Page 40 of Anyone But the Superstar

‘And now you cancel your meal service?’

Pocketing my phone, I heft a fifty-five-pound plate off the rack. ‘Like you said last night, the condo has a well-equipped kitchen. And I like cooking.’ Sliding the weight onto the bar, I secure it with a clamp. ‘It’s relaxing.’

‘Cooking.’ He draws out the word. I can just imagine him in his office, narrowing his eyes, trying to see all the angles.

As astute as my friend and manager is, I don’t think it ever occurred to him that I’d be so excited about getting back into the kitchen. Especially when it didn’t occur to me until the job of chef was foisted upon me.

I grab another plate and add it to the other side to balance the weight, then grab my phone, once more texting Anne to ask about food allergies.

Text sent, I settle back on the bench and wrap my gloved hands around the metal bar, squinting against the bright morning sun coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Earlier this morning, even with the sun just rising, I nearly sweated my balls off walking a mile and a half to NASA’s security gate carrying a twenty-something pound computer bag full of cat treats.

Meanwhile, Anne hadn’t complained once. Even with the heavy feline furnace strapped to her chest. Which meansIcouldn’t, not unless I wanted to look even less like a man in front of the woman who knows I’m afraid of house cats and thinks my dick is broken.

But it also doesn’t mean I can’t try and proactively prevent myself from experiencing it again. Because while I managed to escort Anne to NASA unharmed this morning, I was right inthinking that NASA Road 1, which connects our condo building to NASA’s security entrance on Saturn Lane, is one busy street. Even at six in the morning.

I grunt as I lift the bar.

I’m annoyed that it bothers me. Obviously, Anne has been walking the same commute before I arrived and has remained unharmed. Why I suddenly need to interject myself into the situation is as infuriating as my decision not to wear a t-shirt this morning.

It’s like I’ve forgotten what happened the last time I let a woman get too close.

Not that Anne and I are close.

Jack, apparently giving up on me explaining further, breathes heavily into the phone. ‘You’re making me burn through my daily Candy Crush allowance that much faster, you know that, right?’

Which is exactly why I stop myself from mentioning the idea of renting my own car instead of using the studio’s chauffeur service. I can only imagine the screen time uptick that idea would cause.

‘Especiallynow that it seems I need to stay in Los Angeles longer than I’d planned.’

I pause mid bench press. ‘Everything okay?’

‘Yeah, man. Nothing’s wrong, but the lawyers are hopeful they found a way to shut down Camilla’s plans.’ His calm tone helps me finish my set and heft the bar back onto its cradle.

If there was a real issue, he would’ve started the conversation with it.

‘The lawyers just need time to go over all the details, make sure the option is viable.’

I crunch up and head back to the weight rack. ‘That would beamazing.’ Deciding to lift heavier, I pick up two twenty-pound plates and slide them on the ends of the bar.

I don’t need to bulk up for this movie. I always maintain a decent fitness level, and I’ve enjoyed taking it relatively easy for this role. Usually, a medium-weight routine coupled with pre-packaged meals from my nutritionist is enough to keep me in leading-man shape for a film that doesn’t require me to free solo rock climb or BASE jump skyscrapers.

But now that I’m cooking, I’d much rather burn off the extra calories with more exercise than deprive myself of all the meals I’ve been planning since I saw Anne’s expression as she bit into a simple breakfast of eggs and toast.

Exercise that doesn’t include fainting and falling into oncoming morning rush hour traffic due to heat stroke.

‘Their plan might involve you endorsing a company that was planning on collaborating with Camilla on a new fashion line, but it’s a reputable company. I don’t see any downsides to working with them.’

I snort, my grip nearly slipping on the twenty-pound plate I grab. ‘Except they have no problem working with Camilla.’

‘To be fair, we’re probably two of the few people who know what a horrible person she is.’

I concede his point with a grunt and secure the weight to the bar. ‘All right. Keep me informed.’

‘Will do.’ He pauses for a beat. ‘And since I’ll be here longer, I’ll check in on Mama Jones.’

He makes the switch from manager to friend seamless, making me feel like a dick for lying to him about my roommate situation. ‘I appreciate that.’

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