

The  
Savannah  
Article

By Liz Rau
Though this story takes place in a town that is very real, this book is a work of fiction. Any references used are purely intended for creative purposes. Any events, names, characters, things, situations or places are one of two things: created from pure imagination or used fictitiously; and any parallels otherwise are coincidental and inadvertent.

Published by Daisy Rau Industries, LLC

All rights reserved ©Daisy Rau Industries, LLC

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or presented to a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without written consent of owner.

Distributed by Smashwords

Available on Smashwords and other online stores: ISBN-13: 9780463765029

Edited by: Candace Viertel & Sue Rau

Cover Design: Daisy Rau Industries, LLC

Information: LizRauInfo@gmail.com

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Do you like Liz Rau books? Want to read more stories by Liz Rau? Then please write me a review! Amazon, Nook, Kindle, iBooks, Smashwords, Goodreads and more. All are appreciated! I am an independent author and need your help to continue writing!

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Dedication

For my 14-year-old self, this is for you.

For Pokey, rest in peace.

For my sister, thank you.

Most especially, for those who feel weird and out of place, you're actually just awesome.

Liz Rau Books

The Secrets, Spells & Tales series

The Trials

Spellbound

Magick – coming soon

Other titles

Pieces of Accordance

The Savannah Article

iTunes Podcast

Life With Liz
Chapter One

Cole Black sipped on her piping hot mocha as she stepped into Kansas City's FTP Magazine conference room, her black pumps clacking against the dark bamboo floors as she passed the windows looking out onto the Power and Light district. During the last few years, Kansas City's economy had really boomed and FTP, an online magazine, followed in the footsteps of several corporate giants and had relocated from Los Angeles to Kansas City as a cost saving measure. As a Boonville born and bred girl, and recent graduate from college, a Kansas City career opportunity in journalism was the perfect first job.

As she set her steaming travel mug on the table, Cole plopped herself down in the uncomfortable conference room chair, her knock off designer bag gently dropping onto the floor. Reaching into the black oversized purse, Cole retrieved her notebook, smartphone and softly placed it on the glass table.

"Hey Cole, what are you doing tonight?"

Cole looked across the table to see Blake Garrison taking his seat. "Who wants to know?" Glancing down at her watch, she noted that the meeting did not start for another seven minutes. Why do I always have to be early?

"I do. Do you want to go out with me tonight?" Blake gave her a rather cheesy smile, or at least it looked cheesy to Cole.

"And what would we do?" Cole leaned on to the table and smiled coyly at Blake. "Go grab a bite at Mickey D's, then go to a club where I pay to get us in, and then finally head back to your apartment for an extra after hour's playtime?" Cole sipped her caffeine. "No thanks."

Blake frowned. "That was one time! Why won't you give me another chance, huh?"

"Blake, we went out. We went out for three and a half months. It didn't work."

"I can make it work this time. Please go out with me tonight. There's a new band at the club."

Cole shook her head as she groaned inwardly, sipping her morning coffee. Would he ever learn the meaning of no? Does he not know he has the face of a pretentious jerk? She looked up to see her friends and colleagues stride into the room with only one minute until to go. Putting her green and white travel mug back on the glass table, she looked at Blake direct in the eye. "No."

"No what?" Ana Herring, with her curly toffee colored hair bouncing with each step, breezed through the doorway with some coworkers and sat down next to Cole.

"Oh, you know, the usual."

Ana looked at Blake. "Blake, when are you going to learn she doesn't want you." Ana and Cole giggled.

"Yeah laugh it up. That's right, go on and laugh away."

"Dude, give it up!" George Ellis put his hand on Blake's shoulder. "It's over."

"This place is nothing but pure humiliation. I swear!" Blake threw his hand up in the air in aggravation, swiping it through his greasy frat boy haircut.

"Alright, alright! Quit the chit-chatting and let's get this meeting underway!" a voice boomed as grey-haired man strode into the room. Chandler Yates was Editor of the FTP Magazine and was seventy-years-old. He was just one of those people who came off very bitter when he chose to get straight to the point. "Joshua Danes needs to promote his new movie 'Pieces of Accordance' and his publicist called us. Do you know what that means Mr. Garrison?"

Every chair at the table squeaked as everybody turned to look at Blake. "Spit your gum out Mr. Garrison, you sound like a chomping horse."

Blake spit his gum out into his hand and tossed it over his shoulder into the trashcan, conveniently located directly behind him.

"Care to answer that question Mr. Garrison?"

"It uh...it means someone in this room is going to do a layout... and an interview?"

"Very good Mr. Garrison. You are not as dumb as you look."

Ana and I exchanged a glance of disagreement with that statement.

"Now, I've been thinking about this for a day. In other words, I've only known about for a day. We need something fresh. Something new. Something young... and exciting." Mr. Yates had been painting the picture with his hands when he turned suddenly and pointed to Cole. "I need you!"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You've been here what-"

"Six months, sir."

"And I have been saving you, saving you for something like this. This assignment will make you huge. You will be a household name! The job starts on May 7th. That gives you one week to pick the style, format, motif, layout, location, and story. You'll spend five days with Mr. Danes. That way you're able to get behind the scene footage as well as an in-depth story. This story will be featured in July's edition, so you'll have no cushion time to write it. I'll see you in my office tomorrow,7:00am sharp, with Mr. Danes publicist. We can discuss the rest of the details then."

"Yes sir."

"Now, on to other important issues I have to discuss...."

Cole drowned out on what Mr. Yates was saying. Joshua Danes? Whoa, that's big-time stuff. Joshua Danes was notoriously private, avoided social media and had a reputation as being less than pleasant to work with.

Ana broke her trail of thoughts when she leaned over and whispered "Pssst. Cole! Joshua Danes? Girl, you are so lucky!"

Cole wasn't so sure as her anxiety set in upon her dear friend's words.

Chapter Two

"Savannah? Georgia? What! She's picked the shoot to be down there?" Joshua Danes threw his new movie script down on his glass coffee table and plopped into his big, bulky leather chair, arms crossed as a pout adorned his chiseled features.

"Josh – buddy – pal!" His publicist, Jerry, calmly set down in the big, bulky leather chair across from Josh with his hands out. "What's wrong with Georgia?"

"There's nothing down there!"

"Uh, you see that's just not true."

"Oh really," Josh said sarcastically.

"Really. Hey, Tom Hanks shot his famous bench," Jerry used finger quotes as he spoke, "scenes from Forrest Gump down there."

"That movie was over-hyped. And not to mention Tom Hanks is an old man now."

"Paula Deen has her restaurant there."

Springing to his feet, Josh pointed to his eight-pack framed by an overly tight white shirt and raised an eyebrow, "Do I look like I eat sticks of butter and fried macaroni?"

A grimace crossed Jerry's face. "Okay, okay. Well, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was filmed down there as well."

"Who was in that?" The picture-perfect and ever-so-handsome actor plopped back into the chair.

"I don't know, John Cusack or somebody. Anyhow, you could make this town famous by going down there."

Josh looked up in curiosity, but not fully convinced.

"Totally. Just think about it. You'll be doing this town a favor, Josh. Tourists will come from all over that world just to be in the spot where Joshua Danes, Hollywood heart throb, once stood." Jerry nodded his head. "I can see it now. Young girls with the cell phone cameras and I Luv Joshua t-shirts taking nonstop fan photos at all the places where you were! Your target audience will adore you even more!"

Josh stood up and looked out his window, smiling vainly within his thoughts. "Well, you do have a point. In addition, I would be helping society and all. Maybe we could even do some charity activities down there... that would really make me look good, too. I mean, I know my image isn't the best... but something with animals this time. I almost passed out from the smell of the blood donation center last time." He chewed on his lower lip. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Fabulous Josh!" Jerry put his hand on Josh's left shoulder. "I'll call Miss Black and tell her we're all set." Jerry started to walk away when he heard Josh say what he'd been waiting for.

"So... you've met this girl?" The brooding actor arched his chocolate eyebrows, running his hand through his wavy black locks as he tried to appear nonchalant in his curiosity.

"Woman, I've met this woman. And... yep." Jerry continued walking towards the door as he made a popping sound with his last word.

"Well? What's she like?" Josh was shocked he was so curious – so intrigued. Caring about someone else's opinion was so unlike him.

Jerry stopped to look at him as he opened the door. "She's nice. Very nice."

Josh decided to go with Jerry. "Hold up, I'm going with you. Jerry, don't hold out on me man! No, really! What's she like," he asked as he shut the door to his movie trailer behind him.

Chapter Three

Cole hung her phone up and strode into her bedroom to pack. Mr. Singers – or Jerry as he asked her to call him – was sending a car service to pick her up in one hour, which would be taking her to the Charles B. Wheeler airport in downtown Kansas City, where she would then take a private jet to Savannah, Georgia.

Sure, Cole was nervous, though not about meeting Joshua Danes. Oh no, it was the fact that this is the biggest job she'd ever done. Not only was she to scribe the story, but she would have to accompany it with the ten-page layout of photos she was also responsible for shooting. The word "candid" was used at least twenty times in her meeting with Mr. Yates, so Cole was fairly positive the photos needed to be as un-staged as possible. And though she loved photography – had accomplished a double major in both film and journalism – Cole also knew every horror story of celebrity shoots that had come through the FTP newsroom. Spending the next five days with an actor, his publicist and shadowing him as he does whatever Joshua Danes would do on a regular basis, was sure to be a challenge. Plus, she now had to attend a magazine shoot to promote his movie. Cole prayed and hoped she knew what she was in for.

