear that much. Hollywood is not very kid friendly.”

“I imagine not.” She’d heard plenty of stories of celebrity kids and the way their lives had been turned upside down by the business. Far more than she’d heard positive stories of child actors.

“Heather certainly seems to love you,” he said. “She kept telling me how you were her favorite teacher ever.”

Tasha sent him a dubious grin. “She’s only in second grade. There haven’t been that many teachers.”

“You sell yourself short far too much, you know that?”

His words sent prickles down her back. Did she? Of course she did. But damn him for noticing.

She feigned a casual shrug. “Heather had a lot of issues with shyness when she started the year. We worked with her to overcome that,” she explained as though it was nothing.

“You can’t hide the truth from me,” he said as though he’d caught her lying. “You’re a good teacher. That’s all there is to it.”

“Thanks,” she said.

But good teacher or not, that didn’t make her an expert in the man department. When Spence took her hand as they neared the end of the beach and the stairs up to Sand Dollar Point, she felt like a total imposter. It was all she could do not to pull away. The fact that she didn’t would make Jenny proud. Jenny, who had texted her, bursting with pride at her ability to catch a star and put him in her pocket. Jenny, who had offered her more than a few creative suggestions about what to do with him—suggestions she was in no way flexible enough to carry out.

“What do you say to a nice dinner in tonight? Maybe a cuddle after?” Spence winked at her.

“Nothing sounds better,” Tasha replied with a wary smile as they mounted the stairs leading to the house. “But what about—”

“Ah! There you are.”

Yvonne met them at the top of the stairs. She’d changed since they’d started out on their walk. Instead of wearing a crisp linen suit, she was dressed for business in lightweight, grey wool and snakeskin pumps.

“You look awfully dressed up for the beach,” Spence said, smiling at her as if nothing could dent his mood.

Yvonne huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. “I’ve got to get back to New York pronto. Simon is intent on destroying his image. Someone has to take that boy in hand.”

Tasha’s eyebrows and her hopes rose. If she had known it would be that easy to get rid of Yvonne, she would have started a riot in New York herself.

“Are you leaving right now?” Spence asked as the three of them climbed the stairs to the porch. He was a saint to sound so genuinely concerned.

“A car is on the way as we speak,” Yvonne said, “and a jet is warming up at the airport. I’m afraid if I don’t get there before the sun goes down tonight, we’ll all hear about it on the evening news.”

“That bad, eh?” Spence frowned in concern.

Yvonne’s only answer was to arch a wary eyebrow. “Compared to Simon, you’re a choir boy. You take care of yourself while I’m gone, and read that pilot script! I need your answer about Second Chances yesterday.”

“All right.” Spence nodded.

Tasha was all set to let out a breath of relief and wave goodbye and good riddance to Yvonne when the woman turned and stared her right in the eyes.

“Come with me,” she said. “You and I need to have a quick talk before I go.”

Chapter Eleven

Dread filled Tasha’s stomach like an overdose of ice cream as she followed Yvonne around the edge of the porch to the front of the house. She shot Spence a desperate look as they turned the corner, but all Spence could do was shrug. Tasha had to scurry to keep up with Yvonne as she clicked and clacked her way across the porch to the pile of her luggage by the front door.

“All right, sweetie, let’s get real,” Yvonne said, spinning to face her.

“Excuse me?” Tasha flashed to the defensive.

Yvonne’s face softened into a smile that was way too condescending for Tasha’s tastes. “I like you, Tasha. You’re wholesome and you’ve got spunk.”

“Thank you?” Tasha crossed her arms, bracing herself.

Yvonne let out a breath and shifted her weight. “Spence is a treasure,” she began again, glancing up to the porch roof as if gathering her thoughts. “He’s one of those rare finds who has both talent and personality. He’s grounded and intelligent. He’s not like Simon, whose neck I’m going to wring as soon as I get down to New York.”

There was enough genuine concern in the woman’s sharp eyes that it put Tasha off balance. Yvonne wasn’t nasty, but she wasn’t kind either. She focused on Tasha again, grabbing her with a frank stare.

“Spence is going places. He doesn’t see it right now. He thinks he’s stuck, but he’s wrong. Half of L.A. is slobbering all over themselves to get him involved in their projects. The producers of this TV show are willing to sell their mothers to have him on board. He has the world ahead of him.”

“Good for him,” Tasha said. She winced at the uncertainty in her voice.

Yvonne must have heard it. She leaned closer. “You don’t understand what this means, sweetie,” she said. “This business isn’t like it used to be. These days, even the big names are lucky if they get more than their fifteen minutes of fame. The crowd is fickle. They want new or they want sensational. Why do you think so many young starlets self-immolate just to stay in the headlines? Why do you think Simon is on the verge of causing a major scandal? Because of you people.” She pointed square at Tasha’s chest. “Because the audience wants novelty.”

