Hollywood Hot Scoop
Jonah James - Rising Star Falls Hard in Vegas
Right before filming began for the highly anticipated big screen adaptation of the popular mystery novel, Frosted Peaks , male lead Jonah James was seen hitting the slots at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Rumor has it James lost over a quarter million, which is sure to be a blow for the fan favorite. While not at A-list level yet, I have a feeling he’ll keep rising higher until he’s nearly at the same level of fame as the likes of Derek Riley. (But we all know no one will ever match Derek, who has yet to be seen since his recent breakup with Bonnie.)
With his role as the charismatic Logan Banks sure to boost his career, James will soon be back to the betting tables and living his best life in between his many projects. I don’t know about you, but the chances of seeing Jonah James in person make me want to hang out in Vegas for a bit once filming wraps up! I wouldn’t mind being his good luck charm. ;)
With filming well underway, we’re doing our best to get our hands on some behind-the-scenes footage while we wait for Frosted Peaks to hit the screens! Or maybe just some footage of Jonah James looking scrumptious on set, am I right?
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Chapter
One
June
It is a perfectly normal reaction to hide from an attractive man when he walks into your store and not at all pathetic.
Okay, so I don’t actually know if he’s attractive because I only saw half his features before I hid behind the front counter. He’s wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses, which immediately made me think of all those superhero movies where that is the go-to disguise for the insanely attractive heroes when they’re trying to lie low. Maybe that’s the reason I got so spooked—I don’t like people who think they have to hide.
The irony of that…
Moving slowly, I poke my head over the top of the counter where I’ve been hiding ever since the guy walked into my hardware store. He’s at the back with another guy, the pair of them perusing the power tools. Still wearing the sunglasses despite being indoors. Yeah, he’s definitely hiding, and a niggling feeling in my belly tells me I know why.
Laketown, a place too small and sleepy for visitors except when we host the county’s summer carnival (which won’t happen for a few more months), has been plagued the last week by a film crew. You might think it would be exciting to have them here, a way to put our little town on the map, but most people—me included—would rather be left alone. The movie will bring nothing but trouble when it puts Laketown on the metaphorical map.
Exhibit A is at the back of my store. Based on this guy’s jawline and fit physique, he’s most likely Jonah James, the movie’s male lead.
I don’t generally pay attention to movies, and I wouldn’t have cared who was in this one if it wasn’t an adaptation of my friend Hank’s book. I happen to be a major fan of his books, so when they announced the cast for the adaptation, I had to be sure Jonah was a good fit for the character, Logan. He’s got the right look, but I have yet to pass judgment on his acting skills. I’ve been meaning to wander over to watch when they film in town, but I haven’t had the chance yet.
The guy in the hat looks over in my direction, and I duck back down, hoping he didn’t see me. He might be a regular customer, but if that’s Jonah James standing in my aisle, this could turn ugly. From the little I read about him on the internet, he’s not the kind of guy we want wandering around town. He’s the lose-thousands-while-gambling type who probably thinks his money and fame mean he can do no wrong.
“Hello?” Whether it’s the hat guy or his friend, the man who speaks has a smooth and clear voice, which annoyingly sparks a thread of attraction through my chest. Please let it be the other guy . I don’t need to be attracted to a celebrity. Or anyone. “Is anyone here?”
If I stay silent, maybe they’ll leave? I can’t imagine what an actor would need from a hardware store anyway.
“Maybe they’re in the back?” a different voice says, this one gruff and broad. It seems to better fit the other guy, who has tree trunks for limbs. The handsome one is also nice and muscular, but not to the extent of his buddy.
Personally, I prefer the more toned look over bulging muscles. My ex was a gym rat with two goals in life: to get as big as he possibly could and to keep me controlled with the threat of overpowering me. He was a winner for sure. I’m smart enough to know not every strong guy is going to be like him—I appreciate a good set of muscles as much as the next gal—but there’s a limit to what I find appealing, thanks to the jerk I left long after I should have.
“Hello?” the smooth voice says again, suddenly much closer.
I tense, holding my breath. I’m a big girl, and I should help these guys with whatever they need and send them on their way, but at this point I’ll look like I’m not fully right in my mind if I pop up and act like I wasn’t hiding. Great business practice, June .
“Ahem.”
My head shoots up, and I stare at the sunglasses that reflect my terrified expression. The guy is leaning over the counter and looking down at me with his lips twisted up in an amused smile. “Uh.” I have nothing I can say that will explain why I’m sitting on the floor.
His smile grows. “You okay down there?”
Just act normal, June. “I, uh, it’s my lunch break.” Well that was a stupid response. No one eats lunch on the floor.
As if reading my thoughts, the guy turns his head to look at his big friend, who has joined him, then says, “Do you always spend your lunch break on the floor?”
I scramble to my feet and straighten the apron I’m wearing. “Maybe. What can I help you with?”
He purses his lips, a dimple forming on one cheek as he fights his growing smile. I still can’t see his eyes, but I’m certain he’s Jonah James. And he is stupidly attractive. It’s almost criminal. “Is your lunch break over? I don’t want to interrupt.”
