Chapter Eight

Long after the floor was dry, Adeline was still thinking about her encounter with Eli Hunt. She knew she hadn’t been exactly pleasant, but she’d seen no choice. Adeline hadn’t anticipated the attraction she’d feel toward him and those crazy deep brown eyes. And that accent.

Holy. Cow.

Adeline knew it wasn’t real—that it was him playing make-believe, preparing for his role in the movie. But that hadn’t stopped his accent from being one of the sexiest things she’d ever heard.

The thing that had sent her resolve reeling, though, was when he’d insisted on cleaning the chocolate from her floor. Adeline had met plenty of actors, but she was pretty sure none of them had ever held a mop before.

And so, at the risk of being rude, she’d forced herself to keep her distance. Guilt lodged in her stomach. She’d allowed the actor to buy nearly eighty dollars’ worth of chocolates that had been on the floor. And he’d paid more than double the price for them. Adeline released a deep sigh. Even though Eli had refused to take no for an answer, she still felt the need to apologize for it.

Adeline glanced at her watch. Eleven thirty. Lunch and a long walk sounded nice—something to help clear her head. As soon as she thought it, however, the front door to her store swung open, and the first customer of the day walked in. And then a second. And a third. Ever since Eli’s crew had started to arrive the previous day, things had gotten a lot busier for her small store.

Adeline didn’t usually keep as much stock on hand during the winter months, and by the time she locked up at the end of the day, she had nearly sold out, all on an empty stomach.

Adeline slumped against the counter, exhausted. She liked being busy and all, but during tourist season, she always had a couple of high school kids helping out. Now she was on her own, and she’d be up late making more chocolates for the next day.

A knock sounded on the front door. Even as she inwardly groaned, she plastered on a smile. She’d already flipped her sign to CLOSED, but she couldn’t turn away a potential customer. Adeline’s fake smile turned genuine when she saw it was Jessie. Her friend held a couple of folding chairs, and a bag full of food was slung over one arm.

“You coming to the Sunset Stroll? One of these chairs has your name on it.”

Adeline looked past Jessie toward where the town was beginning to gather on the sand. There weren’t as many people as during the summer months, when the weather was warmer and the tourists outnumbered the local residents.

All the same, it sounded heavenly after the day she’d had—just sitting on the beach with her friends, watching as the lowering sun cast its colors across both the sky and the water. And Jessie had food, which was a bonus.

“Of course,” Adeline said. “Let me just grab the lights and lock up.” She hoped she’d be able to relax and not think about how much work she still had to do. It was only five o’clock—the early sunset was thanks to the shorter winter days—and she deserved a small break. She’d have plenty of time to finish up after.

Once she joined Jessie outside, Adeline took one of the chairs from her friend, as well as the food bag, helping lighten the load.

“I’m not so old that I can’t manage carrying a few things,” Jessie protested.

“I know. But I’m not so young that I allow my friends to carry all the burden.”

Jessie snorted. “For someone who just barely hit thirty, you don’t seem to have a very high opinion of youth.”

Adeline smiled as she adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder. “I think I’ve worked one too many tourist seasons. If I had my way, spring break would be outlawed.”

“That’s the beauty of retirement,” Jessie said, grinning. “I get to hide.”

“I still have another few decades before I’ll be able to say the same thing. You did it smart.”

They crossed from the boardwalk onto the sand. The temperature seemed to drop by several degrees as they neared the water’s edge, and Adeline wished she’d brought some fingerless gloves—something that would keep her hands warm but not stop her from eating the food Jessie had brought along.

Adeline slowed as Jessie came to a stop. Her friend seemed confused as her gaze swept across the shoreline. “What’s up?” Adeline asked, unable to see the source of the confusion.

“My usual spot…someone’s taken it. No one ever sits in my spot. Not in the last thirty years.”

Adeline’s arms were beginning to tire, and she set the chair and bag of food down on the sand. “I knew you liked to sit in the same area each night, but you’ve been sitting there every night since you were a teenager?”

Jessie nodded, then pointed to a cluster of people. “Yup. Right there.”

Adeline squinted in the direction Jessie indicated. No one ever gathered in big groups like that for the Sunset Stroll. It was more of an intimate kind of event. Except for the tourists. But it wasn’t tourist seas… Oh. It made sense now. “They must be some of the film crew. There’s no way they could have known that bit of sand was yours. We could ask them to move, if you’d like.”

Jessie seemed to brighten. “Oh, no, I don’t think that will be necessary.” She craned her neck, like she was trying to get a better view. “Do you think Eli Hunt is with them? I wouldn’t want to inconvenience him. In fact, he can have my spot every night.” Not only did she not seem to mind it, she sounded positively giddy at the prospect.

Oh, no. Adeline wasn’t going to let Jessie go all starstruck on her. That was the problem with movie stars. They got preferential treatment, no matter where they went. Crazy rich celebrities didn’t need complimentary meals or to skip the line that dozens of other people were already waiting in. Those types of things only made everything worse.

True, nothing Eli Hunt had done thus far made him appear to be your typical celebrity. But all the same. “Jessie, that has been your spot for the past thirty years. You can’t ruin that kind of streak. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind moving over a few feet.”

“Which spot?” a deep British voice said from behind them. “That one over there?”

Adeline turned and found herself facing Eli Hunt. He looked much like he had that morning—leather jacket and ripped jeans—but something was different. His accent was still firmly in place, so that wasn’t it. Maybe it was his hair. It seemed to have been carefully gelled in an intentionally chaotic kind of way, with strands poking out in all directions. He also seemed to be carrying himself with a more carefree nature than he had that morning. He wore a huge grin like he was about to throw a party. Judging by the large bag he was carrying, maybe he was.

