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“Yeah, she’s right—Wait. Where did she go?” Carly glanced behindher and saw Lauren waiting off to the side, apart from the barricadesseparating the crowd from the actors exiting. “One minute. I’ll grab her,”Carly told the teenager.

She approached Lauren. “Pstt.What are you doing?” she whispered.

“I didn’t want to leave without you.”

Carly shot her a look. “You’re not going to sign for them?” Shehooked a thumb behind her.

“You’re the famous one. They want you.”

Carly scoffed. “They don’t care about that. They just saw thisshow. Thatyoustarred in. In fact, they’re asking for you.” She gave Lauren a nudge. “Getover there and sign, or I’m going to make the crowd chant for you.”

“Carly, I will kill you dead if you do that. Do you hear me?”Lauren appeared even more nervous than when they’d opened the show itself.

“Come on. This part I have down. You talked me off the ledgeearlier, and I can help you through this part, in return.”

“Okay,” Lauren said and took a deep breath.

Carly took her hand and walked her to the teenager who lit up. “Ohmy God. I loved you in the show. Likeloved.Sorry, I’m Avery. Should have said that. Can you sign my Playbill?”

“Of course,” Lauren said, as her cheeks dusted an adorable pink.“I’d love to. Do you come to a lot of shows at The McAllister?”

Avery nodded and gestured to a woman waiting in the background,likely her mother. “We have season tickets. I hope to audition for my schoolplay.” She shrugged. “We’ll see what happens. I probably won’t get it. You guyswere amazing, though.”

“Oh, don’t say you won’t get it,” Lauren told Avery and passed thePlaybill back. “You might be surprised.”

“And if you do get it, don’t knock the scenery over,” Carly said,and inclined her head to Lauren, who winced and nodded.

“Get out. You didn’t do that! You couldn’t.” Avery looked back ather mother gleefully.

“Oh, I certainly did. My family plays that video every time I havea birthday party. So if I can do it, so can you.”

They moved down the line, and after a few minutes passed, Carlyfelt Lauren loosen up and come alive. “I can’t believe I’m onthisside of things,”Lauren whispered as they departed the crowd and headed for her car. “I’musually on the other side of things. That’s who I am, an other-side-of-thingsperson.”

“What?” Carly balked. “No, you’re not. You’re definitely a moverand a shaker, no matter what your job is. It’s silly to think otherwise.”

“You can’t call me silly.” But Lauren was laughing.

“I can, too, but only when you’re discrediting yourself, becauseyou are kick-ass and amazing and talented and I really, really like you. Youshould like you, too, and believe you’re worthy of the nice things people say.”

“I’ll work on that.” Lauren shivered and shoved her hands into thepockets of that tweed jacket and looked adorable and fashion-forward at thesame time, a killer combo.

“You talked about pizza earlier and what you would top it with.What’s another favorite of yours in life?” Carly opened the passenger side doorand slid inside.

Lauren joined her. “Total non sequitur.”

“I want to know more about you. As much as I can.”

“Okay, let me think.” She started the ignition and pulled out ofthe parking lot, en route to The Argyle. “I like it when it rains, more thanmost people. It rarely depresses me. In fact, it makes me dive into my day andfocus because I’m not being called outside.”

“The rain makes me snuggly.”

“You’re a pleasure monster. It’s…contagious.” Lauren laughed. “Ican’t believe we just had one of the most amazing experiences not just one hourago, and we’re taking about liking rain.”

Carly wasn’t deterred. Maybe it was because of her high that shewanted to be even closer to Lauren. Hearing about what went on her head waspart of that. “What else?”

“I color when I’m stressed in those fancy adult coloring books. Ialso really like yoga when I have the time for it, which is rare.”

“Me, too,” Carly said. “Not the coloring part. I’ve never triedthat, but yoga has been amazing for my body and concentration. We should jumpinto a class together next week.”