Elle tried to ignore the twinge she felt
when he said he’d discovered this place with his ex-girlfriend. She knew she
was being ridiculous. She had no right to expect to be the first or last woman
he’d bring to his vacation home.
He turned to her with a frown. “Why so
quiet? Did I say something to—” He muttered a soft curse. “I’m sorry, Elle. I’m
sure you don’t want to hear about my ex-girlfriend any more than I want to hear
about your ex-boyfriend.”
“It’s okay,” she said, reaching for his
forearm. “I understand. She was an important part of your past. It’s natural
you’d still think of her from time to time.”
“Would it surprise you to know you’re the
only person I’ve been able to think about since we met?” He smiled when her
mouth slipped open. “You’re pretty damn easy to fall for.”
Elle knew he could probably see her heart
hammering against her thin coral sundress, but she couldn’t tamp down her fear
and excitement. She’d always worn her heart on her sleeve, which she was told
made her an excellent song writer. Unfortunately, it often proved to be at a
serious disadvantage in the relationship department.
“I hope the fact that you’re here means you
feel the same way about me,” he said.
She knew she should remind him she would be
back out on the road in a few short months and couldn’t possibly fit a
long-distance relationship into her hectic tour schedule, but the words
wouldn’t come. She found the words he wanted to hear on the tip of her tongue.
“Of course I do.”
He grinned before stepping out of his
rental car and walking around to open her door. “I want this to be an amazing
weekend.” He kissed the tender skin just below her ear as he drew her into a
tight embrace. “Just the two of us. No clocks. No Internet, phones, or TV. Just
the sound of the ocean, great food, and endless hours to get to know each other
better.”
She breathed a sigh of contentment,
thinking his idea of a good time sounded like a dream come true. “I love the
sound of that.”
“Good, then let’s get started.”
***
Caleb loved watching Elle’s enthusiasm as
she took in the sweeping ocean views from every window in the house. The
architect had been a master, and those lucky enough to own an ocean-view
property gave thanks for his skill and vision every day.
“This is amazing,” she said running up the
winding staircase with the enthusiasm of a child. “I can’t believe these
views.”
He chuckled as he followed her. When he saw
the place for the first time, it had taken him a while to convince himself it
was real, and even longer to come to terms with the fact he could easily afford
it. “I know what you mean. The architect actually lives here, in a house at the
end of the court. This was his last project before he retired, and he wanted it
to be the best of his career. I know from talking to him that this project
exceeded even his expectations.”
Elle stood in front of a series of soaring
windows that stretched more than twenty feet to the ceiling. “I didn’t even
know it was a possible to feel so connected to a place…” She shook her head and
blushed. “Forget I said that. I just meant it’s lovely to be here.”
“It’s okay,” he said, closing his arms
around her from behind. “I know exactly what you mean. There’s something
special about this place, something that draws you in and won’t let you go.
Whenever I have to leave, I draw it out as long as I can and can’t wait to come
back.”
“I’ve always thought of a house as just a
house, never really a home. When I was growing up, we moved a lot, never really
put down roots. Now that I’m all grown up, I’m never at home long enough to
appreciate my surroundings.”
“It looks like you’ve found your dream home
in Nashville,” Caleb said cautiously. Although her mansion wasn’t his style, he
couldn’t judge her for indulging. She’d worked hard and earned the right to
flaunt her success.
“I hate that house.” She leaned her head
against his chest as she closed her arms over his. “I’ve been meaning to put it
on the market for a while now, but I just haven’t had the time.”
Caleb was relieved the house wasn’t a
reflection of Elle. He sensed that she was a grounded, down-to-earth person,
and her mansion certainly didn’t reflect that. Someone who was happy in a home
like hers would likely find his more modest lifestyle lacking. He could afford
a home like hers, but it wasn’t his style. “Why’d you buy it if you don’t even
like it?”
“A friend was helping me by looking at
houses for me. He narrowed it down to three that he thought would be perfect
for me. All were too big and ostentatious, but he’d worked so hard and seemed
so excited. I didn’t want to let him down by telling him he’d seriously missed
the mark.”
Caleb turned her to face him. “Let me get
this straight. You bought a house you didn’t like just to please your friend?
That’s crazy.” His disbelief was evident in his tone.
She broke eye contact to look out the
window at the rolling waves crashing on the shore. “Ricky was more than just a
friend.”
“I get it. He was your lover.”
“No.” She smiled. “Definitely not. Ricky
was gay and proud of it. He was just… Like family to me. The big brother I’d
always wanted. He grew up dirt poor, and he told me how he’d always dreamed of
living in a house like that. I bought the house to make his dream come true.”
“So he lived there with you?” Caleb sensed
there was a lot more to the sadness lurking behind her eyes, but he didn’t want
to pry.
“For a while.” She forced a smile as she
withdrew from his arms. “Come on, show me the rest of the house.”
Caleb followed her, dutifully opening doors
and pointing out special features, but he felt her enthusiasm had waned. “Are
you tired? If you want to take a nap before dinner, feel free.” He gestured to
one of the guest bedrooms. “I can grab your bag from the car while you settle
in.”
She bit her lip as she looked from him to
the open bedroom door. “Is that where I’ll be sleeping?”
He was eager for her to share his bed, but
he didn’t want her to think that was the only reason he’d invited her to spend
the weekend with him. “I’m leaving that up to you.” He drew her in for a kiss,
letting her know how he hoped she would respond to his unspoken invitation.
“You’re a hard man to resist.” With a shaky
laugh, she pressed her hands on his chest. “I’m not usually impulsive. If
anything, I tend to be too analytical because I have to live under a
microscope. But with you, I just want to let go.”
