was busy. He hadn’t mentioned anything about working on a new film, but then again, she hadn’t asked. And even if he hadn’t had a job when they’d gone out, it was possible something had come up. Maybe his agent had sent him a new script, or whatever happened when actors took jobs in Hollywood. Maybe he just didn’t have time for romance.
Maybe.
More than once, she found herself lurking on his page on LoveFindr, obsessing over the details, trying to figure out whether he was seeing somebody else. She knew she had no right to be upset if he was. They hadn’t made any kind of commitment to one another. They hadn’t even said that they would see one another again.
Still, she realized she would be sad if she learned he was dating other women.
I guess I wanted to be his regular woman. I wanted to be the one he came to, to get away from celebrity life.
She wouldn’t have been upset—or not very upset—to see him romantically linked with a famous actress. Actresses were from another world. His world. It made sense that he would choose someone like him.
But if he decided to choose someone normal, someone who was like her but not her… well, that would be heartbreaking.
Oh, this is ridiculous. I need to put it out of my mind.
Fortunately, the day arrived when the sixth-graders were turning in their cell models, which gave her just the distraction she needed. She had set up a long table along one side of her classroom, and while the kids were at lunch, she went down the length of it, admiring their creativity. She did this project with her class every year, and each time, she saw things she had never seen before.
After careful consideration, she awarded the blue ribbon—a prize she always gave out for creative projects like this—to Caitlin Messimer, who had made her entire cell out of edible items, including a bisected peach with the pit showing for the nucleus, and licorice mitochondria.
That evening, as she drove home, she found that her heart was lighter than it had been in days. Curt wasn’t going to call, and she had accepted that fact. It didn’t matter. She had had a wonderful date with him, and now she was ready to move on with her life.
She parked her car, unlocked the door to her apartment, and went inside.
Her phone rang.
Maybe it’s Janette, calling to let me know that she’s pregnant!
She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out her cell, frowning when she saw that the number was local but unknown to her. What could this be about?
Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have answered a call from an unknown number. But today, curiosity was getting the best of her.
She accepted the call. “Hello?”
“Annalise?”
She knew the voice at once, of course. How many times had she heard him on her TV? But hearing that voice say her name was still surprising.
“Curt,” she said. “This isn’t the number you gave me.”
“Yeah, I’m not calling from my phone,” he said. “I’m calling from my trailer.”
“What?”
“Oh, sorry. The trailer I’m in on set has its own phone, and I’m using that instead of my cell because… well, to be honest with you, I don’t know where my cell is right now. I think the director might have swiped it. He’s really touchy about phones on set.”
“I didn’t know you were shooting a movie right now,” Annalise said, feeling dumb.
“We didn’t discuss it,” Curt said. “It’s not something I like to bring up at random. It sort of feels like bragging. But yes, I’m shooting right now.”
“That must be keeping you busy,” Annalise said, hardly daring to hope.
“Extremely busy,” Curt agreed. “I’ve been working fourteen-hour days most of the time.”
“Really?” Annalise was momentarily distracted from her curiosity about why Curt was calling. “That’s so crazy.”
“It’s kind of a tough shoot,” Curt said. “It’s another romantic movie, but this one’s more of an action/drama piece, and I’m doing a lot of my own stunts. I spent today learning some fight choreography.”
“I’d love to see that,” Annalise said.
“You can, next December,” Curt said, and she could hear the grin on his face even though she couldn’t see it. “Or maybe I could just show you some time.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been meaning to call you,” he said. “I would have gotten to it sooner, if it hadn’t been for my schedule being so packed. I’m really sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Annalise said quickly. “Really, you don’t. I know your life must be