The minute Rebecca and Mervyn left—she had a meeting with FireQuill Studios and had assured Jack that Paul wouldn’t be there to harass her again—Jack’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

“What’s up, bro?”

“I got a weird vibe. Did the cougar call you or something?”

“Or something.”

“Are you thinking about going out with her?”

“Oh, it’s tempting…but I can’t.”

“Fuck that, Jack. She seems to have the entire fucking package from what Anna tells me.”

“I’d have to agree, but I can’t, Adrian. I’d get crushed.”

“Okay.”

“That’s all you’re gonna say?”

“What do you want me to say? Someone’s gotta have your back on this one. If it were up to our mother, she’d already be planning your wedding and dragged our sisters along to help. The only other sane person in our family is dad—because he doesn’t know who the hell Rebecca is.”

“Yeah, I doubt you’re right about that.”

“Is he bugging you, too?”

“In his own way. He just asked me straight up what the hell was going on.”

“So, I’m the only one privy to your emotional turmoil over her?” His twin didn’t sound surprised, just appreciative.

“Well, that’s because you’re a weirdo. You shouldn’t even know about it.”

“I’m not built that way. I’m like your keeper. And I love how she makes us feel, so think about it.”

Adrian’s head shot forward as Anna slapped him from behind. Jack chuckled at his brother’s wince.

“She isn’t making you feel anything, idiot,” Anna muttered. “She is making Jack feel like that—you’re just a parasite.”

“I’m not a parasite. I’m his guardian, keeper of all his emotions, and number one sharer.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I’ll speak to you later.”

He closed his laptop and shook his head, trying to shake Rebecca from his mind.

---

The meeting with FireQuill Studios was basically an apology for Paul’s behavior. However, she was required to sign an amended contract spelling out that Paul would have no involvement in any projects regarding her work.

A small groan escaped her. She couldn’t believe she’d come all the way from Texas to New York for this.

They spoke a little about the production and the budget, but Becky hardly paid attention. She was pissed that they’d requested her to fly all the way here, instead of sending the contract to her house—and all because of their moron of an employee.

When they got to their hotel after the meeting, Becky nearly cried with relief. But it was short-lived.

In the elevator up to her suite, Mervyn said, “Steven called me today.”

“What does he want now? They’re already making my life a living hell.”

“He heard you were back in New York and arranged a signing at Barnes & Noble tomorrow.”

She blew out a breath and faced him. “Do I really have to?”

The elevator dinged, and they stepped out.

“You know it’s in your contract, babe. I looked for loopholes and couldn’t find anything. You have no choice.”

Becky slid her room’s keycard into its designated slot and pushed it open. “This is exactly the reason why Jack would never become a celebrity chef.” She trudged through the suite toward the bathroom.

“Yeah, he sure is different from normal folk. But I know how it works. The ones who resist the hardest end up becoming the biggest names.” He flashed a grin when she glanced over her shoulder.

“I wish you’d told me that from the beginning.”

“I did. It was in the letter I wrote after I agreed to take on Perfectly Imperfect.”

She sighed, vividly remembering Mervyn’s acceptance letter—it hung in a frame on her living room wall. He’d loved that novel; that was how their business relationship began. It had quickly blossomed into the friendship they now shared.

She went to take a quick shower and felt like a new woman when she got out.

Mervyn was sitting on a sofa in front of the glass window with a view that looked over the entire city of New York. She plopped down on the couch next to him.

“So, what do you want to do tonight?”

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. She was terrified of a repeat of her last night out. Furiously, she blinked against threatening tears.

“Should I get Mona to call Jack?”

“He’s still closed. He doesn’t open until tomorrow night, Mervyn.”

“That’s not what I meant, Becky. I see how he makes you laugh and helps you forget about everything.”

“Yeah, but what’s the use, right?”

“So…what? You just pretend there isn’t something sparking between the two of you?”

“I don’t know. He’s so much younger. Plus, he made it perfectly clear that he hates what my life entails.”

“I got that. But…he said nothing about not being a part of it.”

She looked forlorn, her eyes sad, but she remained silent while contemplating his words.

His voice, infused with conviction, broke the silence. “I’m going to call him. We’ll go out for drinks and take it from there. You need to unwind, honey. If hobo man manages to help you do that, I say we should give it a shot.”

She sniffled and laughed. “You know he is anything but a hobo, right?”

“The name stays.”

“Until you slip up and call him that, then you’ll have to explain. And that would put me in a really awkward position.”

“No, it wouldn’t. It’s mine and Mona’s doing. We’ll handle it.”

She was pretty sure Jack would turn down Mervyn’s request to have a drink at the Boathouse.

He wouldn’t want a repeat of the madness from the other night.

---

His phone buzzed and he answered without checking the screen. “Jack.”

“Hi, Jack, it’s Mervyn,” said the voice on the other end of the line.

“No comment.” Jack chuckled, slipping his phone between his shoulder and ear.

Mervyn laughed. “You’re a fast learner.”