Cole paused as she glimpsed herself in the mirror, studying her reflection. No, she sure didn't look like the stereotypical photographer or journalist. Most female photographers wore their hair tied up, made a baseball cap and glasses look super fashionable, and tended to not look as young as she actually was – a whopping twenty-three years old and fresh off the farm, as Ana described her. Female photographers usually dressed down, too, but not she. No, Cole was definitely different than what Joshua Danes was likely to expect. Her reflection mirrored those thoughts with her long, dark espresso hair and big, brown, beautiful eyes that looked more hazel in the morning – the kind of eyes that made her self-conscious because somebody seemed to always be pointing out that particular feature. Average in height, only about 5'6, Cole was curvy and strong, and had never been thought of as frail.

For a long day of travel, Cole had donned ankle length dark denim jeans with grey trim on the side, open toe black-heeled ankle boots and a black, long-sleeved cotton tunic, with thin gray diagonal stripes on it. On top of her chocolate hair she also wore what she referred to as a bunky hat, matching in black and trim. She didn't know why she referred to it as that, but it reminded her of a paperboy in the 1950's. Quickly, Cole ran a brush through her hair and then tossed it into her bag, zipping it up.

RRRRIINNNGGGGG!!!!

Cole walked back into her living room to pick up her cell phone. "Hello?"

"Cole? Good, you're still there. When are you leaving?" A perky face spoke to her from the screen on her cell, toffee hair bouncing and all.

"Hi to you too, Ana. Um, not for another hour. Jerry's sending a car to come get me."

"Jerry?"

"Joshua Danes publicist. Then, get this! I'll be taking their private jet down to Savannah."

"Whoa! A private jet? Oh, I wish I were you! Is Joshua going to be on the plane with you?"

"Um, probably not Ana. Stars like him don't mix with peasants like us. I doubt I'll even be in the same hotel."

"Oh, c'mon. You're just stereotyping him. The man could be really... nice?" It was clear her friend didn't really believe her own words.

"Ana, with my bad luck with guys, I doubt it. Besides, you've heard the stories just as much as I have."

"Yeah well, they could be over exaggerating you know. He might be a perfectly-great guy."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Well, listen, I'll call you after I get down there. I have to go make sure my equipment is ready. 'Kay?"

"Okay. Good luck girl, ciao!"

"Bye-ness" Cole hung up her phone. "A perfectly nice guy, huh," she told herself. "Well, miracles do happen I suppose." High heels clacked against the floors as Cole strode over to the other side of her living room. The home was a cute little cottage-like house not far from the plaza area of KC. One block over was Ward Parkway and some of the most beautiful and expensive homes in the city. It was a rare find for a growing and busy city like this one, but Cole treasured the cozy home and was eternally grateful her Godmother had left it to her. It was decorated to her personality with comfortable and warm furniture that instantly felt like home the moment one walked through the blue front door. Opening her closet in the foyer entryway to the house, Cole started pulling out bags of camera equipment. With those bags, plus her luggage, there was a total of five bags. I hope it's not too much.

\- - -

Jerry was riding in the backseat of limo on his way to pick up Miss Black. "Josh," he said into his cell phone, "I'll be down there in a couple of hours. No, really, I will. I don't want her to fly down there by herself. Yes, I know there are people that fly the plane!" The limo stopped, and the chauffeur opened the door to let Jerry out. "Josh, just stay in your room. I don't know, take a nap! Listen, I'm walking up to her door right now, we'll be there shortly. Okay, bye. Bye Josh. I'm going now Josh. Later." Jerry snapped the phone quickly and breathed a sigh of relief. He rang the doorbell and waited for Cole to answer.

About ten seconds later, she did. "Hi," she said shyly, "Come on in, I just have to leave a note for my friend."

Cole's fat white cat, Piggy, came up and rubbed against Jerry. "Oh, you have a cat. It's so sweet," Jerry said as he reached down to pet him. "Ow!"

Cole whipped around to see Jerry shaking his hand and the cat hissing madly at him. "Oh!"

"It bit me!"

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! He's never done that before." Cole picked up Piggy and put him in her bedroom and shut her door. "Here, let me see your hand."

Jerry held out his hand. "Cute cat," he said as his voice dripped with sarcasm.

Cole smiled. "Well, he didn't break the skin, but you should probably go wash your hands, you can use the sink in the kitchen." Cole pointed towards a door to her right.

"Thanks," he said. He walked towards the kitchen and smiled when he saw it. It had yellow and white thickly striped wallpaper on the walls, an island in the middle that served as a breakfast bar, black and white pictures of her with friends and family on one wall, and all together just looked simple but sweetly-cute.

Crossing over to the sink, Jerry began to lather up the soap in his hands when he noticed a fragrant scent. "Hmmm, that's some good smelling soap." Glancing over, he noticed a bottle of Bath & Body Works lotion. Jerry looked over shoulder to make sure no one was around, the quickly squirted some into his palm. "Mmmm," he looked at his hands, "that's nice."

Return back into the living room, he took note of Cole scribbling down a note. She finished and looked up at Jerry's questionable face and explained, "It's for a friend at work. He's going to come over and feed my cat."

Jerry smiled, "Ah, lucky guy." Jerry pointed to the five bags on the floor. "Is this all?"

"Oh, it's not too much, is it?"

"No not at all. Actually, compared to Josh, you travel pretty light." Cole laughed. "But we should get going."

"Okay." Cole made a move towards her bags, but Jerry stopped her.

"The chauffeur will get them." Opening the front door, Jerry motioned for the driver, who came in and started picking up her bags.

"I do have to let my cat out of my room before we go, though," Cole said to Jerry.

Jerry motioned with his hands, "Oh, I'll get him, you go on out to the limo."

Cole raised an eyebrow and looked at his hand. "Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, no problem. George will let you into the car and I'll let your cat out."

Jerry scooted her on out towards the door. Cole locked the door on her way out so Jerry only had to pull it shut and walked towards the limo.

Jerry turned around and walked over towards the bedroom. He opened the door and saw the cat on the end of the bed. The cat looked at Jerry and sprung up. "Uh oh," Jerry said, backing out of the room. As the cat started running, so did Jerry.

Jerry ran out the door and quickly shut it, while the cat slammed into the door and knocked itself out. Opening the car door, he hopped inside the limo. "I think he's really warming up to me," he told Cole.

Chapter Four

When the limo arrived at the airport, Cole was surprised that they pulled up right next to the plane. The chauffeur got out and let Jerry and Cole out, then opened up the trunk for the baggage checker to come and pick up the bags. Traveling as part of Joshua Danes entourage apparently meant no TSA.

"Whoa, this is quite a plane."

Jerry walked up behind her, sarcasm bubbling out of his lips. "Yep. It looks even better inside. Let's go, Josh is waiting and we're supposed to be down there by 2:00pm."

The whole experience was surreal as Cole climbed the staircase into the jet. "So, um, what's Mr. Danes like?"

Jerry laughed. "Josh is a real nice guy."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah! You'll like him, I'm sure of it." A person two miles away could have heard the lump he swallowed.

Hours later, they arrived in Savannah around 12:30. Jerry said they didn't have to meet Josh for another hour and asked if there was anything else she needed to do beforehand.

"Well, I wouldn't mind wandering around town a bit."

Jerry smiled. "Okay, we can do that. I'll have the driver take us around the old town."

Cole shook her head. "No, that's not necessary. He can drop me off and you can go meet Mr. Danes now. I'm sure he needs you for something and I can meet you later."

Jerry nodded. "Okay, can you meet us at the Chateau Darby on 103rd street at 2:15? We'll be in the restaurant."

"I thought you said 2:00?"

Jerry nodded his head and said, "2:15 is better."

"Okay, great."

"Driver, can you drop Miss Black off right here?" Jerry looked at Cole, "are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yep." Cole opened the door. "See you later Jerry."

  * \- -

"You just dropped her off somewhere?"

"Josh, she'll meet us here in a few minutes, so relax. She wanted to go check out some locations."

Josh plopped down into a chair. "I still don't understand why she's in the same suite as me. She's probably just out to get me on the front page of a tabloid or something. Or, the chit could just be some raving lunatic you're going to let in here. She could kill me and it'd be your entire fault you know," he told Jerry.

Jerry turned around. "Where do you get this stuff Josh? Raving lunatic! That's just nonsense – you should be ashamed for even thinking of Cole like that. Plus, she works for FTP. She's not going to out-scoop her own magazine. The girl is very nice and I wouldn't let her in here otherwise. Think about it Josh – we want people to have a better idea of you as a person, yes? So, she's staying in the same suite, because Cole needs to get to know the real you. To be honest, she is not even aware of this tidbit yet."

"What?"

"Well," Jerry paused as he carefully phrased his sentence, "she hasn't asked and I haven't told her. And just to put you at ease, she doesn't have a criminal record, she grew up in a small town in Missouri and her parents actually aren't divorced. Now, I'm going to go take a look around, so you be in the restaurant in ten minutes. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Jerry walked towards the door. "Raving lunatic," he muttered. "Someone here's a lunatic, but I don't think it's her." He ignored Josh's scoff.

Chapter Five

Cole walked into the hotel lobby just as Jerry was getting off the elevator. "Hey," she said, "I got here ten minutes early."

Jerry smiled as he saw the camera in her hands. "Did you get any good pictures?"

