Chapter One

Eric

 

“Don’t you do it.” I stared in the rearview mirror at the little blue Prius tailgating me. “Back off, buddy.”

Getting rear-ended by an electric roller-skate wasn’t high on my priority list. Not when I had a meeting with the owners of Stewart, Myers, and Holbrook Studios. Normally, pitching a new screenplay was no big deal, but I was a nervous wreck. Judging by the media frenzy surrounding the first Night Raven movie, the sequel would triple my payday. Maybe quadruple it if the box-office predictions were right.

Today was not the day for an accident.

I glanced in the rearview again and did a double take. Even with her oversized sunglasses, I would have recognized the driver anywhere.

Lauren Baker.

We were somewhere in the gray area between acquaintances and friends. We hung around with the same people and attended the same get-togethers. More specifically, she was close to some of my friends’ wives. Lauren and I had gone from small talk to flirting on more than one occasion, but I’d stopped short of asking her out.

A situation I wouldn’t mind rectifying.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and tapped my brakes.

Lauren backed off enough for me to focus on the road ahead instead of her ridiculously tiny bumper.

There’s no way that car would survive a fender bender, let alone a full-blown accident.

I slowed as the car in front of me made a last second right turn. They obviously didn’t know the city or their route—

My whole car jolted.

“Did you just hit me?” I asked the Prius in the rearview.

Pulling to the curb, I turned on my hazards and hopped out to check on Lauren. As soon as my feet hit the pavement, the scents of damp concrete and salty air filled my nose. A chilly wind damned near swept me off my feet.

Gotta love fall in California.

“I’m so sorry.” She threw open her car door, stumbled out, and gawked at me. “Oh, wow. Eric. I can’t believe I hit you.”

“Are you okay?” I slipped my hands in my pockets and tried not to stare. Even shaken up, the woman was a knockout. Dark brown curls that shimmered red in the sun, big green eyes, and a body made for sin. Of all the people to hit me, I was glad it was Lauren. I’d been hoping to run into her away from our friends for months.

Maybe not literally run into her, but I’ll take what I can get.

“What?” She shoved her glasses on top of her head. The sun caught her eyes and lit the green around the irises.

“Are you hurt?” I studied her expression.

She glanced around as if unsure what to do next. “Physically, no. Mentally, I’m not sure. I’ve never been in an accident.”

I should have asked for her insurance information, but my screenwriter brain was busy trying to figure her out. I knew the basics. She was a single mom, preferred wine to beer, and hated blue cheese. She had a great laugh and a killer smile. She’d moved to San Sera a year or so ago for a job.

Judging by her shoes and scrubs, she was a nurse on her way to or from work. The dark circles under her eyes told me she didn’t sleep much or didn’t sleep well. Or both. Her confused expression confirmed the minor fender bender had shaken her up.

Not exactly a good time to ask her out.

Still, I didn’t want to miss my shot. “It’s really good to see you again.”

She stared as if I’d lost my mind. “I just hit you, and you’re happy to see me?”

“You hit my car, not me.” I flashed her a grin. “I imagine my Mercedes wouldn’t be as thrilled.”

“You’re thrilled?” A smile tugged the corners of her lips.

“Maybe not about the accident, but seeing you again? Absolutely.”

She nodded back to the vehicles. “What do we do now?”

“If we were strangers, we’d introduce ourselves.” I extended my hand. “My last name is Chase. In case you didn’t know.”

“I knew. Mine’s Baker.” The twinkle in her eye as she took my hand made my pulse race.

A tingle raced from my palm to my shoulder, and I wondered if I was about to have a heart attack.

No. The twinge would have been in my left arm, not my right.

She jolted, staring at our hands, then at me with her lips parted. She’d felt it, too. “What do we do now?”

Lunch? Take you to a hotel and see what else tingles when we touch?

Her expression changed from shocked to concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay? Did you hit your head?”

“Huh? Yeah. No. I’m good.” Shoving the dirty thoughts aside, I glanced at our cars. “We should check the damage and exchange contact and insurance information.”

She swallowed hard, making me wonder if she had insurance. “Like I said, I’ve never been in an accident. I really don’t want my premiums to go up.”

I understood that. Who wanted to pay more for the same service? I knelt to examine our vehicles. Hers had a few scratches and a small dent on the hood, but mine looked the same as when I’d pulled out of the garage that morning. No dings, no dents, not even a scuff mark.

