by Judy Corry
Drew sat up and looked over his shoulder. "That's one of the guys. I think he followed me home from the studio today. If I would have been thinking about it, I wouldn't have gone home." He pinched his lips together and bobbed his head forward, muttering about how he should have driven his truck instead of the Lamborghini.
"I probably need to try and get him off our tail, don’t I?"
"Yeah, it would definitely be a bad idea to tip him off to the safe house. That would ruin the whole show's ending if they saw Gwen showing up there."
Kate merged into the left lane, and then took the next left that she could, making the navigation app mad again. But the silver car had no trouble following her. She took the next left as well. Still, the car remained on their trail.
She grimaced, resisting the urge to slam on her brakes and have the guy rear-end them. Damaging his car would probably help get him off their tail, but she'd probably get fired for endangering Drew’s life.
She took turn after turn, went this way and that, driving in circles and zig-zagging through all of Burbank. Then finally, after three quick rights and an even quicker left, followed by a little speeding, she was able to lose the guy.
"Remind me to never pick you up at your house again," she said as they finally headed in the right direction.
"Remind me to never go home again."
Fifteen minutes later, they were hiding the cameras and bugs in the safe house. Drew put the plant up above the cupboards in the kitchen while Kate checked the app on her phone connected to the lens to make sure it was in the right place.
"Can you move it just a few inches to the right?" Kate asked. The image on the screen shifted until it caught the whole room. "Right there."
Drew stepped down from the chair he'd been using and scooted it back under the table. "Where do you think we should put the last bug?" he asked, pulling the tiny device out of the bag.
Kate chewed on her lip, looking around the house. They'd already planted one under the table, another under the arm of the leather sofa. "Let's put it in the hall by the bedroom. They'll probably be walking back there too." She hated the thought of how Drew probably felt about this whole thing.
Drew hid the bug behind one of the art pieces in the hall, a painting of a couple walking hand in hand by a pond.
"Sorry, you have to deal with this," Kate said as she watched him. "But I really appreciate you coming. It would have taken me forever to get everything set up and adjusted myself."
"No problem." He turned back to her and smiled, like he really didn't mind spending the afternoon bugging a house to catch his ex-girlfriend cheating on him.
"But it has to suck, right? Knowing what's going to happen here?"
Drew shrugged and leaned against the wall. "It's actually okay. I was shocked and hurt when I first found out. But things never would have worked out between me and Gwen. I'd been worried the whole time I'd never get there with her."
"’Get there?’" Kate looked up at him. "What do you mean by that?"
He stuck his thumbs in his belt loops and pushed the tips of his fingers in his front pockets. She loved how even though he was a fancy billionaire now, he looked just as good in blue jeans as he did in an expensive suit.
He sighed. "I don't know. I just…I wasn't anywhere close to being ready to get down on one knee. I still couldn't tell her I loved her."
"You never told her that?" Kate couldn't believe it. He'd been thinking about proposing when he couldn't even say those three words to Gwen?
Drew looked at the carpet before meeting her eyes. "I never felt it." He paused, seeming to debate whether to say what was on his mind. "I— Actually, I don't say those words very often."
Kate couldn't help but press him. This was all so eye-opening. "What exactly does that mean? Like, how many girls have you said that to?"
He scrubbed a hand over his face, clearly uncomfortable. She felt bad for asking him such a personal question. She was just about to tell him it was none of her business when he sighed and said, "Only my mom…and that's usually when she says it first." He pushed himself off the wall and walked down the hall toward the living room.
Kate really hoped she hadn't just embarrassed him with her questions. Drew had never been the boisterous outspoken guy, but she never knew he was this guarded with his affection. Was Drew scared to tell people his true feelings? Could Drew be just as afraid of rejection as she was now?
Her mind tried to wonder if his shyness might have factored into what had happened between them…or rather, what hadn't happened, but she chased the thought away as she went after him.
"Hey," she said, touching his arm when she found him in the living room.
Drew turned and looked at her hand on his arm before gazing at her with those deep blue eyes of his—eyes that showed a vulnerability she'd never noticed before.
"Sorry I'm so nosy."
"It's fine. It's time I started being more open. Obviously, showing my feelings isn't my strong suit."
Kate let her hand drop. "There's something to be said about using a little caution though. I certainly could have used a bit more about this time last year."
"You live and you learn." He smiled, and she knew he understood that she was referring to her haphazard marriage to Nolan.
"Anyway," she said, pulling her phone out. "I'm going to call Alexis real quick to see if there's anything else we need to do while we're here. I'm guessing she'll want to test the bugs remotely."
"Done already?" Alexis said on the other line after Kate gave her an update.
"Drew offered to help." Kate met Drew's eyes.
"That's actually perfect. I want to test everything out. Could you guys do a few things for me?"
"Sure." Though Kate wondered what kinds of things Alexis had in mind.