He loved that she felt comfortable enough
to let her guard down with him. He didn’t want anything more than the
opportunity to spend time with her and get to know her better. He didn’t care
how much money she made, who she knew, or whether her latest album was
charting. The only thing that mattered was the way his heart swelled when she
stepped into his arms.
“So let go,” he whispered, brushing his
lips against hers. “This weekend, let’s pretend you’re the girl you were before
fame found you. Think you can do that?”
Elle closed her eyes as she tipped her head
back. “I’m still that girl. It’s just that the rest of the world sees me as
someone else.”
“I don’t.”
She opened her eyes, searching his as
though she was looking for the truth. “You don’t?”
“I see you being most at home in a place
like this: walking on the beach, picking up pretty shells, laughing and running
from the big waves, basking in the sun, enjoying the fresh lobster from the
market down the street.” He brushed her long auburn hair off her bare
shoulders. “Living the simple life. The life you wanted before things got
complicated.”
She looked stunned. “How did you know that?
How did you know I used to fantasize about that?” She shook her head, putting a
step between them as she backed up. “I went to a camp in Maine one summer. We
stayed in these little cabins on the beach, and I would sneak out to write
poetry and watch the sunrise when everyone else was sleeping. I’d sit on a big
rock and scribble in my notebook, thinking someday I’d find a little piece of
paradise just like that where I could hide away and pour out my heart.”
“What happened?” he asked, almost afraid to
speak and break the spell. She was opening up, letting him in, and he didn’t
want her to shut him out again.
“I got famous.” Her eyes became shuttered
and bleak when she shrugged. “It wasn’t long before I realized there was
nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Everyone knew my name and my face. The
paparazzi always followed me, trying to take my picture so they could sell more
magazines or newspapers.” She touched the window. “They’re probably here now. I
wouldn’t be surprised if someone spotted us at the airport and followed us,
hoping to get a shot of me with my new mystery man.”
He hated to watch her recede, especially
when she’d seemed so happy, but he knew she was probably right. Even in a gated
community, there was no escape for someone like Elle. “Don’t worry about them.
We’re here to focus on us, right?” He held her tight.
She slipped her arms around his waist and
nodded. “Right.”
“If you don’t need that nap, why don’t we
wash up and fix dinner now? I’m starving.” He wasn’t as hungry as he pretended
to be, but he thought she could use the distraction.
“Sounds good. Do we need to go to the
grocery store first?”
Given Elle’s need for privacy, Caleb had
asked his housekeeper to stock the house with anything they might need. “Nope,
we’re good. How do calamari, shrimps, and scallops with some grilled veggies
sound to you?”
She rubbed her midriff, grinning. “My
stomach’s rumbling already. Lead the way to the kitchen.”
Elle was sitting on the stone patio
under a blanket of stars, holding a glass of wine and listening to the waves
wash in. There was nowhere on Earth she’d rather be and no one she’d rather
share this magical moment with. Caleb was special. She knew that the moment she
met him, but she could never have guessed how quickly and effortlessly he would
capture her heart.
He was warm and funny, sensitive and
compassionate. Not to mention ridiculously handsome. Every time she stared at
him a little too long, looking for the tiniest flaw, he would give her that
lop-sided grin and ask her if he had food stuck in his teeth. He didn’t take
himself too seriously, and he loved to laugh. She found that when she was with
him, she laughed more than she had in years.
“I love it here,” he said quietly. “It was
tough for me when my parents decided to move to Nashville.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, pulling the
light throw higher to cover her bare arms.
“My parents kind of impulsively moved from
Florida to Nashville when I was a teenager. They just saw an ad and answered
it. Next thing I knew, I was saying good-bye to my friends and preparing to
start my junior year in a strange city.”
“What made them decide to move?” she asked,
filing away every little tidbit about him. She liked forming a clear picture of
where he’d come from and where he hoped to go in life.
He shrugged. “They wanted to make more
money. My dad was a maintenance man at a local apartment building, and my
mother cleaned a few houses a week. I guess they didn’t think they’d be able to
help me with college when the time came.”
“So they made the sacrifice.” She reached
for his hand, smiling. “They obviously saw potential in you, realized you could
do great things with your life if you were given the right opportunities.” She
wished she could say the same about her own parents. They’d often ridiculed her
when she told them of her dream to be a country singer.
“That wasn’t the first time they’d picked
up stakes to give me a better life.” He lifted his head when they heard a bird
rustling in a nearby tree. “I was born in England, but we moved here when I was
just a toddler. My uncle was a contractor, and he promised my dad steady work,
something he couldn’t find back in England.”
“How did that work out?” Elle suspected it
wasn’t the happy ending Caleb’s family had been expecting.
“It didn’t.” He smirked. “My uncle liked
the bottle a little too much. He managed to get work for a while, but when he
showed up drunk to too many jobs, word got around.”
“Which meant your father was out of a job
too.”
“I’m afraid so.” He tipped his glass,
savoring the last sip of wine. “We always managed to get by, but it wasn’t easy
for my parents. There was never a lot of money for extracurricular sports or
family vacations. I appreciated how hard they had to work just to keep a roof
over my head and food on the table.”
Elle swallowed the lump in her throat.
Caleb had been a selfless little boy, and he’d grown into a successful man in
spite of the odds. “Your parents must be very proud of you.”
“You know, I never thought about having all
of this.” He swept his hand to indicate their ocean view. “I never thought
about buying myself a fancy sports car or big house. I didn’t care about any of
that. I just wanted to give my parents a better life. I wanted them to be able
to retire anywhere in the world without ever having to worry about money
again.”