MY ONE AND ONLY (The Youngers #4)

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Lucy inhaled the scent of cinnamon rolls and coffee as she came downstairs at the local bed-and-breakfast. Most of the cast had been provided rooms here, and although it was hardly fancy, it was nice and homey and had helped Lucy relax after her stressful day yesterday.

She couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment—and anger—as she thought of Carter Roberts. His stupid, grinning, handsome face, and how he seemed to love needling her as much as humanly possible. She had no idea what his deal was, and she was determined to avoid him as much as she could.

“Good morning,” said Gwendolyn Parker, the owner of the Hazel Island Bed and Breakfast. Tall and curvaceous, with curly red hair, Gwen was as sweet as apple pie and probably the nicest person Lucy had ever met. It probably helped that she got to live on this beautiful island and not deal with men like Carter Roberts.

“Good morning. Those smell amazing,” said Lucy. The first floor of the bed-and-breakfast consisted of the dining room, where they provided a complimentary breakfast that included local pastries made fresh every morning, and another room used for small meetings and get-togethers. The walls were a pale peach with hand-painted leaves edging the ceiling. Local artwork hung on the walls, depicting scenes of Hazel Island and more avant-garde paintings filled with slashes of color that seemed to depict nothing and everything all at once.

A few of the cast and crew were already downstairs eating along with some locals Lucy didn’t recognize. Erin wasn’t there yet; most likely she was still asleep, and since it was their day off, she probably wouldn’t leave her room for a few more hours.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t see Carter. She didn’t know if he was staying here, anyway. A fancy baseball player like him probably had his own place somewhere on the island.

She also couldn’t believe Carter was Anthony Bertram’s best friend. Anthony, who also happened to be Lucy’s sister Thea’s boyfriend. It explained why Carter had gotten this gig in the first place, but Lucy also knew that if she didn’t watch herself, word would get to Thea. And then Thea would be up in Lucy’s business asking all kinds of questions like the nosy older sister she was.

“Did you sleep well?” said Gwen with a bright smile. “I hope your room wasn’t too cold. The windows in your room are old and tend to be drafty.”

“No, it was perfect. Although I have to admit, I’d forgotten how cold the nights get here. I was spoiled in LA. Anything below sixty degrees was practically a national emergency down there.”

Gwen laughed. “One of my good friends from college moved down there, and anytime she comes up here, she wears so many layers you’d think she was in Siberia.”

Lucy chose a pastry and poured herself a cup of coffee. She overheard one of the women nearby mention the name Hayden Masterson, and Lucy shivered in excitement. Hayden was supposed to arrive today. Would he be staying here? No, he’d get his own place. He was too big now to get a room at some bed-and-breakfast.

Lucy still couldn’t believe the man she’d been crushing on for a year would be her castmate. Just when she’d gotten to the point where she’d seriously considered giving up acting and letting this dream go, she’d gotten the call that she’d been cast for this movie. And now Hayden was part of it. It was like the universe was telling her not to give up.

Lucy had wanted to be an actress since she’d been a little girl and had starred in her first school play. She’d been a strawberry in a play about making sure you ate your fruits and vegetables. It wasn’t the most exciting role, but Lucy had loved it so much that she’d worn her strawberry costume around the house for a good month before her mom had finally put her foot down.

That had been before her mom had gotten sick. Before her father had gotten mean. Before the family had fallen apart. Lucy had been eight when Beatrice Younger had died, so her memories were less vivid than her older siblings’. Trent, Thea, Ash and Phin could remember when their mother had been happy; Lucy couldn’t. Her loss had been more like a dark hole, a place that could never be filled again.

Lucy shoved away the memories. It was too pretty of a morning to wallow in the past. She was here, filming a movie with Hayden Masterson. Things were only looking up for her.

“So, Hayden Masterson,” said Gwen slyly as she and Lucy sat down at a table together. “I heard the news. That’s going to cause a frenzy here, you know. We’re not exactly used to things like movies being filmed here.”

“But it’s good for business, right?” said Lucy with a bright smile. “Are you completely booked up?”

“Oh, it’s been great for business. I’m not complaining, although our usuals that come up for the summer aren’t too happy to be told we’re booked up.” Gwen’s smile was wry. “I guess it’s a necessary evil, all this business, you know.”

“I feel very sorry for you.”

