Fighting for Love

4. Shelby

Chapter 4

Shelby

Taking the day off from work was the best thing I could have done for myself. I had never felt so refreshed in my life. It just so happened that Caleb was free for the day, so when I texted him about meeting me at the beach he immediately replied back with a yes.

I might as well give the guy a chance, I thought to myself. What did I have to lose?

When I got home, I found a note from Jace on the kitchen counter saying he had an audition for a lead role in some kind of romance film that would be filmed in North Carolina. He’s landed some good roles in the past, but never a lead part. I hope he gets it.

After I changed into my new pink and black bikini, a pair of denim shorts, and my favorite hot pink tank top, I was ready to go. My bag was packed with towels and magazines just in case my time with Caleb turned out to be not as fantastic as the night before when we were both feeling the love from the alcohol. Being around someone sober was way different than being tipsy.

Since I didn’t live far from the beach I usually just walked, and thankfully, by the time my toes sunk into the cold, gritty sand, the sun finally decided to clear away from the thin layer of clouds and beam down on me. It was a perfect June day; usually it was foggy at this time of year, but for some reason the sun decided to show its lovely face and put some color to my skin.

Laying two towels on the sand, I dropped my bag down on one since the wind would probably blow it away if I didn’t, and sat down on the other. East Beach wasn’t exactly the ideal place you’d come to swim because of the brutal riptide currents and the fear of drowning, but it was absolutely one of the most beautiful beaches around. There also weren’t a lot of tourists at this time of year, which was perfect for me because I never liked crowded beaches to begin with. However, I did love to watch the surfers, and I was determined to write one of my ten page spreads on one of our famous locals, Logan Calder. He was amazing out there on the waves.

I wasn’t the one who made the decisions as far as who got picked for the articles, but the next pitch to my boss would definitely be to recommend Logan. He was already out there on the water paddling around on his board with a couple of other guys that were almost as good as him … almost.

“Surfers, huh?” a voice called out behind me. “I might as well turn around now because I know I can’t compete with that.”

Immediately, I recognized the sound of that deep, husky voice; it was Caleb.

Snickering, I glanced over my shoulder and taunted back, “Hey, I can’t help it that I like surfers. Why don’t you get out there and see if they’ll give you lessons?” Dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a white button-down shirt that hung open to reveal a perfectly nice set of chiseled abs, Caleb strolled toward me with a huge grin on his face.

Chuckling, he sat down on the towel beside me once I moved my bag out of the way. “Screw that,” he exclaimed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the ocean and all, but me trying to balance my weight on a board in that type of rough water? Not happening. You’ll probably take pictures and put them in your magazine.”

Snickering, I shook my head and smiled. “And you’re probably right,” I agreed, nudging him in the side with my elbow. “But Hayley’s sister is the one I get to take the pictures. She’s the expert with the camera.”

Caleb looked a little different today; a hat hid his dark blond hair, and a pair of Oakley sunglasses covered his hypnotic green eyes. Peeking out from underneath the sleeves of his shirt I could see the markings of tattoos on his bulging biceps that extended all the way up his arms and over his bare chest, which I couldn’t see last night since he wore a thin, long-sleeved sweater to the party. My fingers itched to slide up his sleeves and over his skin to look at them. I loved tattoos on men.

As far as surfing, Caleb didn’t have the body type to be one at all. I would say he was about six foot two and probably two hundred and twenty pounds of pure muscle; he was a big guy and a personal trainer. Most professional surfers were lean and lithe, muscular but not overly bulky. Jace had that body type, but that was probably because he was actually a surfer in his spare time when he wasn’t acting.

“I’m glad you texted me. I honestly didn’t think I’d hear from you,” Caleb remarked.

Furrowing my brows, I turned to him and asked, “Why not?”

He took off his sunglasses and pinned his gaze on mine, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess because you’re a successful person and I’m not. I’m just a personal trainer and a volunteer fireman who likes to have fun and joke around. I know Hayley’s sister is your best friend and she’s with a lawyer. From what I’ve experienced, friends typically stick to the same type of crowd if you know what I mean. I don’t exactly fit into that style.”

