Kate was writing her review for the latest animated movie when her cellphone rang. She glanced at the screen, didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway. She always hoped an agent might pull her screenplay from the slush pile and call to offer representation. It hadn't happened in the two years she'd been trying, but she always hoped…

"Hello, this is Kate Dawson," she said in her most professional voice.

"Hey, Kate. It's Drew." He paused for a second. "Wait, isn't your last name Prosser now?"

Kate groaned inwardly. "I didn't take Nolan's last name." And she really didn't want to have that conversation right now, either.

"Oh…that's interesting. I never pegged you for the feminist sort."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing. I just remember coming across your notebooks back in high school and seeing you had written Kate Burrows all over one of them."

Kate covered her mouth with her free hand and gasped. "You saw that?"

Drew chuckled. "It was adorable how you put a heart in place of the 'o' in my last name."

Kate's cheeks burned. "That was a long time ago, Drew. I've grown up a lot since then."

"I know."

There was awkward silence for a moment.

Kate cleared her throat. "So what were you calling for?"

"Oh, right. I have a proposition for you," Drew said. "This might be going out on a limb, but my handler quit this morning and the show is desperate to hire someone quick with everything that's happening next week. They want someone trustworthy. Someone I already know. And I remembered you saying something about only working part time, and I figured you might be open for something more."

Really? He was offering her a job? In the very industry she was trying to break into?

"What's the job like? You said I'd be your handler? What's that?"

"Basically, you just make sure I get to my appointments for the show. We have a lot of promotional interviews coming up next Monday. And then you also have to help with a few other things. It really shouldn't be that hard."

"Can't your personal assistant do that for you?"

"He's already too busy handling all of my business affairs right now. We need someone who can just focus on the show."

Kate was getting tired of writing for the newspaper.

"When would I start?"

"Right now would be ideal, actually."

"Right now?" she said too loud.

"Like I said, we're in a bind. I understand if you need to decline. It was a shot in the dark anyway."

"Wait. No…" She swallowed, not believing this was actually happening. "I can do it. I'm almost done with my article anyway." She mentally calculated whether she could really do it or not. Things were pretty slow at the newspaper, and she knew they could hire out her work easily enough if she couldn't give them the appropriate two-week notice.

"Really?" He sounded like he hadn't expected her to accept his offer.

"Is it just at the ANB studio on Alameda Avenue?"

"Yes, studio three. Where’re you at? My driver can pick you up."

His driver? Wow, a lot had changed in the last few years.

"That's okay. I'm not too far away. I can be there in an hour."

"You sure?"

"Yes. I'll be there."

"Great. See you then."

And he hung up before she could process that she would be seeing Drew again that day.

* * *

Kate tugged on her skirt before entering ANB's studio three. Here goes nothing.

When she walked into the office, a girl with the most beautiful caramel skin and super curly black hair greeted her.

"How can I help you?" The girl peeked at her through thick rimmed glasses.

Kate cleared her throat and clutched her résumé. Drew hadn't said anything about her needing one, but she'd printed off one just in case. She was surprised at how much she wanted this job, even if she didn't really understand what it was. "Drew Burrows told me to meet him here."

The girl nodded and gestured to the chairs in the corner. "Take a seat and I'll go find him."

Kate sat on a black leather chair and tried hard not to fidget with her belongings. She was busy running through her answers to possible interview questions when Drew walked into the room, wearing a dark blue suit that screamed designer tag. He smiled when he saw her, and her stomach did a little flip.

"I'm so glad you could make it." He walked toward her, and before she knew it, he was pulling her into a hug.

Her breath caught in her throat at the unexpected gesture. She hadn't hugged Drew for, well, had she ever really hugged him before? Cuddled with? Yes, once. Kissed? Exactly once—and obviously that hadn't turned out well.

But she returned the embrace, noticing how good he smelled. It was different from what he used years earlier. Probably a really expensive cologne, because she had never smelled anything so good.

"Thanks again for coming on such short notice," he said after stepping back. "I'll take you right to Dion's office, so he can go over everything with you."

"Dion Robins?" She followed behind him, not believing she was about to meet one of the producers whose name she'd read across her TV screen for years.

Drew glanced over his shoulder and gave her a half smile. "You've heard of him?"

"You could say that."

"Then you've probably heard of his reputation, too."

"Reputation?"

"I'll just say, I wasn't the only one looking for love while on the show. He's quite the ladies’ man. So, if he tries flirting with you, just remind him that you're married, and he should back off."

Kate gulped. Right. Married. She should probably tell him the truth.

As if noticing her apprehension, he said, "Not that he'll need reminding. You being happily married is actually a good selling point for you getting the job."

She frowned. "Why?" Why would her marital status make any sort of difference? Did they think married people were more responsible?

He waved his hand. "Alexis seems sure any young female is bound to fall in love with me. So once I explained that was never going to happen in your case, she was practically dialing your number for me." There was something off in the way he said that. But she couldn't imagine why.

Kate made a mental note to herself that now would not be a good time to tell him the truth. Not if she wanted to get the job.

Though, why would it matter anyway? Drew was a happily engaged man. And even if he was somehow in the market for a new girlfriend, he'd never look at her. He'd made that abundantly clear when he stopped talking to her after she practically threw herself at him seven years earlier.

They reached a door with the name Dion Robins on it, and Drew knocked.

