Maisie Knowles has hidden her identity and lies to everyone she knows to follow her dreams of becoming a successful author, but when she meets Theo Park, the actor playing the male lead in the movie based on her book, all the secrets she hid so well...
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"M-Mom," I said, startled, the bag with my dress in it slipping out of my hands, and falling to the floor with a plop. "What are you doing here?"
She turned toward me at the sound of my voice, her brows furrowing in confusion, then suspicion as she took in my appearance. "Where are you coming from, dressed like that?"
"Work," I lied quickly, snatching up my bag, and holding it to my chest so the contents inside weren't visible. "I told you I was working an overnight. I just got out. My scrubs got dirty so I changed."
"Well, I was just going to drop off some food," she told me, and I noticed she was holding two paper bags in her hands.
"When I wasn't home?"
"I have your spare key."
"Mom."
"What?" she responded, narrowing her eyes at my tone. "I can't bring you food?"
"You can't just let yourself into my apartment without my permission!"
"Why not? I'm your mother."
I grit my teeth. "It's my apartment."
"Do I not let you come home whenever you want without making you knock? And let you go in even when no one is home?"
I faltered a bit. "That's different."
"How?" she challenged. "I wasn't even going to bother you, Maisie. I was going to put the food away and leave. Why are you always like this?"
My mind raced. Was my apartment clean? I knew my fridge didn't have anything healthy in it. If she went in, she'd definitely say have something to say. I didn't want to deal with it right now, not when I was hungover, and only had minutes to get ready for work. "I gave you that key to hold onto in case I lost something, not for you to come over whenever you want. You need to tell me in advance."
"Why? Are you hiding something?" she questioned, her lips twisting to the side.
My stomach churned, the hallway suddenly feeling ten times smaller. "No... I just want you to respect my privacy. That's it."
"Your brother doesn't care if I stop by, so why are you so upset by it?"
"He should be bothered by it," I pushed back, feeling my palms start to get sweaty. "We're adults, Mom. I shouldn't need to explain why I want privacy."
"Well, I'm sorry for worrying about you and wanting to bring you food. Next time I'll make sure to schedule an appointment with you."
A twinge of guilt bit at me, but I shoved it aside, biting down on the inside of my cheek. "Mom, I don't have time for this conversation. I need to get to work."
