“I certainly don’t want to be attacked by an alligator.”
“Me either. Have you seen my face?” Braydon grinned and I laughed.
“I sure hope you’re hungry.” He continued, happy I was laughing at his jokes.
“Oh I am.” I nodded my head. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Zane had dropped me off after we had eaten and he had been slightly peeved that I hadn’t told him whom my date was with. I was annoyed, but upset when I got to my room because Zane had been so dismissive when I had gotten out of the car. I didn’t understand him. His moods seemed to go back and forth so quickly. I sighed. I was meant to call him when I got home so he could tell me what time he would picking me up to leave the next day. Everything was going so quickly that I barely had time to think about everything. I was starting to feel overwhelmed and had spent the afternoon in my bed watching TV instead of packing.
“Lucky, are you home?” Once again, Braydon interrupted my thoughts of Zane.
“Sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”
“I can see that. I hope it’s not another guy.”
“Oh no, of course not.” I blushed and turned away.
“I like your dress by the way.” Braydon looked me over and smiled. “It’s very chic.”
“Uhm, thanks.” I smiled gratefully and tried to hold in a laugh. I had gotten the dress from Target for $24.99 and I was pretty sure that Braydon was the only one who had used that adjective to describe the dress.
“Let’s go eat.” He grabbed my hand and I followed him through the restaurant and then through a door.
“Wow.” I stepped out of the door and saw the candlelit tables overlooking the great expanse of water that was lit up by the huge condos on the other side. “This is magnificent.”
“I had to make our first date special.” Braydon smiled and we sat down. “And let me recommend the Strawberry Mule to drink, it is delicious.”
“Done.” I grinned. “Alcohol and strawberries sound good to me.”
“I love a girl that is easy to please.”
“Well, that’s me.” I laughed.
“On our next date, I’m going to take you on my boat.”
“Oh.” I bit my lip and leaned forward. “About that …”
“Oh no, did I do something wrong already?” He sighed and slapped his forehead.
“No, no, no. Not at all.” I was quick to reassure him. I was actually enjoying my time with Braydon. More than I thought I would. “I’m having a good time, but I’m actually leaving Miami tomorrow.”
“Wait what?’ He frowned. “For good? Aren’t you in school?”
“I am in school.” I smiled, slightly embarrassed. “I’m going to withdraw from my classes and I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”
“Sorry. I’m really confused here.”
“I got a job. It’s related to my major, so I thought it would help me in my career, you know.”
“Are you going to be teaching history to kids in Africa or something?”
“No.” I laughed. “I’m going to be helping with a documentary that will be focusing on the era that I focus on in my studies.”
“Oh wow. A documentary?” He looked intrigued and then the expression on his face changed and he looked somewhat angry. “Please do not tell me that Zane Beaumont is in any way involved with this documentary.”
I bit my lip and stared at Braydon’s handsome face across the table. I didn’t know what to say.
“He is isn’t he? That asshole.”
“He’s not an asshole.” I spoke quietly, defending a man I wasn’t sure actually deserved to be defended.
“He did this because of me you know.” Braydon hissed. “He must have heard me telling Evan how nice I thought you were and how I was interested in you.”
“I’m sure he didn’t hire me because of that.” I frowned.
“Trust me.” Braydon frowned. “I didn’t even know he was making a documentary.”
“Well he is.” I looked down at the menu, uncomfortable with where the conversation was going.
“He needs to just get over this bullshit.” Braydon swore and I saw his fists clenching.
“What bullshit?” I asked curiously.
“With Noah.” He frowned and looked out at the bay. “He needs to f**king move on.”
I sat back and wished that I were still at home. Braydon’s mood had changed and I was no longer comfortable in his presence. “What does Noah do?” I asked, hoping to finally get some information about Zane’s brother.
Braydon looked back at me with clouded eyes, and attempted a smile. “Let’s not talk about the Beaumonts right now.”
“Okay.” I tried to hide my disappointment. What was the big secret about Noah?
“So where in LA will you be?”
“I’m not sure.” I shrugged.
“Can I come out and see you?”
“Come out where?”
“To LA, silly.”
“Oh. Sure. Though, I’m not really sure how busy I’ll be.”
“Can I ask you something, Lucky?” Braydon’s voice was serious and I nodded slowly, wondering what he wanted to ask me. “Do you like me?”
“I think you seem like a nice guy, yes.” I answered, truthfully.
“Could you see yourself dating me?”
“I don’t know.” I frowned. “I don’t really know you well enough to answer that.”
“Would you give me the opportunity to get to know you better?” Braydon looked bashful. “I’m not sure that I’ve ever met a girl that Zane and I both seem to like.”
“Sorry, what?” Why had he brought up Zane’s name?
“It’s obvious to me that Zane wants to get into your pants. I don’t know if he was interested in you before he saw us together, but I am pretty sure he wants you now. I don’t—”
“Stop.” I held my hand up. “I like you, Braydon. You seem like a nice guy. Please don’t bring Zane into this. I would like to get to know you better. If you’re in Los Angeles, give me a call and we can talk.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt, Lucky. Zane’s not a nice guy,” Braydon said earnestly.
“And you are?” I laughed, not quite believing that both guys had warned me off of each other.
“I am actually.” He sat back. “I have a good family. My parents are still together. I’m looking for love. Real love. Not Hollywood love.”
“I see.”
“I’m sure plenty of guys say that though, right?”
“Some do.”
“I don’t expect you to trust me just because. I would like to prove myself to you.”
