Page 30 of Lovers at Seaside
Grayson realized it was the first time he’d even seen her look at a phone. “For you, I’ll try.” He eyed the phone. “Getting back into real life? That’s a good sign.” And another reminder that her real life was across the country. A reminder he still wasn’t ready to think about.
“I promised myself I’d start returning calls after I dealt with Abe. I need to call my agent and a few foundation members before they send out a search party.”
“I’ll give you some privacy.” He took a step away, and she reached for his hand.
“I don’t need privacy. I’ll call on the way into Provincetown, unless it’ll bother you?”
“Nothing you do bothers me.”
“That’s because I’ve been hiding out. Once I get back into the swing of things, you might feel differently.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But we won’t know until that happens.”
Her brows knitted, as if she hadn’t expected him to agree. “Oh?”
He gazed into her worried eyes and knew no matter how much it sucked to hear or say, he couldn’t hide from his thoughts forever. “This is new for both of us, and you have a full life thousands of miles away from my life here. I’ve got another fourteen months of working on site for the foundation, but my life is here, on the Cape. If we really make a go of this, which I hope we will, then we’ll have plenty of things to deal with.”
“I know,” she said quietly.
“Do you want to try to talk it out now? Figure out what those things are and how we’ll handle them? I’m happy to do that. Or we can deal with issues as they arise, which I’m also okay with. Waiting gives our relationship time to grow legs even stronger than the ones we have now.”
“What if we wait and we get really close and then we can’t make it work?” She began pacing.
Grayson pulled her to him again. “First things first. When something comes up, please don’t pull away. Issues seem bigger when you’re alone.” He tightened his grip around her, and a smile lifted her cheeks, the worry in her eyes softening. “If we can’t make it work, it means we don’t want it to work.”
“Okay. I like when you’re right.”
“So do I.” He gave her a chaste kiss, because if he kissed her the way he ached to, he’d end up scooping her into his arms and carrying her up to the bedroom—and her calls, and their outing, would be forgotten.
Chapter Eleven
GRAYSON HELD CHRISTMAS’S leash in one hand and Parker’s hand in the other as they meandered through the shops in Provincetown. It had taken a great deal of mental reassurance for Parker to quiet the voices in her head telling her to primp and paint before going out—no matter how much she hated doing it. But she was glad she’d resisted the urge, because kissing Grayson was bordering on an obsession. And she didn’t want lipstick or anything else to stop them from a single kiss.
She’d returned a dozen messages on the drive up, accepted sincere condolences, and agreed to read a script for an upcoming romantic comedy, which Phillipa was going to have delivered tomorrow. The thought of jumping back into her crazy schedule was exhausting, but it was her life, and she was grateful to have one to be exhausted over.
They explored the shops along the pier, stopped to watch a pantomime on a street corner, and picked up a few small things for the house. Provincetown was a colorful, artsy world unto itself, which was one reason she liked it so much. The other reason was because it was where Bert had gotten his start as a photographer, and that made her feel closer to him. Provincetown was also dog friendly, and Christmas was in his heyday, taking in the crowded sidewalks, sniffing other dogs, and being lavished with attention by strangers. She was happy that Grayson had suggested bringing him. He’d been loving up her boy all day, telling him he was agood buddywhen they stopped in a store or allowed someone to pet him. He seemed as attached to Christmas as she was, and that etched his name into another piece of her heart. It was getting pretty full of Grayson, and the fuller it got, the happier she became.
They had lunch at Café Heaven, where one of Bert’s photographs hung behind the counter. They sat out front, people watching as they ate, and talked about Bert. Parker noticed a few whispers of recognition throughout the afternoon, but thankfully, other than two teenage girls asking for a photograph with her, which she was happy to oblige, they had a fairly uneventful day in that regard.
“I’d forgotten what it was like to beawayfrom the paparazzi,” she said on the way to Sky’s tattoo shop. She remembered Bert’s comment about Provincetown being the only place he could really be himself when he was younger. She knew he had been referring to being a gay man in the fifties, but she couldn’t help thinking the feelings she experienced as she moved through crowds without any fanfare were probably similar.
“And I’m not usedtothem at all, which is why when you mentioned pictures and gossip magazines, I wasn’t too worried. I’ve seen lots of celebrities around the Cape, but I’ve never seen anyone making a fuss. I’m sure they do, but I think going over the top is a West Coast thing. Here, you’re just a beautiful blonde who happens to make movies.” He leaned in for a kiss, and Christmas shoved his nose between their legs.
They both laughed, and Grayson leaned down to kiss Christmas’s head. “You are one jealous dog. But I don’t blame you. If someone else were kissing your mom, I’d do a lot more than shove my nose between them.”
Parker rolled her eyes. “Like you have to worry about that? I’m as loyal as…I was going to say Christmas, but he’s already jilted me for you. So I’ll say I’m as loyal as…me.”
He tugged her in for another kiss. “I’ll take you all day long, baby.”
Promise?
Grayson leaned closer and whispered, “When you look at me like that, you make me all sorts of crazy.”
“Shh.” She clutched his shirt. “When you use that voice, and…” Her brain was scrambling.Nonono. Not now.She didn’t want to be a swooning mess when she saw Sky, but she needed him to know what he did to her and how good he made her feel. “The way you’re looking at me right now? I’ve never been looked at like that. You look like you want to devour me, like you see all ofme, not the actress. So, yeah. You’re hot, built like you were put on this earth to be touched and licked and ogled.” She couldn’t stop talking! “And if that’s not enough, you’re the best kisser on the planet and you love my dog to pieces.” She had Grayson—and Christmas’s—rapt attention. “How do youexpectme to look at you?”
A wicked smile spread across his face, and his gaze smoldered. “Just. Like. That.” He hitched an arm around her waist and began walking toward Sky’s shop again. Quickly.
“Why are you hurrying? I think I left my legs back there. These rubber ones aren’t working so well.”