Cole shyly beamed. "I got a few, would you like to see 'em?

Jerry motioned for her to follow him. "Let's go get a table and you can show me."

They walked into the restaurant and Cole noticed it was not at all busy. It made sense though, because it was in the afternoon and Josh probably wouldn't want to be bothered. The waiter placed them at a table by the window, which had a great view of the crystal blue river. Jerry sat in the chair that would ensure Cole would be in-between him and Josh.

"Josh will be down in a minute or two. So, let's see your pictures."

"Sure." Cole lifted the camera strap from around her neck and set the digital camera down so she could show Jerry some of her pictures. Leaning over to him, she clicked through her recent footage. "This one is of a very old church, St. John's Cathedral. I took it because there is amazing detail in the stain glass windows."

"Oh yes, I see. That's good."

"Okay, next. This one is a gazebo in Reynold's Square. And this is ... okay well it's a bench."

Jerry looked at Cole. "You know Tom Hanks shot his bench scenes from Forrest Gump down here. On a bench just like that actually."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"I did not know that."

"What else did you take--?"

"Gee, I hope I'm not interrupting." Sarcasm was practically a blunt weapon for the man standing behind them.

Cole and Jerry looked up to see no one other than Joshua Danes standing right next to their table.

"Josh! Hey man, sit down. We were just waiting for you." Josh sat down right next to Cole. "This is --"

"Hi, I'm Cole Black."

Josh shook her hand and Cole tingled at his touch.

"Coal Black? Is that a joke?" Josh snickered and looked at Jerry, who was suddenly interested in the river outside the window. "Parents were rail workers, huh? Or was it miners?"

Cole looked at him quizzically and withdrew her hand. "No, my real name's Nicole. Cole just happens to be a nickname. However, since you find it so amusing, you can just call me Miss Black."

Jerry's eyes went wide as saucers as Josh remained mute, stunned for a second. Then, his infamous stubbornness kicked in and he rebutted. "Well, you can just call me Mr. Danes."

Cole wasn't stunned and just gave him a coy smirk before turning to look back at Jerry, who was still rather wide-eyed but now fully looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Well," he coughed, "now that those introductions are done, we can eat! Waiter!" Jerry waved the waiter over in pure embarrassment.

Lunch couldn't have gone by any slower if the three of them had been six feet under. Cole sat there the entire time listening to Mr. Danes and Jerry talk about business functions and publicity functions they would have to attend in a couple of days. Apparently, they scheduled the next day as a day off for Josh, just for Cole herself. I'm a lucky girl," Cole thought sarcastically.

Cole started to wish she had gotten more than a salad to eat, seeing how they had both ordered huge steaks, baked potatoes and a small dinner salad themselves; and seemed to be taking an incredibly long time eating. Well, between trying to eat huge meals and talking about boring business functions, who wouldn't take such a long time, Cole thought. She glanced down at her watch. It was near 6:30pm and she wondered just how much longer they could possibly take.

Josh saw her glance at her watch and wiped his mouth off. "Well, what time is it, Miss Black? Are we boring you that much?"

Cole had such an urge to say yes, but instead, thought better of it. "Actually, Mr. Danes, I noticed its getting dark outside and I hadn't realized how late it had gotten."

Josh looked outside and saw indeed that it was beginning to get dark. "Oh."

Jerry couldn't believe it! No one ever took the chance to speak to Josh like that. It was so... real. And it was getting late, he decided they should end dinner. "Oh, you know Cole, you're probably real tired. It's been a long day, and you'll be quite busy tomorrow. Perhaps I should show you to your room?"

Cole smiled gratefully at Jerry. "That would be nice. I have some work to do before tomorrow that I really should get started on."

"Okay then. Josh, are you staying or coming?" Jerry leaned over and picked up the check. Josh stopped him.

"I'll get the check and then meet you up there." He knew he didn't want to be around when Miss Black found out they were in the same suite together.

"Okay then. Let's head on up," Jerry said, leading Cole towards the elevator.

Josh stood up as Jerry and Cole left, and then set back down for a minute to finish his drink. Then he grabbed the check and left a huge bill with it, not bothering to wait for change.

Chapter Six

Jerry and Cole were in the elevator when Jerry thought it was a good time to tell Cole where she was staying. "Uh, by the way, you'll be in the King Suite, room #1013. Oh, and just in case, Josh's code name for the hotel is Charlie Mae."

"Uh, okay. That's an unusual name." Cole said as she grabbed the card key he was handing her. "What suite will you and Mr. Danes be staying in?" Cole wasn't sure if she could put enough disdain on the emphasis of Mr. Hollywood's name.

"Oh, you know," he said nervously, "right in the two bedrooms on the other side of the penthouse." Jerry smiled casually at Cole. "Please don't hurt me," he mumbled.

A strange stuttering sound arose from Cole. "Th...the sa..same ..room? As in, I'll have to be nicer to him than I would've had to be if I was staying in a different room? Jerry!"

"I know, I know," he said apologetically. "But really, Josh isn't that bad. Yes, I know he can be a little stubborn, but just give him a chance. Besides, all the rooms in this hotel are taken. Think of this as the opportunity of a lifetime, Cole. No other journalist will get this story – just you."

The elevator doors opened and Jerry and Cole stepped out. Cole followed Jerry down the long corridor. "Unbelievable," she muttered. "Assignment of a lifetime and the guy's a jackhole."

Jerry heard this, but just pretended he didn't as he tried hard not to grin. "Okay, here we are."

Cole closed her eyes in a silent prayer as she listened to Jerry unlock to room and open the door. "This...this is nice," she said. Lordy, she thought as her eyes drank in her surroundings in astonishment. It was the grandest hotel room she had ever been in – ever seen! It was very elaborate and there was a huge chandelier hanging from the center of the living room area.

"I take it you like?" Jerry asked.

"I like, I definitely like. Uh, where's my room?"

"It's hidden behind the two double doors. You can do whatever you like, your bags are already in there and please feel free to order room service or use the mini bar and charge it to our bill."

"Okay... thanks. Um, I'm going to get started on my work. Let me know if you need me." Cole went into her bedroom and was just as impressed with it, as she was the main room. Seeing her bags on the floor, Cole crossed over to them and retrieved her fancy laptop – with the snap on designer cover – a matching notebook and after grabbing her digital camera from her purse, she ambled over to the writing desk in her room and set up shop.

After everything was set up, Cole began downloading the pictures she had shown Jerry – before Josh interrupted – thinking that perhaps some of these would be good location shots. Nerves were making her second guess herself though, so she pulled her cell phone out and dialed Ana.

"Hello?" A friendly face with exuberant toffee-colored hair appeared on her screen.

"Ana? Hey, it's Cole. Okay, so I'm here, and I'm looking over some of the shots I took when I first arrived."

"Uh huh. Have you met Joshua?"

Cole sighed. "Yes, I've met Mr. Danes." In the background she could see Blake hovering near Ana, clearly listening in on their call. What a shame all their cubicles were so close at work. This made private conversations difficult.

"What's he like?"

"Ana, what do you think he's like?" Cole heard a knock on her door. "Come in! Hold on Ana, someone's at the door."

Josh walked in; clothes changed from what he wore at dinner to jeans and a T-shirt, and saw she was on her cell. "Oh, you're on the phone, I'll come back later."

"No, it's alright." She motioned for him to come in, probably from the shock of seeing him again so soon. "Ana, I'll call you tomorrow. Okay. Yeah, tell Blake I said hi. Okay? Bye-ness." She put her cell down on the desk and turned to Josh. "Hi."

Josh was unsure of what he'd come in here for. "Hi." He looked down at his sneakers and remembered. "Um, I was going to go for a walk and I was wondering if you would want to come with me?"

Cole smiled. Maybe he's not so bad, she thought. "Oh, okay. Um, could I change first?"

It was Josh's turn to bear a grin. Maybe she's not so bad, he thought. "I'll just... uh..." he pointed towards the door, "I'll just wait outside for you."

"Okay." Awkward Cole thought as she watched Josh back out of the door, bumping into the frame and trying to act nonchalant about it. Quickly moving back to her bags that were still on the floor, she tossed clothes aside until she found a pair of sweats and sneakers. Changing in a rush, Cole pulled her long hair up into a messy ponytail. Striding over to her dresser, she dabbed her lips with a bit of vanilla lip-gloss. "Muah!" Her lips smacked as she blew a kiss to herself in the mirror. Wearing simple navy-blue yoga pants and a zip up KC Royals hoodie, Cole looked good. She was casually dressed but not overdone, as though she wasn't trying too hard. Then, Cole blanched at her reflection, wondering why she even cared what she appeared like. Josh had been an arrogant jerk, obviously jaded from his career with an ego the size of a blimp. Sighing, she opened her door and walked out to see Josh and Jerry talking on the balcony.

As Cole spun around to shut her door, Josh happen to glance over as he caught the sight of her long, dark, simple ponytail swinging in the air. The corners of his lips began to curl upwards. When Jerry noticed this, Josh abruptly stopped smiling. "What?"

"I didn't say anything? Although..."

"Don't start. And I had something in my eye." He started walking towards Cole.

"Ahhhh, of course you did. I know that always causes me to smile," Jerry said as he followed Josh into the living room. "Now Josh, I want her back by ten, do you understand?

Cole giggled.

"Alright Jer."

"Also, I have a shotgun and a shovel. I know how to use them."

Josh grabbed Cole's hand and headed towards the door.