Gwen wrinkled her nose and took a bite of her muffin. In the two weeks since Lucy had arrived on Hazel Island, she’d become friends with Gwen. It wasn’t hard, considering that Gwen had a natural way of making people feel comfortable. It went with the territory of running a bed-and-breakfast and dealing with the public on a daily business.

“Is Hayden staying here?” said Lucy, trying not to sound too eager.

“If he were, I couldn’t tell you.”

“Aw, come on. I won’t tell. People will find out anyway.” Lucy wasn’t above begging at this point.

Gwen’s lips twitched. “Sorry to disappoint, but he’s not staying here. We aren’t exactly five-star, so I’m not offended. Plus he probably has bodyguards or whatever else famous people need. And what if there are paparazzi?” Gwen shuddered. “No thanks.”

“I doubt there will be paps all the way up here.”

“But there will definitely be fans with phones posting stuff online.” Gwen leaned forward. “So, tell me. Do you get to kiss him?”

Lucy blushed. “Kiss who?”

“Now you’re being coy. You know who I mean.”

“Maybe I do.”

Gwen let out a squeal that made everyone in the room turn toward their table. Lucy covered her face.

“I’m so jealous. I think I’ve seen every movie he’s ever been in. Going Home is my favorite. When he comes walking through the fog and tells Janie that he loves her, I cry every single time,” said Gwen.

Lucy refused to admit that she’d watched that particular scene so many times she’d lost count. Not because it was romantic, but because Lucy had marveled at Hayden’s acting throughout the movie. Going Home had taken his career to the next level and had gotten him that Oscar nomination.

“I love that scene, but I also loved the ones where he takes his pants off,” quipped Lucy.

Gwen choked on her coffee and then laughed. “You’re bad, which is why I like you. Just don’t think about his butt when you’re doing scenes with him.”

Lucy groaned, knowing that was exactly what she was going to think about now.

When Lucy went to get another cup of coffee and considered what she’d like to do on her day off, she froze when she saw him. No, not Hayden: Carter Roberts. Of all people…

Carter entered the dining room like he owned the place. When he spotted Lucy, he grinned lazily.

“Good morning,” he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “Sleep well last night?”

Lucy refused to get snippy with him. That was exactly what he wanted: a reaction. “I did, thank you.” She returned to her table, hoping that would put an end to the conversation.

But Carter apparently didn’t get the memo as he stood over the table.

“Did you sleep well?” said Gwen to Carter.

“I did, yes. You have a great place here. When did you open it?”

“Five years ago.” Gwen shot a look at Lucy, then said, “Would you like to sit down? I can pull up a chair for you.”

Carter glanced at Lucy, then drawled, “No, that’s fine. I just wanted some coffee to go. Have a nice day, ladies.”

When Lucy finally looked over at Gwen, Gwen raised her eyebrows. “What in the world was that about?”

“Nothing.”

“Really? So why do you look like you wanted to claw out his eyeballs?”

Lucy sipped her coffee. “I have no interest in Carter Roberts’s eyeballs.”

“Uh-huh. Well, he seemed like he’d love to enjoy more than your eyeballs, if you catch my meaning.”

At that statement, Lucy choked on her own coffee. “Are you serious? He just wants to mess with me. I don’t know why. I guess he’s bored or something.”

“So, there is a story to this. Spill, woman.”

Lucy sighed and told Gwen about what had happened yesterday: Lucy not recognizing Carter and thinking he was an assistant; how she’d embarrassed herself in front of the cast and crew; how Carter had seemed intent on driving her crazy.

“He’s the most arrogant, irritating jerk I’ve ever met, and if I didn’t like you, I’d go find another place to stay so I didn’t have to be near him,” finished Lucy in a huff.

“Wow, and all that from yesterday. I’m impressed.”

“There’s nothing impressive about him or this situation. And if you’re just going to be annoying—”

Gwen put up her hands, laughing. “Don’t flounce off in a huff. I’m teasing you. Although I don’t know why you’d be mad at somebody like Carter Roberts flirting with you. Did you look at him?”

“Handsomeness doesn’t erase his terrible personality.”

“Honey, he has more money than God, he’s hot, and he’s got muscles for days. Who cares about his personality?”

“I had no idea you were so shallow.” Lucy smiled, though, and after telling Gwen for the thousandth time that Carter had not and would never flirt with her, she left to wander around downtown.

