Three Southern Beaches: A Summer Beach Read Box Set (7 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

“For crying out loud, Melanie,” Jim cursed. “Did you suddenly forget you’re an actress?”

Melanie stomped her foot and crossed her arms over her fake chest. “I just don’t get the emotion of the script.”

“The emotion?” Jim yelled. The question hung heavy in the ballroom they had converted to a 1960s diner to cut down on the cost of having to move everything and everyone to yet another location. The exterior shots had been taken last month in Las Vegas.

“She just met the guy. Why would she care if she never saw him again?” Melanie pouted.

“The dance we filmed showed the connection blooming. It’s as if it’s right in front of you. You just can’t reach it and that tears at your heart. Just like the fact you’ll never get an Oscar. Let’s do it again!”

Taylor hid her smile as she watched everyone hurry to their places. Melanie’s face was red with anger. But Jim was right. Melanie was flat and this was a very emotional moment. This was the scene when Darin and Kathy realized their interest in each other but have to leave not knowing if they’ll ever see each other again.

“CUT!” Taylor grimaced as Jim threw his clipboard across the room. “I can’t take it! Go home. And Melanie, if you can’t give me some semblance of emotion, I will take every pair of shoes you have and set them on fire. Now that ought to get some emotion out of you. And don’t think I won’t do it.”

“Wow, and I thought Coach was tough.”

Taylor jumped as she heard Trey’s whispered words. “You scared me to death,” she said as she grew embarrassed that she’d been caught so unaware.

“I thought we could go out on a date.”

“Better not let her drink since she’s got my bun in her oven,” Grant swaggered over and grinned as if it were true.

But Trey just rocked back on his cowboy boots and smiled like a cat that just ate the canary. If women could see Grant and Trey side by side, they would name a new Sexiest Man of the Year. Grant’s tan was courtesy of his make-up artist and his teeth were just a shade from blinding. He was tall but a couple of inches shorter than Trey. He was muscular, but it seemed like an illusion compared to Trey’s build. And Grant was always sure to lose his shirt in a split second. While nice to look at it, it didn’t compare to Trey's look: the understated jeans that hugged all the right places and the t-shirt gently stretched over a broad chest, hanging just slightly loose around Trey’s tapered waist. It all left you wondering what was beneath the clothing. And one couldn’t ignore Grant’s strutting peacock attitude compared to the gentlemanly manners that left a woman feeling respected and out of breath all at once.

“I wouldn’t worry about anyone believing that. After all, I just saw an article saying you have a secret lover,” Trey continued to grin and Taylor wondered what was up.

“It’s the price you pay for being so good-looking. I’m everyone’s lover. As long as I leave them satisfied, then I’ve done my job. Right, babe?” Taylor rolled her eyes as Grant preened.

“Well, he seems like a nice guy. I’m glad you’re happy with him. The picture of you two online is adorable. Well, ready to go, Taylor?” Trey asked as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on Grant.

“Wait, him? What you talking about?” Grant was already pulling out his phone and turning it on. “Holy hell.” Grant was on the phone and yelling at his agent in the blink of an eye.

Taylor looked at Trey and back to where Grant was running from the set. “I don’t even want to know.”

“He doesn’t matter to us. I have something great planned for tonight.”

“Sounds fun. Let me get my stuff out of the trailer and we can head out. What are we doing?”

“Going to the carnival. It has a huge Ferris wheel overlooking the ocean and Hung Island. And I can probably even win you a stuffed animal if you’d like.”

“A big pink bear?” Taylor teased as they stepped into her trailer.

“Anything my lady desires. Including funnel cakes, cotton candy, and lemon shake-ups. We’ll do the whole shebang.”

“Oh my gosh, that sounds so good.” Taylor picked up her purse, “Okay, let’s go! I can’t wait to go on some of the rides.”

Trey grabbed the door handle of the trailer but nothing happened. He pulled it again, but the door only rattled. “Is there a trick to opening the door?”

