Kate stared at the suitcases by the door. This was it. She shifted restlessly from one foot to the other. She was about to embark on one of the most important journeys of her life, and yet the thought of getting on that plane made her sick to her stomach.

The front door opened, and Jenn burst in, wearing a white knit skirt and teal shirt, her red hair glistening in waves over her shoulders. “I am so excited to go to Provence, you have no idea.”

“That makes one of us.” Kate shrugged into her jacket and reached for her purse. A few minutes ago, her pet sitter had left with Ben and Jerry. It had to be the thought of not seeing them for several months that made her chest feel so hollow, she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. She refused to entertain any other possibility.

Jenn looked at her in surprise. “I thought this role was a dream come true for you.”

“It is.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me this morning.”

“Well, I’m excited enough for the both of us. Castles, lavender fields, the Mediterranean, hot Frenchmen…”

“Hot Frenchmen?” Kate turned toward Jenn. “What about Chris?”

“Oh, I broke up with him last month while you were in North Carolina.”

“I had no idea. I’m really sorry it didn’t work out.” Kate led the way toward the door.

“It’s okay. It was a very non-dramatic breakup. Once we got to spend a few weeks together without me traveling, I realized there was no spark between us. He didn’t look at me the way Josh looks at you.”

Kate walked right into the doorway with a thud. “He didn’t…what are you talking about?” She rubbed her elbow, hoping she didn’t arrive in France with a big, ugly bruise.

“When Josh looks at you, it’s like you’re the only woman in his universe. And you look at him the same way. I could feel the magnetism between you guys every time I was in the same room with you.” Jenn paused. “I want that too, and I’m not settling until I find it.”

“That’s a very romantic notion.” Kate turned away as tears swam across her vision. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Jenn asked.

“I’m fine.” Two tears spilled over her eyelids. She laughed as she brushed them away, only to have them replaced by a torrential downpour. She sank onto the floor and pressed her face in her hands. Laughter mixed with tears until she was red-faced and hiccupping.

What the hell?

Jenn sat next to her. She slid her iPad onto her lap and toggled through a few screens. “I could have you in New York by eight o’clock tonight.”

Kate’s head jerked up. “What?”

“You heard me.”

She wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath. “But I have a meeting tomorrow morning with Lance and Bill and Mark…in France.”

Jenn shrugged. “So miss it.”

“I don’t miss meetings. It’s unprofessional.”

“Be unprofessional for a change. I dare you. Go after what you really want.”

Kate scrambled to her feet so fast, her head spun. “Antigone’s Field is what I really want. I want to be America’s Sweetheart again. I need that. I need them to love me.”

Jenn stood, her green eyes locked on Kate’s. “Do you? Really?”

“Yes.”

“The old Kate needed that. The Kate who held everyone at arm’s length and measured her happiness by the approval of her fans. She needed the status this movie will bring.”

She drew back as fresh tears threatened. “And the new Kate?”

“She doesn’t need that stuff. You want it. Heck, who wouldn’t? You’re the envy of every actress in Hollywood right now. But love doesn’t wait forever. So are you going to fight for it or not?”

Kate raked her fingers through her hair. What in the world had gotten into Jenn? She couldn’t possibly pass up this opportunity. And neither could she go to Josh today, then leave the country without him.

She couldn’t do it. There was just no way.

“Marlena said a man who sounded an awful lot like Josh was hanging around your front gate the last weekend you were in North Carolina,” Jenn said. “Since he flew across the country looking for you, I take it he’s had reason to find out you changed your number.”

Kate stared at her shoes as her heart throbbed in her throat. Had her housekeeper really seen Josh here in Malibu? Or was it yet another rumor?

“I happened to hear Mina Flores was a close runner-up for the role of Antigone. She’s just itching to go to France. I bet she could leave on a moment’s notice.”

That brought Kate to her senses. “Holy hell, Jenn, stop it. Let’s go. The limo’s waiting.”

Jenn nodded. “After you.”

They stepped outside into the bright California sunshine, and Kate slipped her sunglasses in place. The limo driver opened the door for them before disappearing into the house to retrieve her luggage.

Kate settled onto the black leather seat. She stared at her white stucco house with its oversized windows overlooking the ocean, the glittering pool, the gardens protected from the view of even her closest neighbors. Her oasis.

So why had the rooms seemed so empty the last two weeks?

The void in her chest had grown so large, it threatened to swallow her whole. What good was the movie of her dreams if she couldn’t call the one person she wanted to share it with? The person she wanted to share everything with. The first person she thought of when she woke in the morning, and the last person she thought of before she fell asleep at night.

She clutched her blue cotton peacoat, her eyes wide. “Oh my God, I’ve packed all wrong.”

Jenn wrinkled her brow. “What?”

“It’s going to be so cold in New York!”

Jenn’s head bumped the roof of the limo in excitement. “Well, buy a coat at the airport. Oh my God, Kate.”

“Harry’s going to kill me.”

“I’ll see that he doesn’t.”

