Noah looked down at Hailey's surprised face and smiled. It was odd that he'd just stepped out of a helicopter, but he wouldn't have noticed without her here. "What?""I forget how many resources billionaires have. The rest of us have to grin and bear it when the expressway is backed up. You hire a helicopter." She paused. "Or do you own it?""The studio rented it," Noah said "Right. Because you're a big star."He didn't detect rancor. Instead, he detected some sarcasm. He couldn't help how others saw him, but he didn't want Hailey to think less of him. It was important to him that she saw him for the guy he was. Why? He'd have to ponder that another day. "Did you bring dinner?" she asked. "Helicopters can't go through the drive-thru," he said.She laughed. "Besides we have a chef here," Noah said. They stood in the evening light, but he liked the idea of coming home to someone. He'd never lived with anyone before other than his family. He wanted to share what his day was like min

Noah felt the breakup all over again as he listened to Cassandra. She'd spouted lies, but at least she hadn't said he was abusive. Everything she accused him of, she'd done to him instead. Hailey sat there recording it all. Noah had kept silent as he'd promised. His heart hurt in a different way from the breakup. He hoped that Hailey didn't believe any of it, but he couldn't be sure. Her face hadn't shown any reaction. They rode down in the elevator in silence, but in her peripheral vision, he could see Hailey glancing his way. He couldn't tell if that meant Hailey had believed Cassandra or not. Noah wasn't ready to talk about it. What Cassandra had said, reopened wounds that Noah had thought healed long ago. His heart lay raw in his chest and he wanted out of the situation. If he could have run screaming from that hotel room, he would have. But he was happy to be there for Hailey. Cassandra would have been worse if Noah hadn't been there to see things. As it was, she'd looked down

Everyone paused. Hailey couldn't believe that her command had been that loud. The woman looked at her for a moment and then Hailey pushed her way through the crowd. They were still stunned when she ran to the end of the block. A few short moments later, she heard thundering feet. Was this how the Beatles felt? She was no rock star; she was just dating one. She'd never in her life run after a star. If they escaped her questions, she would find another way to get to them. Even with her job, she still had some dignity. These women were fans and they didn't seem to care about her safety.Hailey turned the corner as she heard shouts behind her. They were gaining on her. In the middle of the block, she noticed a coffee shop. Maybe it had a back door. She slipped into it and slid to the wall that face the shop. The thundering feet went by her. She didn't dare lookout, but there was a man sitting at the table she was near. "They ran past.""Can you keep an eye out? I don't want them to see

Kevin paused, but not for long. He whipped open the door for Hailey. "It's none of my business, Miss Johnson, but you look upset.""I am, Kevin, but I don't want to talk about it."She shouldn't feel this jealous of the situation she walked in on. What she and Noah had was a business arrangement. It was mutually beneficial. There should have been no emotion involved, but then shy did she feel betrayed. Kevin closed the door and then walked around the car. He started it and drove out of the parking lot. Hailey couldn't have been more thankful for the ability to escape. Her reaction was that of a girlfriend, so outwardly it was okay that she ran away. Cassandra and the rest of the cast would expect that. Why had the reaction been so natural for her? She hadn't had to think about what the right thing to do was. She'd just done it. She'd reacted to the situation like a girlfriend. That puzzled her. She wasn't Noah's girlfriend and somehow she'd acted like she was. It had been a genuine

"I hope I didn't overplay things," she said, putting a smile on her face. It didn't reflect how she felt. She had been jealous, and every fiber of her being didn't want her to be. Her heart was betraying her far more than Noah had. She didn't need the drama. If Noah was back with Cassandra that was his problem, not hers. They'd signed that contract.Noah didn't move from his spot, but she could see the energy vibrate through his body. He wanted to take action, but she assumed he didn't know what was right. "I don't think so. Everyone believed you."She let out a sardonic laugh. "And I'm not the actor.""You have everyone fooled. It was a great scene. As if from a movie."She set down the weight she'd been using. Without it, she didn't know what to do with her hands. Something had shifted between them. Something was different in the energy between them. As if they'd crossed some barrier, but she didn't know what it was. Hailey toyed with the stitching on the edge of the weight bench.