Page 12 of Mountain Bean Dream
Slowly, I narrowed my eyes. “The movies, or the Star Wars universe in general?”
He grimaced. “The movies, I think?”
“I know three, four, five, and six really well, but the others are a bit of a lost cause. Never really did get into the last trilogy, and after episode eight I lost it. The cannon was totally trashed.” Such a disgrace, I actually yelled in the theatre, and then promptly left alone. “But most of the spin-off series were surprisingly decent, and …”
Jeremy tipped his head back slightly, laughing as he did. “You speak like a fan.”
Dang. I didn’t want to show off my inner nerdiness. It was enough that he knew I could handle a few random trivia questions, and I was in a jazz band. I didn’t really need to highlight that I was knowledgeable about the force too.
When I was younger, as the breakout star of an award-winning TV show, I had the opportunity to meet Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, and in meeting them, it cemented them to my soul forever. They were the sweetest and kindest actors I’d ever met, and I’d hoped to one day work with either of them. Unfortunately, Carrie Fisher passed away before that dream could ever come true, but there was still hope with Mark Hamill.
The breeze blew, and I shivered slightly. “I know a little bit.”
“Perfect. That works.” He slipped fully into the chair. “I’ve wanted to beat MacMillan for years. I’m always second place. This year, I’d love to be first.”
“I always love a good challenge.”
“The trivia night is Tuesday. Starts at seven at Jasper Pizza, but I always eat dinner beforehand.” He tapped his temple. “Gives me brainpower.”
I stuck out my hand, ready to shake on the agreement. “Perfect. I’ll be your dinner date-slash-trivia partner on Tuesday, and you’ll be my black-tie fake date for the fundraiser.” I hesitated. “I should warn you, though—it’s formal. And my ex will be there, so ... you know. High stakes.”
Jeremy cocked an eyebrow, looking almost amused. “Do I get bonus points if he cries?”
I laughed, startled. “Maybe. Let’s see how convincing you are first.”
“Fair enough,” he said, his hand brushing against mine as he reached out to shake on it. His grip was firm but warm, lingering just a second longer than I expected. “I guess I should mention that the trivia night has an additional contest for best dressed?” He cocked an eyebrow in questioning.
Surely, I could throw together a Princess Leia costume. I had white jeans, grey winter boots, a white sweater, and a beige vest. My hair wasn’t super long, but I was sure I could braid it into Leia’s Hoth look without too much difficulty. “I think that could be arranged.”
His strong hand continued to gently wrap around mine. “Then it’s a deal. Brush up on your trivia, and I’ll find a suitable black-tie outfit. Any particular colour scheme?”
“I’ll be wearing what I wore tonight for the concert—all black—so nothing to you’ll need to match to. If that was your plan,” I added quickly.
He rubbed his jaw. “I’ll make it work.”
“Me too.”
“Is the plan to make this ex-boyfriend jealous?”
Is that what I wanted? I wasn’t sure myself, but the wordsbreathed out of me before I had a chance to think it all the way through. “Maybe? I think so?”
But was that it really? Mainly I wanted to prove Derek hadn’t broken me, that I was still standing. That I was worthy of being with someone.
“I can work with that, and I promise to be a complete gentleman.” He ran a hand through his thick locks. “Unless … you need someone to be rougher so he’ll rescue you from me. Like a Marty and George McFly kind of thing.”
“Oh no!” I shook my head, as a flood of adrenaline hit my system hard. “Kindness is much appreciated. Dazzle him with your…” My mind went blank.
“My stellar looks?” He laughed, rising, and pocketing his hands.
Jeremy wasn’t the kind of guy who turned heads in a crowd—he lived in blue jeans and hoodies, occasionally switching things up with a vest. Not exactly Derek-level swoon material. But there was something about him...a quiet confidence, maybe? Or the way he stood there, hands in his pockets, like he didn’t care whether anyone was watching. It wasn’t flashy, but it felt...solid. Like you could lean on him, and he wouldn’t move an inch.
“Of course,” I said quickly, not wanting to hurt the guy’s feelings. “I was going to say wit and charm.”
“Well, there’s that too.” His smile turned from self-mocking to genuinely shy. Did he not get a lot of compliments?
The clouds completely covered the moon, and with it, the breeze picked up. Although I was bundled in a winter jacket with a blanket tucked around me, it wasn’t enough. I was cold and the thought of a nice bath with a glass of white wine would be the perfect way to end this day. Lifting the blanket, the cool air rushed in and a shiver rolled through me. I rose, folding the blanket and tucking it under my arm.
“Well, my friend, I’m calling it a night. Need to brush up on my trivia for Wednesday.”