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“Oh,” Ivy says. “No. I don’t think we can…no. We can’t afford that. I’m—I’m sorry I took up your time.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Hanna says.
I can tell she means it, but I’m still caught on the crushed hope in Ivy’s voice. For whatever reason, using our small barn for her theater group matters a lot to her.
And for reasons I don’t understand at all, I want to fix this. Need to fix this. I need to make this okay for her.
An engine turns over in my brain.
Ivy needs a thing.
I need a thing.
Ivy is a celebrity.
I’m a celebrity.
One celebrity plus one celebrity equals two celebrities.
Ivy steps out of Hanna’s office looking as miserable as my sister looked ten minutes ago.
“Excuse me,” I say.
She startles and looks up at me. I wait—then realize that what I’m waiting for is recognition. I’m waiting for Ivy to get the oh, that’s Shane Fucking Hott! look in her eyes—but she doesn’t.
I usually hate that look of recognition because it comes before a whole lot of other bullshit. Inappropriate questions, needy requests, sexual propositions.
Except this time, for a change, I’m disappointed.
“I’m Shane Hott. Hanna’s brother,” I say. Also Mavryx Extyllior, Lord of the Fae. Actor. Very rich. Very successful. Very good in bed.
I don’t say any of that, but it’s a close thing.
Apparently I have gotten used to having my reputation precede me because it galls me that she won’t know all those things about me.
I’ll have to actually earn her friendship, trust, and—eventually—adoration.
So. Much. Fucking. Work.
And yet oddly…I’m looking forward to it.
6
Ivy
After Nia told me that Shane Hott is an actor, I watched the first Crown of Spires movies, Lord of Every Sky. It was full of scenes where he was shirtless, badass, and bossy. He’s basically the villain of the first movie—although I get the sense that he’s going to be redeemed later from the way the camera lingers on his…assets.
Even as I watched, I questioned my life choices. I wasn’t at all sure watching the movie was a good idea because in a town as small as Rush Creek, Shane and I were bound to cross paths.
After I watched him in Lord of Every Sky, I wanted to build a small monument to his torso and worship it…with my tongue.
And now, encountering him in the hallway outside of Hanna’s office, my knees feel less solid than I would ideally like.
Never trust a guy so good looking he makes you stupid.
So I do what any self-respecting woman would do in that situation.
I pretend I have no idea who he is.
