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She finally opened her eyes and bit down hard on her lip, watching him pace in front of her. He nibbled on his thumbnail, his steps wide and hurried. He must be praying for the tow truck to hurry up and come get him before she threw herself at him again. Not looking at her, he asked, “So, what have you been up to besides work? When’s the last time you saw Eve?”
“Um, a few weeks ago. And I’m not up to much besides work.” She paused, seeing where this conversation was going. Knowing Eve, he knew all about Joe and his infidelity. “How much do you know about my engagement?”
He stopped mid-pace, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “Truthfully? Everything. He sounds like a royal fuckwad.”
“Yeah, he was. Is.”
She ignored the slice of pain knifing through her heart. She didn’t really miss Joe, per se, but she missed having someone in her life that cared about her. Missed having a person to come home to and eat dinner with. She’d had that with Joe, and thought she’d spend the rest of her life with him. Start a family. She’d been wrong.
“How’s work?” he asked, pouring them more champagne. Her head was already spinning, but she took it from him anyway, thankful for the change of subject.
“It’s good. I love being a teacher.” She stole a look at him to see if he looked bored silly, but he watched her as intently as before. “Actually, I got an award last spring for teacher of the year. I’m the youngest to ever be crowned—so it was a pretty big deal. Not as big of a deal as winning a People’s Choice Award, of course, but fun nonetheless.”
“Are you kidding me?” He smiled at her. “That’s amazing, and much more impressive than an award for being cute on screen.”
She snorted. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Absolutely not.” He stood up and tugged her to her feet. “Show it to me. Where is it?”
She blinked at him, unable to believe he could be so excited about a plastic trophy. Why was he acting so interested in her life when his own was a million times more exciting? And, unfortunately, his excitement in her success made her melt toward him more—as if she needed help in that department. To see him so excited about it made her long to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless. Again.
Six months earlier, she hadn’t had anyone in her life that could even pretend to be excited about her award—besides her parents and Eve. Joe had recently broken her heart and she’d been alone and miserable. For weeks afterward, she’d moped around, feeling lost and confused. When they called her name over the microphone, and she’d stumbled up to the stage in surprise, the cloud following over her head had dissipated. After winning the award, she’d gone home and set it in a place of honor right in the middle of the fireplace mantle. That small little token of appreciation had been the highlight of her year.
Forcing her attention back to the present, she shrugged. “It’s not here. It’s over at my place. I don’t live here anymore, remember?”
He flushed. “Well, I want to see it sometime.”
“If you want to see my little trophy, you’ll have to come back to visit.” She motioned toward the door. “Perhaps when it’s not snowing so you can avoid ditches?”
“It’s a date.”
She froze. She knew he didn’t mean the word in a literal sense, but it didn’t stop her heart from skipping a beat or two.
He gave a small shake of his head. “Normal is a good thing—not something to bemoan. You should embrace the privacy. I miss it.”
“If you say so,” she mumbled. She sat back down, feeling awkward standing in the middle of the room. “Did you really punch that photographer in the nuts for snapping a picture of Pink’s baby?”
He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. “He made the poor little thing cry, and refused to back up when Pink asked him to. What did he expect?”
“Is she nice?” She leaned forward and tapped her foot. “I’ve always wanted to meet her. When I saw you were friends with her and her husband, I died of jealousy a little bit.”
“She’s great. They’re both great.” He ran a hand over his jaw, his eyes guarded. “You can come visit me sometime if you want, and I’ll introduce you.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”
“Good. I can’t wait to show you the glamorous Hollywood life. You’ll enjoy it, I think.”
“I bet.” But knew she would never see him again after tomorrow. He was here with her now, so it was easy to make empty plans and promises, but once he returned to the life of an A-liste
r, he would forget all about her. Again. Time for a dose of reality. She’d ask the one question she’d avoided up until now. “So what hot Hollywood star are you dating now? I promise not to tell.”
Something crossed his eyes, something that looked an awful lot like uncertainty when combined with his wrinkled brow, but he shook his head. “I’m single.”
She wagged a finger at him. “I don’t think you are. I saw that look in your eyes. Oh god. Is it someone normal? An agent? Publicist? Your accountant’s niece?”
“No, there’s no one. And besides, I wouldn’t date a normal girl.”
She drew back, insulted despite her own thoughts on the subject matching up with his words. “Why not? Normal isn’t good enough for you anymore?”
