“No sir.” I smirked.
“Are we going to be pansy asses and run back to our car with our tails between our legs because the trail looks hard?”
“No sir!” This time I yelled.
Jaymeson’s eyes narrowed into slits.
“What say you, Brit?”
“Bloody hell.” Jaymeson grumbled. “That’s what I say.” And then he stomped up the trail.
“I wish I could say that without sounding like an ass.” Demetri sighed. “They have all the cool swear words.”
“True.” I felt my eyebrows knit with concern when Jaymeson’s foot slipped and he crashed to his knees.
“Ouch!” Demetri called after him. “You okay?”
Jaymeson’s answer was more cursing.
“He’ll be fine.” I shook my head. “He’s just not used to nature.”
“You can take the actor out of Hollywood—”
“—But you just can’t take the Hollywood out of the actor.” I sighed. “Alright, let’s conquer this beast.”
When it rained in Seaside, it didn’t just sprinkle or mist. No, it was like a monsoon hit us. Cold water blurred my vision as we stomped through the muddy trail, slipping every few feet because what was once an easy trail with happy signs had suddenly turned into a death walk.
Demetri swore in front of me as he slipped and almost smacked his face onto the ground. I laughed and got the bird, while Jaymeson continued to yell behind us to slow down.
The rain let up once we neared the top of the trail. Mist surrounded us on all sides and then, like magic, it disappeared, revealing the ocean to the west.
“Whoa.” Demetri huffed next to me. “That’s freaking intense!”
“I almost died,” Jaymeson called behind us. “Not that either one of you care. By the way, I called for you, both of you. I told you I was slipping. Nothing. Not one bloody word.”
“Wow, totally worth it for the view, right?” I nudged Demetri.
“Insane.”
“Hello!” Jaymeson stumbled behind us. “Did you hear nothing I just said? I almost slipped off a freaking cliff! And—” He paused. “Damn. That’s a sick view.”
“Right?” I said putting my arms around both guys. “Thanks… you know, for everything this last summer. For putting up with my shit and—”
“Hell,” Jaymeson muttered. “He’s going to make us cry.”
“No.” I laughed. “I just appreciate you guys. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“Cheers.” Jaymeson laughed. “And I wouldn’t be in Hell without you guys, so I guess we’re all even now, yeah?”
“Sure.” Demetri chuckled. “You know it’s going to be a crazy year… we’ve got our tour, you’re getting married, having a kid… Jaymeson’s finally going to fall for a chick—”
“When pigs fly.” Jaymeson snorted.
“Look!” Demetri pointed at the sky. “A cloud shaped like a pig. And I rest my case.”
“That’s a cow.” Jaymeson pointed. “It has spots.”
“Pig,” Demetri said.
“Cow!”
“Pig.”
“Guys!” I released them both from my hold and laughed. “Let’s tweet some pics and get back down the mountain. We have a rehearsal dinner to get ready for.”
“At my place, right?” Jaymeson yawned and then scratched his head and looked down at his feet.
“Right.” My eyes narrowed. “We’ll get ready at your beach rental while the girls do their thing at my house—”
Jaymeson started whistling.
“What’s going on?”
“What?” Jaymeson sputtered. “Nothing, not one bloody, bloody…” He gulped. “Thing.”
“Lies.” Demetri called him out. “Why are you so pale?”
“I’m English, we see the sun like twice a year.”
“Lame.” Demetri’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve lived in LA for the past ten years. You have a beach house in Malibu. Try again.”
“Dehydration.” Jaymeson coughed. “And uh, I think I swallowed a few bugs when I was falling down the cliff.”
The rain started up again. “Fine. Let’s get back — and Jaymeson, walk in the middle so you don’t fall to your death.”
“Oh, so now you’re concerned.”
Demetri ran down the trail in front of us, then stopped and hunched over huffing and puffing. “It looks easier on TV.”
“What does?” I asked.
“Exercise.”
“One of these days you’re going to have to work at your body.” Jaymeson nudged Demetri. “No way is that six-pack going to last with the couch permanently attached to your ass.”
“Hey!” Demetri said in a hoarse voice. “At least I don’t name the objects in my life after women.”
“He has you there.” I chuckled.
“Nothing wrong with a man loving his car.”
“What was the name of the last girl you were with?” Demetri asked.
Jaymeson seemed to think about it, then said, “Sara-bel-la?”
“Are you asking or telling?” Demetri said.
“Telling. It was definitely Sarabella.”
“Cool. Did she live on the prairie and cook you biscuits?” He grinned. “And nice try, but that was the name of your character’s love interest in the last movie you did.”