One Night with a Star (Second Chances Book 2) by Merry Farmer Page B
Authors: Merry Farmer
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the other day, asking me if we hooked up at the wedding. Neil being a jerk about me spending time with you and about celebrities in general. I can’t take it anymore. I’m too tired.”
For a minute, there was silence. As soon as the initial burst of emotion was over, Jenny felt sick to her stomach. Simon must think she was a complete fool now. Worse, she cared what he thought. How could she?
“Come on,” he said at last. He stood and reached a hand down for her. “You need some fresh air.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said, miserable.
“Not even the porch?”
She winced. Now she was the one being a jerk. She forced herself to take his hand and let him help her stand, but as soon as she was on her own two feet she let go and marched ahead of him.
It was a sunny, October day, and Summerbury beach looked postcard perfect. Waves and sand in the foreground, orange, red, and yellow leaves behind it. There was a nip in the air, but it was soothing, cutting straight through the heat that Jenny’s tears had brought on. She marched to the edge of the railing and leaned against it, staring out over the beauty of Maine and hugging herself. Simon came to stand next to her.
“You know where I went when I left here last summer?” he asked, taking in the view instead of looking at her.
“Where?” She sniffed, wiping the back of her hand across her face, not caring what it did to her make-up.
“Newfoundland.”
“Newfoundland?” she blinked.
“Yeah.” He relaxed into a smile and leaned his backside against the railing, facing her. He shrugged. “I’d been in New York City before coming up here to spend time with Spence. Things were bad. Loud, brash, dangerous. Drugs, women, stuff I never want to think about again. Stuff I want to protect Daniel from if I can. I wanted to go as far away from all that as I could.”
“So you went to Newfoundland.” She took a deep breath.
“Yeah,” he laughed. “It was one of the first flights available out of Boston. Beautiful place, too. Long, long days, because it was summer. Simple nature. I hiked, camped out, did a lot of thinking.”
“Just like that?” She frowned. “Without any plans or anything? How did you eat?”
“It’s not an uninhabited wilderness,” he said. “St. John is a pretty cool city, lots of great restaurants and music.”
Jenny shook her head. “I don’t know anything about it.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes you just need to take a break from it all to get your head on straight. That’s the whole reason Spence came up here. Me? I had to go a little more remote. I guess it’s because my head needed much more straightening. The funny thing is, I found myself saying exactly what you just said to me, in there.” He nodded toward the house. “That I wanted my pride back, my self-respect.”
The slipping, melting sensation that took over Jenny’s chest wasn’t entirely welcome. The last thing she needed right then was to feel sympathy for Simon. She didn’t need to be reminded of all the reasons she had liked him so much, so quickly either.
She sniffed one last time, wiping away the last signs of her burst of weakness. “Did you go to rehab or something?”
He met her eyes. “Actually, yes. I did.”
She sucked in a surprised breath. “How come I didn’t hear anything about that on the news?”
“I did it quietly,” he answered. “Far more people, celebrities, do stuff like that on the quiet than you’d think. In fact, I always wonder when I see my peers do rehab like it’s their next film roll.” He let out a breath. “Maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe that’s not kind.”
“But…but it worked?” she asked. It was a world she’d never thought anything about. Simon’s whole reality was something she’d never thought about. She’d assumed the same rules that applied to her applied to him as well. Maybe she shouldn’t have.
“I’m clean, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said. “I’m incredibly
For a minute, there was silence. As soon as the initial burst of emotion was over, Jenny felt sick to her stomach. Simon must think she was a complete fool now. Worse, she cared what he thought. How could she?
“Come on,” he said at last. He stood and reached a hand down for her. “You need some fresh air.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said, miserable.
“Not even the porch?”
She winced. Now she was the one being a jerk. She forced herself to take his hand and let him help her stand, but as soon as she was on her own two feet she let go and marched ahead of him.
It was a sunny, October day, and Summerbury beach looked postcard perfect. Waves and sand in the foreground, orange, red, and yellow leaves behind it. There was a nip in the air, but it was soothing, cutting straight through the heat that Jenny’s tears had brought on. She marched to the edge of the railing and leaned against it, staring out over the beauty of Maine and hugging herself. Simon came to stand next to her.
“You know where I went when I left here last summer?” he asked, taking in the view instead of looking at her.
“Where?” She sniffed, wiping the back of her hand across her face, not caring what it did to her make-up.
“Newfoundland.”
“Newfoundland?” she blinked.
“Yeah.” He relaxed into a smile and leaned his backside against the railing, facing her. He shrugged. “I’d been in New York City before coming up here to spend time with Spence. Things were bad. Loud, brash, dangerous. Drugs, women, stuff I never want to think about again. Stuff I want to protect Daniel from if I can. I wanted to go as far away from all that as I could.”
“So you went to Newfoundland.” She took a deep breath.
“Yeah,” he laughed. “It was one of the first flights available out of Boston. Beautiful place, too. Long, long days, because it was summer. Simple nature. I hiked, camped out, did a lot of thinking.”
“Just like that?” She frowned. “Without any plans or anything? How did you eat?”
“It’s not an uninhabited wilderness,” he said. “St. John is a pretty cool city, lots of great restaurants and music.”
Jenny shook her head. “I don’t know anything about it.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes you just need to take a break from it all to get your head on straight. That’s the whole reason Spence came up here. Me? I had to go a little more remote. I guess it’s because my head needed much more straightening. The funny thing is, I found myself saying exactly what you just said to me, in there.” He nodded toward the house. “That I wanted my pride back, my self-respect.”
The slipping, melting sensation that took over Jenny’s chest wasn’t entirely welcome. The last thing she needed right then was to feel sympathy for Simon. She didn’t need to be reminded of all the reasons she had liked him so much, so quickly either.
She sniffed one last time, wiping away the last signs of her burst of weakness. “Did you go to rehab or something?”
He met her eyes. “Actually, yes. I did.”
She sucked in a surprised breath. “How come I didn’t hear anything about that on the news?”
“I did it quietly,” he answered. “Far more people, celebrities, do stuff like that on the quiet than you’d think. In fact, I always wonder when I see my peers do rehab like it’s their next film roll.” He let out a breath. “Maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe that’s not kind.”
“But…but it worked?” she asked. It was a world she’d never thought anything about. Simon’s whole reality was something she’d never thought about. She’d assumed the same rules that applied to her applied to him as well. Maybe she shouldn’t have.
“I’m clean, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said. “I’m incredibly
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