Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2) (10 page)

NATE DIDN’T BOTHER to look at the clock. It was early. Or late.
It was all about your point of view.

After his day, he should have been dead to the world the
second his head hit the pillow. However, an exhausted body did not always equal
sleep. Nate knew that all too well. He turned onto his back, staring at the
sliver of light that peeked through the curtains.

When he told Paige that he didn’t sleep well alone, he
hadn’t been exaggerating. This was a lifelong problem. His mother said it was
because he was a twin. Nate wasn’t sure that nine months sharing a uterus with
his brother equated to the need to have someone nearby when he slept, but it
was as good a theory as any.

As boys, he and Garrett shared a room so he didn’t know he
had a problem until they were older and moved into their own. After a few
weeks, the lack of sleep started to take its toll. He literally fell asleep in
his cereal.

Never one to let the opportunity to rib his brother slip by,
Garrett gave him all kinds of grief. Then, without a word, he moved his bed
into Nate’s room.

Over the years, Nate trained himself to sleep alone. A
different woman every night was an exciting solution when he was younger, but
that had lost its appeal long ago. His relationships never lasted longer than a
few months. Partly because he traveled so much, mostly because he hadn’t met a
woman he could see himself with for a lifetime.

Nate loved his life. He had a great family. The job of his
dreams. Plenty of money. Good friends.

Most nights he managed five or six solid hours of sleep. He
still slept better when he wasn’t alone, but for the most part, he could shut
his mind and body down. Strange country. Strange bed. With a few exceptions,
Nate found a way. Especially when he was worn out.

Nate rolled to his side, mind running over yesterday’s
events.

Once introductions and small talk had been taken care of,
Nate decided it was time to set the tone for how they would move forward. His
father always said, Make it clear from day one who was in charge. Confused
leadership meant anarchy and was sure death to a movie.

It was a bit dramatic, but so was his father. Caleb Landis
was bigger than life. Loud, brash. He could cut down a rival with one icy look
from his laser sharp blue eyes. He lived life the way he wanted. No excuses. No
compromises.

Nate’s path was different from his father’s, but that didn’t
mean he hadn’t listened and learned. It was a good thing. He would need every
bit of his father’s wisdom. Chuck and his friends looked for him to make sure
this movie was made.

Surprisingly, Nate didn’t find leading the making of a movie
that much different from leading his crew of stunt people. Solid ground rules
were the key. The residents of Basic were not professionals, but they wanted to
do a good job. That made it easier for him.

The first thing he did was make sure everyone had a script.
Thanks to Chuck’s foresight, that had been taken care of. The casting wasn’t an
issue. The movie had three main speaking parts. The male and female leads and
their daughter.

Chuck seemed confident in his choices.

Wilt Adair and Edith Potter had played husband and wife half
a dozen times at the Regency. The theater did a yearly production, usually a
Christmas-themed play. It was the perfect time of year to ensure a big
audience. School was out and the local ranchers and farmers had little to do
except tend their livestock. A play was the perfect diversion during a cold,
snowy December in Basic.

The part of the daughter was small, but pivotal. Chuck
thought Maude Clancy, Edith’s real life daughter, would be perfect for the
part.

This was Chuck’s baby. If he were happy with his choices,
Nate wouldn’t argue. He would keep his fingers crossed that the trio turned out
to be decent actors.

Nate was impressed by the amount of preparation Chuck had
done. Casting. Equipment. There was a long list of volunteers — more than
necessary for such a small production. However, as Chuck pointed out, you never
knew when an emergency would keep someone from showing up. These people had
jobs and families. When life happened, the movie would take a backseat.

Nate would have to be diligent and keep them headed in one
direction, but he believed he was up to the task. He wasn’t nervous about
taking on an unfamiliar job. In a way, he was more qualified than most first
time directors. He grew up on movie sets. This was familiar territory.

His nerves weren’t keeping him awake. It was old-fashioned
sexual frustration. Paige wasn’t caving and even if she did, he couldn’t see
sneaking out to the barn for a romp in the hay. Not with Chuck in the house.

