Gone With the Nerd Read online

  He had trouble concentrating when she smelled so good and looked so incredible. She did amazing things for a low-necked blouse. He'd known that all along, but he'd never allowed himself to fully acknowledge Zoe's sexual appeal. Today he couldn't seem to help himself.

  "I'm in a rut," she said.

  "It's a damned nice rut, too. You're a top earner at the box office. Why would you want to mess with success?"

  She took a deep breath. "Because I'm tired of low-budget movies where I carry the whole thing but get no respect for my work."

  He'd become so engrossed in how a deep breath affected her cleavage that he had trouble absorbing her comment. Belatedly he realized that this was a damned serious topic that could have life-changing results. She was his top client and he needed to focus.

  Clicking back to lawyer mode, he started gathering information. "What kind of respect are you after?"

  "The kind that comes from working with A-list actors like Nicolas Cage, who might take the male lead, and Steven Spielberg, who's directing."

  "I see."

  "That's the league I want to be in. I finally figured out that if I keep playing myself in these throwaway films, I'll never get there. This project, if I bring it off, could win me a Golden Globe."

  No doubt about it, she was shifting gears and he needed to stay alert. "Have you talked to anybody at the studio about this?" He could imagine some major resistance to this idea of hers.

  "I have, and basically they don't expect me to have a good audition for the part because this isn't normally what I do. They want somebody like Holly Hunter or Jodie Foster."

  "That's tough competition."

  She leaned her head against the seat and blew out a breath. "Tell me about it. That's why the studio is willing to let me go for it and fall on my face. If I'm no good, they don't have to cast me, so they're playing along, certain I'll be awful."

  "How about Leon?"

  "Leon thinks I'm out of my mind, but he expects me to go down in flames, too, so he's not terribly worried. I'm determined not to fail. And I want you to help me get inside this character's head, show me how to act the way she'd act so I can nail the audition."

  "I don't understand how I can do that."

  "It's very simple." She paused. "No offense, Flynn, but I want you to teach me how to be a nerd."

  Chapter Two

  From Flynn's expression, Zoe knew she should have found a more delicate way to broach the subject. No guy really wanted to be called a nerd even if he knew that's what he was. "I apologize. I've offended you."

  "Not at all." The tight lines around his mouth said otherwise.

  She scrambled to find some way to repair the damage. "You're not a complete nerd," she said. "I mean, there are lots of cool things about you."

  "Name one." Behind his black-framed glasses, his gray eyes gleamed as he issued the challenge. He looked well and truly pissed.

  She searched frantically for an example and remembered the image of him driving the Boxster, but of course that was her cool car, not his. "Well, you ... um ... wear prescription sunglasses instead of attaching that flip-up kind to your regular glasses." It was the best she could come up with on short notice. "That's very cool!"

  He snorted. "Even a dweeb like me wouldn't wear the flip-ups. But prescription glasses aren't cool. To be cool I'd have to wear contacts, so I wouldn't need prescription shades in the first place. But I think contacts are too much trouble."

  "Actually, I like your glasses." She surprised herself by saying so, but it was true. They gave him a sincere, scholarly air that she found endearing. "They suit you."

  "You mean they suit my nerd image."

  "There's nothing wrong with your look. You're true to yourself. You know who you are."

  His expression softened. "I think you do, too. And you're definitely not a nerd."

  "I can learn to be a nerd. By playing someone very different from me, I'll prove I have what it takes to work with top directors and actors. Getting this part would be an excellent career move."

  He studied her for several long seconds.

  "You don't see me doing it, either, do you?" How depressing to think that no one believed in her acting ability. She did, though. At sixteen she'd deliberately taken the part of a hard-drinking, meddling old biddy in the school play. She'd nailed that role, too.

  But from the day of her first Hollywood audition, she'd been typecast as the bombshell. She loved the fame and fortune, but she hated the assumption that a glamour-puss was automatically an airhead who couldn't act. Because of that prejudice she never got to work with the big names and she'd never win any awards. She craved both.

