Kiss Me in Carolina (Hunt Family Book 2)

  Kiss Me

  in

  Carolina

  By:

  Brooke St. James

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the author.

  Copyright © 2016

  Brooke St. James

  All rights reserved.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Other titles available from Brooke St. James:

  Another Shot:

  A Modern-Day Ruth and Boaz Story

  When Lightning Strikes

  Something of a Storm (All in Good Time #1)

  Someone Someday (All in Good Time #2)

  Finally My Forever (Meant for Me #1)

  Finally My Heart's Desire (Meant for Me #2)

  Finally My Happy Ending (Meant for Me #3)

  Shot by Cupid's Arrow

  Dreams of Us

  Meet Me in Myrtle Beach (Hunt Family #1)

  Prologue

  Logan Ritchie made six million dollars in his most recent film role. He'd been acting since he was a child, and was now one of the most sought after leading men in Hollywood. His first big break was playing Taylor on Disney Channel's Taylor and Tig, which was a massive hit that ran for six seasons. Now, however, Logan took on much more serious roles in action and drama films. He was the tall, dark, handsome type who had the acting skills to back up his movie-star appearance—an A-lister who had more job offers than he could shake a stick at and walked the red carpet at all the major award shows.

  Paparazzi, lights, and glamor aside, Logan was just a normal, down-to-earth guy who enjoyed hanging out with his friends and family. He was born in North Carolina, but at the age of five he told his parents that he wanted to be in movies, and they took him seriously. His dad, who worked for the USPS, applied for a transfer to California, and the rest, as they say, is history.

  So, there he was, way out in Hollywood, living the dream. His extended family was still in North Carolina, but his mom, dad, and sister were all with him in Los Angeles, and he considered it his home. He lived in his own place, but it was close to the one he bought for his parents, and they saw each other all the time.

  They lived in a gated Hollywood subdivision, but it wasn't as extravagant as Logan could have afforded. He had one car, not five, and he enjoyed the simple things in life. He usually had a bit of an entourage, but that was just because he'd rather have people around than be alone. His long-time best friends, Nico and Phillip, both had rooms at his house even though they technically didn't live there. He trusted them, and they took care of his dog, Sampson, when he was out of town, which was often.

  Currently, Nico was sitting on the couch watching TV while Logan was in the kitchen talking to his mom and sister. Sampson, the professionally trained German Shepherd, was curled up on a rug next to Logan's feet.

  "Is it that girl you met while we were in Myrtle Beach?" his mom, Denise, asked.

  He nodded in answer to her question.

  "The one you met at the party?"

  He nodded again.

  "What's her name again?"

  "London," he said.

  "Oh, yeah," Denise said. "I remember her telling that story about her parents conceiving her there."

  Logan was silent for a few long seconds, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.

  "London and Logan," Denise said. "That sort of has a ring to it, I guess."

  "She's not my girlfriend, Mom."

  Denise smirked at him. "Does she know that?"

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "It means what it sounds like. Does she think she's your girlfriend?"

  He shrugged and absentmindedly rubbed Sampson's belly with his foot.

  "Yes she does," Charlotte chimed in, without looking up from her phone. "Of course she does. Why else do you think she'd be coming here?"

  "Well, have you been leading her to believe it?" Denise asked, studying her son.

  He groaned as he stretched his arms toward the ceiling, clearly avoiding the question.

  "Why are you being so weird about this?" she asked. "You're either dating her or your not. If you are, a visit should be a pleasant experience. If you're not, you should just tell her not to come."

  He sighed, which made his mother glare at him. "What's going on, Logan?"

  "Her dad's Charles Ryder."

  Denise shrugged as if the name didn't mean anything to her.

  "He's a big time entrepreneur on the East Coast," Logan said. "—a restaurant guy. He's not even a chef, he's a businessman, but every restaurant he opens turns into a gold mine."

  "And you think he'll be a good contact if you want to eventually open a restaurant of your own," Denise said, reading between the lines of what her son was saying. Logan had mentioned the idea quite a few times, and she knew it was something he wanted to peruse eventually.

  "He's not just a good contact, he's the contact. The only contact I'd need. If I want to open a restaurant, he's the guy who could help me do it right."

  "So, basically he's just using the guy's daughter," Charlotte interjected, "which is fine when she's across the country and only requires a few texts a week, but now she's coming here, and he has to smile and act like he likes her in front of everyone."

  Logan picked up a pen that was resting on the countertop and threw it at his sister, who was still staring down at her phone.

  "Heyyyy," she said. "I'm just telling the truth."

  "Yeah, but you make it sound like I'm trying to play her or something."

  Charlotte narrowed her eyes at her brother. "What else is it called when you're talking to her because of her dad?"

  "It's not like that."

  "What's it like?"

  "I like her and everything. She's a cool girl. I just don't need to be quote-unquote dating anyone right now. I have a lot going on."

