Page 68 of The Fake Script
“Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t,” Emma says. “It’s my birthday, so I’ll probably do something with my friends.”
“It’s your birthday?” Mom and I exclaim at the same time. Then, she shoots me a questioning look.
I shake my head dramatically, gesturing to Emma. “This one. Always hiding stuff from me.”
“Well, that changes everything,” Mom says, speed-typing on her phone. “We’re throwing you a party, dear. End of discussion.”
Emma’s cheeks turn tomato-red. “Oh, no, no. That’s completely unnecessary. I’m not really a huge fan of parties.”
She waves a hand, her bracelets jangling. “Don’t be silly. Auston’s your boyfriend now. He’ll throw you a fabulous party. Right, honey?”
I nod, casting Mom a quick smile. “Of course. I’ll make sure it’s low-key,” I add, sensing the distress lingering in Emma’s eyes.
She bites her lip, hesitant, then nods, probably realizing she doesn’t have a choice. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Of course, dear,” Mom says with a glowing smile. “I won’t be there but he’ll show you a good time. Hold on a second. Robyn is calling.”
She steps aside to take her phone call, and I turn to Emma.
“Sorry for the ambush. I didn’t know.”
She wears a tight grin. “Don’t worry about it. Just keep your promise and make sure they don’t go overboard, okay?”
“Absolutely. I’ll organize it myself.”
Her eyebrows draw together. “Really?”
“Of course.”
“Please, please, just keep it low-key. I don’t like big parties. Oh, and no presents.”
I arch an eyebrow. “A birthday party without presents?”
She wraps her arms around herself. “I don’t like when people spend money on me. It just makes me uncomfortable.”
I give her a firm nod. “I’ll take care of everything. It’ll be perfect, you’ll see.”
There’s no way I’m letting anyone else organize her party. This is my opportunity to show Emma how much I care about her. I know my girl like the back of my hand, and I’ll give her the birthday party of her dreams if it’s the last thing I do.
28
The Relationship Expert
Emma
Way too many things are happening at once, and yet again, I’m having a hard time processing my emotions. I used to have a limited range—pissed off, really grumpy, slightly less grumpy, tolerating life, tolerating it a little more, and blissed out by a good book. Now, it’s all over the place, running the gamut from excitement to confusion and swooning. Yes,swooning. My life is a mess.
But how can I not swoonwhen Auston tells me he’s going to organize my birthday party himself? We’re talking about a man who has assistants and managers organizing his entire life. And yet he won’t let anyone else handle this? Talk about confusing. Why am I not pissed off about this? I should be. I don’t like people spending money on me. But here I am,swooning. And excited.
But I don’t have time to process those emotions, because Melissa Fortner just arrived, and Auston—who read her book without my knowledge—is introducing me to her. Everything about this situation is unreal.
“And this is Emma,” he says, his eyes flitting toward me. “One of the bookstore owners, and a major reason why this adaptation is going to be a huge success. She helped me nail down Diego’s character and has made a few pertinent comments.”
“A few?” Clarence teases with a pointed look, and we all laugh.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Emma,” Melissa says, offering me a warm smile as she shakes her head. “Thank you for your dedication to the book.”
“I love it. It’s only one of my favorite books in the entire world. And I usually read Dark Romance, so that’s saying something,” I blurt out in a single breath, like a kid reciting a well-rehearsed speech—though that’s not far from the truth. I’ve spent the last fifteenminutes brainstorming what I was going to say to her. Though it didn’t exactly come out as intended.