One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [41]
Chapter 10
Colby’s eyes were glued to the scenery outside the car window as it moved along a canyon road. It provided an unforgettable and breathtaking view of Santa Monica Bay with mountains on one side and the San Fernando Valley on the other.
She knew they were headed to Sterling’s home in the Malibu Beach Colony, a residential community of beach homes. She had read enough magazine articles to know it was a haven for numerous celebrities who wanted to get away and find peace and quiet.
And today she needed to get away.
Just as Sterling had predicted, a ton of reporters had camped outside the hotel. There had been even more of them than last night, with more cameras and more questions. Sterling had summed up an answer to their inquiries in one statement.
“Yes, Colby and I are getting married, and yes, we are very much in love.”
Colby sighed deeply. Lies, lies and more lies. She was now living the life of a lie.
She thought about her telephone conversation with James. He had not been completely satisfied with the information she’d given him. He had more questions and he would demand more answers. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. At the moment all she wanted to do was to think about pleasant things and she couldn’t help remembering yesterday and the time she and Sterling had spent together. She had really enjoyed herself when he had taken her on a tour of the city. For some reason she felt torn by conflicting emotions. There were times the man actually got on her last nerve with his arrogance. But then at other times, he fascinated her with the way he handled things, like his handling of those reporters. She couldn’t help but admire his strength and control.
Sterling couldn’t help but notice Colby was unusually quiet. And from the look of things, it appeared she hadn’t gotten very much sleep. He could think of only one reason for both.
“I take it you talked to your brother last night.”
Colby opened her eyes and glanced over in his direction. “Yes.”
He gave her a searching look when the car momentarily came to a stop on the two-lane roadway. “And?”
“And even with my story, which I thought sounded pretty convincing, he still had a lot of questions. He has a big problem with the fact I told him we’d just met two months ago.”
“We both know the reason we decided on that.”
Colby nodded. Sterling had explained that his activities were usually monitored by one tabloid or another seeking a story. But two months ago he had outsmarted them and spent two weeks in a secluded lake house belonging to a friend in Virginia. Coincidently, the place was less than an hour’s drive from Richmond. They decided to use that to their advantage and tell everyone it was during that time their paths had crossed.
“I take it he doesn’t believe two people can meet and fall in love within two months,” Sterling said. “The media bought our story easily. What’s his problem with it?”
Colby gave him a wan smile. “Oh, he knows two people can fall in love in a relatively short period of time. He and Cynthia did. James just doesn’t think that I can.”
“Why not?”
“Because taking the time to fall in love wouldn’t fit into my hectic schedule. I don’t date much and most weekends I spend my time doing lesson plans or trying to come up with creative ideas to become more effective as a teacher. And when I do date, the men are usually other teachers who share my love for teaching. James definitely can’t see me falling in love with a well-known celebrity. It’s just not me, and of all people he knows it.”
Sterling reached out and gently touched her cheek. A strange, faintly tender look flashed in his eyes. “Then I guess I’ll have to convince him that I swept you off your feet.”
Once again Colby felt that deep feeling of heat flow through her with his touch. “Yes, I guess you will, tomorrow. He definitely wants to talk with you.”
Sterling chuckled. “I’m looking forward to our meeting.”
Colby almost said she wouldn’t be overly