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“The view up there is incredible,” Natalie agrees with a grin. She’s stirring something on the stove. Luke walks up behind her and kisses her neck, then walks away. “I bet you could see all the way to Oregon on a beautiful day like today.”
“I bet you’re right,” Starla says with a serious nod. “And the best part?”
“Let me guess,” Luke says as he takes a seat next to me at the bar. “No one recognized you.”
“Not one person,” Starla says before doing a little shimmy right there in the kitchen.
Jesus, I want to boost her up onto the countertop and feast on her for dinner.
“Lia’s so good,” Nat says. “Seriously, if I didn’t already know you, I don’t think I could have picked you out of a lineup.”
“It’s amazing because what she did was so subtle. It’s all about contouring and shading.” Starla takes another bite of pepper. “How do you deal with the attention, Luke?”
Luke frowns and takes a sip from his glass of beer. “I didn’t deal well, let me tell you.”
“That’s how we met,” Nat says with a laugh. “He assaulted me on Alki Beach.”
“Would you please stop telling people that?”
“No way.” Nat sets her spoon aside and turns to Starla. “I was taking photos one morning . . . not of him—”
“It looked like the lens was pointed at me.”
“—and suddenly he rips my camera away from me and threatens to kill me if I don’t delete the photos.”
“You’re getting a spanking,” Luke says with a sigh. “I never threatened to kill you.”
“Okay, but he threatened legal action. And he tried to steal my camera.”
“I’ve never heard this story,” I say with a laugh, picturing it in my head. “This could be the best how-did-you-meet story I’ve ever heard.”
“I had to flip through the photos to prove to him that he wasn’t on there. He’s a little full of himself.”
“Natalie,” Luke warns, making his wife giggle.
“Actually, in all seriousness, Luke had a lot of anxiety about being recognized. That’s why he was pissed when he saw me taking the photos. He thought I was the press.”
“I get it,” Starla says with a nod. “It sucks. I would think it’s better in Seattle than LA, though.”
“It is,” Luke confirms. “But it still happens, especially back then when the Nightwalker movies were still fresh in everyone’s mind.”
“I freaking loved those movies,” Starla says with an excited smile. “You were a hot vampire.”
Luke squirms in his seat, making Natalie laugh.
“Anyway, I didn’t recognize him,” Nat says. “I had no idea who this nut job was, aside from a handsome weirdo.”
“Darling, you cut me to the core.”
Nat waves him off.
“Have you ever done the disguise thing?” I ask him.
“No. I just became a recluse. And as time goes on, I’m recognized less. Or, people just leave me alone.”
“It helps that he’s behind the camera now instead of in front of it,” Nat adds.
“Unless I want to be a songwriter and not the singer, I don’t have that luxury,” Starla says with a sigh. “And I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining. I’m not. I have a crazy, luxurious life.”
“We understand,” Nat says with a supportive pat to Starla’s back. “You’re not ungrateful. You’re cautious. Because whether you like it or not, you’ve traded a good portion of your privacy for celebrity. And even with all of the benefits, there are some pitfalls.”
“Some of them can be scary,” Luke adds. “But you’re a smart woman, Star, and you’ve been doing this a long time.”
“Yeah.” She sighs, and I can tell that something is running through her gorgeous brain.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I wonder how a person knows when it’s time to slow down.”
“That’s up to you,” Nat replies. “Leo didn’t start to slow down until this year after Sam finally drew a line in the sand. She wants the luxury of living with her husband. But she also understands that the job is important to him.”
“Will’s in the same boat,” Luke adds. “I think there comes a time for everyone when they start to really think about what’s most important. And it’s okay if those things change over time.”
“Boy,” Starla says with a sigh. “This is a deep conversation. But thanks for listening. I guess I needed to talk to someone else who gets it, you know?”
“Oh, I get it,” Luke assures her. “And I’m always here, just up the street, if you want to talk about it more.”
“Thanks. Hey, don’t you have a million kids? Where are they?”
“At Luke’s parents,” Nat says. “Trust me, it’s better this way.”
“I like kids,” Starla says but won’t meet my eyes. “But this is good, too.”
“I’m starving.” I change the subject on purpose. It’s time to lighten things up around here. But when I have Starla to myself, I have a list of questions for her.
