“You’re not,” I said hurriedly before he had the chance to get up and regret ever trying to engage me in conversation. “This is just all so far out of my comfort zone.”
He chuckled and leaned back in the chair, resting his hands on his thighs. “Same here.”
“Really? I would think you’d be used to the spotlight,” I said before I could stop myself.
The corner of his lip twitched, causing his dimple to reveal itself for a moment. “I take it you’ve heard of me.”
“Only because Arnie told me. I swear I had no idea who you were before today.” I paused, realizing that didn’t sound any better. “I mean...”
Eli grinned, a noticeable twinkle in his eye. “No, please. No need for an explanation. It’s refreshing that you haven’t heard of me. Unfortunately, the gossip out there about me isn’t the best. I hope whatever you hear, you won’t hold against me. I’m in the same boat as everyone here.”
“I would never,” I said, and meant it. I knew first-hand the frustration of having someone take one detail about your life and make it the only focus. “So, your dad signed you up?”
He blew out a breath and brushed a curl away from his face. “Yep. Good old Dad. God forbid he try talking to me when he could just stick me on this show instead.”
I winced. “This has got to be a huge disappointment when you thought you’d be here to film a movie.”
He scanned my face, quirking an eyebrow.
“Arnie told me,” I added.
My cheeks burned. Just because I was closed off emotionally didn’t mean I was blind. Eli was attractive, and, unlike me, hiswasthe kind that made people stop and stare.
“It’s actually not as big a disappointment as you might think,” he said.
“You weren’t excited about the movie? I asked.
His eyes widened slightly as if he just realized he’d said that out loud. “Eh; let’s just say it wasn’t exactly my style.”
“What is your style? What kind of movies were you in? I must have heard of some of your old stuff,” I pressed. But he gave me a funny look and I wondered if my casual attempts at conversation were coming off more like an interrogation.
“Sorry. I’m rambling,” I said. Something I tended to do when my nerves got the best of me.
“That’s alright. I guess I just find my past to be a bit of a boring conversation topic.” There he was with that charming smile again. “I did a few made-for-TV movies—went the whole teen heartthrob route. Nothing big, and my dad was mostly the one pushing it. But as I got older, I got a reputation for being difficult to work with. Pretty soon the jobs stopped coming in at all.” Eli shrugged sheepishly at me. “But my bad behavior pissed off my dad, and unfortunately for him, that’s my favorite pastime. So now I guess that’s why I’m stuck here.”
Eli’s eyes darted to mine. “Notstuckhere. Shit, I’m not trying to come across as some asshole who thinks he’s too good for this place.”
Surprisingly, I hadn’t gotten that vibe from him. Despite the flashing red warning sign basically hovering above his perfect head, Eli had been coming across as nothing but sincere. Based on the description Arnie had given me, I wasn’t expecting that at all. Honestly, I would have expected him toact more like Grant. Every time I caught a glimpse of him and Trace out of the corner of my eye, he seemed to be forcing a flex for the hidden cameras.
“Don’t worry about it.” I gave a flippant flick of my wrist. “You can probably guess how thrilled I was about this whole thing by the way I ran out of here earlier. I thought I was here to write.”
“Write?” Interest flashed across Eli’s face. “You’re a writer?”
“Trying to be.” My cheeks heated again. “I sold my first novel a couple of years ago. Its release was delayed because...well, now it’s coming out soon. My publisher is interested in another manuscript, but I’ve had trouble coming up with anything else. I was hoping this would help, but I guess I’m on my own.”
“What’s your novel about?” Eli asked the question like he really wanted to know—not in that way most people asked, only to be polite. For some reason, he seemed to hang on my every word. Which, of course, just made me more self-conscious.
“Um, it’s a romance novel. About first love, and all that stuff.”
Eli looked at me expectantly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve pitched it. I’m a bit out of practice,” I twisted the hem of my sweater. Something about the way he stared at me made me feel exposed.
“You wrote a whole book and got it published.” He sounded impressed. “I-I’ve actually been dabbling in writing a screenplay.”
My ears perked up at that. “Really? You write.”
He scratched the back of his neck and shuffled his feet. “I mean, not like you. I’m trying to get someone interested in reading it, but it’s a tough industry.”