“Your car doesn’t have any damage.” With a sigh of relief, she stood. “So that’s it, then?”

An odd sort of panic made my brain spin. I needed to do something to keep her talking, or at least get her phone number. “I’d feel more comfortable if we swapped info. The computer systems in these cars are rather touchy. Even a bump could cause the backup camera or sensor to malfunction. They’re expensive to replace.”

Her shoulders drooped. “Oh.”

What am I doing? The car is fine. This is low, even for me.

“It’s strictly a precaution.” I met her gaze and held it.

Her body swayed a couple inches toward me, then away, as if she was trying to decide if she should come closer or bolt like a frightened deer.

“Let me grab a pen and notepad.” With that, she hurried to the passenger side of her car.

Something about Lauren had pulled me in from the first moment I’d seen her. Still, no matter how enticing she was, I wouldn’t break my rules. The rules that’d been in place since my son’s mother had abandoned us.

Occasionally, I’d take a woman out. Nothing serious. Flings. One-night stands. No happily ever afters, no strings, and no meeting my son. All of which I made clear from the get-go.

“Found it.” Lauren held up a little note pad and pen.

Her triumphant expression, and the mischief in her pale green eyes, just plain did it for me, which wasn’t a good thing. From what I knew about her, she wasn’t the one and done type. I doubted Lauren would agree to my rules.

She stood beside her car, bent forward, and braced the notepad on the hood.

A slideshow of dirty thoughts and fantasies played through my mind. This poor woman had been in her first accident, but damn it all, I wanted to keep her bent over the hood and—

She walked toward me with a slip of paper in her outstretched hand. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” I took it and glanced at the wide, curvy letters. Lauren’s handwriting looked a hell of a lot like the font on the Disney logo. Like everything else about her, I found it adorable.

She lowered her gaze and wrapped her arms around herself.

Needing to do something to put her at ease, I pulled out my phone and wiggled my brows Groucho Marx style. “I’ll text you. I haven’t used paper since the nineties.”

Her full lips curled into a smirk. “You couldn’t have said something before I dug around for a pen and paper?”

And miss you bent over the hood?

“Far be it from me to correct you.” I sent her a quick text message.

“Got it.” She typed something into her cell before flashing me a grin. “I can’t say it was nice to see you, but I guess my first could have been worse.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if she was aware of the double meaning of her words. If she wasn’t, she would be when I was done. “I’m glad it was a…pleasurable experience. They say you never forget your first time.”

She gasped and pressed a hand to her pinkened cheek. “My first car accident, and I never said this was pleasurable.”

I chuckled, very aware that the fender bender could have been worse. She could have hit and run, or she could have been rude. “I’m glad it was you and not a walking nightmare of a human being.”

“You’re a real sweet talker, you know that?” She let out a cute little snort and shook her head.

“If that’s your idea of sweet talk,” I said, giving her my most charming grin, “you’ve been speaking to the wrong people.”

“Uh huh.” She snatched the notebook out of my hand.

I offered her the pen.

She took it, still watching me as if unsure what to say or do next.

“Have a nice day, Lauren.” I winked before moving out of her way.

“You, too, Eric.” Her cool tone didn’t match the heat in her eyes as she gave me one last once-over, then headed to her Prius. A moment later, she pulled away from the curb.

Lauren Baker, you’re going to be trouble.

Giving her a little wave, I waited until she was out of sight to head back to my car. A quick check of the time told me I needed to get my butt to the movie studios or I’d miss the meeting.

After a mad dash to Stewart, Myers, and Holbrook, I spent another fifteen minutes waiting in the executive lobby. I should have been going over my notes, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Lauren.

Would a woman like that ever give me the time of day? Better yet, would she want more than I could give?

My phone chimed with an incoming text message.

I glanced down, half expecting it to be from Mason with a funny meme or his latest exam score. It wasn’t my son. The name on the screen sent my pulse racing.

    Lauren: You’ll never guess what just happened.

Confused, I didn’t respond.

    Lauren: I rear-ended Eric Chance on my way to work.

She must have thought she was talking to someone else.

    Lauren: It should be a crime to be that hot. I know he’s a player, but my God. Would one night licking his abs, running my fingers through his hair, letting him solve my O problem be so bad?