  "It is sort of a bad week," Denise said, trying to help him out with an excuse. "You have Cody and Paige coming in. Just tell her you'll have your cousin and his wife in from out of town."

  "I already told her that," he said. "She's staying with a friend while she's here, so it doesn't really matter if I have company or not."

  "How long's she staying?"

  "I don't know—like ten days or something."

  His mom gasped like that was much longer than she expected. "You're gonna be shooting in Santa Barbara during that time."

  "I know."

  "So just tell her you're gonna be busy."

  "I already did. She said there's no pressure, she just wants to hook up when we can."

  Denise shrugged. "I don't know why you're asking my advice, Logan. It sounds like you've got it all figured out. Just see her when you can, I guess."

  "I thought maybe you and Charlotte could hang out with her a little bit," he said.

  "I'll take her shopping if I'm using your credit card," Charlotte volunteered.

  Denise shot her a motherly glare. "Nobody's taking anybody shopping," she said. "We'll have you guys over for dinner if you want us to meet her."

  "You already met her," he said.

  "You know what I mean
."

  "I'll take her shopping," Charlotte mouthed behind her mom's back. Logan winked at her, and she winked back.

  "I just don't know if it's a good idea to lead her on, though, baby."

  "I knew you were gonna say that," Logan said.

  "Then obviously you see the flaws in your plan."

  "There's no plan, Mom. I just don't want to call it off with her quite yet. It's not just about her dad. I think she's okay, too."

  "Just not okay enough to date her if her dad wasn't who he is."

  He sighed. "It's good to surround yourself with successful people. Her dad's a factor, I'm not gonna lie. But that might be because I don't know her that well yet. Who knows, maybe she'll come over here, and I'll fall in love with her and not even care that her dad is a ki-jillionaire, genius, restaurant guy."

  Denise sighed. "You better end it sooner rather than later if you figure out she's not right for you, Logan. I have a feeling you'd rather this guy see you as a someone who was once friends with his daughter than the guy who led her on and broke her heart."

  "I'm not leading her on," he said, smiling. "We might still fall in love."

  "I'm pretty sure she's already there," Charlotte said.

  Logan continued to smile as he shook his head, telling them he had everything under control. "She's cool," he said. "She's not asking me about commitment or anything. She's independent. She's just coming to visit her friend, and she wants to try to see me if possible."

  Denise shrugged. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out."

  "I guess I just wanted you guys to know she'd be around."

  "Are you gonna take her on the set?" Denise asked.

  "I probably will."

  "You know they'll photograph you together," she warned. "And they're gonna speculate on her being your girlfriend."

  He nodded.

  "And you're okay with that?"

  "It's fine, Mom. You're making it more of a big deal than it is. It's not like it's my first time to hang out with a girl."

  "All right," she said. "I'll quit asking questions."

  "I really don't know what to expect, to tell you the truth. I'll probably hang out with her a few times, and before you know it, the week will be over."

  "Famous last words," Charlotte said.

  Logan ignored his sister's comment, and dug in the fridge for the carton of orange juice. He unscrewed the cap and took a gulp directly from the container before setting it back in its place.

  "Where are Cody and Paige staying?" Charlotte asked, changing the subject.

  "Upstairs," Logan said.

  "I want to stay over when they're here so I can hang out with Paige."

  "You can," he said. "You should just move in for the next couple of weeks so you can be here through London's trip, too."

  That sounded like a great idea to Charlotte since Logan would no doubt spoil her. She smiled and lifted her eyebrows at her mom.

  "What about school?" Denise asked, practically.

  "I'll still go to my classes," she said.

  Denise made it obvious by her nonchalant facial expression that she didn't care either way about the matter. Charlotte had, more than once, brought up moving in with Logan permanently, so a two-week visit wasn't necessarily big news.

  "Whatever you two work out is fine."

  Chapter 1

  My heart sank, and a feeling of dread washed over me. "I have absolutely no desire to have her stay with me, Mom."

  My mom, who I could see through Skype on my computer, laughed and shook her head at me. "You don't really have a choice, Rachel." She wrinkled her nose. "I shouldn't say it like that. You do have a choice, but I'm asking you to please consider letting her stay with you while she's in town. Her dad is our most faithful supporter."

  I had nothing in common with London Ryder. We were the opposite of compatible. I'd met her on several occasions when we were younger, but hadn't seen her in years.

  "Why's she coming here? I know it's not to see me."

  "She's got a boyfriend in L.A."

  "Can't she stay with him?" I asked.

  My mother leveled me with that strict, motherly stare that said I should be ashamed of myself for asking if a girl could stay with her boyfriend when that implied they'd be spending the night together.

  "Can't she get a hotel?" I amended. "Her dad probably owns one she could stay in."

