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Hollywood royalty he could do and say whatever he
wanted. He could easily send her away from his estate or
disinvite her to Margaux s wedding. If there was any
moment for Jonah to shed his nice-guy image and flaunt his
inner asshole, this was it. Alexa bit her lip, but to her
surprise, Jonah s expression softened.
Total, total respect, Alexa, he said, nodding at her. You re
your own person, you re on your own journey, and I m just
grateful that I got to & Jonah paused, running a hand
through his wet dark hair. Spend a part of that journey with
you.
As always, Alexa was a little unclear as to what Jonah was
talking about but she decided a soft Me, too was a safe
response.
175
The corner of Jonah s mouth lifted. And maybe you ll
change your mind before you leave LA. But that s entirely
up to you.
Clearly, Jonah Eklundstrom didn t have an inner asshole.
Alexa gave him a grateful smile, and then got out of the hot
tub, shivering as the cool ocean air hit her damp skin.
Thanks for understanding, she called softly, walking
backward.
I ll see you tomorrow, Jonah called back, but there was a
question in his voice.
Alexa turned away from the hot tub and began to cross the
soft grass, her flip-flops in her hand and the moon sailing
the sky above her. Once again, she felt as if she were part
of a scene in a movie. But, Alexa realized as something
that felt suspiciously like relief rose up in her, the movie
wasn t a drama. It was a romantic comedy. That was what
she and Jonah had been trapped in a bad romantic
comedy, with clunky dialogue and not-great chemistry
between the leads.
And, somehow, as she slipped back inside the
guesthouse, shut the door, and took a deep, steadying
breath, Alexa sensed that this wasn t the end of the film just
yet. LA, in all its wildness and glamour, still waited out
there, and so did Jonah.
Who knew what else might happen before the final credits
rolled?
176
CHAPTER EIGHT
Grin and Bear It
I can t believe you dumped Jonah Eklundstrom, Holly
declared the next morning as she and Alexa sprawled
across lounge chairs on the guesthouse sundeck, watching
the ocean s turquoise surface glimmer through the ficus
trees. Lingering jet lag had awoken both girls early, but
they d been too wiped out from their respective nights out
to do more than pull on bikinis and collapse in the sunshine.
Birds were twittering brightly and El Sueño s friendly
gardener, Miguel, was humming as he trimmed the nearby
hedges, clearly listening in on the girls juicy conversation.
I didn t dump him, Alexa argued as she adjusted her
sunglasses on her face. It s not like we were ever officially
together.
She sighed and glanced across the estate s
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sprawling grounds. According to Miguel, Jonah had left for
Paramount at dawn, and Alexa was grateful that she didn t
have to see him that morning. She was sure that the
eternally laid-back Jonah wouldn t make things awkward
between them, but Alexa herself felt a little uneasy about
what she d done. She knew she needed to hash out her
decision with Holly before she could feel one hundred
percent about it.
Still, you blew him off, Holly argued, but she grinned as
she said it. After her eventful night, she d slept fitfully,
imagining herself going bankrupt because of her new
dress, and remembering the somewhat strained
conversation she d had with Tyler outside the Cabana Club
( Maybe you should just call me back when it works for you,
Tyler had said, his voice distant). But Alexa s riveting Jonah
story had taken Holly s mind off her fatigue. Only you, Alexa
St. Laurent. Only you would decide that a gorgeous,
millionaire Oscar-winner isn t, you know, good enough.
Oh, shut up. Alexa laughed in spite of herself, and swung
her foot out to poke Holly s bare leg. So sue me. I have
high standards.
That s why I love you, Holly replied, resting her head back
on the chair and smiling fondly at Alexa. As surprised as
Holly was, she was also secretly impressed; the Alexa
she d always known would never have turned down a guy
like Jonah, no matter the circumstances.
178
What was it Kenya had said last night? It s this city. It
changes everyone.
Remembering Kenya, Holly sat up straight, checking her
watch. Could I take the Hybrid this morning? she asked
Alexa. Driving home last night along the dark Pacific Coast
Highway, listening to the ocean, and singing along to pop
songs on KIIS FM, had been strangely freeing and Holly
was eager to get back on the road. Wait until she told Tyler
that LA was turning her into a driver.
Sure, but where are you rushing off to? Alexa asked,
straightening her Noir gold anchor necklace against her
collarbone.
Holly swung her legs off her chair. Well, I m going to stop at
Fred Segal and return my dress before I meet Kenya at
UCLA, and then guess who called me
Whoa, whoa, Alexa cut in, whipping off her sunglasses.
Why on earth are you
Because I have to, Holly interrupted, her shoulders
slumping. I thought about it all of last night, Alexa. There s
no way I ll be able to pay off that credit card bill and still
manage to buy stuff for college. Holly was sorrowful at the
thought of giving back the pink Catherine Malandrino, but
she knew in her gut that it was the right, responsible thing to
do. The Holly thing to do. My prom dress is pretty cute,
after all, she added defensively.
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Okay & Alexa said slowly, tilting to her head to one side.
But that wasn t what I was about to ask. Why are you going
to UCLA today? Alexa couldn t believe it. Was Holly
actually abandoning her in her hour of need? Alexa had
been hoping to rehash her Jonah experience at least two
more times, as was her and Holly s custom when
discussing boy issues. And she was curious to hear all
about Holly s seemingly exciting night with Kenya, which
Holly hadn t time to get into because, well, Alexa had been
talking nonstop since they d gotten up.
Oh, right. Holly bit her lip, feeling a pang of guilt. I
assumed you were gonna be, uh, busy this morning, so I
told Kenya I d meet her before she went to class.
Alexa scowled and flopped back against the chair, her
loose golden bun bouncing. No, I m not busy this morning.
And I ll probably never be busy again. Alexa thought of the
fake nuns she d seen on the Paramount lot yesterday; since
she d passed up her chance to hook up with the most
beautiful guy on earth, Alexa figured she might as well join
their ranks. Get me to a nunnery.
Alexa s pay-attention-to-me expression sent a flash of
annoyance through Holly. She knew that Alexa wanted her
to cancel her plans with Kenya, and tell Alexa that of course
she d get busy again, of course
180
she hadn t ruined her love karma by ditching Jonah, and of
course everything was going to work out for the best. But
Holly didn t know if all that was even true. And maybe, for
once, she didn t want to be the one to pull Alexa out from
beneath the undertow of her own drama.
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