Love Fool (One Night Only Season 2: Hunter's Story)

Chapter Five

"Do you think Deni is famous?" Paisley asks between spoonfuls of cereal.

It isn't even eight-thirty in the morning and she's already letting her imagination run wild and coming up with this. Between my sister's flights of fancy and the texts Adam has sent me about a get-together at his camp this afternoon that I would rather not attend, it could be a long day.

"You heard what she said last night," I reply. "Most people who live in L.A. aren't famous."

"Right. But do you think she is?"

"No."

I stop there. Asking her why she has this notion will only open the floodgates. Being at camp and on summer vacation from school allows her ample time to daydream. She used to channel her creative energy into writing stories and designing epic sandcastles that were more like sand palaces. These days, she spends her free time dreaming up what may as well be celebrity fanfiction.

She shares what's on her mind, anyway. "I think she could be. She just has that air about her, you know?"

"I don't know." I dip my spoon into my cereal bowl. This turns out to be the wrong thing to say, because Paisley pounces on the chance to contradict me.

"Weird. You seemed completely mesmerized by her last night, so I thought you saw it."

Her sly smile is a red flag. She's baiting me, only this is a step up from the flirting accusation she dropped in front of our mom yesterday before making a run for it. If I give any hint that I was, in fact, mesmerized by Deni last night, she will latch on to it and show no mercy.

I maintain my best poker face and continue eating my breakfast. Paisley waits until she can't take the silence any longer and speaks again.

"She just seems so effortlessly charismatic. Like how she carries herself, and how she speaks, and her confidence. All of that, and she lives in L.A."

"People can live in L.A. and be confident without being famous."

I pray she won't spend the summer badgering Deni to find out if she's famous or not. My goal is to make Deni feel at ease in my family's presence so she wants to hang out with us. Okay, so she wants to hang out with me. I don't need Paisley making her the subject of a not-so-stealth investigation.

"I still think her answer about running into celebrities was too blasé, unless she's also famous," Paisley informs me.

It's too early in the day for this. Then again, five minutes to midnight would still be too early in the day for this.

"I think she told us the truth, and I think you're reading into things that aren't there because you want to meet someone famous."

I push back my chair and get up from the table, signaling the end to our discussion. After rinsing my plate and washing my hands, I grab my camera and head for the door before Paisley can utter anything else about her impression of Deni.

The road is empty when I reach it. I decide to stroll in the same direction I did yesterday, in case luck is on my side and I run into Deni taking Alfie for a walk.

Fortune favors me today. I've been walking for about five minutes when I glimpse a figure in the distance running up the road, toward me. It's definitely my new neighbor.

I take a photo of Deni in motion while I wait for her to get closer. I wave at her, and she must see me, because she slows down as she approaches.

"Hey," I greet her. "Out for a run?"

She raises her hand to acknowledge me, then removes the cap from her water bottle and takes a drink. I decide to snap an up-close photo, but she sees me point the camera at her and ducks, covering her face with her hands.