Page 28 of Behind the Scenes

She didn’t say anything, but Alexis knew what worried her. Lauren feared the stalker even more than she did. She loved her for that, but today wasn’t the day for worry.

Tugging her arm so she’d lie down in the sand, she said, “Just relax. No one noticed us or even cares. Let yourself enjoy the sun hitting your face and the sand all around you. Pretend this is our very own private beach.”

“I just worry. Maybe we should have told Paul or Hunter. What if someone sees us?”

“Then we talk to them. If they’re hot guys, we definitely talk to them.”

Lying there, she felt just like she used to back home in LA with the sun beating down on her and the sand between her toes. She’d missed that so much.

Lauren, however, couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Nudging her, she said, “Those people over there are looking at us. What do we do?”

Opening her eyes, Alexis looked around but saw no one looking at them. “Jeez, Lauren. You’re such a worry wart. Trust me. In this wig, nobody knows it’s me, so we’re just two girls relaxing on the beach. Stop acting guilty and no one will even care we’re here.”

She knew her friend likely wouldn’t relax, but that’s exactly what she needed. For as stressed as her life was, Lauren’s sometimes seemed even worse. As her assistant, she helped Alexis with every aspect of her life, but even more, she worried about her more than anyone else in her world. Alexis wanted her to enjoy this day as much as she was.

Closing her eyes again, she let the stress of the past few months ebb away and wished her best friend could have the same relief. It felt incredible to sit out in the open under the sun and just let go of all the bad.

In truth, little of her life could ever be considered truly bad. She knew that. She had more money than she’d ever dreamed of. She could go anywhere and do anything she liked. She could buy anything her heart desired.

But more often than not, her fame kept her trapped in her home. It wasn’t the worst hardship in the world, but it wasn’t what she thought life would be like before she became famous.

She’d always dreamed of traveling the world and meeting glamorous people. She’d achieved all that and more. When she began modeling, she dreamed of becoming an actress and showing the world she was more than just a pretty face.

Nowadays, she dreamed of just being happy and not having to spend every day under the watchful eyes of people who believed danger lurked around every corner. Of having the chance to walk out of her house and simply go to the corner store or to the park.

Or the beach for a few hours with her nearest and dearest friend.

For fifteen minutes, she worked to empty her mind of everything. The stalker. Moving away from her home. Hunter. All of it. For the first time in too long, she truly relaxed.

Lauren touched her on the arm, rousing her from daydreaming about absolutely nothing. “We forgot to put on sunscreen. I think my nose is starting to burn, Alexis. Can we get out of the sun?”

Obviously, her friend hadn’t been able to find a way to relax. Giving in, she sat up. “Fine. We’ll go. Get your stuff.”

Sad to have to leave the beach so soon, she grabbed her bag and headed back toward the stairs. Lauren hurried to catch up with her as she started to walk down the Boardwalk, reading each sign and inhaling the smell of greasy French fries and sugary sweet cotton candy as they passed a food stand.

“Where are we going?” Lauren asked breathlessly, still not fully recovered from running up the stairs.

Alexis took her hand and swung their arms back and forth. Smiling, she said, “I don’t know, and that’s the best part. All I know is I want to eat some popcorn and salt water taffy and drink lemonade. And after I do that, then I want to ride that rollercoaster next to the water and head into a casino to gamble.”

Her explanation earned her a timid smile. Lauren always worried needlessly about things. But she wouldn’t let that ruin their day.

“Don’t worry. We’re fine. We’re on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, and oh my God! Look at that!”

“What? What is it?” Lauren asked in a panicked voice.

She dropped her hand and pointed at the flashing lights on the Ripley’s Believe It or Not sign about a block ahead of them. “That’s the place where they have all those freaky things like bearded ladies and midget horses!”

“Bearded ladies? What are you talking about?”

“Yes!” Alexis squealed. Pulling Lauren down the Boardwalk, she said excitedly, “Come on! Let’s go see some freaky stuff!”

A half hourlater, they walked out of the Ripley’s exhibit and back out into the sun. Seeing the shrunken heads and a wax figure of the world’s tallest man, among other bizarre things, had calmed Lauren enough so she could laugh about how wild that place had been.

“That was the weirdest bunch of things I’ve ever seen,” she said.

Alexis looked down the Boardwalk for where to go to next. At that moment, a craving for something sweet and chocolatey came over her. Turning to face Lauren, she said, “I want fudge. Do you think they sell fudge anywhere here?”

“I don’t know, but now I want some too,” Lauren said as she headed toward the stores in front of them.

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