by Judy Corry
She thanked Drew for coming, and then he walked offstage to the applause of hundreds of fans.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Kate threw her arms around him in a congratulatory hug. Then, realizing a supposedly married woman probably shouldn't be throwing her arms around a supposedly engaged man, she stepped back awkwardly and cleared her throat. "Seriously, you did so good out there," she said in a much more reserved tone.
"Thank you," Drew said breathlessly, not seeming to notice her discomfort. "It was actually fun. Talking with Clary was like talking to my grandma…the nice one, that is." His mouth quirked up in the half smile that did funny things to her stomach. "Let's just hope the rest of the interviews go as well as this one."
Which reminded Kate, she still had Alexis on the phone. "Here," she said, holding up the phone. "Alexis wants to talk to you."
Drew took the phone, and Kate went to talk to the stage manager to see if there was anything else they needed to do before rushing off to the next event.
"Are you excited to see Gwen again?" Kate asked Drew the next Friday as she drove him to the secret house he and Gwen would be staying at for the weekend. Dion was picking up Gwen at the airport that afternoon. Within a few minutes, Drew would get to see his girlfriend, and Kate would be meeting the girl who had finally stolen Drew's heart.
The first impression she'd had of Gwen from watching Monday's show hadn't been super awesome, so she hoped, for Drew's sake, that Gwen's second impression was much better.
"It’ll be good to see her again. It's hard to grow a relationship to the point it needs to get to, when you only see each other every other weekend. Talking on the phone just isn't the same."
Kate nodded. "Well, then I hope this weekend is a good one. Do you guys have anything fun planned?"
Drew stared at Kate like she was missing a screw in her head. "You do realize we can't go anywhere, right? Like, we'll be stuck in the house with nothing but each other and movies and whatever else is in the house to keep us entertained."
Kate shrugged. "You're a homebody. I thought it would be right up your alley."
Drew smiled and shook his head. "I'm a homebody when I choose to be, but when I'm forbidden to leave, it just kind of feels like jail." Then he seemed to realize how that came out and hurried to say, "Not that being alone with Gwen is a punishment. It would just be nice to go on a real date one of these days."
"I bet that after living in that huge house of yours, staying in a regular-sized house like us commoners probably gives you claustrophobia." Kate winked, loving that she could give him a hard time about that. When he scowled, she added, "I totally get it. You want to broadcast your love to the world instead of keep it a secret."
"Something like that."
She had certainly done that. She'd wagged her engagement ring in everyone's faces and totally earned her and Nolan the title of PDA couple among their friends. And what a huge piece of humble pie she'd been dished to teach her a lesson.
They arrived at the house. Kate maneuvered the car into the garage.
"It's so nice not having to use a disguise this time. The last place we stayed at didn't have a garage, so I totally had to dress up like a crazy, homeless holy man." He chuckled. "Oh, yeah. You saw that one, actually."
"You got your holy-man costume for this? I bet Gwen just loved that." Kate laughed.
Drew smiled. "She made me take it off as soon as I got in there."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Kate burst out, feeling her cheeks flush. "TMI. I do not need to know about that."
Drew's face immediately turned beet red, even his ears. "That's not what I meant." He cleared his throat. "You remember that nickname they gave me in college?"
Kate thought back to how Aiden and Drew had talked about how their new college friends made fun of Drew for choosing to remain a virgin until he was married. "You mean Saint Drew?" Was it possible that after all these years he was still a virgin?
Drew nodded, a flash of embarrassment crossing his face. "Saint Drew is still saintly."
Kate arched her eyebrows. "I'm impressed." And despite how awkward it was, she couldn't help but ask. He was the one who brought it up anyway. "How does Gwen feel about that?"
"She's not a fan, and totally tries to corrupt me. But I didn't make it twenty-eight years without having a strong will."
More like a stubborn stick-in-the-mud personality, Kate thought, remembering all the other things he'd been stubborn about in the past.