When Nate wanted a woman, he usually had her. That wasn’t
ego talking; it was a bald-faced fact. This was unfamiliar territory and Nate
wasn’t sure how to handle it.

Telling Paige that she would have to make the next move was
one thing. Wondering if she ever would was another. Factor in logistics and it
was no wonder Nate couldn’t sleep.

He glanced at the clock. Three o’clock. With the time
difference, it would be an hour later in Los Angeles. Nate smiled. Garrett
hated waking up earlier than absolutely necessary. Pissing off his brother was
just the thing to take the edge off his frustration.

Grabbing his phone off the nightstand, Nate hit the top spot
on his speed dial. Grinning with anticipation, Nate was surprised when Garrett
picked up on the first ring. Even more, he was surprised by the chipper
greeting.

“Nate. How’s Montana?”

“Good. Beautiful, actually.” Nate frowned. “Why the hell do
you sound happy and wide awake? Have you looked at the clock?”

Garrett laughed. “I have to be on set at six and I have a
gorgeous woman who likes to
get me up early,
if you know what I mean.”

Nate knew exactly what Garrett meant and it did not help his
mood.

“Fuck you,” he muttered.

“Again, I have a gorgeous woman who takes care of that on a
very regular basis.”

“I should have made a play for Jade when I had the chance.
Mom wanted me to ask her out.”

“Mom didn’t know that I’d already staked my claim,” Garrett
reminded him.

“I heard that,” a female voice called out. “
Staked your
claim?
Really?”

“Jade. Honey.”

“Tell Nate hello for me. I’m going to take a shower. Alone.”

“See what you’ve done.” Garrett practically growled the
words. “Morning showers with Jade are the best.”

Now
he felt better. Jade was one of Nate’s favorite
people. He thought of her as a sister. It was almost worth pissing her off if
it meant depriving Garrett of a little sexual fun.

“You’ll survive.”

“True. Afternoon showers are just as good. Not to mention
evening showers.”

“I didn’t call to hear about your sex life.”

“No? Too bad. It is
spectacular
. Making love is so
much better than having sex.”

“Are you trying to rub it in?”

“Just a little.” Nate could hear the smile in Garrett’s
voice. “I tried it with Colt, but he wasn’t buying. According to little
brother, sex is sex. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s off the charts. It’s
chemistry. Love has nothing to do with it.”

“What did you say to that?”

“Not a thing. I put his words in the vault. When our
resident Don Juan loses his heart, I’m going to pull them out and grind his
nose in them.”

“You’re a good brother, Garrett.”

“Damn straight. Now tell me about this movie, Nate. Or
should I say, Mr. Director.”

Nate was so surprised he almost dropped the phone.

“How the hell did you know about that?”

“A little thing called social media. Did you expect all of
those people to keep it to themselves? Wyatt’s assistant fielded calls all
afternoon.”

Nate frowned. “What kind of calls?”

“The usual. What do you think about your brother directing
an independent movie? Will any other Landis be involved?”

Well, shit. It was stupid of him, but Nate hadn’t thought
about the internet. A group of people, with a smattering of teenagers. Why
wouldn’t they tweet, post, and Instagram the hell out of it? A movie was about
to be made in Basic, Montana. Of course, they would let the world know about it
in a hundred and forty characters or less.

“I always knew you secretly longed to be a director.”

“Garrett…”

“All those years of denying it. How does it feel to be out
of the closet?”

“I can still kick your ass,
little
brother.”

“I’ll let Sable defend me.” Garrett referenced the woman who
had acted as Jade’s bodyguard when her crazy ex-husband had been on the loose.
To prove her abilities, Sable used Nate for demonstration purposes. After the
slender woman had taken him down, more than once, she got the job. “I have no
problem standing behind a woman. How long did it take her to knock you on your
ass?”

“About twenty seconds,” Nate muttered. He still wasn’t sure
how it happened. Then happened again. Something about leverage.

“Seriously, Nate. How did you get roped into this? Dad sent
you there to lend a hand. Directing is a big step up from supervising.”