"I've become very fond of her," Jerry said as he continued his fatherly antics.

"We'll see you later Jer."

"My new favorite journalist better be in one piece when she returns," he yelled as Josh shut the door. Exhausted and all alone, Jerry kicked up his feet and plopped down on the couch. "And that, I mean," he muttered to himself.

  * \- -

Cole and Josh had been walking along the street for about twenty minutes and hadn't said hardly ten words to each other. "So, where are you from?" Josh already knew, but he didn't let on.

Cole looked at Josh, "Originally I'm from a small town in mid-Missouri, Boonville, but now I live in Kansas City."

Josh looked at Cole curiously. "Boon-velle?"

"Did I say it like a country bumpkin? No, it's Boone-Ville. Named after Daniel Boone's sons."

A smirk crossed his features quickly. Clearly, he'd pushed a button, but chose to glide over that for now. "So, how do you like KC? That's quite a change, right? Is there a reason?"

"Well, I guess... no, there actually isn't. It was more like... like I was tired of living in a small town where everybody knows not only you, but your parents, grandparents and sometimes even your great-grandparents. And my mother was a teacher, so if I ever did something that you know," Cole smiled sheepishly, "wasn't proper, my mom would eventually find out about it." Cole shrugged. "It was so, so... tiresome. I always felt like I was being watched. I don't know if that makes sense. Boonville may have eight thousand residents, but somehow it felt like it was smaller than that. I can remember growing up, even as little girl, and saying I was going to move far away and live in a big city where hardly anyone would know me. And even though KC is only two hours away, I found what I was looking for. Anonymity."

Josh knew exactly how she felt. "Do you ever miss it? The small-town life, I mean."

Cole shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, yeah, I love to go back and visit, but..." Cole looked away from Josh, "I could never move back there, well, I don't think I could. Not after I accomplished the what I needed, because, I craved anonymity so much. And now, I've accomplished one of my many career dreams as well. I love feeling free in the city, going to the ballet or a baseball game on the spur of the moment. Finding the perfect little coffee shop to write in. If I went back, I'd be... well, I wouldn't feel like that anymore.

Josh took a hold of Cole's arm. "I know exactly how you feel." Cole looked at him confused. "I'm from a very small town in Minnesota," he explained. "My dream was to move to Hollywood and become a famous actor."

"I'd say you accomplished your dream then."

Josh shook his head. "Maybe I did and maybe I didn't. I love my job, I could never do anything else, but I sometimes wonder if it's all worth it."

"Why wouldn't doing something you love be worth it?"

"Sometimes, I wonder if I'm even an actor. Maybe," he paused, "I'm just a celebrity. I know exactly what you're saying when you mean you want the freedom of anonymity. This life, it puts restrictions on me. Honestly, it can be hard to handle. That's why I try to live my life as privately as possible. For example, it's not very often that I can walk down a street like this and not be bombarded by paparazzi."

Josh halted in his step on the cobblestone street, stopping Cole by a bench that faced the river. "Do you know how many lies have been said about me?" He bitterly laughed. "Some of the stories are so outrageous all I can do is laugh at them. And not to mention the physical image one must have to look and maintain in this industry. Well, it helps," he quoted with his fingers. "Girls have to be rail thin, guys have to be built. Who wants to do a romantic with a woman that looks like a twelve-year-old boy with a bobble head? And honestly, I hate going to the gym. I do." Sighing as he sat down on the bench as Cole joined him. "And it's really hard to meet someone."

Cole laughed. "Now that is hard to believe. Girls.... WOMEN must throw themselves at you all the time."

"But they don't want me for me. They want Joshua Danes, Hollywood pretty boy. And... I don't want a new girlfriend every month, either. I want wife and a family."

Warmth spread throughout Cole. "Really?" she asked.

Josh nodded, "Oh yeah...ten little me's, I can see it now," he pictured it with his hands.

Cole giggled. "Ten little Josh's running around? Lord help us all!"

Josh laughed, "Okay maybe not ten, but I definitely want a big family." He shook his hands, "and not all boys, I want a daughter so I can threaten all her dates."

Cole slapped him, "Josh!"

He shrugged, "Nah, I'm just joking. Kind of. What about you? Husband? Big family? Little family?"

Cole thought for a minute. "Mmmmm.... I definitely want to have kids. But finding the right guy? That'll be hard for me. My last couple experiences have been pretty bad." She paused for a moment before adding, "but I can always adopt."

Josh's face scrunched. "Is that so?" Cole nodded. "Fate will bring you somebody."

Cole's head tilted, "How do you know?"

Josh smiled coyly. "Just trust me. So, what do you like to write about in cute little coffee shops?"

"I write books, well stories mostly, about love throughout the ages."

"So maybe one day, someone will be shadowing you and your success."

Cole grinned to herself at that idea. "yeah, maybe" she said as she shoved her hands in to her pocket, continuing her stroll on the cobblestones lost in that thought.

Chapter Seven

Almost stride-for-stride, Cole and Josh began walking towards the hotel, both a little uncertain of their emotions. Where the heck had that conversation come from? And with such ease, Cole wondered. Silence now accompanied each step on the cobblestone streets as they snuck glances at one another. Had they really opened up to each other like that? Cole wasn't sure what just happened and that scared her. Never had she so easily opened up to a man and she certainly didn't need to fall for someone, especially not an actor. I'll never see him again after this week. I need to be careful. I can't fall for him. I can't. Cole couldn't even believe her own thoughts. Even as she chanted this mantra over and over to herself, Cole could hear the faintest voice telling her it was too late to guard her heart – a heart that would inevitably be broken.

Sneaking a glimpse at Cole out of the side of his eye, Josh was fully aware of his rising anxiety – he was scared. How can she be so sure of herself in one moment, but yet still vulnerable? I can't believe I told her so much about me. Josh kicked a rock in front of him. I can't fall for someone who barely tolerates me. But yet, Josh wanted to kiss her, hold her, protect her. I can't believe I'm actually confused over a girl. Lord help me. It's just a crush, I'll be over it in five days... when I'll never see her again, he realized.

When they were about five minutes away from the hotel and the silence began to scream in Josh's ear, he blurted out, "You know your being here is pretty unheard of, right?"

"What?" Cole asked confusingly, her walls instantly flanking around her.

"I mean, usually an actor just comes into the studio for a day to have some pictures taken. A journalist coming to an actor and staying with him? It's never actually been done before, well that I know of. Or at least not advertised much, then everybody would want to try it. You didn't even sign a nondisclosure agreement, so nothing is off limits."

Cole nodded. "Yes, I'm aware of that. And honestly, I was a little confused by my staying in the same hotel as you, not to mention the same suite! Jerry explained it to me that I needed to keep the article as honest as possible, let the FTP readers know the real you. Trust me, when the world reads the article and sees my images, the world will appreciate what you and Jerry have done here. I don't want to print of story of lies – I'm not a tabloid writer – and nothing will be still shot, that is just too commercial for me. However, I promise not to write anything in the article that is too personal. Things that are personal should stay close to the heart, and I would never want to expose you like that."

Josh took her words sincerely. "Thank you. So," he paused, "you said you want to find the perfect coffee shop to write in. Articles aren't written in a newsroom?"

A chuckle escaped through Cole's lips. "I want to be a fiction author, probably self-published"

"That's amazing! Anything I would like?"

"Unless you are downloading the super cheesy romance novels that cost a buck, no."

"Have you ever thought about going to a publisher?"

A grimace traced across her face. "No, no. I don't want that type of involvement in my life. I write because it makes me happy to create a world so unlike my own. But I do it for me because it makes me happy, you know? I'm afraid it wouldn't be mine anymore if a publishing house got involved."

"That, I get. That's why so many actors write their own scripts – to have their own voice heard."

As the twosome reached the hotel, both realized how long they had been gone when they found themselves yawning as they stepped into the elevator. Josh thought Cole could fall asleep right there in the elevator as she leaned against the wall. She looks kind of cute when she's tired.

Cole opened her eyes to find him staring at her. "What?"

Josh looked away, bashful that he'd been caught. "Nothing."

That hurt Cole a little. First, he been opening up and now he was shutting her out again. "Fine," she huffed, crossing her arm, she faced straight ahead.

Josh rolled his eyes. "Typical," he muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry, did you say something Mr. Danes? I thought I just heard muttering."

Josh faced her. "Don't call me that."

Cole faced him in a challenge. "Excuse me? I do seem to remember you asking me to address you as that. At dinner?"

"I thought we were over that."

Cole remained mute as Josh threw his hands into the air. "Fine, I'm sorry. Would you please do me the honor of calling me Josh?"

As doors opened with a chime, Cole shrugged as she strode out of the elevator. "Okay."

Josh followed her out, his mouth agape as he shook his head in amazement. "What, that's it? You're not going to apologize to me?"

Picking up her pace a little, she replied with a curt, "No."

Josh tried to stop her but she shrugged him off. "Why not? I apologized to you Cole."

As she reached the door, she realized too late that her key was on the desk inside the suite. "Ugh!" Groaning, Cole whipped around to Josh, her messy ponytail swinging in the air. "Do you have a key?"

Realizing he now held the upper hand, Josh leaned against the wall with an evil grin on his adorably handsome face. "Maybe."

An annoyed expression marred her fair features. Cole was too tired for games and cocky Hollywood arrogance. "Can I have it, please?" Holding out her hand, Cole impatiently tapped her foot.

Crossing his muscular arms, Josh peered at her crossly. "Not until you apologize."

