Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 70551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“They are funny.” He reaches out and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Should we go eat?”
“Absolutely.” I lock up my house, and we drive less than a mile to downtown and my favorite breakfast spot, Ed’s Diner. It’s been in town since way before I was born, and the original owner, Ed himself, is still alive and well and manning the grill.
We’re shown to a table, but Christian is spotted right away by what I’m assuming are tourists. They whisper amongst themselves, watching as we sit, and then whip out their phones to take photos from several tables away.
“And it begins,” Christian mutters. His whole demeanor changes from relaxed to on guard. His muscles tense. His eyes go hard.
“Hi,” a woman who has come to stand at our table says. “Can I please get a photo with you?”
Christian looks at me, then stands and gives her a fake smile. “Sure.”
And that’s all it takes for a line to form.
“Oh my God, Jenna, I didn’t know that you’re friends with Christian Wolfe,” Misty Maddox says as I pull myself out of the booth. I can’t stand that bitch. She’s nosy and a mean girl in the classic sense of the term.
I ignore her and walk into the kitchen. Ed looks up in surprise.
“Hey there, baby girl,” he says with a wide smile. “I love it when a pretty girl walks into my kitchen.”
“Hey, Ed. I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
I explain the situation to him while trying to keep an eye on what’s happening in the dining room.
“I’m sorry to disrupt the diner like this. I didn’t expect it. This town is used to having celebrities walking about.”
“The tourists aren’t,” he says with a scowl. “I’ll get some food ready to go for you so you can get out of here. I’m working on it right now. Do you know what you want?”
We didn’t get that far.
“Honestly, whatever is easiest is great. Neither of us is picky.”
“Didn’t get a chance to look at the menu?” He winks at me and turns to the grill. “I’ve got this. Go rescue him.”
I lean in and kiss Ed’s cheek and hurry back out to the dining room. The crowd around him has grown, but his smile hasn’t slipped.
He looks cool and completely at ease.
But I can see the tension in his muscles.
“I just think you’re the best actor in Hollywood today,” Misty says as she sidles up next to him, sure to press her fake boobs against his side. “I’ve seen every single movie you’ve made.”
“Well, I appreciate that,” he says and smiles for the camera, then brushes her aside so he can give the next person his attention.
“Sorry, guys,” I announce as I push my way back to him. “We have to leave.”
“But you just got here,” someone yells from the back.
“This isn’t a photo op. The man is on vacation,” I reply just as Ed muscles his way through the crowd with a bag full of hot food.
“Here you go,” he says kindly. “There’s plenty there since I didn’t know what you might want.”
“Appreciate it,” Christian says with a nod. “How much do we owe you?”
“I think I owe you this much, after the way these idiots behaved.”
He doesn’t even try to lower his voice, and it makes me smile. Ed always did call it like he saw it.
“Thanks again,” I say and link my fingers with Christian’s, but he pulls away, not even sparing me a glance.
That hurts, I’m not going to lie.
But I shouldn’t assume that just because we’re doing the deed that we’re a couple.
Because we aren’t.
And I need to remember that.
“Follow me,” I say to Christian and walk out the door to my car. I set the food in the backseat, and once Christian is next to me, I take off. Most of the people in the diner are watching us pull away. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“I should have known,” he says with a sigh and rubs his fingertips over his forehead. “I just wasn’t prepared for it.”
“I’ve never seen anything like that here in town.”
He shrugs a shoulder. “Look, I need to explain something to you. I let go of your hand—”
“I know, it was dumb of me to try and hold your hand. I’m sorry. We’re totally not a couple, and I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Stop talking,” he says, surprising me. “That’s not what I was going to say. You can hold my hand all you want, Jenna. But not in public. Jesus, this is fucked-up.” He rubs his forehead again. “Someone will take a photo, and it’ll go viral. According to the press, I’m still dating Serena, which is a lie and it’s ridiculous, but it is what it is.”
“I forget that you’re not just a guy,” I admit softly as I turn onto the road that leads up to the tree house. “Because you are that with me, and I don’t mean that as an insult. You’re a great guy, and you’re special to me.”