“You know, I might’ve even had your poster on my wall.”
That perked him right up, a cocky grin splitting his face. “Really?”
“Nah, I was more of a Joey Ashwood groupie.”
He gave me an exaggerated eye roll, scoffing as he took a pull from his bottle of Corona. If he was this easy to tease, these next four months were going to be a bloodbath. If there was one thing I’d learned from growing up in a family of six children, it was how to torture someone. It was a troll-or-be-trolled world, and he seemed blissfully unaware that he’d just handed over priceless blackmail material.
“Anyway, when I eventually aged out of it—”
I cracked up. “You make it sound like the foster care system.”
He pointedly ignored my heckling. “I couldn’t get cast in anything afterward, so I decided to go back to high school and be normal for a while, graduate with my friends. I figured I’dtake a break for a few years, give people a chance to forget my face, then try again as an adult.”
“Well, it worked. I watched that show religiously, and I never would have made the connection.” I leaned back in the booth, viewing him through fresh eyes. “So this is yoursecondbig break.”
I understood now—scoring the lead inThe Lost Letterwas his opportunity to reinvent himself as a serious actor.I’m not the only one desperate to prove myself.The spark of fierce determination in his eyes told me I was right on the money.
“You can see why I wasn’t exactly eager to get into all this at the audition.”
“You mean Nate doesn’t know?” I asked, wide-eyed.
“Of course he knows, but we don’t need to remind him!”
I let out a snort, and Ryder smiled bashfully, spinning his beer in a circle on the table. “Honestly, I’m still surprised he cast me.”
I made a noise of dissent. “I’m not.”
It’s true; I wasn’t just stroking his ego. While it was comforting to know he was just as insecure about this job as I was, he had no reason to be. There was definitely something special about Ryder. He was talented, of course, but he also had that “it” factor, that certainje ne sais quoi, that kind of natural charisma and raw magnetism that commanded attention and drew people to him like bees orbiting a hive. When he talked to you, he gave you his full attention, like you were the only person in the world, like there was nowhere else he’d rather be. It was a heady feeling, like the sun was shining on you and you alone. And it wasn’t just me—I’d seen the effect he had on the women around him. He made them giggly, put a light intheir eyes. Earlier, when he grabbed my hand to cross the street, I felt a staticky buzz in my joints that caught me off guard.
In other news, I might be developing a crush on my costar.Do not develop a crush on your costar.
I cleared my throat and got us back on track. “You were phenomenal in that audition. Plus, after reading the book, you really are the perfect pick for Holden, truly. And they wouldn’t have hired you if they didn’t think you were up to the task.” I paused. “And in case you couldn’t tell, this pep talk is also for me.”
He grinned. “But let’s just be real about it. This face?” He made an exaggeratedZoolander“Blue Steel” expression, and I giggled. “It’s not the face of a romantic lead.” I tried to object, but he wouldn’t let me. “Come on, my eyes are set too close together, they’re squinty when I smile, I’m 170 pounds dripping wet. Now J-Ham, on the other hand…” he said with a wag of his brows, and now I was the one throwing a wadded-up napkin at him.
He was talking about Jason Hamilton, our other main costar and the missing member of our fictional love triangle. Jason—or “J-Ham,” as he’d told us to call him, not that I could manage it with a straight face—was the classically handsome, picture-perfect Hollywood heartthrob you’d imagine as a romantic hero, right down to his cleft chin and flawless dimples, placed like perfect parentheses around a dazzling smile. He had one of those gleaming toothpaste-ad grins, where a cartoon sparkle twinkled every time he flashed his pearly whites. Even his face shape was swoonworthy, all high cheekbones and blockish angles, like a Pixar-generated Prince Charming.
“Meh, that kind of perfection is boring,” I deadpanned.
“It’s not boring onyou.”
My eyes snapped to his, and he held my gaze, a naughty smile playing on his lips.There’s that charmer again. It wasn’t uncommon for actors to be such brazen flirts—a lack of inhibition was practically a job requirement—but it was the first time I’d ever wanted to chuck my professional ethics and reciprocate.On second thought, maybe an on-set crush is harmless,the devil on my shoulder piped up.It might even help your performance!
I sidestepped his comment with a joke. “Getting into character early, I see.”
He arched an eyebrow as if to say,We both know you’re dodging, but I’ll let it slide this time.
I’d just taken a huge bite of my lobster roll when he asked, “So, will this be your first love scene?”
I nearly did a spit take.What a segue.I managed a nod through my coughing fit, my stomach tying itself into a complicated sailor’s knot.
“Same here. Nervous?”
Now there’s an understatement.“Extremely. I know Nate promised no nudity, but still, I just, I don’t know…”
“Same.” He leaned in, pushing aside his beer. “Listen, let’s make a pact. We do only what we’re comfortable with, nothing more and nothing less. I’ll have your back, and you’ll have mine. If we’re a united front, then they can’t pressure us into anything.”
Relief flooded through me. “Really?Oh, thank God! I’ve been worrying myself sick over this, thinking you’d be blasé about the whole thing while I’m busy throwing up in the corner.”
