Page 18 of Sunrise

"He's happy to have me stay under the radar. He's talking to a few studios, pitting them against each other, is my guess. Last I heard, they want me to clean up my reputation some. I've been trying, but it's not easy."

I haven't hidden my past from my parents. Not that I could if I wanted to, since my face has been over countless tabloids in the grocery lines all over the country. My mom sees them all.

"What you need is a nice girl to go out with, even if it's only a few dates. Show that you want to date and are willing to commit to a relationship. Play it up that she broke up with you broke your heart, and the press will eat it up," Mom says, shocking me into silence.

"What?" I ask.

"It's what Shelly at the market said. I guess it's what Tom something did after one of his breakups. Or was it a Brad? I don't know I can't keep up, but it's been done before totally and turned the tables," she says.

"Damn, Mom, maybe you should move to California with me and be my publicist," I joke.

"Not in your life will I step foot in that god-awful state for more than a weekend."

My parents hate California. They hate the smog, the noise, the people, and mostly the politics. They prefer I come to visit them but will make the trip for a movie premier or award show.

"Okay, Mom, I love you. Is Dad there?" I ask.

"No, he went to have breakfast with the other ranchers at the diner. I'll let him know you called," she says.

After we hang up, I decide to go for a walk and see if I can find Lin. As much as I know I should stay away, I can't seem to.

Chapter 9

Linly

After I do a walkthrough of both inns and find the worst damage is a few small plants pelted by the rain, I decide to go for a walk on the beach. It's been a while since I've done so and even longer since I've gone for a swim.

I just can't bring myself to go swimming in the same waters that took my parents from me. But a nice walk on the beach should help calm me after the storm.

I'm lost in my thoughts of making sure everyone at the inn is taken care of, so I don't notice Kade walking beside me right away. When I do, I jump.

"Christ, how long have you been there?" I ask him.

"Only a few steps." He smirks. “Lost in thought?"

"Yeah, was making plans for the inns if this bridge takes longer than two weeks to fix," I admit.

"What are you doing out here?" he asks.

"Oh, I thought I'd walk the beach see what might have washed up after the storm. I point down the beach to a man with a metal detector.”

"That's Josh. He is always searching the beaches for stuff. He's found some gold coins and jewelry. He's semi-retired from the bank, and this has been his hobby for a few years now," I tell him.

"Wow, all that really washes up here?" Kade asks in awe.

"Yeah. Hey, Josh!" I call out.

He stops and turns to me and smiles. He's an older man in his fifties and has always been nice to Brynn and me.

"Lin! Find anything good on the beach?" he asks.

"Just a few sharks' teeth. You should tell my friend here about those Spanish coins you found," Lin says.

Josh looks Kade over and doesn't show an ounce of recognition before he just launches into his story.

"So, after the big storm five years ago, it disrupted a lot of the ocean floor. All sorts of stuff were washing up onshore. A lot of trash and some good treasure too. I found a few Spanish silver coins from a 1700s shipwreck. Sold them to a company in Wilmington for over seven-thousand dollars. Best find yet. Mostly, I find a lot of jewelry, rings tourists take off and lose, earrings, or necklaces. It pays the bills," Josh says.

"Find anything good today?" Kade asks.

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