Page 26 of #Starstruck

My GPS indicated that I had arrived at Chase’s house. I couldn’t see anything but bushes and trees surrounding the driveway. I entered the code on a keypad near the gate, and as the heavy doors swung in, I started up the steep incline.

The driveway curved, and suddenly his house was visible. It appeared as if by magic. “House” wasn’t right. I should say the glass-and-white-stone mansion that ate other houses for breakfast appeared.

I got out of my car, unable to imagine anybody could own something this beautiful. The front of the house was white stone with huge windows and several balconies, and from this angle I could see that the back of his house was almost entirely made of glass. An infinity pool on the left side of the backyard sparkled in the sunlight, and it looked as if you would just fall off the hillside if you swam to the edge. I understood why Chase had all the large windows. The view from here was one of the most breathtaking I’d ever seen.

Speaking of breathtaking, I drew in a long breath, trying to calm the knot in my stomach. I walked up his steps and realized the soft breeze carried the scent of lilacs. I faltered at the door, trying to decide if I should knock or just let myself in like he’d said I could.

The decision was taken out of my hands when he opened the door and beamed at me. “Hi, Zoe. Come on in.”

I wondered how he had known I was there until I saw a small camera pointed at the door. The front foyer was all white tile and high ceilings, with a massive modern chandelier overhead.

“In case you were wondering, that’s how you greet people when they come to your home,” he said with a smile, shutting the front door behind me. “See how I didn’t slam the door on you?”

“Ha ha.”

Chase hesitated as if he wanted to do something he couldn’t bring himself to do. He shoved his hands in his pockets instead. “Come and meet some of my friends.”

I followed behind Chase, afraid to touch anything or breathe wrong. I didn’t know much about art, but it looked like I would have to sell an organ if I somehow wrecked any of the vases or paintings.

We walked into an open family room that was next to a massive kitchen with an eat-in dining area. “Zoe, I want to introduce you to Benjy, Kevin, and Chan. We’re talking about a project we’re hoping to do next year. But we just wrapped everything up, and I was about to walk everyone out.”

My jaw hit the floor so hard my face should have ached. Standing around his dining room table were Batman, Silent Bob, and Magic Mike.

They said hello to me, nodded, and waved, and when I couldn’t answer, they returned their attention to Chase. I just stood there with his dry cleaning in my arms as they walked out, talking to one another and promising to be in touch soon.

I heard Chase bid them goodbye and close the door. When he came back into the family room, I said, “That ... that ...”

“So you’re starstruck for them but not for me?” he teased as he went into his kitchen. “Can I get you anything? Water without vicious ice cubes? Milk that’s not meant for toddlers? I even had my housekeeper, Sofia, pick up some apple juice boxes so you’d feel more at home.”

“I’m good. Thanks.” Now that the shock of meeting his “friends” had worn off, I could finally take in my surroundings. As expected, the view was unencumbered and amazing. There was a massive deck with a hammock, outdoor couches and chairs, and an actual fireplace. The decor inside his home was all white, gray, and steel. There was no question a man lived here. His kitchen looked like the kind you’d see on TV. Glittery stone countertops, white cabinets that went almost to the ceiling, and stainless-steel appliances that seemed brand new. I could just imagine the kind of desserts I could whip up in a place this beautiful, and it took all my restraint not to invade the pantry and start pulling out ingredients.

“I’ll take those.” Chase put out his hands for his clothing and then threw it over the back of one of his white couches.

“I thought lime green was your favorite color,” I said, dazzled by his pale-gray glass fireplace that went all the way up to the top of the cathedral ceiling.

“Lime green?” he repeated with his mouth twisted to one side. “Why would you think that?”

How did you say to someone,Because that’s what you said in a March 2009 article inSeventeenmagazine that I still have memorized?

“I thought I read it in an interview once.” It was supposed to be the color of my bridesmaid dress. I knew I hadn’t imagined it.

“Not true. Just about everything I’ve ever said in an interview that was personal was a lie. I want to show you something.”

“Do we have to have the sexual harassment talk again?” I joked.

Chase flashed me a wicked grin before heading for the floor-to-ceiling windows. He pushed open the sliding glass doors that slid in both directions until there was no wall between his family room and the outside. He sat down on an expensive-looking wicker lounge chair with dark-blue cushions. He patted the chair next to him, and I took a seat.

“This is such a gorgeous view.”

He had brought out an energy drink, and he popped it open. “It never gets old. You should see it at night, with the city all lit up.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, but it wasn’t awkward. Instead, it felt relaxing and comfortable. Or it was until Chase turned to look at me with an intensity and longing in his eyes that reminded me of our encounter in my mother’s kitchen, which made my skin break out in goose bumps.

“Why do you lie in interviews?” I asked, desperate to think about something else besides wanting him to kiss me.

“When you’re in the public eye, people think they have a right to know everything about you. I realized I was already giving them so much of myself that I wanted to keep some things just for me and the people I care about. Which means that whenever they ask something personal, I make up an answer.”

“Thanks for letting me know you’re a liar and I shouldn’t trust you,” I teased. “Better to find out now, I suppose.”

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