“You don’t even know me.” I looked at him incredulously. “I’m no one. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”
“I’m going to sound crazy right now, but have you ever just met someone and knew?”
“Knew what?”
“Knew that they were the one?”
“I don’t know.” I bit my lip. “I think that’s lust.”
“Lust is immediately knowing that you want to get into bed with someone.” He laughed. “I’ve felt that many times, but that’s not what I felt when I saw you for the first time.”
“Oh?”
“You looked so innocent at the party. You stood out among all the other girls. I saw you cringe when Evan started talking to you. I saw the red creep up your face, and I saw the look of thanks as I came to save you.”
“Thank you for that, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get away from Evan.” I faked a shudder, hoping he would change the subject.
“And as soon as you looked into my eyes, I felt a connection with you.” Braydon chuckled again. “I feel like I’m in a movie right now. This has never happened to me before.”
“It does feel like a movie, doesn’t it?”
“I’m going to be honest, Lucky, I’ve never been the best guy. I’ve done things that I’m not proud of, but I’m serious about wanting to settle down.”
“This isn’t a proposal, is it?” My voice rose with fear. I knew that I sounded crazy, but I had read enough celebrity magazines to know that actors moved fast when they wanted to. Braydon seemed like a nice guy and I wanted a guy who was looking for a serious commitment, but I wasn’t a desperado.
“A proposal?” Braydon looked taken aback and I laughed.
“Okay, no need to have a heart attack. I was just checking. You never know with you guys.”
“I’m coming on pretty strong, huh?”
“You could say that.” I sipped some of my drink. “Let’s just enjoy some good food. I think I’ve had too many intense conversations today.”
“Okay. That sounds like a plan.” Braydon looked bashful and I felt bad for him, but I was not in the mood for another life-defining moment.
“I guess it would be too much to ask you what other intense conversations you had today?”
“Yes, yes it would.” I racked my brain for something else to talk about. “So what made you want to be an actor?”
“My parents.” He laughed. “My mom was obsessed with Hollywood. She had tried to be an actress for so long, but she never made it, and so she ended up marrying my dad instead. And from the age of six months, she paraded me to every agent there was. I suppose it helped that I was a cute kid.”
“With your thick blond hair and big brown eyes.” I laughed.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “I got lucky actually.” He laughed. “No pun intended. The blond hair and blue eye babies were a dime a dozen, but the blond hair and brown eye kids were pretty hard to come by.”
“You were a diamond in a store of sapphires.” I groaned at my analogy. “Well, you know what I mean.”
“Yes I do. And you’re correct. I was lucky and got cast from an early age and there’s been no looking back.”
“Now, you’re Braydon Eagle, successful movie star.” I smiled gently, still slightly fazed that I was sitting across the table from him. I felt a bit troubled that I wasn’t able to enjoy the moment more, as my mind was still on Zane.
“Well if you think riches equal success, then yes. But if you equate success by good friends and love, then no.” He sighed.
“Well you have one, and hopefully, the others will come soon.”
“I hope so as well.” He looked at me intently. “It’s funny. They say that one man can’t have everything. But I want to prove them wrong.”
“You mean the career and money versus love debate?”
“Yeah. I used to think for a long time that love was closed off to me. Being an actor, you never really know who you can trust. I thought that I would just have to accept the groupies and accept that I would have a trophy wife. But now …”
I didn’t want to ask him, but now what? In all honesty, he was starting to get on my nerves. He had only known me for a day or so. I’m not a bombshell and I didn’t think my conversation had been that witty either. I mean, I know I’m pretty friendly, but I don’t think I’m great enough to warrant the endless stream of wonder and praise that was emanating from his mouth. Perhaps his real goal should be to move from acting and become a poet. He certainly knew how to wax on. I started laughing to myself at my wax on thought and Braydon looked at me curiously.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be funny. Am I boring you?”
“No, of course not.” Yes, you are boring me, I thought. Let’s talk about something else. This isn’t a Hollywood movie. We don’t have to fall in love in five seconds and have 2.4 kids in as many years.
“I’ve been accused of being a bit too serious in relationships.”
“Oh?” Relationships? What was he talking about? I kept a pleasant smile on my face, but I was starting to think that Braydon Eagle was bonkers and perhaps on drugs as well. I giggled and kept my head down. Shit, I thought to myself. The alcohol was getting to me. I was a pretty light drinker and I was pretty sure that this drink contained a high level of alcohol. I could feel in my head that I was a little tipsy and I was scared that I was going to tell Braydon just how ridiculous he was acting. And I didn’t want to do that. There was something about Braydon that I liked, deep inside. He seemed like an honest genuine guy. And I was surprised that I wasn’t in awe of him.
“What are you thinking right now, Lucky?”
“I’m thinking that this is a totally cool moment.” I grinned. “I am here sitting with a huge star and I feel like I’m out with a regular friend.”
“I like that.” Braydon smiled and we both laughed as a woman ran up to the table and asked him for an autograph. As Braydon smiled at the young lady and signed her napkin, I wondered at how down to earth he seemed. He was the sort of guy that I felt could make me happy. He was a forever sort of guy. I sat back and smiled to myself. Maybe everything was going to work out after all.
***
“I’m so sorry for getting you home so late.” Braydon parked his car and turned to me. “I didn’t think we would be out this long.”
“It’s okay.” I hiccupped and closed my eyes. “I shouldn’t have had so much to drink.”
“You only had three.” He laughed.
“I’m pretty sure each drink was like two and a half normal drinks.” I sighed. “I only hope that I don’t have to be up too early tomorrow morning.”