California Sunsets

Co-authored with Nicky Arden

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Audiobook: Coming soon

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SNEAK PEEK #1
© 2024 Bella Andre & Nicky Arden

When Erin Davenport walked into Anna’s Coffee Shop on Tuesday morning, Tessa and Mila had already settled themselves at their favorite table. Mila was wearing a smart navy blue suit and had a particularly brilliant smile on her face, which usually meant one of two things: a really fun night with her fiancé, Herschel, or she’d sold another house.

Before Erin had a chance to ask her which it was, Mila said, “Today isn’t a coffee day, ladies, it’s a champagne day. Guess who just sold a waterfront home on Scenic Drive?”

Erin stroked her chin, pretending to ponder the question. “Dan Ferguson? I hear he’s the best Realtor in Carmel.”

“Very funny,” her sister said, flipping back her long blonde hair, which was bleached lighter than normal from the July sun. Since Dan Ferguson was Mila’s mentor and had trained her, it was a mild jab at best.

Tessa shook her head at them, a slight frown worrying her usually smooth brow. She was getting better, but she still wasn’t completely accustomed to the way the Davenport siblings liked to tease each other. Erin regarded her new sister-in-law for a moment.

Tessa was dressed in what looked to be vintage blue Levis and a pretty pink pastel shirt that no doubt she’d found at one of the thrift stores she loved to visit. Even in a casual, comfortable outfit, she was absolutely glowing—there was no other word for it. Despite her more introverted nature, she’d managed a very public wedding to Erin’s A-list celebrity brother Archer at a grand, sprawling castle in Scotland, which had been splashed across every media outlet from digital to cable to print. Erin had noticed the way she’d avert her gaze if she saw their wedding pictures on the front cover of an entertainment magazine, but she never said anything, and in Erin’s opinion, Tessa had handled the transition from a very private person to the wife of a big celebrity with true grace. Although, based on the way her paintings were starting to sell, Erin thought she was going to have to get used to the limelight. To everyone’s joy, but possibly Archer’s more than anybody, a Tessa Taylor-Davenport painting was becoming a real collector’s item and the demand—and price—for her work was soaring.

Erin ordered a cappuccino and as she took her seat next to the two women she loved so much, she was perfectly willing to listen to Mila, who was just about bursting to tell them about her latest sale. “Go on.”

Mila grinned. “It’s that house you love, Erin. The one on Scenic Drive with the deco windows and all the Carmel stone. I don’t want to boast, but the commission was a nice chunk of change.”

Erin felt her jaw practically hit the floor. “I can’t believe that house was for sale and I never even knew it.” Even in her wildest dreams, Erin couldn’t have afforded that home, but she loved it so dearly there was a tiny part of her that thought the house was waiting for her. That she didn’t even know it was for sale was like a betrayal.

A little secretive smile played around Mila’s lips. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks, sis. I have my finger on the pulse and I get the scoops. Like you, at the newspaper, except with multimillion-dollar properties.” She paused to enjoy getting in a little jibe of her own, and let the small smile grow. “Plus, it turned out the new owner is friends with another of my clients, and they gave me a recommendation. It was such an easy sale too.”

“Who bought it?” Erin asked. How lucky they were to have that house and how she hoped they would treat it right. She sighed. She wasn’t wealthy like some of her siblings and could never afford her dream house. But she didn’t envy them. She was truly happy at her job as a reporter for the Sea Shell, Carmel-by-the-Sea’s local paper, and not earning a big wage was okay with her. She’d created a life she loved and that suited her quiet nature. She couldn’t imagine anything worse than having millions of screaming fans chanting her name, like her rock-star brother Damien, or being hounded by paparazzi like Arch.

Now Mila couldn’t stop the grin from all but exploding on her face. She glanced at Erin in a very significant way. “Actually, you know the new owner.”

“I do?” A spark of joy went through her and she reached out and grasped her sister’s hand. “It’s not Smith Sullivan and Valentina, is it? It would be so great to have them in the neighborhood, especially now that they’re expecting a baby. And Arch—”

Mila shook her head. “Not even close. Well, actually, sort of close. Try again.”

Her sister was clearly enjoying stringing this one out. Erin racked her brain. Who did she know who could afford that place and wouldn’t have told her about it? “Is it another actor?” Mila shook her head. “A director?”

Again, Mila shook her head and Tessa chuckled, happy to take a backseat while Erin tried to read Mila’s mind.

“One of Damien’s friends? It’s not a rock star, is it?” Much as she loved her brother, a rock star wouldn’t be right for that house. She shuddered as she imagined a wild band trashing the grounds with their all-night parties or knocking through walls to create some ultramodern space.

