Page 15 of Bodied

Jesse cackled when she said that, and Lauren could practically see his expression. “Cute, is he?”

“No!” That was a shameless lie, and Lauren suddenly wondered why she’d felt compelled to tell it. “Okay, yes,” she admitted. “And my next instinct is to insist I’m not attracted to him, but that would be another lie, and it would undermine the entire reason I wanted to talk.”

“Which is?”

He probably knew, but she answered him anyway. “I’m attracted to him, and the more I get to know him, the more I think I like him, but I can never ask him out or anything because he works for my mom. And we’re having to pretend to be dating because if we don’t it’s going to affect my life — having a bodyguard — which is only making matters worse.” She paused, knowing how stupid what she was about to say probably sounded. “We were rehearsing tonight, and I swear he got as worked up as I did, but then he backed off and insisted we stay professional.”

Jesse was quiet for a moment, thinking most likely. Lauren chose not to interrupt him. “That’s a sticky situation,” he said. “But it’s not the end of the world, right? I mean, is needing a bodyguard going to last for the rest of your life? Surely it’s just until these rumors settle down.”

Lauren considered his point. “Yeah, that’s true. Mom didn’t say how long this was supposed to last.”

“Right,” Jesse said. “So all you have to do is stay cool until the job is over, and then snatch him up the second you can.”

“If he’s even into me.”

“You said he seemed to be.”

“Yeah, but?—”

“Don’t sell yourself short, kid.” Jesse calling herkidwhen he was all of one year older was rich, but she appreciated the pep talk all the same. “And don’t worry about it until you have to. Just keep it professional while you have to. Keep the flirting to a minimum, but you know… don’t nix it all together. Because it’s fun, and you’ve gotta keep yourself in some suspense.”

“Such wisdom.” She laughed. He always knew how to make her feel better. “Thanks, Jesse. I knew I could count on you.”

“Call me anytime. You know I get bored without a little drama in my life.”

She smiled to herself. It was good to talk to someone other than her mom. She really should try to make more friends whenever she found the time. For now, though… “Thanks for being there, man. I’ll keep you updated.”

CHAPTER7

WESLEY

Three days — that was how quickly Wesley had to go from failing one event to attending another. How did one person have so many big events on her calendar? The way Lauren spoke about this one, it was more important than all the previous events, and probably more important than all the future ones, too.

This time, they were going to an audition, and Lauren was an absolute mess. She kept redoing her makeup for some reason, changing her shoes from boots to heels to platforms and back to boots again. Wesley watched in the background with amused interest. He finally decided to say something about it after repeatedly advising himself not to.

“You’re worrying for no reason,” he said.

She whirled around and gave him a chilling look. “What did you say?”

“They’re not going to choose an actor based on the shoes she wears to the audition.”

“Oh, you have no idea how this sort of thing works, do you?” She waggled a finger in his face. “They’ve cast actors based on little more than the makeup they auditioned in.”

He sincerely doubted it. “That makes no sense. Are you auditioning for a role as a clown?”

She turned her back on him and went back to getting ready. “What’s it to you either way? It’s not like you care.”

“True,” he said. “But I have to pretend to care if I’m going to play your boyfriend, don’t I? And you suggested that the best way to be believable as an actor is to add some sincerity to your performance.”

She froze where she stood and slowly turned toward him. Her eyes and mouth were wide open. Wesley had no idea what he might have said to shock her, but she quickly made him aware. “You actuallylistenedto me?”

He cocked his head at her. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know, I…” She shrugged and looked away. “I guess I’m just used to people not hearing me.”

The look on her face broke his heart a little. He supposed that, for Lauren, living in her mother’s shadow was probably a lot harder than she allowed most people to see. He didn’t know what to say to her about it. Everything he thought of was borderline unprofessional. He fumbled a bit. “Well… It must be… I mean… Listening is important when you’re protecting someone.” He groaned at his own awkwardness.

She didn’t seem to see it the same way. “It means a lot,” she said. “Seriously.”

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