“I’m not open yet, Mervyn.”

“I know, I know. That’s not why I’m calling. Becks has a signing tomorrow, but she really needs to let her hair down, so to speak. She’s been on edge the entire week. The other night at the Boathouse really freaked her out. Nothing of that magnitude has ever happened before. Most of the time, the crazies only rock up at signings, and sometimes they bombard her at the airport, but it threw her off to have it happen on a regular night out.”

“If this is a sales pitch, you are failing horribly.”

Mervyn laughed again. “Not that at all. We—that is, Mona and I—were wondering if you could find it in your heart to host Rebecca Finlay for drinks tonight. We would be eternally grateful.”

Jack sighed. His entire being screamed at him to say no. But he couldn’t. He loved being around her. Her openness and willingness to speak her mind was darn refreshing.

“Jack,” Mervyn said, after what felt like a minute of silence had passed. “If you don’t want to, I’ll…”

“No, no. It’s fine. What time should I expect you?”

“That’s the spirit. Let’s say six-ish?”

“No problem. How many of you am I hosting?”

“Just us three crazies.”

“Done. But I swear. If the hordes descend on us again, I’m throwing her overboard.”

Mervyn snorted. “You wouldn’t dare. Okay, toodles.”

Jack took his phone from where he’d cradled it and stared at the screen. He had a feeling tonight wasn’t going to end well.

He drummed his fingers on the counter and scrolled through his contacts, and finding the number he wanted, dialed MJ.

He wasn’t really sure why, but he felt that the time was right to tell her they were over…then and there. Well, that was a lie, because he did know why. He didn’t want any awkwardness between him and Rebecca if anything should transpire. Not that he thought it would, but he figured it would be best if he went into tonight with a clear conscience.

“Hey, you,” MJ answered in her sultry seductress voice.

He cleared his throat. “Hey, MJ. Um, listen, we need to talk.”

A pause ensued. “Can’t it wait?”

“No, it can’t. Look, I’ve been thinking…”

“Jack, not this again.”

He heard her sniff, her voice thick with emotion.

“MJ, we both know this isn’t going anywhere…I-I’m not emotionally invested in this relationship. I’m sorry. Words could never express how sorry I truly am, but I have to be honest, not only with you but with myself. It’s time. No matter how hard I try, I just don’t feel the way you do. I wish it were different, but…it isn’t.”

“Why are you doing this now?”

On a sigh, he closed his eyes. She was crying, clearly devastated.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while, just didn’t have the balls. I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. I should have manned up long ago, and that’s on me. I don’t want to string you along anymore. It’s over, MJ. I’m sorry.”

Jack ended the call before she could change his mind again. He felt like a douchebag for breaking it off over the phone, but if he’d done it in person, she’d have found a way to convince him otherwise.

The time had come. He’d been feeling trapped in the dead-end relationship for a couple of months. And although he felt all kinds of awful, it was way overdue.

Shaking his head, he opened the Skype app and dialed his brother. When Adrian answered, Jack could see he was interrupting a night out with friends.

“Hey, bro.” Adrian’s cheery smile greeted him.

“Hey. Look, I’ll Skype later. You’re busy.”

“Not for you. Something’s happened, I can feel it. Talk to me.” Adrian walked to an area that was quieter.

“A big something, but that’s not why I’m calling. I’m fucked.”

“Well, we’ve known that for the past month.”

Jack laughed. “Rebecca is coming over for drinks tonight with her assistant and her agent. Apparently, she needs to ‘let her hair down’.”

“Do you think it’s safe for her to be there?”

“Probably not. I’m riding on the edge.”

Adrian frowned, but said nothing.

“I don’t know what to do.” Jack felt hopeless.

“I know the feeling. I can’t tell you what to do. I just want you to be happy, Jack. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. And”—he grinned mischievously, leaning right into the camera so his face filled the screen—“I know you don’t want fame, though we both know claiming you’re against fortune is bullshit.”

Jack tilted his head in amused acknowledgment.

Moving away from the screen to slump back in his chair, Adrian said, “But what if Anna’s right, Jack? You don’t want the fame, but what if you could handle it? Would you really put your happiness on the line for something you don’t know the outcome of? Do you get what I’m saying? I can feel your spirit lifting the moment she’s with you. It’s like a boost to my ego whenever I get that feeling.”

Jack smiled.

“Just give it a shot, Jack. See where it goes.”

“I figured you’d say that.”

“Thinking about it, then?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, talk to you later. Before you go, please tell me the MJ situation has been dealt with.”

Jack sighed. “That was the big something I mentioned. She was the first call I made before I called you.”

“Happy it’s finally sorted.” Adrian’s face disappeared.

Jack looked at his watch. Another three fucking hours until she arrived.

Part of him couldn’t wait, but another part was shit scared. What if Adrian was wrong? What if he couldn’t handle publicity, being in the spotlight?

Then again, what if he was right? What if this was his only chance to rediscover happiness?

Should he really give that up without even testing the waters first?