Page 52 of In Love with Lewis Prescott
And that’s when I know I’m busted. I finally bring myself to look up at her.
“What’s up with you?” she presses. “You’ve got that look on your face.”
“What look?”
“The one where you did something major and you’re trying to work out in your brain how to tell me.”
“Is it that obvious?”
Naomi lifts an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah.”
Mari excuses herself to put in the info for Naomi’s dress order.
“What living situation?” Maren’s smoky topaz eyes dart between me and Naomi after she steps back over to us.
I shoot Naomi a pointed look. Her face twists into a guilty expression. “Sorry,” she says softly.
I sigh, wondering what I should say.
Maren holds up a hand. “Okay, I know I’ve been slammed with work ever since I moved back to San Francisco, but I’m feeling a bit left out.”
I hesitate for a second before realizing how shitty it would be to keep this from Maren. She’s my other best friend next to Naomi. I’ve shared every important personal issue I’ve ever had with her because she’s trustworthy and kind. She’ll be able to keep this secret for me, just like Naomi has.
I give Maren a brief summary of the strange sequence of events that led Lewis to become my live-in contractor.
Her mouth is a perfect O when I finish. “Wait, let me get this straight. You’re living with Lewis Prescott?TheLewis Prescott?”
I nod while glancing around to make sure no one in the salon heard. “You can’t tell anyone, though. He’s being stalked by the paparazzi and is using my house as a safe hideout. I don’t want to betray his trust. He’s doing me a huge favor by renovating the place for free.”
She mimes zipping her lips. “Won’t say a word. Promise.”
I quickly tell them about the nude photo shoot and how that led to a flirty conversation, which led to the car shenanigans.
When I finish, Naomi’s eyes are bulging, and Maren’s mouth is wide-open.
“No way! Oh my freaking god, Harper! You’re such a sex kitten!”
I shush Maren. “Would you keep your voice down?”
I glance around the boutique, grateful that we’re the only ones in the open area right now.
She whispers, “Sorry.”
“Holy crap... I just... Wow,” Naomi says. “I didn’t think you had it in you. You’ve always been so...boundary-driven.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Just that you’re not one to let your emotions get in the way of anything, especially not work, family, all that. I’ve seen you keep your cool in the most stressful situations. I’ve seen you shoot down the most suave guys when they try to approach you. The fact that you’re letting loose around Lewis is a big deal.”
Maren nods in agreement.
The truth of Naomi’s observation jolts me. “I guess that’s what happens when you have to share a living space with a hot TV star,” I say. “My resolve isn’t ironclad. I was bound to break.”
“You’re only human, Harper. And honestly? You deserve this fun hookup.”
Maren piggybacks on Naomi’s comment. “You spent years putting your career first and your love life on the back burner. When was the last time you had this much fun with a guy?”
I rack my brain, unable to come up with a single guy I dated who compares to Lewis.