Not so bad at all, sweetheart. Wait. What the hell does she mean? O problem? Orgasms? What else could it be?

I couldn’t stop grinning. The right thing to do would be to tell her she’d texted the wrong person, but why embarrass her? Besides, I wanted to see what else she had to say.

    Lauren: Too bad he was a dick about the insurance situation. He made me give him my info even though there wasn’t a scratch on his car.

My grin faded.

Can we go back to talking about how hot I am and orgasms?

    Lauren: I don’t know if I want to bang him or strangle him. I must be losing my mind. Maybe his hotness melted my brain. Is that a thing?

A pic of me popped up on the screen. She must have taken it on the sly. Normally, I’d balk at the invasion of my privacy, but the thought she wanted to sleep with me had my body at attention. I liked the idea she’d taken a little souvenir of our encounter.

    Lauren: I’ve always been a sucker for the sexy professor type.

Sexy professor?

My mind went to roleplay scenarios. Lauren in a short plaid skirt and braids, me in a blazer with elbow pads. Lauren bent over my desk with my handprint on her ass.

I could see it all. The question was, would Lauren agree to follow my rules?

 

 

Chapter Two

Lauren

 

When I worked in the emergency department at Los Angeles County Hospital, I had a coffee cup that said: “Time to put an out of order sticker on my forehead and call it a day.”

I had no idea what had happened to my mug, but it described my morning perfectly. If I’m being honest, it described my life perfectly.

Since my daughter had landed the starring role in a major motion picture, everything had changed. Including my job. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I’d be running an urgent care clinic at Stewart, Myers, and Holbrook Studios.

“Ouch. Hey. Take it easy.” The stuntman winced and pulled away for the third time.

I waited not-so-patiently for him to relax before applying another Steri-Strip to the gash on his forehead. “You should really let me stitch this up. You’d be less likely to scar.”

“Chicks dig scars.” He grinned for a split second before cringing and pulling away again.

Seriously, toddlers getting actual stitches made less of a fuss.

I arched a brow. “And if you have a concussion?”

“It wouldn’t be my first.” The big guy winked and settled his gaze on my boobs.

His words brought me back to the accident that morning. When Eric had made a joke about my first time. Somehow, it was charming when he’d said it. Not icky, like my current patient. Then again, Eric hadn’t spoken to my chest.

I applied the last bandage and pulled a concussion information pamphlet from the rack. “Go to the hospital if you experience any of the symptoms on the back.”

He shoved it in his pocket without bothering to look at it. “Thanks. Am I free to go?”

“Home. Not back to work.” I folded my arms to look stern and to hide my breasts from his wandering eyes.

“That’s utter BS. Do you know how much filming delays cost the studio…” He squinted at my nametag. “Nurse Baker?”

“Not as much as lawsuits for unsafe working conditions or chronic traumatic encephalopathy.” I documented his refusal to allow me to suture his wound on his encounter form before handing it to him. “Give this to the woman at the check-out desk before you go. Enjoy your afternoon off, Mr. Eastman.”

He muttered something under his breath at the same time my cell phone rang with Isla’s ringtone.

Normally, I turned it off before seeing my first patient, but my morning had been anything but normal.

“I’m having the worst day,” Isla said the moment I answered the call. She choked out a sob. “Like, I can’t even deal. You know?”

Boy, did I know. Nodding to myself, I asked, “Did something happen at school?”

“At school, at home, at stupid acting class…” She exhaled a shaky breath. “Why did we have to move to San Sera?”

For your job and my sanity?

“I hate it here. No one can even pronounce my name. Half my teachers call me Eee-slaw.” She huffed. “Seriously, it’s spelled like island without the nd.

“Do you need me to come home?” I pressed my cell phone harder to my ear to drown out the sounds of the clinic.

“No, I’m just trying to tell you how I feel, Lauren.” Isla spoke in a sweet tone, but she only called me Lauren when she was mad at me.

I was at a loss. Raising a seventeen-year-old daughter wasn’t easy. Raising a seventeen-year-old daughter who was on the verge of becoming famous was bizarrely complicated. “I’m sorry, Isla. I am listening, I’m just not sure how I can help if you don’t tell me what happened.”

“You don’t always have to help. Sometimes listening is enough.”

