Page 23 of Heart Set on You

Chapter Ten

Miles

“This place is sick,” my brother Parker says as I tour him through my rental home. Following close behind him is my other brother Liam, his fiancée Ellie and Parker’s wife Olivia. They arrived in Vancouver this afternoon for a four-day stay before heading up to Whistler to wind up their trip. I invited them all to stay with me since the house is over 3,500 square feet.

“Yeah man, this place is amazing,” Liam agrees. “We may need to extend our trip.”

“Mi casa es su casa. Make yourselves at home,” I tell them as we end the tour in the kitchen. I dig out five tumbler glasses and a bottle of my favorite whiskey. I grab a bottle of sparkling grape juice for Ellie, who is pregnant.

“Man, they really set you up here. They spared no expense,” Ellie says, gazing out the retractable glass doors to the view of the ocean.

“Yeah, well, I’m kind of a big deal,” I joke. “Not to mention incredibly good looking.” Parker groans and gives me the finger from across the room where he’s leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Your head is as big as the whole fucking house,” Liam deadpans, reaching for the tumbler of whiskey in my hands.

“I see nothing has changed since I’ve been gone,” I say, sliding two glasses across the counter to Parker and Olivia then turning my attention to my brothers. “You two are still as pleasant as always. A quality you both own so fucking well.”

“Geez,” Parker laughs, shaking his head.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just busy enjoying the warmth of your welcome,” Parker says before tossing back a long sip of his whiskey.

I smile, happy to fall into our familiar routine. My brothers and I like to take the piss out of each other. We always have. The five of us clink our glasses together then move outside, sitting by the pool to enjoy the last of the sun.

“Who’s hungry?” I ask. It’s 7:30 p.m. and I assume they must be starving after a day of travelling.

Ellie’s arm flies into the air, her eyes wide, and we bust out laughing. She loves her food, and the girl can eat. Now that she’s eating for two, all bets are off. We wind up ordering Indian food and eating outside by the fireplace. We order extra for Ellie, so she won’t dip into ours.

“Have you thought about chartering a boat?” Olivia asks, gazing at the view of the ocean from our deck. “It’s so pretty here. It would be nice to see the city from the water. I’ve heard sometimes they have whale sightings around here. Or is it sharks? I can’t remember which one.”

“There’s a big fucking difference between a whale and a shark, Livy,” Parker says to his wife in between bites of his naan bread. “Where are you getting these facts?”

“I don’t remember,” she shrugs her shoulders. “Anyways, wouldn’t it be nice?”

“I’m with Olivia. I think we should look into it,” Ellie says. “We can bring a big charcuterie board, or maybe pick up some sandwiches on the way. Or just keep it simple and barbecue hotdogs on the back of the boat.”

We laugh again at Ellie’s expense. Always thinking of the next meal. She crosses her arms over her chest, fake glaring at us.

“Ells, you walked right into that one. Even I can’t save you,” Liam jokes, kissing her cheek. “However, I do think renting a boat is a great fucking idea.”

“Hey Miles, you can bring your new girlfriend,” Parker says in a mocking tone. I sit up straight in my chair. I haven’t told anyone about Rylee, so my brother catches me off guard.

“Your publicist must be pissed that you are sleeping with your taken co-star. The media absolutely slaughtered you. It’s been kind of entertaining,” he adds with a smirk.

Ahh, that’s where he’s going with this. I guess I should have cleared up the rumors with my family when they hit the gossip rags, but in my defense, they really should know better than to believe everything they read. “I’m not fucking Violet. I barely even talk to her unless we are on set. The whole thing is bullshit.”

“Why not? She’s more beautiful than a supermodel. Spill the tea. I want to know all the deets on her,” Ellie says, rubbing her palms together.

I wipe my mouth with my napkin before answering. “You know how they say you should never meet your celebrity crush? That applies in this case.”

Her face scrunches together in disappointment. “Oh no, really? That sucks.”

I shrug, stuffing a mouthful of butter chicken in my mouth. Talking about Violet is as appealing as an appendicitis attack. I’m sure her person is somewhere out there – maybe he’s driving fast cars in Europe – but that person definitely isn’t me. I steer the conversation to something more pleasant. I’d rather drink gasoline than continue talking about my co-star, the one who got me into this media mess in the first place.

“About the boat. I’ll have Georgia get you the name of a rental company. Maybe one of you could look into it while I’m on set tomorrow?”

Olivia nods happily. “Leave it to me. Will you come with us if we book a night cruise? You could bring a friend.”

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