Chapter One
January 2017
Los Angeles, California
The morning after Ethan Bradley landed at LAX, the earth shook. Literally. Being from Iowa, he’d always been afraid of earthquakes. He remembered watching footage when he was probably four years old of the one that hit Northridge, and it stayed with him. He’d even turned down a part in the 2015 film San Andreas because he was terrified of the real thing.
Plus, at the time, he’d been fresh out of college and wanted to be considered a serious actor, and accepting a role in a Hollywood disaster blockbuster didn’t fit in with his professional goals. Instead, he’d done stage in New York, then ended up going to London to film a clever romantic comedy. Then came more stage, a period film, and more accolades at the age of twenty-six than he’d imagined possible.
When his hotel room rattled his first morning in LA and sent him diving under the desk in the early hours, he’d wished he’d been able to stay in Europe as planned.
But London had nothing to offer him after the paparazzi ruined his life. And he couldn’t go home. So there he was, back in the States, and ready to grovel before his former producer—and crush—for a role, any role, that would allow him to get back to doing what he loved…acting, singing, performing.
Love was a strong word. It was what he knew, what he was good at, where his God-given talents lie.
He’d come to LA with a plan. Sort of. Go see Reese Matheson. Pray he opened the door and took pity on him. And that he didn’t hold a grudge.
He plugged the Malibu address he’d gotten from his London manager’s office into the Lyft app and went outside to wait for his ride. And prayed.
If Reese wouldn’t see him, he had a plan B.
He’d go see Reese’s business partner, Toby Griffiths. Which was probably a terrible idea, but the best he had.
Because there was no plan C.
He had exactly fifty dollars cash on him and a credit card dangerously close to being maxed out. Rock Bottom was flying up to meet him fast.
The Lyft driver dropped him off at the end of a long driveway leading to a quaint little house that backed up to the Malibu shoreline. He knew nine o’clock on a Sunday morning was early, but the earthquake had shaken him so much that he couldn’t wait to get out of his room at the Holiday Inn. He’d been to LA before to promote his films, but he’d never felt comfortable among the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills in the limited time he’d been there.
Malibu had the scenery people thought of when they imagined Southern California. Palm trees, mountains that broke off into the sea, miles of sand with beautiful people jogging along the water’s edge. It was picturesque, and sometimes cliché. For Ethan, it represented his last hope.
He climbed the steps, cleared his throat, and reached for that enthusiastic confidence that used to come so easy for him once upon a time—
The door opened before he even had a chance to knock.
The short Filipino man standing there in a pair of scrubs had one eyebrow raised and a hand on his hip. “Can I help you?”
His tone didn’t come across as helpful, despite his words.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m looking for Reese Matheson? My name is—”
“I know who you are.” The man’s raised eyebrow turned into a frown. “Just a minute,” he said before closing the door with a little less force than a slam.
Breathe. It’s fine. Reese is a good guy. He won’t be angry that I showed up. He’s a generous, kind person—
The door opened again.
“He just finished surfing. He’s showering. You can come in and wait for him.”
The man’s gaze dropped to Ethan’s duffle on the porch next to his feet and both eyebrows shot up behind the black hair that fell across his forehead.
Ethan picked up his bag. “Thank you so much. I’m sorry to drop by unannounced.”
The man held open the door and gestured toward the living room to the right. A familiar jingle played in the next room, and he heard someone cough. There was a doorway that looked as though it led to a kitchen directly in front of him, and a hallway off to the left probably led to bedrooms. The house felt small but homey.
“He’ll be in shortly,” the man said before walking through the doorway Ethan thought might lead to the kitchen.
Ethan turned the corner and set his bag down. He looked around the small living room with wood-paneled walls. Several black-and-white pictures hung above the leather couch. The place had a definite vintage surf movie vibe. To his right, a pair of French doors were open to a bright room. An older man wrapped in a blue plaid bathrobe lay on a hospital bed. He coughed once more and then noticed Ethan standing there.
“You one of Reese’s friends?”
Ethan put on his best smile—it had been called dazzling by many an entertainment reporter—and took a step forward.
“Yes, sir,” he said, remembering his manners. “Is that…are you watching—”
“Sex and the City. Yeah. Reese bought me the DVDs. I’m on Season Two. That Samantha is a fox.”
Ethan chuckled. Kim Cattrall. A fox indeed.
“It’s a great show.”
The old man looked him up and down once more, gave a grunt Ethan assumed was in agreement, and went back to his program.
A door slammed, and Ethan recognized Reese’s voice.
“Hey babe? I’m going to shower inside. It’s a bit chilly out there.”
He heard the lowered voice of the man who’d let him in and then Reese’s. It sounded as though an argument ensued, taking some of the wattage out of Ethan’s smile.
“I promise, I won’t get sand everywhere,” Reese said, and then he came through the doorway. In a towel.
“Ethan! Wow. This is a surprise. How’ve you been?”