Nate spent the next few minutes filling Garrett in. He
mentioned Paige in passing, but Garrett was his brother, his twin. It wasn’t
surprising that he picked up on something unusual.

“Now I get it.” Garrett chuckled. “Your brain was scrambled
by a beautiful woman. You’ve never been able to say no when a female bats her
eyes at you, Nate.”

Nate had no comeback for that. He was a sucker for a damsel
in distress. However, Paige was neither a damsel nor in distress. She was a
woman who insisted on taking care of herself. He told Garrett exactly that.

Garrett gave a silent whistle. No wonder Nate was intrigued.
His brother was a born fixer. He couldn’t walk away from anyone in need. It
made sense that an independent woman with a stubborn streak would be the one to
get under his skin. And in record time. Two strong personalities going head to
head. Garrett couldn’t wait to see how it played out.

“I wonder if I should tell you the rest of it.”

Nate swallowed. He didn’t like that touch of evil glee he
heard in Garrett’s voice.

“Do I want to know?”

“Probably not,” Garrett conceded. “But this is too good to
keep to myself.”

“I could hang up.”

“You think that would stop me?”

Nate sighed. “I know you too well, brother. I’ll be
inundated with texts, won’t I?”

“And emails. And phone calls. I might even get Sally to send
you some personalized GIFs. I know how much you love those.”

Garrett’s secretary was a whiz at anything computer-related.
If he asked, she would send a dozen of those things in a heartbeat. Nate
shuddered. He hated those things. Why they gave him the creeps, he didn’t know.
It was a personal phobia that he would just as soon not delve into.

“Fine.” Nate prepared himself. “Give me your best shot.”

“Take it easy,” Garrett said in a reasonable voice that in
no way reassured Nate. “A lot of men would be flattered. Think of it as a
compliment.”

“You love this way too much, so I know it has to be bad.
Spill the beans, Garrett.”

“I’ll send you the link. Text me. I can’t wait to know what
you think.”

Nate wanted to reach through the phone and give his brother
a shake. The man reveled in teasing him. To be fair, he gave as good as he got.
It was never as much fun to be on this end of it.

Nate was about to tell Garrett where he could shove it when
he heard a sweet, breathy voice in the background.

“Garrett?”

The rest of Jade’s words were too soft for Nate to hear, but
if Garrett’s groan was any indication, it was extremely personal and very
welcome.

“Uh, Nate? I need to go. Jade needs my help.”

Nate smiled. Garrett sounded distracted and who could blame
him? His woman was wet and needy. His brother was a very lucky man.

“Go. Now.”

“Call me if you need my help.” Garrett wasn’t teasing any
longer. “Seriously, Nate. Twenty-four-seven. Anything you need, I’m here for
you.”

“I never doubted it, Garrett.”

Nate ended the call, smiling. Garrett and Jade. On the
surface, they seemed like an unlikely pair. However, if you looked a little
deeper, they were perfect together.

She deserved all the happiness she could get after being
raised by a father who was emotionally abusive and a husband who almost killed
her. The fact that she came out the other side in one piece, and able to love
Garrett as much as he loved her, spoke volumes. She was beautiful. Inside and
out.

Nate stretched his long body. The bed was a surprisingly
good fit. Before he reached his thirteenth birthday, his mother special ordered
his mattresses. Garrett, Wyatt, and Colt were only a few inches shorter and his
father not far behind them. She finally decided to re-fit every bedroom in the
house. It made things easier to have standard bedding.

The first thing Nate did when he built his house in Laurel
Canyon was to ask his mother for the name of the company she used. He had four
bedrooms and four extra-large mattresses. If the day came that he started
spending more than the occasional night there, everything was in place.

His home was brand new, fully furnished and decorated
exactly to his taste. It seemed criminal that it sat empty most of the time.
Garrett had a house close by, and until recently, it had suffered the same
fate. Now that his brother was getting married, he and Jade planned to move in.

Right now, it was easier for Nate to bunk at his parents’
house when he was in town. They loved having him and he loved the company. Not
to mention the food was better than anything he made for himself.