Taking a small step forward, Cole knew she was better at this game. "Fine. I don't care if you call me Cole, Nicole, my middle name Elizabeth, or whatever else you want to--"

"Your middle name's Elizabeth," he interrupted. "That's very pretty. Mine's Christopher." A goofy grin spread across his lips in an attempt to antagonize her even more.

"Can I have the card now?"

Moving into her space now, Josh was not leaving any distance between them, his desire obvious in his gaze. "I don't think you actually apologized."

Cole changed her approach as she stood on her tiptoes to reach his face, not realizing how tall he was until that moment. The man had to be at least 6'1 or 6'2. "You're right, I did not," she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Every will of resistance broke, and Josh couldn't refuse his urge. Tilting her chin with his hand, he gently leaned down to kiss her. And some kiss it was, as it soon deepened with Josh wrapping his strong arms around her. Cole responded accordingly, wrapping one arm around his neck as her other hand went up against his chest.

As the kiss got more entwined, his hands moved further down her back. Mimicking his movements, her hand on his chest soon moved to his back and traveled south. When Josh realized what they were doing, he broke the kiss and stepped backwards, the taste of her vanilla lip-gloss on his lips.

Cole, too, stepped back, gazing up at Josh, with a very big smirk on her face. Smiling down at her, Josh began to step towards her again with the intention of another kiss but stopped abruptly.

Flipping the card-key in the air, Cole took the win. "Thanks Mr. Danes."

Josh's mouth dropped in shock as Cole whipped around, stuck the key in the door and pranced into the suite.

Turning to face Josh, Cole flicked the card at him. "Goodnight," she said cheerily.

Chapter Eight

It took a few minutes before Josh's shock could wear off a little, but he finally went into his suite and plopped down on the overstuffed-sofa. Jerry chose to come out of his room in that moment, finding Josh completely dumbstruck.

"Boy, what's she done to you?" The man didn't even bother holding back his laughter.

Josh, frustrated beyond words and trying to calm his body down, looked at Jerry, standing up and began to pace. He attempted to say something in rebuttal but ended up stopping before started. Twice. Josh's mind was so twisted at the moment that words were lost on him. Striding towards his room, he heard Jerry ask again what the matter was. "Women," was all Josh muttered as he slammed his bedroom door.

Once inside his own room and alone, Josh started to fall apart. "I am losing it," he told himself. "I kissed her. I can't believe I kissed her!" Making a huffy sigh, he threw his hands up in the air as he fell backwards on his bed. "What am I going to do?" Groaning in frustration, Josh realized one thing he had to do. Getting up, Josh went to take a cold shower. A long one.

In her own room, Cole paced back and forth, not believing she had just done something that incredibly dumb, He kissed her! Joshua Danes kissed her! And I couldn't have been more stupid, she realized. But, if she had just apologized to him, she wouldn't practically be dancing on the moon right now. Happiness enveloped her by the mere fact that he kissed her, but she played him in return, using him just to get the key.

Guilt began to settle in the pit of her stomach. Would he trust her to write the article now? Cursing herself under her breath, she needed fresh air.

On the balcony, Cole felt so bad and so childish. She had used him. Cole knew it, Josh knew it. The only bad thing about this fact was, she really did like him. Sure, it was a little bit of a love-hate relationship at the moment, but still, there were stirrings there. What am I going do?

  * \- -

Three a.m. glowed at her accusingly in the dark in bright red light. Cole hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Her mind was replaying that kiss over and over. What would have happened if I had let it continue? Pulling herself out of the comfiest bed in the world, she padded into the living room. The balcony door stood open, so as she moved over to the windows with every intention of closing it, Cole stopped when she looked upwards. "Oh," she whispered softly aloud. As she stepped onto the balcony, her eyes gazed up at the stars. They're so beautiful, she thought. As a shooting star went by, she quickly shut her eyes to make a wish.

"What'd you wish for?" A deep timbre purred behind her.

Josh. "I can't tell you," she said softly as her heartbeat stuttered. "It won't come true otherwise."

Josh drank in her presence with a cool, deep breath. Cole hadn't turned around, but in a way, he didn't want her to. Taking a step closer as he leaned his head down to her ear, Josh whispered, "I hope it was the same thing I wished for."

A shiver crawled up her spine as a tingle warmed her where his warm breath gracefully touched her ear. "Me too," she responded so softly she was positive he hadn't heard her response.

A cat-ate-the-canary grin spread across Josh's face – he did hear her reply. Wrapping his strong arms around her, he whispered once more, "The stars are beautiful, aren't they?"

When he encircled his arms around her, Cole shockingly realized for the first time he had no shirt on. Her face flushed a deep shade of magenta as she glimpsed down to see his bare legs. The man was only wearing his boxers. "They just might be the most beautiful things I've ever seen," she whispered, turning her glance back to the sky.

"Same here," Josh said looking at Cole, not the stars.

Cole shot straight up in her bed, startled, turning on her phone to see its clock – it was only four in the morning. It was just a dream. Groaning, Cole threw herself back onto the overly plush bed, pulling the covers over her head.

Chapter Nine

Waiting for the elevator to reach the top floor took quite a long time when one was staying in the penthouse. Sipping her bottled water, Cole stared mind-numbingly at the numbers at the top of the elevator as they ticked by. A morning jog had been just what her brain needed, and it was just now 6:19a.m. A chime signaled the end of the tortuously long journey for her impatient self and Cole popped out of the elevator and began marching towards her door.

"You could be an actress."

Josh's voice stopped Cole dead in her tracks. Should I face him? Start towards the door again? Remnant thoughts of her dream last night began sprinkling across her mind as a magenta hue was slowly crawling across her cheeks.

Josh stepped in front of her before she could make up her mind. "I would've gone running with you."

Avoidance it is, she thought, stepping around him. "I like to run by myself, clears my mind." She stopped at her door, key in hand, but still not facing him. "If you are going for a run, you should get going. We have work to do." With that, she slid the card into the door, the light turned green and she rushed in to her safety.

Finding Jerry sitting on the couch, she grumbled to herself. Everybody around here must get up at 5:00a.m. she thought sarcastically. She, herself, would have preferred to still be in bed. Stupid dream. Relaxing was impossible after that.

Jerry glared at her accusingly, "What did you do to him."

It wasn't a question, just a statement. Cole shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"You broke him." Jerry bent his head down to laptop again and said no more, but the tone was clear. Something was her fault.

Bewildered, Cole stalked into her room and turned on her shower, wondering how she could've made such a difference in less than twenty-four hours. The craziest twenty-four hours of my life.

  * \- -

Cole was sitting on her bed while her wavy wet hair was air drying, writing out notes for the day, places they should visit, when her cell hummed.

"Hi Ana. You better not be calling because my cat's dead."

"No girl, he's fine. Actually, he seems a little dazed. Maybe he is just missing you?"

"Huh. Maybe. Well, what's up then?"

"Oh, I um, I was just wondering how the job was going."

"You were just wondering how Joshua Danes was."

"Well... that too."

Cole sighed. "He's okay," she shrugged. "Although, his publicist Jerry is pretty cool. But hey, I got to let you go, we're leaving in about three minutes and I'm not ready."

"Okay, okay but I want you to call me tonight and tell me everything." Click. Ana was always good about knowing how to drop something but to make sure Cole knew it wasn't over.

Waiting on Josh was beginning to frustrate Cole. How can he be so high maintenance, she idly wondered? When the man wanted to know what to wear, Cole gave him two options. Two, too many, it seemed. Mr. Hollywood was shocked he had to dress himself. Baby, she internally replied. How could a grown man not dress himself? In hindsight, she should have just picked out an outfit as she'd been waiting an hour already. Never had Cole met a man who primped more than her. Grabbing her shoulder bag, popping her cell phone into her pocket and throwing a notebook into the bag, she threw it diagonally over her body. With her camera in hand, she marched out of her room to hurry this process along.

It was there, in the living room, she had a sense of déjà vu as Cole saw Josh leaning onto the balcony railing, shirtless, but wearing jeans this time. Snapping two quick photos before walking towards him, she ordered in a no-nonsense tone, "Stay where you are."

Mr. Hollywood turned to look at her questionably but obeyed. Cole picked up Jerry's disposable coffee cup, popped off the lid and handed it to him. "Now lean over the railing more, resting on your elbows." Snap, snap. "Okay don't look at me, look out." Snap. "Okay good. Now, sit down against the balcony, relaxed." "Hunch over a bit." Snap, snap, snap. "Look at me." Snap.

Cole straightened up and turned off the camera. "Alright, we're finished here. I'll go pick out a shirt so you can finally get dressed." She marched into his open bedroom doors without another glance.

Josh looked after her. Was he screwed or what? The minute he'd met Cole, there was a connection for him – he realized that now. Jerry knew it too. Never had a woman been so casual with him, not fawning over him or treating him like he was an object. And... she had kissed him, completely catching him off guard. What a minx. A minx I'm starting to really like. Damn. Even more so, she was acting indifferent to him, which was driving him nuts.

Popping his head up when the woman driving him nuts strode back out on the balcony, he was barely ready to catch the black button up shirt she threw in his face. "What about shoes?"

Groaning, Cole wasn't sure she had ever rolled her eyes so much in one morning before as she went back to his closet. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter Ten

Jerry smiled at Josh, who returned a menacing look. Cole had forced him to take a trolley tour with actual tourists. Sure, he had a Royals baseball cap on with his aviator sunglasses, but people were bound to notice him eventually. Disgruntlement and agitation marred his handsome features, so she snapped a pic.

