Page 42 of Sunrise

"Kade, you answer the door, and Brynn, you get your ass out there!" I whisper and then run to the bathroom and hide with the light off. Leaving the door cracked just a bit to hear what is going on.

"Move on pretty quickly, huh? Looks like your reputation is true," Jasper hisses.

"Oh, shut up, Jasper. You are just making yourself look stupid," Brynn says.

From the crack in the door, I can see Kade pulling the food cart into the room a bit more, but I can't hear the hushed voices coming from Jasper and Brynn. If I open the door any more, I'd give myself away. Maybe a little jealousy will give Jasper the kick in the pants he needs to realize his feelings. Who knows?

When the door closes, I step out and level Brynn with a look.

"It's his first night in the kitchen since my chef quit. His mom set it up. I can't say no to that woman, but I might kill him before it's all over. I don't want to talk about it right now," Brynn says.

I glance over at Brynn and find her hands clenched in fists and a pleading look in her eyes to drop it. I nod.

"Okay, we'll drop it for now."

We continue with one more movie while we eat. With Kade, this time it makes us laugh, and the wine is long forgotten as we finish off the pie we ordered.

It's only nine at night, but I'm ready to head home. Brynn seems ready to be on her own too.

"Well, I'm going to go back. We will talk about Jasper some other time, but I think we are both too drained to do it now," I tell her.

"I am. I promise all the details later," Brynn says and hugs me.

"I'll walk you back," Kade says.

We walk in silence, but once the warm night air hits us, I turn to him and smile.

"Care for a walk on the beach?"

Chapter 19

Kade

"Care for a walk on the beach?" Lin asks.

A walk on the beach with Lin? I'd say yes to that anytime, but even more so right now. I don't care how safe this island is supposed to be; there is no way I'm letting her walk at night alone.

We stroll down the beach toward the water, then walk along where the water just splashes up over our feet. I tuck my hands in my pockets. This isn't a date, so I need to remind myself not to reach for her hand. After one date, it's already instinct to reach for it, and this can get me in a lot of trouble.

"My patents always ended a hard day with a walk on the beach much like this. They always said the water seems to wash their worries away," she says.

I can see it, letting the waves carry away the things you can't control. It's a great way to let go, and I hope maybe Lin can let go of some of the stress from today.

"Since they died, though, it seems the water brings more problems than it takes away. I still try to reconnect with them here by taking a walk on the beach with them, but it's hard when the water now symbolizes everything it took from me. I felt like if this Main Street project goes through, it will be one more thing taken away. The last nail in the coffin, stripped of everything that makes this place home."

She stops and stares up at the moon. It's a clear sky tonight, and so many stars are visible.

"You will find a way around this. You and Brynn are too stubborn not to. Plus, you have the town on your side. Make sure to ask for their help, Lin. Even in the small amount of time I've been here, I can see how much support you and Brynn have." I'm honest with her.

Before she can say anything else, my phone rings. I forgot it was in my pocket from earlier today, and I curse myself for not having it on silent and allowing it to ruin this moment.

"Who is this bimbo you're dating?" Gina's voice comes across loud and harsh. "Wren said you were dating some inn owner, but this girl looks like a model. Fine, I can work with that, but the picture that just hit social media of you two in the sand on the beach? Christ, did you fuck on that beach too? That's what the press is going to try to insinuate. What were you thinking?"

Lin mouths, “Who is that?"

I hold my phone to her so she can read the name. Then something flashes in her eyes, and she straightens her back. She steps up and takes the phone out of my hand. I'm so shocked by the move I don't even have time to stop her.

"Hello, this is the bimbo. I am an inn owner, and what happens on my property and my private beach is really none of your concern, but I'll lay it out. Nothing happened. I was upset about a meeting I had, and he was hugging me. So, thanks for taking one of my low points and trying to make it something trashy. This is life outside Hollywood. Life isn't all sunshine and roses. So how about you do your job and paint him in a better light? I see the problem isn't Kade, it's you." Then she hangs up and tosses my phone back at me and turns to stare at the water.

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