  "She's asked specifically if she could stay with you. Her dad contacted me personally."

  I scrunched up my face at my mom, joking with her about my reluctant agreement.

  She smiled. "Thank you."

  "How long's she staying?"

  "Ten days."

  "Ten days? Are you serious? I thought you were gonna say three—four tops."

  "Don't worry, it'll go by fast. She's got that boyfriend, and you've got school. I'm sure you'll barely even know she's there."

  "I hope she's not expecting me to show her around or anything."

  "She's not. I already told her dad you were in school."

  "Did you tell him I said I'd do it?"

  "No, sweetheart, I didn't. I wanted to leave that up to you. I told him I'd check with you to make sure you had room, but warned him that even if you did, you'd be busy with school." She sighed and smiled at me. "I'm sure you'll barely even know she's there."

  I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have London at my apartment for a whole ten days.

  "I think her boyfriend's some famous actor," my mom added as if that might make me feel better about it.

  "Of course he is," I said. "And I'll hear all about how glamorous it is."

  My mom tilted her head and smiled patiently. "Why don't you try to make the most of it? Like you said, you haven't seen her in years. Maybe things have changed. Maybe you'll have more in common now."

  "Maybe."

  "And if you don't, you'll still be a gracious host, because that's just how you are."

  I cracked a smile. "You're probably right, but I still get to complain to you about it, don't I?"

  She smiled. "You can complain to me all you want, sweetheart."

  ***

  A week later, London Ryder arrived at LAX, and who do you think was there to pick her up? Me.

  I put a little thought into what I was wearing simply because I didn't want her to ask me why I didn't. Yep. She was the type of girl who would say, "If you'd fix yourself up a little bit, you'd be pretty," and other lovely things like that. I was about fifteen the last time I saw her, and those types of sentiments flowed from her lips the entire time we were together. She was an entitled, southern debutante type who thought her accent was charming and looked down her nose at me. I could only hope things would be different now that we were older.

  I stood at baggage claim, watching as passengers on her flight came down the escalators, telling myself over and over again that her dad's contributions kept my parents' center afloat.

  There was no mistaking her when she came into view. She was dressed to the nines in chic clothes, looking like an Urban Outfitters ad. She had enough gold necklaces and bracelets to feed an entire country. I knew it was real gold, too. She wasn't a knock-off jewelry type of person.

  "Oh my goodness, Rachel Stephens, you look so good!" she said in her slow, southern drawl as she drew me in for a hug. She went in for the kiss on each of my cheeks, and I tried not to be too awkward about going through the motions with her. It was so weird to hear that accent coming out of someone named London. I remember thinking that when we were little—wondering why she didn't have a British accent. I smiled inwardly at the thought.

  "Thank you," I said after we exchanged fake kisses. "You look great, too. It's been forever."

  "More than ten years, I think. I remember because that last time I saw you, I was about to get my first car. That was the BMW, so I was only fifteen. Can you believe how time flies?" She reached out and touched the long, dark hair that hung over my shoulder. "I can't believe you wear your hair so dark like this
in Los Angeles. Doesn't it get hot?"

  I shook my head and smiled.

  "I thought everybody out west was supposed to be blonde," she said.

  I had no idea how to respond. She was saying it in an almost accusatory way like I was doing something wrong by having dark hair, and it left me speechless. I smiled as genuinely as I could. "I can't believe you're here!" I said. I pointed to the baggage belt. "I guess we should look for your luggage."

  "I have three bags."

  "Oh, okay."

  I stepped closer to the conveyer belt, which was moving, but was still empty where we were standing. I stared at it even though it was empty and I had no idea what I was looking for. I looked at it simply to avoid looking at her. Lord, please help me to be positive. Help me to like this girl, Amen.

  "One of them's pretty much empty," she said. I figured you'd be taking me shopping while I'm here."

  "Oh, did your dad tell you I'm really busy with school? I just started my last year, and I can't really miss."

  "Yeah." She gave me a slow wink. "But I'm sure you'll have some time to do a little shopping, right?"

  I knew she assumed the idea would be tempting to me, but shopping was seriously one of my most hated past times. I didn't even like to do it for normal things like jeans, and shirts, and shoes, and underwear, much less go from store to store looking for items you didn't even need—browsing, so to speak. I did my best not to cringe at the idea of going with her. "I'm sure we can figure something out for the weekend if you haven't already gone without me by then," I said, trying to be nice without officially committing to a shopping trip.

  The luggage had just begun to come past us, and I motioned for her to look at it since she was now digging in her purse and didn’t seem interested in trying to find her bags.

  "I'll see it when it comes," she said. "You can't miss it." Without looking up, she said, "Dad said you're in school to be a dentist."

  "I am."

  "And you just started your last year?"

  "Yep." I kept my eyes on the belt for something I 'couldn't miss,' but didn't see anything.