That was when she noticed her store’s logo on the side. It was the bag of chocolates. The guilt returned.

“Eli,” Jessie said, placing her hand on the actor’s arm as if they’d been best friends for years. That was Jessie’s nature, though, treating everyone like family. “We were just talking about you. How have you been enjoying your stay in Starlight Ridge?”

Eli turned his smile on Jessie. “It’s lovely here, and everyone has been very kind. More than I deserve.”

Except Adeline. But she supposed Eli’s entourage of adorning fans had more than made up for her poor behavior. Jessie included.

“You deserve every bit of it, with how hard you work,” Jessie said, coddling him like she would her grandchild. “Do you need more tarts? I can run some more over if you’ve already eaten through what I sent over.”

Eli laughed, his eyes bright, like he didn’t have a care in the world. “I think I’m good for now. I don’t know how you all managed to put together so many welcome baskets for my crew, but everything from the shrimp to the tarts to the scuba shop T-shirts has been incredible.”

Welcome baskets. Oops. She’d forgotten about those. Adeline wondered if Jessie knew, because her friend’s next question was, “How did you enjoy Addie’s chocolates? Which kind did she send your way?”

Without missing a beat, Eli grinned and held up the large bag. “Every kind you can imagine.”

Jessie’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head as her gaze whipped to Adeline. “Wow, that is quite the welcome.”

“Let’s get your chairs set up, shall we?” Adeline said, desperate for a change of subject.

Eli placed a hand on Jessie’s, which still rested on his bicep, and turned his gaze on her. “Yes, about that. Did I hear that we took over where you usually like to sit?”

Adeline thought that Jessie was going to melt on the spot. “Oh, it’s nothing. There’s no sign or fence or anything staking my claim on that bit of sand. We’ll just park ourselves down yonder.”

“That’s very kind of you. But I’ll have a chat with everyone later and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Jessie beamed up at the actor and didn’t move until Eli had fully extracted himself from her grip.

“It looks like we’re being summoned,” Adeline said, nodding toward Bree and Caleb, two of her very best friends and the owners of the local scuba shop.

Jessie reluctantly stepped away, while adding, “I hope we have another chance encounter soon.”

“Likewise,” Eli said, giving her a small wave as she and Adeline worked their way toward where Bree and Caleb sat. “And thank you again for the chocolates,” he added, throwing a smile at Adeline.

She didn’t know why he was pretending she’d given them to him out of the kindness of her heart, but she’d rather he didn’t. Adeline stopped and made her way back toward him, ignoring his curious gaze as she stepped in close and lowered her voice so Jessie wouldn’t hear. “I’m sorry. About earlier. I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did, and then to charge you for all the chocolates that fell on the floor…” She paused. “I’ve been wanting to apologize all day, and I’ve already reversed the charges on your card.”

For the first time that evening, Eli’s composure seemed to slip, as did his accent. “I wish you wouldn’t have done that. It was my fault, and I was more than happy to pay for them. I—” He seemed to catch himself, and his look of concern morphed back into a carefree smile. “Rubbish. These chocolates are perfectly fine, and delicious, I might add. Besides, it’s not like they’re going to go to waste. Not when they’re going to be the life of the party!” He yelled the last part and held the bag of chocolates in the air like it was a keg of beer. Cheers erupted from the film crew, and Eli swaggered over to where the large group had just turned on some music.

Well, so much for an apology. Adeline frowned and tightened her grip on Jessie’s chair and the bag of food. Not only did Eli not seem to mind her rude behavior that morning, but, at the moment, he was standing in the middle of his posse and throwing damaged chocolates in the air to see if he could catch them in his mouth as they watched and laughed. Adeline spun away and moved to where her friends sat.

“You okay?” Bree asked as Adeline slammed open the folding chair, threw it down next to her friend, and collapsed into it.

“No. Mr. Fancy Pants and his crew are treating the Starlight Stroll as they would a spring break beach party. And whatever music they are playing totally ruins the mood.”

Davis walked past them at that moment and said, “Now you know how I feel about reggae.”

Adeline barked out a laugh, not missing Davis’s signature smirk as he continued on his way. From the moment they’d met as children, they’d never been able to hold a civil conversation, opting instead for one-liner jabs.

“It’s not like you to get riled up like this.”

Adeline released a long sigh, knowing Bree was right but unable to stop herself. There was something about Eli Hunt that just got under her skin and wouldn’t let up. Starlight Ridge was for those who wanted a low-key life full of close friends and taking things slow—outside of tourist season, that was. As they approached the holidays, this was when she and the others should have been able to take a breath and put things on pause.

But now she was stuck with a bunch of people who looked like they were at a frat party, and Adeline would be up late making chocolates so that all of them could get their sugar fix the next day. Of course, them flocking to her store wasn’t completely their fault, and they couldn’t be blamed for knowing quality chocolate when they ate it. Adeline had been told on more than one occasion that her chocolates were addicting. And she was grateful for the business—she couldn’t deny that she needed it. That was the reason she’d agreed to let Eli Hunt film in her store in the first place. But sometimes the extra work and money came at a cost. Like her mental health. Her sanity.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Adeline told Bree. “Just tired. Busy day.”

Bree didn’t look like she was entirely convinced, but she gave Adeline a sympathetic smile and then turned to say something to Caleb, who sat on her other side.

Adeline released a long breath, sinking deeper into the folding chair. She threw a glance in Eli’s direction. Her heart stalled when she saw that he was watching her. Eli was no longer throwing chocolates in the air. He wasn’t even laughing, his expression scrunched up in concern instead. When their gazes met, however, his darted away, and his goofy grin returned.