“What?” I blinked.
“The cactus necklace I bought in Venice.”
Crap. I clutched the charm. I’d forgotten I’d been wearing it a lot lately.
“I’m taking it as a sign of hope,” he added, then looked around. “I’m a little disappointed that they didn’t read another bodyguard romance.” He winked. “I kind of like those.”
“Even when the hero turns against the heroine?” I bit into the chorizo angrily.
“Yes. Especially when she gives him a second chance,” he whispered into my ear, sending a chill down my spine. “And then they live happily ever after.”
I pulled away. “Too bad that doesn’t happen in real life.”
I walked back to the other room, but after several minutes of trying to immerse myself in conversations that didn’t include Wes, I could no longer avoid him. It was time to go.
“Can I walk you home?” he asked.
Not wanting to make a scene, I nodded.
“Where are you living now?” I asked as we strolled back to my house.
“At the Magnolia Apartments off of Sunset.”
As we passed all the flowers he’d put in, I stopped. “Thank you for these, by the way. But it wasn’t necessary.”
“Again, just a way I could still be connected to you, when you’re otherwise making it tough.”
We resumed walking. “What other creative ways are you going to come up with to invade my life?”
He looked down at his feet a moment. “Actually, speaking of that…”
I stopped again. “What, Wes?”
“I’ll be at the early screening of your movie next week. And before you think it’s a stalking situation…I have no choice. I’ve started working for a private security firm, and they assigned me to none other than Bradley Wilson.”
My eyes went wide. “You’re kidding…”
“No. Believe me, I have no desire to work for that douche. But here we are.” He sighed. “So, yeah. That’s why I’ll be at the early screening—not to stalk you.” He paused. “Congratulations, by the way. You’re obviously going, right?”
I nodded. “Yes, of course.”
“Tommy going with you?”
“He’s following me.”
“Since we’re both going to the same event, would it be possible for me to pick you up and take you?”
“I’m actually going with someone else.”
His expression fell, and I didn’t elaborate.
When we got to my door, Wes didn’t say much else before he walked away, looking defeated.
***
The following week, I was a barrel of nerves as I got ready for the early screening ofAutumn’s Husband, which was the first feature film made from one of my screenplays. It had been tweaked quite a bit by other writers, yet I’d adapted the majority of it from the novel and was extremely proud. But my nerves tonight had nothing to do with the film.
Not only would I have to see Wes, I would be bringing a date—a film agent a friend had connected me with. Allan Kraft and I had started talking casually over the phone a few weeks ago. When we realized we were going to the same event, he asked if we could go together. I’d agreed to the date before I knew Wes was working for that private security firm, though now he’d think I’d brought a date just to stick it to him.