“No. It’s just a door handle.” Taylor paused and then took a sniff of the air. “Do you smell smoke?”

Trey breathed in. “Yes, and lots of it.” He tried the door with urgency, but it wouldn’t budge.

Taylor turned to the back of the trailer and gasped. Through the window she saw flames. “Trey!”

Trey grabbed the handle again but pulled back quickly. “Damn, it’s hot.” He rushed to the front of the trailer and looked out the window. “There’s fire all around us.”

Taylor leapt onto the kitchen table and threw open the blinds. “No fire here, but the window only vents. It doesn’t open. We can’t get out.”

Trey reached up and pulled her off the table as if he was moving a book. He flung open the overhead cabinets and ripped off the blinds. Grabbing hold of the bottom of the cabinet, he pulled back his legs and swung forward. The glass shattered on the impact and smoke rushed inside the trailer as the fire spread around them. A few more kicks and the window was mostly gone.

“The fire’s spreading. Grab the doormat,” Trey ordered as he used his boot to knock some hanging pieces of glass down.

Taylor rushed to grab the mat and threw it to him. Trey laid it over the broken glass and reached his hand out to help her step onto the table. “I’ll go out first and drop down. I want you to carefully come out feet first and just drop. I’ll catch you.”

Trey wedged himself through the window. Taylor could see the glass ripping his shirt as his shoulder got stuck. He pushed through and disappeared from view. The trailer was getting hot now and the smoke was making it hard to see. She crawled along the table and looked out the window. Trey was looking nervously at the fire licking the underside of the trailer.

“Sweetheart, now is not the time to be fashionably late.”

Taylor gave a quick nod and pushed her feet out the window. The broken glass crunched under the mat as she scooted farther out. Closing her eyes tight, she pushed herself out. She fell for only a split second and then Trey’s arms were around her. With a flick of his arm, he was cradling her and taking off at a dead run.

“You can put me down,” Taylor tried to say jokingly but wound up coughing instead.

Trey only held her tighter and ran faster. There was a creaking sound of metal melting and then a whoosh of a fireball. Taylor’s eyes went wide as she looked over Trey’s shoulder and saw her trailer explode. Trey leapt forward and tucked her beneath him. They hit the ground hard as metal rained down around them.

*     *     *

Trey kept his arm around Taylor as they waited for Sheriff Wilson to talk to them. Jim stood on the other side of Taylor. Even Grant and Melanie had shown up to see what was going on.

The sheriff nodded his head and shook hands with the fire marshal before heading their way. “Mr. Everett, Miss Jefferies, have the paramedics checked you out yet?”

“Yes. I’m okay and Trey just had a minor cut on his shoulder,” Taylor told him.

“What caused the fire, sheriff?” Trey asked.

Sheriff Wilson ran his hand through his hair and grimaced. “It appears one of the grounds crew was on a golf cart that had a can of gas on the back of it. It seems the gas can fell over when he was about ten feet from your trailer, causing gas to pour out as he drove past. We found the cart and the can. It matches up with the residue we found on the ground.”

“So it was just a freak accident?” Taylor asked, sounding both relieved and disbelieving at the same time.

“I want to know if either of you recognizes anyone in these pictures.” Sheriff Wilson held up three pictures and Taylor nodded.

“I know all of them. They all work here at the resort. That’s Bubs, Mutt, and Gopher.”

“Would any of them have a reason to hurt you?” Sheriff Wilson asked as he kept holding the pictures for her to see.

“Goodness, no. Bubs always leaves fresh flowers in my trailer. He’s the head of the garden on the grounds. His wife just had their second boy and I was even invited to the christening. Mutt’s a great guy. He’s always puttering down at the marina and taught Trey how to sail. And Gopher? He takes care of the golf course. I don’t know him all that well since I don’t play golf. But we’ve worked together on charity golf scrambles and he seems like a nice guy. Why?”

“It was Bubs driving the cart. He said the same thing as you did, but I needed to make sure it was two-sided and not a delusional fan issue. So far it’s looking like an accident. Go home and get some rest. I’ll let you know whenever we get any more information.”

