Her head rested against the seat back and angled her chin toward her chest. A hot drip of sauce splashed against her skin, above the scoop neckline. She wiped it away with her finger, and waited, listening.
The girls’ voices mingled with Matt’s. He had such a great timbre. It had wooed her on the set ofTalk to Me Sweetly... until Xander. Handsome, charming, and fifteen years her senior, he had practically won her with a glance.
Not knowing how long Matt would chat with his adoring fans, she remained put, despite the growing crick in her neck. Might as well fold her pizza slice in half and finish it off. What was Matt Knight doing in small, tiny Sea Blue Beach? Wasn’t he filming a rom-com with Cindy Canon?
Harlow had just finished the last bit of crust when a shadow fell over her andtheMatt Knight stared down at her through the windshield.
“Harlow?”
“H-h-hey,yooouuu...” She sat up, working her legs out from under the steering wheel, noticing her stained and soiled dress was hiked up to her underwear.
“Girl, what are you doing?” He moved from the windshield to her door. “You need help?”
Matt ...No, no, no ... Do not open ... the ...
Door. He opened the door.
“Look. At. You,” she said with a squirm and a he-he, ha-ha, tugging her dress over her knees, hoping Matt had not seen her rubbed-red thighs. “Opening my door like, like a ... gentleman.” She should’ve locked it.
“What are you doing in Sea Blue Beach?” He knelt down to see her face, his blue eyes sparkling with that famous twinkle.
“Well, um, I—” Forcing herself to act natural, like talking to Matt Knight from her previous awkward position while wearing a tomato-stained dress was exactly what she intended. “Enough about me. W-what areyoudoing in Sea Blue Beach?” Was that a plop of sauce on the steering wheel?
“I grew up here. Came to see Dad and Granny. Here, let me—” Matt grabbed the napkin crumpled in her hand and wiped the marinara from the wheel. “Seriously, HH, what are you doing here?”
Could Harlow Hayes just drive into the Gulf right now and live with the fish? Who would miss her, really?
“I-I live here. Sort of.”
“In Sea Blue Beach? Since when?” Now he leaned against the side of the car, one arm propped on the door handle, his gaze melting her more than the Florida heat ever could.
“Since last Monday, I guess.” She’d missedAll My Childrenon move-in day, and thus a pivotal point in Jesse and Angie’s relationship. She’d been out of sorts ever since.
“How long are you staying?” The clean notes of Matt’s cologne and soap mingled with the fragrance of pizza. “And where?”
“Through the summer, I think. And I own 321 Sea Blue Way.”
“The old Prince Blue and Nickle place? Really? How did I not know? I grew up running in and out of that house.”
“So this is Matt Knight’s hometown.”
“Born and raised. Wow, what a small world.” Too small at the moment. “What made you come down, H?”
Matt had been the first person to call her by her initials. The cast and crew picked it up during filming, and by the time they went on a press junket, everyone called her by her initials. Even her dad called her H or HH now and then.
“Well, since Xander and I . . .” Tears often chose the most inopportune time.
“Right, right. Say no more.”
“He recently gave the house to me. Guilt offering, I suppose.”
“Xander’s a dip wad, HH. He’ll be sorry he let you go.”
“Let’s not do the cheerleader routine, Matt. He’s back with Davina.” Even with a pizza stain on her dress, talking to Matt Knight was easy. “So, you came home to see family?” Harlow gestured to the spot where he’d been surrounded by the girls. “Meet your fans?”
“Yes, all six of them.” She’d always loved his laugh. “I came to help my grandmother with something, and it seemed like a good time to get out of LA.”
“Aren’t you filming a rom-com with Cindy Canon?”
