Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(91)
“Yes, the actress. And no, we aren’t besties. But she’s trying to befriend me. It’s weird.”
“Why is it weird?”
I dropped my gaze when I replied, “Because she and Julian used to be a thing.”
“Oh, that is a little weird. And a little scandalous.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“She didn’t hire him. As far as I know, it was a real relationship.”
“Ah, got ya. So, you think she’s trying to scope out the competition?”
“No, that’s the weird thing. I think she genuinely wants to be my friend.”
“Well, that’s great. Be her friend. I’ll tag along to lunch if you need backup.”
Now I rolled my eyes. “Oh, will you now?”
“Hey, redheads are Cam’s thing. You know I prefer brunettes.”
“Hmmm, true.”
“So, can I come?”
“Well, I’m definitely not going alone. I need someone there to fill the silence in case I choke.”
Nick grinned. “And I can chat for England. We’re a match made in heaven.”
His endlessly cheery demeanour, even in the face of Dad’s revelation, drew a smile out of me. Nick accompanied me to the set that morning, and I had to admit, I was pretty excited for him to be there. I was proud of myself and I wanted to share that pride with my brother.
When we arrived, Nick went in search of a bathroom and I in search of coffee. Over in the cafeteria, I spotted Julian sitting at a table. Sheila was sprawled out on his lap, snoozing, while he held a book and sipped on a latte. I was a little distracted by how handsome he was, dressed down for once in jeans and a T-shirt. I didn’t immediately notice just exactly what he was reading.
His attention was glued to The Games We Play, the eighth Sasha Orlando novel. Did that mean he’d read the entire series? The ninth and final book was set to release in a few short weeks.
Butterflies invaded my belly.
I wanted to know what he thought of the series, but I was also terrified. His opinion meant too much to me. The first book was all about male escorts, but my research had been limited, confined mostly to books and what I could find on the internet. Julian had real-life experience, which was one of the reasons why he was here on set to give advice.
I grabbed two cappuccinos before I approached Julian’s table. “So, you finally gave in?”
He glanced up, his eyes dancing when he saw me, his lips curving into a pleased expression
“What can I say? I’ve been converted.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. I mean, if he’d made it through to book eight then he must at least be enjoying them. I sat down and took a sip of my coffee.
“Looks like you’re almost done.”
“Yep. Then I’ll just have to wait until the last one releases.” His smile was playful. “Unless you’d like to send me an advance copy. There have to be some perks to knowing the author, right?”
I fiddled with a sugar packet. “I could possibly do that.” A pause as I met his gaze. “So, you like them?”
His smile grew wide. “Ellen, I adore them. You are a fantastic writer and Sasha’s adventures are giving me life right now.”
I felt myself flush. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Besides, I should’ve known I’d love them. I always was obsessed with Elodie’s stories. It was the first thing that drew me to her—to you. I eavesdropped on yours and Suze’s conversation before I ever turned around to see what you both looked like.”
Hold up a second. He eavesdropped? This was news to me.
“You mean before you spilled your coffee on our table that time?”
Julian closed his book and placed it aside. “Darling, you had me entranced for weeks before we ever actually met.”
My eyelashes fluttered. “So, you just…listened to our conversations?”
Julian nodded. “It was my favourite real-life soap opera. I should’ve known it was far too entertaining to be real. Plus, your stories always had a beginning, a middle, and an end. Real life isn’t usually so neat.”
How on earth had I not noticed him?
“That’s…that’s so…” I sputtered, not knowing what to say.
“Shady?” He chuckled. “I told you I have the face of a rapscallion. Sometimes my behaviour matches up.”
A part of me was annoyed, while another part was flattered he’d noticed me long before I ever noticed him. Or at least, he’d noticed Elodie. In what universe does a man like Julian go undetected for so long? He should become like, a secret agent or something.
His voice was low when he leaned across the table to murmur, “You seem a little flustered, Ellen.”
“I’m just trying to get my head around it.”
“What’s there to get your head around? I was drawn to you. It’s simple.”
I was locked in his gaze, unable to look away. Julian exhaled a sigh, as though smitten by the very fact we were staring into each other’s eyes. He really was too much sometimes.
“There you are,” came Nick’s voice and I looked up as my brother walked towards us. His attention went from me to Julian, his eyes asking, Am I interrupting something?
I gave a very faint shake of my head, even though he was interrupting a little. He was interrupting me getting lost in the dreamy hazel depths of Julian’s gaze.