Love, Again, page 8
Emilia took off her sunglasses and reached over to give me a hug. “Hey, you can’t laugh at me for trying. I wanted to fit in with your people.” She pointed at my clothes, which were almost exactly what she was wearing, minus the plaid shirt. “Plus, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I’m not here for me, I’m here for you.”
I snickered again as I took her all in. Emilia was born and bred in California. Guess you could say she had the typical Cali girl look. Blond hair, brown eyes, and smooth, tanned skin. All the clothes that were in her closet back home were bikinis, tank tops, short shorts, and designer clothes. One thing I did love about living in California was that I could watch her surf. Not many people knew that she could.
“It’s just a different look for you. Although I have to say, I am glad you’re going incognito. Maybe now we can hang out and not have to worry about the paparazzi following us around.” I pulled away from the curb and headed out of the airport.
Emilia brushed a hand down her flannel shirt. “I kind of like this style. It suits me.”
“It does,” I agreed. “But everyone’s going to know who you are, even if you do try to hide it.”
She waved me off. “I’m not worried. To be honest, I’m excited. I’ve always wanted to see what it was like to live in a small town.”
“How long are you staying?” I asked.
Her eyes were fixed out the window. The rolling fields and long roads were different from the highly populated cities she was used to. I didn’t know how she was going fare without the ocean being close by. The girl loved being near the water. She glanced at me quickly, but then turned back to the window. “Don’t know. I guess until filming starts, whenever that is. Have you gotten a phone call yet?”
It just so happened that I did. The producer had left a message saying he really wanted me to reconsider directing the film, and that he wanted me to call him back. When I didn’t answer Emilia, she faced me, but I kept my eyes on the road.
“You got the call, didn’t you?” she asked.
I nodded. “This morning. I didn’t answer though.”
Her eyes widened. “Why not?”
I glanced over at her, then focused back on the road. “Because I didn’t know what to say.”
“Are you considering going back?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “If they want an answer now, I can’t give it to them. A part of me wants to stay in Dusty Valley for a while.” After Brad’s having read the wrong test results to me I thought for sure that life in Hollywood was over, but something is niggling at me—I’m not ready to go back yet, that I’m sure of. But I need time, and a couple of weeks isn’t enough.
She gasped. “You want to work things out with Cole, don’t you? Like really work them out.”
There was no denying it. He’d given me a sliver of hope, and I wanted to hang on to it. “Yes,” I confessed sheepishly. “If it’s at all possible, I want to stay here. But if he’s against the idea, I’ll leave and go back to California. I don’t even know if he’s seeing someone.”
Squealing, she clapped her hands excitedly. “This is going to be awesome. I’m going to help you get him back.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” I asked, grinning over at her.
She winked. “Don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.”
For the rest of the ride to Dusty Valley, I told her everything that Cole and I said to each other. I could see the wheels in her head already turning. She meant well, but I couldn’t think of a single thing she could do to help Cole and me get back together.
We passed Mathie’s and my old high school before arriving into downtown where all the shops were. Emilia was intrigued by it all. “Where are we headed to first?”
She looked over at me, and I winked. “You’ll see. And probably tomorrow, I’ll want you to meet my friend Heather. We used to get in all sorts of trouble back in the day.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. I knew you had to be a bad girl at some point in your life.”
“If you only knew.” Which I was sure she’d get an earful about from Heather. We rode through the rest of downtown, and I pointed out all of my favorite shops, the main one being the Piccalo which was an old antique store. They had everything you could imagine in that place, mainly donations from the local families. Heather and I used to go in there all the time and try on the flapper dresses and wigs. I missed those days, but I remember them as if they were yesterday.
After we ventured off the main road several miles and into more of the country setting, it wasn’t long before we pulled into the driveway of my old house.
Emilia got out of the car with a huge smile on her face. “This place is gorgeous. Is this the bed-and-breakfast?”
I joined her and put my arm around her shoulders. “Nope. This is my old home. I wanted you to see it.”
She followed me up the porch stairs, and we peeked into the windows. It was empty inside, but it was just as I remembered it. “It’s vacant. Does that mean it’s for sale?” she asked.
We walked around the porch to the back of the house. “I don’t know about that, but I know it’s available to rent. Would you like to stay here instead of the bed-and-breakfast?”
“Hell, yeah.” She ran down the stairs to the yard and twirled around. “This place is fabulous. Your backyard is bigger than my entire Malibu neighborhood.”
For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but fields and not a house for miles. Guess it kind of made sense for Cole to buy my house. Our land bordered theirs. Now the Haywood’s had even more land of their own.
Emilia pulled out her phone and joined me back on the porch. “When can we move in? I’m ready to start decorating.”
I placed my hand over her phone. She’d have a gazillion things ordered up in two seconds flat if I didn’t stop her. “Hang on. I haven’t even talked to the owner about renting it yet.”