“You’re right. Go ahead and vent.” I understood where she was coming from. Growing up, I never felt heard. As the odd duck of the family—a stigma that never really went away—I knew what it was like to be ignored. Because of that, I made sure to make plenty of time for Isla, even when she didn’t seem to want me around.

“Forget it.” She sighed so long and so deeply I feared she’d pass out from lack of oxygen.

Her dismissive attitude hurt, but it seemed like mandatory behavior for teens.

“Is this about work? You’ve been pushing yourself extra hard lately.” I squeezed my eyes closed and braced for impact. I’d screwed up and asked another question.

“No. Never mind. I shouldn’t have called you.” Her last word hung in the air like an insult.

“Honey, I’m sorry. I just worry about you.”

In the two and a half years since Isla had auditioned for the Night Raven movie, our lives had turned upside down. After nine months of commuting from LA, we’d moved to San Sera to be closer to the studios. Funny enough, we’d spent the better part of the first year in San Sera traveling to filming locations. We’d really only started to settle into our new lives over the previous six months.

And everything will change again when the studios announce the cast to the media.

“Forget it. I’m sorry I said anything.” With that, the line went dead in my ear.

I hung my head and dropped my phone in my pocket.

“Teenagers, huh?” Amy, one of my closest friends in San Sera, smiled. It’d been her idea that I come to work at SMH Studios to be closer to Isla.

I’d loved the adrenaline rush of working in the emergency room, but treating actors, stunt people, and a whole host of others with technical titles I didn’t understand had proven to be a different kind of rush.

I nodded. “I keep telling myself, she’s really a good kid. That her attitude is a normal part of growing up. That she’s had a lot of changes over the last couple of years.”

“All of that is true.” Amy hooked her arm in mine and led me to the breakroom. “But you have your doubts?”

Did I?

“No. I just wish she’d talk to me.”

Beyond our occasional tiffs, Isla was the sweetest girl anyone could hope to raise. That morning she’d brought me breakfast in bed, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake the concern that her personality was changing. That she would turn out like her birth parents.

“That age is hard under normal circumstances. She must be under a lot of stress with the movie set to release in three months.” Amy knew a little something about raising a child actor. Her stepdaughter, Zarah, was also in Night Raven.

“Isla loves acting, but I think a part of her misses being a normal kid.”

“I’m sure she does. Zarah was born into Hollywood royalty, but she still struggles. It must be even harder for Isla. She’s new to all of this…” Amy made a wide sweeping motion with her arm. “Movie magic.”

I wanted to ask her what to expect when Isla’s name hit the news, but we’d had the conversation before. I’d had the same talk with Merilee, my friend and Isla’s publicist. Hell, I’d had the same media training as my daughter. I knew what to expect, but I kept hoping someone would tell me it wouldn’t be that bad. Since that wasn’t going to happen, I changed the subject.

“I told you about the accident, but I didn’t tell you who I rear-ended.” I cracked a little grin. “Eric Chance.”

Her eyes widened. “No. Was he upset about it?”

“Not really.” I caught myself smiling and smoothed my expression. “He started out concerned and ended up flirting.”

“That sounds like him.” Amy lowered her voice. “He has a bit of a reputation, but I’ve always thought he was one of the good ones.”

I’d heard the same thing from our other friends, but I had a hard time reconciling a man with a bad rep with a nice guy I’d met that morning. How could he be both? “He’s part of Single Dads Gone Wild, right?”

Amy’s husband, Hudson, had started SDGW after his first wife had passed away. It was one part single father support group and one part a bunch of guys having adventures in the great outdoors.

“Considering so many of them are married now, they really need a new name.” She wrinkled her nose. “But yes, Eric is a member. He’s an amazing father. His son is almost as charming as he is.”

Listening to her talk about Eric and his son made my insides gooey. Maybe I was right about him after all. Maybe he was a sweetheart with an unfair reputation. “It’s a small world, or a small town anyway.”

“He was probably on his way here.” She leaned closer as if to spill her secrets. “Eric had a meeting with Hudson this morning. They’re finalizing the script for the Night Raven sequel. He’s a screenwriter.”

“Oh. Wow.” I sat back and took a moment to digest the new information. I wasn’t sure what bothered me more, Eric and me working for the same company, him writing Isla’s next movie, or the fact Isla and I would be going through it all over again so soon.

