Page 44 of California Waves

Of course that was what frightened Mila the most. What if he was a yes for her, and she was a no for him? She hadn’t risked her heart in such a long time, she wasn’t sure she could survive having it broken again.

Erin continued, “Anyway, he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’s flighty, you know? I mean, outside of space shuttles.”

“Are you saying I’m flighty?”

“Well, you do have a tendency to take flight the minute anybody gets the tiniest bit serious about you.”

It was hard to argue with reality. “Well, this time he seems to be the flighty one.”

“No. I don’t think he is. I think there’s something else stopping him.”

Since she’d told Erin this much, she decided to share the rest. “He says he never wants to have to go on a mission while leaving behind a wife or children. He thinks it wouldn’t be fair to them because his job is so risky.”

Erin looked at her. “Are you kidding me? What about police officers and people in the army? They risk their lives all the time.”

She was so pleased Erin could see the situation the same way she did. “I know! That’s exactly what I told him.”

Erin shook her head. “Sometimes I really don’t understand men.”

“Amen, sister.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Well, I’m going to enjoy the fabulous sex, and…” She thought long and hard. “And I’m just going to enjoy the fabulous sex. And not worry about tomorrow.”

Erin shot her yet another searching look. “Are you going to bring him as your date to the wedding?”

Frustrated, she watched a spaniel run circles around them. It had crossed her mind to do that very thing. “We’re sleeping together. We’re not dating.”

“Maybe you should think about it. Then we could get to know him better. I mean, he seems like a really nice guy.”

She let out a huge sigh. “He is. He is a really nice guy.” She picked up the slobbery ball the happy spaniel had dropped at her feet and threw it. The dog raced off. “I’ll think about it.” Then she turned to her little sister. “Are you bringing someone?”

“I don’t know. I usually take Clark, the Sea Shell photographer, as my plus-one, but obviously I can’t bring a news photographer to my celebrity brother’s secret wedding that the media aren’t supposed to know about.”

Mila could see her problem. Besides, Clark was a convenient plus-one. He was nice and dressed well and never, ever challenged Erin in any way. All the world could tell he was in love with her from afar, but he wasn’t bold enough to make a move, so they were friends—and not even friends with benefits.

Mila was about to remind Erin one more time that Jay Malone was coming to Archer’s wedding, and she was pretty sure he wasn’t bringing a plus-one. His current hot underwear model was exactly the sort of person who would alert the worst of the paparazzi if she ever got wind of it. However, Mila was still mad at Jay for pushing his biopic idea at Hersch. He didn’t deserve a nice woman like Erin on his arm. And Erin definitely deserved someone nicer than Jay—someone who listened to Mila, for instance.

While she’d been thinking about this, Erin’s mind had obviously gone down a different track. “As a journalist, I feel really bad promoting the fiction that my brother’s getting married in Scotland.”

Mila turned to her in shock. “You’re not going to sell out Arch to the Sea Shell, are you?”

Irritation was evident on her sister’s face. “Of course I would never do that. I’m just saying, when they find out, I’ll get in huge trouble. You know I will. This would be the scoop of the century for the Sea Shell.”

Mila could see her point, but still, family was more important than any job. She thought about it, and the best she could come up with was that maybe Arch could let the Sea Shell have an exclusive photograph. She shared this idea with Erin, who looked less than impressed. Then she shrugged.

“It’s not like I’ll lose my job or anything. I just feel bad, that’s all.”

“I get that. Jay’s been trying to get hold of me lately. I think he’s hoping I’ll put in a good word for him with Herschel. Which I never will.”

Erin said, “You can see where he’s coming from, though. It would be an amazing project. I mean, Herschel Greenfield is an absolute hero, and what a great part for Archer to play.”

Mila felt the familiar irritation rise in her that came every time that project was brought up. “Yes, I know it would be a great project, but it’s the man’s life. It’s his trauma, and I don’t think he wants to see it laid out on a big screen.”

Erin turned and looked at her. “You’re taking this really seriously. Are you sure it’s completely Herschel that gets you all worked up? Or is there still some of your own stuff about the accident that you haven’t dealt with?”

She looked down and stabbed a toe into the sand. “Sometimes you’re so smart I can’t stand it. I honestly hadn’t even thought of that. But maybe that’s what’s bothering me so much.”

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