Page 18 of Seaside Hideaway

Piper glanced at Audrey, admiring the way the sunlight danced across her features. She had to believe that Audrey was intentionally not asking Piper to go out in public with her, and Piper wasn’t sure what to make of that. It was thoughtful, but Piper hated that she couldn’t just go and bring her to a restaurant in town. Well, she could, but Piper nearly shuddered at the thought. More than once, she thought she could get away with doing normal things, but it rarely worked out. Somehow, there was always a photographer lurking.

At least, this beach was quiet more often than not, and Piper felt safe going for a walk most days. It was something she’d been thinking about a lot this week though. How she could make this easier for Audrey.

“You okay?” Audrey asked, reaching for Piper’s hand as they walked, their fingers intertwining.

“Yeah. I just got a message this morning from my manager. I have a speaking thing I completely forgot about. If it wasn’t for an event I cared about, I’d skip it, but it’s a panel to discuss progress and challenges of LGBTQ+ representation in the film industry.”

“Oh, when is it?”

“This weekend. But it’s just in L.A., so I’ll drive back Thursday night and be back here Monday sometime.” Piper glanced at Audrey, waiting for her reaction. Even though acting was her life, Piper had barely mentioned anything about her work in the last week, knowing that it wouldn’t help her chances of this being more than a vacation fling. And she tried to just be happy with something casual, but when she woke up with Audrey’s arm wrapped around her waist this morning, Piper knew it would never be enough. Not with Audrey. Piper wanted this to become something. “I wish it wasn’t this weekend, but I already committed to being on the panel.”

“No, it’s fine. It sounds like an important event.”

“It is.” Piper took a deep breath. “Any interest in coming with me?”

Audrey’s steps slowed. “You’d be okay to be... Seen with me?”

“Yes?” Piper stopped walking. The sound of the waves hitting the shore seemed louder now, or maybe it was just her pulse swishing in her ears. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. Because this is probably only temporary? Because I’m so much older than you? Look, it doesn’t matter. I’d like to go, but I have a full schedule. I can’t get away for that many days, so forget I said anything.”

“Okay, first of all, I’d be more than happy to be seen with you. You have no idea. But this isn’t the first time you’ve brought up your age. You can find out in two seconds how old I am, but you still won’t tell me how old you are. I don’t care, Audrey. It doesn’t matter.”

Audrey’s hand slid out of hers. She ran it through her hair, sweeping it away from her eyes. “I’m going to be fifty in November.”

If Piper had to guess, she would’ve said that Audrey was around forty-five, so it wasn’t exactly shocking news, but now she understood what the big deal was. “And I’ll be thirty-one in December.”

“You can’t tell me nineteen years doesn’t matter,” Audrey said with an exasperated sigh.

“I don’t think it does. Has it mattered to you this week?”

“This week? No. But it’s one week.”

Piper pursed her lips. “I’m just going to say this as clearly as I can. I don’t care how old you are. I think we’re great together.”

She thought she saw Audrey roll her eyes, a ghost of a smile on her lips as they started walking again, and Piper had to count that as a win.

14

Audrey poured the last of the wine into their glasses, the rich red liquid catching the fading light. This time of year, Audrey felt like she spent more time out on her deck than inside the house.

“Thank you,” Lisa said as she brought the glass to her lips. Her phone chimed on the table beside them, and she picked it up, checking her notifications.

Even though both of them were busy with work, they always made time for at least one night out a week or night in, like they were having tonight. Piper had left yesterday, and Audrey knew she needed these few days to herself. She was getting too wrapped up in all things Piper, and Audrey knew it was a bad idea, but it was hard not to keep spending time with her when she lived just a few feet away.

Lisa’s voice took her away from her thoughts. “Audrey, I don’t know why you insist on keeping your phone free of social media. You’re missing out on all the good content.”

Audrey smiled, taking a sip of her wine. “There’s nothing that important that I need to see.”

“Yeah, but you’re missing out on all this good content. See?” She showed her a photo of none other than Jake Griffen in a very fitted black dress shirt. He looked like he was on a red carpet. “Don’t worry,” Lisa said, swiping her finger over the screen. “I have something for you.” Lisa turned the phone back towards her, and Audrey was looking at a photo of Evelyn Coleman and Piper posing for the cameras. Evelyn Coleman wore a stunning blue dress, while Piper looked effortlessly chic in a black blazer with a white dress shirt underneath, the top few buttons casually undone. The blazer was tailored perfectly to her body, and her hair fell across her shoulder in loose waves.

“Hm,” Audrey murmured, her gaze lingering on Piper.

“There’s a gay cinema event in Los Angeles this weekend, but Jake Griffen is there as an ally. He’s playing a gay man in his next movie, which I absolutely need to see.”

Audrey nodded absently, her mind still on the photo. Evelyn Coleman was someone so famous and so talented. This was Piper’s life—red carpets, photo shoots, and high-profile events. Audrey’s life was quiet dinners on the deck and long days working in the garden. The thought of trying to bridge that gap felt overwhelming.

Lisa kept talking, her enthusiasm undeterred. “There’s always rumors about Evelyn Coleman and Piper Emerson, but last I heard, Evelyn Coleman met an Irish woman, and she moved to Ireland to be with her. I don’t know why there’s always rumors about co-stars.”

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