You left.

Aidan had managed to go the whole day before breaking his rule about bugging Nicole. The morning after she left the shoot without saying goodbye, though, he caved and sent the text.

Sitting in the lobby of the hotel the afternoon’s shoot was in, he stared at his phone. A few steps away, his dad spoke with the hotel’s manager.

Aidan’s phone buzzed in his lap and he snatched it up.

I had somewhere to be, Nicole’s text read.

Tacos are more important than me? he typed back.

She responded right away: You really want me to answer that?

Aidan grinned. At least she was talking to him. That was a good sign.

Looking up, he caught sight of one of the producers walking by. “Hey, Dominique. When do you think we’ll be done today?”

Dominique checked the shot list in his hand. “If all goes well, after the next few takes. Hey, you’re rocking it today.”

“Thanks. You, too.”

Still wearing what was probably the goofiest grin ever, Aidan wrote Nicole another text, hoping with every tap of his fingers that she would answer.

What are you doing today?

Field work, she replied.

Where?

A minute passed with no response. Two minutes passed. Five.

Called to set, Aidan stood up with an inward groan. So she didn’t want to tell him where she was. Fine. He had his own good guess on her whereabouts.

Thirty minutes later, the day’s shoot done, Aidan rushed from the hotel’s front doors.

“Aidan!”

He cringed at his father’s voice but turned around. “Hey, Dad.”

Rick met him at the edge of the awning. “Where are you going?”

“Just…out.”

His dad’s brows bunched together like two angry caterpillars getting into a fight. “We have that call with the studio. With—”

“I don’t want to do the show, Dad.” Aidan turned around, heading to his SUV. “I’ll see you back at the house.”

His dad didn’t follow and Aidan exhaled in relief as he climbed into the car. He stomped on the accelerator, checking the time. The sun hung low in the sky, but there were still a few hours left till sunset. Assuming Nicole was where he suspected, he didn’t want to miss her.

Pulling up to the spot where he’d parked his first time at the edge of the marsh, Aidan surveyed the area. A patch of green moved behind a tree, making his heart skip a beat.

Nicole stood up, her back to him. She turned around as he closed the car door, her eyes going wide. “Wow.”

“Yeah, crazy coincidence, right?” Aidan walked over to her, careful not to land in any wet areas as he stepped off the trail.

Nicole’s brows furrowed and she planted her hands on her hips. The flash of green he’d spotted was the oversized shirt she had tied into a knot at her waist. It was way too big for her. An old boyfriend’s? A flash of jealousy went through him at the thought.

“Okay, you got me. It wasn’t a coincidence.” Aidan stopped in front of her. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

“You’re stalking me?” She smirked.

“No, I was worried when you didn’t—” The words stopped coming. Lying would be pointless. “I wanted to see you. Why did you leave yesterday? Was it Mikey? I know that guy is weird, but he’s my best friend. I’m all he has in the world.”

Nicole lowered her face to hide her grin.

“I see that.” Aidan smiled as well. “You thought it was funny.”

“Aidan, don’t do this,” she said, so much sadness in her voice that his chest hurt.

“Nicole,” he murmured. “What is it? Really? Why are you running?”

She wrapped her arms around her waist loosely. “Look. I know you don’t know a lot about me—”

“So let me.” He stared at her, silently willing her to lift her face and gaze back into his eyes. But all he got was the occasional upward flick of her pupils.

“Here’s the thing. My parents are a part of the—industry. My mom was an actress and my dad is an entertainment lawyer. I know the scene. I grew up around it.” Finally, she looked straight at him. “And I don’t want any more of it.”

“What do you mean ‘it’?”

“The glitz and glamour. Fame. Hollywood.”

Aidan guffawed. “You think I’m Hollywood?”

“Isn’t that where you live?”

“I live in Mailbu,” he answered.

Nicole silently looked at him.

“Right,” he said, realizing his blunder. “Hollywood, Malibu…not much of a difference, huh?”

“Not really,” she said with a wry smile.

“And you think I’m what? Superficial? Fame hungry?”

Nicole bit into her bottom lip. “It’s just not the world I want to be a part of.”

“You’re being pretty judgmental. I’m only doing a commercial. I’m not in the entertainment business. Plus, not everyone in it is the same. You can’t generalize people like that.”

Nicole’s cheeks turned pink then red as she lifted her chin defiantly. “Who I spend time with is my choice, but while we’re talking about it, it’s pretty presumptuous of you to think that you’re going to win me over or something. I already told you—”

“What’s that?” he asked, turning his head toward the sound.

Not more than a few yards away, a ball of fur moved behind a bush.

“Huh?” Nicole looked over her shoulder.

“There.” Aidan pointed.

The rabbit came out from behind the bush and Nicole gasped. Dropping down to a crouch, she pulled at Aidan’s hand.

“Get down,” she hissed.

He listened, squatting down next to her. “Won’t it be able to smell us?” he whispered.

Nicole didn’t answer. She was in a trance, her lips parted slightly and her gaze fixed on the rabbit. Aidan stared at her, all his annoyance melting away. It was hard to be mad at someone when they were in such a reverent state.

The rabbit turned its back to them and started digging at the edge of a plant. Nicole’s knee made the slightest move, touching a leaf on the ground. The rabbit lifted its head and ran away, slipping under some foliage.

Slowly, Nicole stood. Aidan straightened up as well.

“I’m sorry,” she said suddenly.

Aidan stared at her. “You are?”

Nicole nodded and brushed hair away from her forehead. “I did judge you too quickly.”

“Did the rabbit make you realize that?”

She laughed but then quickly grew somber. “Kind of. A pause in conversation made me realize that.”

“Oh. Cool.” Aidan pushed his hands into his pockets, unsure of what to say next.

Nicole glanced over at the rented SUV. “Where’s Mikey?”

“He stayed at the house today to write. Where’s your friend?”

“The beach. She didn’t really want to come to the marsh. She said there wouldn’t be any cute guys here.” As the last words tumbled out, Nicole’s cheeks turned pink.

“You blush a lot.”

She covered her face with her hands. “I know.”

“I like it.” Aidan chuckled.

She dropped her hands. “I don’t.”

A long moment slid by, but it felt right. Comfortable.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Aidan asked. Before she could answer, he continued, “I’m not asking you on a date, but how about you come to the beach with me and Mikey? You and Lauren both. It sounds like she’s going to be there anyway.”

Nicole fiddled with the knot in her shirt. “Okay. Sure.”

“Really?”

After the tone of all their previous run-ins, he almost couldn’t believe her answer.

“Yeah.” Nicole shrugged. “I have tomorrow off anyway.”

“And I only have a half-day shoot, so it’s perfect.”

Nicole’s pupils widened. “Great,” she cooed.

Aidan’s blood warmed, and he swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat.

Nicole turned away, heading for the road. “I have to get back to the office.”

He hurried to fall into step beside her. “Okay. Well, you have my number.”

“How about we set a time now? Do you know where Gold Park is? We can meet at that access point.”

“Sounds great. We can be there at one.” Aidan couldn’t help but smile. Who was this new Nicole?

“Okay. See you then.” With a wave, she turned and walked for her truck, which was parked down the road.

“See you,” he called after her, allowing himself one swift fist pump.