Page 28 of California Sunsets

Erin shook her head at her sister. Why was she not surprised that this was still her advice? She turned to Tessa, silently appealing to her to suggest something other than getting naked.

Although naked did sound good. More than good. Amazingly, skin-tingling good.

“You could try talking to him,” Tessa suggested. “Tell him how you feel?”

Neither of those things seemed like an option. Erin felt more confused than ever. Jay was part of her life—her brother’sagent and practically family. If she let him know that she was developing feelings for him and he didn’t return them or didn’t want to act on them—which was extremely likely—how embarrassing would that be? Family brunches would always be awkward.

No, she liked the way he’d reset things, calling hershort stuff, and she’d immediately retaliated by calling himbig shot. Just like when they’d first gotten to know each other and he’d teased her and she teased him right back. No doubt she was creating a fantasy in her head because he’d surprised her so much with his story about his past and his affection for the dog. Not to mention his well-stocked library.

Decision made. Their dinner tomorrow would be a friendly thank-you and she would bury whatever feelings were trying to bubble to the surface.

“By the way,” Mila said, “I forgot to compliment you on your piece about Jay. I thought you did a really good job. You made him sound much more relatable than most profiles I’ve read.”

Mila was never one to pull punches, so she was pleased that her sister thought she’d done a good job. If she only knew how much of that interview Erin had kept to herself. But she would continue to keep Jay’s disadvantaged background secret until he decided it was time to share it. As she left the café, she decided it was good she was going to the auction tomorrow with Clark. It would take her mind off Jay and her eroding sense of self-preservation.

That man was messing with her head, heart, and body in a big way.

* * *

Erin had to finish another story about the local animal shelter running out of funding and just as she was wrapping upthe final details, Clark appeared at her desk. He waited until she’d finished typing and then said, “Still on for the auction tomorrow?”

She might not have romantic feelings for Clark, but he was a good friend and the auction would be a good distraction—and talking point—for dinner with Jay later that day. She nodded and noticed that he seemed more excited about this one than usual. “What is it that you’re after?”

He grinned, and she had a feeling she’d be bored for the next half hour as he waxed lyrical about the details of some obscure camera she’d never heard of and wouldn’t recognize if she saw it. Sometimes she wished her work buddy was passionately interested in art or jewelry or antiques, but photography was his deal. The nice thing about tomorrow’s auction was that it also included the former as well as the latter.

She promised to meet Clark in the morning and then wrapped up her story and sent it to Pat for an edit. For just a moment, she allowed herself to imagine Jay at his office, sitting in his very expensive chair at his very expensive desk, making decisions about big-budget Hollywood productions, Nelson curled up happily at his feet.

Chapter Sixteen

Jay hadn’t really intended to go to the auction Clark had mentioned during his shoot for theSea Shell, but after a long walk with Nelson on the beach Saturday morning, he found himself with the better part of a day free, which almost never happened. He was scheduled to be flying back from LA today, hence the empty calendar. He looked up the auction online and checked out some of the items. One thing caught his eye—a camera that had been used to make silent movies. The same model that had shotCitizen Kane. He was still looking for some quirky, interesting things to add to the décor of his home. A Mitchell Standard would be an amazing conversation piece.

If he was honest, a small part of him was determined to go because Erin would be there with her friend Clark. Not that it seemed like she had any interest in the poor guy, but Jay knew that men could be dogged in pursuit of the women they adored. It would be a chance for him to observe the two of them, to see if they were more than just friends. Also, he felt protective of Erin. And although he tried telling himself that it was none of his business, he wanted to keep an eye on Archer’s kid sister to be sure she wasn’t making a mistake.

No. It was more than that. Erin confused him. She was getting under his skin in a way that left him wanting more. So much more.

He headed out and thought again how much Carmel-by-the-Sea already felt like home. With the sunshine warming him as he drove alongside the ocean, it was clear that he was living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

He found the auction house and headed inside to the buzz of people chattering as they maneuvered around the antiques. Although he was keeping an eye out for Erin and Clark, he soon got caught up in all the quirky, fun stuff. There was a whole area of art, jewelry, and furniture, but he was drawn to where the cameras were displayed. He wasn’t especially a camera geek, but he loved everything to do with the movies, and that silent-movie camera was calling him.

Brochure in hand, he was fascinated to read more about the Mitchell Standard, the 35mm studio camera introduced in the 1920s as a hand-cranked silent film camera. According to the information provided, the camera came with a four-lens turret, a matte box on rails mounted to the front of the camera, and options that included a film footage counter and an internal matte disk with nine pre-cut mattes, including half-frames, circles, keyhole, binocular, and oval. He thought about how basic that was and yet how charming. It would have been really noisy, but that wouldn’t have mattered in a silent film. It wasn’t until 1926 that they had to worry about camera noise—and the stars’ voices.

He was admiring the camera when Erin appeared at his side. He grinned at her and then noticed Clark trailing behind her, looking like a kid who’d just wandered into his very first toy store. His eyes were big and it was like he didn’t know where to look next because he wanted to take it all in at once.

Jay was pleased to see Erin, so he was surprised at the slightly accusatory note in her tone as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

The same question, twice in two days. As if he had to defend himself. Jay kept his own tone light. “I’m interested in the Mitchell Standard. It’s the same camera that was used to filmCitizen Kane. Can you imagine? How fun would that be as a conversation piece in the house?”

She looked slightly taken aback, probably at his enthusiasm for a camera that was over one hundred years old.

But Clark got it. “That’s going to go for a lot of money. It’s a find.”

Jay felt a bit crestfallen. “Are we going to bid against each other?” It wasn’t that he couldn’t outbid a guy who made his living as a photographer for a weekly, but he didn’t want to crush a young man’s dreams either.

Luckily, Clark shook his head. “I could never afford it. Besides, I’m after a vintage Leica from the thirties.” He wandered off to look for the camera he was hoping to bid on.

Erin remained silent, looking deep in thought, her eyes trained on the Mitchell Standard without really seeming to take it in.

Before he could stop himself, Jay blurted, “So, are you guys on a date?”

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