“Mmm . . . that does sound like a good idea.” She traced his now scratchy jaw with her hand. “But I was hoping you’d play tour guide today, show me all the touristy spots in Los Angeles.” She batted her eyelashes innocently at him.
He groaned, burying his face in the crook of her neck. The vibrations tickled, causing Lily to laugh.
“I’m just teasing, love. Why don’t you get ready, and I’ll start breakfast.”
She grinned back at him. “Okay. See you in a few.” After giving him one last kiss, she hurried through her morning routine. By the time she brushed her hair, the scent of freshly brewed coffee made its way to her. She inhaled, feeling even more awake.
She padded into the kitchen, unable to stop herself from leaning against the doorway and staring at the sight before her. Nate stood at the stove, barefoot and bare-chested, wearing only his sleep pants. His normally groomed hair stood out in every direction, and a cup of coffee sat on the counter beside him as he stirred a pan of scrambled eggs. Steam billowed from another mug sitting beside the coffee pot. He’d left the creamer and sugar out for her, along with an extra spoon.
This is the way every morning should start, she thought.
She made her coffee and sat at the counter as Nate divided the eggs between two plates and grabbed some now-golden-brown bread from the toaster.
“I hope this is all right,” he said as he placed the plates in front her.
“Of course! You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“Anything for you.” He sat beside her after grabbing the butter and strawberry preserves from the huge refrigerator.
They ate quickly in comfortable silence. She offered to clean up while he got ready for the day.
A little while later, Nate took her on a tour of his Los Angeles. He pointed out some of the places tourists gravitated, but he wanted her to see his favorite spots. He showed her his favorite local coffee shop, where he often stopped in on his way to work for a latte. He showed her the park where he went for a morning run several times a week. And he showed her his favorite strip of sand—a quiet spot just outside Santa Monica that looked out over the Pacific.
They ate lunch at a nearby café that Nate was fond of, and later that afternoon, Lily admired all the shops along Rodeo Drive and Robertson Boulevard as they made their way back to Nate’s house.
He held her hand as he drove. Lily couldn’t have pictured a better tour.
When they pulled into his garage, Nate said he had a small surprise for her that night.
“I’m not a fan of surprises.”
Nate simply smiled at her. “I think you’ll like this one.”
Lily sighed. “Okay. I trust you.”
They each grabbed a book and retreated to Nate’s outdoor area. Sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, they read with their feet intertwined. About an hour later, a knock came from Nate’s door.
“Sounds like the surprise has arrived.” Nate got up, and a few moments later, Lily heard him answer the door. A muffled conversation grew louder as the speakers made their way through the house.
“Daniel!” Lily jumped up when he followed Nate outside. He grabbed her into a hug.
“Hey, Lily! It’s good to see you,” he said. Sam waved over his shoulder, and Lily grinned and waved back.
“It’s good to see you both, too!”
Nate motioned for everyone to take a seat. “I thought we could all have dinner together.” Lily grabbed his hand, giving it a small squeeze, and mouthing a silent thank you. He winked back at her.
Daniel snickered. “I’m glad you came to your senses, man. I thought you were going to keep her all to yourself!”
Nate shrugged. “I thought about it.”
Sam jokingly smacked Daniel’s shoulder. “Oh, come on. You remember what it’s like. Give them a break! They never get to see each other.”
Daniel simply rolled his eyes and grumbled. “She was my friend first.”
The two women laughed as Nate’s eyes narrowed at his best friend.
Night fell as they all caught up. Nate and Daniel fired up the grill, and the girls moved to the kitchen to bake potatoes and make a salad. It was easy for Lily to forget that she was surrounded by Hollywood while doing something as mundane as chopping tomatoes.
“Lily, I just have to tell you, I’m glad you and Nate are together. I think you two will be good for each other.”
“Thanks. I’m a lucky girl. How about you? Everything good?” she asked, sliding the last of the tomatoes into the salad bowl.
“Oh, sure. Just enjoying the downtime. I’m starting a new project right after Daniel starts the third Grady Pierce movie.”
“That’s exciting! I’m sure you’ll be great.”
“Thanks. I’m not looking forward to the separation, but they’re both good projects, so it’ll be worth it.”
Lily placed her knife in the sink. “If you don’t mind my asking, how do you two deal with being apart?”
Sam leaned against the counter. “It’s not easy. Not at all. But we talk as much as possible. That helps. And we try to see each other when one of us has a break.”
Lily nodded thoughtfully.
“Don’t worry, Lily. The distance shouldn’t stop you two from being together. But any time you need a pep talk, just give me a call.”
Lily smiled. “You know, I’m probably going to take you up on that offer.”
“I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want you to.”
Later, when her friends were gathered around the dining room table, Lily took a moment to reflect on the fact that they were really a part of her life. She could hardly believe it but offered a toast to them all the same.
“To good food and good friends. I’m happy to be here. Salut!”
“Salut!” the others echoed.
A couple of hours later, Nate closed the door behind their guests. When he turned around, Lily kissed him soundly.
