Page 12 of Book Boyfriend
I laugh.
“You think that’s funny, huh?” he says as he treads toward me.
“I think the factyouthink I’m hot is funny. And me, playing anyone, isn’t even remotely close to the truth. I don’t know how to play anything, Fisher. And if you knew me, you’d know just how accurate that is.”
“Let me get to know you then. At least give me your number.”
He’s not going to let this go. “Okay. That’s doable.”
He smiles as if he’s won. He’s everything I’d ever write a man to be. But men like him don’t really exist. If I got to know him, I’d probably discover he really is a male prostitute. Or maybe he just escaped from prison. Or he has a wife and three kids at home. Oh damn, I hope not. I decide what I’m going to do as we walk back to the hotel. Some things are best left as perfect short stories with perfect endings. This is one of them.
I’m going to give him a number. Little does he know, it just won’t be mine.
Six months later
I sip my coffee and curl my legs under me as I stare out the window of Luna’s office. I’m early as usual, but her secretary, Brenna, let me in. I noticed she had my new release folded open on her desk as she unlocked Luna’s door. I asked her if she’d finished and her eyes bulged.
“Not yet. I’m taking my time and savoring every syllable. I’m such a huge fan,” she said. “Is that weird that I said that? I know I see you all the time.”
“Not at all,” I replied with a soft grin.
I made myself comfortable in the window seat and am currently watching people scatter around on the street below while I wait for Luna to arrive. I love San Francisco. I love everything about it from the people to the hills. I especially love Luna’s view of the ocean from this window. Every once in a while I stand and walk past the open door to see Brenna reading. Her reactions are food for my soul. One second she smiles, then she frowns. The next minute her hand is over her mouth, then she’s fanning herself. I can’t help but feel proud.
I think back to sitting in the Florida airport six months ago. It was about 7:00 a.m. by the time I made it through security and to my gate. There was a small part of me that was worried Fisher would follow me and an even bigger part of me that was sad he didn’t. After a few minutes of sulking, I started thinking about him knocking me over on the beach. It made me laugh. It was a great story. I wanted to remember every second of our time together, so I opened my laptop and started typing what I remembered. My fingers flew across the keys effortlessly. There was so much I wanted to say. Then it hit me. This story needed an ending and I was going to create it. That’s when the words really began to flow.
“Hey. Am I late or are you early?” Luna asks as she saunters into her office and pulls the scarf from around her neck.
“What do you think?” I reply as I take another sip of my coffee.
She drops her messenger bag by the side of her desk and walks over to me. She seizes the cup from my hands and takes a long drink. I smile up at her and run my fingers through my now long black hair, pulling at a small tangle.
“Oh, that’s better.” She sighs as she hands the cup back to me.
“Long night?”
She rolls her eyes. “Um, yeah! I couldn’t sleep. I’m too excited. You look rested. How is that even possible? Why am I more nervous than you are?”
I take another sip. “Maybe because you’ll make more money off of it than I will?”
“Ha! You’re a riot.” Luna plops down in her chair and shuffles some papers on her desk. I rotate the cup in my hands and watch her gaze at the clock on the wall. A slow smile spreads across my lips when she lifts the phone to her ear to check if there’s a dial tone. She huffs as she carefully places it down and jiggles it to make sure it’s in place.
“You’re getting your hopes up for nothing,” I tell her. “You and I both know that movie deals rarely work out. It’s probably some small wannabe producer who’s going to need a GoFundMe account just to buy a camera.”
“Stop!” she says, spinning in her chair and holding out her finger to scold me. “Law of Attraction, remember? In the four months sinceBook Boyfriendreleased, you’ve had over thirty-six thousand reviews. You’ve been on the best seller list for months and we’re starting to get interview requests. This is going to blow up just like I told you it would after I read the first chapter.”
Her lips twist into a smug grin as she spins in circles in her chair. I shrug my shoulders like I don’t care and gaze back out the window. I know it’ll drive her nuts. I’m right.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Did you just shrug your shoulders?”
I laugh. “I’m just joking. You know I’m freaking out on the inside. This book has done more for my career than I ever imagined. Who knew so many people fantasized about a Penn Fitzgerald of their own?”
Luna twirls around in her chair slowly this time. “Ahh, Penn . . . I want a Penn. He’s seriously the perfect man and obviously, by your phenomenal sales, everyone thinks so too. Who doesn’t dream of meeting a sexy stranger on the beach, never exchanging names, and then having him read your book and track you down, wooing the shit out of you?”
I shrug again.
“Oh and having him be a billionaire playboy didn’t hurt either.”
There’s a knock on the door. Brenna is leaning on the frame. “Please tell me Penn is real! Please!”
