Drew's heart was still pounding when he dropped Kate off at her apartment.

The apartment where she lived all alone…because she was single.

He still couldn't wrap his mind around it.

What had gone wrong? She said Nolan hadn't treated her very well and that he had changed after they got married. But what did that mean? It could be a dozen different things.

Gwen had been different after the show, but that was more like how high maintenance she was without him knowing. Like how she had to have a new pillowcase every day, and how she refused to eat leftovers. Definitely not things to get divorced over…even if they were annoying.

Another thing he couldn't wrap his mind around was the fact that Kate was still single after her divorce. She'd been dating one guy or another ever since she graduated high school—his social media stalking had told him that—it was hard to imagine her not being in a relationship anymore.

Was she okay? She had to be hurt, having gone through whatever it was that had caused the marriage to dissolve. He wished she had told him right from the start, so he wouldn't have accidentally rubbed salt in the wound every time he asked about Nolan.

Drew walked into his kitchen and found the container of food Carmella had left for him. Even though he enjoyed his weekly pizza night, with an extra dose that day in honor of Aiden, he usually tried to eat clean and keep with the new diet his personal trainer had given him. During filming he'd been on beaches, in pools and hot tubs, and thankfully, it was a little less daunting since his trainer Kieran had helped him turn his average build into one with more definition. If there wasn't something like millions of viewers talking about your abs or lack thereof for workout inspiration, he didn't know what was.

He checked the time as he sat down to his early dinner. Gwen would be expecting his call in forty minutes. Yeah, they had to schedule their phone calls to make sure they'd be alone while talking and not have anyone figure out that Gwen was the girl he'd chosen.

Their phone calls had started out nightly once filming had ended. Then after their first couple of weekend getaways, the calls turned into every other night. Now it was normal for them to only call each other two or three times a week. And sadly, they didn't even seem to miss the calls. That probably wasn't a good sign for their relationship. At least it wasn't something that should happen when you were supposed to be head over heels, can't-wait-to-get-down-on-one-knee in love.

Their last weekend together had been fine, and they got along okay, but there wasn't that spark he wanted to be there. And he knew it wasn't just him who was feeling it. Gwen wasn't nearly as invested in him, either. And when the time came for Dion to pick her up to go to the airport, she'd seemed almost excited to leave. They really needed to fix that. But what were they supposed to do? They couldn't just go on a date anytime they wanted to. He couldn't just drop by her work with a bouquet of flowers. He couldn't even send her flowers, since Alexis was so paranoid that someone would pick up on it and spoil the show's ending.

For a show that wanted people to find everlasting love, they certainly made it hard for them to stay in love…or in like, as it was in Drew's case. Drew really didn't want to disappoint everyone, and he really didn't want Alexis to sue him for ruining her show. He did like Gwen most of the time, even though the fun, cool version of her from filming had seemed to disappear. He knew she was still in there somewhere—she couldn't have been faking it the whole ten weeks they were together…right?

* * *

"We need you to come in for more pickups this week. Today would be ideal if you have the time," Mallory, the story producer's assistant, told him Monday morning. He was in his home gym, finishing his Kieran-approved workout.

"Didn't you guys get what you wanted last time?" Drew asked.

"Oliver wasn't exactly happy with the way they came off."

In other words, you suck at acting, Drew.

Drew sighed. "I can come in today. When do you need me?"

"The earlier, the better. It might take a couple of hours, and we'd love to be done by three."

"Okay. I'll be there."

Mallory thanked him and hung up. Drew finished his last few reps then hit the shower. Once dressed, he had his driver take him to the studio. If he was going to be hung up in there for a couple of hours, he needed to get some work done on the commute.

"We need you to wear this first," the head story producer, Oliver, said, pointing to the black V-neck shirt, gray jacket, and denim jeans he'd apparently worn on his date with Melanie in Holland.

Drew took the shirt and slipped it on, then pulled the jacket over it, not bothering with the jeans beside them. The pickups only showed him from the chest up so the top half was all that mattered.

Oliver directed him to his chair in front of the green screen. "I know we just had you do these two weeks ago, but I didn't quite get what I wanted. So let's just start from the top." Oliver sat in his chair across from Drew, with his notepad in hand and his pencil tucked behind his ear. Next to him was the cameraman, Joe, who had spent a lot of time filming Drew kiss a bunch of girls.

"Okay, for this first one, I want you to remember back to Holland and your picnic by the windmill. It was a chilly day in late September. Melanie told you about how she had been raised by her grandparents since her parents lost custody of her and her brother." Oliver read from his notes. “So what I want you to say is: Melanie looked gorgeous today, and I was honored that she would tell me about her family. I feel like we got a lot closer on our date."

