She turns to the rest of the cast and they all nod.
I’m still hesitant. It’s too early to tell. But this might be okay. “Call me Aura. That’s what my friends call me.” Everyone except the one person who’s stuck around since before I was famous. The one person who knowsthe real me. I should really give Abby another call tonight. I’ve been avoiding it since the tack room incident, but it would be nice to talk to someone about all these jumbled-up feelings about Quint. I just don’t know what to do with him.
“Perfect. I’m Sav to anyone lucky enough to know me personally.”
She flicks her bouncy curls over her shoulder. I admire her confidence, but it’s hard to tell if that’s just her own shell. We’ve all got one here. I know she’s had to deal with her share of gross behavior as a plus-sized actress. She’s fucking gorgeous, but ugly little men on the Internet love to say stupid shit about anyone over a size zero.
“Nice to meet you, Sav.”
Delaney shrugs. “I don’t really have a nickname. Everyone’s always called me by my full name. Except my dad.”
“Oh? Do tell,” Seth says, finally joining the conversation. His hands are steepled on the table as he leans in closer.
“That is something you will never find out.”
“Then why’d you have to go and tease us?”
Delaney smiles the cute little dimpled smile that’s landed her several girl-next-door roles. “A little mystery between friends is a good thing.”
Hayden shrugs. “I’m just Hayden.”
“Is that like just Ken? Because let me tell you, your hair is too dark for that, you’re going to need a bleach job.”
Our server walks back up to the table. I squint at her name tag.Martha. “What can I get for you? Now, you’re welcome to get whatever you want, but I’d recommend the steak sandwich if you’re asking.”
“That’s what Quint said too.”
Her eyes brighten. “Quint Holloway? That’s right, you all are filming at Hollow Hills, aren’t you?”
We nod. It’s not a secret. No use trying to hide it.
“You know Quint?” I ask.
“Of course. I live in Balsam Grove. Everyone knows the Holloways. Good folks.”
I try to avoid Sav’s curious gaze as we order our food, but I should have known there was no way I could avoid the questions.
She leans in propping her chin on her hands. “So, tell us about your cowboy. How did that happen? When did you come out here?”
I sigh, racking my brain for the easiest way to explain without revealing too much. “Things have been kind of rough lately, so after I got the role, I decided to lay low for a while.”
“Uh-huh.” Now it’s Seth staring at me. He’s curious, but not pushy, and there’s a kind look in his eyes. I want to trust that it’s genuine. I used to trust my instincts with people, but somewhere along the way I lost that.
“Belinda, my agent, suggested I come out here do some character study, you know? Really get a feel for the place and the people.”
“Seems like you sure did get a feel for the people.”
“Sav, keep it in your pants,” Delaney says.
“The first day I was out here I went to this cute little coffee shop in town. Oh, you’ve probably all been there to meet Maggie.”
Everyone nods.
“Right, so I was looking for the ranch because I knew that’s where we’d be filming, and Quint happened to be behind me in line. He wanted to buy my drink and wouldn’t take no for an answer, and then he offered to take me to the ranch and we kind of hit it off, you know?” It’s the sanitized version of the story Janine has been putting out to the press, but it’s true enough that it comes out easy.
“That’s so sweet,” Sav says with a sigh. “And I don’t want to be a downer, but don’t you ever worry that he’s just in it because, you know…”
“I’m famous? Of course.” I shrug. “But he’s not like that. He never even got that fanboy gleam in his eyes when we first met. Didn’t even let me buy his coffee.”Not to mention, it’s not real. But of course, they don’t know that.