“That has nothing to do with me,” Tasha argued, unfolding her arms and planting her hands on her hips. “None of this has anything to do with me.”

“Honey, it has everything to do with you.”

Again, Yvonne threw her for a loop by sighing and sagging. For a moment, she looked more like a weary mother, like some of the principals Tasha had seen near the end of their career, than a high-powered Hollywood agent. She pressed her fingertips to her forehead, then met Tasha’s eyes.

“Spence likes you,” she said. “A lot. He’s pushed back every time I’ve tried to suggest he send you packing for the last two weeks. I’ve never seen him act like this.”

A rush of hope swirled through Tasha’s gut, followed quickly by dark suspicion. “I like him too, and as far as I can tell, that’s all that matters.”

Yvonne shook her head. “Spoken like a naïve little girl who doesn’t understand the way the world works.”

Ouch. It took all of Tasha’s will power not to flinch and shrink. She’d tried so hard to hide the fact that she had no idea what she was doing only to have it turn out to be obvious to the world.

“Like I said, I like you,” Yvonne went on, “but you’re not for Spencer. He’s going places, you’re not. It’s as simple as that. You’re cute and normal, and I’m fairly sure that’s why Spence likes you, but where does that leave you at the end of the day? Honey, you belong in a classroom with all that construction paper and paste and pipe cleaners. He belongs on the red carpet, at press junkets, and filming on location. How do you think you would handle that?”

“Easily, I could….” Nothing followed. Her mind went blank. All she could do was picture herself attempting to stroll the red carpet in a baggy teacher’s sweater covered with applique letters and numbers and a red apple with a smiling green worm poking out of it.

“Exactly,” Yvonne went on. “You have no place in his world.” Her mood shifted again, this time to a soft old friend trying to comfort her after a break-up, even though the break-up hadn’t happened. Yet. “I know it hurts, honey, but we all need to accept our place in the world.”

“I don’t….” She wanted to argue, but words were nowhere to be found.

“Here’s my advice.” Yvonne shifted closer to her, resting a manicured hand on the small of Tasha’s back. “Pack up and go home. Enjoy the rest of your summer pain-free. You’ve got the house for next summer already and I can probably get you a refund on what you’ve paid for this year. Put yourself out of all the misery you’ll end up in if you stay.”

“No,” Tasha said, no energy behind the word.

Yvonne removed her hand and shrugged. “All right, that’s fine. The other thing you could do is stay here and have a wonderful, fun summer fling with Spence. Get your groove on, or however they say it these days. Make some memories. Just remember that it ends at the end of the summer, and everyone goes back to the lives they’re supposed to have.”

The only argument Tasha could make to that was a frown. It grated on her nerves, twisted in her stomach, set her teeth on edge, but it was exactly what she had been thinking in those dark places of her mind she didn’t want to go to.

She was spared the need to come up with a response when Spence stepped out through the front door.

“You’re still here?” he asked Yvonne. He was teasing. Tasha could see it in his eyes. He may have been an award-winning actor, but when he wasn’t on, his feelings were written on his face in bold lettering. Right now they said that Yvonne wasn’t the enemy, she was his ally and friend.

“Just having a little heart-to-heart with your summer cutie,” Yvonne replied.

Spence’s smile slipped as he glanced from Yvonne to Tasha. “Do I need to remind you that you run my business life, not my personal life?” he warned Yvonne.

“No, sweetheart.” Yvonne stepped to Spence’s side and patted his cheek. “I know my place.”

A chill passed down Tasha’s spine. She sure did know her place, but did Spence?

A car turned in at the bottom of the driveway, its wheels crunching on gravel as it made its way up and around the curve of the rose bushes.

“There’s my ride,” Yvonne said. “Spence, be a doll and help carry my bags down to the car.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Spence answered with a suspicious frown. He gave Tasha a look that was meant to reassure, but did nothing of the sort, then lifted two of Yvonne’s suitcases and carried them down the stairs to meet the limo in the driveway.

“Remember what I said, Tasha,” Yvonne told her in a gentle voice, her eyes brimming with compassion that made Tasha want to stick a fork in them. “Have fun if you want to, but keep your feet on the ground.”

“I’ll do what I want,” she answered.

Yvonne smiled as though Tasha had agreed with her in no uncertain terms. She spun and headed down the porch stairs to her car, leaving Tasha to take her carryon back down to the car for her.

“You know where to find me if you need me,” Yvonne told Spence as the driver of the limo took the carryon from Tasha.

“And I’m sure you’ll find me if I don’t,” Spence said. He at least had the good grace to kiss Yvonne’s cheek as she strode to the open limo door.

“And I’m going to do something about your paparazzi problem,” Yvonne promised. “You won’t have to worry about anyone interrupting your lovely vacation.” She smiled at Tasha with those words.

They felt like ice slipping down Tasha’s back.

“Are you ready to go, ma’am?” the driver asked, grasping the handle of the open limo door. He was ready, at least.

