[FIRST FIVE CHAPTERS]
Debut author Alex Evansley delivers a sweet summer romance in this inventive novel about a young heartthrob and teen author falling in love.
Teddy Sharpe is kind of famous. He might actually be on his way to being really famous...
The flight attendant is really starting to stress Teddy out.
He's not trying to be a dick here, but only so much can be expected of him given the circumstances. She already insisted on personally escorting him to his seat, and now she won't stop staring at the duffel bag resting across his legs. It hasn't left his lap since he sat down on this Boeing 747 death trap that's supposed to fly him from one end of the country to the other, and he's too busy trying to regulate his pulse to worry about moving it.
Flying. Teddy hates it.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stow your bag in the captain's closet, Mr. Sharpe?" the flight attendant asks, popping up in the aisle next to him.
"Oh, uh—" Teddy clamps both hands down on top of it. "I'll keep it with me, thanks."
"Is there anything I can get for you? A blanket? Or a pillow?" she rushes out, undeterred and borderline manic.
Teddy barely gets out a quick, "No, thank you" before she finally detonates, and it takes active effort for him to not recoil out of the blast radius.
"My daughter thinks you're just the cutest thing!" she gushes. "She's going to just die when she finds out you were on my flight tonight!"
Teddy tries to laugh it off, despite how uncomfortable he is. He knew it was a matter of time before she said something—he saw the recognition flicker across her face when she scanned his boarding pass at the gate earlier.
"No way, that's so sweet," he says, sending her into another fit of adoration. Teddy's already a terrible flyer, and again, not to be a dick here, but there's no way he can deal with this on top of everything else right now. Not when he's sleep deprived and dwelling on his botched audition this morning. "Actually, yeah," he interrupts, "could I get a pillow?"
This appears to be a thrilling development. "Of course! Back in a second." She winks at him and then she's gone, and Teddy stares stoically at the tray table in front of him and tries to roll some of the tension out of his shoulders.
It's not that he doesn't appreciate the occasional attention he gets from people who recognize him. He knows it comes with the job. And he knows he's going to have to get used to it if he lands this Parachutes role (big, massive, ginormous if). Still doesn't mean he's used to it now, though. Teddy loves talking to fans, but he's always liked his space. Particularly when it comes to his personal life.
Speaking of which.
Teddy's connecting flight to Miami is going to cut it close. Since he has no idea where his next gate is going to be, he pulls out his phone and uses it as an excuse to start a conversation with Chelsea. She filmed on location in North Carolina a few years ago. Maybe she remembers her way around the Charlotte airport. . . .
Yeah, Teddy knows it's a stretch, but, you know, desperate times, desperate measures.
Thu, Jul 20, 6:43 p.m.
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