Page 36 of Sunrise

Great, I still can't get used to letting the two of them control the narrative of my life, even if it's for the better and supposed to get me what I want in the long run. No matter how long I'm in Hollywood, I will never get used to it.

I decide to call my parents. I don't want them to hear from someone else, but I also can't tell her it's fake because she wants so badly for me to settle down. Finally I decide not to offer it up, but not to lie either.

"Hey, baby, glad the cell phone towers are working again," Mom says in her slow Southern twang, drawing out the words.

"Hey, Mom. Is Dad there too?" I ask.

"Sure is. Let me put him on speakerphone."

"Hey, Son. Everything okay?" he asks.

"Hi, Dad. Yeah, just wanted to let you know I was on a date tonight. Great girl who owns the inn here. Well, it's a small town, so photos are already all over social media. Wren and Gina are going to try to use this to their advantage and get me back with the studio, so who knows what that means. Anyway, I wanted you two to hear it from me first," I tell them.

They are both silent, and I know they are having a silent conversation with each other. They were famous for this when I was growing up. Being an only child made it easy.

"Is it serious?" Mom asks.

"It was one date, but it's going to be everywhere, I'm sure, so I wanted you to know."

"Did she warn her family? You know it will be a lot for them too," Mom says.

"Ah, her parents passed away five years ago. It's just her and her best friend," I tell them.

"Poor girl. Dating you is a lot to deal with when you don't have a support system." Dad sighs.

I know what he means. The constant press, stories written that aren't true, random photos sold to magazines, friends turning on you for a quick buck.

"She has a support system. Family friends, Brynn her best friend, and some of the people in town have taken her under their wing. Hell, I think she has a bigger support system she can count on than I do. I have you two, but even Wren and Gina make me wonder."

"Well, you be good to her and try to prepare her for this," Mom says.

"Oh, I already did before we even went out on a date. I wanted her to know what she was getting into. She still agreed to go out with me anyway," I tell them.

"Good, now tell me about this young lady," my dad says.

I spend some time telling them what I know of Lin, from how she grew up here and her parents' passing to taking over the inn. I find myself smiling the whole time.

This is starting to feel a lot more real than it should.

I jump when my alarm goes off, and I'm about to throw it across the room. Hell, it's still dark out, but then I realize I'm meeting Lin for the sunrise. I hop up and get ready and head down to the dining room with time to spare.

When she isn't there, I go to her room. I figure I can wait in the hall, but her lights aren't on, and it's quiet. So, I knock on the door.

Nothing.

I knock a bit louder when she finally answers.

"I had ten more fucking minutes of sleep. Jesus H. Christ, what is wrong with you? Wait for me in the dining room," she grumbles, then slams the door in my face.

I smile the whole way back to the dining room. Just woken up Lin in a tank top and small cotton shorts is sexy and cute. As I realize there was no bra on under that tank top, my cock starts to harden. I take a deep breath and focus on the sunrise. This isn't the time to scare her off that way.

When she walks into the room, she stops and glares at me, then continues on to the room just beside the dining room and starts making coffee. I follow and admire her. In place of her usual jean shorts are black leggings, and instead of a T-shirt, she has on an oversized sweater with her hair pulled up in a messy bun and no makeup.

"So, I was thinking we could take a photo together after sunrise. My manager wants us to post one soon," I tell her.

"Of course, he does. Here, finish the coffee. You do know how to make coffee, right?" she asks.

"Yes." I watch her as she heads back to her room to get picture ready.

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