The Sidekick Celebrity: A Sweet Celebrity Romance (Crystal Springs Celebrities Book 2) Read online

  “But I do,” he argued, feeling like he was talking in circles. “I care.”

  “But haven’t you just been telling me that you were ready to throw that all out the window last night?” Gwen took a long sip of her tea, turning to him a bit more when the door chimed with new customers. “Weren’t you ready to throw out whatever rules you two put in place?”

  “I was,” he said slowly, “but I guess I wasn’t thinking with my head.”

  “And despite the joke I could make there, I say you were thinking with your heart,” Gwen retorted, a little smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

  Colt almost laughed. “I suppose I was. I don’t know, Gwen, I just … love being around this girl. She’s funny and brave and I’ve never met anyone like her.”

  Gwen observed him over the top of her mug. “You’re crazy about her. I saw the way you looked at her last night before I interrupted.”

  “Yeah, I am. Which makes it even worse that I’ve been so weird about everything. I just don’t know what to do about Jack.”

  “You don’t know how he’ll react. Maybe he’ll think it’s great.”

  “No, you don’t know Jack,” Colt said, shaking his head. “One of my many best man wedding responsibilities was literally to keep Sam away from her.”

  “So? He didn’t say anything about you.”

  Colt couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Pretty sure it was assumed.”

  “We might run in different circles, but even I know Sam Martin loves the ladies,” Gwen said, laughing a little. “He dated a friend of a friend of mine.”

  Even Colt had to smirk at that, but he sighed.

  “Colt, there’s only one thing you can do to try and fix this,” she said, putting her elbows on the table and leaning over. “You have to be honest with her, and tell her how you feel. It’s the only way you’ll know for sure.”

  “What do I do about Jack?”

  “Now that, I don’t know,” she said regretfully, tapping her nails on the table. “If you want to be with Jill for real, he’ll have to know, and it’s better you tell him sooner rather than later.”

  Colt rubbed a hand over his jaw. He’d known that’d be her answer, knew it was the right thing to do. He didn’t want to betray Jack, but he could no longer deny what he felt for Jill. He could only hope Jack would be okay with it.

  “Thanks, Gwen, really,” he said, draining the last of his coffee.

  “Oh, I didn’t do anything,” she said, but pleased all the same. “Good luck with Jill.”

  “Thanks for the advice. You always were good at it.” Colt cleared his throat, patting her forearm in thanks. They stood up, getting their jackets on and heading outside. “I’m glad we met today.”

  “So am I.” Gwen’s brown eyes shined as she smiled up at him. “I’ll be coming back to Crystal Springs soon to finalize some details with the band. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

  They parted ways, Colt hurrying to get back to Jack’s house. He had to talk to Jill before she left without saying goodbye.

  Jill was making herself lunch in the kitchen when Colt’s footsteps thudded upstairs. He appeared in the doorway, watching her put ingredients together.

  “Hi,” he said softly.

  “Hey.” Jill didn’t look up from the counter.

  “Can we talk?” he asked.

  She glanced at him, the sad look on his face thawing out the ice cold wall she’d tried to put around her heart overnight.

  “About what?” Jill continued making her salad, ignoring the way her body tingled when he stepped even closer to her.

  “I just had coffee with Gwen,” he said, watching her toss tomatoes and cucumbers into the bowl.

  “Oh?” She sucked in a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst. And now they’re back together and he’s realized he’s been in love with her all this time–

  “And I’ve been such an idiot.”

  Jill’s entire train of thought ran off its tracks and her hands stopped moving. “Wait, what?”

  “I’m so sorry, Jill.” Colt shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly nervous, which she found endearing. “I should never have introduced you as Jack’s sister. You’re so much more to me than that, and I never want to make you feel like you’re less.”

  Okay, that’s a solid apology. Jill put down the knife and vegetables, turning to face him. “I’m listening.”