"Good for you, Drew. I'm really proud of you for standing up for that, even though you've gotten a lot of crap about it through the years."
"It's not without difficulty. Believe me.” He unbuckled his seat belt. "This whole show is set up for that to happen. Even these weekends. Dion certainly doesn't understand it. But I'm just thankful that at least I have Alexis to stick up for me. She makes sure each of the houses we stay at has two bedrooms, so I can lock Gwen out at night if I have to."
Kate gasped. "Do you really have to lock your door to keep her from sneaking in?"
"Now that was a joke." Drew laughed, his eyes bright with humor as he opened his door to climb out. "She's been understanding. She even tells me it helps her feel special—that if we do get married in the end, she'd feel lucky that she was the only one to have that part of my life."
It was all so sweet. Gwen really was a lucky girl. Kate only wished she was good enough to deserve someone like Drew.
Drew put his bag over his shoulder and Kate followed him into the house. A tall blonde was just coming down the hall when they stepped into the kitchen. Gwen in real life.
"Drew!" She squealed and threw her arms around his neck, showering him in kisses and putting her fingers all over his face.
Was he going to tell her how much he hated having his face touched? Kate didn't think that could have changed in the last few years.
"I missed you so much," Gwen said. She kissed him on the lips then grabbed his hand to pull him into the next room.
"H-h-h-hold on," he said, pulling her to a stop, his tall frame towering over her. "I don't think you've met Kate yet."
Kate slipped a smile on her face, happy Drew would still acknowledge her presence even when he had his gorgeous girlfriend tugging him into another room.
Gwen stopped, turned around, and forced a smile on her burgundy lips.
"Gwen, this is Kate, my handler, though better known as one of my good friends. Kate, this is Gwen."
"Nice to meet you, Gwen," Kate said. "Drew has told me so much about you."
Actually, he hadn't, come to think about it. He'd only mentioned her in short spurts with all the craziness of the past week. But she figured he'd appreciate it if she covered for him. Plus, Alexis had been insistent about the importance of keeping Gwen happy. Happy girlfriend for Drew meant Drew would be happy and therefore much more willing to follow through with his promises.
"Wish I could say the same for you," Gwen said, a sour expression on her face. "Drew told me he got a new handler, but apparently, it wasn't important enough to say any more than that."
Kate bit back the retort she had on the edge of her tongue. The only thing keeping her from telling Gwen off was the fact that she needed this job to accomplish her goals where her screenplays were concerned, and also her love for Drew. If anyone else had spoken to her like that, Kate wouldn't have hesitated to give them a piece of her mind.
Drew had warned her that Gwen didn't make the best first impression…but really? This was absurd.
Drew mouthed I'm sorry from behind Gwen.
Kate unruffled her feathers and decided to do away with the niceties and just get down to business. She pulled out her notepad and pen, and asked, "What would you guys like me to bring you for dinner?"
Yes, it was kind of ridiculous that they couldn't order their own food, but it was not above delivery guys to sell out for a much bigger payday than their tip would ever give them.
"Oh, I don't know," Gwen said, tucking her arm in the crook of Drew's. "What do you feel like eating, Dre
wy?"
Drewy? Kate had heard a lot of horrible pet names before, but this one was just terrible. Drew was not a Drewy. No way. That was the name for someone's whipping boy.
But Drew didn't seem to mind the term of endearment. Could he possibly like it?
"I could go for a pizza." Drew shrugged.
"Oh, you know I can't eat pizza this late. Carbs are a big no-no after six. Don't you remember?" Then she pinched his side as if checking for fat. Gwen looked to Kate. "Tell Drew he can't eat pizza this late in the day, or it will stick to him. And we can't have our bachelor getting chubby. His fans want to see his ripped abs."
"I'm sure Drew is more than capable of deciding what he will or will not eat," Kate said, the annoyance level surging even higher.
Gwen scrunched her nose at Kate, clearly not liking being stood up to. She turned her attention back to Drew. "How about we get something from that place we ordered from last time? They had the most amazing soup and salad."
