shakily.
I’m going to stay with Jonah Eklundstrom.
Clasping her hands in her lap, Alexa repeated this fact to herself, like a mantra. Fantasies of a Hollywood hook-up floated through her head—what would it be like to gaze into those deep blue eyes up close, to run her hand along that warm, rough jawline?—-but Alexa knew they were just that: fantasies. She’d been burned in the past, after all. Gorgeous, famous, make-women-faint Jonah Eklundstrom probably had, like, a harem of girlfriends at his beck and call. And while Alexa knew she could compete with the sparkliest of starlets, realistically, she doubted she’d register as more than a blip on Jonah’s high-end radar.
But maybe he’d flirt with her one day when she was coming out of the guesthouse in her orange-and-gold Shoshanna bikini.
“All right, Baby Bear—don’t stay out too late tonight, ’kay? I know you have read-throughs all this week. I’ll call you when I’m back tomorrow.” Margaux clicked off, then turned to beam at Alexa. “Done, and done. Oh, and that party at The Standard downtown—it’stomorrow night around six. My brother and I are throwing it for some industry friends. You should come, if you’ll be in town by then.”
If she’d be in town? Alexa was speechless. She had one whole, blissful week off before graduation—and she certainly no longer intended to spend it in Oakridge, getting pedicures at Suzy’s Salon.
Cheesy as it was, Alexa let herself think it: California, here I come.
After Margaux had entered Alexa’s number—-Alexa made sure to give her real one this time—into her cell, she stood up, and Alexa rose as well. “I’ll text you my brother’s address from the airport,” Margaux promised. “I’m headed to JFK now—I need to catch a midnight plane back home.” She put her cigarette out on the heel of her pump, then glanced up. “How moronic of me,” she added. “I’m Margaux.” She stuck out her left hand, her ginormous pink diamond ring catching the moonlight.
Alexa shook her head, bemused. Clearly, they’d skipped a step in the let’s-be-friends game. “Alexa,” she replied, returning Margaux’s handshake. “And I know who you are.”
“I knew you knew,” Margaux replied, her eyes sparkling. “But I appreciated your attempt to hide it.”
Their high heels clicking on the ground, the two girls made their way back to the garden door, and thesounds of the party drifted out toward them, as if from another planet. As a dizzy, elated Alexa was about to reenter the apartment, Margaux tapped her elbow.
“Hey, Alexa?” she said with a crooked grin. “If I didn’t mention it, feel free to bring a date.”
“A date,” Alexa echoed. Her first, breathless thought was of Jonah, but she brushed off the ridiculous notion. Then Alexa had another idea. A brilliant one. She felt her face breaking into a smile. “Okay. I know exactly who to ask.”
CHAPTER TWO
Holly Would
The best part about fighting with your boyfriend, Holly Jacobson had learned, was the insanely hot apology hook-up that followed.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Tyler whispered, wrapping his arms around Holly’s waist and drawing her down onto the bed with him. Alexa’s bed, to be precise.
When their increasingly loud debate in the living room had prompted eyebrow raises from the other party guests, Holly and Tyler had snuck off to the only private place they could find: the all-white guest room that, Holly knew, doubled as Alexa’s whenever she stayed at her mom’s. But any hesitations Holly had about fighting—and fooling around—in there had melted away with one touch of Tyler’s warm lips against her skin.
“Me, too,” Holly murmured, tilting her head back as Tyler planted slow, light kisses all down her neck. To be perfectly honest, she wasn’t that sorry, and she and Tyler hadn’t even reached a real resolution. The thought of them camping with her family this week—her mother making them synchronize their
I’m going to stay with Jonah Eklundstrom.
Clasping her hands in her lap, Alexa repeated this fact to herself, like a mantra. Fantasies of a Hollywood hook-up floated through her head—what would it be like to gaze into those deep blue eyes up close, to run her hand along that warm, rough jawline?—-but Alexa knew they were just that: fantasies. She’d been burned in the past, after all. Gorgeous, famous, make-women-faint Jonah Eklundstrom probably had, like, a harem of girlfriends at his beck and call. And while Alexa knew she could compete with the sparkliest of starlets, realistically, she doubted she’d register as more than a blip on Jonah’s high-end radar.
But maybe he’d flirt with her one day when she was coming out of the guesthouse in her orange-and-gold Shoshanna bikini.
“All right, Baby Bear—don’t stay out too late tonight, ’kay? I know you have read-throughs all this week. I’ll call you when I’m back tomorrow.” Margaux clicked off, then turned to beam at Alexa. “Done, and done. Oh, and that party at The Standard downtown—it’stomorrow night around six. My brother and I are throwing it for some industry friends. You should come, if you’ll be in town by then.”
If she’d be in town? Alexa was speechless. She had one whole, blissful week off before graduation—and she certainly no longer intended to spend it in Oakridge, getting pedicures at Suzy’s Salon.
Cheesy as it was, Alexa let herself think it: California, here I come.
After Margaux had entered Alexa’s number—-Alexa made sure to give her real one this time—into her cell, she stood up, and Alexa rose as well. “I’ll text you my brother’s address from the airport,” Margaux promised. “I’m headed to JFK now—I need to catch a midnight plane back home.” She put her cigarette out on the heel of her pump, then glanced up. “How moronic of me,” she added. “I’m Margaux.” She stuck out her left hand, her ginormous pink diamond ring catching the moonlight.
Alexa shook her head, bemused. Clearly, they’d skipped a step in the let’s-be-friends game. “Alexa,” she replied, returning Margaux’s handshake. “And I know who you are.”
“I knew you knew,” Margaux replied, her eyes sparkling. “But I appreciated your attempt to hide it.”
Their high heels clicking on the ground, the two girls made their way back to the garden door, and thesounds of the party drifted out toward them, as if from another planet. As a dizzy, elated Alexa was about to reenter the apartment, Margaux tapped her elbow.
“Hey, Alexa?” she said with a crooked grin. “If I didn’t mention it, feel free to bring a date.”
“A date,” Alexa echoed. Her first, breathless thought was of Jonah, but she brushed off the ridiculous notion. Then Alexa had another idea. A brilliant one. She felt her face breaking into a smile. “Okay. I know exactly who to ask.”
CHAPTER TWO
Holly Would
The best part about fighting with your boyfriend, Holly Jacobson had learned, was the insanely hot apology hook-up that followed.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Tyler whispered, wrapping his arms around Holly’s waist and drawing her down onto the bed with him. Alexa’s bed, to be precise.
When their increasingly loud debate in the living room had prompted eyebrow raises from the other party guests, Holly and Tyler had snuck off to the only private place they could find: the all-white guest room that, Holly knew, doubled as Alexa’s whenever she stayed at her mom’s. But any hesitations Holly had about fighting—and fooling around—in there had melted away with one touch of Tyler’s warm lips against her skin.
“Me, too,” Holly murmured, tilting her head back as Tyler planted slow, light kisses all down her neck. To be perfectly honest, she wasn’t that sorry, and she and Tyler hadn’t even reached a real resolution. The thought of them camping with her family this week—her mother making them synchronize their
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