She liked him as a person, after all, not just as a sex object. After their extended conversation last night, it was nice to know she hadn’t been hooking up with a vapid jerk all these years. Nash Speedwell was an interesting person, a good guy, and easy on the eyes. Her brother was all those things, too. She could start thinking of Nash as another little brother.

  She considered the idea for ten seconds, then rejected it. No, she’d never think of Nash as a brother. He was too good in bed.

  When the program draft had been sent, she went home, surveyed her mostly empty fridge before opening the freezer. Jackpot—a burrito was hidden behind an ancient bag of baby peas and container of chicken stock. She threw the burrito in the microwave, then called her mom.

  “Whatcha doing?” she asked when Deb picked up.

  “Working. Whatcha doing?”

  “Just got home. Eating lunch.”

  “Lunch sounds good. I should do that.” Deb sounded distracted.

  “Mom, you’ve been working even more than usual lately. Is everything okay?” Her mother was the assistant manager at the Misty Harbor Inn, a local landmark and where much of the cast and crew of the Sawyer’s Cove reboot would be staying during production.

  “Oh, it’s fine. The Inn’s just busy. The beginning of the season was so slow, now we’re finishing out the summer with a bang, and soon all the TV people will be arriving. I’m extending some of our seasonal workers’ contracts through the fall.”

  “It sounds like you should take a break. Want to grab some dinner with me later?”

  “Aren’t you going to The Cove for the show?”

  Deb, though she seemed to live at the Inn most days, always heard everyone’s news first.

  “I am, but the band doesn’t start until nine. We could go to the Bakeshop or get Thai.”

  “You know what, sweetie, I don’t think I can. I have a stack of timesheets to go through.”

  “Brunch tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, that sounds good. You want to go out or stay in?”

  Deb wasn’t much of a cook, but she made an out-of-this-world French toast. Still, Mimi was anticipating the weather turning cold as the summer faded away; opportunities for sunny Sunday morning brunches would soon be a distant memory.

  “Let’s go out. I was just at Harborview and noticed they do a weekend brunch. My treat.”

  “Fancy. It’s not Mother’s Day and I forgot, is it?”

  “No. Just…I miss you.” They’d both been working too hard to find much time to hang out this summer.

  “Okay, sweetie. I’ll meet you there. Ten?”

  “Better make it eleven,” Mimi said. She was not a morning person as a rule, but the night after a show, she was even slower to roll out of bed.

  “Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” Deb said.

  That left her the entire afternoon to kill before meeting up with Pauline and Colin and…Nash Speedwell. She should probably warn Pauline Nash was coming. Not that she’d know who he was. Pauline had limited interest in current pop culture.

  Head’s up, I invited Nash Speedwell to join us tonight.

  The second male lead of Sawyer’s Cove?

  You know who he is?

  I looked everyone up on IMDb when they announced the reboot. I do have research skills, you know. Hello? Librarian?

  Oh good, so yeah, he’s coming.

  As your date?

  NO

  She’d capitalized the “O” by accident, sort of, so she followed up with a softer:

  No. We’re friends. He’s one of Jay’s best friends, too.

  I’ll let Colin know. He mentioned he saw him at the library the other day. He might appreciate the warning.

  Thanks. See you later.

  Pauline gave her last text a thumbs up. Great. Now all Mimi had to do was last until 9 p.m. without obsessing over seeing Nash again. Easier said than done. Her apartment was already clean from yesterday’s non-date experience. She didn’t have any errands to run. She thought about vegging in front of the TV or reading, but then she remembered one crucial piece of the fundraiser she’d been putting off. Her outfit.

  Shopping was her least favorite activity, and there was nowhere to buy fancy clothes in Misty Harbor. She would have just worn her go-to simple black sheath dress like last year—except someone had commented on the photos of the event afterward that it made her look like she was at a funeral. She couldn’t disagree. She grabbed her laptop and prepared to sacrifice her Saturday afternoon for fashion.

