The Admirer's Secret Read Online Free PDF Page B

community, y’know? Helping out the little guy.”
    Her lips mutinied a forced smile. How noble, Haley thought sardonically. Because the community truly needs more screenplay classes than they need food for the homeless .
    “I’m not used to such simple living, but it’s… quaint here,” Allen continued, filling in the uncomfortable silence.
    Once again, Allen left her at a loss for words. As her mother had often reminded her as a child: If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. So she sealed her mouth.
    “I was thinking, Haley. I’m assuming you’ve seen some of my latest films. Perhaps you should rent them, or you might as well buy them and use them as tools for helping you generate more creativity. Tax deductable. If you need a list of movies to pick from, let me know and I’ll give you some to choose from… though even I lose track sometimes,” he said through his guffawing laughter. It was a good thing he was busy laughing at his own joke, since he missed her exaggerated eye roll.
    “Okay. I’ll do that. Thanks.”
    Now what? Based on her initial impression of him, he probably didn’t need help in the bloated ego department. It was the mother of all awkward moments. She blatantly glanced down at her watch, as she was suddenly feeling annoyed… and cold.
    “Well, I suppose I better get going.” She aimed her key into the frozen lock and pushed until the lock popped open. A hand clutched her forearm tightly, a little too tightly.
    “Before you go,” he said, rushing his words and releasing his kung-fu grip, “I wanted to offer you extra tutoring if you’re interested in preparing for the final project due in three weeks.” He paused for dramatic effect. “It could give you an edge over the other students. I think it would be worth your while.” Though no one was within hearing distance, he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper and leaned in a breath away from her ear. “But keep this between you and me.”
    Haley’s ears perked up at the sound of his offer, but she felt a slight unease that perhaps she was receiving privileged attention. And she knew favors usually came with a price. Privileged or not, hunger for success got the better of her.
    “I’m definitely interested.”
    His upper torso bent forward while his feet remained planted. One hand clutched the padded strap of his laptop case and the other pressed against her car door. Judging from how dirty her car was, Haley surmised that Allen would have a heck of a time cleaning his hand once he saw what he was touching. When her eyes moved back to Allen’s face, it seemed even closer.
    “I haven’t told the class yet, but at the end of this course, I’m going to offer a chance for one screenplay to be presented to my Hollywood colleagues.”
    Her nose wrinkled at the mixture of day-old Starbucks and halitosis. Dude, eat a mint.
    Leaving her keys hanging from the door lock, Haley swiftly moved out of proximity to his offending breath. She was relieved when he didn’t seem to notice as he rambled on. “Over the next three weeks, I’m going to be assessing the best match for this golden opportunity based on creativity, natural ability, and of course a final screenplay project as the deciding factor. Consider this a heads up.”
    She wondered if she was the only student privy to this “heads up.” And if so, why her? Maybe it was the way he leaned into her, or the way his eyes locked on hers, but she sensed a subliminal message from Allen… something more than just a concerned teacher offering to help a student. If there was another motive for his divulgence, she didn’t want to know about it. Because if her success was based on something other than her raw talent, then it wasn’t her success . It would be favoritism. And she didn’t want success that way. She wanted to earn it.
    She shook the thoughts off, instead choosing to belie ve what she wanted to believe: It was a merited favor based on her