Once more Mila shook her head, looking smug. “Try agent.”

At the way Mila’s eyes were glinting, Erin felt her excitement dim as though a big cloud had passed in front of the sun. “Oh no.”

Mila nodded. “Oh yes. Julius Malone, our old friend Jay, bought that house. He’d told me he was interested in the area and when this became available, I called him right away. I knew it would be perfect for him.”

“But I love that house,” Erin said again, feeling even more forlorn. She didn’t know why it seemed worse that Jay of all people should have it, but it did. Well, that wasn’t true—she knew exactly why. Jay was a brash bulldozer. Not at all the kind of guy who’d treat a historic home like that with any respect.

Tessa said, “Jay is a good guy, Erin. I know he can be a bit much sometimes, but he has a good heart. He’s more than an agent to Arch. He’s a true friend.”

“He’s also very hot and single,” Mila added quickly.

Erin rolled her eyes. As if.

But Mila continued, “I saw the way you two were dancing at the wedding.” She left the last comment hanging in the air.

Tessa giggled. “I agree with Mila. Even though I’d never look at any man besides Arch, obviously, Jay is very hot. I’m afraid I didn’t notice the two of you dancing together, but Mila said there was some real chemistry.”

Erin didn’t choose her men based solely on looks, the way Mila had for most of her life. It wasn’t until Herschel Greenfield had come along that Mila had found herself drawn to something deeper. Erin wished her sister would drop the subject of Jay. “Mila’s just teasing. There was no chemistry.” She had to admit, though, that dancing with Jay had been more fun than she’d have thought it would be.

Mila gently prodded her in the shoulder. “You’ve known him for years. I don’t know what you’ve got against him.”

Erin shrugged. Why did she struggle so much with Jay? He had some good qualities, but he was the very definition of an alpha male. Even though she was used to alpha men in her family, it was different when they were her father and brothers who were so protective of her—almost too protective sometimes, which was why it often sucked to be the youngest Davenport and a girl. She’d also had a terrible run-in with an alpha male at college, a memory she kept buried way beneath the surface. Something about Jay’s confidence struck a difficult note in her, something she’d rather not face.

“It’s not that I have anything against him,” she said finally. “He’s all the things that make him a great agent. He’s just so loud and pushy and in your face. I feel lost when he’s around, as though if I speak, no one can hear me.”

The smile dropped from Mila’s face. “You’re right about his persistence. He’s like a dog with a bone when an idea gets hold of him. He didn’t shut up about making a movie about Hersch’s life until we finally agreed. Though, in fairness, it’s going to be a really good movie.”

“Oh, I’m sure of it,” Erin said. As a reporter, she knew that Herschel’s life story would touch the hearts of everybody watching it. He had gone through a major trauma when his space shuttle had splashed down in the ocean, and he’d almost died. With Mila’s help, he was getting over his paralyzing fear of the water.

“I guess I’m drawn to persistence in a person,” Mila said. “You should see how well Hersch is doing with his surfing. He just doesn’t give up. I can see the moments when he’s having to fight his demons to get out there, but he does it.” She paused and gave Erin a searching look. “Sometimes you just have to get out there.”

Tessa caught the look and softened her voice. “Jay has been very supportive of my career as well as Arch’s. And you know, he’s got a surprisingly sensitive side.” They both stared at her until she added, “He just hides it well.” A crease formed between her eyebrows. “Personally, I think Jay dates women who don’t challenge him.”

Erin was surprised at how much Tessa had seen, because she herself was considered the perceptive one of the family. But she had to give full credit to her new sister-in-law, because that’s exactly what she thought about Jay too. The guy who thrived on a challenge avoided them when it came to women. However, Tessa hadn’t been around Jay for as long as they had. She didn’t know his dating history. Jay’s girlfriends were all models and all had a certain look: very tall, very beautiful, very thin. While Erin was absolutely certain there were loads of women modeling who were also extremely intelligent and well informed, Jay never chose those ones. She suspected he didn’t want to be challenged by a woman whose opinions might clash with his own. So he dated a string of women who were interchangeable and, apart from their undeniable beauty, sort of forgettable—at least, the ones she’d met over the years.

When she said so, Mila laughed. “Sadly, that’s true. He even demonstrated it to us once.”

Tessa glanced between the sisters as though they were teasing her. “I don’t believe you.”

Erin couldn’t resist the opportunity to make the two women laugh. She put down her cappuccino, stood, and tried to make her five-foot-three frame as tall as possible. She pushed out her chest and swaggered up to Tessa, whose pretty blue eyes had widened slightly. She tilted up Tessa’s chin with one finger. Then she said, in a husky voice that badly imitated Jay, with her best smoldering gaze, “Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful blue eyes? No, don’t look away. It would be a crime. Like covering up the Mona Lisa.”

