Tatum laughed as he took a sip of his beer. “Paige,” he said solemnly as he turned his face to look at me. “You had just bent over and I couldn’t stop staring at your ass. I got—” He paused, apparently trying to choose his words carefully. “—excited. I figured touching you anywhere else would only fuel my situation.”
“Oh,” was all I could muster up for a response. I hadn’t expected that answer. I liked that I turned him on, but wasn’t sure what to do with that information. Maybe I should bend over every time he was in range of my ass so I could render him stupid and speechless? I almost laughed at the crazy thoughts swirling in my head.
“Sorry. You asked and I didn’t want to lie.” He smiled before turning his attention to the emerging stars.
“No. I appreciate your honesty.” I followed his lead and stared up at the darkening sky.
Watching the blue fade away, I was mesmerized by the streaking oranges and pinks in the distance that eventually lost their battle to the night. The sky was one of the darkest I’d ever seen, and the multitude of stars was amazing, almost hypnotic in their glow.
“I don’t hate your movies, by the way.” His voice broke through my silent star-gazing and I smiled without moving a muscle.
“Thought you didn’t watch chick flicks,” I teased, already knowing differently.
“I don’t. But Brina used to make me watch them with her all the time.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure that must have been painful for you,” I said mockingly.
He sucked in a quick breath. “Look. Your movies were the only ones I never bitched about having to watch. I don’t know why, but you’re one of the few Hollywood actresses whose heads I don’t want to rip off,” he said, and I was slightly taken aback.
“Care to share who else’s head you like attached to their body?” I asked, wondering what other actresses he liked besides me.
“No. I don’t. But I will tell you this, and probably only because I’ve been drinking. Brina used to tease me all the time about you. She used to say I had a thing for you. Eventually we stopped watching together any movie you were in.”
My smile grew even wider. “So,” it was my turn to poke him in the ribs, “did you have a thing for me, Tatum? Like what you saw on the big screen?” I giggled.
“This conversation is over,” he snapped, but his tone wasn’t unfriendly. I dropped it, but the idea of Tatum liking my work and my movies warmed me from the inside out.
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed side by side, our bodies pressing against each other with nothing but the sound of our breathing between us, but I knew damn well I wouldn’t be the one to break our connection or our silence. It was the most comfortable stillness I’d ever experienced.
Until it ended.
“I can’t believe that Paige freaking Lockwood is in our hometown,” said a guy who had wandered along with his girlfriend next to the truck. “Tatum, you lucky son of a bitch, keeping her all to yourself!” The guy lifted his arm to give Tatum a high-five, but couldn’t reach him.
His girlfriend grinned at me, her teeth flashing white in the darkness. “Paige, it’s so nice to meet you. I love all your movies. You’re so pretty in real life. And so skinny. What’s LA like? Is it as amazing as it seems? Do you see movie stars everywhere you go? Wait, what am I saying.” She paused and then giggled. “I mean, you’re a movie star, so of course you do!” The girl rattled off questions quicker than I could answer them, so I just smiled and waited for her to stop.
“You said you wanted normal,” Tatum whispered while the girl continued to talk.
“This isn’t really normal,” I said as the realization dawned on me that he had a point.
Tatum shot me an amazed look. “Paige, when will you realize that you aren’t normal? Your life isn’t normal. You want something you’ll never truly be able to have. People are always going to treat you differently because of who you are. You have to accept that.”
I didn’t respond; I couldn’t. I hated that he was right. His points were making too much sense and it scared me.
Tatum eventually cleared his throat and the girl stopped talking when he said, “Paige, I’d like you to meet Luke and Jessica. This is Luke’s parents’ farm. And Jessica has been his girlfriend since we were about thirteen.”
“Twelve!” they both yelled in unison before giving each other a sloppy kiss.
“It’s nice to meet you both. Luke, I love your property. It’s beautiful. And Jessica, thank you for all the compliments. You’re super pretty too.”
Tatum leaned over the side of the truck bed and waved them closer. “Will you both do us a favor?” he whispered, acting like he was letting them in on a big secret. Luke and Jessica leaned in close. “Don’t tell people that she’s here, okay? I already asked everyone earlier to keep it quiet, but I don’t know where you two lovebirds were.”
They laughed and started to say something, but Tatum interrupted. “And I don’t want to know. But listen, we can’t have it getting out that Paige is in town or she’ll have to leave.”
“Oh no! Don’t leave!” Jessica giggled, reaching for my hand.
“Don’t ever leave! Marry Tatum and stay here forever so we can all be best friends,” Luke slurred as he tried to regain his balance.
Brina’s bitchy voice cut through the night and my back stiffened. “Like that would ever happen. Paige Lockwood, Hollywood royalty, marry small-town, going-nowhere, biggest-disappointment-in-three-counties Tatum Montgomery? Why on earth would she ever do something as stupid as that? She could have anyone she wanted.”