CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It seemed like everywhere Riley went there was a memory of Sam there, too. Like a ghost, he haunted the sidewalks and cafes, even the soft white sand of the local beach. She couldn’t find a respite from the thoughts of him no matter what she did.
Frankly, she was damn tired of it. Sam was gone and the sooner she forgot him the better. She’d made it a priority to keep busy so she wouldn’t have too much time to think about him.
Today she was meeting Tara and Paula for brunch at that local place on the beach where she and Sam had dined that first night. Despite the harsh light of day, she could still see the two of them strolling along the moonlit beach, the water lapping at their bare toes.
“Sorry I’m late. I overslept.”
Again. She’d been spending too much of her free time sleeping lately but that was the perk of being between men…plenty of time to loll in bed.
“It’s fine,” Tara assured Riley. “We ordered you an iced tea but if you want something different I’ll call over the waitress.”
Caffeine sounded heavenly and just what she needed.
“That’s perfect, thank you.”
The windows of the restaurant were open today and the weather was sunny and warm. The squawk of seagulls could be heard in the distance along with the muted sounds of laughter every now and then. Summer came early to Florida and the temperature would rise into the high eighties today despite the calendar only reading May.
“I was just about to ask Paula what she’s going to do this summer,” Tara said as they perused the menu. The action was by habit rather than actual need. They knew it by heart and usually ordered the same thing. “Hubby and I are planning a trip up to visit my in-laws in Chicago as soon as school ends and I get the classroom packed up.”
Paula gave Riley a sidelong glance. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Sam is in New York right now so I might go visit him for a few days.”
It had been a little over four weeks since Riley had heard his name spoken out loud. Tara and Paula had been tiptoeing around the subject since the day after the engagement party.
Riley wasn’t going to allow one man to affect her life like this. Sure, she missed him but she was fine. Her friends needed to know that she wasn’t going to fall apart every time a Thunder movie came on television.
“That sounds wonderful,” Riley said. “I’ve always wanted to visit. So many things to do. Chicago’s the same way and I love their pizza.”
“You should go visit.” Paula closed her menu and gave all her attention to Riley. “Have you heard from Sam since he left?”
As casually as possible, Riley followed suit, shutting her menu and setting it on the table before answering. “No, but then I didn’t expect to. I would imagine he’s busy shooting his new film.”
She’d successfully sounded like it wasn’t a big deal. Which it wasn’t. Riley had expected nothing from Sam, so she could hardly complain when that’s exactly what she’d received.
“He is,” Paula confirmed. “I’ve only heard from him twice since he started ten days ago. He sounds good, though.”
The waitress interrupted them and they all ordered. The same as the last time they were there. Nothing much ever changed around here.
Sitting back in her chair, Paula took a sip of her orange juice. “You should call him.”
Riley’s gaze darted back and forth between Tara and Paula. To whom was Paula speaking? To Tara, urging her to call her husband? Or to Riley, urging her to call…?
Sam? No. Not going to happen.
Since Tara didn’t respond it appeared that Paula’s statement was directed at Riley. No time like the present to nip this in the bud.
“Why?”
She didn’t wrap it up in a bow or try to soft-ball the question. Better to get it all out and then they could move on with their lives.
If Paula was thrown off by her directness, however, she didn’t appear fazed. “You and he really seemed to hit it off when he was here. It looked like you became good friends and I thought you might like to keep in touch.”
Tara was watching the verbal by-play with great interest and her brows were raised waiting for Riley’s response.
“We did get along great and enjoyed ourselves, but there was never any question of us staying in touch later. We have separate and very different lives.”
Paula’s fingers rubbed the edge of the table. “Sam has few people in his life that he can trust.”
Riley had no doubt of the truth in Paula’s statement, but Sam had specifically structured his life that way. It wasn’t up to her to change or fix it.
“I’m sure Sam has things under control,” she replied, hoping for a no-nonsense tone. “We had some fun and we’ve parted ways. I like Sam, I think he’s a great guy, but there’s nothing between us, Paula.”
That shrewd gaze saw way too much. The older woman probably knew too well that Sam had spent that last night someplace other than Paula’s own home, but she was too polite to bring it up.
“That’s a pity. I thought you made a lovely couple.”
“A fake couple,” Riley corrected her friend. “It wasn’t real, remember?”
After a month apart even their night together no longer seemed real. She was sure she’d simply conjured it out of her fertile imagination.
“If you say so.” Paula shrugged and surrendered far too easily. It wasn’t like her to give up without at least a little fight. “Now Riley, what are you going to do this summer?”
Keep moving on. Have some fun. Forget about Sam Collins.
The one thing she wasn’t going to do? Sit around and wish things had gone differently. Everything was exactly as it was meant to be.
