Page 5 of Taking Chances in Cedarwood

“Answer it.” Andrew busied himself with breaking down the tables for Cammie and picked up the trash in the general vicinity.

Cain tucked the phone into his pocket. “I’ll have to take a rain check on dinner. Can I see you again? Like, really have another chance at dinner?”

“Sure.” He wrote his number on an empty sales slip. “Here you go. Call me.”

“I will.” Cain clutched the piece of paper. “You bet I will.” He stared at Andrew for a moment, then hugged him. “Yay.”

Andrew stood rooted to the spot after Cain had walked away, not sure what to do next. Cain’s reaction struck him as odd, but not tinted with malice. Plus, he liked the way Cain smelled—masculine and earthy, but also like expensive leather.

“Who was that?” Maddie, his stepsister, showed up. “Sorry I’m late. My appointment went over.” She folded her arms. “You’re all done. Did you get help?”

“I did.” Andrew fiddled with his keys. “I met a guy. He didn’t buy anything, but he assisted me in delivering the extra to Cammie, and I gave him my number. I think it went well, but I’m not sure.”

She patted him on the arm. “There is a guy out there who is dying to be with a man who can take care of him, who will treat him like a prince, yet keep him honest. Don’t give up on looking. If this guy seems interesting, go on a date. No one says you have to marry him.”

“True.” He should ask Maddie about her appointment but kept quiet.

“Besides, it’s not like your future rests with this guy. You can’t know that.” She shrugged. “I’m tired. Ready to go home?”

“Sure.” He wondered where she came up with her statements.“It’s not like your future rests with this guy.”Probably not, but what if it did? What if he’d just seen a glimpse of what could be?

Cain intrigued him. He bit back a groan. But he’d forgotten to get Cain’s number. Now he remembered why he sucked at dating…he could be so clueless.

Damn.

Chapter Three

Cain wandered around his apartment. He’d walked down to the farmers’ market the day before because he’d seen the hubbub in the park. He missed the noise and bustle in bigger towns. Then again, he missed anyone who would keep him company. No one knew just how lonely he was. His friends weren’t permitted to visit, in case they mussed the house. His mother insisted on keeping the family home camera ready. What if a news crew wanted to visit? What if the tabloids wanted an exclusive? They needed to be on guard and present the best image.

Hewasn’t the best image. Most of the time, he barely felt like a person. Just an object.

He sank onto the couch and stared at the bland furnishings in the apartment. If given the chance, he would’ve picked different pieces. But he hadn’t been asked and didn’t have the money on hand to redecorate. He pinched the bridge of his nose. The reliance on servants and crews had a tighter grip on him than he’d ever believed. He’d grown used to asking someone to change the furniture or drive him places. Now, he was the one in charge.

Being in control didn’t help his loneliness.

His phone rang. Cain scrambled to answer the call. He’d forgotten to ditch his cell when he left town. For all he knew, his family was tracking his every movement and probably laughing.

He checked the screen and groaned. He knew the number—not Andrew from the market, because he wouldn’t have known his number—but his agent. “Yes?”

“Where. The. Fuck. Are. You?” Dixon screamed. “What in the hell are you doing? You have commitments. You have people you’re supposed to be seeing. You ran away.”

He measured his breaths.Time to be calm. Put on the façade of someone who knows what the hell they’re doing.Cain stood and paced the length of his minuscule living room. “I’m meeting with Liam Blackwell. You told me to touch base with him and I have.”Sort of.

“Right. He says he hasn’t seen you,” Dixon snapped. “Didn’t think I’d check, did you?”

Actually, no, he hadn’t. Cain continued to pace. “Okay, so I didn’t. I haven’t worked up the courage to talk to him. He’s a star.”

“And what the fuck are you?” Dixon growled and made noises Cain couldn’t quite decipher. Cain hated when he pissed Dixon off. True, he could be difficult, but Dixon had cornered the market on trouble. Dixon fought hard for his clients and even harder against his clients. If Dixon wanted his actor in a movie, the deal went through. Right now, Cain was teetering on the wrong side of his agent’s good graces.

“I’m on a holiday.” It wasn’t the full answer, but enough to hopefully work.

“Holiday? Where? With Aidyn? Because I know you’re not. She’s in Paris and she’s telling everyone she’s engaged to thatlaborer,” Dixon spat. “She could do so much better.”

Laborer?What would Dixon think of Andrew? “I’m in Cedarwood. I’m getting a feel for the town and my feet under me. I want this role to be authentic, and what’s more real than being immersed in the culture of this town? Liam’s here, and I’ll touch base with him today. Promise.”

“That’s better.” Dixon made another noise Cain couldn’t make out. “You have the script. The changes have been emailed to you. Learn them. Oh, and get a piece of paper. Write down Liam’s number. You can’t mess this up.”

Cain did as told and scrawled the number onto the back of a receipt. “Got it.”

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