"What was that for?"

Cole smirked at his discomfort. "Don't worry, you looked like a brooding James Dean". That seemed to lift his spirits a bit more.

Jerry sat back in his seat, thoroughly impressed with this girl. Maybe I should offer her a job.

Not bothering to notice anything other than what it took to focus on her job, Cole suggested, "After this, we should go to Forsyth Park. And maybe River Street after that."

"What's on River Street?"

Cole looked at Josh blankly, it was obvious he had never been to Savannah. Or looked at any of the brochures in the hotel room that'd she placed there. "It's like Bourbon Street, in New Orleans."

"Ah. I've celebrated many a Mardi Gras there."

"I'll bet."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Cole shook her head. "Nothing."

Josh folded his arms again, looking at Jerry for help, but he proceeded to think it as a good time to make a phone call. Then he heard snap, snap, snap. "Do you have to do that?" Her and her camera. Geez.

"Actually, I do. It is the reason I'm here and all."

"Don't you want to enjoy some of this history lesson that you forced me to take a trolley for?"

"Now that you mention it, I do." Flipping around in her seat so her hair flung through the air, Cole's face flushed a particular shade of magenta that only Mr. Hollywood seemed to bring forth. Taking a deep breath, her large brown eyes took in the scene around her. Oh.

The trolley was entering the Historic Savannah Victorian District. Gosh, how she loved Victorian homes. There was just something so eternally romantic about the stories those walls must hold as secrets – secrets hidden from the world. Sometimes Cole could imagine herself on the front porch, welcoming her soldier home from war.

Cole was so intently focused on her daydream as a regular Scarlett O'Hara that she didn't even notice Josh was making a fool of himself and climbing over the seats to sit next to her. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he snapped a picture of her.

"Hey!"

"You don't like it, do you?"

"Well, I'm not in the business of having my photo taken. You better delete that."

"Why, afraid you broke my camera?"

Cue the dirty look.

"I'm just kidding. I'll delete it." He fiddled with his phone but saved the picture to be in his favorites instead and put it back in his pocket. "All gone."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I was just admiring the old homes and thinking of the stories they must hold."

"Sounds like a movie."

"Sounds like a history lesson."

Josh laughed. "Or a ghost story. Was history your favorite subject in school or something?"

Cole shrugged. "I just think it's valuable. We can always learn from the past. Plus, homes are not built like this anymore. There's such character to these houses."

When she smiled at him, Josh couldn't decide if he liked it when she did it, or if he hated it. It made him nervous – more nervous than when he was auditioning for a role or walking the red carpet.

"Do you believe that?"

"That history can teach us the future? Yes, I do. Though, I think people don't learn from the past, but rather, they try to bury it."

"Did you learn from your past?"

Cole shied away, turning her eyes back to the old homes wrapped in aged ivy. "I've learned that I can do whatever I want... if I want it badly enough. And I've learned that other people's opinions only matter if you want them to."

Josh laughed. "Funny, I learned the same thing from the tabloids."

Jerry sat behind Cole and Josh, silent with awe. Josh was so calm, so natural, so not himself. Or maybe he was being himself and that it was uncustomary for Jerry to see Josh act like that around anybody else. It was a real wonder. Things would change tomorrow though, when people found out Josh was in Savannah. Jerry had scheduled a photo shoot at Tybee Island, another promotional piece for his upcoming film. Fans would swarm, likely set social mediums blazing with celebrity gossip and Cole would get to see what Josh went through on an almost continuous basis. She also had the privilege of documenting the shoot behind the scenes.

But for now, Josh would have today to be normal. He would have today to just be a regular guy, a guy who likes a girl.

"Hey, where are those famous mossy-looking trees you see in all the movies?" Josh waived his hand in the air to indicate he didn't see them in the square.

"That's next on our list."

  * \- -

The Wormsloe National Park was amazingly breathtaking in every facet. Josh was stunned that such a place even existed in today's world. He threw a sideways glance at Cole as she snapped more photos of the swooping arched Spanish Moss trees. She has no idea the magnetic pull she has, he realized. Watching her in action, completely zoned in on her project, he admired how dedicated she was to her work.

The park held an extra layer of interest to their eyes that day as the high sun cast rays through the dense trees, highlighting their trail as they hiked through the park, once an area that knew only battles and hardships. Cole appeared to be in delight as she documented his candid admiration of the forested area.

"The light, I've never photographed anything like this. These images will be amazing in black and white. The sun will still be viewed as prismatic captivation," Cole explained.

"Do me a favor, put the camera down for a few minutes. Soak this in, Ms. Black." Josh physically turned her head to look outside of the bend they were turning.

In front of the couple, with Jerry lagging behind them and complaining about the humidity of Georgia, the twosome took in the scene of the marsh as the sun still cast its rays through the trees.

"Oh my."

"I know," Josh agreed. "It's crazy to know that once upon a time, battle and strife was here. It seems so peaceful with its tranquility now."

Snap.

"I couldn't help it! Cole squealed as Josh rolled his eyes at her.
Chapter Eleven

"I can't believe I'm going to eat fried macaroni."

Cole shook her head, "me either. Thank goodness I exercised today."

Cole and Josh were sitting at a private table inside Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady & Sons, on the upstairs landing. It was actually a rather comfortable atmosphere where the food was as good as the smiles on the faces of the patrons, and it felt amazing to have such anonymity. The restaurant was the kind of place that made you feel at home and totally at ease.

Jerry had left each of them to their own defenses, saying he needed to work. Cole had a feeling his work involved a spa appointment since she'd spied a terry cloth robe on his bed before they departed.

"So, this shoot you have tomorrow morning, what magazine is it for?"

"Men's Ultimate Health."

Cole raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Are they insinuating you're following the food pyramid correctly? I think this meal might ruin that."

Josh laughed with the question and took a swig of his beer. "I think they're insinuating I spend too much time in the gym and looking at myself shirtless in a mirror."

Cole choked with laughter. Who would've thought Joshua Danes could make fun of himself and his image – an image he tried very hard to cultivate. Joshua Danes was a character created for teen girls to drool over. She peered at him now and was amazed at the sparkle in his blue-green eyes. She wondered how often he got to relax.

"Will you tell me about your film?"

"It's always business with you."

She blushed a particular shade of magenta. "Honestly, I really am curious."

For some reason, Josh didn't want to talk about himself. For a second, he'd forgotten that the beautiful girl in front of him wasn't a date but was there to do a job. Obliging her though, Josh began his pitch that he'd gotten used to from the press junket circuit. "It's a story of two couples who find themselves drawn to each other, life after life. When my character's love interest starts having flashes to a previous life, finding connections through pieces of time, she sets out on a mission to discover why they are meant to be together. Is it fate? Coincidence? What is the reason their story seemingly continues over-and-over again?"

With her eyes shining with rapid interest, Cole cooed, "Sounds like a mystery."

"Isn't love always a mystery?"

Cole took the bait, "Well, are they? Fated into the twist of time, I mean."

Josh laughed, "You'll have to see the movie. I can't just give it all away!"

Cole, too, laughed. "Well... maybe I will then," she teased.

Josh was about to go ahead and tell her the ending when the aroma of yummy food arrived, and the delicious smell of a stroke-on-a-plate took over his senses. Waiting until the waiter left – who seemed to be delaying his departure to gain Cole's notice. That was irritating. Did she have to look so mesmerizing tonight in her black tunic, jeans and flip-flops? She was glamorously casual. Then, he realized, that she wasn't even trying to dress up or impress him. No, the young, driven and aspiring writer was just being herself. And I like it, Josh realized. A warm smile widened across his face before he could stop it.

Cole took his smile as hunger. Cutting into her own fried macaroni, she held her fork-full up, "Cheers!"

Copying her movement, Josh held up his fork, tapping hers ever so slightly and cheered, "Bon Appétit!" One bite was all it took. "Oh my God. This is so good." The groaning sound that followed was one Cole only reserved for triple chocolate chunk brownies.

Cole could've have melted herself. By the astounded look on Josh's face, it was obvious he hadn't eaten anything so unhealthy in a very long time. She might've pitied him, but laughter arrived first in the form of giggles that burst from her lips. "It is amazing." When the waiter returned – again – she instantly asked for some red wine. It was time to let Josh indulge. As he took another bite, she snapped a photo of him with her cell while his eyes were closed in pure delight. That photo would be going into the article no matter what.

After dinner, they walked through Forsyth Park as the sky sparkled with stars while the moon glowed in a light so brilliant it was nearly blue. Cole barely noticed how different the park appeared at night. No, she was too drawn to Josh to notice that the trees and lamp posts had been laced with twinkling lights that mirrored the night sky. Though she should've been slightly chilled in the crisp Spring breeze, the wine at dinner had turned into several bottles of wine and was now coursing through her veins like wild fire. Josh was holding her hand too, making her mind so fuzzy she was getting confused. Anybody who had looked at them that evening would assume they were a couple. It was exactly how he had treated her from the minute they left for dinner and to her surprise, she was comfortable with it.

For years she had only attracted losers and after several cursed romances, had her walls up around her so high Hercules may not have been able to knock them down. Cole did not like to feel used, nor teased. Children were merciless, and her skin was thinner than she'd like to admit. When she was nine, a kid in elementary school started a campaign against befriending the girl with 'bug eyes'. She never had any confidence in herself after that. The name had stuck all the way through school and after she left, she rarely looked back on her childhood with fond memories. But her instant reaction to Josh had practically made those walls disappear, if only temporarily so.