"Adrianna's?" Drew guessed.
"Yes, that's the place."
Kate wrote the restaurant name at the top of her pad and drew a line under it.
"What would you like to order?" Kate asked.
"I don't have the menu memorized." Gwen set a hand on her hip, the other reached out to Kate for something.
When Kate didn't understand what was going on, Drew cleared his throat and said, "I think she wants to use your phone."
Oh. Realization dawned on Kate. They weren't allowed to have their phones while on secret weekends. No contact with the outside world, besides the cheap unit that only made phone calls in case they accidentally snapchatted a picture of themselves for the world to get their hands on. So. Many. Rules. So much secrecy.
Kate unlocked her phone and handed it to Gwen. Gwen's fake nails clicked on the plastic of her case.
A few minutes later, Gwen and Drew had made their decisions and Kate jotted them down. She took her phone back and told them she'd be back soon.
After Kate pulled out of the driveway, she called Adrianna's to place their orders. Then, at a pizza place nearby, she ordered a small supreme pizza for herself and another medium pepperoni and tomato for Drew, which was his favorite.
No carbs after six, my eye. It was Friday night. Friday night had always been pizza night. And she and Drew would have pizza if they wanted to.
8
Drew
"You really could have been a lot nicer to Kate," Drew said once they'd shut the door to the garage.
"Oh, come on." Gwen rolled her eyes. "I was just giving her my order. I shouldn't be expected to be her best friend all of a sudden. She's our handler, for goodness’ sake."
Drew took in a slow breath to calm his frustration. "She's also my friend. And besides, you shouldn't treat anyone like that, anyway." He knew Gwen had grown up very privileged coming from a wealthy family, unlike him, but how could she treat someone like that? He didn't like this side of her very much.
"Just your friend? Are you sure that's the only reason you got her that job?" She narrowed her eyes and looked him over, as if she could see what was really inside his mind with some sort of X-ray vision.
"Of course we're just friends. Believe it or not, but I'm not the kind of guy to go after my best friend's married sister. Especially when I already have a girlfriend."
"Married? She didn't look married?" Gwen spat.
Drew pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the headache this conversation was causing to stay at bay. He looked at Gwen, in what he hoped seemed a calm and serene manner. "She's married. I saw the wedding announcement with my own two eyes. Didn't you notice the huge ring on her finger?"
Gwen crossed her arms. "I'm not in the habit of looking for women's rings to gauge whether they're available or not."
Drew stepped closer and set his arms on Gwen's shoulders. "The only girl I'm interested in dating right now is standing in front of me."
Gwen's anger seemed to melt. She folded herself into his arms, going soft. "I'm sorry I overreacted so much," she sobbed. "It's just so hard being away from you so much. And when I saw how pretty Kate was, I couldn't help but get jealous."
Drew pulled back and took Gwen's face in his hands. "Don't be jealous. There’s absolutely nothing going on between Kate and me. Let's just enjoy this time we have together and forget about everything else for the weekend. Okay?"
She nodded, and he gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Kate dropped off dinner twenty minutes later. Gwen greeted her much more kindly, if not totally sincerely, and when she walked back to the living room with her food, Drew saw a chance to apologize to Kate for his girlfriend’s attitude earlier.
When they were alone, Kate spoke in a hushed tone almost mysteriously. "I left a pizza in the garage for you."
A grin stretched across Drew's cheeks. He pulled her into a side hug. "You're the best."
She shrugged as if it was nothing. "I figured you deserved your pizza after the hectic week you've had. Nothing says good job like a pizza."
Drew raised his brows. "Might it be pepperoni and tomato?"
Kate grinned proudly. "Of course!"
He felt light at the thought of her remembering that tiny detail about him all these years later. He checked behind him to make sure Gwen was still in the living room. She was. So he leaned closer and whispered, "I'm sorry about Gwen. She's always a little touchy when we haven't been together for a while."
