Chapter One
Allison Bradford walked at a brisk pace along the soft sand of Dana Point Beach. Her condo wasn’t far from here and she loved to unwind with the sand and the rhythmic crashing of waves at the end of the day. It was late September so the Southern California beaches weren’t as crowded as during the summer months, but she still passed an occasional runner, walker, or couple exploring romance.
She pushed out a breath. Romance. She acted out romantic scenes in movies and had even done some soap opera romance while she worked to secure larger roles, but she knew very little about real-life romance. The men she’d dated claimed no man could possibly live up to her expectations. The fact that she was twenty-seven and had never dated someone longer than a month said there was definitely substance to her fears of never finding someone wonderful to settle down with.
Her brother Abe and his new wife Rachel were a real-life romance that inspired Allison every time she was blessed to be with them. Happily ever after had happened for Abe, but then Abe had always deserved every happiness, and been through purgatory through no fault of his own. The good Lord had obviously decided it was time to bless Abe with someone fabulous like Rachel, someone who just fit him.
Allison slowed her pace and took some long, slow breaths of the salty air, breathing a prayer.Help me to be grateful and happy. Last year she’d finally secured a huge role with none other than the famous actress, Scarlett Lily. A clean romantic comedy that Allison had been proud to be a part of. She idolized Scarlett who stood up for morality in a world, and especially an industry, that often mocked her for it.
They’d finished filming a couple of weeks ago. Since then Allison had been targeted by the infamous Sticky Notes Stalker. She wasn’t too concerned about it as the person had targeted numerous actresses over the past three months, but had never hurt or even approached any of them, simply covering their vehicles, doors, or even light posts or mailboxes with admiring words written on yellow sticky notes. It was kind of a joke in Hollywood and a twisted sort of honor to be deemed worthy of the Sticky Notes Stalker. The police were working hard to find him, or her, and Allison had no real concern about it.
On the positive side of her newfound notoriety, her film with Scarlett had brought Allison some fabulous offers for new roles. The one she was most interested in was a tentative offer for Allison to be the co-lead in an action series similar toThe Avengers—The Crusaders. She felt the four-movie series would not only rock the box office but also promised to be clean and uplifting. The only catch was one of her closest friends, Bermuda, was vying for the same role. Allison hated competing with her friend, but she really wanted this role, and Bermuda had never been interested in a PG-rated role before. Plus, Bermuda had been raised in Hollywood and had numerous connections and offers. Hopefully, her friend wouldn’t begrudge her if Allison won the part. She prayed hard that the outcome would be the best thing for both of them.
All in all, life was good and she was very blessed. She didn’t need a man to make her happy. She knew that. She still ached to someday find her other half like Abe and Rachel and her parents had.
A man walked slowly toward her, almost getting in her space. She glanced his way and flinched. They were finally past the global deadly virus scare, but some people still wore masks in public places. She had no problem with that, but why was the guy wearing an almost full-face black mask to walk on a quiet beach at sunset? He had a baseball-style hat on as well so the only part of his face revealed to her was his blue eyes. He looked like that creepy Bane guy from Batman. Yikes. She made a wide arc around him.
Focusing on the water and the crashing waves as she continued walking, she was almost afraid to look when she sensed another person jogging toward her. She darted a glance, her natural curiosity and friendliness getting the best of her. One glance became two and then three, and then she was blatantly staring. Now this was a guy she could gawk at all day. He was incredibly fit, jogging in a t-shirt and shorts that couldn’t possibly hide the broadness of his chest and shoulders and highlighted the nicely defined lines of his arms and legs. He had dark skin, eyes, and hair, possibly a mix of Italian, Spanish, and African heritage. Whatever it was, it worked for him.
He glanced her way and she gave him a welcoming smile. He smiled back and she stopped walking completely. That smile had been the perfect blend of tough guy with a hint of a smirk. This was a guy who could be there for his lady, making her sigh with longing one minute and laugh the next. This man could sweep Allison off her feet, maybe someday be that fit she’d been praying to find.
His smile lingered, but he only gave her a manly tilt of the chin before running on past. Allison shook her head in confusion. What had just happened? Why hadn’t he stopped?
She whirled around, planted her hands on her hips, and called out, “It’s okay, macho man, keep on running. I didn’t want to talk to you anyway.”
His head darted back to stare at her, he stopped running, and then he gifted her with a deep, throaty chuckle. Turning, he walked back to her, stopping a couple of feet away. “Were you speaking to me?”
“No.” She gestured around, searching for someone, anyone, until she pointed at a couple making out down the sand fifty yards away. “I was yelling at them.”
He chuckled again and eased in closer. His dark eyes sparkled mischievously at her. “That makes more sense. A woman of your beauty and class would never resort to yelling at random men on the beach.”
She hid a smile. “I think you’re a few steps above ‘random’.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“Whose fault is that?” She tossed her long, dark hair and gave him an inviting smile. She wasn’t much good at maintaining relationships, but she was pretty good at flirting with appealing men.
He laughed loudly. She liked that she could make him laugh like that. “I guess it’s mine, if I don’t do something about it.”
“What are you going to do about it?” she challenged. She wouldn’t usually be this forward with a man she didn’t know, but there was something about him that told her she could trust him. He had that innate sense of protector built into his strong muscles and the handsome lines of his face.
He looked her over slowly. “Get your phone number and ask you on a date?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I don’t give my number to strange men and I don’t go on dates with someone I just met on the beach.”
He shook his head. “I guess it’ll be your fault if you don’t get to know me then.”
She debated. She could hear Abe’s voice warning her to be smart and careful, but there was something about this guy. She wanted to see him again. “I’ll be walking this stretch of beach about the same time tomorrow evening.”
“I’ll be seeing you then.” He gave her a slow grin she felt clear through. This guy was a lot of fun to flirt with.
Allison gave him one more inviting smile then turned and walked away. She put a little extra sway in her hips just in case he decided to use that brain of his and watch her go. Glancing over her shoulder she was rewarded to find him not just watching, but soaking her in. His dark eyes seemed to call to her. She forced herself to face north and walk away. It was one thing to flirt with a handsome man on a public beach. It was quite another to invite him into her life too quickly. The Sticky Notes Stalker might be a bit of a joke, but she would still stay smart and safe. At the same time, she wouldn’t miss walking this stretch of beach tomorrow night, ready to flirt with him some more.