  "I don't know if you can do it or not," Flynn said.

  "Neither do I," she admitted in a moment of brutal honesty. She'd played herself for so long she might be unable to change. Maybe she'd lost that nugget of genuine talent she'd had back in high school. "But I have to try. Will you help me?"

  "Why can't we just work on this at your house? Why go all the way up to this Long Shaft place?"

  She took it as a good sign that he was asking questions instead of turning her down flat. Maybe she had a shot at making this work, but she'd have to be straight with him. "A couple of reasons. First of all, this won't be easy, so I will need maximum input from you. I'm talking about total immersion, an all-weekend marathon."

  Flynn blinked as if she'd said something shocking.

  Then she figured out why. He might think total immersion meant being her boy toy for the weekend in addition to coaching her on all things nerdy. Although Zoe didn't play the game that way, the tabloids had helped give movie stars that kind of rep, so Flynn could easily misunderstand her intentions.

  "The cabin has two bedrooms," she said quickly. "I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea about what I'm asking."

  His startled expression disappeared. "I assumed there would be two bedrooms."

  No, you didn't. "Of course."

  "I mean, you and Trace Edwards are practically...."

  "Yes, we are. Practically." Practically nothing to each other. Their high-profile dating was all about publicity. She'd started worrying that Trace was getting emotionally involved, though, and she needed to find a way to call a halt to that, because she felt only friendship for the guy.

  "And as for me," Flynn continued, "as it happens, I'm committed to someone."

  Knock her over with a feather boa. "Is that right?" She stared at him in astonishment. "You never said! Who is she? Anybody I know?" Come to think of it, she had no clue about his private life, except that he was single. Of course he must date, but she'd never thought of him as having a steady girlfriend. The idea added a whole new dimension to Flynn's personality.

  "You wouldn't know her. She's a law professor at Harvard."

  "Perfect!" How fake and jolly that sounded, but she didn't dare say what she really thought, that two law professors in the same relationship sounded as exciting as test-driving a golf cart. "You must have tons of things in common." Tons of boring things.

  "Uh-huh."

  "Do you have a picture?" She found herself feeling a wee bit territorial, which was stupid. Flynn certainly had a right to a life apart from his dealings with her.

  "No picture. But she's coming out here for a visit next week, so I'm sure we'll take pictures then. Maybe you'd like to meet her."

  "That would be nice." Not really. The more Zoe thought about this development, the less she approved. Long-distance courtships usually ended with someone moving. She didn't want that someone to be Flynn. "You're not thinking of living back there, are you?"

  "No. At least not at the moment."

  Well, that sucked. He hadn't promised to stay in California until hell froze over, which was the kind of statement of intent Zoe was looking for. Imagining Flynn leaving her life was unsettling. Extremely unsettling. She'd never realized before how much she counted on his solid presence.

  "So what's the other reason for heading off to Long Shaft?" he asked
.

  "Oh." She'd become totally derailed by the prospect of Flynn involved in a cross-country love affair. "Vanity, mostly," she said. "I don't want anyone to know how hard I worked at this."

  He nodded. "In case it doesn't go well."

  "Or in case it goes extremely well." She struggled to hide her irritation. Honestly, nobody had faith in her. "Either way, I don't want them to see me sweat. Using you as a coach would be our little secret. I hope you're okay with that."

  He stared at her. "You think I'd want to tell everyone I'm the guy who taught you how to be a nerd?"

  "Um, no, guess not. Good point." She hadn't appreciated before how touchy this subject might be. "So here's my plan. We fly up on different airlines and go to the cabin separately."

  "Won't you be recognized and followed?"

  "I'm working on that. First of all, Leon won't know a thing about this. Most of my public mob scenes are courtesy of Leon and the new publicist, Sandi. I'll be recognized on the airplane, but I'm taking some nerd clothes and I'll change in the airplane bathroom."

  "Nerd clothes."

