5. The Odds

5

The Odds

Emma

“Emz. What’s wrong?” Alice asks for the tenth time today as we’re walking back to our place after lunch.

I shake my head, trying to erase Auston’s face from my mind. “Nothing.”

Hayley halts her steps and puts her hands on my shoulders. “Come on. You’ve been way too grumpy today. Even for you. Spill.”

I sigh . “Really, it’s nothing. Just that time of the month, you know.” I force a chuckle. “Wouldn’t it be nice to skip the four days a month when we’re tired and cranky?”

Hayley arches an eyebrow. “Just four days, huh?”

Alice breaks into laughter, and I roll my eyes.

“We’re not letting this go,” Hayley says. “You do know that, right?”

I stare down at my feet, pondering whether or not to tell them. I’ve carried this secret with me for years, protecting my past like a fortress. All they know about me is what happened to my family, and how I got by after that. They do know I had a crush in high school but not that it was deeper than that. Well, I guess it wasn’t that deep. At least not for him. But Alice and Hayley? They’ve been a constant for me. I’ve known them for years now, and they’re still here.

“Okay, fine.” I drag them to the side. Maybe letting it out will lift some of the pressure off my chest. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise you won’t make a big deal out of it.”

“Of course.” Hayley nods.

“Promise,” says Alice.

I take a deep breath. “Auston and I were in high school together.”

“Auston?” Alice frowns. “Wait. Auston Buckley?”

I roll my eyes. “How many Austo ns do you know?”

Her jaw drops.

“No way,” Hayley breathes.

Twisting my mouth, I nod. “And we had a thing. Well, I had a thing for him . We kissed, but then he was cast in a sitcom and moved to LA.” I chew on my lip, trying not to let the memory of that day resurface.

“What!” Alice squeals.

Hayley’s eyes widen. “Wow. You and Auston Buckley.”

I wring my hands in front of me. “And now he’s here. And he doesn’t remember me.”

“You have to tell him,” Alice urges. “It’s like it was written in the stars! What are the odds they picked our bookstore to shoot his movie?”

The odds? Of course Alice would go there. We don’t exactly share the same take on life. I shake my head firmly. “Absolutely not. There’s no way I’m telling him. It’s embarrassing enough that he doesn’t remember me.” I sigh. It’s always different for men.

“Why not?” She shrugs. “It’s the perfect setup for a second-chance romance.”

And here we go. “We’re not in a book, Alice,” I snap back. “That’s not happening. Please don’t make a big deal out of this. You promised.”

I glance at Hayley, and she raise s her hands in surrender. “She’s right. We promised. It’s none of our business.”

“Fine,” Alice says with a long sigh.

“Plus, you’re forgetting he already has a girlfriend,” Hayley mumbles to Alice.

She scrunches her nose. “Hm, right. They haven’t really been acting as if they’re together, though. I’m starting to reconsider that theory.”

I shrug, looking away. “Not all couples are big on PDA. Anyway, I’m not interested in him, okay? He was just a high school crush from a long time ago.”

I’ll die before I admit he’s the only guy I’ve ever kissed, or they will never let this go. Plus, it’s true. I’m not interested in him. Sure, it’s a little strange seeing him, but I’ve been over him for ages, and that’s not going to change. I don’t do relationships. The idea never even crossed my mind. Fostering connections is dangerous, because if you’re not careful, they can break you. And without forming a connection first, I can’t feel attraction to someone. I’m always in awe of how quickly the heroines from the books I read are smitten by the heroes. A touch, a look, a laugh. For me, it takes so much more than that.

“Not bad for a high school crush, though,” Alice says. “Mine had braces.” She winces. “But those eyes . . .” She trails off with a sigh, then shr ugs. “Although he had nothing on Deacon. That man is perfection.”

At that, we all laugh. Gosh, this girl is so pro-love. We might be different in that way, but I’m glad she finally found her match. She’d been searching for a while, and I was starting to get anxious, seeing her put herself out there so much—especially in a big city like New York.

“I refuse to talk about my first crush,” Hayley says, shaking her head vehemently. “But he was definitely not in Auston Buckley’s league.”

We all share another laugh.

“Was Auston always this dreamy?” Alice asks, looking at me.

The corners of my lips twitch into a smile. “Oh yeah. He was already a heartthrob, for sure.”

“Are you going to be okay having him around?” Hayley asks, tilting her head. “I know you said you weren’t interested, but . . .”

“I’ll be fine.” I bob my head. “That was over ten years ago. I’ve since cured myself, one book boyfriend at a time.”

Hayley and Alice both chuckle.

“Thank heavens for book boyfriends,” Hayley sighs as we start walking again. “Where would we be without them?”

We launch into a conversation abo ut our favorite book boyfriends over the years, and as always, it’s a heated debate. I mean, how can we pick just ten? That’s impossible.

“I think they’re getting ready to start shooting again,” Hayley says as we reach the bookstore. When I glance at the set, my eyes instantly fall on Auston. He changed his former outfit for a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black pants. A few buttons are undone, revealing a hint of his chest.

Swallowing hard, I try to force myself to look at Madison, but Auston has a magnetic pull that demands my attention, and I can’t look away. Finally, Madison walks into the store, leaving me no choice.

“Action!” the director shouts.

Diego is leaning against the wall, gazing at—I assume—Sarah inside. I think I know what scene they’re filming, which is a good start. After a moment, Sarah struts out of the store, looking both mad and flustered when she notices him. Another thing that would never happen to me. Flustered isn’t in my emotional range.

They say their lines, and Diego looks at Sarah, then brushes a strand of hair out of her eyes in a very romantic way. Um, wait. What are they doing? That’s definitely not in the book.

I shake my head, unable to hold b ack my snort. But when I focus back on the scene, all eyes are on me.

“Cut!” the director bellows before standing up, hands on his hips. “Who just snorted?”

My cheeks redden, and I suddenly wish I could melt and disappear below the ground. I knew watching the filming was a bad idea.

With a sheepish gulp, I raise my hand. “Sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

His eyes narrow on me. “Who are you?”

Holding my head high, I say, “Emma Sterling, bookstore owner.”

“And why were you snorting?” he demands, scratching his bald head.

“Uh, it’s just that . . . Diego Loma would never do that, the hair thing. At least not at this point in their relationship. He’s an alpha male billionaire who’s frustrated by his infatuation with Sarah. He doesn’t understand why he’s here, and he’s fighting it. Which makes him surrendering to his feelings later in the book so much more powerful.”

“Excuse me,” a woman with sleek long brown hair cuts in. “Who do you think you are?”

“Emma Sterling,” I repeat. “I’m a big fan of the book.”

“Well, Emma, keep your mouth shut. Or get off set.”

“Hold on a minute, June.” Aus ton says to the woman, both hands in the air. My heart skips a beat. “No need to be mean. I know you’re the script supervisor, but she has a point. It’s important to know those details if we want to do the book justice.”

She crosses her arms. “The script was okayed by the author. What else do you need?”

“Moving on,” the director says, clapping his hands. “We’ve already lost enough time as it is. Everyone keep quiet, or get off set. Let’s roll again.”