It was a perfect June day: cloudless blue sky, a light breeze blowing off the water not even a half mile away. Hazel Island was small enough that it consisted of one single town, and its downtown area encompassed five blocks total. The shops were like something from fifty years ago: ice cream shops, bookstores, and independent grocery stores. A clockmaker on one corner and a handmade jewelry boutique on another.

Tourists and locals alike mingled and strolled. The area was particularly busy lately due to the influx of cast and crew working on The Last Goodbye.

Lucy wandered into the local bookstore to peruse the shelves. The interior smelled like ink and paper, and a fat gray cat lounged in a bed near the old-fashioned cash register. When Lucy scratched behind the cat’s ears, its tail swished but it kept its eyes closed.

A few other people were inside, but it was so quiet that Lucy felt like she was entering some kind of sacred shrine. Or a library on steroids.

When she reached the romance section, she had to restrain a squeal of delight when she found an array of old-school romances from the seventies and eighties in their bodice-ripping glory: in rainbow hues, the covers depicted men with bulging arms, their shirts open to the wind as women swooned in their arms. Some of the women stood in the strangest poses; Lucy had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling like an i***t.

She looked up and saw a romance from one of her favorite authors that was out of print. She stood on her tiptoes to reach it, but she was too short. She growled under her breath. This was one of many instances where she hated being short. Where was a tall person when she needed one?

She stood on her tiptoes one last time to try to reach the book—as if by sheer force of will, she’d grow three more inches in the process—when a voice said, “Let me get that for you.”

A man’s arm reached over her head and plucked the book from the shelf. Turning, Lucy was about to thank the Good Samaritan when she came face-to-face with Hayden Masterson himself.

Hayden. Masterson. Standing in front of her with a book titled Seducing His Wicked Virgin.

He looked as good as he had a year ago when Lucy had met him briefly: his hair fell over his forehead at the perfect angle to amplify his eyes, and his jaw seemed like it was cut from marble. When he smiled, it was like getting hit in the chest with a missile.

“You know, I don’t know much about book titles,” he said in that voice that had seduced so many women across the world, “but isn’t ‘wicked virgin’ kind of a contradiction here?”

“Um,” was the only reply Lucy could come up with.

“Although since I don’t read romances, maybe you could explain. Is the virgin supposed to be wicked?” He gave her a wink that she was pretty sure made her burst into flames.

She was wondering why no one was running for the fire extinguisher when she realized she hadn’t even responded to his question. “Um, usually the heroine becomes wicked once she meets the hero. It’s like an awakening.” Her face flamed. God, she sounded like an i***t.

“Now I’m intrigued,” he said. He leaned against one of the bookshelves, all handsome nonchalance. “Maybe I should read one.”

“More men should read them.”

He chuckled. “What’s your name? You seem familiar, but I never forget a pretty face.” When his gaze slowly traveled up the length of her body, Lucy wasn’t entirely certain how she was still standing. She also didn’t want to point out to him that he had already met her. It would only make things more awkward.

“My name is Lucy Younger,” she stuttered. “I’m actually your costar in The Last Goodbye.”

His eyes widened. “What? That’s where I know you from! Christ, I’m sorry. I’m an ass. You should’ve told me right away.”

“It’s fine. I wouldn’t expect you to know who I was,” she said honestly.

“No excuses. I need to make it up to you. How about we get a drink sometime? I think there might be two bars here. We could figure out which one is better.”

“Okay,” she said, sounding so breathless that she’d feel ridiculous about it if she were more coherent.

By the time Hayden said goodbye, Lucy was pretty sure she had died and gone to heaven. Hayden Masterson had asked her out. On a date! Well, not a date date. Just a drink between castmates. She shouldn’t get too excited about that.

But excitement raced through her veins until she did a little happy dance right there in the stacks. She didn’t care if she looked like an i***t. Hayden Masterson had asked her out for a drink! The man she’d been dreaming about for an entire year! She couldn’t believe it. It was too good to be true.

After she’d paid for her new favorite book, Seducing His Wicked Virgin, Lucy stood outside the bookstore and smiled so widely that her cheeks hurt. She headed back to the bed-and-breakfast to tell Erin and Gwen about how she’d seen Hayden Masterson when she noticed a crowd had formed about a block away, near the grocery store.

Lucy hurried toward the crowd, thinking it was Hayden, but she stopped in her tracks when she realized the crowd wasn’t there for Hayden: it was Carter Roberts.