Celeb Crush (10 page)

We make it back with time to spare.  Luke retreats into the guest house to get ready.  I guess he’s all set up.  I wonder what he thought of the mothballs and lavender smell that seems to permeate the air in there.  I stayed in there one night after Nonna Gena’s death—and I swear I saw her ghost hovering over me as I lay in bed.  I wonder if I should warn Luke about her?  Nah.  Let him be surprised.

It doesn't occur to me to dress up for dinner.   It's hot and I'm on vacation, so I wear a sleeveless white top and jeans shorts. I pull my long hair into a high ponytail instead of the messy bun I usually sport.  I swear I'll start making more of an effort with my appearance.   Tomorrow, maybe

I only realize I'm underdressed when I see Luke in the living room.  He's wearing a blue Oxford shirt and khakis.  His honey blonde hair is really too short for him to have to worry about, but it looks like he's styled it the way he does for television interviews, instead of it kind of sticking up haphazardly here and there.  I notice that he still hasn’t shaved, and stubble two shades darker than his hair cover his jaw and around his mouth.

"What, no disguise tonight?" I call to him as I bound down the stairs.

"Nah.  Your family knows who I really am, so why bother?"

I wonder if he's going to comment on my casual clothes, but he seems to be too busy looking at my bare legs to care.  I want to yell at him to stop staring,  but then what if he brings up all the times he’s caught me—let's go with admiring—his body.

My attention wanders over to a big gold foil wrapped rectangular box.  It’s the kind of fancy box that can only contain long-stemmed roses.  Or a sniper rifle.  “What’s that?” I ask Luke curiously.

“You said your aunt likes roses, right?”  Luke sounds a little anxious as he picks up the box and thrusts it towards me.  “You think she’ll like these?”

It’s surprisingly heavy. I open the top, and gasp.  Nestled in sparkly tissue paper are at least two dozen rainbow-colored long-stemmed roses.  “Wow,” I breathe.  “Where did you get these from?”

“I made a few phone calls,” he replies like it’s no big deal.  “They’re cool, huh?  They inject these extracts that work as a dye into the stem to get them colorful like that.”

“Susan will love them,” I say, looking up at him.  “But when did you get them?  It took me, like, twenty minutes to shower and change.”

Luke smirks at me.  “Yeah, it’s almost like I have connections, or something.”

“Yeah, with the devil,” I mutter, closing the box and handing it back to him.  “Are you ready to go?  Do you want to take my car, or the truck?”

“Your car is fine.”

Luke fidgets so much doing the drive there that I almost run us off the road in irritation.  He keeps shifting his long legs, running a hand through his hair, or tugging at his shirt collar.  If I had a squirt bottle, I would spray him right in the face the way my mom used to do when our old cat, Turtle, would jump up on the kitchen counter.

“What is wrong with you?” I ask when his knee bumps into mine for the fifth time.  “Do you have to pee, or something?”

“No, Mom, I went before we got in the car,” he replies sarcastically.  Then he lifts his shoulders in an uncomfortable shrug.  “I’m just…I hope your family likes me.”

The car swerves slightly as I turn to give him an incredulous look.  “Luke, you had dinner with the president of the United States—and you’re worried about meeting
my relatives
?”

“I just want to make a good impression,” he says, looking out the passenger window.  “I’m supposed to be your boyfriend, remember?”

I hold back a snort.  “You could spit in their faces—and they’d probably try to bottle it up so they can worship it later.  Well, Megan would, at least.  I don’t know what my aunt and uncle would do.”

“I’ll try to refrain from spitting at them, then,” Luke mutters drily.

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best.”

All too soon, we arrive at the house.  I park my car at the curb, and reluctantly get out.  Luke leans against the car door, waiting for me to come around.  He seems to have calmed down somewhat.  He grabs the flower box from the backseat, and we start up the walk to the front door.

I jump a little when he grabs for my hand.  “Easy,” he murmurs, tightening his grasp when I try to pull away from him.  “We’re supposed to be a couple, remember?  Couples hold hands.”

“Not us.”  I struggle to get my hand back—not just because it makes me uncomfortable.  My hands are always cold and clammy, and I really don’t want him to know that.

