Page 39 of How to Kiss a Movie Star
“I know.”
“I haven’t worn makeup in years.”
“I know a few women who would kill for skin that looks that good bare.”
Her cheeks flush, and she lifts her hands to cover them. She shakes her head, like she thinks I’m feeding her a line.
“Flint, it’s a terrible idea,” she finally says. “I’m not girlfriend material. Definitely notmovie stargirlfriend material.”
She wouldn’t be the first woman to assume I need a woman with special qualifications just because of my career, but she’s wrong. Not that it actually matters, because it wouldn’t be real in the first place.
“But are youfakemovie star girlfriend material?” I joke.
She rolls her eyes. “What does that even mean?” She leans back and pulls her legs up to her chest, sitting like she was when our conversation first started. It almost seems like she’s trying to make herself smaller.
This was a terrible idea. I’ve clearly made her uncomfortable. If just having the conversation is enough to do that, there’s no way she’d ever agree to everything this would involve.
“Audrey, I’m sorry,” I say quickly. “I’m realizing now this was a bad idea. This is not a problem for anyone else to solve. I’ll just—” I push off my knees and stand. “I’ll figure it out, all right? Forget I asked.”
Before I can step away from the couch, she reaches out and grabs my arm, her fingers circling around my wrist. “Wait,” she says. She slides her hand down to mine and I instinctively wrap my fingers around hers and let her tug me back onto the couch, this time sitting a little closer to her than I was before. “Just walk me through it. What all would this involve?”
A surge of hope pushes through me, but I still hesitate. If she’s going to shut me down—and all signs point to her doing just that—this will be the moment it happens.
“It really is okay if you say no,” I say, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze.
She squeezes mine right back then slips her hand out of my grip. “I know,” she says. “But at least let me know what I’m saying no to.”
Here goes nothing.
“Okay, at first, it would just be a photo. The two of us together, but nothing that shows your face. I’ll post the photo on Instagram, hinting heavily that I’m seeing someone new, maybe hint that it’s someone I used to know growing up.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“It wouldn’t be, but that’s the easy part.”
She bites her lip. “What’s the hard part?”
“I would need you to come to Los Angeles with me for the movie premiere.”
Her face goes white. “To like,goto the premiere? Isn’t that a big deal?”
“Pretty big,” I say. “Red carpet. Lots of cameras. Questions, though they would only be for me. You wouldn’t have to say anything.” I keep going, hurrying through the worst of it all at once. “I would also need you with me during the press junket. You wouldn’t be on camera then, but all the journalists interviewing the cast would see you there with me, and it would make asking about my relationship with Claire seem moot.”
She breathes out a slow breath, a little bit of color returning to her face. “It sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“Jonihas given this a lot of thought. But I know Claire well enough to know this is the only thing that might shut her up.”
Audrey nods. “I get it. I really do, but Flint, I don’t know the first thing about how to act on a Hollywood red carpet. I wouldn’t know what to say. And I definitely don’t have anything to wear.”
“Don’t worry about that. One email from my publicist saying my date to the premiere is in need of a dress, and you’ll have three dozen in your hotel room by the time we get to LA.”
She lets out a little disbelieving laugh. “Okay, but what about everywhere else? You’ve seen what I wear every day. That’s basically my wardrobe. Work pants. T-shirts—”
“Don’t forget the bush disguise,” I add with a smirk.
She reaches over and smacks my arm. “Don’t make fun of me! Sometimes I need to blend in when I’m working.”
“I believe you,” I say. “Audrey, don’t worry about the clothes. I’ll buy you a whole new wardrobe if I have to. You’ll deserve it if you actually agree to go along with this crazy scheme.”