Kate nodded. "It's okay. Just don't let her know about the pizza thing. I'd rather not have her snitching to Alexis that I'm trying to ruin those abs of steel." She poked him in the stomach playfully, and then pinched his sides where she knew he was ticklish.
"You really are the worst," Drew joked, gripping her hands to stop her. He was unsettled at how her simple touch sent butterflies to flight in his stomach. He wasn't supposed to react to her this way. But she probably shouldn't be flirting with him, either.
"Drewy?" Gwen's voice called.
If he was going to propose to Gwen at the end of all this, he needed to tell her how much he hated that nickname. Like, it was bad. Even Saint Drew was better than Drewy.
"I better go," Kate said.
"Do you and Nolan have fun plans for this weekend?"
"Oh, um." Kate scratched her neck. "Nothing too exciting. Probably just eat pizza and watch a movie."
Even that sounded more fun than staying cooped up in some stranger's house for the weekend. He and Gwen were still getting used to being all alone after being surrounded by producers and cameramen for so much of their relationship. He knew it was sad, but sometimes he liked Gwen's personality better when there were other people to joke around about it with. When they were alone, things usually just got awkward.
But he would try not to think about that. They just needed more time together. That was all.
"Tell Nolan I said hi." He gripped the knob, readying to shut the door behind her. "I'll call you in the morning with our lunch requests."
"O-okay, that sounds good." Kate stepped back, bumping against the molding, dropping her phone in the process. Drew dipped down, picked it up, and handed it to her. "Thanks," she said, before stepping back into the garage. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Drew waited by the door to watch her leave, worried her sudden clumsiness might make her forget to open the garage door before backing out. She seemed to have recovered though and she pointed to his pizza box on her way out.
"Thank you," he mouthed before stepping down to retrieve it. He shouldn't have to keep his pizza eating a secret. He was a grown man, wasn't he? So instead of hiding in the garage, stuffing his face with "forbidden" food, he waltzed into the kitchen with the box in hand.
"She got you a pizza?" Gwen hmphed when she saw it.
"Yep. And if you're nice I'll even share."
Gwen sighed. "Fine. This soup isn't as good as I thought it would be."
Drew held back his I told you so and opened the box on the coffee table. "Then I hope you like pepperoni and
tomato."
"Not my favorite, but I'll eat it."
Drew resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You're gonna eat carbs for me?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. I'll eat carbs for you. But if I hear any complaints about you being able to pinch more than an inch…"
"I'm not the one who cares about that."
"Which is why I love you." Gwen lifted a piece from the box and took a bite.
Drew hoped she didn't notice that once again he didn't return the sentiment. He'd get there someday, he promised himself. That day was just not quite today.
"So how was your weekend?" Kate asked Drew after he put his duffel bag in the trunk and climbed in the company car she'd driven to the safe house Sunday evening. Dion had just taken Gwen back to the airport, so it was time for Drew to come back to reality again.
"It was fine," he said as Kate pulled onto the road.
Honestly, he didn't know how to feel about the time he'd spent with Gwen. The rest of the weekend went by more smoothly than the first hour, but it still wasn't as awesome as it should have been. Something was missing in their relationship, and even though Drew kept trying to make everything work, they didn't have as big of a spark as they'd had during filming.
He also didn't love that Gwen was always so jealous. Yes, it was hard that they couldn't be together all the time. Couldn't go out in public. Couldn't even put their real names in their phones. But he hated how threatened she felt when he had to spend time with another woman, like when he had to be with Kate because of work. He did understand some of it. It was a natural thing. But the extent that he had to reassure her every time was draining. He had foolishly thought that once he'd sent home the last girls from Finding Your Soulmate, things would be better.
The day when their relationship went public couldn't come quickly enough. Maybe then she wouldn't be so insecure.
"I'm glad it was at least fine," Kate said. "Gwen seems really, um…confident?"
Drew had to laugh at that. "She certainly didn't give the best first impression, I'm afraid."