“Andi,” Luke growls under his breath as I start leaning all my weight away from him, like a naughty little kid trying to get away from her parent.  “Stop it.”

And now my hand is sweaty.  Luke loses his grip on me, and I fall sideways, landing in the bushes.  I quickly scramble to my feet to see Uncle Charlie standing in the open doorway, staring at me in concern.

This is not going to go well.

Chapter 9

As soon as we step foot into the house, nervous Luke transforms back into his usual charming and laid back movie star self.  He works hard to put my star struck kin at ease.  Just one of his many talents.  Luke has the ability to get along with anyone when he wants to.  I think that’s why so many people think that they’re his close friends, when in truth, they don’t really know him.

Anyway, I’m the one who suddenly turns into a nervous wreck.  We settle in the living room before dinner, with me and Luke sharing the loveseat, and everyone else is just kind of gathered around, staring at us.  I should have prepped Luke beforehand on all the lies I’ve already told everyone.  Fortunately, he’s an award-winning actor, so he barely blinks when Uncle Charlie casually mentions my affiliation with the CIA.

What’s also making me jumpy as a flea?  Luke has his arm across the back of my seat, and he keeps playing with my hair.  His fingers brush against my neck, and I nearly spring away from him in alarm.

“So, Luke, where do you live now?”  Aunt Susan asks.  She’s sitting in the recliner which almost swallows her thin frame up.  Her color’s great, though, and she’s wearing a sparkly blouse that looks pretty on her.  Her eyes are trained on Luke with warm interest.  “Do you have a house in L.A.?”

“No, actually, I’m homeless,” Luke admits with a chuckle.  He rubs his cheek absently.  “I’ve been traveling so much that I just never bothered looking for anything permanent to live in.  When I’m in Cali, I stay with a friend who lives in Santa Barbara.  I love it there, so when I decide to go house-hunting I’m probably going to look in that area.”

“What, you don’t want something closer to your honey?” Connie asks with a laugh, pointing at me.

Yes, Connie is here, too.  She hasn’t stopped blatantly flirting with Luke since we got here.   I’ve noticed that she’s a very physical person.  She keeps poking and prodding Luke’s abs, chest, and arms and shivering ecstatically.  Luke just laughs good-naturedly.  He’s used to it by now, of course.  I wonder if I’m supposed to do anything about her—like, am I supposed to yank Connie back by her hair, and threaten to cut her?  I just don’t know.

I feel a warm hand on my back, and immediately stiffen up.  “Relax,” Luke murmurs in my ear.  I nod my head spastically.

Bran pokes his head out of the kitchen to announce that dinner is ready.  Megan and I get up quickly to help him.  Luke tries to get up, too, but I gesture for him stay seated.  I notice him glancing over at Bran with an unfriendly look. 

Megan looks extra stunning tonight.  She’s wearing a pale pink sundress that shows off her perfect figure and her golden tan.  Her makeup is expertly applied and subtle, and her long blonde hair is loose down her back.  She trembles noticeably each time she looks at or talks to Luke.  He’s being great with her, answering all her tentative questions about his character, Sam Langelier, in the My Soul for You series, and humbly accepting her breathless compliments on his acting skill.  He’s nice, but not flirtatious—I am monitoring their interactions very closely.

“Oh, my god,” she mumbles, her hands shaking as she carries a plate of sourdough baguettes to the table.  “He is
so
gorgeous in real life.  His eyes!  Oh, my god.  He’s so…I can’t even!  You are soo lucky, Andi!”

“I can hear you, you know?” Bran says good-naturedly.  He accidentally drops a crutch when he leans over the sink.  I pick it up for him, and he shoots me a grateful smile.  “He seems like a nice guy,” he says to me.

I just nod, hurrying to take the food to the table.  Damn, I hope no one says anything to Luke about the time I saved him from drunk drowning.

To my relief, Luke comes to the table talking to Talon about video games.  He promises to play Talon’s favorite game with him after dinner, which of course thrills Talon to no end.  He was shy with Luke until he realized that Luke was in a movie with his favorite WWE wrestler; then he peppers him with question after question about how it was to work with his idol.  Luke seems amused that Talon isn’t very impressed by his role in the movie.

