Mia poured herself a cup of coffee and started toward the balcony. With Sean in the shower, she figured she’d enjoy her coffee outside. Halfway to the balcony, she stopped when someone knocked on the door.
“Good, you’re up,” Avery said as she walked inside. “I grabbed you a latte from the cafe downstairs.” Avery exchanged the cup of black coffee in Mia’s hand with the latte. “Are you alone?” Avery looked around the suite as she took a sip from her own cup.
Before she answered, Mia took a long sip from her cup, the warm liquid sliding down her throat. “Mmm, that’s good,” she said. “Sean’s still in the shower. Are you hungry? There is a ton of fruit in the kitchen.”
Avery pulled a paper bag with the same logo as the cup from her shoulder bag. “Grabbed a muffin when I bought the lattes.”
“Let’s sit outside then.” Although still early, all indications pointed toward a picture perfect early summer day. Not a single cloud dotted the blue sky and a mild breeze was blowing off Boston Harbor.
“The media is going nuts. Everyone has been trying to identify Sean ever since he showed up on the set Friday afternoon,” Avery said as she pulled out a chair at the table.
She’d expected it to happen at some point. Not once since she’d begun dating had she been able to keep a relationship secret for long. While they’d never discussed it, she assumed Sean expected it, too. His own sister’s relationship had fascinated the media for quite a while, so he must have a general idea of how things worked. Hopefully he could handle the attention. While the men she usually dated were used to the media interference, Sean wasn’t. Before she realized it, she sighed.
“What was that for? You had to know it would happen.” Across from her Avery broke her muffin into smaller pieces. “I mean you were kissing him on the middle of the set.”
Mia snagged a chunk of her sister’s muffin and popped it into her mouth. “Just thinking, that’s all. So are you going to Gram’s today for lunch? Sean and I will probably leave here around eleven.”
Avery’s eyes grew wide. “You’re taking him to Gram’s?” she asked, her voice a few octaves higher than usual.
“Is there an echo in here?” Mia asked as she reached for her latte. “What’s wrong with that?”
For a moment Avery remained silent as if formulating an answer. “Nothing, but you’ve never taken anyone to meet Gram and Pop. Not even Anderson, and you two were together for over a year.” Avery leaned forward and held her gaze. “Sean must be important to you.”
She considered her sister’s words. She’d never dated anyone she wanted her family to meet until now.
“You’ve only known him about a month, but you’re taking him to Gram’s,” Avery continued before Mia said a word. “What’s so special about him?”
She considered all the time they’d spent together. Nothing they’d done together had been overly exciting or exotic, yet she’d enjoyed every minute With him she felt like Mia Troy, the woman, not the Hollywood celebrity. Not to mention that to him family was everything and not only because it provided him with money and homes around the world, like her mother.
She pushed the last thought from her mind. Her mom loved her in her own way. Unfortunately, she let Mia’s early fame and money influence many of her decisions.
“I don’t know how to explain it. When I’m with him it’s like Hollywood doesn’t exist. I think…” Mia looked toward the French doors that led back inside, then leaned forward. “I think I love him,” she said her, voice low. Before that moment she hadn’t entertained the idea. Now that she said it aloud, she realized it was the truth.
The shocked expression returned to her sister’s face. “Has he said—” Avery stopped when Sean appeared at the doorway, followed by Mark Walden, Mia’s co-star.
Dressed in khaki cargo pants and a plain white T-shirt, Sean held a cup of coffee in his large hands, and memories of his hands on her the night before sent warmth through her body.
“Good morning. You’ve got a visitor,” he said, his voice chilly as he took a seat next to her.
“Morning.” She leaned over and kissed him before even glancing in Mark’s direction. “Hi, Mark.”
“What, no kiss for me?” Mark asked moving closer, his intentions clear.
Mia turned her head just in time, and Mark’s kiss landed on her cheek. Next to her, the muscle in Sean’s forearm flexed as he gripped his coffee cup tighter, and she remembered Sean’s words when he’d seen them kiss on the set.
“I thought I’d see if you ladies were busy tonight.” Mark took the last seat at the table. “Rafe told me about a club called Diamond. I thought I’d check it out. What do you say? Care to join me?”
Over the last year or so, clubs had started to hold less and less interest for Mia. Even still, a month or two earlier she would’ve thought about going. Today she didn’t even consider the invitation. “I’ll pass, but go ahead, Avery, if you want,” she answered as she squeezed Sean’s arm. “Sean and I plan to hang around here when we get back from Gram’s.”
“I’m in,” Avery said. “What time works for you, Mark?”
Sean rested his arm across her shoulders, and she rested her head against his shoulder. She could sit there all day just like this. Everything about it felt natural, as if it were meant to be.