James snorted and shook his head. “He sounds like an idiot. You should follow your dreams and go after what you want. Anyone that tells you differently, isn’t worth your time.”
Nicole was stunned that a man she’d known for less than an hour could see her life more clearly than friends who had been in it for a decade. “I don’t know if anyone has ever told me that. Everyone I know just tells me what they think I should do. They don’t take what I want into consideration.”
“Then it sounds like you’re surrounding yourself with the wrong people. It’s better to be alone than trust the wrong person.”
“Is that why you’re up here on your own?” Nicole probed, wanting to understand the man who seemed to be able to peek into her life and pull out truths she didn’t even know were there. “Did you trust the wrong person?”
James eyes darted away, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s a story for another time. We were talking about you.”
“You’ve done a great job of listening to me; I don’t mind returning the favor.”
“How about I make you coffee instead,” he offered. “I’ve learned over the years how to make a great pot.”
“Sounds good,” she said with a smile. “I’m a sucker for good cup of joe.” Then she glanced around and asked, “Do you have pancake mix?”
James brows came together in a furrow of confusion. “I do, but that’s a rather odd request at eight o’clock at night.”
“Well, we were out on the set until we got here. I’m starving, as I’m sure Matt and Britney are. I was thinking I could make pancakes—I love breakfast for dinner and it would go great with coffee.”
“Sure, I think we can manage that.” He pulled out the supplies they would need. “We can even cook some bacon and eggs to go with the pancakes.”
They spent the next hour cooking together. They talked about how she started acting as well as his career with his K9 partner, Siku, who was waiting by the side of the stove for any scraps that happened to fall from the pan. When James wasn’t watching, Nicole, with a wink, would sneak a whole piece of bacon to her new, furry friend.
“I could have sworn we had more bacon than this,” James mumbled to himself as he picked up the plate of bacon and glanced down at it with confusion.
Nicole had to keep herself from laughing. She picked up the stack of pancakes and coffee pot, knowing that at least three pieces of the bacon had made their way into Siku’s stomach by her hand.
They exited the kitchen and took the food over to the nearby dining area. “If you haven’t already figured it out by the smell, we have food,” Nicole called out across the room.
Everyone turned to face them, and there was a mix of reactions. José seemed pleased to see them together, Matt seemed leery, and Britney seemed amused.
“Good, I’m starving,” Britney called out as she rushed over to the table and took a seat on one side. “I should have known it would be breakfast food—whenever you’re not on set somewhere, it’s your go-to meal to cook.”
“What can I say, I can’t help myself,” she teased with a laugh. “Stop complaining and eat up—you’ll love it, I promise.”
The other two men joined them at the table, taking seats on the other side. Everyone filled their plates with food and their cups with coffee. They chatted about the resort and the movie set as they ate, and by the time they were finished, everyone was exhausted.
“I’m ready to turn in for the night? Is there somewhere for us to sleep?” Matt asked, looking around.
“I have three bedrooms. The master is where I sleep with Siku. The second one has two twin beds, which will work for the women. The other room has a queen bed, and I figure one of you can have it and the other can sleep on the couch.”
“I want the bed,” Matt demanded. “I’ll pull my back out if I sleep on a couch.”
José raised his hands in the air in deferment. “I’m good with sleeping on the couch.”
Britney leaned towards José with an approving smile. “That was nice of you to take the couch.”
“It’s not like I haven’t slept on one dozens of times while going to college,” he joked. “It isn’t a big deal. I’m easy-going for the most part.”
“As long as you aren’t like that on a date,” she teased.
“Is that an offer?” he countered with a flirtatious wink.
“Only if you want it to be,” she bantered in return.
Nicole could hardly believe her eyes. She could swear that Britney and José were into each other from the way they were acting.
“The rooms are already made up with sheets and blankets. I would check them though for unwanted guests,” James suggested.
“Unwanted guests?” Britney shrieked out with wide eyes. “What does that mean?”
“Well, I just got here myself yesterday, and those rooms haven’t been used for a long time. There’s a chance any number of animals might have crawled in between the sheets and blankets to find a warm place to stay.”
“What do I do if I find an unwanted guest?” Britney asked in a frightened voice, as she twisted the end of one of her red curls in her fingers.
“You can capture and release it, or kill it—your choice,” James informed her.
“Those are my only two choices,” Britney whined with trepidation.
“Or you can call for me,” José added. “I’m just down the hall and I’ll come running if you need me.”
“Thank you,” she said as she reached out and patted José’s arm. “I appreciate there being at least one gentleman around here.”
“On that note, I think I’m going to bed,” James announced. “If the rest of you follow me, I’ll point you to your rooms as we head down the hall.”
Once everyone was in their rooms, Nicole was left with only her thoughts as she got ready to go to sleep. It had been a long day filled with disappointment, breakthroughs, and surprises. What stood out most to her, however, was her time she spent with James. She’d never met anyone quite like him. At first, she thought he was rather off-putting, but the more she got to know him, she realized there was a heart of gold below his surly exterior. He was a real man, in every sense of the word. From his strong, muscular physique, that was easy to see under his jeans and gray t-shirt, to his tough, confident attitude that he wore openly. He was the kind of man that could make a woman feel secure. The more she thought about him, the more she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have him kiss her. It was that tantalizing thought that was the last thing she thought about before she drifted off to sleep.
7
A scuffling and thudding noise from down the hall woke James from his sleep. He rolled over and looked at the clock. It read three a.m. What on earth could be making all that racket? Had an animal found a way into the house?
James let out a sigh, then turned over to look at Siku in her crate. “I suppose we should get up and find out what’s making that noise.” He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, threw on a t-shirt over his sweats, then grabbed the handgun from his nightstand. “You can never be too careful. If it’s a big animal, we’ll need this.”