Page 107 of How to Kiss a Movie Star
She levels me with a long look. “Then you will have been on one wild ride, and you can sell your story toPeoplemagazineand make millions of dollars.”
“Shut up. I would never do that.”
She drops butter onto the pan, watching while it slowly melts and starts to sizzle. “The point still stands. It’s okay for something to be good while it’s good and then end without the experience being a failure. Besides, what if itdoesstay amazing forever? You’ll never know if you don’t try.”
Tears suddenly prick my eyes, but I’m not about to start crying when it isn’t even nine a.m., so I pick up the knife and dig back into the strawberries, willing the tears away.
Lucy bumps my hip with hers. “Don’t cry into the strawberries, Auds. They aren’t good salty.”
I hiccup a laugh and give up fighting. I drop the knife and lift my hands, using my sleeves to dry my tears. “Seriously, what are you doing to me? And when did you get so wise?”
Lucy smiles and points at me with her spatula. “Pretty sure wisdom is encoded in our DNA. I’m just not as big a chicken as you are, so I’m seeing this particular situation a little more clearly.”
I huff. “I’m not a chicken.”
“Then let go. Let go, and justbewith him.” She pours out the first few pancakes. “Oh! Did you bring your phone out here?” she asks. “There was one more thing I wanted to show you. Mom and Dad’s TikTok has totally exploded.”
“What? Why? Isn’t their account already huge?” I slide the last of the strawberries into a bowl then reach for my phone, navigating through TikTok until I find Mom and Dad’s account.
“I mean, it was kind of huge,” Lucy says. “But someone tagged them as Flint Hawthorne’s future in-laws, and they’ve gotten something like a million new followers in the past twenty-four hours. Watch their latest video. They just posted it yesterday.”
I push play, then listen to a minute or so of Mom and Dad, playing their instruments outside their RV, but I don’t recognize the song. “What is it?”
“It’s the theme song to Flint’sAgent Twelvemovies. Clever, right?”
“I might say a little on the nose, but let’s go with clever.”
“They’re playing it so cool in the comments though,” Lucy says. “Like, they aren’t confirming anything. They just aren’t denying it either.”
“I bet Mom is loving all the attention.”
“She totally is.” Lucy flips the pancakes and smirks. “The attention isn’t always bad, Audrey. Sometimes it can be fun. Now go wake up Summer. Breakfast first, then I know exactly what we need to do to celebrate.”
Lucy’s idea of celebrating is watching movies all day.
And by movies, I meanFlint Hawthornemovies.
My first impulse is to refuse. I can’t watch all his movies. Watching his movies will only make me love him more. But then I think of Lucy’s words.
Let go and be with him.
I take a steadying breath, then drop onto the couch. “Fine, but you have to fast-forward through any kissing.”
Summer pops some popcorn even though it’s only ten-thirty and we only just finished breakfast, then drops onto my other side, plopping the bowl into my lap.
I look from one to the other. “I know what you guys are doing,” I say.
“What? What are we doing?” Summer asks.
“You’rehere,” I say. “I can’t remember the last time either of you was around on a Saturday. I know you’re staying in for me.” I link my arms through each of theirs. “I just want you to know I appreciate it.”
Lucy nudges my knee. “You’re watching amoviewith us, Audrey. Even if Ihadplans, I’d cancel them to see this miracle happen.”
I roll my eyes and grab a handful of popcorn. “Just shut up and push play already.”
One movie turns into two, then three. With my limited experience, I’m probably a poor judge, but Flint deserved the Oscar for the World War II movie. After that one is over, we watch the first twoAgent Twelvemovies back-to-back, and I fall a little bit in love with Flint as a beard-wearing, gun-wielding CIA agent. Next up is the time travel movie (my sisters say it isn’t nearly as bad as Flint claimed) but we’re breaking for dinner first because Lucy insists we can’t survive on popcorn and Red Vines alone. I feel like we’re doing a pretty solid job, but I’ll feel better tomorrow if I get a little protein, so I don’t need much convincing when she mentions pasta Bolognese.
Just before we start the next movie, a knock sounds on the front door.
