Dream (Fighting Fate Book 5) Page 3

  My expression was mortified as I watched her retreating back, but as soon as she laughed, I realized she’d just been teasing me. That was okay. I knew I was no glamour girl. It didn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact, I liked it. After seeing what people had to live through in Uganda, looks had become inconsequential to me. It wasn’t important in the slightest. I was happy with who I was, and I wasn’t about to go into a frenzy trying to become something I wasn’t.

  “So, are you going to talk to him if you see him tomorrow?” she fished, going back to her chopping.

  My lips pursed with thought. “Maybe.”

  “I think you should. Plan your trip when you see them down there already. I’ll come with you. I’ll be like your wingman.”

  Oh my God, was she serious? The picture she’d just painted was so bad it made me cringe. This was going from bad to worse. “Uh . . . I think I’ll be fine. Thanks, though.”

  Aunt Jenny’s eyes shone with excitement. “Come on, Liv. It’ll be fun. I can go introduce myself as their neighbor, and then you’ll have the perfect in. It’s a good plan.”

  “It is a good plan,” I said, trying not to crush her completely. “I just think I’d rather do things on my own. Go at my own pace, if you know what I mean.”

  She pressed her lips together as she contemplated my words. “Okay. You’re right. You should go at your own pace. I can appreciate that.”

  I could tell she wasn’t totally happy with me not jumping on board with her plan, but I was not going to use my aunt as my ‘wingman,’ or anything else. “Well, I’m going to go shower and get this salt off me. Do you need help with dinner?”

  Any sadness that may have been lingering in her eyes vanished in a heartbeat. “Oh, no. This isn’t dinner. I’m just prepping some snacks for the week. We’re going out for dinner. Dress nice.”

  As I started up the stairs, I couldn’t help but get the feeling she was up to something. And after the conversation we just had, I was terrified it revolved around boys.

  What the hell was I in for?

  Chapter 6

  Josh

  I woke with the memory of my dream still clinging to my consciousness. Pressing the pillow into my face, I groaned, trying to force the image of the girl from the beach from my head. She was going to drive me insane at this rate.

  Keeping my thoughts away from her had been more difficult than it should’ve been these past twelve hours. I just wished I knew if she had recognized me or not. Like I said, it was always the shy ones I had to worry about most. They were the ones who went back to their phones and called all their friends to tell them whom they’d just seen. It was always a catastrophe of epic proportions.

  Stretching, I rolled from the bed, knowing there was no point in putting it off any longer. If the girl had spread the word, a shit storm would definitely be waiting for me. The thought made me edgy.

  Pulling on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, I ran my hands over my hair and made my way downstairs to the security room. As expected, Daniel was seated in the main chair, watching the numerous monitors mounted to the wall. Thankfully, I couldn’t see any crowds of people standing outside the gates.

  “Hey,” I said, plonking myself down on the chair beside him. “Any movement?”

  He sat back and swiveled in his chair to face me before shaking his head. “Nope. Not a thing. But you know as well as anyone that doesn’t mean much.”

  As much as I knew he was speaking the truth, and that momentum could sometimes be slow to get going, relief loosened the tension in my chest. I smiled and edged forward in my chair, ready to head to the kitchen. “Yep, but for now, I’m happy, and coffee is calling.”

  “Josh,” he said, his voice stern, “even if the girl didn’t recognize you, it won’t be long before she does. She’s staying right next door, using the beach. We need to talk about what we’re going to do about this. What if she invites a bunch of friends around?”

  Lance appeared in the doorway, curiosity making his eyes scrunch up a little. “He’s right, Josh. We need to put some plans of action into place.”

  Letting my head fall back, I sighed. I knew they were right, but I just wanted my goddamn vacation. I didn’t want to think about security, and watches, and restrictions. I wanted to do whatever the hell I felt like doing. And, to be honest, I didn’t want to think that such a pretty girl could ruin my vacation so easily.