When they walked by the fountain Josh pulled her towards it, sitting on the ledge. Rather than sitting on his lap, which he had shamelessly attempted, she sat next to him. It didn't appear to dampen his mood though.

"Do you even know how beautiful you are?"

Flushing a particular shade of magenta, she withdrew her hand. It was as though he had read her mind but said the wrong thing. He didn't even seem to notice her back stiffen.

"Especially your eyes, your gorgeous chocolate eyes."

That did it. It instantly reminded how little they really knew each other, and she stood up, her back to him. He didn't mean to do it, but she couldn't help the tears that started to pool as her thin skin felt sliced open. Damn wine, it had made her super sensitive. "Please don't talk about me like that. This is work, Josh." Cole's voice was so small in that moment, trying to keep it steady was difficult. "We should go back, Jerry will be worried."

Perplexed and sincerely confounded, all he could ask was, "Like what?"

"Just...don't".

Josh stood and turned her to him, having to lift her chin to get her to even look at him. "Why ever not? You are beautiful. Work or no work." And Josh sincerely meant it. He'd had dozens of costars that couldn't even come close to comparing to her looks and he worked with the Hollywood elite.

Tears did fall then. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I just... I just don't like compliments."

"Is this how you always react to them?" Josh stopped her when she tried to turn away again. "I ask, because I would also like to kiss you. You can't even imagine how much I want to kiss you right now." The wine had made him a little too brave, but Josh soldiered onward. If she turned out appalled, he could blame it on the vino.

The reaction wasn't what he expected. Her tears stopped almost immediately, replaced with a hard glare. "Are you playing me? Is this some Mr. Hollywood joke?"

Where on Earth did that come from? He was bound and determined to show her just how much he was going to take that notion of hers and throw it out the window. "Just because I'm a movie star doesn't mean I don't have a heart," and with that, Josh drew her in, and with as much passion as he could muster, kissed her.

Cole responded immediately to his touch with her arms wrapping around his neck to pull herself as close as she could, and she met his passion with equal intensity. Letting her lips part slightly, she felt his tongue delve in, causing her stomach to flutter with desire. With his arm molding her frame into his, she ran her fingers through his black hair and heard him groan against his lips that tasted of wine, sweet wine. Wine. Reality slapped her in the gut as she pulled back – well, pushed back – and received another groan in response.

"We've had too much wine, Josh. It's what the South calls deep in the cups."

"I'm feeling pretty sober right now." He could see it in her eyes though; she didn't want something that could be construed. No, she wanted something honest and wasn't ready to trust him yet. Sighing, he took her hand in his and led her back to the hotel.

Walking in silence, they each pondered how they had only met yesterday and were in this predicament. Oddly though, it felt like they had known each other forever.

Cole wondered how he wasn't attached to somebody else already. Or was he? Or was this really even the real Josh? Were Joshua Danes and Josh two different people? One for show and one for reality? How could anybody could date an actor? Hell, a movie star? How would you ever really know whom you were with?

The twosome were silent all the way back to the hotel. When they stepped off the elevator, she politely said she'd meet him at the shoot tomorrow. Josh's eyes looked distanced and sad, something all too much resembling a puppy dog face. It was a kick to her emotional gut.
Chapter Twelve

Cole left early the next morning, going to Tybee Island on her own. Her head needed clearing, so she left her work stuff with the shoot that was already being set up. Ripping off her sweatshirt and turning the volume of her music app up, she took off, sprinting towards the water, curving just before the surf and steadily running towards the lighthouse visible in the distance.

She could no longer deny the tingling sensations that overwhelmed her because Cole knew she'd completely, irrevocably and absolutely fallen for Josh. That was the biggest reason why she had pushed him away the night before, she just couldn't trust herself to lower her emotional barriers. Rarely, did she want another person to be part of her life and she was crushing hard on Josh. The twosome couldn't be near each other without getting flustered and anxious. Breaking down over his calling her eyes beautiful though? Who would still kiss a girl who couldn't handle that compliment? Josh, she thought. That's who. Typical.

How on Earth would she get through these next three days if she couldn't make it two days without drooling over the movie star? I'm so pathetic. Mr. Hollywood couldn't seriously like her. No, he had been drunk and he was a man – men have urges and needs. Of course, this whole scenario had nothing to do with her. At least, this is the story her mind had twisted into reality, but Cole was denying acknowledging that particular bit.

There was a job to do and what would happen if Chandler Yates found out his new journalist got involved with the subject of her article – let alone on her first field assignment? Lord, she was a mess.

Reaching the lighthouse sooner than she probably should have, she leaned over the railing in an attempt to try to catch her breath. She soon plopped down, moodily staring into the fog-covered tide rolling in. The tide was so serene and peaceful that a calmness washed over her as she studied the current. That's the problem with things like that though. Before I know it, serene and peaceful turn into deadly and destructive.

Sighing, she moved to stand up, ready to jog back to the set and prep for today's assignment. Cole hadn't taken two steps off the walkway of the lighthouse when she stopped and found herself staring back at the man placating her thoughts – Mr. Hollywood himself – sweaty from his own run down the island beach. And he was shirtless. Damn it if he didn't look every bit the perfection of men's health. Oh God. Cole felt her mouth go dry.

Like moths to a light, they started towards each other, picking up speed. When they reached each other, their lips melded together as her legs were scooped off the ground and wrapped around him within seconds as her small hands cupped his face. She relaxed even more as she felt his strong arms wrap around her with one hand on her back and the other supporting her head. Cole felt she could've have laughed for it seemed like something straight out of a movie.

Confidence flooded into her veins with full force. He wanted her just as much as she desired him. Cole was going to let herself go with this – let down her guard for him – and take a risk. She was certain that ever since their first kiss – when she had tricked him to get the cardkey – some part of her had always known she would. Was she dreaming she was in a movie? Stuff like this doesn't happen in real life. Does it? She was grateful that though they were far enough from the water that this wasn't a completely cheesy cliché love-fest-on-the-beach moment.

Gently, Josh kneeled down to the sand, laying her under him, loving her gasp as he left her mouth and planted slow, seductive kisses on her jaw and along her neck, on her collarbone, on her – RRRRIINNNGGGGG!!!!

A cell phone rang and jarred their moment. The unwelcome sound startled both of them as she thrust her chest upwards, colliding her chin with the top of his head.

"Damn!"

"Ow!"

Blurting out their words at the same time, Josh rocked back on his heels and answered his rudely interruptive phone. Cole could hear Jerry demanding Josh's return to set and sighed as she set up. Glancing around the beach, she felt like that had been in their own world for a moment, and with the fog rolling in, they couldn't see the set. But a part of her wanted to curse Jerry and swear he intruded upon their world on purpose.

As they slowly started walking back, Josh kept sneaking peeks at her, making sure she wasn't working herself into a frenzy over what just occurred. Her manner seemed at ease and that eased him. Cole caught him looking at her and laughed.

"If you're worried I was going to include that in the article or write about your lip-smacking skills, don't worry. That was completely off the record."

A grin spread across her face ear-to-ear and it nearly bowled Josh over. He wouldn't say anything about that particular bit, but he did inquire about his skills. "And... how would you rate those skills?"

"On a scale of ten, an eight. Easily. Just like your butt." Cole winked at him, letting him know full well she was teasing him with that comment.

Stopping, he looked at her in mocked horror, "I'll have you know my butt is a ten!" Turning around, he stuck it out towards her. "Feel it. Rock hard, I swear."

Playfully, she swatted it. "Hmm no, sorry. I think you need to get a new trainer."

"You up for the task?"

"Sure," she grinned. "Let's start now. Catch me!" And just like that, the girl with the long chocolate hair took off in a sprint and raced him all the way back to set as her ponytail swung wildly in the air. Tagging Jerry as though he were the unspoken finish line, she cheered, "I win!"

"Damn girl! You couldn't have had more than a three second head start, and my legs are twice as long!" Though he wasn't really complaining about losing since there was a sparkle forthright in his blue-green eyes. Josh loved a good competition.

Jerry just looked between the two, perplexed and not the least bit impressed by their jolly moods. "Josh, trailer. Cole, get your stuff and get to work. We have a busy day people." As his cell rang, he stepped out from between them and walked away.

"I'm sorry, was that Jerry or a clone?" Cole couldn't believe the attitude she had just received.

"Yeah, that's been known to happen occasionally. It just means it's time to get down to business. When you're ready, come into my trailer and get some prep shots from my first look. Those would probably be great for the article." Josh, too, walked away from Cole now.

Cole assumed Joshua Danes was now supposed to be on set, not Josh. Grabbing a bottled water from craft services, she guzzled half of it before setting up her own equipment. When she heard giggling, she snapped out of her photog focus to see fans lining up along the temporary fence the magazine had put up to get them from running through the set. For the first time, she also saw big, burly security guards all over the area and two outside Josh's trailer. What a sobering moment. The magnitude of the setting she was in, one in which she was a stranger to, was hardening. This was time for business and she'd be a complete professional. Cole thought she may even interview some fans, get some of their questions and have Josh answer them for her article. Clutching her notebook, the journalist started heading towards the direction of the fans to do just that.

