She looked at him sideways as she made sure her ice cream didn’t drip. “How does one become a pizza snob?”
He chuckled as he bit into his cone. “I guess it starts with an obsession and then gets a bit ridiculous when they start making their own kinds of pizza to see if they can come up with new recipes.”
“You cook.” She liked that. Most guys at her high school wouldn’t admit that.
“Only pizza. Does that count against me?”
“Nope.” Any guy who was comfortable in the kitchen was a plus, even if it was only for pizza. She took another look at him. He seemed more at ease now. His dark hair tussled a bit like he’d been running his fingers through it.
“What about you? I know some things from your Vlog, but I don’t know much other than your opinions on movies. What do you do besides tear apart teen idols?”
Stephanie laughed. She liked this guy. “I was kind of hard on Brandon, wasn’t I?”
“I think your exact words were, ‘A drunk monkey could have played the part of Xander better.’”
Stephanie winced, embarrassment heating her face. “Yeah. Let’s not talk about that.” She tried to think of something she could tell Christopher that would take the conversation away from Brandon. “I love drama, as you probably already know. I landed the lead in the upcoming play. I adore popcorn, especially gourmet flavors. And I’ve never been fishing.”
Christopher’s mouth dropped open. “Wait, what? You live thirty minutes from Lake Michigan and you’ve never gone fishing? What’s the deal?”
She chewed her bottom lip. “My dad died when I was six. My mom had to take two jobs just to make ends meet. We don’t have an uncle with a cabin on the lake.”
Christopher flinched.
“Geeze, I’m sorry. That sounded awful.” What was wrong with her? Why was she putting her foot in her mouth? “All I meant was, we didn’t have anyone to teach us how to fish growing up.”
He spread his hands. “Maybe I can teach you sometime. You know, when it’s not twenty below outside.” He grinned. “Which will be next July.”
She smiled. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s plan on that, then. As friends.”
She didn’t mean to blurt that out, but she couldn’t stuff the words back in her mouth. He slowly nodded. “Yes. As friends.”
She glanced at the clock. He must have seen it because he stood up. “I’d better get going. It was nice to meet you, Stephanie.”
She stood as well. “It was nice to meet you, Christopher.”
“You can call me Chris.”
“Okay. Chris.” She held out a hand, then felt dumb. Who shook hands when ending a date-that-wasn’t-a-date? But Chris didn’t seem to mind. He took her hand and smiled.
“Call me sometime. When you need a friend to talk to.”
“Yeah. I will.”
Chris walked out of The Spotted Cow, and Stephanie stared after him, not quite knowing what to think of the conversation.
Chapter 8
Brandon walked along the trail behind his house, the view of the beach stretching before him. Cooper, his dog, followed after him, his tail wagging.
For some reason, Brandon couldn’t sit still. It wasn’t the new part his manager had texted him about. He never got nervous to audition anymore. And it wasn’t his mother getting on his case. She was just trying to be a mom.
No, it was that Vlogger girl and the stupid guy she was out with. Why had she not texted him back? Was she still out with that friend? And what were they doing?
His dog barked and he glanced around until he saw the neighbor’s toy poodle on the beach had caught Cooper’s attention. “Oh, no. Stay with me, buddy. Don’t go looking at the girls. They’re fickle. You don’t need that in your life.”
Cooper knew better than to chase the poodle, but he barked again, just to let Brandon know there was a dog out there. Brandon smiled as he changed direction. “Come on. Let’s go sit down. I have to text Vlogger girl.”
His golden retriever was his best friend in the world. Brandon had wanted a dog ever since he was a tiny kid, but his parents refused. Then his father left when he was seven, and his mother had let him get Cooper. Maybe it was his father who wouldn’t let him have the dog. He’d never thought about it before now.
Cooper was the perfect dog. He was smart. Brandon taught him to roll over and shake hands. And when Brandon was sick, Cooper would instinctively know it and lay next to him in a consoling way.
Brandon slowed as he neared his home. It was a two-story luxury beach house, with a swimming pool and a five-car garage. His mother had said it was too big when he’d found it, but she quickly grew to love the spacious kitchen. He was going to let her have it when he turned eighteen and could move out on his own.
He reached down and picked up a piece of driftwood and tossed it further down the beach. Cooper ran and grabbed it, then brought it back to him. Brandon sat in the Adirondack chair on his back patio and pulled his phone out. Cooper dropped the wood at his feet and whined until Brandon tossed it again. He knew how this game was played.
As Cooper ran to get the wood, Brandon typed on his phone.
Are you still on a date? What are you doing? You said he was just a friend.
She didn’t answer right away, and he played catch with Cooper for ten minutes before he heard the sound of her text.
Sorry. I was driving. I’m home now.
Instead of answering her, he hit the call button and listened to it ring until she picked up.
“Hello?”
Her voice was instantly recognizable because he’d watched so many of her Vlogs. He smiled. “Hey. How was your date?”
Vlogger girl exhaled. “It wasn’t a date.”
“How was your non-date, then?”
“We ate ice cream. That’s all.” In the background someone called out, “Is that him? Are you talking to Brandon?”