  "Yeah, you know—polyester, drab colors, out of style ..." She trailed off as she realized that she'd just described his white shirt, mud-colored slacks, and brown and white striped tie. "Functional stuff," she amended. "Sturdy clothes."

  Amusement glinted in his eyes. "Now you're getting the idea."

  And suddenly the tables were turned. He was the one passing judgment, and she felt the need to defend her choices. "But clothes can be a fun thing! They can lift your spirits! Colors have an effect on people. They've done studies on it!"

  "I'm sure they have, but if you want to transform yourself into a nerd, you'll have to give up worrying about your clothes. Because we don't care. It's not a priority with us."

  Zoe blew out a breath. "You're right. And I will give up worrying about clothes this weekend." She couldn't imagine it—packing a suitcase with things she didn't care about—but she'd try. Even her nightgowns would be boring, not that Flynn would see that, but she wanted to stay in character all the time, even when she was buck naked, not that Flynn would see that, either.. ..

  But they would be living in the same cabin. At some time, they would each be naked. Maybe not at the same time and definitely not in the same room, but there would be disrobing going on. It was an interesting thought. More than interesting. She wondered what kind of a body Flynn had, and she'd never wondered about that before.

  "Okay, so you're changing into nerd clothes in the airplane bathroom. Then what?"

  She pulled her thoughts away from Flynn, naked, to deal with Flynn fully clothed and sitting next to her in the car. They had more details to settle. "If I'm dressed differently, I should make it through the terminal okay, and a friend's picking me up at the airport and taking me to the cabin."

  "You have a friend in Long Shaft?"

  "Strange as it sounds, yes. We were both cheerleaders at the same high school in Sacramento. And our last names are close in the alphabet, so we ended up together on class seating charts. She's relocated to Long Shaft, and she's the one who suggested the cabin. It's rented in her name."

  He nodded. "That makes sense."

  "She's been very helpful. She's volunteered to help keep the residents from knowing who I am." Zoe felt lucky to have reconnected with Margo Taggart after all these years. The last few months of e-mails and phone calls had been like old home week. Margo had followed Zoe's career with enthusiasm, apparently, and was only too happy to do this favor.

  "Sounds as if you've thought of everything."

  "I have your airline ticket and the car rental arrangements tucked inside your copy of the script." She mentally crossed her fingers. He seemed to be going for it.

  "My copy?"

  "I thought we should both have a copy to read. That way you'll know what I'm going for. I also thought..." She hesitated, not at all confident that he'd like what she had in mind. "It would be so great if you'd read through some scenes with me."

  He stiffened up immediately. "I'm no actor, Zoe. Not even close. There's a reason I got into contract law. I had no desire to be a trial lawyer and spend hours in the courtroom."

  She didn't try to argue with him about whether he could act or not. Chances were he'd be terrible, but that was okay. "It doesn't matter. I just need someone to read the lines so I can deliver mine in response."

  "So no pressure to read them well?"

  "None whatsoever. We can read a page or two once we get there. If you really hate doing it, then we'll stop." At least she had him debating whether he'd read the script out loud with her instead of debating the merits of going, period. "So you'll go to Long Shaft with me?"

  He didn't answer right away. Finally, he nodded. "I will, on one condition."

  "You name it." Victory! "If you want your hourly rate, I'll gladly pay it."

  "That's not the condition. I wouldn't feel right charging an hourly rate when I'm not giving you legal advice. My condition is that I get to tell Kristen what we're doing. I think she has a right to know."

  "Kristen is her name?"

  "Yes. Kristen Keebler."

  "Like the crackers?"

  "Uh-huh, although she's not related to that Keebler, and she hates that reference. She was called Kristen Crackers all through school. I'm sure she'll be happy to get rid of that last name when we ... well, assuming that we ..." He paused and cleared his throat.

  Marriage. Yikes. "You're really serious about her, huh?"

  "I am. She's heading to a conference in Chicago this weekend, so I'd like to call and tell her about this before she leaves."