  Three hours later, she’d done the impossible—ordered an attractive non-black dress in a size she thought would work after reading the online reviews of said dress in minute detail. It was in her budget, besides. She felt so good about her efforts, she ordered a pair of shoes to match while she was at it. She could figure out jewelry and hair later.

  But when she looked at the clock, she realized she needed to eat—she’d made the mistake of going to a show at The Cove on an empty stomach before.

  She changed out of her T-shirt and into a tank top, threw on some deodorant and lip gloss, and headed for the Bakeshop. She could get there just before they closed, then eat on the beach.

  Trevor was working. The kid was a favorite of hers. He’d moved to Misty Harbor with his parents as a high schooler and had a hard time fitting in at first. She’d noticed him coming into the library most days after school, had gotten him a volunteer position shelving books, and then a reference when he’d applied to work with Zelda at the Bakeshop once he graduated. That was a few years ago now, but he seemed content to fill the same orders for croissants and lattes day in and day out. It probably didn’t hurt that the Bakeshop was a hub of Misty Harbor gossip.

  “Mimi, what’s up, girl?”

  “Not much,” she said, which was true if she didn’t include her back-to-back non-dates with Nash. Her life was usually work, books, friends, music, throw in a few hours of TV, repeat. “Is it too late to order food? I need fuel for the show tonight.”

  “Zelda’s catering a wedding tomorrow, so the kitchen is very much up and running.”

  “Whose wedding?” Mimi wondered idly as she debated getting something besides her usual.

  “Some out-of-towners are getting married at the Inn, I guess.” Trevor shrugged, pursed his bright red lips.

  Mimi remembered when he’d first started wearing makeup, showing up to the library in lipstick and blush. He hadn’t said anything about it, and she hadn’t either, but once they got to know each other a little better, he’d told her he simply liked wearing makeup because it made him feel good. She’d said that’s why she liked dyeing her hair. It was fun and made her feel colorful and happy.

  “Exactly,” he’d agreed and smiled, and they’d been friends ever since.

  “I’ll have a mozzarella panini,” she said, “if that’s okay.”

  “Anything for you, Mimi, you know that.” Trevor keyed in the order. “You want an iced tea?”

  “Perfect. And I better get a cookie, too.”

  “Yes, you’d better,” Trevor agreed, with an indulgent smile. “So, when are Jay and Cami coming home? Isn’t filming starting soon?”

  “So I gather, and the lovebirds should be back this week.”

  “Isn’t it wild that the rest of the Sawyer’s Cove cast is going to be here, like walking around Misty Harbor?” Trevor was a fan of the show and kept his finger on the pulse of all the reboot news.

  “Pretty wild.”

  “Someone told me Nash Speedwell’s in town already. I’m, like, kvelling. I mean, I’m used to Jay, and even Queen Cami, but I think if I ever met the person who played Will O’Connell, I would basically melt into a puddle on the spot. Like, I’m cool with famous people usually—remember when Justin Long came in that one time? I was so, like, blasé about it or whatever. But Will O’Connell. He’s, like—iconic. I’m not going to be able to handle it, Mimi—seriously.”

  Mimi laughed nervously and worried a little for Trevor’s oxygen intake. “Breathe, sweetie. He’s just an actor, like all the rest of them.”

  “No, he’s not—Nash Speedwell was the reason I figured out I was queer. He’s like the reason half the guys who came of age in the last fifteen years knew they were queer. Either you watched him on Sawyer’s Cove all twinky and sensitive with his guitar playing and sucking face with Noah, or on Hawk and Bone with all that leather and fur and homoerotic subtext. Nash Speedwell is basically in the bi-curious starter kit.”

  She choked on her iced tea. “Really? He was that formative for you?”

  Trevor held up a slim, pale finger. “Super cute.” He held up a second finger. “Super nice.” He held up a third finger. “Plays an instrument. How do you not fall in love with that?”

  Mimi swallowed uncomfortably. “You know he’s straight in real life, though?”