  “I should’ve been up front with you. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since you rearranged those cupcakes for the rehearsal dinner. This vacation has been one of the greatest times of my entire life, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to go through a single day without you in it.”

  Jill wasn’t much of a crier, but even she choked up at his sincerity. But I have to be honest with him or it’ll eat me alive.

  The words spilled from Jill’s mouth. “Colt, I’m not mad about Gwen. I’m mad because I can’t keep putting my heart out there. I feel like I’ve been doing it since I met you, and every time we get close to crossing that line, you pull away.”

  “I know, and I don’t want it to be that way anymore–”

  “But once vacation is over, we go back to real life. Even if Jack wasn’t a factor, you and I live very different lives,” Jill continued. “If I take this job, I’ll be here, in Crystal Springs, for the foreseeable future, and you live in California.”

  “That doesn’t matter to me,” he said fiercely, stepping closer to her. “The distance doesn’t matter - I’d come see you as often as possible, and fly you out to me on your off days. This is not impossible.”

  She ignored the flutter of hope in her stomach; it threatened to consume her, and she had to look away, back to the food in front of her, to compose her thoughts. He came over to her instead, turning her gently towards him, his hands still on her arms as he looked down at her.

  “Please, Jill. I … I want to make this work. I’m crazy about you.”

  Jill’s resolve was quickly fading. “But Jack–”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Colt said. “I’ll make him understand how I feel about you.”

  He paused as if stopping himself from speaking further, but the fire in his eyes remained. Against her better judgment, Jill listened to the tiny voice in her head that whispered, Always be bold.

  Jill bit her lower lip, drawing his attention to it immediately, but he tore his gaze back to hers. “I lied to you before.”

  “About what?”

  “I want to try,” she said, the words making her own heart leap with joy.

  His hands squeezed her forearms as his gray eyes lit up. “You do? For real?”

  “Of course I do,” she said, stepping in so close that she now pressed against him. The words rushed out of her, as if she couldn’t say them fast enough. “I didn’t mean what I said, I was just angry, and I’m sorry. If you’re still willing to try, I’m not sure if there’s anything I’ve ever wanted more in my entire life.”

  He tucked a few pieces of hair behind her ear, fingers lingering on her temple, her cheek. “Really?”

  “I want to be with you, Colt. Now that you’re in my life, I don’t want to go a day without you in it, either … even if it’s over the phone sometimes.”

  He hesitated, urging her to understand. “My life … I want you to be part of that. Being in Crystal Springs is easy, but I want to show you off in Hollywood, too. That comes with some weird territory and I want to be totally upfront about it.”

  “I’ve given that more thought than I’d like to admit,” Jill said, looking down at their intertwined hands. “I won’t lie, I’m a little worried about your snobberazzo, but if nosey people are the worst of it, then you’re well worth the trouble.”

  He tucked a finger under her chin so he could see his grin. “You’ll get to wear a lot of great dresses, and go to parties with Rosie and Jack.”

  “That does make things a little easier,” she admitted, chuckling before growing serious again. “It’s like you said – th
ose things are just ‘work stuff,’ not your entire life. I want to know all of it, because I want to be with you.”

  Colt gently placed his hands on either side of her face, looking down at her as if seeing her for the first time. “I want to be with you, too. For as long as you’ll have me.”

  Jill couldn’t stand it anymore, closing the distance to kiss him. He responded enthusiastically, and that gentle blaze within her chest roared into a bonfire. His arms were wrapped around her waist; she perched on her tiptoes to meet him. She lost herself in the kiss, wanting to stay in his arms for the rest of her life. They broke apart for air a minute later; she could tell her face was flushed.

  “What do we do now?”

  “I have a few ideas,” he said, grinning devilishly, “but we’ll figure it out, one step at a time.”

  He still stayed close, and kissed her lips, her cheeks, her nose. She giggled. “So we’re throwing out the rulebook?”

  “Burn it for all I care,” he murmured, moving in to kiss her neck.

