“You sure it’s still OK that Meg and I stay in your place when we get to LA?” Judy had lined up an internship at Benson & Miller Designs, and Meg wanted to see if California had anything to offer. The first couple of months would be easier to handle in a new city with a home base. Her brother’s Beverly Hills home was anything but tiny. Not that she planned to stay there long, just long enough to find a part-time job and for her and Meg to get their own place.
“I’m never there, Judy. I’d appreciate someone I can trust watching over the place while I’m on location. Ask Karen.”
Karen was Mike’s ex-wife, and Zach, their other brother’s new wife. It was a complicated script, and a family secret. Apparently, Mike married Karen as a paper marriage when the studios wanted him to look like he’d settled down. Karen and Mike had never been anything but friends. When Karen and Zach met, apparently, there were some serious sparks and they hooked up. That was a good thing, because Judy liked Karen. She didn’t want to hate the woman because she broke her brother’s heart . . . either of her brothers.
Hannah, her younger sister, snuck up behind them, her cell phone in hand. Meg took pictures of all of them, and before Judy knew it, someone was dragging her away.
She’d shed her cap and gown and danced when the DJ started playing. Seemed everyone enjoyed a good party, and Mike knew how to keep it rolling. Zach and Karen had shown up along with her older sister, Rena, and her husband. The family picture was taken before every hair managed to get out of place.
After an hour of nonstop dancing, Judy stumbled outside to catch her breath and some fresh air. The sun was nearly gone, only a few remaining strands of orange and pink with a scattering of clouds. Seattle had been good to them on their graduation day, and that was rare. Mt. Rainier stood in the distance, a sight she knew she’d miss when she moved to LA. But that’s where her internship was taking her.
Footsteps behind her made her turn around.
Rick, wearing a suit that belonged on a secret service agent, loomed over her. He tilted his head and spoke into a mic she couldn’t see. “I found her. Everything’s fine.”
Judy put her hands up in mock surrender. “Was there a kidnapping threat when I wasn’t looking?”
There was no humor in Rick’s stern expression. “There’s no telling what someone might do to get to your brother.”
Wow! Who knew Rick took his job so seriously? Seems he always had a smile and laughed in the face of adversity.
“Just looking for fresh air, Green Eyes.”
His shoulders relaxed. Even in the suit, he took on the laid-back posture of the man she’d grown used to. “I haven’t seen you all night. How is it you knew I walked away?”
“Just because you haven’t seen me doesn’t mean I’m not there . . . watching.”
Lord, if she didn’t know the man . . . or kinda know him, that line might have made her squirm. “Stalker much?” she said even though she knew Rick wasn’t the twisted stalker type.
“Private security is a license to stalk.” He smiled now, as if he was enjoying his own private joke.
“So . . .” She paused, took a breath. “You were on duty . . . or assignment the other night?”
She expected a safe retort, not the truth.
“No. That was personal.” His lips actually lost some of his smile and his eyes peered into her in a way she’d never seen before.
“P-personal?” The cool air around her actually heated.
He tilted his head to the side, as if he was debating what exactly to say. “I take it you passed that final.”
“Hard to graduate without passing your finals. Now, back to that personal thing . . .”
Rick rocked back on his heels. “I wanted to see if the girl I met in Utah had the same amount of fire in her as she did last year. Then I find you hustling pool—”
“Playing for money isn’t hustling. You’re the one who said you hustled pool.”
Rick nodded. “I guess that’s true. Though bets over a hundred usually constitute a hustle.”
She pointed at him. “You’re the one who suggested the hundred bucks. I didn’t even have that much on me.”
Rick closed his eyes and dipped his head. “Welching on a bet? So bad.”
“I didn’t welch. You didn’t win!”
“I would have.”
Yeah, he would have . . . they both knew it, but she sure as hell wouldn’t let him know she knew it. “Gee, ego much?”
Rick walked to the side of the open veranda while Judy leaned against the pillar.
“I hear you’re going to stay at your brother’s while you find your own place in LA.”
“Mike tell you that?”
“I do monitor his place when he’s in town and come to events like this with him.”
Judy laughed. “I don’t think his sister’s graduation party is a high-risk event that requires a bodyguard or security.”
He turned to her now and ran a hand over his chin. “You’d be shocked at some of the crap your brother puts up with because of his fame. Living in his home will put you center stage.”
“After last summer, I don’t think I need to worry.”
“Last summer was all about someone else and had nothing to do with Hollywood’s leading man that everyone wants a piece of.”
Rick had her there.
But her adventure with Rick in locating Becky had made her feel alive in a way she’d never felt before and gave her confidence. Becky’s parents had kidnapped her, and Rick and Judy drove over half the state of Utah searching for the girl.
“I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”
Rick’s eyes lost their laughter as he turned his head to the side. He placed a finger to his ear. “Moving inside now.” He closed the space between them and placed a hand on her waist. “Time to go inside.”
“What?” She moved alongside him, looking over her shoulder at the darkened sky.
“Paparazzi spotted on the south lawn looking for a photo op.”
“I doubt they care about me.”
Rick leaned in. “Anonymity is your friend.”
Inside, the music seemed even louder, and before she could say his name, Rick was walking away. His parting words were, “See you in LA, Utah.”
At least he didn’t call her babe.
The apartment she and Meg shared in Seattle had come furnished, perfect for college students who didn’t have money. Only now, they didn’t have anything! They had their cars, their clothes, and boxes of personal stuff that didn’t need a home outside of an attic for a while. Moving into Mike’s home was a blessing and also brought to light that she and Meg had a lot to accomplish before they could move out and do more than sleep on the floor.