Page 1 of Beauty and the Beard

Chapter 1

Sasha

“You’re actually going to live in the wilderness for a month? What if a bear eats you?”

“Then it might get indigestion. A bear isn’t going to fucking eat me, Roman. Honestly.”

Shaking my head at my friend’s rather uninformed comment, I stuff more wool socks into my suitcase. I know I won’t get eaten by a bear, but I heard wool socks are good for hikes. I hope to do a lot of those. Commune with nature and all that shit.

“What are you going to do there for a whole month? There are no theatres or malls or anything. Like… won’t you get bored?”

Roman’s tone suggests his boredom would hit in about seven minutes if he were at my wilderness retreat.

“Well, the whole point is to try to unplug a little and just… think about my life. Read books. Stay away from people. Watch sunsets and stuff. Maybe eat some marshmallows over the fire.”

“Oh, I love those! With the chocolate and little wafer things?”

A real smile lifts my lips for the first time in what feels like years. I flop on the bed next to my best friend, Roman, and prop up my head with my hand.

“Yeah, the gooey chocolate and marshmallow stuff between graham crackers. Sticky fingers and smell like a campfire.”

“And bug spray.” He wrinkles his nose. “Don’t forget bug spray. I read about that stuff. It’s nasty.” His smile drops. “It could stain clothes, Sasha.”

“Well, it’s necessary for where I’m going. But they have showers, Roman. I won’t be dropped in the middle of the wilderness left to fend for myself. Here, look.” Pulling the brochure off my nightstand, I hand it to Roman. “This is where I’m going. There’s a pretty lake and a town fifteen minutes away. I have a suite in this lodge building here.”

Tapping the photo, he glances sideways at me.

“Sasha, it’s like… old.”

“It’s rustic and charming, Ro. And it’s where I want to be. My friend Heath booked it all for me. I trust him.”

Mostly, I trust him. But since he helped me during a tough time, I like to give back. He needed some experience in vacation planning, so I gave him a list and this is what he came up with. As long as there’s some kind of internet connection, I’ll be fine. Yes, I want to step away from the drama of my life for the past eighteen months, but I need to stay connected. Surely he wouldn’t send me somewhere without the internet.

“Besides, Ro, I need to do something. Think of it as a retreat of sorts. I need to find myself and consider my next moves now. I’m no longer part of Fresh Faces Modelling. I need to figure out my life.”

Which is the biggest understatement ever. My current life looks like the aftermath of a tornado. Soon, the court case, lawsuits, and the upcoming sentencing will finally close the door on that part of my life. While I’ve been trying to right myself and move ahead, the constant spotlight has made it more difficult. My mental health has nosedived. For my sanity, I need to just get away.

“He did you dirty, Sasha. Moe’s judgement is coming and he’ll get what he deserves. I know you took the biggest hit by coming forward, but others will step up now. I know it.”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I stare at the ceiling of my small studio apartment. After I take this much needed downtime, I’ll be back to pack up and move on from the only life I’ve ever really known. And, hopefully, start over.

Roman rolls over again, smacking the brochure back on my chest.

“Okay, seriously, what if you encounter a bear?”

“Depending on the type, I might throw myself at him.” I waggle my eyebrows and Roman at least chuckles at my joke.

“I know you’re teasing me and maybe I sound ridiculous, but I really am worried about wildlife there. You’re a city boy, Sasha. I know you’re fierce, but did you know bears can run up to thirty-five miles per hour?”

“Uh, no.”

“And sometimes they stalk people. It’s rare, but it happens.”

“I had no concerns about bears until we had this conversation. Thanks, Ro.”

“Just stay safe, okay? I know you don’t always like to take instruction,” he holds up his hand to stop my protest. “But please listen to them. I want my friend back intact and not fished out of the belly of a hungry bear.”

“God, Roman. Have you been watchingWild Discoveryagain?”

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