Page 62 of Sunrise

Kade chuckles and shakes his head. "Think they’ll bail when they realize I'm not here?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it. People who have worked here in the past get first priority this summer. Hopefully, enough of them will come back that I will have very few to hire otherwise."

"Where do they stay while here for the summer?" he asks.

"John has a place he turned into a bunkhouse. Both Sunrise and Sunset summer employees stay there. If they sign on for the whole season, they get to stay rent-free. They work thirty hours a week to pay for the rent, then anything over that, they get paid per hour. Any tips they get are theirs. If they stay all summer, they get an end-of-summer bonus based on how many hours they work. If they don't sign on for the entire summer, then they pay for their bunk. Each week."

"It's kind of like a hostel?" he asks.

"Yeah, I guess. I've never been to one, but each room has six bunks. They share the living, kitchen, dining room, and three bathrooms, so yeah, I guess so."

"Is it cheaper the way you do it than to pay them per hour?"

“Yeah, we have a deal worked out with John. We pay a monthly fee, which is less than what they'd pay per week on their own. During the off-season, he rents the places out to groups who come on retreats to the island."

He helps me go through the applications, and it takes us until almost dinner with all the flirting and kissing.

I am definitely going to miss this. Working with Kade is just more fun.

Chapter 28

Kade

After spending the day helping Lin with the inn, I get to have dinner with her, then we come up to my room and cuddle. We will watch TV and just talk, and it's become my favorite part of the day. It almost always ends in sex and tires us both out.

Tonight is a night of talking. I'm lying on the bed, and she has her head on my shoulder and her body pressed to my side. I'm stroking her hair because she loves it, and in a weird way, it calms me.

"Tell me about your life in Hollywood. You always seem to avoid the topic," she says.

She's not wrong. I don't like talking about my life out there. Partly because it's so different and partly because I'm not happy with it, but also because I'm reminded I'll have to leave and go back eventually. Every day I want to go back less and less, and I struggle with that.

"Well, Hollywood is like nowhere else I've ever been. It's fast-paced and exciting. There is always something to do, something new to see, some new hot spot, some new hot club, or a new restaurant. Movie premiers and award shows happen almost nightly to some degree or another. It's easy to get lost in the crowd, which is nice sometimes."

I pause and focus on her hand rubbing my chest.

"Then there is the noise. No matter where you go in the city, you just can't get away from it. People talking, cars, horns, sirens, dogs barking, it's constant. Eventually, you get used to it. It takes you twice as long to get anywhere because there is always traffic and no way around it. I don't drive myself anymore. After my second big movie, I decided I had the money to hire a driver and relieve my stress. I guess it's why I was excited to have a rental car out here and be able to drive for fun. It also takes forever to get out of the city if you need a break."

"Sounds awful." She hums, and I nod my head, agreeing with her.

"Most of all, it's lonely. When you are no one, no one has the time of day for you, but honestly, I preferred it that way. I knew the people around me were there for me. Once you start making a name for yourself, you never know who is there for you or who is there for the ride to the top to make something of themselves. It's how I got the playboy title. I got tired of women using me for my money or to get their ride to fame, so I stopped doing relationships. I didn't sleep around near as much as the papers tried to make it sound like, but I didn't see a point in correcting them."

Until now. Until Linly. I want her to know that isn't me, to understand and believe me. I've never cared what people thought about me until her. She sees the best in me, and I don't want to lose that. I don't want her opinion of me to change or the way she looks at me. I don't think anyone has ever looked at me the way she does, like I'm just some normal guy off the street and can do anything.

"Now, I never know who I can trust. Even my so-called best friend. I love hanging out with him. Though he’s a cool guy, I don't think I can trust him either because he’s trying to break into the scene. He's always with me at the top events, always networking. I don't know anymore. Since the whole Gina thing, I wonder if my radar is all messed up."

"All that famous LA smog clouding it?" Lin giggles into my chest, making me smile.

"Something like that." I stare up at the ceiling.

"So, do something about it," she says, as if it's that simple.

"What can I do?"

She props herself up on her elbow and looks down at me with a huge smile on her face. "Set a trap."

"What?" I ask, confused as hell.

"So, this town is known for its gossip, right?"

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