Ocean Beach Read Online Free PDF

on audio.”
    Anthony nodded. His eyes were dark and crinkly and his smile was far readier than the cameraman’s.
    Kyra reached out and pushed the camera lens aside. “I was told someone might be sent down later this week to start picking up some extra video,” she said. “I don’t understand what you’re doing here now.”
    “I would think that’s kind of obvious,” the cameraman replied, swinging the camera back into position.
    “I shot all the footage at Bella Flora,” Kyra said. “And it was my YouTube posts of the renovation that led to the whole series idea.” She resettled the baby on her hip.
    The cameraman shrugged, but he didn’t lower his camera.
    “We weren’t expecting a crew,” Kyra said again. “And we don’t need one.”
    “Noted,” Troy said. “Now, I’d appreciate it if you’d shift slightly to your left so I can get a better shot of the baby.”
    Kyra’s gray eyes flashed with fury. “No,” she said, shifting her weight so that he couldn’t shoot around her. “Dustin’s not pertinent to the project. As far as I’m concerned, he’s off-limits.”
    Troy’s finger moved on the zoom, but his movements were subtle and Avery couldn’t tell whether he was zooming in to try to frame a shot of the baby or out to include all of them.
    Unease snaked up Avery’s spine. She knew just how little a network could care about what its talent thought or felt. “Look,” she said. “We realize we need to document the experience here, but we have Kyra and none of us signed on for constant surveillance.” Even as she said this she realized she shouldn’t have been surprised that a network that would force them to choose a renovation project sight unseen would want to record their initial reactions. “We’re here to do a renovation, not a reality show.”
    Kyra reached out again and pushed the camera lens away. “That’s right,” she said as the rest of them nodded their agreement. “And my son is off-limits.”
    “Sorry,” Troy said, his tone making it clear he wasn’t.“There is no ‘off-limits’ that I’m aware of. We’re here twenty-four/seven and we shoot what we see.”
    Without discussion, Avery, Nicole, Deirdre, and Madeline stepped closer to Kyra to form a protective circle around Dustin. They were still huddled in the waning light, unsure how to end the standoff, when the front door creaked open.
    The camera, the microphone, and all of their gazes swung toward the figure that stepped out of it.

    The man who posed in front of the two-story circular entryway was short and old with close-cropped white hair, a tanned face, and a wide, welcoming smile that could be seen even from the sidewalk. He wore white pants with a white shirt and navy blazer that hung on him as if they’d been borrowed from a larger man; possibly Captain Stubing on
The Love Boat.
    The man came down the curved front steps and walked slowly toward them, the grasses and plant life so tall in spots that he looked as if he were wading through a tropical cornfield. Although his movements appeared purposeful, the closer he came the clearer it became just how carefully he was moving. So carefully that if he’d been racing a snail, the snail would have already lapped him.
    Everything about him discouraged the offering of assistance and so they stayed where they were and waited for him to reach them. The red tally light of the camera remained on.
    As he drew near, his features came into focus. His weathered face was anchored by a slightly oversize, but distinguished nose and a pair of intelligent brown eyes that wereshaded by caterpillar eyebrows the same white as his hair. His hands were gnarled and covered with age spots. One of them held an unlit cigar. He’d tucked a captain’s hat beneath one arm.
    Coming to a stop in front of them, he plopped the hat onto his head and looked directly into the camera. Opening his arms wide, he boomed, “I’m Max Golden. Welcome to The Millicent!”
    They watched