She stared at Jenn for a moment, then threw her arms around her. In that moment, she knew their relationship had changed forever. Jenn wasn’t just her personal assistant. She’d become a friend. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“The house in Provence is rented through June. Go. Maybe you’ll find a hot Frenchman who looks at you like you’re the only woman in his universe.”

Jenn grinned. “You’re really doing this?”

Kate wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. “I am. God help me. This is either the best or stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Best. The best, definitely.”

---

Kate sat on her hands to keep from fidgeting as Anton drove across the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge into Manhattan. The familiar skyline twinkled like a starry necklace beneath the night sky. To her left, the top of the Empire State Building glowed a happy pink, in honor of Valentine’s Day just a few days away.

She leaned back against the cool leather seat. It had been a month since she fled New York with her life in pieces. Seeing it now sent a shiver down her spine. So much had gone wrong. How in the world could she hope to make it right?

She’d kept her mind carefully blank during the long flight from LA. Her cell phone showed half a dozen messages from Harry. No doubt he was furious. Lance Deering was probably cursing her name too. She hadn’t done herself any professional favors backing out of a movie like Antigone’s Field, and last minute to boot.

She’d be lucky if she ever saw herself up on the big screen again. And right now, she couldn’t care less. The Mercedes pulled to a stop in front of a familiar brick apartment building, and her breath caught in her throat. She’d risked everything for this moment. Goose bumps pebbled her skin, and they had nothing to do with the paper-thin jacket she still wore.

She reached for her purse. “Thanks, Anton. If I’m not back in ten minutes, you can go.”

Anton tipped his hat with a smile.

A rush of cold slapped her face as she stepped out of the car. She darted for the lobby, but her hands were shaking so badly, she could barely negotiate the front door. The doorman rushed to help her. She jogged up the stairs to Josh’s third-floor apartment, hoping the exercise would settle her nerves, but it only left her even more breathless.

She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath, then shook the nerves out through her fingertips the way she would before a performance. She reached up and knocked on his door, even as a fresh swarm of butterflies burst loose in her stomach, racing up to lodge in her throat.

Silence greeted her from the other side of the door. In her haste, she’d neglected to check his window from the street, but no light was visible beneath the door.

She waited, then knocked again. And waited.

It was nine o’clock on a Thursday night, and Josh wasn’t home.

Her body deflated several inches. She leaned against the wall, resting her head on the cool plaster. Where could he be? Out drinking with Gabe, probably. Hopefully.

She stood there for several minutes, frozen with indecision. She didn’t have a backup plan. Her plan had been to show up at Josh’s doorstep, beg forgiveness, and hope for the best. Her chest ached to think she might get to say those three little words for the first time.

But not tonight.

Reluctantly, she trudged down the stairs and allowed Anton to take her home.

Marv greeted her with an enthusiastic hug as she entered the lobby of her building. “Miss Katherine, it’s so good to see you.”

“You too, Marv. How are Vicky and the kids?”

“Great, great. Tracy’s just been accepted at NYU.” His ruddy face lit with pride.

“That’s fantastic. Please give her my congratulations.”

Kate rode the elevator to the eighth floor and let herself into her condo. Marv followed with her suitcases. She tipped him generously and closed the door behind her. A sigh escaped her lips as she stood in the darkened foyer.

A faint scent of lemons lingered in the air. Despite her unanticipated arrival, Jenn had apparently managed to have the place freshened up. Kate flipped on the overhead light and walked to the fridge for a bottle of water. As she’d suspected, it was fully stocked. She grabbed water and a cup of pomegranate yogurt and walked to the windows.

Memories hung heavy in the air.

“I’m fairly sure I know what happened to Kate that night, but I won’t speculate about it on TV. It’s for her to say. But I can say that, as someone who knew her better than anyone, there is no way she had consensual sex with that man.”

She sank onto the love seat and stared at the shadow of Central Park below. Here and there, the soft glow of a street lamp illuminated a glistening blanket of fresh snow.

“It’s your mother. She died last night.”

She’d hit rock bottom in this condo. The memories pressed over her like a heavy blanket, threatening to steal the air from her lungs. She drew in a deep breath. That was then. This was now. The lost movie was nothing like her canceled tour.

She was in charge this time.

The time difference left her bouncing with energy when she should have been getting ready for bed. A hot bubble bath and a glass of wine did nothing to help her wind down. Her bed felt empty and cold without Ben and Jerry warming her feet or Josh there to hold her.

Unable to sleep, she scrolled through her Twitter feed. Since returning from North Carolina, she’d reestablished herself on social media, much to her fans’ delight. She tabbed over to her mentions, which were always overflowing, but sometimes she stumbled across a message from a fan that brightened her day or a question she could answer for someone. They all loved it when she replied or retweeted them, and it was an easy way for her to keep in touch with them.

Tonight, though, her mentions seemed even more out of control than usual. Everyone was tagging her in some sort of viral video, which immediately got her hackles up.

What now?