"Let me get my computer up first to check out the cameras to see what we have to work with." The line went quiet for a moment before Alexis came back. "Okay, I can see you guys. Wave." Her voice was so bright and cheery. "Okay, I'm going to ask you guys to do a few things just so I can make sure I'm set up to catch what we need."
"Whatever you need," Kate spoke into her phone.
"We'll just run through a few possible scenarios between Dion and Gwen." Her voice soured on those names. "Are you guys open to doing that?"
What was she going to ask them to do? She glanced at Drew cautiously, worried about his reaction, but he didn't seem worried. Could he even hear Alexis well enough to know what she was talking about?
"Put me on speaker so both of you can hear me," Alexis instructed.
Kate did as she asked.
Then Alexis had them go to the door that led to the garage. "Okay, so I'm just going to walk you through a scenario and see what the cameras and the bugs catch. Imagine you're Gwen and Dion." Kate scowled, but she nodded, knowing Alexis could see the gesture from the plant camera. "Now stop me if this makes you uncomfortable, Kate. I don't want your husband coming to yell at me later today."
Kate looked to Drew for guidance on what to tell Alexis. She'd hate for Alexis to just delete her screenplay from her email if she didn't like the fact that Kate had pretended to be married this whole time.
"Just go along with it," Drew whispered.
Kate sighed and said, "Nolan will be fine. He knows I'm just doing my job."
"Okay, great,” Alexis said. "Drew, I want you to lean back against the garage door like you’ve just arrived, and Kate, I want you to hug Drew as if you're so excited to see him since your last forbidden meeting."
Kate's heart immediately raced, and she glanced at Drew to gauge his reaction. His eyes appeared reluctant, but he followed Alexis's instructions and leaned against the door, holding out his arms out for Kate.
Was this really necessary? Or was Alexis testing them to see if Dion and Gwen were really the cheaters? She really hoped she hadn't just walked into some sort of trap.
"Come on, Kate. I have a meeting in ten minutes. We don't have time to get all bashful."
Was this weird for him? It had to be.
But it did feel nice.
"Okay, now I want you to say something to each other, so I can see if it comes through on the bugs," Alexis said.
"Hi," Kate said, leaning back with her arms still around Drew’s neck and awkwardly looking up into his eyes.
"Hi." He grinned.
"Keep talking, guys," Alexis instructed.
This had to be the weirdest thing a boss had ever asked her to do. But she would just go with it, so she said the first thing that came to her mind.
"You smell really nice."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She inhaled again, enjoying his familiar scent. He wasn't wearing the expensive-smelling cologne today. He smelled like he had when they were younger. "It reminds me of when you were in college. Isn't it weird how certain smells bring back memories? Like right now, this reminds me of Christmas break my senior year of high school, when I was making the finishing touches to the screenplay I entered in the that silly high school writing contest." She kept babbling on, hoping it would make the awkwardness dissipate.
"I remember that. Though I'm pretty sure I just made you mad every time you asked me to help."
"Frustrated…maybe." Kate smiled, interlocking her fingers behind Drew's neck. "But like I always say, you always made my guy characters sound way better. In fact, I think I may need your help with something, if you're not too busy sometime."
"What do you need?"
"I've been working on another screenplay."
"Imagine that." His eyes crinkled at the corners.
"I can't help myself." She lifted her shoulders. "But I'm having a hard time capturing the hero's voice. He sounds all wrong and I could use a man's input."
Drew didn't hesitate. "I'd love to help. Name the time and I'm there."
"Any time after work is good for me. I have no life outside of that, besides visiting Lana tonight."
"Well, working for this show is pretty exciting." He smiled, and Kate thought he really looked so good when he smiled. Was it possible that he just got better and better looking with age? "How about we get together tomorrow? They're giving you the day off, right?"
Kate nodded. "That’ll be perfect."
"Okay, you guys can stop now. Let's move to the couch next." Alexis's voice came through Kate's phone, startling her so much that she jumped away from Drew. She had completely forgotten Alexis was listening to everything.
And she realized, too late, that she'd made it way too obvious that she didn't have a husband at home to help her with her screenplays.
She was so getting fired.
23
Drew
"Is there something going on between you and Kate?" Alexis asked Drew when she dropped by his home that evening. She had just marched right in as soon as Carmella opened the door, causing him to almost choke on his chicken.
He took a swig of water to wash his dinner down. "What do you mean?"
She set her hands on her hips. "Is Kate the real reason I won't have the finale I want? Are you and Kate having some sort of affair that you decided to pawn off on Dion and Gwen?"
Drew gulped. She must have noticed something going on between them this afternoon over the hidden cameras. He should have been more careful, but he'd been too caught up with the fact that Kate was in his arms and smiling at him. It was something he'd wished would happen for years. And the way she fit in his arms so perfectly made him believe she was meant to be there.
He'd been totally oblivious to the fact that Alexis would not be happy about it.
This wasn't good.
"Nothing's going on between Kate and me."
