Gone With the Nerd

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  "Am I bleeding?" Flynn looked up at her.

  "Not that I can see." She was afraid it was all internal. She didn't know how it worked with bullet wounds. Maybe he was bleeding from the back.

  "I think I should sit up."

  "No, don't sit up! Wait for the paramedics."

  "Seriously, I don't feel so bad."

  Zoe tightened her grip on his hand. "Don't talk like that. In the movies, whenever somebody starts talking like that, they—" She realized Luanne could be listening, so she leaned closer and murmured the rest. "They croak."

  "I'm not gonna croak." He looked into her eyes. "I'm glad you're not shot."

  She swallowed a sob. "I'm sorry you are. You shouldn't have jumped in front of me."

  "We were hoping she'd get distracted enough by Bigfoot that I could shove both of us out of the way."

  "She was distracted, but she shot you anyway." Zoe blinked back tears.

  "Unbutton my shirt. Tell me how bad it is."

  "O-okay." That was probably what she should do, anyway. Then she could rip up some clothing and make a pressure bandage. That sounded right. With trembling fingers she unbuttoned his shirt.

  Ordinarily he'd be wearing an undershirt, but they'd had a wild night and certain clothing options had been eliminated, like her bra and his undershirt. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the shirt aside and found... no bullet hole. Instead there was the beginnings of a bad bruise, but no hole.

  "You're not shot," she said, marveling at the sight of his unbroken skin. "I'm not?"

  "No." And then she figured out why. Reaching into his shirt pocket, she pulled out his PDA, which had a bullet embedded smack-dab in the middle of the titanium cover. "Look at this."

  Flynn struggled to a sitting position and took it from her. "That damned Margo killed my PDA! I loved that thing! All my appointments are in there, and some case notes, and my address book, and my phone numbers!"

  Laughing, Zoe reached over and caught his face in both hands. "Who cares? You're alive! You're not shot!"

  He looked at her and his grin was sheepish. "Well, there's that."

  "You crazy idiot." She leaned forward and kissed him.

  "What in God's name is going on here? And what's the deal with Chewbacca?"

  The voice, a famous one at that, got Zoe's attention immediately. She stopped kissing Flynn and swiveled so that she could see past where Jeff had Margo pinned to the floor. Standing in the kitchen doorway was a blond, exceptionally tan guy who'd made People's fifty most beautiful list. Twice.

  He looked upset. Behind him stood a brunette in a tailored pantsuit. She didn't look too cheerful, either.

  "Everyone stay calm and we'll work this out." said a uniformed officer who appeared at the back door.

  Luanne squealed. "Calm? You expect me to be calm? I'm standing in the same house with Zoe Tarleton and Trace Edwards! My dreams have come true!"

  Zoe feared that her nightmare had just begun.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Flynn would have preferred that Kristen hadn't come on the scene at the very moment Zoe had decided to kiss him. And he didn't have a chance to talk to Kristen for quite a while. Eventually the squad car left with Margo in the backseat. Luanne immediately started rounding up scraps of paper and getting both Trace and Zoe to sign autographs.

  Flynn took that as his cue. He glanced at Kristen. "Let's go out on the porch."

  "Okay." Her well-modulated voice didn't crack, although there were definite signs of strain around her eyes. Her short brown hair was as neat and tidy as ever, though, and there wasn't a visible wrinkle in her pantsuit.

  Her eyes were hazel. Flynn made a mental note. And she wasn't a crazed stalker. He was ashamed of the thoughts he'd had about her, disgusted with himself for letting Margo twist things in his mind. But that didn't change his basic belief that Kristen wasn't the woman for him.

  On his way out to the porch he was aware of Zoe's gaze. He would have liked to send her a signal, but he couldn't do that without Kristen noticing, and that would be unkind. So he left with Kristen, all the while feeling the tug of Zoe pulling him back.

  The porch held memories of Zoe, too. When Kristen sat in the same dilapidated rocker Zoe had used when they'd read the script together, Flynn wanted to suggest a different place. But that would be silly. They needed to have this conversation, and Kristen should be sitting down.

