Page 35 of Sunrise

"Well, aren't you cute? Now you have to tell me."

She sighs, and then takes a deep breath. "She keeps saying you'd be good for up against the wall sex," she rushes out, then turns her head away.

I laugh; a full unrestricted laugh, then I grip her hand and turn her toward me.

"God help Jasper, she is a spitfire," I say with a huge smile on my face.

Then I think about what she said. "She's right, though. If we were to have sex, I think I would take you up against a wall." I let my eyes run down her body, not that I can see much with only the light from the moon.

"Kade!" she squeals and playfully slaps my chest.

I trap her hand with mine and hold it to my chest for just a moment before entwining our fingers and holding her hand on her leg.

I turn to take in the night sky meeting the ocean. On nights like tonight when the sea is calm and there is barely a cloud in the sky, it's calming and relaxing. I can see why people come here to get away.

After sitting in silence for a while, I turn to her. "I don't think we can put off Brynn much longer unless you want to tell her we did have sex. You are just avoiding her."

"I know you're right." She sighs.

I walk her to her door to make sure she gets there safely.

"I'm willing to bet Brynn is in my bed waiting for me," Lin whispers just outside her door.

"Well, then I should go." I start to turn, then stop. "I had fun tonight, despite everything."

"Me too," she says.

"I'd like to do the Sunrise event in the morning. You up for that?" I ask.

She smiles widely. "I will be there. I'll meet you in the dining room," she says as she opens the door and slips behind it.

I smile and make my way back into the lobby. The night guard there, whose name I never learned, smiles and tips his head at me.

"Good night, Mr. Markson," he says with a smile.

"Good night." I smile back at him and head for the stairs.

It's become a habit to take the stairs when it's only a few levels up. In LA, you would wait ten minutes or more for an elevator. People are too distracted and want to do things the easy way. So, I started taking the stairs. It's good exercise, and now I find I prefer it. It keeps me in shape. You have to be ready for the next script to come your way because very few scripts require you to gain weight for the part.

When I get to my room, I turn on my phone I've kept off and call Wren because I know he'll want an update.

"So how did the date go?" he asks. No hello, just straight to the point.

"It went well. Her friend Brynn, the other inn owner, helped spread the word where we'd be, and the place was packed. Lin says all the town gossips were there, and plenty of people were taking photos when they thought we weren't looking. After dinner, we went for a walk along the water. We picked up dessert at a bakery and ate it on the pier, then came home. We made sure as many people saw us as possible," I tell him.

"Good. Good. What's the next plan?" he asks.

"Well, I haven't checked social media yet. Have you?" I ask.

"I'm pulling it up now. Oh, here we go. Lots of photos with you and her leaning into each other at dinner tagged with the restaurant name and location. Some name her, some don't. Doesn't look like you took photos with anyone. A few took a selfie with you in the background, but otherwise, it's just the two of you."

"Yeah, I didn't do photos. It was a date, plus no one asked."

"Okay, this is good, so next, you need to post a photo of you and Lin introducing her but not admitting to her being a friend or girlfriend. Just you two side by side with something like ‘Hanging out with this girl.' Leave them wondering."

"Well, the inn does this sunrise event since they are right on the beach. We’re going tomorrow, so I can get a picture on the beach."

"Perfect. Make it happen. I'm going to call Gina to see how we can maximize this. Night, man," he says and hangs up.

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