Page 16 of Stars Collide


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Sounds good. See you then.

As she leaned back in her seat, her mind drifted to Anna. Despite losing tonight, Eden had to admit there had been a few highlights, and they all related to a certain young pop star with an effervescent smile and stars in her eyes.

Eden woke to the sound of the buzzer, blinking groggily into her pillow. What in the ...? Brilliant sunlight streamed in the window, and oh shit, the clock beside the bed read 12:05. She’d been so exhausted last night that she’d slept until noon, and now Zach was here. With a groan, she crawled out of bed and walked to the keypad by the door. “Hello?”

“Good afternoon, Ms.Sands,” the doorman said. “Mr.Tomlin is here to see you.”

“Can you give me five minutes to get ready and then send him up?”

“Absolutely, Ms.Sands.”

“Thank you.” She dashed to the bathroom to freshen up and brush her teeth and then dressed in jeans and a loose blue top. Her hair was a mess, but it wasn’t like Zach had never seen her first thing in the morning before. She’d just turned on the coffee maker when he knocked on the door.

She opened it with a smile.

He took her in with a smile of his own. “You were still in bed when I got here, weren’t you?”

“Maybe. I had a late night. What have you brought me?” She motioned him into the condo.

Zach stepped inside, carrying a white paper bag from her favorite café in Santa Monica, where they’d lived when they were married. Where Zach still lived. “Bagel with cream cheese and a large mocha.” He held up the cup.

She barely contained a moan. No other place made a mocha quite as good as this one. “Oh my God, I love you.” Zach’s expression morphed into one of discomfort, and Eden suddenly heard what she’d just said. She winced. “I mean, you know what I mean ... the mocha. I love the mocha. I just woke up, and caffeine is my love language right now.”

He put a hand on her shoulder, steering her into the living room. “We’re good, aren’t we? You’re okay with how things are?”

“I am. I really am.” She accepted the insulated cup from him and sank onto the couch.

Zach sat across from her on the love seat. His brown hair was cut a little shorter than she was used to, probably for a movie. He looked good, like over-the-top Hollywood handsome, but she felt nothing more than friendly affection for him. Maybe that was all she’d ever felt for him, if she were being perfectly honest with herself.

“I’m glad.” He set the bag on the table between them. “You don’t mind if we eat in here, do you?”

“No, go right ahead. I’m just going to have a love affair with this mocha before I get to the bagel.”

Zach grinned. “Same old Eden, I see.”

“Same old,” she echoed, sipping the drink. The rich combination of chocolate and espresso greeted her tongue, andGod, it was as good as she remembered.

“How are you really?” he asked.

“I’m ...” “Fine” was on the tip of her tongue, but she’d never lied to Zach. Why start now? “Okay. I’m okay.”

“Just okay?” His eyes locked on hers, crinkled with concern.

She shrugged. “Adjusting to the single life. You know how it is.”

Something indecipherable passed across his face.

“My last album didn’t do well, and I’m in a bit of a creative slump.” She closed her eyes as she took another sip. “But I’ll bounce back.”

“Yes, you will. If I wasn’t already sure of it, your Grammy performance left no doubt. You were onfirelast night, Eden. There was a spark in you I hadn’t seen in a while.”

“Was there?” She’d felt it, but to hear him say it ... well, it felt validating. She opened her eyes to find him watching her closely. “I’ve been looking for that spark, to be honest.”

“I think you’ve found it.”

“I hope so.” She took another sip of her mocha, watching Zach as the sleepy haze in her brain began to clear. “So what brings you to my condo on a Monday morning?”

“Ah.” He straightened, putting down his bagel, and that was the moment she realized he’d come here to tell her something important, something she probably wasn’t going to like. “I have some news, and I wanted to make sure you heard it from me first.”