“Maybe not, but it wouldn’t hurt my pride to auction it off.”
“So you’re admitting it could be in your house somewhere.”
“I’m admitting I’d be a fool not to find out for sure. We have the will, and we’ll know soon enough.”
“Don’t you ever like to dream?” she asked playfully. “It’s fun. You should try it sometime.”
“Somebody has to be realistic.”
Truth be told, she found this practical side of him kind of sexy. It was a big change from the actors she worked with. Most of them were more like her, in need of a good director to keep them all on track.
Plus, he had that crinkly eye thing going for him. She found herself looking for opportunities to provoke it.
Levi slowed as they approached the inn. “Uh-oh.”
Mia’s eyes followed his. A handful of people stood out front, cameras around their necks.
Her stomach dropped like an anchor. “Oh no.”
“Get down.”
They were too close. No choice but to drive by. “Ugh! How did they find me?”
“Duck down.”
She bent in half, muttering, “Déjà vu.”
He drove on, keeping a steady pace, his hand on her back. “Stay there. We’re almost past. They’re watching, but they can’t see you.”
Mia’s heart rate had tripled. She clenched her fists. What was she going to do now? Her respite was over. She had to deal with reality now, and she wasn’t ready for it.
“Let me get around the corner.” The car slowed and swept in a wide arc that followed the lake’s shoreline. Levi checked the rearview mirror. “All right, I think we’re safe.”
Mia came upright as Levi pulled over to the side of the road, a turnout for tourists who wanted to take in the beautiful lake view.
“What do you want to do?” he asked. “We could hang out someplace else for a while. Maybe they’ll give up.”
“They’re not going away, Levi. They wouldn’t have come all this way unless they were sure I was here, and they’re going to camp there till I come home.” She felt trapped. Tears pressed the back of her eyes. She couldn’t breathe.
“I’ll call the police.” He was already taking out his phone.
“There’s nothing they can do. They’re not breaking any laws. They’re allowed to stand on the sidewalk and shoot pictures and ask anything they darn well want.”
“That doesn’t seem right.”
“Tell me about it.”
He set down his phone and put his hand over hers. “You don’t have to go back at all, Mia. I have that buddy of mine with the floatplane. He can whisk you right out of here. I can mail your things to you.”
She looked out at the vast lake and on to the blue skies beyond. What he offered was tempting. But where would she even go? The thought of going someplace new, starting over, was exhausting. And besides, what good would it do?
“They’ll only find me again,” she said softly.
If she went back to LA they’d be there all the time, everywhere she went. She knew how these feeding frenzies worked; she’d seen other actors go through them. At least here they were on a deadline. They’d have to get back home eventually.
She looked at Levi. His steady gaze was calming. His presence was soothing. The thought of leaving him made her feel a little hollow inside. She liked the Bluebell Inn. She liked being where her grandparents had lived. She liked the little family that lived there now. And yes, she liked Levi. It felt as if she’d found a little piece of home—the kind she’d never had. And she was loath to give that up just yet.
Besides... she hadn’t done anything wrong. In her efforts to evade the vultures she kept forgetting that. And really, that ought to matter most of all.