  “That’s what they all say.” Trevor waved his hand airily. “Though it doesn’t matter. He’s just a fantasy. Except! He’s coming here. So he’s no longer in the fantasy realm. He’s a real person, apparently.”

  “Yes, that’s the problem,” Mimi agreed.

  When Nash had just been part of her fantasy life, a dream who popped in and out with no consequences, everything was so much simpler. Now she was getting to know him as a real person, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to want out of this scenario. Even if they got to know each other and became real friends, he’d still be leaving at the end of the shoot, off to his next project. He’d never be a permanent part of her life. So why were they even bothering to engage in this performative “let’s be friends” thing?

  “I heard he gives tons of money to LGBTQ charities,” Trevor said. “I mean, hot and generous? Even if he’s straight, a boy can dream.”

  “Well, maybe he’s just a good ally.” Mimi supposed she didn’t know with a hundred percent certainty Nash was straight. He’d never mentioned he wasn’t, but that didn’t mean anything.

  “That just makes him dreamier,” Trevor said. “Oops, let me get your panini from the back.”

  Trevor flitted off, and Mimi wondered how to tell him not only was Nash Speedwell in town, he was a friend of hers. A very intimate friend. Not that she’d tell him that part—she trusted Trevor, but things like that had a way of circulating around Misty Harbor despite anyone’s best intentions. And the last thing she needed was Jay getting wind of it.

  Trevor returned, carrying her sandwich wrapped in brown waxed paper. “Here you go, sorry about word vomiting on you before. I’m just so stoked we’re not only getting new Sawyer’s Cove episodes, but it’s all happening right here.”

  “Don’t say ‘vomit’ to customers, please,” Zelda said, emerging from the back laden with two enormous trays of cookies covered in plastic wrap.

  “Sorry, Zelda,” Trevor said cheerfully. “But it’s just Mimi.”

  “Hi, Zelda. Looks like you’re busy.”

  “I swear, the season started off slow, but we’ve gotten busier every week. I’m going to be a wreck by Labor Day.”

  “Is that a good thing?” Mimi asked doubtfully.

  “Anything that means we don’t have to worry about making rent is a good thing.”

  “You won’t be too busy to do the desserts for the library fundraiser, right?”

  “When is it?”

  “End of September.”

  “That’s fine. But you better get your order in soon.”

  “This week, for sure. Thanks, guys, I’ll get out of your hair.”

  She escaped the Bakeshop before she could be drawn into further conversation about Nash or the fundraiser. She needed to unwind, and her favorite way to do that was going to see a band play live. Even if Nash was going to be there, she’d simply ignore him and get lost in the music.

  Chapter Six

  Cranberry lips, cranberry tongue.

  Come on, honey, let’s have some fun.

  “Cranberry Girl,” The Nash Speedwell Experience

  Nash had been to The Cove lots of times, but always when Jay was with him, either working the bar or working the crowd. He’d been proud of his friend for pulling himself together after things fell apart in the wake of Sawyer’s Cove getting canceled. It had taken a while, but the bar had turned out to be the best thing for Jay—an outlet for his energy and love for his hometown.

  Misty Harbor wasn’t that different from the Tennessee town Nash grew up in, small, incestuous, and steeped in history. Misty Harbor differed in that it welcomed tourists and industry, and even though its location made it unsuitable for commuting to any of the nearby big cities, it still managed to foster culture and a passable nightlife. And where the only reason he went back to his hometown was for the obligatory holiday visits with his family, more and more he found himself looking forward to visits to Misty Harbor.

  At first it was about visiting Jay, who’d tried to cut off contact with everyone from the Sawyer’s Cove days once he decided acting wasn’t in his future. Nash had grown too fond of his friend to allow himself to be ghosted. Since Jay never left Misty Harbor, that meant Nash had to go to him. Eventually, visiting the seaside town was both about seeing Jay and being able to relax and be himself. He didn’t flaunt himself, but if he ran into fans, they were cool.

  Of course, there was another reason he looked forward to visiting Misty Harbor.

