Paisley smoothed her skirt and cast a look down the second-floor hallway of the West Village building, where Noah and Lauren were renting an apartment for the summer. Stopping in front of number three, Paisley knocked. Music and laughter floated under the door, but she still heard the footsteps coming her way.

The door opened and Lauren was there, a smile already on.

“Hey!” Lauren pulled Paisley into a hug, which was made slightly difficult by the bouquet Paisley carried.

“I brought you, guys, these.” Paisley handed over the wildflowers. “A little housewarming gift.”

“Wow, thank you,” Lauren cooed. She buried her nose in them and Paisley took a moment to study their surroundings.

They stood in a small foyer that had doorways leading off in three directions. To the left was a kitchen. To the right, a hallway that probably led to bedrooms. And straight in front of them was a living room with tall windows and people Paisley had never met milling about. Last minute, Lauren and Noah had decided to get an apartment in the city for at least the next couple of months. Since the movie premiere five weeks before, they’d been driving in and out of the city, spending some days in Sweet Tree and other days in Manhattan.

“I’ll go put these in water,” Lauren said. She started to pivot on her heel, but paused. “Is Alex coming?”

Paisley studied Lauren’s face. “Why would he?”

Lauren raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know. Maybe because you two have been spending almost every day together the last month.”

Paisley’s cheeks warmed. “It hasn’t been every day.”

“Mm-hmm.” Lauren smirked. “So, is he coming or what?”

“No. He’s flying to Belmonte tonight. His family wants him there for this charity event.”

“You don’t look happy about that.”

Instantly, Paisley’s shoulders drew back. “No, I’m fine, really.”

Lauren still didn’t take the flowers to the kitchen. “Has anything happened between you, guys?”

“No,” Paisley said slowly. She and Alex were friends. Nothing more. And she was getting a little tired of hoping that might change someday.

“Where’s the snack table?” Paisley asked. “Please, tell me this is not like a vegan, raw food Hollywood party.”

“As if. Everything is in the living room. Go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

In the living room, Paisley gave the party a more thorough scan. Lauren had invited a few people from college, but they weren’t there yet, which meant every person there was a stranger.

But no worries. Paisley had never been shy and the ability to hold a conversation with anyone was one of the greatest skills she’d cultivated while traveling.

“Paisley.”

A mere foot from the snack table, she turned and found Noah.

“Hey,” she said, reaching over and giving him a quick hug.

“Thanks for coming,” he said.

“Thanks for having a party. This place is awesome.”

“This is my friend, Flynn.”

For the first time, Paisley noticed the guy standing right behind Noah. He had bright blue eyes and was nearly a head taller than. She blinked, trying to place him. And then, when she did, it took every bit of her strength to retain her cool.

“Nice to meet you.” Flynn extended his hand. “Paisley, right?”

Paisley shook the movie star’s hand. “Yep. Like the pattern. Weird, I know.”

“No. I love it.” Flynn grinned, flashing a set of teeth that couldn’t have been more perfect.

She thought of her phone in her purse, which was slung over her shoulder. So, so badly she wanted to text Alex:

PAISLEY: OMG, Flynn James from Gift Horse is here. Should I ask him if he had to bite the head off a real dead bird for that scene?

Not only was the drama Gift Horse one of Paisley’s favorite movies, it was one of Alex’s as well.

Alex. A pang hit her heart at the thought of him. He would only be in Belmonte for about a week, but the thought of not seeing him for seven days made her want to cry.

Noah’s attention shifted to the other wall. “Hey, I think Lauren needs my help with something. I’ll be back in a minute.”

On the other side of the living room, Lauren stood in the doorway to the kitchen and waved her hand to get Noah’s attention. He quickly left, leaving Paisley with one of the few actors who could probably cause her to be star-struck.

“Noah said you’re a big film buff,” Flynn said.

“Noah was talking about me?” Paisley spit out in surprise.

“Yeah. Well…” Flynn shrugged and looked down a little. “We saw you come in and he gave me a quick breakdown.”

Paisley laughed. “Okay. Cool. I also love food.” She gestured at the snack table. “Did he tell you that too?”

“Oh, wow. I love carbs too.”

“Amazing,” she giggled.

“What are the chances?”

Paisley stopped laughing. “Seriously, though. I just want to say it’s awesome to meet you. You probably get this a lot, but I’m a fan of Gift Horse.”

Flynn squinted slightly. “You’ve seen that movie?”

“You sound really surprised.”

He shook his head and a lock of brown hair fell over an eyebrow. “I am. Hardly anyone has seen that. It’s from, what, eight years ago, too?”

“I’ve seen a lot of films.” Paisley paused. “An embarrassing amount.”

Flynn grinned. “You mean an impressive amount.”

“You know, you’re right. I’ve seen an impressive amount.”

“A girl after my heart.” Flynn nodded at the table behind Paisley. “So, can I get you a bowl of pretzels? Maybe a mini pig in a blanket?”

“They have pigs in blankets?” Paisley dropped her jaw dramatically. “Kill me now. Life can’t get any better.”

Flynn moved for the table. “I think I even heard whispers about flatbread coming out of the kitchen soon.”

“Ooh, so that’s what Noah and Lauren are up to.”

Paisley followed Flynn, but as he went to get them both appetizer plates, she paused at the end of the table and pulled her phone out. Hitting the button that displayed the screen, she took a quick peek.

No messages from Alex. No funny memes. No quotes from Italian neorealist films. Her phone was quiet.

Paisley slipped it back into her purse. He was busy. Probably already in the air. And she didn’t need to be thinking about Alex, anyway. She was at her friend’s party at a new apartment, hanging out with one of her favorite actors. Alex probably wasn’t thinking about her that much at all so he should have been the last thing on her mind. Except, as so often was the case, he was the first.