Resting his forehead against hers, he smiled. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
Lily leaned back so she could look into his eyes. “Thank you for tonight.”
“You’re welcome, love. I knew you’d want to see them. And I don’t mind sharing you—for a few of hours.”
She laughed. “Well, I’m all yours now. Any ideas what you’ll do with me?”
Nate gave her a sly grin and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the patio. “How does a midnight swim sound? We’ll deal with the dishes in the morning.”
Chapter Nineteen
The next day started early. Nate had to work, so Lily decided to bring her laptop and join him at his office to tackle some work of her own. She made the scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee while Nate got ready for the day. Then she showered and dressed while he cleaned the kitchen. Lily couldn’t help but notice how effortless the morning was. It was as if they’d been doing this for years. The thought didn’t scare Lily. Instead, it gave her comfort.
What would it be like to start every day this way? she wondered.
Lily walked into the kitchen. She looked every bit the professional in a simple navy sheath dress, lemon yellow cardigan, and metallic champagne four-inch pumps. A matching tote rested on her right shoulder.
Nate’s black suit, crisp white button-down, and black and red striped tie were just as appealing. Lily winked at him as she made her way toward the travel mug sitting beside the coffee pot.
“Do we need to go?” she asked as she filled her mug and added a splash of cream.
“Yeah, we should head that way. Ready?”
“Ready,” she replied, turning off the machine.
Lily enjoyed her jolt of caffeine as Nate wound his way into the city, occasionally reaching for her hand over the console. It didn’t take long to get to his office, but it was a longer commute than Lily’s less-than-ten-minute drive to work.
Nate seemed almost shy as he parked in a designated spot beside the building.
When they reached the entrance, he held the
door open for her grandly. “Well, this is it.”
Her eyes widened as she stepped in and looked around the space. “This is great, Nate.” The office felt similar to his home. The walls were painted a welcoming taupe, which was accented by complementary neutrals. Bright abstract artwork brought focus to several points throughout the office. Live plants added a touch of life and freshness to the space.
“Good morning, Carina,” Nate said. “This is my girlfriend, Lily.”
Lily smiled at her and offered her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you, too, Lily. Nate’s mentioned you once or twice.”
Lily couldn’t help but laugh at the woman’s knowing grin. She liked Carina already. She had long, dark hair, and even darker eyes that were filled with kindness. Lily guessed Carina’s age at around forty and that her slight maternal nature came from having children of her own.
“You two have fun,” she said as Nate started toward the door to his office. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Lily waved as she followed Nate.
His office was a practical workspace. A laptop sat on top of a large desk, surrounded by a wireless mouse and neatly stacked files. Books and binders filled the massive wooden bookshelves. A few photos of Nate and his clients at various events were scattered around as well. A huge window provided natural light and a fantastic view of the city.
Nate sat the messenger bag she’d bought him for Christmas beside his desk.
“Make yourself at home. You should connect to the Wi-Fi automatically, but let me know if you have any trouble. And I’ll give you the codes if you need to print anything.”
“Thanks. It’s nice of you to share your office with me.” She pulled out her own computer and placed it at the head of the rectangular table that served as a conference table, of sorts.
“Well, we’ve worked well together before,” he said, grinning at her over the top of his laptop.
Lily laughed. “Very true.”
They worked in companionable silence for a couple of hours. Lily compiled research for an upcoming story for a while, but as time went on, the clicking on Nate’s keyboard became noticeably louder. She looked up to see his brows furrowed in annoyance. A few minutes later, Nate’s phone rang.
“Nate Brennan,” he answered. “No. No comment. No, she’s not commenting on any rumors. They’re just that—rumors. Again, no comment. Goodbye.”
Five minutes later, the phone rang again.
“Nate Brennan. No. No comment. No, she will not be releasing a statement. Goodbye.”
Ten minutes after that, his cell phone rang.
He took a deep breath before answering the call. “Nate Brennan. No, no comment . . . I realize that, but she’s not going to comment. If we release a statement, you will get it. Goodbye.”
The rest of the morning continued in a similar manner. Nate typed in between fielding phone calls. Lily watched, captivated, and wondered if this was a typical day for him. Each time the phone rang, he had what seemed to be the same conversation over and over again. She got the impression that the same conversation was taking place over several e-mails.
She didn’t want to disturb him. She tried—sometimes in vain—to continue her own work when she wasn’t stealing glances at him. The way he operated fascinated her. And, if she were being honest, her inner reporter alarm blared, the curiosity driving her to distraction. She desperately wanted to know the cause of all the commotion.
A couple of hours later, Nate pulled off his glasses, setting them on his desk before rubbing his temples. “Do you want to get out of here for a few minutes? Grab some lunch?”
Lily glanced at her watch. It was just after one in the afternoon. “Sure, hon. I could use a few minutes away from the computer. And I’m getting hungry.”
Nate stood and stretched. “Great. There’s a deli just down the street. Want to walk there?”
