Page 46 of King of Hollywood
I didn’t like this one bit.
“Felix Finley is your date?” Khaki asked in disbelief. “Oh my.”
I didn’t know what to do. Why weren’t they moving? I’d been clear, hadn’t I? How much clearer could I be? Steam was practically coming out of my ears as my brain stuttered to an awful, screeching halt.
Once again, I was saved by Felix, because of course I was.
He was my night with a shiny smile, after all.
A chilly hand met my elbow, tucking inside it. It gave me a tight squeeze as Felix easily inserted himself between me and the loud, terrifyingly brave women.
“Is he bothering you?” he teased, voice light, eyes sparkling. I melted, tucking into him immediately—flowers forgotten. I dipped my head down and tried to surreptitiously sniff his lemon-y hair. I knew first-hand just how soft it was—and despite being wet, Felix still smelled like I remembered.
Inhaling greedily, I gave up on being subtle and instead crowded greedily against his side. It felt second-nature to curl over him protectively with my bulk—despite the fact that at the moment, he was the one doing the protecting.
I knew what he was doing.
He was deflecting, working the crowd in a way that I had always known people could do—but never managed myself. Like a politician, or a celebrity. He seemed to know exactly what to say to get what he wanted.
People-wrangling was not a skill I possessed.
I hadn’t known he did either.
Till now.
The women laughed, delighted. “Oh, that’s just Marshall for you,” one of them grinned. “Always grumpy.”
The other snorted out in delight.
Who in the hell were these people? And how did they know me?
“Do you mind if I steal him?” Felix asked, giving my elbow another squeeze. Like a gentleman, he did not point out the fact that I was sniffing his hair and practically purring. Felix’s body felt comforting and cool in my arms—not overstimulating, loud, and smelly like the rest of this place.
“Go ahead,” the women grinned, ice broken, before turning away from us and finally—finally—leaving us alone.
Felix directed me out of the cluster of people who were beginning to disperse—almost like they’d been there to watch him, and him alone—and not the other volunteers at the booth. That in itself was odd. Was the population of Beach Town really that nosy?
Yes.
Yes it was.
Leading me through the crowd, Felix only paused when we found a less populated alleyway between vendor tents. At the end it led to what looked like a giant sheet suspended high in the sky, a movie playing on it. There was a crowd of people lying on blankets clustered beneath it, watching it, enraptured.
When I saw a square-headed grumpy old cartoon man yell at a child to get off his lawn, I recognized the movie immediately.
Without prompting, Felix laughed. Apparently he’d seen what I had. I was so startled by the sound, I jerked a little in his grip. Twisting to get a better look at him, my heart thudded unsteadily as a sunny smile split across his face. I hadn’t noticed when—but he’d put his wet hat back on. The sunglasses, however, remained blissfully in his pocket—or missing, wherever they’d ended up.
He was in a dry t-shirt now, the same kind they’d had him in the booth. It was odd seeing him in something so casual and modern. But I liked it. Maybe a bit too much.
“What are you laughing at?” I asked, more than a little curious.
“That’s you.”
“What’s me?”
“That old man,” Felix pointed at the screen—exactly where I’d just been looking. Flabbergasted, I stared at him, then the screen, then him again. His eyes were crinkled at the corners, clearly delighted as he teased.
“That—what—” I’d seen that movie. Of course I had. I was unfortunate enough to have nieces and nephews—and this was not the first time I’d been compared to the cranky old man on screen. However, this was the first time it made me blush.