The sound that burst out of me was hardly human. “No, thank god. I’m not sure I could handle living with my parents at this age.” There was a sadness in her eyes, and I instantly cursed myself. She’d lost her parents when she was young. That had to have been hard. “I’m sorry,” I blurted out. “I didn’t think…”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to tiptoe around me or my feelings.” Tessa gave ma small, hesitant smile. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.” She looked outside at her brother. “Besides, I think I can understand what that’s like a little. Matt told me I could move back in here, but I just don’t want to impose when those two seem so happy.”
“Right. I get that, believe me. They’re a little too lovey-dovey sometimes.” I grabbed a beer from the bucket on the counter and popped the tab off, taking a long pull.
Tessa snorted. “You can say that again. You should have seen them the first time I met Noelle. They could hardly keep their hands off of each other.”
When had we moved so close together? It felt like we were only a breath apart.
“What about you?” I asked, unsure why the words were slipping from my lips. “Anyone special in your life?”
She scrunched up her nose. “No. I’ve sworn all that off, anyway.”
I quirked an eyebrow, amused. “Sworn what off?”
“Dating. Relationships.” Her voice dropped lower. “Love. I don’t have time for any of that. Not if I’m going to pursue my dream and move to Hollywood.” She sighed. “If I even make it.”
“Yeah.” Drinking from my beer, I studied her.Hollywood.Yeah, she’d fit in there alright. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry too much about that.”
Tessa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hm?”
“I just have this feeling is all.”
She beamed. “And what’s that?”
“You’re going to be the brightest star there, Hollywood.” I winked at her. “You can count on that.”
CHAPTER 1
Tessa
It was the most beautiful wedding I’d ever been to, and not just because of the way my brother’s face lit up whenever he saw his soon-to-be wife.
And, okay, it was one of theonlyweddings I’d attended, but that wasn’t what I was focusing on. No, it was everything—the perfect fall vibes. Noelle’s beautiful white dress shimmered in the light, covered in delicate tulle and lace designs.
They were having it at a pumpkin patch outside of the city, with the reception being held in the barn. Last night at the rehearsal dinner, their love had beencontagious.
Enough for me to admit that maybe I was wishing I had a special someone that looked at me like that, too. After I’d graduated college, love had been the last thing on my mind. Now… even I got lonely sometimes.
Two and a half years ago, I’d been finishing college in New York when my brother had met the love of his life on the college campus he worked on as a professor. Ever since, I’d gotten even closer to her, and now she was one of my closest friends—and soon, she’d be my sister.
“Matthew?” I knocked on the door to the room where the guys were getting ready, already dressed in my pumpkin orangesilky bridesmaid dress. I’d been sent over here to make sure the guys hadn’t forgotten anything.
We’d spent all morning getting our hair and makeup done. Though I was pretty used to being pampered in a chair at this point, this was different. We’d all smiled and laughed the whole time, drinking champagne and sharing stories about the happy couple from the last two years.
I was excited when Noelle asked me to be in the wedding, standing alongside her best friends—Charlotte, Angelina, and Gabbi. It was fitting, I guess, that my brother had asked her cousin, Oliver, to stand on his side.
She was the closest thing Noelle had to a brother.
“Hey, Hollywood.” The man in question grinned at me as he opened the door, leaning against the frame. His eyes were heated as he looked at me, a blatant perusal down my body.
Standing at five foot ten, I was tall, but he was still taller, muscular, but nottoobuff. And he took my breath away any time he entered the room. It was almost unfair how gorgeous he was. With the freckles that dotted his cheekbones and that beautiful auburn hair, I’d never been so attracted to a guy.
Since the first time we’d met, I’d tried to ignore my attraction to him. After all, I’d never been planning on staying in Portland. So besides a few visits a year, it wasn’t like we saw each other enough for anything to happen.
Not that I even knew if he liked me that way. Though there was the way he’d checked me out when he saw me standing at the door.
Still, he’d been a perfect gentleman ever since the day we’d met. So I tried my best to do the same, to not give any indication that I was interested. Except… it was really hard when he called me Hollywood. It reminded me of the day we’d met. Of how sure he was when he’d told me.You’re going to be the brightest star there, Hollywood.
