Page 7 of The Stars Over Hollywood

4

The sound of laughter and the lilting tones of locals speaking Spanish surrounded Hayden as she spent the day walking through the quaint streets of Marbella’s old town beside Tracy. The scent of saltwater was in the air as they got closer to the port.

“Are you getting hungry?” Hayden asked when they arrived at the famous port, Puerto Banus, a flashy red Ferrari driving by as Hayden took in the yachts and the bustling atmosphere of the port.

“Yes. I was just about to ask.”

“I found a few places this morning, and one of them was here. Hold on.” Hayden slid her phone out of the pocket of her shorts and found the right tab. “What do you think?”

Tracy leaned over her shoulder to get a look, both of them turning to avoid the sunlight hitting the screen, the warmth of Tracy lightly pressing against her back as Hayden flicked through the photos.

“Yeah. I’m craving seafood which they have plenty of,” Tracy said as she tapped on the screen to bring up the map. “And it’s right over there.” She pointed off to their right, and Hayden could actually see the sign from where they were standing.

Hayden was surprised to find that she missed the feeling of Tracy being so close for those brief few seconds, but she pushed that thought away as they headed for the restaurant.

When they climbed the steps to the upstairs restaurant, the mouthwatering smells of garlic and fish hit her nose as soon as they reached the waiting area.

Hayden blinked when Tracy took the lead, speaking in what sounded like fluent Spanish with the waiter who showed them to a table right at the edge of the balcony, overlooking the port.

“I had no idea you spoke Spanish,” Hayden said once the waiter was gone. She’d only managed to catch the occasional word.

“I was pretty good at it in high school, but one of my first clients before I had the surf school, back when I was just doing private lessons, was a young man who spoke very little English. We muddled our way along, speaking some combination of the two languages and using plenty of gestures, with me showing him how to get up on the board more than telling him. But by the end of it, he said he had a cousin and a friend who were both interested in learning but they had even less English so they didn’t think they could. You know, they didn’t comfortable getting lessons in English.”

The waiter returned with some water and went through the specials in Spanish and then English.

“But yeah, it’s how I got started,” Tracy continued as she took a sip of water. “And I’ve always had probably about twenty-five percent of my clients who preferred to speak Spanish during their lessons, so I managed to gradually improve, and I ended up finding a little niche for myself at the same time.”

“Wow. That’s pretty impressive.”

Tracy tilted her head, as if brushing off the compliment. “It just kind of happened.”

“It’s still impressive.”

“Speaking of lessons,” Tracy said, propping her chin up on her hand as she leaned forward. “Are you still interested?”

“Yes.” Hayden reached for her glass of water and took a drink. “I did mean to get in touch with you.”

“No, it’s okay. I know people get busy. But the offer is still there. I’ll say the same thing to you that I said to Lara. We can work around your schedule. I have enough people working for me that I can let them take over the group classes if that’s the time you happen to free and we can find our own spot further down the beach.”

“I could just join the group class,” Hayden said with a half smile. “Seeing as I’m not a world-famous actress yet.”

“Sure, but if I give you one-on-one lessons, I’ll get you to a proficient level in… Maybe, a third of the time it would take you if you just did the group lessons.”

“I like this confidence,” Hayden said with a grin as the waiter returned to take their order. She’d been so busy talking that she barely glanced at the menu, although she had an idea that she wanted to get two starters and try out some of the local seafood.

“Are you surprised by it?” Tracy asked when he left.

“Honestly? Yes. I saw it with Kerri, when she’s on the phone negotiating or holding her ground for a client. Not as much with Lara. She’s more laid back in her style of management. But it’s easy to see with Ada or Charlotte. They just walk into a room, and it’s like they own it. Not in a conceited kind of way. I guess, that’s part of what got them to where they are. This natural… I don’t even know what to call it. There’s an aura about them almost.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Everything they do is with extreme confidence,” Hayden said with a sigh. “I’m in awe of it. Sorry. I don’t want you to think that I’m jealous or envious. I’m impressed by it. It’s an attractive quality to have. Something I’d like to think I’m working on. But today is the first time I’m seeing it with you. Between the Spanish and the confidence you have in your ability to teach someone how to surf… It just makes me wonder how you didn’t end up with a career like Ada’s or Charlotte’s.”

Hayden thought she saw Tracy’s expression drop slightly, a hint of sadness in her eyes, but then it was gone again. Maybe she’d imagined it.

“Is this about what you said this morning? About feeling like you don’t belong here?”

Hayden exhaled. “I guess? I just feel like I’m Lara’s plus one, which was fine. She’s often come with me to events and dinners, but now that Charlotte’s here… I do feel a bit out of my depth.”

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