Page 41 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

Chapter 10

Alexis walked into Hadley’s. Owen had invited her to join him for lunch at the restaurant. She’d had the most magical night with Owen by the fire. For the first time in a long time, she’d decided to let go and just enjoy herself. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been able to do that so fully. But there was something about being with Owen that calmed her nerves—when she allowed him to.

Most of the time, she was too busy pushing him away. Owen stood behind the hostess’s stand when she arrived. “I didn’t know I would be greeted by a celebrity when I came to lunch today.” Alexis smiled at Owen. She really was glad to see him.

“You look beautiful today.”

Alexis had chosen to wear a bright-orange floral maxi dress with a chunky turquoise necklace. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.” Owen wore a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showcasing his toned arms.

“Can you believe the wedding is only a week away?” Alexis asked.

“Where did the last three weeks go?” Owen said.

“They flew by. It’s been nice spending time with you, though.”

“I enjoyed hanging out with you last night,” Owen agreed.

“Thank you for having me over.”

“We should do it again,” Owen said.

“If we can find the time. We’ll be busy all week with wedding plans. Lots of old friends are coming to town. And then you’re heading back to LA after the wedding.”

Owen groaned. “We don’t have to talk about me leaving.”

A hostess approached the stand. “Your table is ready, sir.”

“They make the owner wait for a table?” Alexis asked.

“I wanted a special table.”

“Why’s that?”

He took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “It’s more private.”

She nuzzled into him. “I like the sound of that.”

She felt him kissing the side of her head. The hostess led them to a cozy booth in the corner of the restaurant. Owen slid into the corner and then pulled Alexis close to him. “See what I mean? It’s the best booth in the house.”

“This is nice.”

The hostess put menus down in front of them. Alexis opened hers, and the dessert menu fell out of the middle. “This is new. I had to request a dessert menu last time.”

“I hadn’t noticed Dave changed that.”

“Does he usually make changes without talking to you?”

“Sometimes he does. I can’t tell him everything to do.”

“That makes sense.” Alexis scanned the dessert menu. “Pink lemonade cake? Doesn’t that seem a bit like copying?” She had pink lemonade cupcakes at her place. They were one of her best-selling cupcakes. “It’s not exactly a common flavor of cupcake.”

Owen frowned. “No, it’s not.”

“Did you know about this?” Alexis clenched the menu.

“I didn’t.”

“I don’t want to get mad at you about this, but I can’t help but feel frustrated. I know I don’t own the idea of selling pink lemonade cupcakes, but it’s cutting into my business. Having unique desserts is a huge part of what makes me stand out as a bakery. How am I supposed to stand out if Hadley’s keeps copying everything I do?”

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