His smile widened. “Is that your sister?”
“Yes.” He could hear the eye-roll in her voice.
“Let me talk to her.”
“Why do you want to do that?”
Brandon wasn’t sure why. Maybe because he was starting to feel like he knew both of the girls. “Just because.” But then he remembered what she’d done and tacked on, “I owe her.”
The phone made a fumbling noise and another girl came on the line. “Hello?”
“Hey, Vlogger’s sister.”
“Amanda.” She sounded a bit annoyed. “And my sister is Stephanie. Geesh, you watch her Vlog, and you didn’t even know that?”
“Of course, I know her name. Her Vlog is called Stephanie’s Corner. It’s just more fun to call her Vlogger girl.”
“Well, it’s rude. Don’t do that.”
He chuckled but ignored her request. “I just wanted to say thank you.”
“For what?”
“You know what.”
Amanda paused, and he wondered what she was thinking. “Okay. You’re welcome.”
“Okay, you can put Vlogger girl back on the line.”
“Stephanie.”
The phone made another noise like someone was rubbing fabric over the mic and then Stephanie came on. “You still there?”
“Where would I go?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you fell asleep or something.”
“Are you implying your sister is boring?” Cooper nudged his leg and he picked up the stick again, throwing it farther this time.
“What do you need?” In the background he heard Amanda yell, “Wow. Rude much?”
“Tell her I’m not offended. I just wanted to talk.”
“What about?”
This girl was pretty direct. That’s one thing he liked about her Vlog. “I don’t know. Stuff. I want to get to know you. Where do you live and stuff?”
She sighed. “Why do you want to know where I live? I’m nowhere near Hollywood.”
“I know. Just curious, I guess.”
“Wisconsin.”
“Ah, the cheese state. I h
ave an aunt who lives in Wisconsin. I used to go there as a kid.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. She lives in this typical small town, and it was so different than the city. I loved it as a kid. She’s got a huge back yard. My uncle tied a tire to a tree and I would spend hours out there, swinging on that tire.” Brandon watched Cooper, the stick in his mouth, kicking up sand as he ran back to him.
“What part of Wisconsin does she live in?”
“Near Green Bay.”
The sound of a breath sucking in came through the line. “What?” Brandon asked.
“Nothing.”
“No, what? Do you live in Green Bay?”
She paused. “No.”
Brandon tugged on the stick on Cooper’s mouth. He didn’t want to give it up. Funny dog. They played this game sometimes. “Do you live near Green Bay?”
“How about another question?”
Now, that was interesting. She didn’t want to tell him where she lived. Girls didn’t deny him of much. He’d never met a girl like Stephanie. He chuckled. “All right. You live near Green Bay, but you don’t want to say where. That’s fine. You don’t have to tell me. I know you have a sister. Any other siblings?”
She let out a breath. “No.”
“And what does your father do?”
She sat silent for a moment. “He passed away.”
Brandon winced. “Oh. Sorry.”
“That’s okay. You didn’t know.”
“What does your mom do?”
“She works for an insurance company, and has a second part-time job.”
“Man, that sucks. You probably don’t see her much.”
“She is at work a lot,” Stephanie said, her voice low.
“You’re a senior?”
“Yes.” She paused. “What about you? You probably don’t have time to go to school. How does that work?”
Cooper finally let go of his stick and Brandon tossed it down the beach again. He was starting to get hungry. “I have a tutor. One more year and I’ll be done with that, though. Which is good, because it’s a major bore.”
“So, you just study with a tutor? No classes?”
“Nope.”
“Have you always had a tutor?”
“Since fifth grade, when I got my first big part.”
A rustling sound came through the phone, like she was shifting. “Sounds lonely.”
He let out a breath and stared out at the water. He liked watching the white cresting of the waves as they hit the beach. “Yeah. It is.”
“I guess that’s the price you pay for being a famous, idolized teen.”
He chuckled. “You don’t idolize me.”
It was her turn to laugh. “No.”
His smile faded, and he looked at Cooper, wagging his tail. He scratched behind his ears, then picked up the driftwood. “Why not?”
“I don’t idolize anyone.”
Brandon pursed his lips. He’d heard how she talked about some of those actors in her favorite movies. She was impressed. Just not with him. “I don’t believe you.”
“What?”
He didn’t want to talk about how she wasn’t dazzled by him anymore. “So, you live in Wisconsin, possibly near Green Bay, but you don’t want to say where?”
She let out a long sigh. “Yeah. I don’t really want to say where I live.”
A voice in the background yelled out, “She lives in Rockford.”
Brandon dropped the piece of driftwood he held and it thudded to the sand. His hands went numb. Did she say Rockford?
Holy crap. That’s where his aunt lived.
Chapter 9
Stephanie clamped her hand over her mouthpiece but feared it was too late. “Shut up!” she hissed.
Amanda didn’t look apologetic. She simply shrugged and left their room, her long hair swaying. Stephanie sent a death glare toward the door and then plopped down on her bed.
“You live in Rockford?” Brandon’s voice sounded funny.
“So?”
