The Fame Game, Starstruck, Infamous: 3 book Collection

“I thought you were looking a little less discount bargain-y,” Natalie said, and laughed as Kate pretended to take offense. “Well, it sounds like everything is going kind of perfectly for you.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Kate allowed.

“Really? What’s not perfect?”

Kate felt the sudden desire to whisper, even though there were no mikes around. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful. “Well, take this apartment. I feel like I’m living on a TV set. I keep waiting for someone to pop out of a closet and tell me to call my ex-boyfriend and tell him how much I miss him. You know, for romantic drama.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Do you miss him?”

Kate smiled, thinking of Luke and the way he had surprised her the other day with a trip to the Getty to see an exhibition of Helmut Newton’s photography (“He’s a fellow Aussie,” Luke had said proudly). “No, actually.”

Natalie gave a little hop on the settee. “Oh my God, I know that expression! You have a crush on someone, don’t you?” she squealed.

Kate flushed but didn’t answer. “Let’s go down to the pool,” she said. “I’ll tell you there.”

And she wouldn’t say another word until the two of them were stretched out by the water, baring their fair skin (how un-Hollywood!) to the sunshine. Kate had brought her laptop in case the muse of song lyrics should choose to pay her a visit.

“All right,” Natalie said as she smeared SPF 45 on her arms. “Go.”

“So I met this guy,” Kate confessed. “At a club a few weeks ago. It was embarrassing, because Carmen had introduced us, but then ten minutes later I ran into him again, and it was like I’d never seen him before in my life.”

“Sounds like he makes a great first impression,” Natalie said drily.

“I mean, it was just all sort of hectic and crazy. But we started talking and we have all this stuff in common. He plays bass and he’s teaching himself the mandolin—”

“So he’s a musician?”

Kate bit her lip. This was the weird part: admitting to her friend that she was dating an actor who she now realizes is semi-famous. Someone Natalie might see in Stars—They’re Just Like Us!, putting gas into his motorcycle.

“He’s an actor, actually,” she said.

“Ooh, have I heard of him?”