A rom-com-obsessed romantic waiting for her perfect leading
man learns that life doesnβt always go according to a
script in this delightfully charming and funny novel.
Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She
spends her days writing screenplays, rewatching Sleepless
in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet-cute. If
she could just find her own Tom Hanksβa man whoβs sweet,
sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboatβher problems would
disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is
nowhere in sight.
When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie
gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets
the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who
couldnβt be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-
cute is more of a meet-fail, but soon Annie finds herself
sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom
Hanks canβt be an actor whoβs leaving town in a matter of
days . . . can he?
Excerpt NONEXCLUSIVE EXCERPT (Chapter 4)
I blink a few times, staring straight into Drew Danforthβs
face. Itβs like
when youβre a kid and thereβs a solar eclipse, and all the
teachers are
like, βDonβt look directly into the sun! Youβll destroy your
retinas!β but
thereβs always that one kid (Johnny Berger, in our class)
who canβt stop
staring.
In this situation, Iβm Johnny Berger. And I guess Drew
Danforth is the
sun.
βAre you okay?β he asks again, enunciating his words even
more as if
me understanding him is the problem. His brown eyes, I
notice, are
flecked with tiny bits of gold, which is something you canβt
see when
you watch him on TV. His hair is just as voluminous as it
seems in
pictures, but in person, I have the almost overwhelming urge
to touch
it, to reach out and pull on that one lock of hair that
hangs over his
forehead.
βSheβs not responding.β He turns to Chloe. βIs something wrong?β
βSheβs French,β Chloe says without missing a beat. βShe only
speaks
French.β
βIβm not French,β I say, breaking my silence. Chloe and
Drewβs heads
swivel to look at me.
βIβm sorry about your coat,β I whisper, then I run toward
Nickβs.
Chloe bursts in the door behind me, the bell jingling in her
wake. βIβm
not French?β she screeches. βThose are the first words you
spoke to
Drew Danforth? Really?β
βWell then, why did you tell him I was French?β I shout,
ignoring the
curious stares of everyone working on their laptops and the
calming
melody of whatever Nick put on to replace the Doobies.
βI donβt know!β She throws her hands in the air. βYou
werenβt talking, so
I thought Iβd give you an interesting backstory!β
I put my hands over my face. βThis is ridiculous.β
βNo,β Chloe says, grabbing me by the shoulders. βThis is
your meet-
cute, and now you need to go back out there and find him and
say
something that isnβt a negation of your Frenchness or an
apology for
destroying his probably very expensive coat.β
βMeet what?β
Nick stares at us from behind the counter, a dishtowel in
his hand.
βA meet-cute,β Chloe stands up straight, shoulders back, as
if sheβs
delivering a Romantic Comedy 101 lecture to Nick and his
patrons, βis
the quirky, adorable, cute way the hero and heroine of a
romantic
comedy meet.β
Everyone stares at her blankly.
βOr hero and hero. Or heroine and heroine. Not to be
heteronormative,β
she clarifies.
βLike how me and Martha met at her wedding,β Gary says.
Chloe thinks about it. βI donβt know that I would
necessarily call that
one a meet-cute, but sure, Gary.β
βDid you just make that up?β Nick asks, arms crossed.
I shake my head. βNo. Itβs a thing.β
βWatch a romantic comedy, dude,β Tobin says.
Nick rolls his eyes.
βAnyway,β Chloe continues, βAnnie straight up ran into Drew
Danforth
and spilled a cup of coffee all over his coat, which is,
like, the cutest of
meets.β
βThat doesnβt sound very cute,β Nick says skeptically,
rubbing the
scruff on his chin. βWas it still hot?β
βScalding,β I say, sinking into my chair and resting my head
on the
table.
βSounds like a meet painful,β says Gary, and a few people laugh.
βThanks,β I mutter. βIβm so glad you all find my embarrassment
entertaining.β
βAnnie!β Chloe sits down across from me as a customer walks
in and
the rest of the shop stops paying attention to us. βThis isnβt
embarrassing. This is merely a story Iβll tell in my toast
at your wedding
to Drew.β
I lift my head to look at her. βI hate to break this to you,
but I donβt think
heβs my Tom Hanks. I think heβs just a famous guy with a
possible third-
degree burn on his chest. And now my first day on set is
going to be
super awkward because I accidentally assaulted the lead
actor with a
beverage.β
Chloeβs about to say something, but then a song starts and
she closes
her mouth, looking up toward the speakers. βI swear to God,
I told Nick
not to play any more Bon Iver. It makes people look up their
exes on
Instagram, not buy coffee. Iβm gonna go put on some Hall and
Oates.β
As she walks away, I rest my head on the table again. As if
it wasnβt
embarrassing enough to have my uncle get me a job on set,
now I have
to deal with this.
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