“That’s where my aunt lives. I spent a whole summer there as a kid.”
“Seriously?” The thought of the movie star in her hometown was odd. She almost didn’t believe him.
“Yeah. I remember the mall. And there was this trampoline place with all kinds of inflatable bounce houses.”
He was telling the truth. How bizarre. “You’re talking about Air it Up. That place closed two years ago.”
“What? It closed? That place was the best. I loved the black lights that made your shoelaces glow in the dark.”
“My favorite was the large pirate ship slide. I would go up and down that for hours.”
Brandon laughed. “I can’t believe you live in Rockford. Is that ice cream place still open? The one with the cow on the logo?”
“The Spotted Cow? Yeah. That’s where I was today with…” She stopped, not wanting to finish the sentence. How awkward was that?
“With your date?”
“It wasn’t a date.” She felt weird talking about it with him. She picked up her copy of Little Shop of Horrors and opened to the page where she was having trouble memorizing her lines.
“Yeah, right. Let me determine that with a few questions. How long have you known him?”
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to answer your questions.”
“Because you’ve been friends for years?”
“No.” She scoffed.
“Ha! Then I was right. You just met him. Was this the first time you’ve met?”
“I said I wasn’t going to answer your questions.”
“Come on. What am I going to do with the information? It’s not like I’m building a smear campaign against you.”
He had a point. But why did he want to know? “I just don’t know why you care.”
“Just curious.”
Stephanie tossed her script on the bed, unable to concentrate on it. “Okay. Yes. Today was the first time we met.”
“I knew it! Who set you up?”
“No one.” That totally wasn’t true. It was Jade’s app, which she suspected was manipulated by Jade. “All right, that’s not quite true. My friend Jade kind of set us up.”
“Kind of? How does one kind of set up someone else?”
“She made an app.”
“Hold up. Your friend made a dating app?” He hooted with laughter.
“Stop it.”
“No, this is too good. I want to know what it’s called.”
She could imagine him pulling out his phone. “Not going to tell you.” Her voice sounded strict, but she couldn’t help the smile that tugged on her lips.
“Tell me. Please? This is too good not to check out.”
“What are you going to do?”
“You know what I’m going to do. I’m going to download the app. Now give it up, Vlogger girl.”
Stephanie sighed. “Okay. It’s called High School Sweethearts.”
Brandon’s loud laugh came through the phone. It was different from his screen laugh. It had a more real quality to it. “You’re kidding me. High School Sweethearts? You’re being serious right now?”
Annoyance crept over her. “No. And don’t make fun of it. Jade is my best friend.”
“All right. I won’t make fun of it.” He paused. “It actually looks well put together. I like the graphics. Maybe I’ll sign up.”
“You can’t. Jade created it so only students who go to the correct high school can sign up. Maybe you can add your tutor in there and sign up that way.” Stephanie snickered. “I wonder who it would match you to? Is your tutor a woman?”
“Very funny,” Brandon said, his voice low.
“She is a woman, isn’t she? Now I want to know what she looks like.”
“No, you don’t. She’s a hundred years old. No one looks good at that age.”
“Perfect. You could use a little maturity in your life.”
He scoffed. “I do not have to take this abuse from you.”
She could hear the smile in his voice. She also heard barking. “Is that your dog?”
“Yes.”
“He sounds happy.” Stephanie grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. Talking to Brandon was different than she expected. He was more like a normal person. It was like talking to a friend, instead of a movie star. It was odd, but kind of cool.
“He is. He’s doing his favorite thing. Running in the sand and playing fetch.”
“You’re at the beach, then?” That totally made sense. She could hear the ocean waves in the background. She just didn’t know what it was.
“I’m at home.”
“Oceanfront property?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Does that make me a snob?”
“No. It makes me jealous.”
“What about you? You live in freakin’ Norman Rockwell’s hometown. Don’t you have a harvest festival coming up soon?”
“That’s next weekend. How did you know about that?”
“I was there one year for it. It was awesome. All kinds of booths selling homemade jam, bread, salsa, and everything else you can think of. I begged my aunt to buy me some extreme hot sauce. I think she had to sign a waver to buy it. Of course, she didn’t want to get it, but I pleaded with her until she gave in.” Brandon laughed. “She let me taste half a drop, and I thought I was going to die. I think I scared her with my screaming.”
“Geesh, were you okay?”
“Yeah. It stopped hurting after a couple of hours. Man, though, I think she regretted giving in to me on that one.”
Stephanie made a face. “Why did you even want to try it?”
“I was a pre-teen boy. They have no brain cells.”
Stephanie threw her head back and laughed. “You’re not kidding there.” A pause extended and she shifted on her bed. She wasn’t ready to hang up with him. Talking to him was nice. “So, what kinds of things do you do on the weekends?”
“Party.”
He said it so quickly that Stephanie balked. “Party? Does that mean what I think it means?”
“What do you think it means?”
“Go to some famous person’s house, hobnob with the rich people, and then get smashed.”
He let out a chuckle. “Usually it’s a club, but yeah, pretty much.”
A Young Adult Romance Collection Page 49