A Very Daring Christmas (The Tavonesi Series Book 8) (2 page)

“There’s a rule in the South—never get caught in the crossfire of family squabbles.”

“Coward,” Parker said with a laugh.

“Where I come from, vendettas can go on for years.” Jake finished off his eggs and considered filling his plate again. “Besides, I’m headed to Dominia. I promised Aderro I’d help him coach the kids in his academy for a few days. A little R&R is on the docket as well.”

“I want to reserve a room in the new wing for the party,” Coco said with a bright smile aimed at Alex.

“For whom?” Alex edged toward the door.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Coco.” Alex’s tone told Jake he didn’t much like his younger cousin’s surprises.

Coco crossed her arms. “Let’s just say it’s a matter of the heart.”

Alex groaned. “Better tell Sabrina. She may have plans for the new rooms.”

Coco shot Parker a look that Jake couldn’t read. “Sabrina already knows.”

“Defeated,” Alex said with a shake of his head, evidently conceding to the Christmas party as a done deal. “Join us, Jake. Most of our cousins will be at the library opening in Rome, so there will be plenty of room. And I might need backup.”

Jake would never get used to the fast high life of the Tavonesis. And yet they were the most warm-hearted family he’d ever met. Never once had they made him feel like a guy from the other side of the tracks. While he had Alex’s back on the field, he knew Alex also had his.

“I dare you to join us,” Coco said with a light laugh.

Jake’s parents would be spending the holiday in Rome, a holiday that his Major League salary made possible. It’d been his mother’s dream to spend a Christmas in the heart of the old city, and Jake was happy to be able to give the trip to her. Since his brother Peter’s death four years ago, Christmas gatherings hadn’t been the same.

But Christmas at Trovare? Before his brain could stop him, the same voice that egged him on at the gambling tables and into the arms of beautiful women had Jake nodding his head.

Parker’s smug smile had him wondering if he’d regret his impulsive decision.

“How I love Laguna,” Cameron said to Sabrina as they dodged a low-tide wave and stepped up the pace of their run. “It’s the only beach in Southern California where I don’t get harassed by paparazzi.”

“Maybe the locals hounded them out.” Sabrina kept pace beside her on the hard-packed sand.

“Oscars should come with warning labels,” Cameron said, only half-joking. “A big red label that screams
danger: possession of this statue will wreak havoc on your life
.”

Both Cameron’s and Sabrina’s lives had changed since their Best Actress Oscar wins over the past two years. Some of the changes were welcome—better roles, better contracts and more clout in an industry that often ignored the creative interests of actors.

But no one could’ve prepared Sabrina for the downside of instant stardom. There were few places either of them could go without being assaulted by camera-wielding zealots out to get photos to sell to the tabloids for exorbitant fees. The tabloids were as much to blame as the paparazzi. Just last year Sabrina had been badly hurt at a film premiere when an idiot had grabbed her, nearly breaking her arm.

They skirted the base of a cliff and entered the next cove. Cameron’s heart thudded at the sight of a horde of people gathered at the tide line. Every one of them toted cellphones and cameras. She stopped running.

“It’s okay,” Sabrina said. “Look, they’re about to release a sea lion.”

Cameron looked to where she pointed. A group of people wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase
Marine Mammal Rescue Team
held boards along either side of a large dog crate.

“My sister-in-law does this sort of thing all the time. These people are far more interested in the seal release than in us.”

She must’ve seen the doubt in Cameron’s eyes, because she added, “We can watch from here and then turn back. Three miles is my limit anyway. And I’m ready for that lunch you promised back at your cottage.”

Sure enough, as the rescue crew opened the door to the crate, the crowd cheered and snapped photos, all eyes on the happy sea lion bounding into the ocean.

Sabrina tapped Cameron on the arm. “Let’s skedaddle, just in case.”

“Words of wisdom,” Cameron said, glad to return to the more deserted stretch of coast to the south and even happier to safely reach the confines of her tiny seaside cottage.