  Trying to bite back my irritation, I met Daniel’s gaze just as Corey and Cain crowded in behind Lance. “Fine,” I said, unable to hide how annoyed I was. “Everyone sit the fuck down and we’ll talk strategy, then.”

  Corey raised his eyebrow with amusement as he slid into a chair across from me. “You want to go back to your rent-a-cops?”

  I gave him a dry look, only just refraining from giving him the bird. “Yes.”

  Cain laughed. “Fuck off you do.”

  Groaning, I huffed like a petulant child. “I just want my fucking vacation. I bought this fucking house because it was secluded.”

  “You bought this house because it has a beach,” Lance said, not willing to take any of my bullshit. I wanted to tell him I paid him to take my bullshit, but I knew I’d only cop more shit from them if I did.

  “A private beach,” I said, matching his dry tone. “A beach that is shared with only one other house. A house that is owned by a single woman in her thirties who’s hardly ever there. There’s not supposed to be young girls walking around out there where I want to be relaxing.”

  “But there is,” Daniel said, his tone firm and not at all forgiving. “And we need to work out what we’re going to do about it.”

  “One of us could always go down there and speak to them. We could ask that they only use their half?” Cain suggested, scratching his chin.

  “And what?” I asked. “Draw a fucking line in the sand? What do we do if they cross it? Shoot them?”

  “Jesus, man,” Cain said, his eyes narrowing. “I’m just making a fucking suggestion. You don’t have to be such a dick.”

  Daniel rubbed his forehead and sighed. “I think the first thing we should do is talk to Ms. Maxwell, the owner of the house,” he said, sitting forward. The fact that he knew the woman’s name when I didn’t, reminded me why I’d hired him. “Amy and I could go down there and introduce ourselves as friendly neighbors, and we’ll try to get an idea of how long they’re planning on staying there. Who knows, maybe they’re only there for a few nights. If that’s the case, then we can just lay low for a while.”

  The other guys nodded, seeming happy with that for a start. I had to admit, it made sense. For all we knew, they could be leaving today and we were all arguing for no reason. “All right. If Amy’s good with that, that’s a start. You find out what we’re looking at, and we’ll talk again when we know. In the meantime, I need coffee. And then I’m going to sit on my beach—regardless of whether the girl is out there or not.”

  Before I got any arguments about whether that was a bad idea, I strode from the room, my nose following the smell of coffee.

  Once I had a coffee firmly in hand, I grabbed my script and moved out onto the deck. As much as I wanted to go down to the beach, I knew it wasn’t the smartest of moves just yet, so I wouldn’t until we had some sort of plan in place. Yes, I was pissed I was being restricted, but I wasn’t stupid.

  Sinking down onto one of the loungers, I put my legs up on another and crossed my feet at the ankles. I’d been over the script a couple of times now, and I thought I had a pretty clear picture of what drove my character. I could feel the pain he had to endure, having to stand by and watch the people he loved be hurt, time and again, by an ugly man. I could feel the love that drew him to the pretty young girl who was his best friend’s sister, and the raw need he had to protect her.

  As I sat there, I tried to place a picture of Hannah Bryant, the actress who was set to play the sister, in my mind, to form some sort of connection, but frustratingly, my mind kept dredging up images of the girl from the bea
ch instead.

  Sighing, I dropped the script into my lap and looked up at the ceiling. Yeah, because that wasn’t an inconvenience at all. What the hell was it about this freaking girl? Why was I letting her get under my skin so much? Was it just the fact that she had the outcome of my vacation in the palm of her hands? Or was it something else?

  Instead of fighting it, I let my mind wander, allowing the pretty girl with the shy smile to invade my thoughts. I wondered what she was going to do when she figured out who I was. I would’ve liked to think she could be cool, but it was an unfortunate fact that people who weren’t in the industry went a little silly when they found out they were in the company of a ‘celebrity.’ I was used to it now, but that didn’t mean I liked it.

  “Yo, Josh!”

  I turned to see Lance down the other end of the deck, a grin stretched wide across his face.

