“Yes. This will be our first public date, so you can see why I don’t want to jinx it and have it blow up in my face,” I pleaded.
Fritz had to step away to clear his throat. I smiled when the buzzer announced that the belt that delivered the bags started up. I noticed an older blond woman and pointed at her.
“Isn’t she the author of the Harry Potter books?” I asked.
Suckers!
◊◊◊
Paul picked us up. I even called shotgun, but Fritz wasn’t having it. Why do the kids have to sit in the back?
Paul drove us to the beach house. I still had my key, so I opened the door before Fritz and Paul had unloaded the car. There was music coming from the roof, so I bounded up the stairs and found my brother Greg, Mom, and Dad talking to Rita, Halle, and Trip. I walked straight to Trip and gave him a gentle hug.
“I was so worried about you. How are you doing?” I asked.
It surprised me when he got a little misty-eyed.
“Better. I’m just lucky it wasn’t worse,” Trip said and took a deep breath. “Word is you hired Kent. I hadn’t realized he needed a job.”
“I figured if he could keep Craig out of trouble, I was golden,” I said and saw him flinch at Craig’s name.
While I admit Craig might not have been my favorite person, he didn’t deserve to die at the hands of a terrorist.
◊◊◊
Sitting on the roof with a gentle breeze coming off the Pacific reminded me of the benefits of living here. I caught up with everyone and told them about what I’d been up to. My internal clock told me it was almost one in the morning, so I told everyone I needed to get to bed.
My family was in the same boat, so everyone decided to call it a night. Halle and Rita were going back to the house in the hills, but Halle promised to go surfing with me in the morning. I pulled her into my arms and gave her a kiss goodbye.
◊◊◊ Saturday July 16
Dad and Greg joined Fritz, Halle, and me surfing. It was funny how Fritz always got the surfing duty.
Bo Harrington and I’d had lunch in Houston so we could talk football. He’d told me I shouldn’t be surprised if I was told I couldn’t do things like surfing once I was on a college team. It was dead certain it would be banned if I made it to either Major League Baseball or the NFL.
Greg was learning, so it was good that the waves were staying small. He had the same gleam in his eyes that I’d likely had when I first got on a surfboard. With the smaller waves, we also didn’t have many other surfers to contend with. The forecast for tomorrow said there would be better waves.
Halle paddled next to me so we could talk.
“Oh, look. We have company,” I said, pointing at the paparazzi lurking on the beach. “You might want to fix your top so your nipple doesn’t show.”
Her head snapped down, and then she gave me an evil glare when she realized I was teasing her.
“I suspect you knew they would be there,” I said.
“Why’s that?” Halle asked.
“Because you’re not wearing your wetsuit. I think you wanted to show off your hot little body to the world,” I said with a big smile. “Are you an exhibitionist, Halle James?”
I found myself pushed off my board. I just laughed as she caught the next wave. Greg paddled up to me.
“Angie’s mad at you.”
“What did I do this time?” I asked.
“You didn’t get her a ticket for the awards show.”
“I had to fight to get an extra one for Halle.”
“Angie knows that,” Greg said with a smile. “She thought you loved her.”
“Yeah, right. She just wanted a trip to LA. Do you know how much damage Mom does to my debit card when she’s alone in LA? Just picture the devastation she and Angie could do. I shudder to imagine how much they would spend on Rodeo Drive. You might have to sell me Kyle just to finance the trip.”
“If you take him, you have to take Mac, too,” Greg said.
“You were the one who wanted a girl. Nature made it so Dawson men only have boys for a reason. We’re not equipped to stand up to daughters. If you think her horse obsession is bad now, wait until she’s sixteen,” I warned him.
He pushed me off my board. He was smart enough to take the next wave so I couldn’t grab him. I decided I was hungry, so I caught the next wave in. Halle joined me, and we did the ‘frolicking in the water’ bit for the press. Halle made me take off my wetsuit jacket for the pictures, confirming the reason for her bikini. I would send Frank a heads-up that there were pictures of us about to hit the media. I also wanted to tell him about my talk with
As I used the outdoor shower to get the salt off me, I appreciated how calculating my thoughts were. This time last year, I would never have imagined calling my publicist to generate some buzz. If I wanted the paparazzi to go nuts, I might accidentally let them get a picture of my butt again.
◊◊◊