"Come in." A deep voice with a Spanish accent called from the other side.

Drew peeked his head in. "Kate Dawson is here to see you." He opened the door the rest of the way so Kate could see the Hispanic middle-aged man who was sitting behind a big desk with a wall of windows behind it.

Kate’s pulse raced with nervous energy. So this was Dion Robins. He stood and held out his hand, which she took.

Kate tried to find her tongue. "I-it's nice to meet you, Mr. Robins."

"Pleasure to meet you, Kate."

"Well, I'm going to get back to pickups," Drew said to Mr. Robins, and then turned his gaze back to Kate. "I'm sure I'll see you again soon. Just make sure you don't fail this interview."

Fail? She thought he'd made it sound like getting this job was a sure thing. He must have noticed how pale she'd gone because he cracked a smile and winked.

"I'll see you soon. You've totally got this."

Kate finally drew in a decent breath after he shut the door. She took a seat, urging her heart rate to slow down so she could make it through this interview.

"Have you ever worked for a reality show like this before?" Mr. Robins asked after he sat down across from Kate.

"No. This would be my first," she said.

Strike one.

"Have you worked in showbiz at all?"

"Not exactly." Wow, she was going to totally bomb this interview in less than a minute.

"Can I see your résumé?"

Kate handed the paper across the desk, hoping he didn't notice her shaking hands. Then she waited quietly as he scanned her list of credentials that she hoped might be impressive enough to land her this job.

"This is all very good," he said. "How soon would you be able to start?"

"Um…" The question caught her off guard. Was he offering her a job? Already? "I can start whenever you need me."

"Great. Then you're hired. I trust Drew's judgment more than my own." He chuckled. "And to be honest, we're in a tough spot and need someone as soon as possible."

"Wow, thank you so much, Mr. Robins." Talk about the most nerve-wracking interview turning out to be the easiest interview ever.

"Call me Dion." He clasped his hands on his desk. "And don't thank me quite yet. There's a big non-disclosure agreement you'll need to sign before we can move forward. Our show depends on the discretion of our employees and I'll warn you up front, if you breach your contract, it will not be a happy thing for your bank account."

* * *

Once Kate had signed the thick contract, Dion went over her new responsibilities. It didn't sound like the job would be too hard. She would basically act as an errand girl and make sure Drew had everything he needed.

"The main events you'll be traveling for will be either here in L.A. or in New York. And then there are weekend getaways that Drew and his final pick will have every other weekend. We'll need you around to do simple things on those weekends, like bringing them their meals and making sure they have all the things they need since they'll be on complete lockdown for secrecy purposes."

Wow. Talk about keeping everything on the down low. How was Drew supposed to enjoy his new engagement if he couldn't even go out and do normal things? Poor guy.

"I guess I should have made sure you were okay to travel and work weekends before you signed that contract, huh?"

"No, that's fine. My schedule is wide open." She didn't have anyone who needed her around.

"Okay, good. Now for the top-secret information that you signed all those papers for."

Kate sat up straighter, anticipation welling in her chest. This was it. She was going to find out who Drew had picked. Who was the girl who'd finally been able to steal his heart?

Dion pressed his lips together before continuing. "You said you've watched this show before, right?"

Kate nodded. "Yes." She knew the drill well. She'd always wondered how a person could get engaged to someone after only knowing them for a few months and spending so much time dating other people at the same time. But season after season it worked, and there were even a few couples who made it to the altar.

"We had something different happen this season," Dion said. "It started the same as any other time, and things seemed to be going smoothly. We thought for sure Drew would get down on one knee, as many had before him. But when the day came, he couldn't do it. Instead, he asked if they could continue dating and see where it went."

What? Drew isn't engaged? Kate's heart pounded. He wasn't off the market. Growing up, he had always been the kindest and gentlest of all her brother's friends. How could sweet Drew not be able to find love when everything was in his favor?

"Are they still dating?" she asked once the shock had soaked in.

Dion nodded. "Technically, they're boyfriend and girlfriend. But that won't satiate the fans when the season finale comes around. So, this brings us to another job of yours."

Kate bit her lip. What was he going to ask her to do? Did she want to do what he was about to ask her to do?

"We need you to help push Drew towards an engagement on the live after-show in just over ten weeks."

"Wait, what?" That was ridiculous. She couldn't make him get engaged. Not if he didn't want to.

"You're his friend. You know him better than me. I'm sure you'll be able to help him and Gwen along. He tells me you're happily married, so you should be a pro at this love thing."

Kate's stomach curdled. She should have told Drew the truth at the store.

She looked down at the fake ring she'd worn for months in order to keep people from finding out about her failed marriage. If she told Dion she wasn't married because her ex-husband cheated on her, he'd probably take back the job offer. And she really wanted this job. She was tired of putting her dreams on the back burner for whatever guy was in her life. It was time for her to finally get what she wanted. And if that meant pretending to be married for a short time, was that really such a bad thing? It wasn't like anything was going to happen between her and her brother's best friend. They'd had their chance years ago, and it had only taken one kiss for him to realize he wasn't really interested after all. Just like one month of marriage had been enough for Nolan.

So Kate pasted on her best smile and said, "I'll do my best to help. Drew deserves to finally get his happily ever after." Just because she didn't get hers didn't mean it wasn't possible for Drew. He was a great guy and deserved to be happy after everything they'd gone through.