  “Surf’s up!” he yelled before dashing back inside.

  Excitement pulsed through my veins despite the stress of the last day. A surf was just what I needed. Nothing had the ability to calm me down like the waves did.

  A chorus of hollers sounded out from downstairs, and a second later, Corey and Cain burst from the house, boards tucked under their arms as they skipped down the trail.

  “Fuck yeah.” This was what it was all about. Tossing the script onto the table, I darted down to the wet room to grab my board, finding Lance already there, waxing her up for me.

  Dropping the wax back into the box, he handed my board over with a grin. “Let’s go check out those sets,” he said, rushing out the door.

  I took a second to just appreciate the moment, then, with a loud whoop, I ran after him.

  Chapter 7

  Olivia

  It was just before 5:00 AM when my cell phone rang. The sound jolted me from my sleep like someone let loose with a blood-curdling scream. It scared the absolute crap out of me.

  Fumbling for it on the nightstand, I pressed the button to answer it without even taking note of who it was. “Hello?”

  “Hey!”

  The duo of voices that sang through the speaker made me smile, despite my heart still wanting to leap right out my mouth. “Hey, Dad. Hey, Mom.”

  “Hey, kiddo,” Dad said brightly. “You sound a little sleepy. Have you already fallen back into the teenage life?”

  Glancing at the clock, I groaned. “People generally are a little sleepy at four fifty in the morning, Dad.”

  “Warren!” Mom admonished. “You told me it was seven!”

  Dad’s booming laugh came through the speaker instantaneously. I could just picture the way his eyes would crinkle at the corners when he laughed like that. The thought made me giggle right along with him. It was at least once a day that Dad pranked someone—usually Mom—and the amusement he got out of it was priceless.

  “She should be up anyway,” he said. “It’s practically five.”

  I could hear the teasing lilt to his voice, so I knew he was just stirring, but it still made me feel a little guilty. If I was there with them, I’d be up, helping everyone get going for the day.

  “She’s on vacation. Leave her alone,” Mom said. It was probably right about now that she would nudge him with her shoulder, smiling all the way. The love my parents had for one another was one in a million. I could only hope I’d be so lucky when my turn came.

  “So, how’s Cali?” Mom asked. “Is the weather nice? How’s Aunt Jenny?”

  I laughed. She always talked a mile a minute when she was excited, but I knew it probably also had to do with the fact that international calls had to be kept to a minimum. Mostly because they usually dropped out anyway. “Cali’s just as beautiful as I remembered. The weather is perfect, and so is Aunt Jenny. Has the new family arrived yet?”

  “They’re coming today, kiddo,” Dad said. “We’re meeting them in Lira in a couple of hours.”

  Lira was a good hour and three quarters away from Gulu. “Then shouldn’t you be going soon?”

  Mom sighed. “We will soon, baby. We just wanted to hear your voice first, and make sure you were all good. It feels weird not having you here. Everybody misses you like crazy.”

  A pang of sadness spread through my chest. “I miss everyone so much. Tell everyone I said hi. And give them all a hug for me.”

  “One love fest coming right up!” Dad announced. “We’ll be hugging all day with that order.”

  Oh, the amusement the people of Gulu would get out of that. “Good! There’s no better way to spend the day.”

  “It might have to wait until we get back from Lira, though,” Mom said.

  “Yeah, we better get on the road, kiddo. We’ll call you again in a couple of days. We just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  My heart sank knowing they had to go, but I was still glad I got to speak to them—even if it was only a quick call. “I’m better than great, so you can stop worrying. I hope the new family fits in well. Be safe!”

  “You know we’ll never stop worrying,” Mom said. “It’s a parent’s right. Be safe, baby. We’ll talk to you soon!”

  “Bye, guys. I love you.”

  The line crackled, distorting their voices, before it went silent altogether. Pulling the phone away from my ear, I stared at the now blank screen, a heaviness settling on my chest. Knowing I’d never be able to get back to sleep, I climbed out of bed and into the shower, determined to make good of the day. I would start with a nice, cooked breakfast.