  Mimi.

  She was a breath of fresh air after being around Hollywood types. Nash loved acting, he loved his job, and he liked the people for the most part. Most of his best friends were in the business, Cami and Ariel included.

  But Mimi was grounded. She was real, and she didn’t bullshit him. She didn’t apologize for being herself, and she didn’t pretend to be anything but what she was. He liked being around her. She made him feel normal, like someone whose life wasn’t flying to obscure locations to wear makeup and dress up for months at a time, then spending his weeks at press junkets and weekends at fan conventions.

  His downtime had been severely limited since he signed on to Hawk and Bone—if he wasn’t in production, he was doing press, and when he wasn’t doing press, his schedule was booked with fundraisers for the charities he supported, and sometimes industry events, like awards shows and parties, that were part of the job. He’d spent his last birthday appearing in a promo video for Rainbow Canyon for free.

  Honestly, he’d been relieved when the producers of Hawk and Bone broke the news they were killing off his character. His initial thought was maybe he could finally take a vacation.

  Of course, it wasn’t long before Selena and Cami had approached him with the Sawyer’s Cove reboot, and he’d told himself shooting the show back in Misty Harbor might be as close to a vacation as he was going to get.

  The superhero franchise he was going to test for would be like that, but on steroids. Which was another issue. He’d had to bulk up for Hawk and Bone, and he’d already begun to lose the extra muscle now that he wasn’t under the watchful eyes of the trainer and dietician. That fit for his Sawyer’s Cove character Will O’Connell, who’d never been a big guy, though he supposed good old Will could have developed muscles after high school graduation. Nash could only imagine more protein powder and extreme workouts in his future if he was offered the part.

  He should be excited about it. And he was. It was incredibly validating to even be considered for a role like Moonshot. Being in a franchise like this was the logical next step for his career.

  But it wasn’t a step to take lightly.

  There was also the matter of his music.

  He’d spent a lot of the day working on his song for the charity album. It wasn’t the best thing he’d ever written, but it wasn’t the worst. He needed to find a recording studio to lay down a track to send to the organizers. Maybe Mimi would have a recommendation for him. She knew the local music scene better than anyone else he knew.

  There was the woman herself, near the stage, easy to pick out in the half-full bar, with her height and blue hair. She was dressed much more casually than she had been for their dinner date, in slim jeans, flat sneakers, and a tight black tank top that showed off her long, toned arms, complete with the tattoo he remembered her getting a couple of years back.

  We’re not going to have sex tonight. When he reached her table, gave her a quick hug, and breathed in her subtle, clean scent, he had to remind himself why that was again.

  Because any time spent with Mimi was time well-spent, and he needed to make her understand it wasn’t all booty calls between them.

  “Hey, you made it,” she said, with an overly bright smile.

  “Sure did.” He studied her face. She seemed…edgy. He couldn’t remember her being nervous around him before. She usually treated him with polite dismissiveness, as if she could take or leave him, which was both amusing and provoking. But since he’d changed the rules on her, she seemed to be overcompensating for something.

  “Here comes Pauline,” she said, waving over an attractive young woman wearing a similar outfit to Mimi, except where Mimi’s tank was black, Pauline’s was white.

  He gave the newcomer a smile.

  “Where’s Colin?” Mimi asked.

  “He’ll be along,” Pauline said. “Are you Nash Speedwell?”

  “That’s me.”

  “Pauline isn’t super up on pop culture. But ask her about what was going on in Misty Harbor in eighteen fifty, and she’s got you covered.” Mimi didn’t sound like she was joking, and Pauline didn’t correct her.

  “Okay.” He’d have to ask more about that later. “What can I get you to drink? First round’s on me.”

  “Vodka tonic, please,” Mimi said.

  Pauline wrinkled her nose. “How you can drink that vile stuff is beyond me. I’ll have a Stella.”

  “You got it.” Nash bellied up to the bar and was greeted by Danica. He’d met the bar manager a few times on previous visits to The Cove.

 

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