Page 27 of #Starstruck

“I try to be an honest person. But realistically? Lying’s kind of my profession. I pretend for a living. Right now, with you? Is this an interview? Are you going to publish or post anything I tell you?”

“No. Of course not.” I hadn’t so far. That had to count for something.

“Right. You’ve already proved that. Which is why I’ve been overly honest with you.” He sat up, turned his legs toward me, and leaned forward. “I promise you I’ll never lie to you. Ask me any question you want, and I’ll always tell you the truth. As long as you promise to do the same.”

“Okay.” Where that came from, I could not tell you. Trust wasn’t really my strong suit.

“Then my favorite color is indigo blue. Although I’m starting to feel a little partial to gray with flecks of green and gold.”

He was talking about my eyes. There was no way I could keep my blush in check, and I had to avert my gaze so it wouldn’t get worse. I could go full cherry tomato with enough teasing.

Chase seemed to sense my unease and casually asked (as if he hadn’t just done some mad flirting), “My turn to ask a question. What is up with that picture I saw in your parents’ bedroom?”

No way to get out of this one. And I’d just promised to be truthful. “You mean the one with my mother on the hood of a Camaro? She’s the girl from the Black Serpent video.” Black Serpent was one of those big-hair rock bands that faded away in the early 1990s, and that particular group was famous for its one-hit wonder.

Recognition dawned on his face. “That was your mom?”

“Yep. We’re all super proud.”

Not picking up on my sarcasm, Chase said, “I saw her at the MTV Video Awards when I was, like, ten. Black Serpent had reunited for one night to perform, and they lowered an actual Camaro from the ceiling with your mother on it. The crowd went nuts.”

My entire life people had been trying to show me that clip on YouTube. “I’ve heard all about it, but I haven’t seen it. Or the videos. There’s just some things you don’t want to see your parents doing.”

“I get that. My mom wants me to watch her show, but I’m not up for scouring my retinas after I see her in a love scene.” Chase’s mother was the star of a long-running daytime soap opera, one of the last few still left on the air. She’d joined the show as a teenager and had been the star ever since. Her character was never without romance and a leading man.

“I’ve never had to worry about love scenes, but not for lack of trying. My mom wanted to be famous more than anything. She left home and lied about her age. She was fifteen when she filmed that. She fell in love with the director of the video. My biological father.” It had been a long time since I’d said that out loud. “He wasn’t interested in having a kid, and once he bailed, my mom took me to my grandparents’. And they raised me. Until I was twelve.”

“What happened when you were twelve?”

It was easier to look at the view than the pity in his eyes. “My mom chased after fame for a long time. Made some really poor life choices.” Life choices that had seriously affected me and my decisions. Like getting pregnant with me at fifteen. That was one of the biggest reasons I had chosen to be celibate. “Then one day it was like she grew up and realized she’d been wasting her life. She went back to school to become a nurse, and she met my stepfather, Duncan. They married about a year later and then had Zander. That’s when she took me to live with her. While she was pregnant with Zia, Duncan had a heart attack and died.” My voice caught on the last word.

Chase reached out to put his hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry.”

Usually I could tell that story without tearing up. I wiped my eyes with my free hand. “It was totally unexpected. He ate well, exercised, was in perfect health. The doctors said sometimes it just happens.”

He left his hand there, as if he could infuse me with his strength. The gesture did make me feel better. “I lost my dad, too. But that was because he wrapped his car around a telephone pole when I was seven.”

“Seriously?” How did I not know that?

“My mom’s PR team spun it as an accident, but he was an alcoholic who was fond of driving drunk.” It was the first time I’d heard Chase sound angry. “And then my mother’s new boyfriend didn’t want to raise another man’s kid. I was raised by my grandmother, too.”

I hadn’t realized we had those things in common. I put my hand on top of his, wanting to comfort him the way he had just comforted me. He stared at our joined hands, and my heart started to race as my palm threatened to go clammy, so I pulled away. After a moment, so did he.

“That just got heavy, didn’t it?” I asked, wanting to lighten the mood. “So I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that skydiving is not your favorite hobby.”

“No.” He smiled. “It’s surfing. Or it was. That’s one of those things where if the waves are good, the paparazzi are waiting.”

“You should come surf in Marabella. A lot of the beaches there are private and only for the town’s use. You could surf in peace.”

Chase pulled out his phone and flicked over a few screens. “How about Saturday?”

I hadn’t meant it to sound like I was asking him out or anything. Fortunately, I already had an excuse. Which left me feeling both disappointed and relieved. “My mom’s babysitter canceled on her, so I’m watching the rug rats on Saturday.”

“I don’t know if you know this, but I think this thing between me and Zia might be getting serious. You should bring everyone with you. I don’t think she’d mind.”

I laughed a little, and I could see that had been his intent. I knew I should say no. I shouldn’t allow myself to hope and dream when there were no possibilities. When his assistant would recover, and I would be sent on my merry way and never see him in person again.

But the other part of me desperately wanted to say yes. To use any excuse to see him and spend time with him. To stay on the ride for as long as I could. To live in a fantasy world where Chase Covington could be interested in Zoe Miller. Even though it scared me, I liked him. The real him, the one I was getting to know.

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