  His soft lips against her skin gave her the shivers and she couldn’t take it anymore. I never want to stop kissing him. He brought his lips back to hers, and fireworks took over behind her eyelids. Colt wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back in. She was drunk on him, her fingers curling in his short hair, running across his beard, his broad chest–

  “WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?” The deep, angry voice thundered through the kitchen, possibly the entire house.

  Jill and Colt jerked apart, turning in horror to see her older brother in the doorway. Jack and Rosie, it appeared, had come home early.

  “Jack, you’re home early,” Jill said, brushing the loose strands of hair away from her face.

  “My best friend and my sister?” Jack shouted instead, dropping his luggage to the floor with a heavy thud. “How could you, Colt?”

  Rosie appeared behind Jack’s shoulder, eyes darting nervously to the other two. She reached for her husband’s hand, clearly trying to diffuse the tension. “Jack, honey, let’s take a minute–”

  Jack paid no attention to her, still glaring at Colt, who was suddenly very glad looks couldn’t kill.

  “We wanted to come home and surprise Jill to celebrate her new job, but looks like the surprise is on me. I told you to watch out for her, not hook up with her!” Jack said, jabbing a finger into Colt’s chest.

  “Jack, you don’t get to decide anything about my love life,” Jill said, taking a step forward to stand beside Colt.

  As much as I appreciate the gesture, I really hope she doesn’t try to hold my hand or Jack’s head might explode.

  “This isn’t about who you date,” Jack told her, holding a hand up as if to keep her out of it. “This is about my best friend going behind my back!”

  Colt stepped away from Jill, hands up to keep the peace. He’d never seen his best friend so angry, and a fresh wave of guilt made his knees wobble. Colt had gone against everything their friendship stood for, had betrayed him.

  “I’m sorry!”

  “What are you thinking?” Jack snarled at Colt, who backed up until the counter pressed against him. “I mean, for Jill, I kinda get it, you’re a movie star and a way to pass the time–”

  “Excuse you,” Jill butted in, eyes blazing, “but that has nothing to do with–”

  Her brother ignored her, still ranting. “–But you, you I never thought I’d have to worry about, you’d never betray my trust or hurt my family–”

  “Whoa, now wait a minute,” Colt finally interrupted. “Let’s get one thing straight here, I would never hurt your family.”

  Jack scoffed, folding his enormous biceps over his chest. “Maybe not intentionally, but you’ve never had a serious relationship in the entire time I’ve known you. You’ll hurt my sister when you drop her for the next pretty girl–”

  “No,” Colt said without hesitation. “Please, you don’t understand, just listen. You’re my best friend, Jack, please.”

  Jack straightened, stood there silently, still fuming. Rosie quickly skirted by him, reaching for Jill’s hand. “C’mon, let’s go catch up and give them a few minutes.”

  Jill opened her mouth as if to protest, but Colt caught her eye and he gave her a reassuring nod. She allowed Rosie to lead her out of the kitchen, giving the two men some privacy.

  “Explain it then,” Jack said, walking over to sit on one of the barstools. “Tell me why she’s different, and how we can still be friends after this.”

  Colt kept it simple and straightforward. “I love her.”

  Jack’s anger abruptly cleared into confusion, and perhaps a little disbelief. “You love her?”

  Colt swallowed hard, hardly meeting his best friend’s eyes. This guilt would crush him if he didn’t tell the truth. “I tried hard not to, Jack, really I did, but yeah, I do. I’m in love with your sister.”

  “Does she know that?”

  “I was about to tell her, right before you walked in, actually.”

  He grunted. “Does she love you?”

  “I-I don’t know. Maybe.” Colt rubbed the back of his neck. “I hope so.”

  Jack said nothing, pursing his lips together in thought. As the silence grew, Colt’s stomach turned. He looked back into the living room as if expecting to see Rosie and Jill standing there, then turned back to Colt.

  “And what exactly is your plan here?” Jack cleared his throat, motioning as he spoke. “Do you plan to fly back and forth to Crystal Springs?”

