I ignore the way my heart flutters at the thought of beinghisand shrug noncommittally.
“Alright then. How’d you end up living in Green Bay? Or around here, at least?”
“After everything that happened earlier this year,” I begin, “I told my family it would be best for me to fly under the radar and not be front and center when our show started filming this fall. So I ended up here.”
Dinner with the Dupreesis currently filming its third season. My stepmom is so proud of the family empire she’s built. I would hate to be the reason ratings drop. It’s for the best that I left the spotlight for a while.
“Yeah, but whyhere?” TJ asks, taking a sip of wine but keeping his eyes on me over the rim of the glass.
He could have asked about my family. About the show. But I’m grateful he’s not steering the conversation in that direction. It’s nice not to dwell on my monumental screw-up.
“Honestly?” I tell him. “When Anton Bates’s love story blew up last winter, I did some research on this part of the country. Cashmere Cove seemed like an idyllic little spot, and I figured it was as good a place as any to settle in for a while, so here I am.”
TJ scoffs. “You’re kidding me. This is going to go straight to Anton’s head. Don’t ever tell him he’s your inspiration.”
“Are you sure you’re not just jealous you aren’t my only source of inspiration?”
His gaze lasers in on me, eyes darkening to a more navy blue. “I can be all the inspiration you need, Lucy. Name the time and the place, and I’m your man.”
I drop my gaze, becausegood night,the gravel in his voice is making my insides do Olympics-worthy flips. He has no idea he’s already given me enough content for ten different romance novels. He’s not going to know that, either, because that is something I’ll be keeping to myself, thank you very much.
When I lift my eyes to meet his again, he’s staring at me with intensity that sets the blood in my veins on fire.
“Next question,” I murmur.
TJ opens his mouth, but then his phone chirps, and he reaches for it, silencing the alarm. “Gotta check on the chicken. Hold that thought.”
I use the precious couple of minutes alone to give myself a pep talk.
No more flirting. No more mentions of inspiration. Come on, Lu. Act natural.
The problem is, I am not natural.
“Such a pretty face, but then she opens her mouth, and yikes.”
The words from the comments section on one of the many People’s Picks articles resound like a clashing gong in my mind. I swallow a couple of times, trying not to replay all the words that other people have said about me, and reminding myself that TJ knows who I am now. He’s not holding it against me. At least, not right now.
I get a sense of peace at the realization, and by the time he comes back inside, I’m not quite so sick to my stomach. I still don’t know exactly what to talk about, but at least I don’t feel like I’m going to hyperventilate in his living room.
“Chicken’ll be a couple more minutes,” he says.
I nod. “This is a great house.” I sweep my gaze around the living room.
“Thanks.” TJ cracks a proud grin. “I love it. My commute is simple, and there’s something about disappearing into the normalcy of a neighborhood that I really appreciate.”
“How’d you end up in Green Bay?” I ask.
“Haven’t you read up on all the details of my life?”
“I’d like to hear it from you.”
He smiles at that. “I was drafted by the River Foxes straight out of college. They signed me for a three-year contract. When that was up, my agent negotiated a contract extension, so I’m here for a couple more years at least. I love this town, and I can’t imagine playing anywhere else, but that’s the nature of the job.”
“I didn’t realize that’s how it worked.” I tip my head to the side. It has to be tough to think about being shuffled to a different team after working hard and putting down roots in one place. “I wasn’t lying when I told you that I don’t know the first thing about football.”
“What did you think of the games?”
“They were—” I search for the right word. “Entertaining.”
