Page 67 of Nothing Like the Movies

CHAPTER TWENTY

“I love you very much. Probably more than anybody could love another person.”

—50 First Dates

Liz

“You are?”

I was impressed by how unaffected I sounded as I managed a two-word response. I think I totally pulled offmildly amused, but the truth was that I was kind of having an internal freak-out.

Because over the past couple of years, every time I imagined running into Wes, I just wanted him to think I was cool.

Confident, successful and waaay overus.

Too cool for him.

Hell, if I was being honest, Little Liz had worked her ass off her entirelifein hopes of that jackass next door thinking she was cool.

So it was really jarring to hear him say the actual words.

“I am,” he said, his eyes sweeping over me. I felt them everywhere as his mouth slid into a boyish grin. “I tried on two different shirts for today, for fuck’s sake.”

Oh God.I lowered my eyes to the empty chair across from him, pulling it out and sitting down. My face was hot as I gave him a nonchalant “That’s funny.”

“Those cheeks,” he murmured, his voice deep and quiet.

“Hey, kids!” Clark breezed into the office, dropping his stuff next to Lilith’s desk. “Am I late?”

“No,” I said, my voice a little scratchy. “Wes was early.”

“Attaboy,” Clark said, nodding and grinning before walking over and dropping a peck on the top of my head.

Gah.

I risked a glance at Wes, expecting a mocking smirk, but his self-deprecating grin had been replaced by a clenching jaw and hard eyes.

Why does he look like that?

“Did Lil finally send the questions?” Clark asked as he checked the stationary camera I’d already set up on the tripod, the one that would record the entire interview.

“She did, and don’t call her that,” I said, my stomach filled with the butterflies that had been tearing me apart since I’d opened her email. Her questions were fine, but the thought of asking them—to Wes—was stressing me out.

Somehow I hadn’t walked through just how awkward it was going to be to ask him about the worst time of his life. I read her questions and wanted to throw up, so I parlayed that tension into finding the most professional outfit I had in my closet.

I was going to focus on my job, on getting Lilith the footage she’d be proud to put in her film, and try to pretend I’d never heard this story before.

My hands were literally shaking as I grabbed the questions I’d just pulled off the printer before he appeared. “And just a reminder, Wes—these are Lilith’s questions. I’m just the one asking for her.”

“Got it,” he said, his face tense as he sat across from me.

He was wearing a black pullover and jeans, and for some reason they looked really good on him. Not to me personally, but as someone conducting an interview, I recognized that my subject presented well on camera.

Ahem.

“And ignore me, dude,” Clark said, looking down at his camera. “I’m just going to be moving around the room to get varied shots. Pretend I don’t exist.”

“I’m trying,” Wes said quietly, “but it isn’t easy.”

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