Mila laughed so hard she clutched her stomach. “It’s true. That’s what he does. Jay says it works often enough that he’s never changed his pitch. Except sometimes he compliments a woman’s smile, or her skin. He’s so used to making deals that he even looks at getting laid as closing the deal.”

Tessa stared at Mila, aghast. “But you’re in sales and you’re not like that.”

“I am altogether classier than Jay. But I do think he is mellowing, Erin.”

Tessa looked over at Erin as she seated herself once more. “I don’t know. I could see you with someone like Jay. Don’t they say opposites attract? I mean, look at me and Arch.”

Erin shook her head. “You guys are the unicorn romance—the perfect couple.”

“And what about Mila and Hersch?” Tessa continued, a sweet, sly grin forming at the corners of her mouth.

Erin threw up her hands. “Okay, okay, you’ve given me two examples of people who lucked out. I’d say that’s way above average.”

Mila shook her head. “Actually, if you count all of Smith Sullivan’s siblings and cousins, it seems that finding true love isn’t all that crazy, even when the odds seem stacked against the couple.”

Erin sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. “The Sullivans are the ultimate anomaly. All so blissfully in love. I mean, I’m thrilled for them, of course, but I’m just not convinced it’s going to happen for everyone. Especially me.”

“Good things come in sets of three,” Tessa said quietly.

Erin didn’t share her optimism. She wasn’t like Mila, who was more than happy to be the center of attention, and she wasn’t an artist like Tessa, who had to accept some degree of public interest in her work. No, she was much quieter than both these women and sometimes that meant she faded into the background. But the background was where she liked to dwell. There she could people-watch and try to understand her fellow humans a little better. Those observation skills made her good at her job, writing about people all day long in the newspaper. Even if she wanted to step into the limelight, it would never work. No, it was best to remain exactly as she was. Single and quiet and in the background, watching and learning. The true love Mila and Tessa had found was nowhere in sight, and that was fine. It wasn’t her turn.

She played for a moment with a silver ring she wore. “I would never, ever in a million years be with Jay.”

“When did you get to be so tough?” Mila wanted to know. She put her coffee mug down and turned to Erin as though there were something she was missing.

The only person she’d nearly told about that awful experience in college was Mila. But she’d never quite found the words. Instead, she’d buried that memory deep, deep down and felt most of the time as though she’d recovered and moved on. . . except that pushy alpha men who tried to get close to her tended to get pushed away fast.

Erin took another sip of her cappuccino and decided to divert the attention back to the house sale. “Well, maybe I’ll be invited to the housewarming party and I’ll finally see inside that house.”

“No need to wait. I have to drop off the extra set of keys. Do you want to come and have a private viewing?”

She couldn’t imagine anything she wanted more. So long as she didn’t have to see the new owner. “Will Jay be there?”

“No. He’s in LA until tomorrow. That’s what he told me.”

Erin couldn’t turn down an opportunity to see inside the home she’d admired from afar for so long—especially before it got into the hands of Jay Malone and he filled it with lingerie models. She had a relatively flexible schedule at work, and today the editorial meeting wasn’t until one.

The temptation was too great to resist.

“I’d love to,” she said with a grin.

CALIFORNIA SUNSETSThe DavenportsMeet the Davenport family! Six brothers and sisters who call picturesque Carmel-by-the-Sea home. Successful, brilliant, and passionate, the only thing they all still need is the perfect partner in love and life. 


Erin Davenport always imagined she’d end up with a quiet man. Someone like her.

Then she met Jay Malone.

He’s the loudest, pushiest, most sales-oriented man she’s ever met. A top Hollywood agent, Jay’s bought a waterfront house in Carmel, and everywhere Erin turns, he seems to be there, Big, gorgeous and pulsing with life. He seems to go through women like candy, but Erin has no intention of being his latest treat.

Jay can sell anything to anyone. He turned a hot young surfer into an A list movie star, so why is it so hard to sell himself to Archer Davenport’s sister? Erin isn’t like anyone he’s ever known. He’s been in Hollywood so long, he’s accustomed to being surrounded by some of the most beautiful, talented women in the world. But Erin attracts him in a way no other woman ever has. She’s gorgeous and rarely bothers with makeup or fancy clothes. She’s a brilliant writer, but happy to work for the local newspaper, The Sea Shell.

He thinks she’s the woman he’s been looking for all his life. But can he convince the emotionally risk-averse writer to take a chance on their love story?

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