Was he serious? I wondered incredulously.

Whatever I was going to say in response completely left me because I couldn’t stop laughing. Caleb couldn’t be any further from the truth if he tried.

He stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “I’m glad I could amuse you,” he stated slowly. “Do you mind telling me what’s so funny?”

“You are, that’s what,” I answered. “Caleb, I couldn’t care less where you come from or how much money you have. Everyone is successful in their own way. You’re a firefighter, right?” He nodded. “Okay, so you’ve probably helped save lives. I’ve never done that! Besides, just because someone has money doesn’t mean they’re good people. Trust me, I’ve dated my fair share of wealthy men and they aren’t all that.”

With a smirk on his face, Caleb turned his body and put his arm on the other side of my legs; his back was to the water and he was facing me, caging me in almost. “So what you’re saying is that when I talked to you last night, and when I kissed you, it wasn’t just the alcohol that made you give in?”

There were a couple of reasons why I let him kiss me. Shaking my head, I replied, “No, it wasn’t just the alcohol. I mean, yes, it helped because I wasn’t so nervous, but it wasn’t the only reason why I let you. As much as I hate to say this, you remind me of someone I once knew.”

Everything about him reminded me of Matt except for the hair color. His eyes, his body, and the way he spoke were so similar. Is that the only reason why I’m interested in him? I silently asked myself. I didn’t want it to be, but if I intended to date this guy I needed to find out. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him.

“Who do I remind you of?” he asked softly, moving his lips closer to mine. “An old boyfriend?”

Reluctantly, I nodded, averting my gaze. “It was a long time ago. Sometimes I wish I could forget.”

Lifting his hand to my cheek, he bit his lip and smiled. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll be more than happy to help you forget about him.”

Closing my eyes, I felt his lips touch mine and I gave in. Yes, please help me forget.

* * *

It was nice, for once, to wake up with a smile on my face. The smell of eggs, bacon, and sautéed bell peppers cooking travelled all the way down the hall into my room. Jace’s abilities in the kitchen were beyond incredible and I loved it when he was around to cook the meals. If he was away filming a movie, I happily cooked my own food—and I considered myself a good cook—but I didn’t compare to him. I’d barely seen him in two days and I couldn’t wait to tell him about Caleb.

My time of solitude was over and now I had to get ready for work. The day at the beach with Caleb was just what I needed to get my mind focused on the right track. After talking and making out on the sand all afternoon, we finally split ways even though I knew he wanted to finish what we started. Hell, even I was sexually frustrated, but I knew it would be a mistake to have s*x with him after knowing him for only two days.

We did make plans to go out to dinner on Sunday, since Saturday night he had to work, and we decided to ask Hayley and her boyfriend, along with Lexi and Will, to join us. I thought it would be fun, and that way I could spend time with my friends and him.

Once I finished pinning up the last of my hair in a classy updo my hair stylist showed me, I slid on my brown knee-high boots and hurried out of my room, making loud clanking noises as my heels beat against the hardwood floor on the way toward the kitchen. The house actually belonged solely to me and was completely in my name, but Jace helped pay the mortgage each month, as did Lexi when she used to live in the house. It was a contemporary style Victorian home with arched doorways, hardwood floors, and one of the most wonderful views of the bay on the third floor. I fell in love with it instantly.

The kitchen was Jace’s favorite place and one of the most striking rooms in the house. It was all white marble and white countertops; very sleek and bright. Jace had his back to me, facing the stove, and was wearing only a pair of dark blue running shorts that hung low on his hips.

His body was perfect for television and he got the chance to show it off plenty of times on the big screen. He also worked hard to keep those sculpted muscles and smooth skin; however, it was his charming smile that always won the producers over. Not to mention he had the biggest heart out of anyone I knew, but he liked to keep that quality about him a secret.