  It wasn’t until closer to eight o’clock that Aunt Jenny finally came down the stairs, dressed for work. Loading her cell phone and purse into her handbag, she grabbed a protein shake out of the fridge and came to kiss me on the cheek.

  “Morning, precious. I’m sorry I have to duck out on you like this. I really don’t know why Jeremy couldn’t do it. I’ll be home before dinner, though, okay?”

  She hadn’t stopped apologizing since she’d gotten the phone call from Jeremy the night before. He’d informed her that there had been a snag with the latest game’s release or something, and she needed to come in to take care of it.

  I smiled, letting her know I was perfectly fine. “It’s no problem at all. I’m just going to take my book and lie on the beach.”

  She smiled wickedly. “Is the book to read, or for a prop?”

  “It’s to read, thank you very much!” I said, giving her my best indignant look.

  “Well, make sure you get some sightseeing done as well, okay?” she said with a wink.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. It was a good thing we were in practical seclusion. I could only imagine what she’d be like if we were around a few more guys my age. She’d probably drag them over to me and demand they take me out or something equally as embarrassing.

  As she ran out the door in a blur, I shook my head and laughed. I didn’t know if she actually ever stopped. Since I’d been here, I hadn’t seen her sit down and relax for more than the length of a TV show.

  Filling the sink with hot, soapy water, I started the process of cleaning the breakfast dishes, then moved on to the bathrooms. They were barely dirty, but it gave me something to do, and made me feel useful. When that was done, I hung out the towels I’d washed earlier and tidied up the linen closet before declaring my duties done.

  Deciding there was nothing left to do but attempt to relax, I slipped into my bikini and a sundress, grabbed my book, and headed for the beach.

  The weather was incredible yet again. As I walked down the trail, I lifted my face to the sun, feeling the warmth fall over me like a soft caress. It was beautiful.

  I was about halfway down when I noticed someone out surfing. Well, it was actually more like four someones, but it still surprised me. I knew one of them had to be the boy I’d seen yesterday, but I wondered who the others were. Were they his family, or were they just friends? And who did the girl with the baby belong to?

  Scanning the muscled bodies in the water, I tried to figure out which one was the boy I’d seen yesterday. Two guys
were paddling to catch a wave, one was lying belly down, watching and waiting with obvious eagerness, and the other was just sitting out past the breakers, staring out to sea.

  I wasn’t sure why, but I immediately knew the guy just sitting was the one. The curve of his shoulders fell low, giving me the impression he was incredibly relaxed. I wondered what his face looked like when he was relaxed like that. Was he watching the ocean swell as she prepared a wave, or did he have his eyes closed with contemplation? I could just imagine his soft, full lips, curved up at the corners—

  My thoughts came to a sudden, screeching halt. Whoa! What the hell was that? I really needed to get a grip.

  Shaking myself out of my daydream, I rushed the rest of the way down the trail to the beach before pausing when I reached the bottom. I didn’t know which way to go now I knew the other house was filled with guys.

  The sun was already beating down, stinging my skin. If I didn’t want to burn to a crisp, I needed shade, but the trees down Aunt Jenny’s end of the beach didn’t really give any out until the afternoon. The best bet for shade at this time of the day was a place I saw on my walk yesterday, just past the rocks down the other end. Past his house. It wasn’t too close to the house, but I felt awkward having to walk past it to get there.

  Knowing Aunt Jenny would call me a sook for avoiding them, I decided I needed to be brave and just do it. It wasn’t like they were on the beach anyway. Taking a deep breath, I clutched the blanket and the book to my chest and strode off.

  When I finally reached the large outcropping of rocks I’d climbed over the day before, I found a nice patch of sand half surrounded by a few rocks that were large enough to block out a bit of the sun, and spread the blanket out. Shedding my dress, I plonked myself down and opened my book, and without the distraction, I was finally able to get into the story. Who would’ve thought you could write a romance about a boy and a ghost? That, right there, was a bright idea.