  “Just like you did for Rosie.” Colt kept his voice even, glad to see Jack had calmed down.

  Jack softened, though scowled a little. “You mentioned her on purpose.”

  “Because it’s just like you said, man,” Colt said, repeating his friend’s words from only a few days ago, “‘priorities shift after you meet the love of your life.’ I want to be with Jill, but I’d never do it without your okay. You’re my best friend and nothing about that will change.”

  Jack went quiet again, though the sour expression had faded. After several long moments, he heaved a sigh. “I guess in that case, you’ve got my blessing.”

  Colt started. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah.” At his face, Jack shrugged. “It’s like you said to me once when Rosie and I first started dating – I know you well enough to know when you’re serious. I also know you aren’t a jerk, so if you’re lucky enough to win my sister over, then I know it’s not some game for you.”

  Colt’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank you. For what it’s worth, I was going to talk to you as soon as you got back, but I’d just gotten back from seeing Gwen, and Jill and I were – ”

  “Gwen?” Jack’s mouth fell open. “And the haircut? What else did I miss while we were honeymooning?”

  Colt chuckled. “I’ll fill you in on everything, but first, I need to talk to Jill.”

  “Well, I guess I was right.”

  Colt looked up at Jack then, and at the teeniest, tiniest smirk on his friend’s face, relief finally came over him. We’re going to be okay. “Right about what?”

  “Looks like you finally met a woman who could change your mind on relationships.” Jack laughed, shaking his head a little. “I’m starting to think Crystal Springs has something special in their water.”

  Colt went into the living room to find Jill and Rosie sitting on the couch, their heads bent together in whispers. He cleared his throat, making them jump, and Jill shot to her feet.

  “Are you okay? He didn’t punch you, did he?”

  “Trust me, you’d know if he had,” Colt said, shaking his head. He only had eyes for Jill, his heart beating fast as he thought of what to say. “No, we’re okay. Better than okay, in fact.”

  Her blue eyes widened. “He’s okay with us?”

  He nodded. “And now that we know that, I have something I need to tell you.”

  “I’m going to go finish up lunch and we’ll all eat,” Rosie said, beaming at them. She patted Colt’s upper arm as she pas
sed them, winking at Jill. She disappeared into the kitchen, giving them the room.

  “Jack’s really okay?” Jill asked, slowly meeting him in the middle of the room. She reached for his hands, hope shining on her face.

  “He is.”

  She released a sigh of relief, her fingers skating up and down his arms, her touch raising goosebumps. “What did you want to tell me?”

  Despite the fact his heart seemed to fill at the look on her face, he hesitated. “Jill, I know my lifestyle isn’t something you want–”

  “Colt, stop before you even start,” she said firmly, pressing a finger to his lips. “I don’t care about the obstacles. You’re right. We’ll figure it out. But I don’t want to give up on this, on us. I’d regret it forever.”

  “Neither of us should have regrets,” he said quietly, remembering when he’d said those words to her while she cut his hair.

  As if hearing his thoughts, she reached up to brush a bit of hair off his forehead, her fingers lingering around his face. She smiled at him again, the lines around her eyes crinkling with joy, and Colt let his heart take over.

  “Jill, I love you.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “I love you,” he repeated, “and I have since the day you ran to help that guy in that car accident, I will never forget it as long as I live. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

  “Colt–”

  “It’s okay if you don’t love me back,” Colt said, holding his hands palm up so as not to pressure her. “I just had to say it because it was killing me not to–”

  His thought scattered when Jill pressed her lips to his, effectively cutting him off as he lost himself in her kiss. When she finally pulled away, she grinned. “Shut up so I can tell you that I love you, too.”

  “Really?”

  “Don’t look so surprised,” she said, elbowing him playfully. “I’ve loved you since I was seventeen, remember?”

  Colt laughed, kissing her again. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathless and flushed.

  “In all seriousness, though,” Jill said softly, “I do love you. And for me, it was the grocery store.”