"Uh…" Drew started, trying to remember everything he was supposed to say. "Melanie looked gorgeous today on our date. I felt like we got a lot closer when she told me about her family." He knew the words sounded stiff coming off his lips. It usually took him a few tries to get them right, trying to use the tricks Kate had taught him.

"Cut." Oliver instructed Joe. Then he turned back to Drew, with a half-smile. "That's one way to say it, I guess."

"Sorry, it was a lot to remember. Will it work?" He hoped so, because from the line-up of outfits on the table, it looked like Oliver had plans to keep him busy for the rest of the day.

"It might, but let's try that one more time just to make sure we get what we need. Try again when you're ready." Oliver gave Joe the signal to start recording.

Drew's thoughts scattered for a moment before he pulled them back together. He tried to picture the date with Melanie. They had walked all over Holland, had a picnic in a field next to an iconic windmill. The date had been great; Melanie was very down to earth and gorgeous with her long brown hair and cute knit hat. They had great chemistry, but he had a hard time fully being himself around her. She was such a well-bred southern lady that he didn't know how to joke around with her. This was why he'd had to let her go home a couple of weeks later.

"Melanie looked gorgeous today. My heart went out to her when she told me about growing up. I'm amazed at how well she turned out given that hard childhood she had. I really appreciated her sharing her story with me. I felt like we got a lot closer today, and I can't wait to spend more time with her tonight," Drew finished, hoping he'd given Oliver enough to go on that time.

Oliver gave him a slow clap. Drew shook his head and smiled at the ridiculousness of the situation. Since when did a twenty-eight-year-old guy get a standing ovation for saying a few silly lines?

"That was amazing." Oliver smiled. "Just keep that going or another fifty of these, and we'll be in good shape."

"Fifty more?" Did they like any of the ones he'd done last time?

A guilty expression formed on Oliver's face. "Sorry. We decided to spin the story a little differently, focus on different aspects of your dates, so we do need a lot more."

Drew tried not to feel defeated at the huge task ahead, but wow, fifty more lines. If he didn't get some magical acting skills quick he might not get to watch tonight’s episode air live with the world again.

Oliver had him do a few more lines in his current outfit before having him change into a plaid button-up from his roller skating date with Ella.

"How's it going?" A voice said from behind him as he was buttoning up his shirt.

It was Kate, wearing black rimmed glasses that he'd never seen before. How did he not know she wore glasses?

She seemed to take in the part of his exposed torso as he continued buttoning. Was it possible that her eyes had lingered on him for more than a curious second? That hadn't happened since she was in high school. But he was thankful he'd worked out this morning.

"It's going to be a long day," Drew finally managed to say once he'd found his tongue. Was Kate still checking him out? Now that he knew she wasn't married, he didn't have to feel as guilty about that thought as he would have just a day before.

She smiled. "Still not a professional actor yet? Somehow, I kind of like that about you."

She stepped forward and helped him straighten the back of his collar.

Oh, she wasn't checking me out. She was inspecting me. Doing her job.

Drew willed the flush away from his cheeks that came when her finger grazed the skin at the back of his neck.

Get a grip, Drew. Just because Kate also looks really good wearing glasses, it doesn't mean you need to care about it.

"Well, I guess I'll let you get back to your pickups. Alexis is probably wondering where I am with her coffee." She held up the cup in her hand.

"Hey," Drew said, stopping her, not wanting her to leave so quickly for some reason. He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before saying in a low voice, "We never got to decide when to get together to go over your pitches, did we?"

She grimaced.

Did she not want his help anymore?

"About that… I'm not sure I'm ready to talk to Alexis yet. I'm just getting to know her. I don't want to ruin things too soon."

Hoping Kate wasn't just trying to let him down nicely, he said, "We could still work on them. Maybe once you have a pitch you're comfortable with, you'll realize how waiting forever to get your work out there is really doing a disservice to the whole film-loving community." He smiled innocently.

Kate laughed and shook her head. "Okay, fine. I could get together tonight after work. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'll change my mind if I actually have something to work with."

"Well, if I ever get done here, tonight will work for me…though I was hoping to watch the show when it actually airs."

Her face lit up. "How about we do both? I've always wanted to watch someone watch himself on TV. It should be fun."

Drew tried not to let himself think about how awkward that might be and told her that it would be great. Then she walked off, her black heels clicking all the way down the hall, and Drew went back to his chair. Oliver commented a few times on Drew's ability to finally find some real enthusiasm for the job. Drew tried not to think about how his spirits had seemed to brighten right about the time Kate and he had made plans.

Yeah, that definitely wouldn't be a good thing to think too much on.