Page 38 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

She wrapped her towel around her shoulders. “Don’t even think about coming over here to warm me up.”

Owen laughed. He climbed out of the pool.

“I mean it.”

Owen laughed harder. “I’m just going to make a fire for us. I have a fire pit over here.” He had to admit it; he was flattered that Alexis had such a strong reaction to their kiss. He’d felt it too. They had some crazy chemistry between them.

He went over to the stack of chopped wood the landlord had said he was free to use. He tossed a couple of logs into the firepit and added some kindling from the metal bucket next to the stack of wood. Then he went into the house and retrieved a few sheets of newspaper and a lighter. When he came back outside, Alexis had moved to the bench next to the fire pit. She had her towel wrapped around her midsection. The sun was setting, taking the warmth of the day with it.

Owen crouched by the fire pit and lit some paper, placing it next to the kindling.

“Who taught you how to build a fire?” Alexis asked.

“Chase did, actually.” He watched as the kindling caught fire.

“I remember you two building fires in our backyard.”

Chase stood up and took a seat next to Alexis on the bench. “We roasted a lot of hot dogs and marshmallows out there.”

“I remember that too.”

“Life was so simple then.”

“Is it complicated now? I would think it would be simpler now.”

“In some ways, it is.” But everything just got a lot more complex, thanks to the kiss he’d shared with Alexis. Maybe he should have tried to kiss her in high school. But he’d been way too chicken back then to make a move on Alexis like that.

“What about your life?” Owen asked. “Do you feel like it’s simple or complicated compared to when we were kids?”

Alexis barked a derisive laugh. “Are you kidding me? Complicated. I had it good when I was a kid. Being a small business owner is tough.”

“I can understand that. I’m a small business owner now. I know it’s not the same because of the financial differences we have, but I still have to deal with the management team and political maneuvering with my employees.”

“I guess that would be true. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“But it’s worth it. I love running my restaurant. And if I want, I can back off and let the management team run it if I need to.”

“Like if you get busy filming another movie.”

“Exactly.”

“So, why do you feel like your life is more complicated now?”

“Being in the film industry is more political than running a restaurant. That’s why I have one of the best agents in the field to help me navigate all the contracts.”

“I didn’t realize that. It all just looks so glamorous.”

“Filming is a lot of hard work. It’s not as glamorous as you’d think. It can take a lot of mental gymnastics to get into character when you’re exhausted and freezing cold on a bridge in Prague in the middle of January.”

Alexis grew quiet for a moment, and Owen wondered what she was thinking. “Chase and I used to be the rich kids, and now everything’s reversed. I’m the one in financial trouble.”

He could tell that it was hard for her to talk about how she was struggling financially, so he decided to lighten things up. “Well, not everything’s reversed. Chase is doing quite well for himself,” he teased.

She made a face at him. “Just rub it in.”

“You know I’m kidding, right?” He didn’t want her to take him seriously and think he was a jerk.

“Yeah, I know.”

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