Page 34 of How to Kiss a Movie Star
I pause at the back of Lennox’s kitchen. It takes me a minute to find him, but when I do, a burst of pride fills my chest. He’s clearly in his element, doing something he loves to do. It’s also clear that every single person in this room is tuned into him, listening to his instructions, paying attention to every single word that comes out of his mouth.
Until someone turns and seesme.
Awareness moves across the kitchen like a wave, and suddenly all is quiet as everyone turns to stare.
Lennox is the last to notice. “Hey, what’s going on?” he asks, but then his eyes meet mine. “Oh.He’sgoing on,” he says dryly. He tugs a dish towel off his shoulder and drops it onto the counter. “Okay, let’s all say hi to Flint together so we can get back to work, yeah?”
Laughter echoes around the room, then a few voices call out, “Hi, Flint.”
I lift a hand, offering Lennox an apologetic smile. “Hey, y’all. Sorry to interrupt.”
“Trust me,” a female voice says from across the kitchen. “Wereallydon’t mind.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Lennox says. “Zach?” He gestures to a guy standing off to his left. “Cover for me?”
“You got it, Chef.”
“Sorry,” I say as soon as Lennox reaches me. “This seemed easier than trying to get a table out there.” I motion toward the dining room.
Lennox claps me on the back. “No worries. Are you hungry?”
“Is that totally obnoxious? To just show up and expect you to feed me?”
“Itisa restaurant, Flint.”
“I know. But I don’t want to cause any trouble. Or, I don’t know. Expect special treatment.”
Lennox looks at me funny, then grins. “Are you feeling okay? I kinda thought special treatment was your jam.”
I roll my eyes. “Trust me. Sometimes it gets really old.”
“Come on,” Lennox says. “I’ll take a break and eat with you. You can wait in my office while I make us plates.”
“Sounds great.”
“You want a menu?”
I wave a dismissive hand. “Whatever you have extra is fine.”
Lennox leaves me in his office, and I kill time by pulling out my phone and checking my messages. I regret it the minute my phone is in my hand. Kenji has sent over another Instagram post from Claire. This one is a picture of the two of us. I recognize it immediately—we took it in Costa Rica when we were still dating and still filmingTurning Tides.The background of the photo is dark enough that you can’t really tell where we are, something Claire uses to her advantage because her caption makes it sound like the photo wasjusttaken.
Kenji:She isn’t leaving much room for debate, man. If you don’t say something soon, you’re as good as confirming your relationship.
Lennox pushes into his office holding two steaming plates and puts one down on either side of the desk. I drop my phone onto the desk and reach for the fork he just pulled out of his apron pocket.
“Baked salmon with mango creme fraiche, tropical chutney, and coconut lime rice.”
“Sounds amazing.”
He sits down across from me and shovels in an enormous bite. He motions toward my phone. “Who’s the woman?” he asks around his food, his words almost too muffled for me to understand him.
“Don’t get me started,” I say glumly. I take my own bite, the flavors immediately exploding on my tongue. “Dude, this is amazing.”
“One of my favorites,” Lennox says. “Is that the squirrel lady? Audrey, right?”
“What? No. It’s not—it’s Claire McKinsey.”
“Really?” Lennox takes another bite—the man is eating incredibly fast—then reaches for my phone. “Her hair’s darker. I didn’t recognize her. Did she just post this?”
