Page 26 of How to Kiss a Movie Star
“They don’t know?” I ask.
“They know we met. But they don’t know I’m coming here to research,” Audrey says. “I told you I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“Right, but, I mean, they’re your family.”
“Maybe, but they’re…let’s just call them fans. I’d rather not have them begging for a play-by-play of our interactions every day. Also, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be able to keep from mentioning it on Instagram. Trust me. It’s better they don’t know.”
“Well, then I appreciate your discretion.” We’re silent for a beat before I ask, “Did they really make you give them a play-by-play?”
“Tell us everything he said,” she says, her voice breathy and light. “And everything he did. What was he wearing? Did you touch him? Did he touch you?”
I chuckle. “You probably hated that.”
She eyes me curiously. “You’re figuring me out, Flint Hawthorne.”
If I’m figuringanythingout, it’s that this woman is unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. She’s smart—there’s no denying that. But she’s got this steadiness about her that makes me envious. Audrey Callahan doesn’t seem to care the slightest bit what other people think of her.Authentic.That’s the right word for it. She’s unapologetically who she is. And it’sfascinating.
I nudge her knee. “You know what I think, Audrey?”
She smiles a little shyly. “What’s that?”
“I think you’re watching the wrong kind of movies.”
She wrinkles her brow like she disagrees with me. “I doubt it. But if you come up with something you think I’d like, I’ll happily give it a try.”
“Challenge accepted,” I say. “I’ll start researching tonight.” I hold out the cap to her water bottle, which I’ve been holding this whole time. “Hey, are you hungry?”
Audrey takes the cap, her fingers brushing against mine. They linger a beat longer than necessary before she yanks her hand back, drops her eyes, and quickly twists the lid onto the bottle. She clears her throat. “What?”
“Are you hungry?” I repeat. “The food will be ready soon, and there’s plenty. You’re welcome to come grab a plate.”
She visibly swallows, her eyes darting from me, over to the pool, then back again.
“I promise my family won’t bite. They’re good people. Silver Creek people.”
She nods. “I think I went to middle school with Lennox.”
So she’s older than me. I file this information away, adding it to the quickly growing collection ofThings I find sexy about Audrey Callahan.“You didn’t go to high school in Silver Creek?”
She shakes her head. “I went to NCSSM. In Raleigh.”
“That’s the North Carolina…”
“School of Science and Mathematics,” she finishes. “I really was the biggest nerd, Flint.”
“Really?” I say. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Her cheeks flame, but the smile that spreads across her face tells me she doesn’t really mind the teasing.
“For real. Come eat with us. Brody’s a total math nerd. If nothing else, there will at least be one person at the table who speaks your language.”
She nods. “Okay. If you’re sure your family won’t mind.”
They won’t mind at all. In fact, they’ll eat this up. But I’ve got more important things to think about.
Like what movie might turn Audrey Callahan into a believer.
Chapter Seven