In college, after my world flipped upside down, Jace and Lexi both stayed with me in my apartment for a few weeks. On the nights I cried myself to sleep, Jace would come into my room and hold me while I sobbed in his arms. Even to this day, when I’d have nightmares—which, thankfully, weren’t as common anymore—I’d wake up to find him curled up next to me in my bed.

A slow smile spread across my lips, and in my mind I couldn’t help but think, It’s such a shame he’s gay. He would make the perfect boyfriend.

“Hey,” I said, walking past him to the refrigerator. After searching the shelves for the orange juice, I finally found it hidden behind everything else on the top shelf and pulled it out.

Jace peered at me over his shoulder and grinned wide before placing the two omelets he was making onto plates. “Hey, did you have fun on your day off yesterday?”

“I did. It was nice to get out and do something other than work,” I admitted honestly. Grabbing a couple of glasses out of the cabinet, I poured us both some orange juice and sat down at the table. “I also didn’t spend it there by myself,” I added slyly.

“What?” Jace exclaimed, turning to me quickly. “Did I miss something? Since when did you meet someone?”

“Well, try not to sound too shocked,” I teased with a roll of my eyes. “It was two days ago at the after party. You know the party you couldn’t be my date to because you were busy. Anyway, Lexi’s sister brought one of her friends, and we kind of hit it off. He was the one who hung out with me at the beach yesterday.”

Jace put the dirty dishes in the sink before bringing our plates with the omelets over to the table. He set mine down in front of me and took the seat to my right. “That’s awesome news, Shels. I’m glad you’re finally deciding to date again. You haven’t slept with this guy, have you?”

“No,” I blurted out incredulously. “I don’t want to move that fast, Jace. In a way I want to just because it’s been so damn long since I’ve been with someone, but I’m smart enough to know I shouldn’t.”

Jace nodded in agreement. “I think that’s a good decision. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Neither did I.

My phone was charging on the kitchen counter, and since I’d had it off all yesterday afternoon I figured it was time I turned it back on and face the thousands of messages I was sure to have. The second I turned my phone on, before I could even take a sip of my juice, it started beeping … over and over.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I exclaimed. “I knew it was a mistake to turn it off.”

Trying to hide his smirk, Jace shook his head and finished up his omelet. “I guess you’ll be busy today,” he teased.

Groaning, I pushed my phone aside and mumbled, “Yeah.”

As I started in on my breakfast, I thought, Maybe I’ll wait a little bit longer to listen to my messages. It was the first week in June and every month I was given an assignment for the ten page spread. I was pretty sure most of my messages were from my boss giving me the heads up on who I was to spend my next month researching.

After finishing my omelet, I drank the rest of my juice and put my plate and glass in the sink. Jace was still at the table finishing up and flipping through a Maxim magazine when I asked, “So, Jace, how did the audition go yesterday? Do you think you did okay?”

Nonchalantly, he shrugged his shoulders and kept his gaze on the magazine. “Yeah, I think I did pretty well. I’ll find out next week if I made it.”

“That’s great—” I began, but my sentence was cut off by my phone ringing … again. Jace reached for my phone on the table and tossed it to me from across the room. Catching it midair, I glanced down to see that it was Bryan, my boss.

“No surprise there,” I mumbled to myself before answering it.

“Good morning, Bryan,” I greeted him.

Bryan Winters was pretty laid back, but he only allowed certain people in the office to call him by his first name and I happened to be one of them. He was a workaholic in his late fifties with salt and pepper hair, and in extremely good physical shape for his age. In his youth he used to be a professional tennis player, and when I told him I used to play for my high school team he made it mandatory that I play the game with him at least once a week. It was always a good time and I enjoyed it. Not to mention, he made sure I stayed on the clock when I played even though I told him it was fun … not work. He insisted, and with the unyielding Bryan Winters you could never reason with him when he had his mind set.

“Good morning to you, too, Shelby,” Bryan responded warmly. “I called you a few times yesterday, but you never answered my calls. Did you check your messages or emails?”

