Page 108 of Collateral Damage
The fireworks end, and we climb to our feet.
Disappointed, I follow the cast and crew to the house for the afterparty. Turns out, working on a holiday is still working on a holiday. I’m not complaining, but it’s not the same.
Perry sidles up next to me, nudging me in the arm. “You okay there, friend?”
“Yeah,” I lie.
“Holidays are hard when you’ve lost a loved one.” It’s a gentle confirmation he understands why I’m not enjoying myself.
“I think it would be worse if I tried to carry on traditions as normal. The distraction of work helps,” I confess.
He nods. “I get it. You do you.”
“How’s your sister?” I ask. Madeline underwent surgery right before we left for Nantucket.
“She got discharged this morning. She’s doing pretty well. Thanks for asking.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It is.” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his dark eyes. “You’re right about work. It’s the perfect distraction.” He lifts his chin to where Benton and Gloria are making out in the hot tub. “I want to apologize about what happened. I promise your personal life won’t end up on the show.”
I give him a rueful smile. “I get why you asked. It’s your job is to make good television.”
“Not at the expense of my producer… and more importantly, my friend,” he says. “I never should’ve asked you for that.”
I nod toward Benton. “What about athisexpense? Is he going to get a terrible edit at the end of all this?”
Perry shrugs, his face guarded. “It depends on how he behaves.”
That’s exactly what I’m worried about. I can’t stop Benton from being a fuck-boy on national television, and even thoughGloria is kind of crazy, she’s going to have every woman in America on her side if this thing blows up.
By midnight, filming ends, and the cast goes to bed. Oddly enough, I’m not tired, and my body buzzes with untapped energy. Maybe there’s too much on my mind, or maybe it’s because this is my favorite holiday, and I’d hardly call working a celebration.
“Hey, Valentine.” Cooper catches me as I head out. “I’m having a little afterparty bonfire at my place for the crew. You up for it?”
A smile spreads across my face, and twenty minutes later, I pull up to the King’s residence. I haven’t been here in years, and even in the darkness, the sight floods me with countless memories.
I love this house—love it so much that once upon a time I wanted to get married here.
We use our phones as flashlights as we make the trek down the steep stairs to the beach. A few people carry cases of beer, and someone has a speaker with trendy music quietly thumping. The bonfire isn’t lit yet, but it doesn’t take long to get going.
The tide is low, so the waves aren’t too intense, not like they’ll be in the morning. I have the sudden urge to go swimming. I don’t act on that urge. Like a good girl, I stay next to the fire with the others and chat while listening to the songs change over.
Cooper and Perry light off a few fireworks and screech like little kids, and I end up on the sand in a full-bellied laugh. Pushing myself back up, I brush away the sand and stop myself from longing for the things I can’t have anymore.
A wave of regret hits me anyway, so I wander along the dark empty stretch of beach, the bluff on my left and the ocean on my right. I’ve walked this beach countless times. The crush of the waves is as familiar as my own heartbeat. Even though the sand is always moving, it hasn’t changed a bit. The stars twinkle aboveme in a dance with the darkness that I’ve watched a million times. Nothing compares to the King’s house and beach and seclusion. Nothing compares to this.
Nobody compares to Cooper.
This crush isn’t going away, is it?
I don’t know what to do. My heart aches with unrequited longing.
“There you are.” His voice catches up to me, and I turn. My vision has adjusted to the night, so I can see him well enough, but I hope he can’t see me too well. He’ll know I’m upset.
I give him a small smile. “Just out for a walk.”
“Are you okay?” He reaches out, catching my hand. I shouldn’t, but I let him have it. His palm feels so warm against mine, so comforting, so right.