Before I could sort out my thoughts, the receptionist popped her head into the breakroom. “Lauren, you have another patient. Someone from hair and makeup cut herself. Lots of blood. She’s in the procedure room.”

“Thanks.” I stood and winked at Amy. “Duty calls.”

Her expression grew more serious. “My next yoga class isn’t for a couple hours. Come find me when you’re finished.”

“Will do.” I hurried to see to my fourth patient in the previous two hours. Compared to the emergency room, a patient every thirty minutes was nothing, but it was busy for the SMH clinic.

Must be a full moon tonight.

I opened the door, glanced at the woman sitting on the exam table, and my brain malfunctioned. My sister, who I hadn’t seen in over a decade, was my patient.

“Lauren?” Candy’s mouth fell open. “What are you doing here?”

Funny, I was about to ask you the same question.

“I work here.” I couldn’t stop staring. Candy was eight years younger than me but looked my age. Maybe older.

Then again, every time I ran across a high school friend on Facebook I thought they looked so much older than me. Maybe it was a trick of the mind or wishful thinking. Either way, time had not been kind to my sister.

“Since when?” She tilted her head. “Wait, does this mean Isla lives in San Sera?”

Hearing my daughter’s name out of her mouth snapped me back to the moment. Had I inadvertently moved Isla to the same city as her birth mother? “We left LA three years ago.”

“Cool.” She held up her loosely bandaged hand. “So, are you going to fix me?”

Fix you? I’m a nurse not a miracle worker.

“Uh…” My brain stuttered. “No. Actually, it’s not a good idea for medical professionals to treat their family members. If you need stitches—”

She narrowed her eyes. “We’re hardly family.”

We grew up together. Shared a mother. I’m raising your daughter.

I cleared my throat. “If you need stitches, I’ll have to refer you to the urgent care at San Sera General.”

“Just have another nurse do it.” She huffed before pushing her lower lip out. An expression I’d seen on Isla’s face more times than I could count.

My God, they look so much alike.

“RNs can’t do stitches. I’m a nurse practitioner.” I moved to her side. Hoping she wouldn’t notice my trembling hands, I peeled back the blood-soaked bandages.

Candy rolled her eyes. “What does that mean?”

“It means I have a master’s degree in nursing and can do more than a regular nurse.” Forcing myself to focus, I poured saline solution over her wound to get a better look. She’d somehow sliced a ribbon of skin off her index finger and knuckle.

“Always a bigshot.” She sucked air between her teeth. “Oh, that looks bad.”

“There isn’t enough skin left to suture.” I met her gaze for the first time since walking into the room. “Candy, you need to go to the ER. You may have cut the tendon.”

“Don’t call me that.” She cradled her hand to her chest. “It’s Candace now.”

“Sorry, Candace.” A million questions danced through my head. I wanted to ask how she’d been. Where she’d been. If she liked her job. If she ever thought about Isla. At the same time, I was terrified to let her in. Even an inch.

My sister and my ex-husband had almost destroyed me.

I cleared the emotion from my throat. “I’ll send someone in to clean it and apply a fresh bandage. Do you need a ride to the hospital?”

Glaring, she opened her mouth likely to say something awful. To my surprise, she snapped it shut, slumped her shoulders, and nodded. “I don’t have a car.”

Don’t do it. Don’t offer. She’s not your responsibility. Not anymore.

I nodded and walked out of the room.

My vision blurred more with each step. I needed to keep it together long enough to update the other nurse and get someplace private.

What the hell is she doing in San Sera? We could run into her at the grocery store or a restaurant or anywhere. Isla is going to flip.

“Lauren?” Candace called from down the hall. “I want to see my daughter.”

“That’s up to her.” I slipped into a supply closet, closed the door, and tried to remember how to breathe.

***

Mason: Hey. Want to catch Dawn of the Dead tonight? They’re showing it in the graveyard.

Isla: That’s creepy, and it’s freezing outside.

Mason: I can keep you warm. And I have a fresh can of zombie repellent.

Isla: Axe Body Spray?

Mason: Haha. I thought you liked the way I smell.

Isla: I do.

Mason: Want to go tonight?

Isla: Maybe this weekend. I’m having a shit day. My dad texted again.

Mason: Did you tell him to F-off?

Isla: No. We talked a lot. I think I’m going to meet him.