My stomach gurgles, loudly enough that the bigger guy furrows his brow, and I sigh. My already flimsy excuse is dead now. “I’m happy to help. What are you looking for today?”
“A set of Allen wrenches,” the guy with trunks for arms says, leaning one of those massive arms on the counter and making me take a half step back. I don’t mean to, but his build reminds me of my ex, and instinct can be hard to suppress.
My ex only hit me once, but it was enough to make me wary.
“You have metric,” he continues, “but I need an imperial set if you have them.”
The other guy—the pretty one in the hat—seems to be staring at me, making it difficult to think straight as I process what I’m being told. “Imperial? Oh, um, unfortunately I’m out. They’ve been on backorder for a couple of months, and no one usually…” I shouldn’t finish that sentence. No one usually buys things like that from me. People in Laketown already have most of the tools they need, so they only come to me for things like nails and replacement bits for their drills. When I bought this place a couple of years ago, when I moved to town, I thought maybe it was rundown because the previous owner was too old for upkeep. It turns out he just didn’t have much business.
The only reason I’ll be in the black this month is because the film crew blew through here when they arrived and purchased a bunch of stuff to build their sets. It might be annoying to have them clogging up Main Street to film, but at least they added to my bank account.
“I said the same thing to that film crew,” I add, shifting my gaze to the pretty boy and trying to judge his reaction.
He smiles broadly; it’s practically blinding. “Film crew? That sounds fun.”
He has to be Jonah. Guys as pretty as him don’t come to places like Laketown for fun. And if he’s Jonah James, that means he’s an overpaid celebrity with a sense of entitlement that will render him completely obnoxious if I have to talk to him much longer. Fine, I don’t know if he’ll be obnoxious, but I can’t imagine anyone with his level of fame will be anything but cocky and self-absorbed.
Putting my hands into my apron pockets so I can clench them into fists without the men seeing, I try to offer a neutral smile. “Yeah, they’re filming some sort of mystery, but most of us can’t wait for them to leave.” I wait for any sign of offense—he gives me nothing—then turn back to the big one. “What are you working on? There might be a close enough metric wrench to get the job done, though you’ll want to make sure you don’t strip the bolt.”
His smile is far less dazzling than his friend’s, but it’s kind. “Trailer door,” he says with a shrug. “But yeah, I’m sure there will be one close enough. The door keeps sticking, so I’m trying to figure out where the problem is.”
“Ah, I don’t know enough about trailers to help you, but if the metric set doesn’t work, you can return it.” I gesture to the wrenches hanging near the back, glad that I’ve managed to sound civil despite my growing irritation.
The only trailers in town belong to the production crew. There’s a slight chance these guys are passing through and have a camping trailer or something similar, but I doubt it. Why else would Pretty Boy still be wearing his sunglasses? I assume he doesn’t want to be recognized in a place so far beneath him.
As the tree-limbed one heads back to the shelf to grab a set of wrenches, I study the other and ask, “Is it too bright in here?”
That gets a chuckle out of him, and he leans on the counter, putting himself obnoxiously close to me. He smells as good as he looks, and I hate that a part of me wants to close the gap between us even more. I’ve spent the last couple of years burying the part of me that takes an interest in anyone, but somehow this actor is digging it right back up with that charming smile. “I take it you’re not a fan of the movie crew?” he asks in that smooth voice of his. It’s such a clear, deep voice that it makes me shiver. “Have they been a problem?”
Even though people in town like to complain, the film crew haven’t been problematic as far as I’m aware, other than disrupting the quiet status quo. But I roll my eyes anyway as I take the wrench set from the big guy and ring him up, glad for an excuse to put some distance between me and Pretty Boy even though we’re still talking. “We like things to stay quiet here. If the movie does well, people will start flocking to Laketown.”
“You think one movie could have that much influence?”
“I think there are enough fans of the book that they’ll be coming in droves if the movie is good.”
He rubs his jaw thoughtfully. “And what if the movie is bad?”
“Then I pity the actors who ruined a well-loved story.”
Laughing, he stands up straight and claps a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Then we’d better hope the movie is good. Thanks for your help. Maybe I’ll see you around…June.”
As they head out, I glance down at the nametag pinned to my apron, wishing I had forgotten it this once. The last thing I need is a stuck-up movie star with a beautiful face taking notice of me. “Not likely,” I say with a shrug and make a mental note to avoid the set whenever possible. “Good luck with your, uh, trailer.”
Pretty Boy pauses at the door and looks back, using a finger to pull his sunglasses down and give me a good view of his golden-brown eyes. “Thanks,” he says brightly and offers a smile so beautiful that I get weak in the knees.
Definitely Jonah James, and with the way my heart starts pounding in my chest after he leaves, I might have a problem on my hands. It’s one thing to be attracted to a handsome guy; it’s another thing entirely to be drawn to a movie star who will only be in town for a few weeks.
I turned off my heart when I left my ex two years ago, and somehow—seriously, how?—Jonah’s smile just sparked it back to life.
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