“Everything okay?” Amanda asked.
“Yeah, just a text from my assistant. One second. I just wanna—just wanna handle this so I don’t have to think about it for the rest of the weekend.” Or ever.
What did you say?
He knew Walls wouldn’t give out his number, but whatever was going on with Dru was starting to look a little suspect.
Walls sent back a screenshot of the conversation.
Hi, Chris. This is Mandy, Dru’s assistant.
She was hoping she could get Sam’s number so they could link up.
Hi Mandy. The best way to reach Sam
for professional inquiries would be
through his agent. John Coffey is with
TCA and I’m sure he’d love to chat
with Dru’s agent.
I should have been more clear.
I’m so silly.
I meant link up, privately.
What do you want me to say?
Sam did not need this shit right now. He’d just started on a good path with Amanda again and he didn’t need someone, frankly, as unprofessional as Dru Anastasia messing that up.
Tell her thanks, but no thanks.
Cha-Cha came out and we’re gonna give
things a try.
Walls texted back one more time.
“Sam would be flattered, but he’s focusing on his family and career at the time. Best to Dru with any future love connections.” Good? And tell Cha-Cha I said sup.
Yes, perfect. Hit send. And fuck no.
A laughing smiley and thumbs-up emoji was his final reply.
It was the right thing to say to Dru, but now Sam felt a little off about her even having his assistant’s information. How the hell did she get Walls’s number? Sam shook it off and looked over at Amanda. Her eyebrows lifted and a small smile filled with concern touched the corner of her full lips.
“Okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. Just someone trying to nudge for something they aren’t going to get from me. Nothing serious. Let’s go.” She rubbed the back of his hand as they continued walking, trying to soothe the tension that had suddenly settled on him. Dru shooting her shot shouldn’t have bothered him so much. It shouldn’t have bothered him at all. Still, it took nearly the length of the property to shake the tone of those texts off so he could focus all his attention back on the ray of sunshine by his side.
Chapter 13
Amanda was doing her best not to sweat or to wallow in the stupid decision not to go back to her room to change. She didn’t bring many A-list options, but she should have swapped out her zip-up hoodie for a nicer sweater. Or she should have asked Sam if she had time to run into town to see if she could pick a prom dress to wear to brunch with thee freaking Leona Lovell. The woman was Hollywood royalty. If Amanda’s mom knew she was about to set foot in the woman’s home she’d have a stroke, resurrect herself, then ask Amanda to ask her for an autograph. Yes, Amanda had been under the same tent with her the week before, but family brunch was different. Family brunch was way different.
On the ride back to Pleasant Lane, she sat in the back seat of Zach’s extended crew cab listening to him and Evie tease each other about something funny that had happened with Bam Bam on their ride. Sam showed her the pictures of Evie’s horse stopping to befriend a black-tailed jackrabbit. The whole thing was absolutely adorable, but all Amanda could think about was how she was minutes away from being face-to-face with a true goddess of the stage and screen. Not that Sam wasn’t impressive all on his own, but Amanda wasn’t starstruck by him. She was just overwhelmed by how bad she wanted to kiss him. Kissing would have to come later. Much later, after she survived her encounter with one of the greatest actors the world had ever known.
They pulled through the grates of the private property and this time, in the clear morning sunlight, Amanda got a better view of the stretch of land that Sam and his family called home. The three Spanish-style houses around the expansive cul-de-sac and a few outbuildings up the side of the lane were way more impressive than the small, two-story Cape Cod she’d grown up in. Though she still missed the tiny attic bedroom she’d made her own.
“First stop. Chez Leona,” Zach announced. He pulled his truck to a stop at the center of it all, then glanced over the seat at her and Sam. Sam took her hand just as she caught a glimpse of Euca jumping out of the flatbed behind them.
“Grandma’s a little old-school. So I’ll walk you in with Evie and introduce—”
“Time out. Is this a thing thing?” Evie said, motioning between them.
“Uh, yes? But a fresh thing,” Amanda replied, unsure of what Sam had told his brother and future sister-in-law. “A new thing.”
Evie waved Amanda off and unbuckled her seat belt. “I’ll handle it. Amanda, come in with me and you guys go get cleaned up.”
“You sure?” Sam asked, giving Amanda’s hand a light squeeze. She appreciated the warm reassurance, but Evie might have been onto something. She responded before Amanda could make up her mind.
“Yes. Your mom raised absolute gentlemen. Don’t worry, but if you come in and make it a thing, Miss Leona is gonna make it a thing and you know Corie is gonna make it a thing.”
“True,” Sam said.
“And I think Amanda would feel more comfortable if it wasn’t a thing.”
“Say ‘thing’ again,” Zach teased.
Evie rolled her eyes and turned her full attention back to Amanda. “Miss Leona is the best, but I’m just saying if you give her something, she’s going to run with it. It’s your call.”
Amanda glanced between the three of them, then gave Sam’s hand a squeeze of her own. “I’ll go with Evie. Hopefully, this isn’t a total setup.”
“You’re in good hands,” Sam laughed. Amanda kissed him on his scruff-covered cheek, then hopped out of the truck
