Page 57 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

Chapter 13

Rain pounded against the windows of Owen’s rental house. The doorbell rang, and he rushed to get the door.

“Alexis.”

“Hey, Owen.” The poor girl was drenched.

“Come inside.” He ushered her in and closed the door behind her. “Let me get you a towel.”

“Thanks.”

He rushed to the guest bathroom where he opened a closet full of towels intended for guests who came to use the pool. He pulled out a fluffy pink towel that seemed appropriate for Alexis. He found her shivering in his foyer with a pool of water gathering beneath her drips. “Here you go.” He wrapped the towel around her shoulders.

She pulled it close.

“Would you like a change of clothes?”

“Got any pajamas?” A small smile dusted her lips.

“Of course. Come on.” He led her upstairs to his bedroom. He hadn’t brought her in there before, and it seemed intimate to have her in his private space. He liked having her in there. He could imagine her in there with him long term. But he knew it was much too soon for something like that.

He led her into his closet, where he had pajamas folded up on the shelves.

“Huh.” Alexis lightly touched his shelves.

“What is it?”

“I never took you for a neat freak.”

“What’s that?”

She turned to him and smiled. “Your clothes are all folded neatly.”

“I’m used to it because I have people do my laundry for me, and I just follow the system they’ve set up for me. I can’t stand to be any other way now.”

“Must be nice.”

“Oh, we’re back to that, are we?”

Alexis looked away, and Owen sensed that something was wrong. “What is it?”

She tucked a dripping wet strand of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him, arching an eyebrow as she did. “I did my books today.” She looked away again. “Let’s just say it wasn’t good.” She chewed her bottom lip, and he would have given anything to know what she was thinking.

He grabbed a pair of jersey knit gray pajama bottoms and a black t-shirt. “Here.” He handed them to her. “You can change in here. I’ll just be downstairs.”

“You don’t happen to have any bras around, do you?”

Owen chuckled. “I’m fresh out of those, I’m afraid.”

“Guess I’m just going to have to go without. I hope you don’t mind.”

Owen pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. “I think I’ll find a way to survive.”

Owen left her, and a sense of foreboding came over him. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but something seemed off about Alexis tonight. He assumed it had to do with her bakery’s finances, but he felt like there was something else involved.

He went downstairs and took a seat in the living room. He scrolled through his phone aimlessly, but he couldn’t focus on anything other than the beautiful woman upstairs. He could feel his heart begging him to be with her. He didn’t know how they would work out a real relationship, but he wanted to try. But he knew Alexis probably wouldn’t go for it. It was why he’d been so cautious up until this point. And then there was Chase. He’d promised his friend he wouldn’t hurt Alexis.

But his heart called for her. He wasn’t sure how he could go back to California and normal life without Alexis by his side. What would he do without her cheerful smiles or her fluffy muffins? Imagining a life without her left a gaping hole in his heart so painful that he had to stop thinking about it immediately.

---