Page 35 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

Owen set the plate down, turned on the heat, and grabbed a pair of tongs to place the steaks on the grill. “I have chopped up watermelon we can snack on while this is cooking.”

“That sounds good.”

“I’ll be right back with it.” Owen stepped back into the house to grab a bowl of fruit from the fridge with Katie on his heels, following his every movement.

Alexis took a seat in one of the patio chairs and crossed her legs. She still felt a little nervous, but it was getting better as she talked with Owen more. She liked hearing about what his life as a celebrity was like. The more they talked, the more she saw glimpses of the boy she knew, the one she’d crushed on all those years ago.

Owen came back out with the watermelon and a couple of plates and forks. They sat and talked and ate together while he occasionally checked on the steaks, turning them as needed. Katie hopped up on one of the chairs at the patio table and curled up to take a nap.

“I have a couple of baked potatoes in the oven for us as well,” Owen said as he pulled the steak off the grill.

“I’m excited to try everything.”

“I can’t make any promises that it will taste good.”

Alexis smiled at him. It was cute to see him show a little bit of vulnerability to her. “Need any help?”

“Nope. You have a seat at the table and relax. I’ll bring everything out.”

Owen brought out an open bottle of champagne and two glasses. He poured the beverage into both glasses and then set the bottle in the center of the table. He brought out their plates with the steak and potatoes and then came back out with silverware and two bowls of green salad.

“This is all so lovely. I’m impressed,” Alexis said. “I thought you said you didn’t know how to cook.”

“I’m good at watching videos online.”

“You can learn about anything on the internet,” Alexis said.

“It’s true.”

Owen settled in the chair next to Alexis, and they cut into their steaks. “I guess I should have asked you how you like your steak cooked.”

“I like it medium.” She inspected the piece she’d just cut off. “It looks perfect to me.” Katie poked her head up from the chair where she’d been napping and gazed longingly at the meat on Alexis’s fork.

Owen laughed at the dog’s reaction to their steak. “Guess I got lucky. I like my steak cooked medium-rare to medium.”

“I think I would have to watch videos all day to figure out how to cook a steak this well. I wouldn’t even know what to buy at the store.”

“I knew that from running a restaurant. That and eating out.”

“I bet you’ve eaten out a lot,” Alexis said.

“I’ve been to restaurants all over the world. It’s influenced a lot of what I decided to incorporate into Hadley’s. Even though we don’t serve exotic foods, I’ve learned what goes together well. I’ve talked with many of the chefs at the restaurants I visited. I picked their brains a little bit. I knew all along I wanted to open a restaurant one day, so I spent years gathering information.”

“That’s actually really cool.”

“Thanks.”

“Owen, I’m impressed with how good this food is. For someone who hasn’t cooked much, I’d say you’re a natural.”

“That’s a nice thing to say. Thank you.”

Alexis’s cheeks glowed. She felt a warmth growing from the center of her chest when she was around Owen. He felt natural and easy to be with. The longer she spent time with him, the more natural it felt to be around him. She never thought she’d be thinking that about someone as famous as Owen. But she still remembered him when he wasn’t famous. When he was just Owen Hadley, her brother’s best friend who came over to eat pizza on the weekends, not Owen Hadley, a world-famous actor with a hired cook for his household.

When they finished their food, Owen cleared their plates. “I’m going to head upstairs to change. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t you think it’s too soon to swim?”

“What do you mean?”

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