Read The Hollywood Effect for Free Online Page A

Literally award winning. He’d won some teen choice award for cutest smile or something weird like that. I’d told him he could quit acting now and retire. He’d reached his pinnacle.  
    “How much bacon do you want?” He poked at the sizzling strips of meat in the pan. I sniffed longingly. Bacon was the hardest to resist.  
    “All yours, mate.”  
    Liam turned to look at me quizzically.  
    “I’m a vegetarian, you numbskull,” I said.  
    “Since when?”  
    “About three years ago.”  
    “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t… wait, I swear we ate steaks and hamburgers last time I was here.”  
    I shrugged. “I don’t really make a fuss about it. I probably got the veggie burger.”  
    “Huh,” was all he said.  
    “What?” I said, a little defensively.  
    “Nothing. Just something you and Holly have in common. She wouldn’t let me cook any meat in the house though. Oh - sorry - are you going to have to throw this pan out now?” He looked contrite and picked up the frying pan.  
    “Nah, it’s fine. If I’m being deadly honest, I sometimes fry my haloumi in Dad’s lamb chop grease… don’t judge me.”  
    Liam laughed and piled all the bacon onto his plate.  
    “Well, no complaints here then. More for me! Hey, I was thinking…”  
    “That’d be a first.”
    “Exactly. That.”
    “Huh?”
    “I miss this - bantering, being insulted, being able to insult you. And you know I’m doing it in a loving way. America’s so different in that way. Everyone’s so bloody nice all the time. Holly would probably burst into tears if I called her a lazy piece of shit, and most of my mates would think I was upset at them if I called them dickhead or wanker.”
    “Ah yes. Good old Australia where you insult your mates and call your enemies ‘mate’.”
    “We’re an odd lot, that’s for sure. It’s good to be back.”
    He put the pan in the sink and turned the tap on before I could warn him. Water splashed all over his top.  
    “Sorry! I should have warned you -“
    “It’s okay,” Liam said and pulled his soaking hoodie and t-shirt off.  
    “I… uh…” I tried to think of something coherent to say. I guess those abs weren’t photoshopped in that last movie of his, after all. “Lemons.” I finally said. “I have a lemon tree outside. We need lemons. For the pancakes. Yeah. Lemons…” I made myself tear my gaze away from those gorgeous ripped abs and somehow managed not to reach out and stroke them. They’d certainly changed a lot since we were in our mid teens!  
    “All right, lemons. I’d forgotten how weird you are in the mornings.”  
    “Yeah… mornings. Let’s blame that…”  
    I got up from the table and led the way outside. The lemon tree was in the front yard. I stifled a yawn as I picked my way through the damp grass. I could feel Liam’s breath on the back of my neck, and tried not to think about the fact that he was topless.  
    We stood surveying the tree. There was only one ripe lemon on it, out of my reach. Liam reached up over me and grabbed it. Having tall males around was good for something after all. I let my gaze wander around the quiet street. Old Mr Moloney was trimming his hedges next door. Mrs Lewis was putting her bins out. I frowned. Her dementia must be getting worse. Thursday’s were bin nights.  
    “Oh shit.”  
    “What?” Liam demanded.  
    I pointed. Matt Rivers was sitting in the parked car on the opposite side of the street, camera pointed right at us.  

CHAPTER FOUR

    Who is Liam’s Mystery Girl??  
    It seems our favourite Aussie hunk might have taken comfort in the arms of an old lover! Liam Burns, the on-and-off again finance of rising star, Holly Monroe, has been spotted back in his hometown in sunny Australia in the arms of a mystery young woman. We’re still waiting on reports of who this lucky lady is, but it could be safe to assume she’s an old flame from Liam’s pre-Hollywood days. Rumours are that Holly wants to