What the hell just happened?

Cassandra rolled the question around in her mind and couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation. The whole day had been one she’d wanted to start over.

The moment she'd arrived on set, things had been off. Then Brett had kissed her, in front of everyone. But it was the look on his face when she walked up to him tonight that stayed with her. His look of utter sadness had her fighting the urge to wrap him up in her arms and hold him. Reassure him that whatever was wrong she was there for him, always would be.

Always would be.

Where on earth had that thought come from? This was crazy thinking. Absolutely crazy. She couldn't deny her growing attraction to him.

There must be something wrong with her to be attracted to someone who had the power to hurt her like Michael had done. Brett's reputation as a bad boy player preceded him. Why would he change for her? He appeared to be doing and saying all the right things, convincing others he wanted to improve his image. Part of her couldn't help feeling it was all an act.

A slight breeze blew up, ruffling her hair around her face. A shiver wracked her body. The day had been warm, but the night had turned cold. With one last look at the pond, as though it would give her the answers she sought in understanding Brett's mood, she turned and headed back to the warmth of the hotel.

---

Her hand hovered inches from Brett's door. It was probably wiser to wait until tomorrow to face him again. Give him the night to get over whatever demons he was fighting. Yeah, if only she'd listen to that sensible part of her brain, then she wouldn't be standing here.

Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her knuckles lightly on the door. Her knock echoed around the hallway. Or maybe she just thought it did.

A minute passed and she tried again.

Why wasn't he answering? Had he gone to the bar instead of his room? Or maybe out to eat with the others? Or maybe he’d gone to swim some laps. Work off whatever had stressed him out at the lake.

She made her way back downstairs and entered the restaurant where they'd eaten the previous evening. Even with the lights dimmed, she could make out most of the patrons eating, and none looked like Brett.

He wasn’t at the bar or the pool. Cassandra headed to the main desk, thinking they might have an idea where he was. It was a long shot, but she was beginning to worry. She wasn’t Brett's keeper, but she had to make sure he wasn't getting himself into situations that would jeopardize all the good work they'd done over the past few weeks.

"Good evening. Can I help you?"

Cassandra smiled at the young woman who'd addressed her. "Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me if Brett Hunter left a message for me. I'm Cassandra Fielder."

The chances of him leaving her a message were extremely slim, but it was a better approach than saying, do you know where Brett Hunter is?

The urge to drum her fingers on the granite counter top was strong, but she suppressed it. Nothing worse than seeming impatient for the person who was doing the searching for you to go even slower.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Fielder, there's no message for you and…" the other woman paused, checking the computer. All Cassandra’s senses went on high alert. "Our records show Mr. Hunter checked out almost an hour ago."

"Checked out? Are you sure?"

“Yes, ma’am.”

This was not good. What would Frank say if he knew she'd lost a client? What the heck was Brett thinking to leave and not tell her?

"Right. Do you happen to know where he was heading?" Cassandra asked.

Oh God, what a stupid question. Of course the receptionist wouldn't know where Brett was heading.

"No, I don't, but if you check with the concierge, they may know."

"Thanks.” Cassandra nodded and headed to the concierge's desk.

Five minutes later, she was back in her room in a state of disbelief. Brett had left for the airport. They had a return flight in the morning. Had something happened which required him to leave immediately? If that was the case, why hadn't he told her? Of all the irresponsible things to do, this rated up there as a major one. Where the heck was he heading? She could only hope that it was back to Colorado.

Grabbing her phone from the side table, she dialed Brett's number, the call immediately when to voicemail.

Damn, she’d have to leave a message. The last thing she wanted to do because he could easily delete it without listening to it.

He couldn't be on a flight already, could he? More than likely he’d turned off his phone, which meant she wouldn’t be able to locate him on the App she’d installed on his phone. Something she did with all of her clients. A tinge of guilt pierced her for not mentioning it to Brett. Dan had told her and Frank to do whatever necessary to ensure Brett stayed on the straight and narrow. None of that mattered now. Whether he was on a flight or not, she wanted him to know he wasn't in her good books for walking away without a word to her.

"Brett, it's Cassandra. I don't know where you are or what you're doing, but I'm not happy that you left without telling me. Call me when you get this message, even if it's the middle of the night."

Sighing, Cassandra disconnected the call and set the phone back on the table. A quick glance at her watch told her it was close to 10 p.m. There wasn't anything more she could do tonight. She would have to wait until the morning and hope he called. If he didn't, there would be hell to pay.