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“It needs to be dark. What about nine o’clock? I’ll go home first and let old Slippers have her dinner.”
“Slippers?”
“Yeah, that’s the dog’s name,” Brandon smiled. “Hey, like I said, she’s not mine, so you can’t blame me if she has a silly name.”
“Okay, I’ll come out to the beach at nine o’clock.”
Brandon seemed to realize that Ashlyn was carrying her camera. “Do you want me to carry that for you?”
“Oh,” Ashlyn looked down at the camera. “No, I’m fine. I don’t mind. But, thanks.” Letting Brandon do things for her would be the first sign of weakening. She couldn’t let herself be swept away by his gentlemanly ways. She had to be strong.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you tonight then,” Brandon said. He headed off down the beach, and Ashlyn wondered if he was going to swim in the ocean before he went back to his house. She almost wanted to join him. She hadn’t had a swim in the ocean since she had first met Brandon, and that swim had been quite a bit less enjoyable than most were.
As soon as Ashlyn had finished cleaning off her camera, she showered and carefully applied a fresh layer of makeup. She didn’t pick anything too fancy, but her clothes clearly gave the message that she was interested in him. Because, Ashlyn decided, no matter what Mark said, Ashlyn was interested in Brandon. Besides, maybe the only way to find out his real intentions for spending time with her would be to show him that she was interested.
Ashlyn’s mind floated back to their previous kiss, and she smiled. There was nothing like tasting Brandon’s lips. Now if only their kiss wouldn’t scare him off if it happened again!
A few minutes before nine, Ashlyn headed down the steps to the beach. She left her shoes and began walking toward the boardwalk where she assumed she would find Brandon. The sun was just sinking over the horizon, and the moon was already high in the sky. This would be a perfect night if the turtles were coming out.
“Hi,” Ashlyn said, coming up behind Brandon as he stared out across the ocean. She naturally slipped her hand into his, her heart beating rapidly.
“Hey,” Brandon said, turning to her with a smile. “It’s good to see you.” He took a step closer then seemed to hesitate. It was as though he wanted to kiss her, but he didn’t want to. Fear started pounding through her. Why was he hesitating? Maybe he really wasn’t interested in her, but he felt like he had to keep up the charade. Maybe the whole reason he had apologized the night before was that he felt bad for taking advantage of her.
Ashlyn quickly dropped Brandon’s hand and took a step back. He stared at her strangely. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Ashlyn swiped at her eyes, furious with herself for wanting to cry at a moment like this. She had to be strong. “I don’t get you,” Ashlyn replied simply, her hands in fists at her side.
Brandon seemed frozen. “Pardon?”
Ashlyn shook her head and sucked her cheeks in. “It’s like some moments you’re such a gentleman, and then other moments, I doubt you. I know. I can’t expect to know everything about you right away. But. . .” Ashlyn shook her head as she trailed off. What was she doing? Trying to start a fight?
“Did something happen?” Brandon asked. He took a step toward her, but he didn’t touch her. He seemed content to let her figure it out herself.
Ashlyn decided to reveal her hand. “Someone said that in watching you, they think that the only reason you are interested in me is because you want to get a higher position in acting. You want to become rich and famous, so you are using me for an in.”
Brandon stared at her. He didn’t even ask who had said such a thing. “Do you believe that person? Do I seem like the kind of person who would take advantage of other people? Someone trusted me enough to leave me in their house for three months.”
Ashlyn swallowed, feeling angry and sad all at the same time. “I don’t know what to think. I thought I had you figured out. You’re the Southern gentleman that every woman wants, but then. . .I don’t know. When someone said that to me, I couldn’t put it out of my mind.”
“That’s fair,” Brandon replied. “You don’t know me. But I can assure you that being an extra had nothing to do with being famous. Who doesn’t want a little bit of fame? I thought it would be fun to go for three days and maybe see my face on the screen when the movie came out. Sure, who wouldn’t think that? But I would never use you for anything. You are a sweet woman, and I would never think of hurting you.”
Now a tear did escape. Ashlyn didn’t even wipe it away. She just let it run down her cheek and drop off the point of her chin. “Thanks,” Ashlyn said, scared that if she let any more words out that a whole floodgate of tears might escape too. Brandon pulled Ashlyn into his arms, and she laid her face on Brandon’s chest. He gently rubbed circles into her back, and Ashlyn felt so secure that she wanted to cry. She wanted to stay there forever in Brandon’s arms. How could she have thought he would hurt her?
“I’m sorry,” Ashlyn whispered gently.
“For what?”
“For not trusting you. You’re a gentleman, and I don’t think you would hurt me.”
“Never intentionally,” Brandon replied. “But I’m not perfect. Ashlyn, I. . .you’re a very sweet girl.”
Now, a few more tears escaped from Ashlyn’s eyes. She squeezed Brandon in her arms to tell him that his words were just what she needed to hear. She finally pulled back, and Brandon quickly made busy wiping away the last trace of tears.
“Now,” he said, “let’s enjoy this evening.”
Ashlyn smiled and took Brandon’s hand. They started walking down the beach, and Ashlyn was doing more thinking than talking. Was Brandon the kind of guy that she would be with forever? A giddy part of her heart said he was. There was still a small corner of fear, though, that was telling her she should hold back.
“What are you thinking about?” Brandon asked.
