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When she reappears, several girls stop her, and within seconds she’s wearing her genial talking-to-fans face

"Never?" Daniel is staring again, not that I blairl Her eyes findback to her fans "Are you sure about that?" he adds Brooke hasn’t left , which I attribute to the fact that she knows no one else here

I don’t answer, because Daniel’s not really listening He’s wearing the sauys a hundred times Some she’ll play with, some she won’t, but none of the

I try, unsuccessfully, to suppress a sood guy, but not for her Brooke needs soer than her life, certainly She needs a guy who can see through that spellbinding façade of hers, see her for what she is, and accept it

Chapter 26

Brooke

Grahauy hits on me and I send him a telepathic oh brother look, he seems amused A hi the photo shoot with Reid and Emma That’s the reaction I want

When his friend Daniel joins the girls who recognized me from Life’s a Beach, I welco to the three of theo, Kristen Wells, like she’s a real person, going so far as to apologize to me when one of them refers to her as a bitch People always think Kristen was a bitch--because she was scheet the guy or the job she wanted So yeah, a bit like me

I’d love to say, "You do realize she’s a fictional character, right? I’m not actually her" But no My career is co fictional characters to life, so I shrug and laugh it off

"Hi I’ and confident, he sticks his hand out "And you ive him lued to mine, which tells me he’s already taken the ti over His strawberry blond hair is perfectly style bed-head, and when he leans closer I catch the ne

"Well, Brooke, you look like you could use another beer"

My five-second assessirls like finish line ribbons

"Daniel, rude We’re talking to her!" One of the girls punches hiazes up at hi for hi atto happen Guys don’t suddenly wake up one day and get interested in girls they’ve never noticed before Unless you’re watching a sitcom or a movie of the week

"Yeah, Daniel, do you even knoho this is?" one of the others huffs "This is Brooke Cameron She was Kristen on Life’s a Beach You probably don’t even knohat that is"

"Sure I do Shevictim on that show"

Ga the ones Xavier gave eous costar, who, sadly, proved to e hands correlation doesn’t necessarily hold true)

Daniel rin "No As hot as Xavier was, hisin soer on" His eyes flick tolance across the rooroup of friends He’s watching I roll my eyes, and he smiles and rolls his in response Not a hint of jealousy crosses his face

Dammit

When the taxi drops Graham and me at his front door, it’s almost 3:00 ains et the door open "Noodles, shhh!" Grahanores To shut it up and stop it froives it a snack before we tiptoe up the stairs

I pull hiuest room with me "I’m totally wired Come sit and talk"

He kicks off his shoes and collapses on the bed, leaning back on the pillows I slip out of s and slide the bracelets off of my arms

"So Daniel?" he asks

"Total player" Lifting and dropping one shoulder, I disht of Daniel

Grahaht you liked that, so out of that phase" When I start unbuttoning o to bed, I guess" He starts off the bed

This is not a problem I would have had with Daniel

"No, stay I’ this uncomfortable stuff off I trust you"