Page 31 of How to Kiss a Movie Star
ClaireMcKinseyisgoingto be the end of me.
Or maybe just the end of my career. I close my laptop, cutting off the latest video Kenji sent over. Claire is still talking.Hinting.Making it seem like some time apart was good, but now we’re in a good place, and we’reveryexcited about promotingTurning Tidestogether. She isn’t being explicit enough for me to call her a liar, but the innuendo is strong, and right now she’s dominating entertainment news. Every possible public event she could attend, she’s attending, talking to the press every time they call her name. And don’t even get me started on her Instagram feed.
My team is getting daily requests for comment on the status of our relationship. Simon is fielding those requests, but he isn’t doing much else except irritating me.
“You look happy,” Joni says from the doorway.
I turn to see her leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed.
“My life is stupid, Joni,” I say, dropping back into my desk chair and closing my eyes. I hear her move into the room and sit down across from me, but I don’t move or look up.
“Did you talk to Simon?”
I nod.
“What did he say?”
I sigh and look up. “Just more of the same. He doesn’t think I have any reason to worry.” I crack my neck, tilting my head from side to side. “Says I need to get off social media and try torelax.”
Joni rolls her eyes. “You know, there are other publicists.”
I huff out a laugh. “Don’t tempt me.”
“I’m serious. He annoys you every time you talk to him. Why not cut your losses and let him go?”
“Maybe after the premiere,” I say. “He’s too involved with everything to cut ties before then.”
Joni scoffs. “I think we would manage just fine without him. Most of the hard stuff is done already anyway. Did he push the fake relationship thing again?”
“He did. But he thinks I’d need to be back in LA to truly sell it. Says we would need to orchestrate a few well-timed appearances in public places with a woman who isn’t Claire. I see his point, but honestly Joni, the thought of reviewing a list of names and picking one like I’m ordering a woman out of some sort of catalog, it feels so…”
“Misogynistic?” Joni says, her expression smug.
“I was going to say old-fashioned, but that works too. I just don’t like it.”
“You’re right not to like it. But then, I don’t like anything Simon suggests, so I’m not sure my opinion is relevant here. Have you given any more thought to taking someone from Silver Creek?”
“Like who? The only women I know are related to me, and I’m not sure that would have quite the same impact, do you?”
She considers me for a long moment. “Flint, what about Audrey?”
My hand jumps and knocks over a cup of pens, and I scramble to pick it up. When everything is back where it belongs, I take a moment to neutralize my expression before looking up. Joni knows me well, almost as well as my family knows me. She’ll see right through me if I’m not careful. “WhataboutAudrey?” I finally ask.
“Invite her to the premiere.” Joni says this simply, but there is nothing simple about her suggestion.
“That’s…no. That’s not a good idea.”
“Why not? I think it’s a great idea. Audrey is exactly the right kind of woman. She’s poised. She’s confident. She’s well-spoken. She won’t get flustered when she meets other celebrities.”
“She won’t even know who the other celebrities are.”
“Exactly! Yet another reason why she’d be perfect.” Joni shifts on the couch, sitting a little taller, like she’s gearing up to really hit me with all her reasoning and logic. It’s a veryJonimove—one I know well. “Listen. I know she might not be the kind of woman you can actually see yourself with long-term, but for this, she doesn’t really need to be. You just need her to be your decoy. And I think there’s something you can offer her in exchange that she won’t be able to refuse.”
I let Joni’s words settle into my mind. I’m surprised by a couple of things.
One—as well as Joni knows me, I don’t know how she hasn’t noticed that I’ve got a thing for Audrey.
Two—I can’t think of any possible incentive that would motivate Audrey to say yes to whatever scheme Joni is hatching. Audrey doesn’t evenlikemovies. Why would she want to attend a premiere for one?
