AllFreeNovel
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“Same to you. I really enjoyed you in that film about the secret service guy.” It was a bodyguard for a princess, but close enough.
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
A guy around my age sticks out his hand. “I’m Chad. I’m the number two here, so I guess I’m sort of also your boss.”
I laugh, even though I can tell he definitely thinks he’s my boss. “Nice to meet you, Chad.”
“You too. I enjoyed your film about the bank heist, but I do have to say there’s no way the amount of dynamite you used would actually blow the door off a Trident 670,” he says. “That was pretty far-fetched.”
Oh great, so now I know who the giant douche canoe of the team is. “Ah, well, part of the fun of going to the movies is to suspend your disbelief.”
“It certainly is,” Dr. Edwards says. “Hudson, I’d like you to meet Allie.”
He points to the young woman next to him, and when I look over at her, I’m dumbstruck for a second. She’s gorgeous. And I mean gorgeous. Dark brown eyes and lovely high cheekbones. Her bottom lip is fuller than the top one, giving her a pouty look without her having to pout. She’s dressed in a white button-up shirt and black wide-legged dress pants. Her brown hair is up off her neck in a messy bun and she looks like she just got out of bed, but in a good way. “Hi.”
“Hi, Allie,” I say, smiling at her as I watch her cheeks flush a little. I hold out my hand and when she takes it, I want to lift it to my lips instead of shake it, even though a) I never do that because it’s totally cheesy, and b) it would be completely inappropriate because this is a work thing. God, her skin is soft. Like buttery soft.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she says, glancing down at our hands.
Shit. I’m still holding her hand, aren’t I? Let go. You need to let go.
Not letting go. Oh, she did it for me. Well, that’s just humiliating.
“Allie’s a radio astronomer,” Dr. Edwards puts in. “You’ll be shadowing her while you’re here.”
I get to shadow her? Sweet! “Great! That is … great news.”
Her eyes flick down to the floor and for a brief second she looks upset, but then she smiles up at me again and nods. “Yes, I hope I’ll be able to help you out.”
Something about the way she says it tells me she doesn’t actually want to help me at all. “I’m sure you will.” I glance down at the box of pastries I’m still holding, feeling super awkward all of a sudden. “I brought some treats for everyone. They’re from a cute little Italian bakery near my condo.”
I go to hand them to Allie, but Chad snatches them up while Dr. Edwards says, “How thoughtful of you.”
“It was nothing,” I tell him, hating myself for being such a phony.
“Oh, Allie, look,” Dr. Edwards says. “These are from your parents’ bakery!”
Allie’s eyes light up. “Really? They must have been shocked when you came in.”
“Um, well, you know.” I shrug modestly, but even as I’m doing it, I realize she’s going to figure out I was never there. But I can hardly tell the truth now, can I? Not with the cameras rolling.
“I hope you brought lots of cannolis,” Chad says. “They’re my favorite.”
I have no freaking clue what I brought. “It’s … all good stuff. Everything looks amazing.”
“You’ll have to fight Virgil for them,” Tina tells him, and they all laugh.
Josie clears her throat. “Okay, well, how about we start the tour?”
“Great idea,” I tell her.
Tina takes the box from Chad. “I’m going to take these to the lunchroom. I’ve already done the tour.”
“Let’s have just Dr. Edwards take us around, okay?” Josie says, glancing at Allie. “It gets a little unruly when there are too many people in the shot.”
Allie glances at her watch. “Sounds good. Great to meet you,” she says before spinning on her heel and disappearing down the hall.
Crap. She’s probably going to call her parents, only to find out I’m a big, fat liar.
