CHAPTER
ONE
MIRANDA
“Itold you…I don’t eat boogers!” I slap the grotesque shell with the dead, slimy sea creature away.
Miles laughs, his bright blue eyes shining. “They don’t taste like boogers. You live in Michigan now, and unless you’re eating fish from the Great Lakes, your seafood is coming from somewhere else. You should take advantage of fresh seafood when you have the chance. I promise, you’ll love them.”
I scoot my chair back a few inches, putting distance between the oysters and me. “I promise you, I won’t. I’m completely content without choking down salty ocean snot chunks.”
“Seriously, stop.” Miles laughs again and, in dramatic fashion, sucks the oyster into his mouth before dropping the shell back onto the platter of ice. “You’re ruining my oyster experience.”
“Plus,” I continue, “you know those were imported from somewhere else. They’re not from Hawaiian waters.”
Miles furrows his brows. “That can’t be true. I can tell they’re fresh.”
“Well, my little oyster connoisseur, your taste buds are off because it’s illegal to harvest oysters here. They’re protected since the natural populations are limited. Most oysters consumed in Hawaii are imported from the West Coast. Usually farmed in California.”
He leans back in his chair, his beautiful blues holding mine. The corner of his mouth tilts into a grin. “So you don’t eat them, but you’re an expert in oyster farming? How do you even know this stuff?”
I take a sip of my white wine and shrug. A smirk tugs at my lips. “What can I say? I’m a database for useless knowledge.”
“Why is that?”
“I’m not sure. I guess I’ve just learned a lot over the years as Anna’s assistant. I’m always researching something—giving her background on a character she’s playing, scouting locations for filming, or planning publicity events. There’s always something to research. The facts just stick in my head.”
“Because you’re so smart.”
“I’m not going to argue with you there.” I chuckle.
I take Miles in, and my chest warms. I adore everything about this man. As a pair, we have the best time together. He’s become such a good friend over the past six months.
I never imagined when I came to Michigan last September that I’d still be here now. But where Anna goes, I go. My best friend—and insanely talented movie star—Annalise Sterling fell in love with Jaden Smith, one of Miles’s teammates. The two are now engaged and inseparable. I love this for Anna. She deserves everything the world has to offer.
I suppose I could fulfill my job duties from home in LA with virtual meetings. With everything I need right at my fingertips on my phone, it wouldn’t be difficult at all. Except Los Angeles isn’t home without Anna. Nowhere is. She’s been my sole source of family and comfort since I was fifteen. So if she wants to live inMichigan—where it seems cold, wet, and miserable half the year—then I do, too…I suppose.
Miles, though, was unexpected. I’d venture to say he’s my first true male friend. I don’t typically mesh well with the male population. We lack an important element—trust. But Miles is impossible not to love, and more importantly, trust. He grew up in the quintessential family—two loving married parents, a stay-at-home mom, a supportive father, an adoring sister, and a golden retriever named Molly. He was given all the love and support in the world growing up, and he didn’t waste it. He’s hardworking, motivated, fun, and most of all, truly kind.
His upbringing was the stark opposite of mine. From the outside, anyone might assume his perfect life would stir resentment in me, but it doesn’t. We’re all dealt different hands when we come into this world. I may not have had much luck with mine, but I can’t hold it against those who drew the winning hand. I wouldn’t wish my past on anyone.
He and his father have always shared a fascination with movies. They’d visit sets near Detroit whenever something was filming, which gave Miles a natural curiosity about Anna’s world. His questions about her career and the industry became the foundation of our friendship, and it only grew from there. I’m so thankful for him. Now that Anna spends most of her free time with Jaden, it’s nice to have Miles’s company.
The server arrives and sets down our entrées. I motion for him to take away the plate of booger-filled shells.
“Hey, what if I was still eating those?” Miles teases.
“Were you?”
He runs his fingers through his disheveled dark hair in an absentminded gesture and supplies an adorable smirk. I get why his teammates call him Hollywood. He could have been quite the film star heartthrob. Let’s be real—Miles won the lottery in life, and his stunning good looks are just the cherry on top.
“No, I was done,” he admits, scrunching his nose and giving me a pouty grin.
“Exactly.” I laugh. “I know you well enough by now.”
He presses the palm of his hand to his abdomen and makes a face. “Plus, if I eat too many, there are consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?”