They polished off the sandwiches and salad she had prepared.

“Running makes me ravenous.” Cameron sighed. “Let’s take our iced tea down to the point. Maybe we’ll see the dolphins.”

They grabbed sun hats and wandered down to the end of the property overlooking a small cove. The sun danced on the calm ocean, and a light breeze sent shivers of tiny points of light scattering toward the horizon.

“I’d love if you came up to Trovare for Christmas this year,” Sabrina said over the sound of gently lapping waves. “Unless you’re spending Christmas with your mother?”

“She’s spending the winter on the yacht of soon-to-be husband number five,” Cameron said, wishing that the longing in her heart hadn’t crept into her voice.

It’d been five years since she’d spent a Christmas with her mother. That was the price she paid for being the daughter of a former Hollywood sex symbol more focused on the attention of men than family. Her mother hadn’t made a film in over ten years, but that fact hadn’t eased her narcissism. The only time Cameron heard from her mother these days was when she called to ask if Cameron could help her get a part in a film.

If Cameron’s father hadn’t died young, maybe the arc of her life would’ve been different. Maybe they’d have had a family life. Maybe she wouldn’t have had a string of stepfathers. She’d never know.

“All the more reason to come up and spend the holiday with me and my family,” Sabrina said. “It’ll be low-key this year, just a few of us. Most of my cousins are off in Italy. And Kaz will be in Japan for a family wedding. I get to go with him, stay long enough to meet the extended family, but I have some publicity events here around the holidays, so I’ll be back midmonth.”

“Yeah, our glam lives.”

“Maybe it’ll snow.”

“In Sonoma?”

“Hey, I’m a dreamer. Got it honest from my father. Trovare would be beautiful in the snow.” Sabrina smiled over the rim of her glass. “I’d love it if you’d come.”

“I have the UNICAN trip to Dominia.”

“Right. I forgot. Come after.”

“I’m nervous, Sabrina.” Cameron set her glass on a bare patch where the lawn didn’t quite reach the edge of the cliff and motioned for Sabrina to sit beside her on the grass. “I thought my first assignment would be something easy. I appreciate that Alex gave me the heads-up about the Dominia project, but I worry that this mission is way beyond my scope.” She drew her legs up under her and wrapped her arms around her knees. But staring out at the waves below the cliff didn’t ease her mind as it normally did. “The purpose of this trip is to develop visibility for a huge clean-water project. I’ll be touring the remote villages and then speaking on behalf of the project with the IADF in Dominia. They’re convinced the publicity will help secure the support they need. This project is a model project, but it’s in dire need of international funding in order to succeed. I think they’ve overestimated the power of publicity.”

Sabrina shook her head. “That
is
a tough first assignment. Alex is a fiend for suggesting Dominia. I mean, I love what UNICAN is doing to relieve suffering all over the world, but you could’ve started with something with a smaller scope.”

Cameron appreciated that Sabrina always told it like it was, that she didn’t pat her on the arm and tell her she could succeed no matter what or try to make light of the task.

“Hey, I’m the one who said I wanted something I could sink my teeth into, something that would make a difference. I didn’t want to just fly in someplace for a ribbon cutting for a new bridge or for some trumped-up fundraising event. Alex was a sweetheart to work the connection for me. But I’m so afraid I’ll fail. Not fail the project—I’m told the suits running the show are bureaucrats, so I don’t really give a hoot about them. But I’m afraid of failing the people of the villages.”

Sabrina’s face lit up, her wide, expressive eyes dancing with energy. “The winterball league is in swing in Dominia. And one of the guys Alex used to play with is from Dominia—Emilio Aderro. If he’s there, maybe he could give you tips on the ins and outs of the place, who’s got leverage and the like. He’s with the Red Sox now, but I think he has an offseason kids camp going down there in his hometown.”

