Malibu Love Story: A Novella

Chapter 13: Planning Things

"You really need to have at least a get together."

Duncan looked at Nancy. They were sitting out on the deck talking business while Reed, as usual, beachcombed and looked for shells. It was a beautiful July evening, the kind they had time without number in Malibu.

"I don't see why. Nothing's happening until next year, anyway. I'm just going to be recording in the fall."

"I'm just telling you what the vibe is around the office." By "office," Nancy meant MAA, his management and publicity office. He had no office per se devoted just to him; he was just one of MAA's many high-profile clients.

"What are you hearing?" Duncan sounded skeptical.

Nancy shrugged her perky shoulders. "Just that you've been below the radar for a long time, and you should do something just to remind everyone you're still around."

"Who said that?"

"I don't remember, I was just there, dropping stuff off, picking stuff up, you know, and people were asking where you were and what you were doing, that's all. And someone said it was like you'd dropped off the face of the earth."

Duncan sighed. The past couple weeks, of being with Reed, of just living, had been nothing short of wonderful, and he had no desire to turn his home into a pub-crawl like space, even for one evening. Spending his days in her quiet company and his nights with her in his bed, was a little slice of heaven, as far as he was concerned.

He didn't think Reed would like it, either.

He watched her as he contemplated Nancy's suggestion. Reed was crouched, looking at something in the sand. Her hair fell over one beautiful shoulder, little wisps being carried by the breeze. She'd tanned to a beautiful color, also, like warm caramel, which was set off nicely by the khaki shorts and tank top she was wearing today. Her toned legs were flexed as she looked at whatever was holding her interest in the sand, and Duncan could tell, even though her face was obscured by the sheaf of her hair, that she was smiling.

"She's looking good, isn't she?" Nancy's voice cut into his thoughts. "I see she finally got some decent clothes."

Duncan turned to Nancy. "You know what? Could you just not discuss her? At all? I really don't like how you talk about her."

Nancy blinked at him. "Oh, come on! It was a compliment, Dunc." Nancy gestured to where Reed was now rinsing whatever she'd found in the small waves at the water's edge. "She was quite the dowdy when she came, you must admit. At least what she's wearing now fits her properly and is of nice quality. Though how she could afford it is a mystery, isn't it?" She turned to Duncan. "Where does she get her money? I happen to know that simple little tank top she's wearing is at least two hundred dollars."

Duncan didn't respond.

"Oh, say it ain't so!" Nancy sat up and looked at him. "You're buying her clothes now? Are you?" She put a hand on Duncan's arm. "That woman is going to take you to the cleaners if you're not careful. What kind of hold does she have over you, anyway?"

Reed rose and turned at that moment, accentuating her lovely figure, and waved at Duncan, indicating that she'd found something "nice."

Duncan smiled and waved back, kissing his fingertips first.

He turned to find Nancy staring, first at him, then at Reed, then back at him.

"No way," she said. "You and her?" Her voice was soft with disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I'm perfectly serious," Duncan finally responded. "Neither of us planned it, but it happened, and I'm really happy."

"But isn't she leaving in a little over a month? What's going to happen then?"