Page 3 of Holiday Star
He gestures over at Mom and Seth, his eyes shining, like maybe, just maybe, he might shed a tear.
But he doesn’t.
“This, ladies and gentlemen,” pausing dramatically, he says. “Thisis true love, and I’m so incredibly grateful that my uncle has found it. May we all be so lucky. Cheers to the happy couple.”
The room swells with applause, so loud that it makes the polite clapping I received seem pathetic by comparison.
Caleb grins widely, basking in his moment of glory, before he drains the last of the amber liquor in his glass and struts back to his parents.
The toasts complete, the DJ strikes up some lively music and couples make their way onto the dance floor. Mom and Seth go with them.
I return to Jenny at her table. “It’s not fair,” I gripe to her. “How am I supposed to compete with Caleb Freaking Lawson? Of course, he’s going to give a better toast than I am. He probably had one of his screenwriter friends compose the entire speech for him.”
I flop into the seat next to her, looking out the window at the cloudless summer sky. This close to the ocean, the Los Angeles smog gets swept away by the breeze off the water. Palm trees sway outside, teased by that same wind.
Jenny’s not listening, too busy staring past me, her eyes wide. “He’s coming over here,” she says in a breathy whisper, her voice so strangled that I glance over to confirm she’s still breathing.
She is. Just barely.
I lift my gaze to the man that has her so excited.
Sure enough, Caleb is walking straight toward us, his eyes fixed on me.
He marches to our table, then stays there, looming over us. I met him briefly before the ceremony, so he knows who I am, but he hasn’t spoken with Jenny yet. I make quick introductions.
When he shakes my best friend’s hand, she stares up at him unblinking, her mouth hanging open, awestruck. “H—h, h—i, hi. Hello. Hey,” Jenny stutters out. I can practically see her brain melting into a puddle of goo. She holds onto his hand for an uncomfortably long time.
My gaze moves to the doors of the ballroom, where two burly men stand with their hands clasped in front of them. Caleb’s bodyguards. Seth had warned us they would be here tonight.
I wonder what it’s like to be famous, to never truly be alone. I can’t imagine it’s very pleasant, but it’s all that Caleb has ever known. He must be used to it. Who knows? He probably likes it.
The bodyguards watch Jenny’s interaction with Caleb closely. As she refuses to let go of his hand, they start to inch toward us. I’m about to warn Jenny when Caleb gently extracts himself from her grip.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he says smoothly. Then he turns to me. “My mom said I should ask you to dance, seeing how we’re family now.”
I raise an eyebrow at his request. “Do you usually do what your mother tells you?”
His mouth twitches into a tiny smirk. “Most of the time. I’ve found it makes my life much easier.” He shoves his hands into his pockets, slouching casually, striking a pose like a model on the runway at fashion week. I can’t decide if he does that on purpose or if he’s truly unaware.
“Well, you can tell her that you asked and I declined,” I say primly.
His laugh is startling in its loudness. He squeezes his eyes shut and throws his head back, exposing the long column of his neck, with all of its smooth tan skin. He laughs like I said something hilarious.
I glare at him, annoyed. I wasn’t trying to be funny.
The laugh settles down to a chuckle. “That’s cute. You obviously haven’t spent much time with my mom if you think that’s going to satisfy her.”
He holds his hand out to me, letting it hang in the air between us, waiting for me to take it.
I don’t.
His smirk widens, like he’s enjoying the challenge I’m giving him. “I’m going to stand here until you say yes, so you might as well give in.”
I hate giving in.
“Look, our moms are united against us.” Caleb nods his head toward the other side of the room.
I follow the motion, and, sure enough, my mom stands next to Marjorie. They’re staring openly at us. My mom’s giving me a pointed glare. I can almost hear her voice in my ear, telling me to “behave.”
