City of Angels by Zoey Dean

Author:Zoey Dean
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, State & Local, Social Issues, Dating & Sex, Girls & Women, West, Travel, Performing Arts, Pacific, General, United States, Interpersonal relations, City & Town Life, Dating (Social customs), Theater, People & Places, Fiction, School & Education, Lifestyles, History
ISBN: 9780316073936
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2010-02-28T13:00:00+00:00

HOCUS FOCUS

“So, this is the waterfall,” Jake said, gesturing to a tiered fountain where water flowed from one pool into the next, all the way down the side of a hill. At the top was a replica of the Venus de Milo. She looked like she wanted to reach in and touch the cool blue stream. Too bad she didn’t have any arms. He rechecked the brochure. “Oops, sorry, it’s a water feature.” He tucked the Gardens of the World pamphlet in the back pocket of his Gap khakis, hoisting the picnic basket he’d brought farther up on his arm.

“Big difference,” Amelie teased. Jake looked cute when he was reading nerdy facts. “Should we have our picnic here?” She flashed her most winning smile. Maybe if they paused for a second, Jake would stop quoting the brochure. They’d been through the Japanese, Italian, and English gardens, which were all beautiful. But they were in awkward first-date territory, and Jake was clearly nervous, as if he’d planted every rosebush, hydrangea, and lily in this Sherman Oaks attraction himself and was waiting for her to criticize them.

“Sure,” he said, setting down the picnic basket and taking out a red-and-white checked blanket that would merit a Hollywood prop master’s approval. “Actually, I got the picnic basket at a French place, La Cachette, so it makes more sense to eat it here than in the Italian garden.” He laughed nervously, and Amelie tried to laugh with him. Jake au naturel was usually funny, but he was trying too hard.

Which was nice, in a way. She’d been floored when Jake had called last night and asked her out. She knew she should play hard to get after Jake rejected her kiss last week, but after several weeks at BHH with no invitations to anything, she had said yes instantly. Maybe Jake had just wanted time to come up with a real first date, and that was why he’d kissed and ditched.

He pulled a loaf of perfectly golden, flaky French bread from the basket, followed by an assortment of cheeses, charcuterie, and pâté that he laid out on the blanket. “So, I got chocolate soufflé for dessert,” he said. “But they wouldn’t sell me wine, so I just got Orangina and sparkling water. I hope that’s okay.”

“Honestly, I’m really not much of a drinker,” Amelie said shyly, pouring them plastic cups of Orangina. Jake had probably seen the photos of her at Area that had surfaced about two months ago when she was suffering the peak of her Hunter Sparks obsession. She had gone to the club with Kady and downed every drink Hunter bought her, paying for it the next morning when drunken photos of her had surfaced on TMZ. “Those photos from Area, that was kind of a one-time-only thing.”

Jake grinned. “Oh, I just mentioned the no-wine thing because I’m a total alcoholic. I’m wondering how I’m going to get through this date without at least a cocktail.”

Amelie laughed for real, which seemed to put Jake at ease.

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