Could she sue him for never getting over a girl from his past? It's not like he knew about Kate’s divorce when he went on the show. He’d been trying to move on, to get over the girl he never should have wanted in the first place. It wasn't his fault the show hadn't worked for him or that Kate had magically ended up back in his life. Back as a possibility. A possibility that he very much wanted to become a reality.
He took a deep breath and faced Alexis. "It’s true that I have feelings for Kate, but nothing has happened. I really did catch Gwen and Dion at the safe house last week."
"Okay, fine." Alexis sucked in a quick breath and released it loudly. "But that doesn't change the fact that you have feelings for a married woman."
Drew led Alexis to the living area and sat on the couch. He looked down at his hands, knowing he had to tell Kate's secret in order to save both of their reputations. "I recently found out that Kate isn't married anymore. Her husband cheated on her and they got divorced a few months ago."
"Doesn't help that she lied about it."
Drew shook his head. "It's my fault, really. Please don't get mad at Kate. She's had a hard-enough time as it is."
Alexis tapped her foot on the marble floor. "I don't know what to believe anymore. All I know is that I have a whole nation watching a season that’s turning out to be even more of a train wreck than I thought."
Drew sighed and leaned into the couch. "I'm sorry. I didn't plan for this to happen. Yes, I've had feelings for Kate for years. But she got married. So, I said yes to the show because I needed to be over her and move on with my life. Find my own soulmate." He ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't know until a couple of weeks ago that she was single again."
"And how does she feel about you?"
"I don't know. I never dared try too hard to figure that out. We have a complicated past."
She let out a loud breath. "Well, your complicated past is starting to darken my show's future. If my ratings tank, ANB will drop the show. And that means a lot of people will be out of jobs. You don't want to see Oliver, or Joe, or me without jobs, do you? What about Derek? He has three little kids."
Drew’s stomach twisted. Alexis really knew how to pile on the guilt. Suddenly, him having feelings for Kate was putting people out of jobs?
"I know you're this billionaire and you don't have to worry about money…but a lot of people do. Just think about that before you act rashly."
Drew straightened and shook his head. "I think you're forgetting that I haven't actually done anything wrong here."
She pointed a finger. "You weren't emotionally available to get engaged to Gwen."
"Since she was all in it for the right reasons," Drew said sarcastically.
Alexis crossed her arms. "Fine. But you're still thinking about throwing caution to the wind and going after Kate, when we still need to lay the trap. If Dion catches any wind of you and Kate secretly dating, all our plans are in jeopardy. He and Gwen will know something is up, and we won't have a way to catch them in their scam."
Drew pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. I get it. Dion and Gwen need to believe I'm in love with her."
"Yes. Which means…" She cocked an eyebrow.
"Which means, no pining after Kate when anyone can see."
"Yes," she said, though she still didn't seem like she liked the idea of him pining after Kate in private either.
Alexis stood and made ready to leave. But just before she did, she turned back to him. "And just remember this, Kate also works for the show. And even though I try to keep personal feelings out of my business ventures, it might be hard to keep her on board or take an honest look at her screenplay, if I'm worried about her presence tanking everything I hold dear."
Drew swallowed thickly. He'd never forgive himself if he took away Kate's chance at her dreams finally coming true. They'd already lost something dear to both of them the last time he'd acted hastily.
"I understand. I'll try to keep my feelings to myself." He shrugged as if it was nothing at all. "I mean, I've waited seven years. What's a few weeks more?"
Alexis's phone buz
zed. "Looks like I better get going. Evan needs me to pick up the kids from daycare."
After Alexis left, Drew stayed on the couch, remembering Gwen had texted him earlier and he still needed to respond.
He read her text.
I can't wait to see you this weekend.
More like you can't wait to see Dion in the in-betweens.
Drew shook his phone in his hand, debating how to respond to her text. He really wasn't looking forward to this weekend at all. More like, looking forward for it to be over. Along with the next and the next until the season had finished airing, and Alexis had given him the go ahead to stop faking the relationship.
Not that Gwen would believe he still wanted her after spending time with him. After all, he'd never been very good at hiding his real feelings.
How did Alexis even expect this to work? She of all people knew he couldn't act to save his life.
At least texting didn't give away anything. So he sent Gwen exactly what she'd want to hear.
I'm excited for this weekend too. We need it.
Then he decided to go for a run to get his mind off everything.
Drew woke up the next morning, anxious to see Kate again. His conversation with Alexis was still fresh on his mind, but that didn't keep his heart from pounding like a jackhammer every time he thought about having Kate all to himself for the day. As he picked out his clothes, he tried not to remember the fact that she'd always told him he looked good in blue growing up, or that she'd liked his cologne from back in the day.
Instead, he concentrated on the innocent fact that he was just going to be helping his old friend with her screenplay. He wasn't doing anything wrong. What would be wrong would be to cancel on her last minute, just because Alexis didn't want him to date her.
This wasn't a date. It was an act of service.
At least that's what he kept telling himself while he made sure every hair on his head was in the perfect spot.
"Sorry I'm so late," Drew said once Kate opened the door to her apartment. "I had to lose the paparazzi."