  Zoe didn'tlike the idea at all. She didn't know Kristen Crackers and hadn't the foggiest if she could be trusted not to blab. "How about telling her after we get back?"

  "I don't want to take that chance. What if, in spite of your disguise, somebody recognizes you and takes a picture of us together? You know what the tabloid headlines would look like. And Kristen would be completely unprepared. She'd feel betrayed, and I wouldn't blame her. For that matter, I think you should tell Trace, too."

  "I'm definitely not telling Trace." He'd been acting possessive lately, and unless she told him all about the project, he might throw a jealous fit and bring in an army of reporters to break up whatever he might think was going on. She should clear the air with him but not right now. He'd get suspicious of her reasons.

  "That's up to you. It's your relationship on the line. But I have to tell Kristen. That's my condition." He pressed his lips together and set his jaw, which made him look almost soldierlike.

  In the five years she'd known Flynn, she'd noticed in passing that he was an attractive guy—thick dark hair, squarish jaw, good cheekbones, and a well-proportioned nose. But at the moment he looked more than okay. He'd morphed into absolutely hot.

  She'd never seen him take a resolute stand before, and as he stuck up for his lady love he was extremely cute. Zoe felt a pang of envy and wished she could be the woman whose tender feelings he was protecting.

  Yet she was reluctant to have him give away their hiding place. "I don't mean to insult Kristen, but after many years in the business I've seen how normal people get goofy when it comes to movie stars. I would hate for her to accidentally spill the beans during the conference cocktail hour."

  "She won't. I'd trust her with my—"

  "Okay, okay." Now Zoe was truly envious. No man had ever said he'd trust her with his life, not even in a script, and she didn't want to hear Flynn saying it about Kristen, either. She was starting to take an unreasonable dislike to the woman. "So tell her. But can you keep the details vague?"

  "No."

  Zoe sighed. "Oh, all right. Tell her everything. Read her parts of the script if you want. Take pictures with your cell phone and beam them to her cell phone. Just so you understand that she could sink the whole project with one careless word."

  "It won't happen."

  "Then we have a deal?" She held her breath.

  "
I guess so, if you're convinced I can help. I have serious doubts about it, myself."

  Turning off the motor, she handed him the keys. "I have no doubts whatsoever." She picked up her cell phone from the dash. "Come on. Let's get your script and tickets from the Boxster. Then we can each be on our way. I can't speak for you, but I have plenty to do before Friday."

  "I have a few loose ends to tie up myself." He took the keys and opened the car door.

  "Flynn, before you go." She put out a hand to stop him and ended up touching his arm. He felt warm and surprisingly muscular under the fabric of his dress shirt. When he turned back toward her, she immediately ended the contact. She really didn't want him to get the wrong idea. "Listen, thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate this more than you know."

  He smiled at her. "You can thank me at the Golden Globes. Until then, we don't know if I'll be an asset or a liability."

  "You're already an asset." And she was only beginning to understand how great an asset he was. Funny how much more appealing a man looked when some other woman had staked a claim. Not that Zoe was romantically interested in Flynn. But he was far more intriguing to her than he had been a couple of hours ago.

  Flynn dodged a Frisbee as he walked over to the Porsche with Zoe to get his copy of the script. Venice Beach was its usual crazy self, filled with bodybuilders and bathing beauties of every sexual persuasion. Most members of the crowd were hooked up to their own private music system, but a few old boom boxes hung around pouring rap into the atmosphere and obliterating the sounds of the surf and the gulls wheeling overhead.

  Flynn stood out like a sore thumb in the array of color and noise, but he liked the place anyway. He'd never stopped to examine why, either. It might be the same reason he'd specialized in entertainment law. It wasn't his world, but it sure was fun to watch ... from a safe distance.

  That safe distance had just been eliminated in regard to Zoe. He still couldn't believe he'd agreed to spend the weekend with her. But at least now he knew exactly what she thought of him. He was her token nerd.