* * *
Sam twisted the cap off of a bottle of water and settled down into the cushions of the couch. He was trying to relax in his trailer between takes but his publicist was determined to check a few things off his to-do list whether Sam liked it or not.
“She seems like a nice girl,” Bobby remarked, holding up his phone so that Sam could see the photo of the young actress and the subject of the discussion. “I’m thinking a ninety-day PR contract with an option to extend if you two get along. It will be just in time for the promotion of both of your new projects and also the summer season. We can have you and Mandi out at the beach, maybe a vacation in Cancun or Hawaii. I can see you two walking hand in hand in Cannes as well. Sound good?”
Scowling, Sam took the cell phone from his publicist’s hand. “How old is she?”
“I dunno. She says she’s twenty-four but who really knows?”
True. It was Hollywood, after all.
“And you don’t think that my dating a girl under thirty is just a little creepy? I’m forty-five, for fuck’s sake. I could be her daddy.”
Bobby frowned and plucked the phone out of Sam’s hand. “What’s going on here? Your last showmance was with a girl that young and you didn’t say a word. It’s totally normal for an older man to date a younger woman.”
Sam had been doing some thinking and he’d made a few decisions.
“I’m too damn old for this.”
“This?”
“All of this,” Sam replied grimly. He was about to make Bobby’s job harder. Or maybe easier, depending on how one looked at things. “I’m too old to be dating girls that don’t remember who shot J.R. Hell, the last one couldn’t even do basic math because she asked me where I was when Kennedy was shot. Shit, I wasn’t even born yet. But to anyone under thirty I’m just an old fart, which I probably am, but I don’t need to be reminded several times a day. No more showmances, Bobby. No more tipping off TMZ that I’m flying into LAX. No more posting paps outside restaurants and nightclubs. I don’t want to be on the cover of People Magazine and I sure as shit don’t want to be named the Sexiest Man Alive. I’m a serious actor and I want to act that way. Is that too much to ask?”
His longtime publicist didn’t say a word, his eyes round and his mouth fallen open.
Great, I’ve rendered him speechless. First time for everything.
Shaking himself out of whatever shock he’d been feeling, Bobby appeared to recover.
“No, of course it’s not too much to ask. I get what you’re saying. It’s a change to your image but I support it. In fact, I wish I’d suggested it. I think it’s a…classy transition for you.”
“Good. Let’s make it happen then. No more contract relationships, no more thinking about what kind of ink I can get.”
Bobby shoved the phone in his pocket. “You’ve changed.”
If his publicist meant that Sam was grouchy and humorless lately then yes, he’d changed.
“Everybody changes.”
“Some more than others. There was a time that you would have killed to get on the cover of a magazine. Now you don’t give a shit. You even turned down that new Thunder movie.”
Bobby didn’t get it at all but then that wasn’t surprising. Only someone in Sam’s unique position would understand.
“First of all, I didn’t turn it down. We couldn’t come to an agreement. They’re trying to play hardball with actors who have other options. Not smart. Tyler, Nate, and Max will tell you the same story. As for killing another human being to get on a magazine, I certainly was a lot hungrier early in my career, but I can truthfully say that murder was never an option for me.”
Now that Sam was directing and producing his own indie films, he didn’t want to be pigeonholed as that guy from the Thunder movies. He had more to offer than that.
“So what happens now?”
“I’m not sure I understand the question. What do you mean? The whole idea is that nothing happens now. I work, I make movies, I promote them and in between I disappear.”
Bobby stood, tucking his many folders back into his briefcase. “I guess what I mean is what are you going to do now?”
That was an easy question.
“Anything I want to.”
Chuckling, Bobby sidled towards the door. “Good for you, man. Good for you. I need to head back to the office but call me if you need me. Although it sounds like you’re not going to need me too often in the future. Did I ever mention that I don’t give discounts?”
It was Sam’s turn to laugh. “Believe me, it never occurred to me that you would.”
Bobby exited the trailer leaving Sam all alone with his thoughts. It felt good to put his foot down and take control of his career. He’d been allowing others to call the shots for far too long. Honestly, he’d been moving in this direction for awhile as his agent and business manager knew well. Today was the final shot in the battle and Bobby hadn’t put up any fight. Sam had expected his longtime publicist to protest that the industry expected certain things, but he was glad that they didn’t have to argue about it. Maybe Bobby recognized that Sam wasn’t going to change his mind.
I could even become a mysterious recluse.
If he had more time he could visit Paula more often.
Which would of course lead to him seeing Riley.
It hadn’t been only his publicity that had been weighing on his mind these last few weeks. Riley had been there too, and he couldn’t seem to shake her no matter how busy he kept himself. It had been all he could do when he talked to his mother not to ask her about Riley.
But he hadn’t.
Thinking about Riley was one thing, but doing anything about it was something far different. He had to keep his head in the game and forget about her.
Easier said than done.