The Blindside of Love (Camren) Altern Versión

Chapter 32

Lauren tapped her fingers against the desk. Her gaze wandered down to the bottom drawer. She tapped her fingers again. And again. Until finally, she gave up trying to avoid the inevitable and yanked it open. Her unread fan mail stared up at her. She reached down and grabbed all the envelopes and dumped them on top of the desk's surface.

Standing up, she hovered over the pile and spread them all out so she could get a better look at them. Then she reached into her backpack and withdrew her poetry notebook. Inside, was the letter she'd been avoiding for weeks. She pulled it out, and stared at the return address.

Jennifer Graham. "Ann Arbor, Michigan."
Biting her lip, she sat back down and pulled out the letter. She read it over a few times. What am I supposed to do about this? she wondered, feeling frustrated.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in."

Ally appeared in the doorway, carrying a paper bag and a Styrofoam cup. "Lunch," she announced, holding up the items in her hands.

"Thanks," Lauren said. "Just drop it somewhere." She read the letter a second time, mauling over her options. "Ally, help me out for a moment." She waited until her assistant had found a place for the food and turned her undivided attention Lauren's way.

"Say you were this famous actress. And you got a letter from a little girl asking you to help her sick brother. What would you do?"

Ally stared at Lauren in surprise for a moment. She looked around as she considered the question.

"Well, I'm not a famous actress so I can't really say," she said. "But, from a fan's standpoint, if I were sick, it would make me feel a billion times better to know that the person I idolized cared about my well-being."

Lauren thought about that for a moment.

"Thanks. Did you have lunch yet?" Ally shook her head. "I was gonna go get it now."

"Want to join me?" Lauren asked. "You don't have to just cause I pay you," she added with a smile. "But I'm kinda tired of eating alone."

Ally tried to hide her surprise, but failed.

"S-sure. I'll be right back."

Lauren smiled at her assistant's discomfort and watched her leave. Alone again, she turned back to the matter at hand. Make him feel like I care about his well-being. Send flowers? With a card? 'Get Well Soon'. How lame. She shook her head and put the letter down.

She moved over to the couch and pulled the coffee table closer. Ally had selected a chicken salad sandwich, potato chips, and soda. "My favorite," she said happily, placing the contents of the bag on the table.

Ally returned a few moments later with her own lunch and sat down across from Lauren hesitantly. She kept her gaze lowered the entire time.

"Are you scared of me, Ally?" Lauren asked, studying her assistant's behavior with undisguised amusement.

Reluctantly, Ally looked up. "Would you settle for intimidated as hell?" she asked.

Lauren laughed and picked up her sandwich. "I guess I haven't given you the easiest time, have I."

Ally shrugged uneasily. "I'm fairly certain you'd be intimidating either way."

A dark brow arched upward at the statement, but she decided not to comment. Instead, she bit into the sandwich with delight. I wonder if Camila likes these. Nope. Scratch that, she's vegetarian. Too bad.

"How'd you know I liked these?" she found herself asking.

"Keen observation?" Ally smiled.