Page 24 of Finally Moore

“Why not wear contacts?”

I shrug. “I tried but couldn’t do it. The one and only day I wore them, it took me over an hour to get the fuckers in because I kept chickening out when putting my finger near my eye. It actually took Mom maneuvering the contact while Robbie held me down to even get them in. They felt a little weird at first, but it was like once it was done, it wasn’t so bad. But then, one of the lenses fell out while I was baking. I couldn’t find the damn thing and ended up having to toss a whole bowl of batter. So I vowednever again.”

Scarlett chuckles, and now I’m half-hard. Thank god it’s dark in the cab of my pickup and she hopefully doesn’t notice. “Sorry… I shouldn’t laugh but I can totally picture Robbie pinning you down.”

“No worries. It’s probably the least embarrassing thing about me.”

“You’re embarrassed about wearing glasses?”

I sigh. “Not exactly. It’s just one of those insecurities left over from my youth.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly a stud in high school, and kids suck.” I shrug, and Scarlett leans in to get a better look at me, as if she’s trying to find my implied imperfection. “Trust me,” I assure her. “We’re talking not only glasses, but headgear, acne… and it took me a while to fill out. I was just this long string bean of a teenager.”

“Oh.” Scarlett sits there, staring straight ahead in obvious discomfort.

Damn it, is this that self-deprecating thing Tilly warned me about?

“But, hey.” I turn and smile at her. “Their loss because, well, look at me now.”

She giggles, but it lacks the enthusiasm from before. “Definitely their loss.” Scarlett turns to look out the window. “I get it though. My mom…” She sighs. “She’s that classic story. The one where the small-town girl runs off to LA with the hopes and dreams of being a star. What she got was a job waiting tables and some jackass who said that if she fucked him, he’d help her. And instead of a big break, my mom got knocked up. It turns out not only did he have zero pull to get her a gig, the only penny he had to his name was spent on the coffee he got at the diner she worked at. He had less than zero interest in being a father or giving her any support, and my mom’s dreams got put on hold… because of me. Not just financially either.Her figure was gone and no one in Hollywood wanted a flabby single mom in their movie.Her words, not mine. As far back as I can remember, she began grooming me, preparing me for this life of stardom. Nonstop pageants, auditions, singing and dancing lessons… You name it, she tried it.”

“I’m sorry.” I know it isn’t enough, but it’s all I can think to say.

“Don’t be. It’s how she met my dad… I mean stepdad, but he’s the only father I’ve ever known so thesteptitle never really fit for me.” Scarlett shakes her head and chuckles. “He was holding auditions for some sitcom. I wasn’t right for that role, but it seemed we were exactly what he was looking for at home. He said it was love at first sight and Trisha, my stepsister, and I clicked right away. We were an instant blended family. While it wasn’t exactly my mom’s dream, the end result was the same. She had the big mansion, fame, money—and, well, I got the father I always wanted.”

For the first time, I can see the lingering pain in Scarlett’s eyes. Honestly, I think it’s always been there and I just never made the effort to notice it.

And now I feel like a dick…

She pauses, looks off into the distance, then shakes her head as if she can shake the past away with it. “For a while, my mom was so happy that the pressure for me to be someone famous died down a little. Though I have a feeling that’s because I’m five-one and no one was going to cast a girl that short anyway. Plus, dad knew all of it made me miserable so I’m sure he had something to do with my ability to finally step out of the limelight. It was my chance to live a normal life. I mean, as normal as one can have when their father is an in-demand director. But he made sure to keep Trisha and me out of the tabloids, as best he could at least. But my mom always insisted on perfection.You never know where the paparazzi could be lurking,” Scarlett mimics in a haughty voice. “Then my senior year, when I was looking at colleges and careers, she went back to pressuring me to find my footing in Hollywood. If I wasn’t destined to be on the screen, I could become a master behind it—like Dad. My compromise was taking theater as part of my studies.”

“Out of curiosity, how many talents do you have?”

Scarlett laughs and counts on her fingers. “Ballet, piano… I can hold my own at karaoke. I love doing Shakespearean readings,” she says in a dramatic tone. “Oh, and I make killer fish tacos.”

“Fish tacos?”

“Don’t judge. It might not be anything fancy, like your paella, but I promise my recipe will knock your socks off.”

“I’d love to taste your taco.”Fuck, that sounded dirty. “Your fish tacos, I mean.”Not that that sounds any better.

“Your destination is on the right.” The disembodied GPS lady interrupts this horribly awkward moment. “You have arrived.”

“If you play your cards right, you just might.” Scarlett winks at me before getting out of the car. Leaving me with a hard-on as I wonder what exactly she was suggesting I might get to taste.

Is it wrong that I kind of hope it’s both?

Chapter ten

Scarlett

IkeepglancingatScott from the corner of my eye. He’s been laser-focused on the menu since the moment they seated us. I’m starting to worry that the offer totaste my tacowas a bit too much. Maybe I misread the situation?

“Whatcha thinking?” I lean over and whisper in his ear. His body tenses as my chest grazes his arm.

Scott swallows hard. “I’m torn.” He clears his throat. “The ribeye with the truffle mash sounds amazing, but so does the twelve-hour braised short rib in the red wine reduction.”

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