Trey and Taylor shook the sheriff’s hand and watched him stop to talk with his brother, who was also a deputy. The brother was currently giving her the once-over. She rolled her eyes. He was known for being a hound dog.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get home and clean up.” Trey’s hand rested on her lower back with gentle pressure to lead her toward his car.

“I’m sorry your date night was ruined. It sounded wonderful. I hope they’re here a little longer. I’ve never been to a carnival before. As a kid, I was afraid of clowns and when I was a little older, my parents had me working all the time.”

“Well, we will just have to try again. And I’ll protect you from any wayward clowns,” Trey grinned as he looked down at her.

Taylor smiled back, but then her stomach rumbled loud enough that Trey heard it.

“Well, it may not be the carnival, but let’s go to the diner and get a big greasy burger and some beers.”

“Right now, that’s the most romantic thing I’ve heard all day.” Taylor laced her fingers with his and batted her eyelashes as they both dissolved into laughter.

*     *     *

To say Trey was disappointed, upset, and worried was an understatement. But he tried to relax as he watched Taylor bite into the double bacon cheeseburger and wash it down with a beer. She looked so happy as she savored every bite. However, no matter how he tried to relax, the feeling that the other shoe was about to drop plagued him.

“This is so good,” Taylor said for the fourth time before taking a fry and dipping it in some ranch dressing. “Casey, you’re the best. You’ve made a great night out of a horrible one.”

Casey actually blushed slightly from behind the soda fountain.

Trey pulled out his cell phone and skimmed the page. “We do have some good news, though. Tomorrow is the carnival’s last night. You’ll get to go after all.”

“That’s fantastic.” Taylor paused to take another bite of her burger.

Trey was going to agree when two shadows fell over Taylor, causing him to look up. The other shoe had just dropped. Looming behind Taylor and shooting daggers at him were none other than her parents.

“My baaaaby!” her mother wailed, causing the diner to fall silent and stare at their table.

Taylor’s face went white and quickly to red to show her anger. Her hands started shaking as her mother wrapped her arms around her in a hug that went just beyond concerned excitement to slightly painful.

“Let go of me, Mother,” Taylor said quietly. Tourists were pulling out their cameras and flashes started to blind her. Her mother’s thin hands tightened on her shoulders, causing her to wince.

“This man is trying to kill you. We’re here to take you home and protect you.”

Trey pushed his chair back and slowly rose to his full height. He towered over her parents, even when he leaned over and placed both hands flat on the table. “Right now, you’re the only ones hurting your daughter. You’re also about to cause a scene. Let go of her and walk out while you can.”

“You can’t touch me here. I’ll have you arrested so fast you won’t have time to blink,” her mother hissed.

“He can’t, but I sure as hell can,” Casey said forcefully as she stopped next to Taylor with a shotgun resting comfortably in her hands. “Now get out of my diner.”

Taylor felt the painful hold of her mother’s hand release as she looked around. The tourists may have been snapping their cameras at first, but now they sat side by side with the locals, wearing the same fierce expressions on their faces. They weren’t going to mock her; they were going to stand with her.

“Mother, I’ve had enough,” Taylor said with a confidence she didn’t know she had. “I’m filing a harassment report with the sheriff tomorrow. And don’t ever touch me again.”

Her parents glanced around and saw the tide had turned against them. With a quick tightening of her jaw, her mother spun on her heel and walked out of the diner with her father trailing after.

“Something changed in you,” Trey said quietly as the diners went back to eating.

“When the cameras came out, I didn’t panic. And when my mother’s hand tightened, I didn’t panic. Somehow I felt strong enough to handle it all and I plan to do just that. When Sheriff Wilson gives me an update tomorrow, I’ll tell him about my parents. There’s no need to be embarrassed about them anymore. I need to treat them as the threat they are. But for now, I want to get home and curl up on the couch with you and a bottle of wine.”