Seeing Stars (The Celebrity 1)

“You know production isn’t my thing. It’s your thing. But thank you.”

“Okay, but the offer still stands. Not that you’ll need it. I have complete faith in your abilities.”

“In my abilities to tell my boss off and blacklist myself from every agency within a fifty-mile radius?” I took another bite of my idea of comfort food and swallowed.

“Not happening.” She leaned forward and shook her head. “Oh my God! Wait! How am I forgetting about last night? Girl, you need to tell me all about your date with Walker and how the hell the two of you ended up here!”

I smiled and a quick laugh escaped from within me at her enthusiasm. My brain didn’t miss the way my heart sped up at the mention of his name, either. “I don’t even know where to start with that one.”

“There can’t be that much to tell. It was only last night.” She reached for her drink and took a swig before tilting her head at me with a glimmer in her eye. “What aren’t you telling me?”

My back sank into the cushions of the couch until I could squish myself against it no more. I sighed. “Last night was a disaster. I was a total bitch at dinner, and I let it slip that I was only there because Jayson wanted him to sign with our agency.”

“Madison in bitch mode is quite entertaining. I like it,” Keri said with a knowing grin.

“So he told me to leave. Straight up pointed and everything, and told me to leave the restaurant.”

Her hand flew over her gaping mouth. “Shut up.”

“Seriously. It was so embarrassing. I walked outside and the paparazzi fucking swarmed me. They were yelling my name and asking my about my job and it was madness.”

“How’d they even—” She stopped mid-thought. “Jayson told them.”

I nodded before continuing. “Walker rushed out after me, hopped in my car, and refused to leave. He told me he wanted to talk to me. We had nowhere to go and that’s how we ended up here.”

“He wanted to talk to you? Talk to you about what? And he wouldn’t get out of your car? I think I love this guy.” She laughed, clearly having a great time at my expense.

“Let me finish.”

She scowled at me and muttered, “Then finish.”

Swallowing another gulp of soda, I placed the can between my legs and buried my head in my hands. “Okay,” I started, looking up at my clueless friend. “So whatever, we’re here last night. It’s fine. We had a great time. He kissed me, blah blah. Let’s just fast forward to today.”

“He kissed you?” Keri’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “I want to hear about that!”

“Hold on!” I shouted back at her. “So after I quit, I called Walker from the parking garage.”

“Wait! You called Walker first?” Her hand smacked down on the arm of the couch, sending dust particles into the air. “He was the first person you called?”

The realization of her statement hit me like a weighted gym bag. “Yeah, I guess.” I shrugged as I tried to slough it off. “Anyway, Keri, just listen.” She folded her arms across her chest as I tried to navigate my words carefully. “So he asks me to meet him at this café. And it’s like the one place in Malibu I never go because it reminds me of the guy I met that one summer.”

“Oh, your Malibu guy, right?” Keri brought it up so naturally, as if this were a subject we discussed on a daily basis. I think we talked about it one time, but Keri had a memory like an elephant. She remembered everything.

I fast-forwarded to the point where I got to the café. Keri’s face was a mixture of confusion and excitement as she listened to me spill the details of my afternoon, which felt like it happened eons ago instead of mere hours.

“So I step out of the car and we’re talking and he can’t take it anymore. He confesses to me who he is. And then I feel like such a fucking idiot for not ever seeing it before because really, Keri? Even though he doesn’t look the same”—I paused for affect—“he still totally looks the same!”

“You’re not saying…” Keri scrunched up her face, and then the light bulb came on. “Oh my God, you’re not saying… Walker’s n-not,” she stuttered, then her eyes got huge. “He’s your surfer summer love guy?”

“How insane is that? I mean, this kind of thing just… Does. Not. Happen,” I said, my head still trying to comprehend the events and correlate them with my life now.

“But his name wasn’t Walker? I mean, even you would remember a name like that.”

“I guess Walker’s his middle name. When I met him that summer, he went by Scotty.”

“That’s right! Scotty the surfer!” She smiled, clearly remembering more of my story. “So you didn’t recognize him at all? Ever? Nothing about him has ever struck you as familiar? I know how bad you are with faces, but really?” Poor Keri looked like her head was spinning with a million questions that I’d already asked myself earlier.

“The only thing about him that was familiar were his eyes, but I thought I just recognized them because of his being a celebrity. And of course, now I feel like I should have always known because even though he’s changed so much since then, he’s still totally him. You know?”