All Stars Fall (Seaside Pictures #3.5)(6)

“….they’re a running team and they threw the damn ball!”

“I knew it was PI the minute it happened.”

“Lucky catch.”

Smiling, I cleaned out the machine just as a few high school girls walked in with their backpacks secured on their backs and an astonishing amount of makeup painted across their young faces. “What can I get you girls?”

I didn’t have to guess. They would want frappuccinos. I would bet my life on it.

“Two frappuccinos.” The first girl gave me a weird look and then handed me a twenty. “With extra whip.”

“What size?”

“Sixteen.” She stared down at her phone. “Anyways, you were saying?”

“He fired me!” the other girl complained. “And he made fun of me, and then he thought I called him old. Whatever, I don’t even know, it was so strange. At first I thought he was hitting on me then he looked so offended that I don’t know, adults are weird and his kids were so annoying!”

“But he paid you like a hundred bucks for three hours,” the friend pointed out. “I’d put up with a lot for that kind of money, even if it meant babysitting some famous guy’s kids.”

“He’s not that famous.” She sniffed.

Still eavesdropping, I got them their change and grabbed their cups.

“Adrenaline won two Grammys last year, one for song of the year.” My ears perked. Adrenaline? The Adrenaline? Hottest boy band from my teen years? I had posters of them in my room when I was fifteen and was convinced I was going to marry the lead singer.

And then I went to a concert and the drummer caught my eye.

Golden brown hair, sexy eyes, and…

Wait.

Why did that seem familiar?

Huh. I made their drinks, the noise from the blender shutting out any more of my eavesdropping, sadly. Did that mean that Adrenaline was here? In this town? Wouldn’t Dani have told me? According to her, a lot of the celebs refused to spend the winter in Seaside since it got so cold. They all ran back to LA, only to return to Seaside during the summer.

Not that it mattered.

“Here you go.” I handed the girls their drinks.

“I said extra whipped cream.” The one grumpy girl who had been fired turned her nose up at me. Perfect. Insulted by a girl who was going to be buried with her phone actually grown into her palm from usage.

“Sorry.” I pulled the lids off, added more whip cream, and handed them back.

“You must be new.” The girl’s eyes narrowed.

“Yup.” I had so many other things I wanted to say, but I refrained when the bell dinged again, and this time a hushed silence filled the room.

“That’s him,” Rude Girl said under her breath, her cheeks reddening.

Her friend’s eyes widened in shock like she wasn’t sure if she should pass out or say hi.

“Trevor!” One of the old guys stood and patted him on the back. “How’s the album coming?”

Trevor, Trevor, Trevor. Holy.

Stay calm.

Calm.

Trevor Wood.

And he’d been in here the day before.

What was he doing here? Wasn’t he married?

With kids?

Living happily ever after?

The girls scooted out of the coffee shop so fast it looked like their little trendy backpacks were on fire.

And then a chubby little face peered over the counter at me. “I like hot chocolate.”

The poor thing had just gotten a haircut, and from the looks of it, her hairdresser had either been drunk or…

“Got all the gum out?” I leaned down so we were both at eye level across the counter.

Her eyes looked puffy from tears. “Yeah, Daddy said it will grow back.”

“It will,” I soothed. “I cut my bangs to here when I was about your age.” I pointed to the top of my forehead. “And my hair grew back just fine.”

“You have pretty hair.” Her teeth looked like little Chiclets. Be still my heart, she was freaking adorable. And she said I had pretty hair even though I hadn’t washed it in five days and smelled like car.

“Thank you.” I beamed. “So why don’t I grab you some hot chocolate? With sprinkles?”

“Red ones!” She clapped her hands. “Please?”

“Coming right up.” A shadow descended over me. I was still at eye level, so I had to look up, up, up, up directly into Trevor Wood’s penetrating and amused stare. “Hey there.”

My voice croaked.

I smelled.

And I was hunched down nearly touching the floor.

I quickly stood and nearly collided with the old cash register before tugging my black apron down and focusing in on his smirk. “I see you fixed the hair?”

He frowned and then gave his head a shake. “Right, yeah, well, I’m not so sure we’re calling it fixed, but it’s better and both brothers have been grounded for using Gorilla Glue after spending hours getting the gum out.”

I gasped. “Gorilla Glue?”

“It’s been an exciting twenty-four hours,” he said in a tired voice. “I told them I’d buy each of them a pony if we could stop and get coffee.”

“And when you don’t follow through?” I crossed my arms.