Please, not more bad press. Dread fisted in her stomach. She ought to wait and let Jenn or Vero check it out for her first, but curiosity got the better of her. She clicked on the link, and a screenshot of Josh’s face filled her screen.

Her hand flew to her mouth, and a jolt of electricity zapped through her stomach.

Oh my God.

With trembling fingers, she pressed Play.

“I figured it was time—past time—to set the record straight,” he said, and the sound of his voice sent a bolt of longing through her so sharp that she clutched her chest. “My name is Josh Randall, and I’m Katherine Hayes’s mystery man.”

Holy hell. What in the world was he doing? Why would he “out” himself now after going to so much trouble to keep things between them under wraps while they were dating?

Josh stared out from the phone like he was looking right at her. “Kate, I was an idiot. It’s even better the second time around. Please call.”

Oh yes, yes, yes, yes…

Tears were streaming down her face, and she felt like she might float right out of bed. He’d just given her everything she needed to be sure she’d made the right decision coming back to New York, and she was so wired now, there was no way she’d ever sleep tonight. By the time dawn brightened the sky, her new plan was in place. She bundled up in her winter coat and boots and crossed the street to Central Park. She walked straight to the hollowed rock, lifted her phone, and took the photo she needed.

Back at her condo, she showered and prepared for the day, then picked up her phone. His schedule, once as familiar as her own, was a mystery to her now that the spring semester had begun.

She dialed the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures at Columbia University. Posing as one of his students in search of office hours, she learned that Josh taught until three. Armed with the information she needed, she typed out her message, attached the photo, and scheduled it for afternoon delivery. No sense giving him all day to overthink her words, or her intentions.

Then she sat down to wait. It was going to be a long day.

---

Josh stepped into his office, closed the door behind him, and sank into his desk chair with a heavy sigh.

It had been a long day.

Last night, he’d gone to dinner with Lily and Herman as they enjoyed their final weeks as a family of two. They’d had a great time and stayed out way too late. But when he got home, he’d suddenly been overwhelmed by memories of Kate. He could have sworn he smelled her perfume, however crazy that was. He’d heard from Gabe, who heard from Molly, that she was in France filming some big-shot movie.

He’d probably spent too much time with his radiantly happy sister, and it was making him wistful for what might have been. Maybe it was time to let Lily set him up on a date after all because after almost two weeks, he’d finally quit stalking his phone waiting to hear from Kate. His damn video plea had gone so viral that it seemed like everyone he’d ever met in his life had seen it. Surely Kate had as well. Her silence spoke volumes.

At any rate, he’d spent a restless night tossing and turning, trying to block her out of his head. At four in the morning, he’d risen and taken the two notebooks—one blue and one green—from his bedside table and locked them in the drawer of his desk.

It hadn’t helped.

Consequently, he’d been bleary-eyed through his classes today and was seriously debating going straight home for a nap. He bent, stuffing folders into his briefcase. His cell phone chirped a message, and he turned to swipe it from the corner of the desk. The screen lit, and his heart jumped into his throat. He leaped to his feet so quickly, he bumped his head on the corner of the filing cabinet.

“Holy shit.” He rubbed his forehead, then turned and tripped over his desk chair.

He looked at the message again.

At the hospital. Didn’t want to bother you during classes—this will probably take a while!

It was from Lily. He was grinning as he dialed her number.

“Relax. You’re not an uncle yet,” Lily said.

“So this is it? The real deal?”

“Yep. Glad we got one last dinner in, huh?”

“Isn’t it early?”

“It’s a few weeks before my due date, but I’m considered full term, so the baby should be fine.”

“I’m on my way.” He stood, reaching for his briefcase. Should he drop it at home and change into jeans or head straight to the hospital?

“No rush. Seriously. I could be here all night. I’ll call, or have Herman call, when things get interesting, okay?”

“I’m on my way,” he repeated. “I’m finished with classes for the week. I’ll bring some papers to grade or something. I’m not missing this.”

Lily laughed. “That’s what I figured. Okay, see you soon.”

He hung up, filled with a burst of energy over his nephew’s impending arrival. He snapped his briefcase shut, grabbed his coat, and pulled the door open.

His cell phone chirped again.

More news already? He grabbed it from his pocket.

The message was from an unknown number. He clicked on it, and a picture filled the screen. Central Park shone under a blanket of pristine snow. The view was as familiar to him as the one from his apartment window. It was their spot. Their rock. A pair of leather boots intruded at the bottom of the screen.

His stomach lurched. He fell back into the chair, his legs as useless as two pieces of rubber.

It couldn’t possibly be.

Then he saw the message below.

I need to see you. Meet me here at 4? Please. — K

He scraped a hand over his face. His day had gone from painfully boring to full-fledged crazy in less than five minutes. Kate was here in New York? She wanted to see him? His chest burned, and sweat slicked his palms. As usual, her timing really sucked.

Lily needed him right now. His sister. His family.

Josh shoved the phone into his pocket. He buttoned his coat and exited his office, locking the door behind him.