Page 15 of California Sunsets

She stared at him, feeling the true connection of one book lover to another. And then the stare deepened in intensity. Not only had she not known the real Jay Malone, she was noticing again how dreamy his eyes were. It was like they were suddenly back in the bedroom, talking about sensuous curves. Heat spread through her body.

Get it together, Erin, she chided herself. You’re a professional. Act like it.

Clearing her throat, she said, “Okay, moving on to my next question. You’re famous for repping some of the top young male actors in the profession, like Archer Davenport and Smith Sullivan, and they famously make a lot of action movies. But where are the softer movies for other demographics? How come you never put these clients in romantic comedies, for example?”

A funny look crossed his face, as though not only had no one ever asked him that before, he’d never even thought about it. And now that she had asked the question, she realized she already knew the answer. Jay was a hero in his own right. It took grit and determination to drag yourself up from such beginnings. A lot of people wouldn’t manage it. No wonder so many of the movies he was involved with were about men overcoming great odds.

To her dismay, Jay now looked a little offended. “I put my actors in rom coms if it’s the right movie for them.”

She raised her eyebrows. “I seem to remember that when Archer broke his leg, youthreatenedhim with a rom com if he didn’t heal in time to doShock Tactics.”

His eyes twinkled and he held up his hands in mock defense. “It’s not easy when one of your top clients has a sister who’s a reporter. Okay, I might have threatened Arch with a rom com, but I think he’d be a great romantic lead.”

Erin wasn’t buying it. “And yet, after he finishesShock Tactics, he’s going to do the Herschel Greenfield biopic. I’m guessing there’s not much romance for Hersch in space.”

Jay frowned. “Okay. Point taken. I don’t have anything against a good romantic comedy. I’ll keep my eyes open.”

“I’ve also noticed you don’t do any female-led movies.”

Jay’s frown deepened. “Do the readers of theSea Shellreally need to know this?”

“Your reputation isbrash bad boy. The shark who always gets the big deal. Most of your clients are young male actors who are killing it. It’s pretty understandable that our readers would want to know why you can’t do this for female leads as well.”

Quickly he shot back, “Any one of my clients could be the next big thing in Hollywood. Including my female clients.”

Erin swallowed. It was obvious that Erin the reporter was overtaking Erin the friend, the listener. The interview was veering off track, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d lose him altogether and Julius—Jay—Malone would clam up, snapping down that hard shell that concealed his softer—and yes, she had to admit it—dangerously attractive self. She wondered how much more he hid under that gruff, pushy exterior, partly as a defense. It couldn’t be an easy life, repping prima donna clients and dealing with studio execs all the time. No doubt he’d been forced to develop a reputation as a hard-ass, even if that wasn’t really him.

As if realizing they both needed a breather, Jay bent down and scooped Buzzy onto his lap. Her dog was more than happy to oblige and offered his belly for strokes, which Jay gave him with a giant grin on his face. It was so cute that she couldn’t help but grin too, and some of the tension melted away. As friendly as Buzzy was, she’d never seen him adore someone he’d just met this much. She felt ashamed for giving Jay a hard time about the romance movies. If her dog could see in five minutes thatJay was a great guy, why had it taken her fifteen years to do the same?

“Why don’t you get a dog? You could get a pet sitter when you’re away for work.”

Jay made a face. “I’d love to, but I travel way too much. I’m here one week, in LA the next, maybe flying to London for a meeting after that. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“I think you could make it work. And dogs obviously like you. I mean, Buzzy and Buster both like you,” she amended, referring to the Davenport family dog.

Before she could say more, the doorbell rang. Buzzy immediately leapt from Jay’s lap and barked, letting everybody know they had a visitor. Because apparently the doorbell wasn’t enough.

Buzzy raced to the front door and Erin said, “That will be the photographer.” Relief flooded her body. A third person was exactly what this interview needed, and who better than her old friend Clark?

* * *

Jay answered the door to a tall, gangly young man. His glasses were slipping down his nose, but he couldn’t do anything about it because his hands were full of camera equipment.

In a serious tone, the man said, “I’m Clark Barnstable from theSea Shellnewspaper. If you let me put all this stuff down, I can show you my press pass.”

Jay could hardly hold back a grin. “It’s okay. I’m expecting you. Erin’s already here.”

At that, Clark’s serious expression brightened, and his large eyes filled with an eagerness that set Jay’s teeth on edge. Clark’s voice cracked a little as he said, “Erin’s here?”

Oh boy. Jay had seen crushes before, but this one was acute. Clark’s cheeks grew rosy and he nearly tripped over his tripod trying to get into the house as fast as he could.

Jay tried to keep his amusement in check. The poor guy. “We’re in my study to the left. Need me to carry any of that stuff?”

“I can manage.”

Clark hefted the stuff into the study and suddenly the room felt crowded. Buzzy circled Clark, whom he obviously recognized, demanding that as soon as his hands were free, a pat would be required.

Jay excused himself to make them all a fresh pot of coffee, and used the time to try to dislodge the hard knot that had formed in the pit of his stomach. When he returned and saw Erin and Clark talking, her body language made it clear that Clark’s massive crush was unrequited. Erin was saying, “I thought we’d set up in here. What do you think?”

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