CHAPTER TWO
As far as escapes went, Stillwater Bay would do just fine. Liam Hamilton pulled his Braves ball cap low over his sunglasses as he entered the fray along Main Street. To one side of the street, a boardwalk welcomed walkers with a stunning view of the windswept beach. To the other side restaurants flaunted patio seating, and racks of clothing spilled from canopied storefronts. Shoppers sorted through sales racks on this sun-drenched Sunday afternoon.
He wasn't here to shop though, God forbid. He was here to scout out the setting for the movie he was about to film. And yeah, maybe escape Hollywood and his latest scandal.
His phone buzzed with an incoming call. Spencer. Speaking of the latest scandal, his manager and best friend had been trying to reach him all day. Liam declined the call, pocketed his phone, and let his gaze sweep the summer scene.
The town had a nice laid-back vibe. Very different from the California coast. Fewer name brands and tall, skinny actress wannabes. More casual attire, natural faces, and southern pleasantries. He could dig it.
He continued along the boardwalk a few minutes, then crossed the street and strolled the busy sidewalk. His phone vibrated again. He checked the screen. Then, steeling himself, he left the crowd and stepped into the shadows between a boutique and bakery.
"Hi, Mom. How's it going?"
"Oh, much the same. I was just reading through the newspaper."
Likely perusing his dad's real estate ads. "I'm on the East Coast at the moment. North Carolina. It's beautiful out here."
"I can hear the ocean. Oh, the life you lead. And here I thought you'd be a musician."
Barely afternoon and her words were already slurred a bit. "Maybe I'll play one in a movie."
His mother laughed too boisterously. "You're doing so well. If we could just get those awful tabloids to stop gossiping about you."
"You promised to stop reading them."
"I did no such thing."
He thought of the latest scandal and the two-year-old photo accompanying it and rolled his eyes. "I didn't cheat on anyone, you know."
"Of course you didn't. Speaking of cheaters, have you heard from your father?" Her hopeful tone made him want to shake her—and throat-punch his dad in equal measure.
"Not really. He's busy with his work, I guess." Dad was a successful Realtor in Riverside, California, where Liam had grown up. Now his divorced parents lived across town from each other.
"Is he still seeing that redhead?"
"As far as I know."
Mom sighed.
It had been many years since he'd left his wife—for a blonde twenty years his junior. There'd been a flavor of the month ever since. And yet his mom still held out hope.
She needed to move on. Maybe then she'd stop drinking and find someone else to love. She was an attractive fifty, and she deserved better than anything his father could offer—every woman did.
"Well, I'll let you go. Relax and enjoy your break."
He said good-bye and pocketed his phone, breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn't asked for money. That seemed to be happening more often lately. He always gave it to her. Even if she hadn't exactly been Mom of the Year, he'd always had what he needed. She'd put up with his prolonged defiant phase and endured his punk stage wherein he started a band and played bad heavy metal in their attached garage. She hadn't complained when he announced three days after high school graduation that he was moving to Hollywood to become a star. (What he'd actually become was a waiter and a barista and at one point a dancing pig on the sidewalk in front of Barnyard Joe's BBQ.)
His gaze caught on a woman a few stores away, browsing the sidewalk sale. Her shoulder-length brown hair swung forward as she glanced at a price tag. When she hung the garment, the shiny curtain fell back, revealing familiar wide blue eyes set under arched brows. Her mouth was too wide, her face too angular, and yet the combined effect worked somehow.
It worked quite well.
His recent research revealed that Chloe Anderson was the author of only one book, though it had been a smashing success. In her interviews she spoke eloquently about the writing process and her life in North Carolina. She was close to her family (parents and a brother) and, unlike Liam, had a squeaky-clean reputation. Even her book was squeaky clean—yes, he'd read it after he got the part—and somehow realistic and layered and compelling too.
Much to his irritation, after weeks of reading up on her, he couldn't find a thing about her to dislike.
The same, however, could not be said of Chloe when it came to her opinion of him. Her response to Simone's big news had been pretty insulting, even if it was delivered with a charming southern accent.
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