AllFreeNovel
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“You were a kid.”
“But most kids are good at something—music, school, sports. The only thing I could do was make people laugh, and by people, I mean the other boys. I didn’t exactly have a lot of potential, you know?”
“So you were a late bloomer. Lots of highly successful people are late bloomers. Einstein didn’t walk until he was two, and he had trouble learning to pronounce words. Look what he accomplished.”
“I’m no Einstein, Allie,” I tell her. “In fact, I’m about as far from a genius as you can get.” I look up at the ceiling for a second, then add, “Except right now I’m holding the hand of a real genius, so I guess that’s pretty close.”
She doesn’t laugh, which was what I was hoping she’d do because I really need to lighten the mood. Not just for her, but for me. This is not something I talk about with people. Ever. Instead, she stares at me for a second and chews her bottom lip. “You’re underestimating yourself.”
I open my mouth to object, but she lets go of my hand and puts her finger over my lips. “Facts aren’t up for debate. You’re definitely underestimating yourself. And I just realized I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“I’ve been leaving you to your own devices this entire time when I should’ve been helping you learn.”
“Hey, I’ve been learning. Those videos and the podcast? All good stuff.”
Shaking her head, she says, “Not good enough. First thing tomorrow morning, we need to get to work.”
“Allie, you can’t?—”
“I can do both. Trust me,” she says in a firm voice that makes me believe her.
Smiling at her, I say, “Someone needs to make a movie about you.”
She grins back. “That would be the world’s most boring movie.”
“Would not. You’re the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met.”
She opens her mouth, but this time I stop her with a finger to her lips. “Facts aren’t up for debate.”
By the time we arrive at the opera house, we’ve switched gears from our serious heart-to-heart to having pure unadulterated fun. We’ve been competing over who has the most embarrassing moments. I just told her about my first ever nude scene when the weather dropped ten degrees by the time we were ready to film, and she told me about a time when she tried to see if she could do a somersault in the ocean, only to pop out of the water with a victory leap to discover her bikini top had slid down to her ribcage.
The limo pulls to a stop, and I glance out to see the camera crew waiting. When I look back at Allie, I can see she’s nervous. “You’re going to be fine.”
“I’m going to make an ass of myself.”
“No, you won’t. I’ll be right there with you the whole time holding your hand.”
The door opens and I get out, then turn back and hold my hand out for her. Allie steps out of the limo, a vision of loveliness that I hope the cameras are able to capture. I smile down at her, proud to be here with her, even if it’s just for tonight. As soon as she’s standing next to me, I lean in and say, “You truly are stunning. Not just in this dress either.”
Her cheeks flush and she offers me a soft gaze. “You’re good at this.”
“I’m just being honest,” I answer as the flashes from the camera go off. “Come on, let’s get inside.”
I offer a quick nod and a smile to the crew as we hurry past them. In under a minute, the entire thing is over and we’re inside the brightly lit lobby. I turn to Allie. “There. All done. We could actually leave if you want to.”
Shaking her head, she grins. “No way. Let’s go watch the ultimate cautionary tale for players.”
It takes us nearly fifteen minutes to get to our seats. We’re stopped every few feet by someone wanting to say hi or get a photo. Allie is gracious about the whole thing, even offering to take the pictures. When we’re finally in the box on the second floor, I turn to her. “Thank you. You were wonderful about all that.”
“It was fun.”
“I love meeting fans, but it can get in the way sometimes, like tonight, when I’m trying to show a girl a good time.”
She grins at me. “Don’t worry. I’m having the best time.”
She holds up the playbill. “My only problem is that I love reading about the cast before a play, and I let my mom talk me out of bringing my glasses.”