“Sounds good.” She grabbed her clutch and took his hand.
They slowly made their way along the sidewalk after telling Carina they’d be back later. The walk seemed to calm Nate, but he was still lost in thought.
She squeezed his hand to get his attention. “Everything okay?”
He sighed, letting go of her hand, and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. “Yeah, everything’s fine. It’s just been a long morning.”
“I could tell.” She moved her arm around his waist. “I’ll be glad to listen if you want to talk about it.”
“Thank you, love,” he said as the entered the deli. They spent a moment looking at the menu before placing their orders.
Nate took her hand again when they sat down at a table. “I’m sure you figured out that the rumor mill is swirling about one of my clients.” Lily nodded for him to continue. “I represent Claire Stevenson, and now the mainstream press has picked up on the talk about her.”
Lily knew who his client was. Claire had made a name for herself as an outstanding actress. She was in her midthirties and already had one Oscar and three Golden Globe nominations. She married a screenwriter seven years ago. Every once in a while, talk would surface about the presumably happy couple splitting, and Lily guessed that’s what the talk was about.
“So why not comment and put a stop to the rumors?”
Nate ran his hand through his hair. “Because it’s not that simple.”
“Why not? I’m sure if you released a statement, the talk would stop.”
“You have an incredibly idealistic view of the press, love.”
Lily tried not to feel defensive. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It simply means that if she chose to comment, that would not be the end of it.”
“How do you know that? I think a definitive answer would be the end of it.” Lily could feel her defenses continue to rise.
Nate smiled tightly as a waiter brought their food to the table. “And I think it would only lead to more questions.”
Lily sighed in annoyance and tried to concentrate on her lunch. She hoped they could agree to disagree. “She should just say whether or not they’re still together,” she mumbled quietly.
Nate chuckled, annoying Lily further. “That’s not the issue.”
She rolled her eyes and looked at him expectantly, wanting him to continue.
“I don’t mean to be evasive. It’s just not something she wants to talk about to the press.” He took her hand across the table.
“She has every right not to, of course. I don’t mean to imply otherwise. I just think it’s sometimes easier to answer the questions.”
“Not in every case,” Nate replied with a somewhat sad smile. He scooted closer, not wanting others to hear the conversation. “Claire is pregnant. Gossip rags picked up on the rumor last week, and some paparazzo snapped a photo of her with her hand on her stomach yesterday. Now E! and People are working on the story.”
Confusion colored Lily’s expression. “I’m not sure I understand. This is good news. Why not share it?”
“Remember how I said it’s not that simple?” Lily nodded. “Claire had a miscarriage about a year ago. She was lucky that no one found out about it. They were devastated, love. They’ve been trying to have a child for years. And to finally become pregnant only to lose the child two and a half months later? It crushed them both.
“She confided in me when she found out they were pregnant again. But her doctors have warned her. The miscarriage caused a lot of damage. Things have progressed normally so far, but her doctors are being very cautious. She’s almost to her third month. Until she’s past that point, nothing is certain. Actually, nothing is certain, even then.”
Lily felt full of remorse. “God, Nate. I had no idea.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know. But now do you see why she’s not commenting? I can’t exactly put out a press release explaining the situation.”
“No, I understand. Not commenting on it makes sense.”
But Lily stood by what
she said. She believed that, in most instances, answering the questions being asked would put a stop to them—or at least slow them down. But another part of her understood the desire to keep private things private. She could hear her grandmother in the back of her head talking about not airing your dirty laundry in public. Lily knew that, for Claire, it wasn’t about keeping up appearances. It was about dealing with something that should stay among family and close friends.
“Nate, I apologize. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and then jumped all over you.”
Nate shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for. I understand where you’re coming from. And, for the record, you’re welcome to jump all over me anytime you’d like.” The suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows made Lily snicker.
She smacked his arm and stood to leave the deli. “Okay, I’ll remember that, Big Boy.”
They walked hand-in-hand back toward the office. As they got closer, they both slipped back into work demeanor.
“You know, the one thing I’ve learned doing what I do is that it’s never black or white,” Nate said as they entered his office. “What to say, how to say it, it all has to be done on a case-by-case basis.”
Lily nodded in understanding. “I can see that.”
She thought of their two guests the previous night. She adamantly believed that Daniel had every right not to comment on his romantic life. But the journalist in her also believed that the press had the right to ask the question. Sadly, she knew it wouldn’t stop there.
“I just don’t want people in your position to disregard what people in my position do,” she continued. “It’s a reporter’s job to ask questions.”
“But that doesn’t mean my clients have to answer,” Nate finished.
Lily huffed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. Truce?”
Nate’s expression matched Lily’s playful one. “Truce.” He took her outstretched hand, giving it a slight tug, pulling her to him, and kissing her before returning to his desk.
The rest of the week passed too quickly. On Lily’s last day in Los Angeles, they decided to spend the day at home. Nate promised her one more surprise that evening, but she just wanted to spend the day in his arms. Neither of them knew when they’d be together again.
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