  Flynn steadied his glasses on the bridge of his nose. The impact of hitting the floor had loosened one of the earpieces and the glasses needed some adjusting, but he didn't want to take the time. He sat down beside her and cleared his throat. "A year ago—"

  "We were different people." Kristen folded her hands in her lap and studied her fingernails.

  She had that French manicure Zoe had thought would fit in with a nerd image. Flynn thought of Zoe's glasses and her crazy outfits. She'd be better off studying Kristen instead of him. But he was glad she'd chosen him for her role model.

  "It was too neat," Kristen said. "We met, got along, thought we could move right into a suitable marriage."

  "Kristen ..." This was hard for him, but he thought it had to be said. "I led you to believe that I was in love with you. That was wrong. I thought I was, but now I realize I just..." He paused and looked at her. "I just wanted to be."

  Her throat moved. "Me, too."

  He wondered if she was saying that to salvage her pride. If so, he'd let her do it. "Then I guess you must have flown out here to tell me that."

  "I did." She met his gaze. "I realized that you were getting involved with Zoe and, knowing you, you'd be conscience-stricken about it. I didn't think talking on the phone would convince you, so I came out here to make sure there were no doubts. We need to break it off. For both our sakes."

  "Did you really call Trace then? I don't know what to believe anymore."

  "Actually, I did. I have a friend-of-a-friend who got me the number."

  "Why?"

  She smiled. "I was curious about how Zoe was playing this. What I said on the phone is true. I like you. I might not love you, but I like you and I'd hate to see you get hurt. Trace admitted to me that he and Zoe aren't as committed as the media let us think."

  Flynn had been wondering if Trace would challenge him to a duel at sunset, darts at dawn, or whatever was the in thing these days between romantic rivals. Maybe a drink-off at noon. "How is Trace taking this?"

  "He wishes Zoe had told him about it. He's not all that invested, but he doesn't want to look like a fool in front of the Hollywood crowd." Kristen glanced away and a flush crept into her cheeks. "He and I had some long talks."

  "Really." Now here was an interesting development. Flynn gazed at the orange Lamborghini sitting in the clearing next to his rental and Margo's neon Taurus. Trace had driven Kristen here. Flynn hadn't put that together before.

  "He doesn't get to talk to very many people who aren't in the business. I think... maybe it was a refreshing change for him."

  Well, well. And that clinched it for Flynn. He was definitely not in love with Kristen. Trace Edwards might be interested, and Flynn felt no jealousy whatsoever. Nada. "Trace would be wise to take a closer look," he said.

  "Thank you." Her color deepened. "That's nice of you to say."

  "Hey, I recognize that you're a terrific person. But between the two of us, there's no ..."

  "Right. We were kidding ourselves."

  Relief loosened his tongue. "And to think I thought you were some stalker! What a riot."

  "You did?"

  Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Judging from her expression, he should have kept his big mouth shut. "Not for very long. Mostly I didn't. Maybe for a tiny moment, this morning, after all the things that had happened, and then Margo said you'd called Trace. But deep down I knew you weren't trying to kill Zoe."

  She laughed. "Oh, Flynn, you're priceless. If I ever needed proof that you weren't in love with me, that would be it. You actually thought I might commit murder. Too funny."
<
br />   "Only for maybe an hour, tops. The rest of the time—"

  "Save it." She laughed again and put her hand on his arm. "And good luck with Zoe. These Hollywood romances can get dicey, even with the best of intentions."

  "Maybe I should say the same to you."

  "No, that would be incredibly premature." But Kristen's eyes sparkled, nonetheless. "After all, I'm heading back to Massachusetts, and—" She stopped talking as

  Luanne and Jeff came out on the porch. Jeff had pulled off his Bigfoot mask, but he still wore the suit. Flynn stood. "Taking off?"

  "Yeah, dude." Jeff extended a hairy paw to shake Flynn's hand. Then he nodded to Kristen. "Ma'am."

  "Thanks for the help with Margo," Flynn said.

  "No problem. And I guess you figured out why I have this costume."

  "Uh-huh." Flynn looked him over. "I have to say, the impersonation in that clearing last night was amazing."

  "But that's just it," Luanne said. "He says he wasn't out there last night!"