Sabrina leaned back on her elbows. A slow smile stretched across her face. “A couple of Alex’s teammates from the Giants might be down there too. Maybe they could help.” She reached out and nudged Cameron. “Maybe you’ll even score a date, have some fun. Remember fun? You haven’t been on a date in over a year.”

“After the debacle with Elliott, the last thing I want is to date a star—Hollywood, sports or any other kind. My next man will be a simple man. A normal man.” Cameron paused as the reality of her words sank deep. “Sometimes I think maybe I don’t want a man at all. I do want children, though. Maybe I’ll do what a friend did and adopt when the time comes. It just seems so much simpler. Less painful.”

Sabrina sat up and wagged a finger. “Elliott was an
idiot
. A sociopath with only his own interests in mind. You couldn’t have known.”

“I know now.”

“You can’t write off half the human species because of one self-centered master of deception.”

“It’s not just about him. My parents had seven marriages between them, Sabrina. I’m not so sure I’m relationship material.”

“You, my dear, most definitely need to come up for Christmas, because I need some time to help you untangle the mess Elliott made. Promise me you’ll come and come early. We kick things off around December fifteenth.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Alex might have some ideas about funding this UNICAN project. He’s brilliant about such things. And there’s someone I’d really like you to meet.”

Cameron laughed. “That’s bribery.”

“I’ll stoop to coercion if you don’t promise you’ll come.”

“Only if you promise not to try to hook me up.” Cameron knew to be wary of Sabrina’s matchmaking. “No, thanks.”

Sabrina crossed her heart. “I promise. Any hooking up you’ll have to do all on your own.”

“Well...” Heck, her mother was off on a four-month cruise with her latest rich beau, the third guy that year. Cameron might as well join her friend and stop trying to pretend the holidays weren’t the loneliest time of the year.

As Cameron walked Sabrina to her car after lunch, she heard herself promise that she’d spend Christmas at Trovare. But the sly smile Sabrina cast as she drove off had Cameron thinking she’d regret her decision.

Chapter Two

“One more, por favor.” The scrawny boy held up his tattered glove for Jake to sign.

The Estrella League game wasn’t starting for four hours, but fans were lined up outside the stadium hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite local players. Jake was amazed anyone recognized him. He hadn’t played in the Dominia winter leagues for six years. But the U.S. All-Star game had been televised in Dominia, and his double had won the game for the National League.

He took the glove from the boy.

“What’s your name?” Jake asked in poorly accented Spanish.

“Ubaldo,” the boy replied.

Like many of the youngsters in San Pedro, he was named after one of the local players who had gone on to star in the U.S. The boy’s namesake had shined shoes outside of this very stadium before he signed with an MLB team.

Almost one-tenth of the players on Major League rosters were from Dominia, more than any nation outside of the United States. Baseball represented hope—hope to leave poverty behind and make it big. But the chances for that were one in a million. Yet Jake understood the lure of the gamble. Especially when hard work and determination could swing the odds.

Jake unzipped his gear bag and pulled out a glove. He signed it and handed it to the boy.

“Better work on your fastball,” he said. At least that was what he hoped he’d said.

The boy yelped and threw his arms around Jake, talking so rapidly that all Jake could catch was a thank-you and some reference to God and angels. He’d take God and angels. Anyone who wouldn’t was a fool.

The boy ran off, and Jake ducked under the security ropes. He was fifteen minutes late to meet Aderro, his former teammate.

He slapped a few high fives to local players as he made his way onto the field. Batting practice was underway, and he watched a couple of hitters take some impressive chops.

“You on gringo time?” Aderro said with a laugh as Jake made his way to the dugout.

“Had to fight my way through your fans,” Jake shot back.

Aderro was one of the most beloved players from San Pedro, mostly because the guy had a heart of gold and a bat that smoked. When Aderro had asked for a week of help with his Superplayer Baseball Camp for local kids, Jake couldn’t resist.