Her smile faded. “Oh. You got me all excited there for a moment. Why haven’t you done it yet?”
“Because I haven’t told you who the owner is.”
“Why would that matter to me?” she asked, and then gasped. It took her a second to figure it out. Mouth gaping, she pointed up at the house. “Are you saying that Cole owns it?”
I nodded. “Yep. He said I could stay here if I wanted to.”
Her face lit up. “Then let’s do it. Where is he? I want to meet this man.”
“Sure about that? You might have to stay in the car.”
“Why?”
I nudged her toward the car. “Because we’re going to the fire station, and a lot of them are guys I went to high school with. They’ll be all over you. Not literally, or at least I hope not.”
Taking her to the fire station would undoubtedly cause a scene. The guys would go crazy over meeting a celebrity like her. The people of Dusty Valley weren’t accustomed to famous people strolling their streets. I was an exception. They didn’t see me like that, even if I had won numerous awards and directed box office hits.
Emilia hopped into the car and fanned herself. “I definitely can’t pass that up. We’re talking about hot Oklahoma firemen here. Are they just like the ones you’d see in the sexy firemen calendars?”
That made me laugh so hard a tear fell down my cheek. A few of them had the rock-hard abs, but a couple of them had gotten a little round over the years. I saw them all at the fair, but I was excited to talk to them again. “Um…not exactly,” I replied. “But there are several who are good looking. I’m sure some of them would love to take you out on a date.”
She shrugged. “That’s not really my concern right now. Once I get you and Cole back together, I’ll concentrate on myself.”
Reaching over, I squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you find someone good.” My first thought was of Bennett. Even though they came from different worlds, they had a lot in common as far as personality traits. He’d be a good match for her as long as she didn’t break his heart. He was a rare find.
We started on our way to the station, and the closer we got, the sweatier my palms became. The butterflies swirled in my stomach, almost like I was headed to a first date. I hadn’t felt the butterflies in so long. Only Cole had been able to make me feel them, and they came back with a vengeance. When we pulled into the parking lot of the fire station, Cole’s truck was there. I parked off to the side, and froze while my heart pounded relentlessly.
“Are we going in there?” Emilia asked.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow. “Not yet.”
Emilia placed a hand on my arm. “There’s no reason to be nervous. You can totally do this. I’ll stay out here if you want.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. You can come. I’m just nervous is all.” I took one more deep breath, and opened the door. It just so happened that Cole walked out of the station, heading straight for his truck. “Holy shit, there he is.” He had the sexy tousled hair thing going on, wearing a snug gray T-shirt that matched his eyes and jeans. Gasping, I shut the door.
Emilia looked at him and smiled. “He’s hot as hell. I can’t believe you were going to marry him, and then left.” I glared at her and she held up her hands. “Sorry. Had to say it.” She pushed against my arm. “What are you waiting for? Go talk to him before he leaves.”
Cole was almost to his truck, so I hopped out and shut the door. It must’ve caught his attention, because he turned around, squinting against the sun. When he noticed it was me, his lips turned up in a small smile. It was a step in the right direction.
“I was hoping you’d come see me,” he called out.
That made my stomach flutter. “Oh yeah?” I closed the distance, trying my best not to read too much into it. I couldn’t expect things to pick up where we left off all those years ago.
His smile slightly faded, and he shrugged. “It depends I guess, on why you’re here. You’re either saying goodbye again, or you want to rent the house. Which is it?”
I could feel the walls building all around him. Yesterday, at the tree, he let me in just a bit, but he was guarded. Taking a deep breath, I gazed at the wide open land in the distance. I never knew how much I’d miss it all.
“I think I’m going to stay for a while,” I said, meeting his gaze. “I’ve missed this place.”
Cole’s smile was back. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a key. “I was hoping you’d say that. Here’s the key.” He handed it to me, and our fingers touched as I took it. A spark of fire lit through me as if it brought me back to life. It was an energy that warmed me to the core. I had a feeling Cole felt it too by the way he chuckled, then ran a hand through his hair. “You can move in whenever you want.”
“Thanks,” I replied, trying not to sound breathless. “I have a friend who’ll be staying with me as well.”
His jaw clenched, and he averted his gaze. “I see. And when will he be coming into town?”
The jealousy in his tone made everything inside of me tighten. Maybe there was hope for us. “Actually,” I said, grinning wide. He looked over at me with furrowed brows, and I continued. “My friend is already in town.” I turned around and waved for Emilia to get out of the car. She jumped out and waved with the biggest smile on her face.
Cole recognized her the second he got a good look at the woman beneath the hat. “Seriously? Emilia Hart is going to be staying in Dusty Valley?”
We both watched her strut toward us, and I laughed as I leaned up against his truck beside him. “I know, right? She’s my best friend. When she said she wanted to visit, I couldn’t tell her no. Hopefully, she knows what she’s getting into. Dusty Valley is nothing like Malibu.”
