Stars Collide Read Free

the audience up a little.” Of course, I hadn’t loved it an hour ago, but now that I’d overcome the obstacle of kissing Scott, nothing could hold me back. I’d released my feelings to him . . . now I might as well release them to the viewers.
    “We’ve already written in just about every funny bit I can think of for the kids,” Athena said. “They’ve pulled dozens of pranks to nudge Angie and Jack together.”
    “That crazy scene last spring where they kidnapped Jack and Angie and locked them in a closet together was priceless.” Scott chuckled.
    “And so was that scene where they convinced Jack and Angie to act out the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet to raise funds for charity,” I threw in. “So cute. And very romantic.” I hadn’t minded playing Juliet to Scott’s Romeo . . . then or now.
    “Honestly, I’m not sure how many more of those kid-driven scenes I can pull out of my hat.” Athena sighed and turned to Mark. “And I don’t think the audience will keep buying it. Seems like overkill if we keep counting on the kids to push the hero and heroine together. By now, everyone knows they have feelings for each other. It’s time to share those feelings with the world.”
    I couldn’t help but squirm at that last line. After such a sweet kiss, I had to wonder if Scott and I would be sharing our feelings with the world in due time.
    “Ultimately, it’s up to Rex, not me. He’s the producer.” I couldn’t help but notice a hint of sarcasm in Mark’s voice. We all knew Mark hadn’t taken well to Rex’s new role. Then again, who could blame him? The show had been through a multitude of changes over the past season. Just about the time we got used to someone, they were out and someone else was in. Left us all feeling pretty unstable.
    I turned to Rex and noticed, for the first time, his gaze lingered on my grandmother. From the look on his face, he’d been concerned about Mark’s words injuring her too. Good for him.
    Startling to attention, Rex addressed us, putting on his best producer voice. “Yes, well, let’s think about this from a different angle. As I said, I agree with Lenora. Jack and Angie need to express their feelings to each other. It’s the only way to move the show forward. And I don’t think we need to use the kids to accomplish that. Not anymore.”
    Mark rose and began to pace. “I’m still not convinced, but if you’ve got your mind made up, we might as well take full advantage of it. Get the media involved.”
    “What do you mean?” Rex asked.
    Mark looked my way and then shifted his gaze to Scott. “If we go ahead and bring you two together as a couple on the show, the gossip columnists are sure to read into it and think you’re a couple in real life. Maybe we can stage a couple of appearances with the two of you out on the town . . . maybe even get you guys on Entertainment Tonight .”
    “W-what?” My heart rate skipped to double time. Glancing at Scott, I marveled at his ability to keep his cool. How could Mark even suggest such a thing? I looked into our director’s eyes, trying to figure out if he was kidding. Surely he didn’t think we’d really go along with this.
    “Mark, I’m not sure that’s the best idea,” Scott said. “The paparazzi are already a problem for both of us. Even going to the grocery store is getting tough. I don’t know that I want to invite more media attention, especially as it applies to my personal life.”
    I couldn’t help but notice that his cheeks turned red as he spoke the words personal life .
    Mark looked back and forth between us. “What do you expect? You’re doing a show about two talent scouts who used to be archenemies. The public will eat it up if they think you’re falling for each other in real life. And what would it hurt, anyway? Neither of you is involved with anyone at the moment, right?”
    A few hours ago I might’ve answered with a no, but that kiss from Scott convinced me otherwise.