Sheepishly, I sat down at the bar, and in a quiet voice said, “No, actually I didn’t. I had my phone off since you told me to take the day off.”

The line went quiet, but then Bryan whistled and burst out laughing. “Well, well, I thought I’d never see the day that you actually put work aside to take a day off. Good for you, young lady. So listen, as you know it’s time for the new spread for our July edition. The reason I called was because your athlete’s agent wanted to meet over lunch today. I wanted to give you his number so you could call and set up a time. I know it’s kind of last minute, but he insisted.”

“Oh yes, of course,” I answered quickly, rushing to the junk drawer. It had everything in it like pens, take-out menus, matches, and mints that restaurants would give you with the check. I grabbed the first pen and piece of paper I could find. “Okay, I found a pen. I’m ready when you are.”

“All right, his name is Garrett Wells and his number is …”

As he said the number, I wrote it down—along with the agent’s name—on the old grocery list I had happened to grab out of the drawer. Hmm … Garrett Wells. That name sounded awfully familiar for some reason.

“Bryan,” I started curiously, “who is it that I’m going to be writing about?”

His phone began to break up and all I heard through the static was the sound of his jumbled words and his deep laugh. “Bryan, can you hear me? You’re breaking up on me,” I exclaimed into the phone. Unable to figure out what he was saying, I hung up and rushed over to Jace to tell him good-bye before I was late.

Wrapping my arms around his neck from behind, I kissed him on the cheek and squeezed. “I’ve got to go. Have a good day and don’t get into any trouble. I’ll see you tonight.”

Patting my hands, he turned his head and kissed me back on the cheek. “Me get into trouble … never,” he countered sarcastically with a twinkle in his eyes.

Snickering, I ruffled my hand through his hair before grabbing my keys and purse, and headed out the front door. It was a cool, breezy morning; the sun was hidden by a thick sheen of clouds, making the smell of the bay more pronounced. Almost a complete opposite of yesterday when I spent the day at the beach. As soon as I got into my black Infiniti Q60 convertible, my phone buzzed with an incoming text.

Lexi: I heard we’re all going on a date Sunday. Caleb called Hayley and Josh and asked if we all wanted to go out.

Me: You heard right ☺

Lexi: I’m glad to hear it. So the beach was fun?

Me: YES! It was fun. I have to drive now. Talk to you soon.

Heading down the road toward my office in downtown, I decided to go ahead and call the number Bryan gave me for the agent.

On the second ring, he picked up. “Garrett Wells,” he answered.

“Hello, Mr. Wells. I’m Paige Monroe with Physique Sports and Fitness Magazine. How are you today?” I asked eloquently.

“I’m doing great, actually, and please call me Garrett,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Very well then, Garrett, and the same goes for my name as well. Anyway, Bryan told me you wanted to meet over lunch today. Is that still something you’d like to do?”

“Yes, of course,” he replied. “My client and I are looking forward to working with you. I know your office is in San Francisco, and since I’m only about thirty minutes away from there I’ll just come to you. Is there a special place you’d like to meet? Because if not we can meet at the Presidio Café. I’m a club member out there, and if I call them they’ll set us up a private table.”

Lexi and I had gone to the Presidio Café several times over the past couple of years. It was a great place to eat lunch and nothing could beat their clam chowder; I ordered it every time I went.

“That sounds great, Garrett. It’s actually one of my favorite places. What time would you like to meet?”

“Uh … let’s see. Is noon okay? That should give me enough time to call them, hunt down my client, and make it out that way,” he recommended. “Oh, and if you get there early just go on in and tell them that you’re meeting me. They’ll seat you right away.”

“All right, noon it is,” I complied excitedly. “I’ll see you then.”

We said our good-byes and I hung up the phone. Doing the spreads for the magazine was something I always looked forward to. It gave me the chance to meet some really great athletes and to see how their minds worked. Other than the writing part it was the best thing about my job.