Dinner is good.  Conversation flows easily, with the A-list actor being the center of everything.  He manages to find something to talk about with everyone.  He discusses football with Uncle Charlie, cars with Bran, and his life as a celebrity in demand with the women at the table.  He is especially nice and attentive to Aunt Susan, constantly flashing her smile Number Seven, and being absolutely adorable.  Not that I find him adorable.  Throughout the meal, he nudges me with his foot, or leans over to steal food off my plate.  He does give me all the olives from his salad, though.

After dinner, we retire back to the living room.  Luke, Bran, and Talon play video games.  I offer to do the dishes by myself, because I need the time alone, and also because I know everyone else wants to be in the same space as Luke.  Stupid as it sounds; he seems to fill the room with magic.  Aunt Susan and Megan sit together on the couch, giggling and whispering to each other.  Aunt Susan has been beaming the whole time—even when a running Talon tripped over her tubing and the cannula is painfully ripped off her face.  I watch them all with an eagle eye, making sure no one is recording a video of Luke on the sly.  I already caught Connie with her iPhone surreptitiously aimed at him.

The guys have been at it for a while now.  They’re playing a racing game and I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, or if Luke is being especially competitive against Bran. Luke and Talon work together to knock Bran’s car off the road, and bump fists in triumph.  Bran just laughs, since he’s all about the fun and not the competition.  He also doesn’t hold grudges.  We never had much in common.

Finally, at almost eleven, Connie announces that Aunt Susan needs to get her butt in bed.  She protests weakly, but then when everyone gangs up on her, she laughingly agrees.  She urges me and Luke to stay, but I quickly decline.

“It was so nice to meet you, Lucas,” Aunt Susan tells him with a tired smile.  “And thank you again for the beautiful roses!  I hope we’ll be seeing a lot of you around here while you’re in town.”

“Count on it,” Luke replies smoothly.  He leans down to give her a kiss on her cheek, making her blush madly.  Of course, Connie takes the opportunity to get a hug and a quick feel on him before she helps Aunt Susan to her room.  The woman is a lech.

Uncle Charlie says goodnight and follows Talon upstairs to make sure he gets ready for bed.  Megan, looking a little green, excuses herself as well.

That leaves Bran with me and Luke. We stand awkwardly in the foyer, making the requisite small-talk-before-you-leave.

“So, what time does Megan want me to pick her up tomorrow?” I ask Bran.

“Uh, I think about nine-thirty?  Is that okay with you?”

“That’s fine.”

Bran’s expression turns warm.  He takes a clumsy step forward.  “Thanks again for doing this Andi.  It means a lot to me.”

It feels like he wants to have a moment.  Suddenly, I feel hands on my hips, and I’m enveloped in Luke’s sun and sea scent as he pulls me back against his tall strong body.  “Ready to go, Tiger?” he asks, hunching over so he can rest his chin on my shoulder.

I freeze; my body is so tense that my neck muscles hurt.  Chills run up and down my spine, and my pulse goes into hyper drive.  What the hell does Luke think he’s doing?!

“Hey, bro, it was nice meeting you,” Bran says, thrusting out his hand to do the manly slap/handshake thing.  “I really hope you can make it to the wedding.  We’d love to have you.”

“Thanks, man.  Wouldn’t miss it.”  Luke follows the handshake with a kind of forceful slap on Bran’s back, causing Bran to stumble forward a step.

I take the opportunity to move out of his arms.  “We really should go,” I say, opening the door.  “Bye.”

I quickly pull Luke outside.  Bran is terrible at doing the goodbye thing.  He never knows when to stop talking, even when people continue to inch away from him, trying to escape.

“What the hell did you ever see in that guy?” Luke wonders as we get into my car.  “He’s a midget.”

“He’s not a midget,” I say distractedly, starting the car.  “He’s normal sized.”

“Dude’s got no balls.  He’s so not your type.”  Luke shakes his head, turning to look at me.  “I bet you walked all over him when you were together.”