  Flynn clapped a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to spare my feelings."

  "I'm not sparing your feelings, man. I wasn't there. The night before, yeah, I was, like, running around in my costume, doing the Sasquatch shuffle. Last night, I was with Janice."

  Flynn glanced at Luanne. "You told him to say that, right?"

  "Swear to God, I didn't. And I promise you he's not lying. He's lousy at lying. The 'rents can't tell, but I can, in a heartbeat."

  Flynn didn't know if the two of them were conning him or not, but he decided to accept what they said at face value, because that meant he'd really had a Bigfoot sighting to his credit.

  "Listen," Jeff said. "Are you still gonna, like, mention the Bigfoot items when you get back to LA?"

  "Sure. Be glad to."

  "Great." Jeff smiled. "Well, we gotta go. The folks will be back from church any minute. And we have to be all 'on yeah, we slept in? "

  "So you won't be telling them about this?" Flynn realized that Zoe needed to get out of town soon. Trace did, too, but Flynn wasn't so worried about Trace.

  "We won't be telling anything," Luanne said. "I can't say what will happen with the sheriff's deputy, though. You might want to make tracks."

  "Probably." Flynn nodded. "So long, then."

  "Oh, you'll be seeing me again," Luanne said. "Zoe invited me for that sleepover. She said the three of us could have lunch, too."

  "She did?" That was encouraging.

  "Come on, brat." Jeff ushered Luanne down the steps. "Let's leave these folks alone so they can make a quick exit." He waved at Kristen. "Bye now."

  "Good-bye," Kristen said. Then she glanced at Flynn. "So that kid impersonates Bigfoot?"

  Flynn nodded.

  "It almost sounded as if you believe in that nonsense."

  He hesitated. Then he realized he had no reputation to protect with Kristen. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

  "My, my." She chuckled. "And I was planning to get you a Bigfoot souvenir as a gag gift. I don't know you at all, Flynn Granger."

  No, he thought, but Zoe does.

  Zoe heard Kristen laughing on the front porch with Flynn and her hopes died. So much for those happily-ever-after dreams. Kristen was back in town and having a grand old time with the guy Zoe had thought might be her one-and-only. Zoe might have temporarily bewitched him, but Kristen truly understood the way to his nerd heart.

  The minute Zoe had seen Kristen, she'd recognized how perfect this lawyer babe was for Flynn. No wonder he'd planned his whole future around her. From her conservative pantsuit to her practical haircut she was perfect for him. They could live in a house where the daily chores were color coded and the clocks were all synchronized.

  "Zoe, we need to get the hell out of here."

  She looked at Trace sitting on the sofa where she and Flynn had spent so many special moments. She'd been unable to sit down at all. "I know." She continued to pace the small room. "Before long the word will be out."

  "Right. But before we go, do you want your people to make the announcement of our breakup or should I have my people do it?"

  Her heart ached for him. "Trace, spin this any way you want it. Say you've found someone else. Say I'm an ice queen. Whatever you want. I feel awful to have put you in this position."

  He gazed at her. "Ah, it wasn't going to work out. I kept thinking it would, but I could feel you pulling away. I mean, shit, you wouldn't even go to bed with me. How crazy is that?"

  "Pretty crazy." Women all over the world fantasized about going to bed with Trace Edwards and she had avoided doing it.

  "Okay then." He pushed himself up from the sofa. "I'll have my people say that I've become interested in someone else." He glanced toward the porch. "A lawyer from Massachusetts, maybe."

  "Oh, Trace, don't do that to yourself. They're a matched set of bookends. Can't you see that?"

  "I must need the prescription changed on my contacts, because all I see out there is opportunity."

  "I know you're used to getting any woman you want, but—"

  "Not any woman. I couldn't get you."

  She looked into his eyes. They were brown, but she wouldn't have been able to tell anyone that on cue, either. "You wouldn't have wanted me," she said.

  "Maybe not."

  "But I'm afraid Kristen isn't your answer, either. She's taken."

  He jingled the keys in his pocket. "Let's see."

  "Trace, don't humiliate yourself." And don't force me to face the truth right this minute, either. Give me a little time to get used to the facts.

