I entered Pax’s house to find Bebe and Dillon talking. Walking past them, I didn’t see Nova in the backyard. Her girls were sitting with Vanessa at a child-sized table.
“Where’s Nova?” I asked Bebe.
“Hiding in the bathroom,” she replied gently.
Preteen Dillon wasn’t so kind and asked, “Did you do something wrong?”
“No, I’m innocent.”
“Innocent of what exactly?” Dillon pushed, sounding like her lawyer mama.
“Of everything. I’m as sweet and uncomplicated as a newborn babe,” I said while peeking down the hallway of Bebe’s house. “Which of your many bathrooms is Nova hiding in?”
“She might just be using the bathroom,” Bebe offered. “You know, since you’re innocent, and she’d have no reason to hide.”
I stepped closer to them and revealed the crinkled paper with a smiling Eddie Murphy face. “She put this in my jacket pocket.”
“She gives those to everyone,” Dillon insisted.
Bebe, though, smiled softly like she got what was happening. “Help me check on the cookies,” she said and gestured for me to follow her into her kitchen. “Nova will be out soon, and then you can unleash your most charming side.”
Except Nova wasn’t out of the bathroom soon. I started wondering if she wasn’t hiding but actually felt ill. Would she be upset with me waiting for her while she was dealing with a sick stomach?
“Should I back off?” I asked Bebe.
“Nova did seem a little tipsy at the reception. I wonder if I should check on her.”
“This might be a mistake,” I said and studied the paper. “Or she was playing a joke.”
“You could leave a note,” Dillon suggested as she took a cookie from the baking sheet. “She left you a paper message, and you could leave her one. Ooh, maybe we can print out the face of another actor. Who do you like?”
“That seems like the behavior of a silly man.”
“You’re the biggest doofus I’ve ever met,” Vanessa said as she entered the room. “Now, what are we talking about?”
“Boone has a crush on Nova.”
“Oh, I already knew that,” Vanessa said and took a cookie before returning it to the sheet and grabbing a handful of broccoli heads. “I need more fiber.”
Bebe fixed Vanessa’s messy blonde hair and explained, “Nova gave Boone the Eddie Murphy face last night.”
“No, Stevie did,” Vanessa said, and I frowned. “Wait, Stevie gave it to Clint. Yeah, it was Nova who put it in the right pocket.”
“Were they messing around?” Dillon asked. “Is this a mean joke to make Boone cry?”
“No, Nova thinks Boone is hot. She wants to ride his hog if you get my drift?”
Bebe asked, “Did she say that?”
“Of course not. Nova doesn’t talk about men’s hogs. She’s all demure and puritan, but I sensed her mind was on Boone’s hotness and hog.”
“I think I should leave,” I said and inched away from Bebe, Vanessa, and Dillon. “I’ll hit up Nova another time.”
Dillon shook her head. “Don’t be a wuss. You should print out a smiling face of an actress and leave it for Nova. It’ll be a fun thing you can tell your grandkids.”
Stroking her granddaughter’s head, Bebe chuckled. “That would be a fun story.”
“I’m going to leave.”