Ethan felt a bit of that old flutter he’d get whenever Reese was around. He’d gotten over his crush, but Reese was still a lot to behold. Ethan wasn’t sure of the welcome he’d receive, so he held out a hand.
Reese took it, shook, and then instead of the usual hearty hug he’d always given with a firm pounding on the back, he kind of awkwardly gave Ethan a side hug.
Over his shoulder, Ethan saw the man in scrubs standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.
“Good. Well, I’ve been okay. How are you?”
“Great,” Reese replied, though it sounded forced.
The man in the doorway cleared his throat.
“Oh, Ethan, this is Jude, my boyfriend.”
It took every ounce of Ethan’s acting talent to keep his smile in place as he held out his hand to Jude to shake. Jude. A dude. Reese is with a guy.
Ethan of a year ago simultaneously sighed with relief that he hadn’t read the guy wrong and sighed with disappointment that his flirting hadn’t managed to nab the gorgeous fish.
“Great to meet you,” Ethan managed to say before he stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Wow, I didn’t know you were in town. Come in, come in. Sit down.”
Reese held out a bronzed arm toward the couch and he took a seat in a recliner at the other end. In just a towel.
“Reese.” Jude had that eyebrow raised again.
“Yeah, babe?”
“The shower?”
Reese looked down at himself and chuckled. “Oh. Yeah. Hey, uh, let me take a quick shower. I’ll be right out. You, uh, want anything? Breakfast? Jude was just—”
“No, no, I’m fine. I ate already.” Yeah, my last protein bar. “I don’t want to trouble you.”
Jude turned on his heel and headed back into the kitchen.
Reese glanced in the direction Jude just left and winced. “No problem. Uh, I’ll be right back.”
He turned and trotted down the hallway to the left and closed a door.
Ethan dropped his head into his hands and blew out a breath. He’d fucked up. Again.
He saw Jude’s feet in front of him before he heard him place a glass on the table.
“We have plenty for breakfast,” he said, his tone kinder. “At least have some juice?”
“Thank you so much,” Ethan said.
“Where’s mine, Jude my boy?”
Jude walked over to the man in the hospital bed. “I’m just finishing the bacon,” he said as he rearranged the pillow behind the man’s head. “I made you French toast,” he said. “And I bought you some more applesauce.”
The man rubbed his hands together. “Sounds great. How about you get it for me before I waste away, huh? You trying to starve me?”
Jude patted his arm and walked away. “I have coffee, too, if you’d like,” he said to Ethan as he passed.
“Juice is fine, thank you.”
Jude passed through to the kitchen and was gone for a few moments, long enough for Ethan to take one more look around the room. He noticed a laptop on a table by the entryway. A pair of earbuds lay on top and a backpack leaned against the table leg.
A door opened in the hallway and a younger Filipino man appeared.
“Hey Jude? Can I grab some breakfast? Jane’s picking me up to study.”
Jude appeared in the doorway carrying a tray loaded with plates, a glass of juice and mug of coffee. His eyes darted toward Ethan and then back to the younger man. Who noticed him.
“Oh, I didn’t— Hey, are you—”
Ethan stood from the couch. “Ethan Bradley.” He held out a hand and the young man hurried to reach for it.
“Cool. I’m Bailey.”
The kid smiled with an eagerness Ethan knew to be that moment when someone recognized you but they didn’t know whether to say something or—
“Hey, Bails, you out of here?” Reese called out from the hallway.
Reese appeared in a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved Quicksilver t-shirt. It was weird seeing him in a beach setting wearing surf attire after the last evening they’d spent in London, all wrapped up in formal clothes. Reese definitely seemed more at home in California.
“Yeah, Jane’s coming to pick me up. We’re going to study. Jesse is making me take my finals tomorrow.” He rolled his eyes.
Reese patted him on the back. “School first, dude. You know that.”
“I know,” Bailey grumbled. He darted into the kitchen and was back in a second with a handful of bacon in a napkin. He scooped up the laptop, stuck an earbud in and left the other to hang, and then slid the strap of the duffle over his shoulder. “Bye, Jude. I’ll be home for dinner.”
Jude met him in the hallway. “You better be ready for those tests tomorrow. You know Mom and Dad will freak out if you don’t—”
“I know, I know, jeez.” He kissed Jude on the cheek. “Nice to meet you,” he called to Ethan.
“You too.”
Reese lowered himself into the chair once more. Jude approached him with a cup of coffee. He handed it to Reese and started to walk away, but Reese grabbed his hand and tugged on it until Jude leaned down so Reese could kiss him.
“Thanks, babe.”
Jude’s gaze met Ethan’s and then he excused himself.
Reese set the coffee cup down on the side table and crossed an ankle over his knee. He was barefoot.
Ethan had to remember he wasn’t here to renew his crush on Reese. He needed the man’s help.
“So, what’s going on? What brings you to town?”
Ethan swallowed hard and said a silent prayer.
Please let this work.
“It’s kind of a long story.”
