The salt air whipped past him as he leaned against the railing. How had his life come to this? He was running. Running from everyone, everything. He shoved his hands in his front pockets and rocked back on his heels. There had to be a way to get back in control.
It had never been this bad before. The hoop kept moving. He had convinced himself that eventually the novelty of Evan Carlson would wear off. Following the once college quarterback now movie star would become boring and mundane as soon as the next big star was discovered. But five years later, it still hadn’t happened. He glanced over his shoulder, a regular habit whenever he was in public. The couple in the adjacent car was trying to soothe a fussy baby. They hadn’t reached for their phones, yet.
In the beginning, it was fun, even exciting when he made the cover of a magazine. It was the same kind of rush when he threw a winning touchdown. He didn’t want to admit to anyone now that at the time he got a kick out of being named the World’s Sexiest Bachelor. All of that seemed stupid, ridiculous, and shallow. He kicked the side of railing with his boot.
The captain pulled the horn on the ferry as it approached the dock. The sound echoed over the water. Evan retraced his steps to his vehicle, and waited for the crew to motion him onto the shore. Maybe he had read too many scripts or played too many roles, but as the ramp lowered and he pressed his foot on the gas, he had the strange sensation that a new movie had begun.
There were six miles between the ferry dock and the main village of Perry Island. Evan couldn’t see anything except sand dunes as he followed the cars in front of him.
It was now one in the morning, and he had managed almost sixteen hours without talking to his agent, publicist, stylist, trainer, or assistant. That was a record first. The music on the radio had turned to static. He searched for a station that could spread its waves this far into the outer edges of North Carolina. His eyes burned, but the cool air from the open window felt soothing as he drove.
Evan slowed the Jeep as he rolled into the village. Nothing was open, or at least from the street, he couldn’t see any lights. The car in front of him turned into the gravel parking lot of the Windsheer Inn. He pulled to the side and watched as the driver walked to the door, grabbed an envelope from a drop box, and retrieve a pair of keys. That was how that guy had a room. Dammit. He hadn’t thought to call ahead to make reservations. He snorted. He hadn’t thought ahead about any of this.
Somewhere in the middle of the drive from the ferry dock, he remembered passing a campground. He pulled hard on the steering wheel until he had performed a U-turn, sending him back on the beach road.
Along the ocean side of the island was a campground. Just like everywhere else, it was thrown into utter darkness. Evan pulled to an open spot and cut the engine on the Jeep. His lungs filled with a deep inhale of salty air as the waves pounded on the shore in front of him.
He reached for the lever on his seat and reclined it as far as it would go. There was barely enough room, but he propped his feet on the dash before pulling his hat over his eyes.
It wasn’t a penthouse, a yacht, or a decked out guesthouse, but Evan smiled as his tired eyes gave in to the sleep that had invaded his body. It might only last one night, but he slept satisfied knowing there was no way anyone in the world would find this movie star tonight.
The alarm chirped cricket sounds for the fourth time. Haven threw the sheet off her chest and kicked the quilt to the end of the bed. 5 a.m. Who in their right mind woke up at 5 a.m.? She tapped the screen on her phone to cease the joyous insects from a repeat performance. This wasn’t the first time she had cursed the early wakeup call as she stumbled to the shower and turned the water on.
There were water restrictions this time of year on the island. So many tourists, so little rain, and only seven minutes a shower. It was her mother’s idea to use a kitchen timer. Haven twisted the dial to the right and placed the timer on the counter before stepping into the steady stream of hot water. If she had to take a quick shower, it was going to be a good one.
She closed her eyes and lathered a handful of shampoo through long strands of auburn hair.
He shouldn’t be stealing my heart and my breath
We said good-bye with one very last kiss
But no matter what, every corner I turn
I see his face, his eyes, and it burns, it burns
Haven raced to stop the water and hopped over the side of the tub. There had to be paper in here somewhere. She tore through the first cabinet drawer and then the other.