She looked down and rubbed her belly. “I needed those words. Thank you.”
“Anytime. Did you win a raffle too?” asked Allie, hoping they could spend the afternoon together. Meeting one super-hot guy would be hard enough, but three of them was just overwhelming. Until this moment, she hadn’t given much thought to what she’d say, but now the idea of making small talk for an hour and half was daunting.
The woman gave her a quizzical look.
“Okay,” called Kate as if there was a room full of rowdy customers instead of the three of them. “It’s time. That curtain will open and you’ll have your little freak-out and then you can order whatever kind of pizza you want and eat. After that, we’ll sign autographs and you’ll be checked into the hotel.”
“I thought we’d have more time,” grumbled George.
“That’s all the time allotted for today,” Kate said while looking at her pad as if the discussion weren’t worth arguing over.
Allie took mental notes of how Kate handled George’s whining. Too often, she’d been bowled over by customers as they asked for an extra dollop of whipped cream or—heaven forbid—gravy, and ended up paying for the extras out of her pocket. Not anymore. She was going to adopt Kate’s technique and put an end to the pushers and takers in the café.
Kate counted down from three, and the curtain parted to reveal three of the most beautiful men Allie had ever seen. Firstwas the athlete, Anthony. He wore a tight-fitting Braves shirt that accentuated his muscles and complemented his dark skin, along with a pair of jeans.
Next was Beau Mckay. Though he was seriously good-lookin’ in his well-fitted jeans and button-up shirt, Allie was surprised to see a touch of gray at his temples and wrinkles around his mouth. In his movies, he still appeared fresh out of acting school, though his skills were far beyond a beginner.
Lastly, though certainly not least, was Mark Dubois. It was a good thing Allie had started on the other end of the trio, or her eyes would have never gotten past Mark. His hair, longer on top and shaved on the sides, was boy next-door adorable, while his turquoise blue eyes electrified her heart, shocking the organ into palpitations. His broad shoulders and trim waist were draped in easygoing faded jeans and a white T-shirt that pulled across his muscles. Holy moly, the guy was face-fanning hot.
Speaking of face-fanning, Kate was waving at her to get on with the freak-out.
For the teens.“Eeeeee!” Allie did a little hopping dance and then went right ahead and fanned her face. She needed it more than she would admit out loud. She sighed heavily, placing her other hand over her heart.
Her squeal startled George into action. He stepped in front of Allie and thrust his hand out for Anthony to take. In no time, he was pumping arms
like he was running for governor.
Allie held back, letting him have his moment. After all, neither one of them would be here if he hadn’t bought that raffle ticket in the first place. Plus, she wasn’t sure what to say.Hi, I’m Allie, would you like gravy on that?was all that came to mind.
When he got to Beau, George slapped him on both shoulders. “I can’t believe it’s you. Say the line—go on, say it!”
Beau’s mouth twisted wryly. How many times had he performed this for fans? Poor guy. Allie shook her head. Wait, this was Beau Mckay— Atlanta’s self-proclaimed player.Poor little rich guy indeed.
Dipping his chin and lowering his voice, Beau said, “You only cross that line once.”
George threw his arms in the air. “Yes! That was awesome.” Beau chuckled. Gesturing to Mark, he said, “This is my good friend Mark Dubois.”
“Of course!” George stepped forward and gave Mark a man hug he wasn’t quite ready for. Mark pounded him on the back, and George coughed hard. Allie bit her cheek to keep from smiling.
“You’re my favorite on-screen cop.” George stared at Mark like he was a real hero and didn’t just play one in the movies. “I mean, you must really shoot. You handle a gun like you’ve been trained.”
“He does,” stepped in Beau. “Mark, tell him about going through FBI training while you two order pizza.”
Mark smiled, but his tight jaw and cocked shoulder told Beau he was in trouble.
“Anthony, you coming?” asked George, too excited to let this baseball guy out of his sight.
She watched Mark walk away, a very happy moment indeed, for his backside was just as beautiful as his—
“And who might you be?” Beau put his arm around her waist. Allie looked up and into his alluring hazel eyes. He’d turned on the on screen charm he used to seduce women, and she played along … for the kids. Giggling, because the room was tipping, she placed her hand on his well-defined chest. “I’m, like, your biggest fan.” She quickly removed her hand and pressed her palm over her mouth to stop twittering. Beau’s smile warmed considerably. “Let’s get a table.”
“Don’t you want pizza?” Allie really wanted pizza. She was lightheaded enough from lack of food, and all these muscles in one area weren’t helping.
“I’ll have them bring some to the table.” He pulled out her chair and motioned to one of the servers in a white chef’s coat.
Allie twisted in her seat to watch the guys watch their pizza cook. Mark turned at the same moment, and their eyes met. A sweet charge shot through her belly and she froze in place, worried that if she moved she’d wake up in her bed. Mark winked, and she melted against the chair. That was so not fair. No man should have that kind of power at his disposal.
A server appeared with several pizza pies, which he placed in front of them. “Can I get you a drink?” he asked Beau.