It was his turn to chuckle. “That’s for damn sure. The guys are going to lose their shit when they find out.”
“As long as they don’t show up at my house to meet her, I’ll be fine. I don’t want this to turn into a circus.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, brushing his shoulder against mine. “I’ll handle it.”
It felt good to be so close to him. Emilia stopped in front of us and held out her hand to Cole. “It is such a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Emilia.”
Cole shook her hand as if she was just a normal person. “Cole. It’s nice to meet you too. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone famous before.”
She waved him off. “Just treat me like you would anyone else.” Her eyes focused on me. “I want to fit in as much as I can.”
I winked at her. “Cole assured me he’ll keep the guys in line. We don’t want a bunch of unwanted guests showing up at the house.”
“Sounds great,” Emilia agreed. “So I guess that means we’re ready to move in?”
I held up the key. “Yep. We’re good to go.”
Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through all the things she’d already ordered. Cole and I both stared at each other in shock. “Wow,” I said, focusing back on Emilia. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Nope.” She pocketed her phone and took a deep breath with that big smile of hers. “I even googled furniture stores in the area. We’ll have your house completely furnished by tomorrow.”
Cole cleared his throat. “Do you need any help?” he asked, glancing back and forth at us both. “I can get Bennett to help. We can go with you to get the furniture.”
Emilia’s eyes twinkled, but I could tell she was up to something. She waved him off. “Oh, we don’t want to put you out. I have some guy friends who’d be more than happy to help.” She pulled out her phone and slowly started pressing numbers.
Jaw clenching, Cole shook his head at me. “Let me help you. There’s no sense on bringing in other guys.”
Before I could answer, Emilia triumphantly put away her phone, completely transparent in her motive. It didn’t take long for Cole to realize what she was doing. “Are you sure it’s no bother?” she asked.
Chuckling, he shook his head at her, but then turned those gray eyes of his to mine. “Happy to help.”
The butterflies were back. “Guess we’ll see you tomorrow morning then?”
“See you then.” He smiled one last time at us, and got in his truck.
Emilia grabbed my arm as we walked back to my car. “Did you see the fire in his eyes when I offered to get other guys to help us move?”
I couldn’t deny how amazing it felt to see him get jealous. “Yes,” I said. “But he soon figured out what you were up to. You’re a great actress in the movies, but in real life, you need practice.”
“Hey,” she snapped, pursing her lips playfully. “That’s not nice. But at least he’s going to help. He’ll be spending all day with you tomorrow. I bet things will be getting hot and heavy by the end of the week.”
“You think?”
She snorted. “Please. I saw the way he looked at you. That’s a man who knows what he wants, and honey, he really wants you. You guys have ten years of sexual tension just waiting to burst free.”
The thought gave me the shivers. I’d fantasized a million times on what it would be like to be with him again in that way. We got into the car and headed toward the B&B. Things were about to change…I could feel it.
Chapter 13
Aubrey
“This place is amazing,” Emilia gasped as she walked through the front door of my house. It was still strange seeing her in a T-shirt and shorts with cowgirl boots, and her long blond hair in a braid.
I went straight to the living room and rubbed a hand over the fireplace mantel where my mother used to have all of our family portraits displayed. “Lots of memories inside these walls.”
Emilia joined me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “You’re very lucky to have grown up in a place like this.”
“Yes, I was,” I murmured. I walked over to the spot my mother and I used to sit and watch movies. “This is the place where my love for directing got started.”
Emilia gasped. “That’s right. You and your mother used to watch and critique movies.”
I smiled. “We did. It started off as a game, but then it turned into a passion. There were so many nights we’d talk about movies for hours.”
Emilia squeezed my shoulder again. “I’m glad you and your mom had a good relationship like that. I’m close to my dad more than anything.” That she was. I’d spent a lot of time with her family, but her parents were always busy with their own acting careers. They never had much time for each other. It made me realize how special my family was when I had them. Emilia pointed out the window toward the field. “I bet you loved having that much land. Didn’t you have horses growing up?”
The memories kept coming back. Closing my eyes, I could still remember how it felt to ride on my horse, to feel the wind blow back my hair. I’d give anything to go back to that time. “I did,” I said, opening my eyes. “Riding was one of my favorite things to do.” A tear escaped down my cheek, and I hastily wiped it away. “All right, we can go down memory lane later. Let’s get settled in.”
She followed me through the living room and past the kitchen to the only bedroom downstairs. The walls were a pale blue with a giant window that had a beautiful view of the fields. I used to love sitting on their window seat to watch it snow in the winter.
“Wow. This room is amazing.”
I nodded. “My parents loved it. It was their room.”
A sad sigh escaped her lips. “I’m sorry, Aubrey. This room can totally be yours.”
I waved her off. “It’s all right. I actually want to take my old bedroom upstairs. There’s another room across the hall if you feel more comfortable in that one.”
Her eyes lit up. “Come on, let’s take a look.”