“Yes,” Yvonne answered. She turned to Spence one last time. “If you need me, I can be back here in a couple of hours. It might be nice to be tucked out of the way, where no one can bother me and where no one is getting into trouble.”

For a heartbeat, Tasha thought she saw the light of an idea in Yvonne’s eyes. If the woman was hatching some other plot, it ducked down into the limo with her. The driver shut the door and jogged around to the front. Spence strode back to the foot of the porch steps where Tasha stood. He put his arm around Tasha’s shoulders and waved as the car backed down the driveway, almost as if they were a legitimate couple saying goodbye to Auntie Yvonne after a pleasant visit.

The thought set Tasha’s skin itching. She tensed, grateful when Spence let go of her shoulder.

“I hate it when she does that,” he said.

“Does what?” Tasha rubbed her arms as they headed up the porch steps. Couldn’t she just have a full hour to feel good about herself and what she was doing? Who said she didn’t deserve more than people thought she should get?

“When she shows up unexpectedly and leaves just when I’m getting used to her,” Spence said.

Tasha hummed in agreement, but said nothing.

“She upset you.” At the top of the stairs, Spence steered her around the side of the porch to look out over the beach. “What did she say?”

“Nothing really.” She couldn’t meet his eyes. He wasn’t going to buy it, as evidenced by his flat expression, so she gave up with a sigh and admitted, “She doesn’t want me with you. She thinks I’m too ordinary. She wants me to leave.”

“I see.” He turned to stand in front of her, placing his hands on her hips and tugging her closer.

A thrill of excitement pulsed through Tasha. She rested her forearms on his chest, her fingers playing with the collar of his t-shirt, as his hands spread across her backside. Damn, but it felt good. Hands on her butt, yes, but more than that, it felt good to be wanted that way. Her gloomy pout flickered into a teasing look of mock sorrow.

“I guess I should go pack my things and hit the road,” she said, going so far as to turn her lower lip down in a pout. Okay, she’d admit it, it was a pout that was designed to provoke a kiss.

Spence didn’t disappoint. “I’ve got a better idea,” he said, his voice low and husky.

His hands traveled up over the small of her back to hold her closer. He dipped down to capture her mouth with his, kissing her long and slow, and, yes, sucking on her lower lip exactly as she’d imagined. He was so damn good at that, good at melting her into goo that dripped, hot and heavy, into her core. She let herself lean into him, snaked her hands up along his neck to rake her fingers through his hair, nails against his scalp.

Spence growled. The sound ramped her own lust up by a thousand percent. She didn’t care that she was just Miss Pike, teacher sweaters and all, when Spence made that sound, when he squeezed her close and cheated a hand around to close over her breast from the side. She lifted to her tip-toes so that she could throw her whole energy into kissing him back. Everything about him was perfect, the way he smelled, the heat radiating from his hard, fit body, the tenderness with which his mouth claimed hers. A girl could seriously get used to this.

“Yvonne isn’t here anymore,” he panted when he finally broke their kiss.

“I know.” Tasha was more than a little breathless herself.

“She’s not here,” he repeated.

“I know.” She blinked, confusion cutting through the haze of her passion.

He scooped his hands under her backside and lifted her against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist on instinct at first, but when his mouth slanted over hers once more in a kiss that left her core aching as it pressed against the growing bulge in his shorts, the pieces clicked.

“Yvonne isn’t here anymore,” she repeated his words with a smile. “Whatever shall we do?”

“I have a few suggestions,” he said, already striding with her toward the back door.

He pushed the screen door open with one hand and walked through the living room to the hall. Kissing and walking at the same time wasn’t great for navigating a house full of furniture, and after bumping into the edge of the sofa and a bookshelf in his progress, Spence finally gave up kissing her and concentrated on walking. He took the stairs two at a time and had her in his room, kicking the door shut with his foot, in no time. Instead of putting her down, he backed her against the door, bracing her there.

“We’ve been slacking, you know,” he said. He nipped at her lips, pulling back each time she tried to kiss him in return. The game had her pulse pounding in her ears and pushed his statement from her mind.

“What?” she said as soon as she remembered he’d said anything. Her glance flickered between his lips and the wolfish light in his eyes.

“We’ve got that whole box of condoms on the dresser over there, and we’ve barely made a dent in it,” he said, grinding his erection against the juncture of her thighs. Tasha gasped and groaned. “I think we need to up our game.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

He kissed her again, pressing her head against the door. She shifted her arms to reach for the hem of his t-shirt as his mouth drove every last drop of sense out of her. She wanted to feel his skin, to drag her nails across the plain of his back.

“Yeah, like that,” he rumbled as she raked her way up to his shoulder blades. “Harder.”

A tremor of lust shook her. What would it be like to play hard with Spence? Not whips and chains hard, but outside of the box. The possibility left her itching to get them both out of their clothes as fast as possible.