  "Wish me luck."

  "Trace—"

  But he bolted out the door and was soon standing in front of Kristen, working that bad-boy smile of his. "I'm ready to hit the road. Can I give you a ride?"

  Zoe braced herself for Kristen's refusal. She hadn't stopped to figure out the consequences, either. If Kristen said no, then Zoe had to race out and either grab the empty seat in Trace's Lamborghini or hitch a ride with Flynn and Kristen in the rental sedan. That would be cozy, Flynn and Kristen in the front and Zoe the reject in the back.

  Then the most amazing thing happened. Kristen got out of her chair and walked down the porch steps with Trace. Zoe rubbed her eyes and looked again to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. After they drove away she was still standing there trying to adjust her thinking when Flynn came inside.

  "We should take off, too," he said. "Let me grab my stuff."

  We? He'd said that so matter-of-factly, as if it didn't happen to be the most important pronoun in the English language. While she was still digesting the impact of that pronoun, he returned with his small suitcase in one hand and his laptop over his shoulder.

  "Is there anything else you want to bring?" he asked. "It'll be a long trip."

  "It will?" She was confused. "Aren't you taking us both to the airport?"

  He shook his head. "Your ticket is buried somewhere under that pine tree, and besides, I don't want to take separate planes. I'd rather drive down to LA. It'll give us time to talk."

  "About... what?"

  He smiled at her. Then he put his suitcase and laptop on the floor and closed the distance between them. "Don't you know?"

  Her heart began to hammer. "I hope I know."

  "Yeah, you know." He pulled her close. "We've been on a Bigfoot hunt together. We're bonded."

  She looked into those soft gray eyes and saw everything she needed to see there. "It really might have been Bigfoot, you know."

  "I've decided it was."

  "Me, too."

  He kissed her lightly. "We have to go. Otherwise the good citizens of Long Shaft are liable to mob you and we'll never get out of here."

  "I don't want to leave."

  "We could come back on our honeymoon."

  Her breath caught. "But you haven't even asked me—"

  "I didn't think there was time."

  "Take the time."

  In an instant he was on one knee. "Zoe Tarlet
on, will you marry me?"

  Her pulse was beating so fast she was afraid she might pass out. "You're all out of order, Flynn." "I am?"

  "First you're supposed to say you love me." "You know that already." "Say it."

  "I love you. I love you more than I've ever believed I could love anyone. Now will you marry me?" "First I have to say I love you back." "But I know you do!"

  "Let me say it anyway. I love you, Flynn Granger. I love you desperately and completely." She paused. "Now propose again."

  He started grinning. "Zoe Tarleton, will you marry me?"

  "Yes, I will. What's so funny?"

  "You. All this doing-it-in-order stuff. You're acting like a nerd!"

  "Then I guess you'd have to say the weekend was a success."

  He stood and drew her into his arms. "Most definitely. Now kiss me quick, and let's go."

  Her kiss wasn't all that quick, but eventually they managed to get themselves out the door. At the last minute she remembered to grab the script and the Bigfoot flashlight. As they were jumping into the car, a far-off howl drifted through the trees.

  Zoe looked at Flynn. "Do you think that was Jeff's tape recorder?"

  "No. Do you?"

  "No." They exchanged one last secret smile, and Flynn put the car in gear.

  Epilogue

  At the Golden Globe Awards ceremony Flynn sat with Zoe at a linen-draped table that included Zoe's parents, her agent, and Luanne. Zoe's parents looked completely out of their element, but Luanne was completely in hers. When she wasn't star gazing, she was busily talking to Leon. Flynn predicted she'd fulfill her goals in no time.

  During the first half of the awards, Zoe laughed and smiled a lot, but Flynn was the guy holding her hand under the table. He could feel the tension running through her. A glass of wine would have helped, but she wasn't allowed. He had to hope that the stress of being here tonight wouldn't bring on her contractions.

  She liked to joke that she was fifteen months pregnant. By rights she shouldn't even be here, but he wouldn't have tried to talk her out of it. She'd worked too hard, wished too long. If she made it, then no one else had the right to go up there and accept for her. She deserved all the limelight she could get.