Page 94 of If the Stars Align

“Will you excuse me a moment?” I say to my friends as I stand to make my way to the bar.

She smiles when I take the seat next to her.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” I say.

She scrunches her nose. “Youactuallyremember me?”

I tilt my head. “Are you kidding? There’s no way I’d forget you, Jenna Andersen.”

It’s been about nine years, but she looks exactly like I remember her from high school. Petite, fit. Tanned skin. Shoulder-length blonde hair. Olive green eyes. The same perfectly white smile.

I’d almost forgotten how pretty she is.

She takes a sip of her wine. Then another. She looks back at me and giggles. “I’msoincredibly nervous right now,” she says.

My brow furrows. “Nervous? Why?”

Her green eyes widen. “Why? Because you’reDex Oliver, that’s why. The biggest movie star on the planet.”

I shake my head. “It’s just me, Jenna. I’m still the same person underneath it all.”

Ain’t that the truth.

She finishes what’s left in her glass and raises an eyebrow at me. “So fame hasn’t changed you one single bit?”

I pause for a beat to think about it. “Well…Idowax my chest hair now.”

She bursts into laughter. “That’s all, huh?”

“Pretty much.”

“You know, I came to this restaurant because I read it was a good place to see celebrities? I never thought I’d actually get totalkto one.” She smiles. “How are you not getting mauled by rabid fans right now?”

“That doesn’t usually happen at places like this,” I explain. “People are pretty respectful. But I do get mauled plenty, out in the wild.”

She looks around the room. “Do you ever get used to people staring at you so much?”

“For the most part.” I scratch my head. “So, do you live in LA, or?—”

She nods. “I do now. I just moved here from Pittsburgh, actually. I needed a fresh start.” She lets out a long sigh. “I went through a bad breakup recently. Which I guess is why I’m sitting here, drinking alone.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I tell her. “But you’re not alone now, you’re with me.” I point to her empty glass. “Want another?”

Her eyes light up. “Please.”

I motion for the bartender to bring us two more glasses.

“So what do you do in LA when you’re not seeking out celebrities?” I tease.

She giggles. “I used to flip houses back in Pittsburgh, but themarket isn’t as good for that here, so now I’m doing interior design.”

I nod. “Do you like it?”

She shrugs. “It pays the bills. So…how about you? I mean, I already know what you do for a living, obviously. But how’s life otherwise? Are you dating anyone?”

“No, not at the moment,” I tell her.

She swivels in her seat to face me and flips her hair, her eyes gleaming. “Can I ask you something?” she half-whispers.