Neither Cole or Josh had noticed the paparazzi out on the boat, swaying in the ocean, with a huge camera lens zooming in on the beach.
Chapter Thirteen

Joshua Danes nearly black head of hair was bent underneath the faucet as a man named Kenneth was washing it with his own homemade product. "We're going for that sexy, just-stepped-out-of-the-ocean look, doll face," he explained to Cole.

"Then why don't you just let him step out of the ocean?"

Kenneth smiled. "Because I can create this look better than Mother Nature ever could." The man giggled as he said it, pleased with his own self-created joke.

Cole, too, smiled with him. Josh seemed to be the only one not humored by the conversation, complaining about how cold the water was. Snapping a photo of him, she grinned more as he groaned. Watching, Cole saw him turn his head slightly to take note of the cell phone recorder she turned on and had placed on the counter. His face held an expression that stated he was obviously holding his tongue about something. When she smirked again, he could only roll his eyes.

When Kenneth finished Josh took the pants that the stylist had laid out and stepped around the corner to change into them. The pants were just a simple pair a Levi's that fit his hips well and made his butt look like an eleven out of ten. The man must have known this because he looked at her just then, then his butt, her again, and winked. Cole flushed with magenta.

A knock on the door interrupted their silent conversation. Kenneth answered back, "We're coming!" He turned to look at Cole, "they are always so impatient."

Cole let Kenneth and Josh go ahead of her and then snapped a quick photo of Josh from behind, exiting the trailer. In that moment, he went from Josh to Joshua and stayed that way all day on set. It was the second his foot stepped onto the beach and the high pitch screaming from the female fans lined up all the way around the set. Watching him as he signed autographs, say cliché things to giddy girls, mechanically laugh at something they would loudly whisper...yes, she watched it all and did so through her camera lens. It all seemed so surreal that he could go from calm to chaotic in a matter of moments and just act as though it was normal.

The photographer from Men's Ultimate Health appeared annoyed but said nothing. When Joshua made it to the actual set, Kenneth rushed over to prep his hair some more while the photographer, Warren Smits, took a few test shots and checked the lighting. Cole mimicked his actions and ensured her own camera was set accordingly.

Cole made sure to shoot everything that day. Using five different cameras, she had to keep her cell powered all day as she recorded conversations with Josh and Joshua – as they seemed like two different people – Jerry, Warren, fans, on-set grips, the craft service people, everybody. She was going to make this article a one-of-a-kind feature that every single one of their readers would love.

With every wardrobe change, the same calm to chaotic storm would ensue. It didn't seem to bother anybody else but her. Cole was beginning to think all of the entire entertainment world was simply bi-polar. It was just then when she noticed Kenneth standing next to her, his look questioning. "Hi?"

His face broke into a smile. "Girl you were completely zoned out. What were you thinking about?"

Inwardly, she sighed and was glad he couldn't read minds. "I was thinking about my article. I've got the middle, but, not sure how to start it to get to that. Does that even make sense?"

Kenneth shrugged. "Perfect sense. It's like a first impression and then a second impression."

"It is?"

"Haven't you ever met somebody for a second time and wondered how you didn't see the person they were the first time you met them? They're still the same person, aren't they? Still connected, you just have to figure out how they can make two different impressions in your mind."

Cole nodded. "You're right." She thought about the story Pride & Prejudice and how Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy didn't hit it off right away either. Cole had been a sucker for a "Mr. Darcy" her whole life.

"I know! It's a gift." Clasping his hands, he smiled and walked back towards the set to talk to the photographer.

Cole saw now, for the first time, that Josh had been watching her and Kenneth, although he was trying in vain not to make it obvious. But when Kenneth jogged off she watched as his head follow the hair stylist to the photographer. When all three men turned to stare toward her, Cole lowered her camera. Under the glare, she looked away and saw Jerry looking at her too. Confused, she glanced back towards the set and that's when she saw Warren and Kenneth coming toward her. Cole swallowed hard, her throat dry with anxiety.

  * \- -

Cole couldn't believe she'd been coerced into being part of this magazine shoot. What the Devil? At no moment did a thrill of excitement cross her mind when Warren approached her and could have gotten out of doing it until Josh had to open his big celebrity mouth, insisting upon it. Warren wouldn't take a "No" or "Hell no" for an answer after that.

Kenneth shoved her into the trailer and stuck her head under the sink, giving her the just-stepped-out-of-the-ocean look. Her face was scrubbed, as Kenneth applied new makeup too, and she probably would've liked the smoky-eyed-beach-head look, if she weren't just flat out pissed at Kenneth and Josh.

Snap, snap, snap.

"Dammit Josh! Quit taking photos of me!" All she heard in response was a deep hearty chuckle. "If you think I'm going to include myself in my own article, you are gravely mistaken."

Kenneth cooed at her. "Aw honey, now be a sport. These photos will be great!"

Moodily she crossed her arms, which were now covered by a white button-up shirt that had been meant for Joshua Danes. Naturally, it came down to her knees since he was a foot taller than her. It was lucky thinking she had thought about taking a swim later and had worn her bathing suit underneath her jogging leggings – because that's all she had on underneath.

Josh, who'd changed into a pair of khakis, now wore a pair of dog tags around his neck. They were supposed to pose as a couple who only had two days left with each other before he went back to war since the article and movie were both coming out around Independence Day. She wanted to know where that story had come from and he simply answered, "it's in the movie".

To that answer she replied, "you couldn't do a Jane Austen movie?"

Kenneth took the camera from Josh, just as a knock came at the door. "We're coming!" Grabbing her hand, the makeup artist pulled her to the door. When she froze, resisting being a part the shoot one last time, Josh pushed her from behind, giving her no choice but to exit the trailer. Before she knew it, she was in front of the camera and listening to Warren Smits telling her what to do and how to stand.

"Relax," Joshed whispered into her ear, his breath tingling the skin on her neck.

As he wrapped his arms around her, she peered up at him, her back against his washboard abs. Was he being Josh or Joshua? The twinkle in his eyes was there but his face said business. The faintest sounds of the clicking of a camera could be heard, so Cole turned back to both Warren and Ken, who was using her camera, going to town. Sighing, she gave up. "Fine. Can we at least have some music?"

They went through an assortment of poses, some intimate, some not. She wasn't sure how any of these pictures could possibly be published in Men's Health, but then again, she worked for FTP, so she wouldn't know anyways. It took an hour before she loosened up and started to have some fun with it. The constant fangirl screaming continued to distract her attention. It was then that Josh started tickling her to the point where she couldn't stop laughing. Laughter must be contagious because he started laughing, then Kenneth and even stone-cold-all-about-work Jerry let out a chuckle.

Cole and Josh were just themselves after that, playing around, she jumped on his back and he yelled for Warren to follow them and ran towards the ocean.

"No. No! If you drop me I will not talk to you the rest of the day!"

"Day's almost over sweetheart."

"Josh!"

"Cole..." Josh stopped abruptly and acted as though he intended to drop her, but then let her slide off his back and into the water. Turning around to face her, Josh lowered his head to hers. He didn't kiss her, no, he just stood there with his forehead touching hers. Suddenly relaxed, they both closed their eyes to absorb the brief moment of tranquility.

"Perfect!" Warren Smits was apparently happy with their free style take on the shoot, his face was beaming.

She, however, just wished they were alone at that moment.
Chapter Fourteen

"Ana, I'm so screwed!"

"Why, because they asked you to be a part of the shoot? Girl! You have better insight than ever now on what his life must be like. The whole article is supposed to be an inside perspective, right?"

Cole hadn't thought of that. The only thing that was crossing her mind on the drive home was that she was going to lose her job for becoming involved with Joshua Danes. She called Ana for reassurance but hadn't actually told her the whole truth, just the bit about the photo shoot. There was no way she was going to tell anybody she had fallen for a movie star because as far as she was concerned, nobody needed to know. Her life was her business.

"Thanks Ana, you're right. And I did ensure that both Warren and Josh signed off on the pics so I can use some for my article."

"How did they turn out?"

"Actually, the photos are really cool. I'm kind of impressed with what good hair and makeup can do."

"Cole, when are you going to believe that you're beautiful?"

"Uh huh. So, listen, I've got to go. Thanks for the chat and I'll see you soon."

"Way to change the subject. Bye girl."

"Bye-ness." Cole threw the cell on her bed and turned back to her laptop where she had a proof photo of her and Josh pulled up. Sighing as she rested her cheek on her hand, she stared at the image. Josh was on his knees in the photo as she stood behind him with her arms looped around his neck. He was gazing up at her and she was looking straight into the camera, proudly showing off the dog tags that were placed around her neck – changing the narrative of the soldiered-themed story. There was a look on her face that surprised Cole, for she wasn't smiling but yet she appeared soft. The hazel in her chocolate eyes shined bright, making her look happy, and she just looked... so pretty. It was as though she was seeing herself for the first time. Clicking a few keys, she saved the photo into her personal file and shut off the laptop.

Snatching a blanket, she quietly walked out onto her balcony and curled up on a lounge chair just outside her room. It was so relaxing sitting there, listening to Savannah at night. The sound of the river water breaking against the bank, the twinkling of the stars, a crisp summer breeze that smelled like flowers, the music of the singing crickets combined with fireflies in the trees, as well as the comfort of a blanket wrapped around her – yes, it was so relaxing that she dozed off then and there.

When she woke up at sunrise, Josh was sleeping in the chair next to hers, and he too was wrapped in a blanket. When she made the move to sit up she felt her hand cocooned in his – he must've taken her hand and held it all night while he slept. There a small feeling of a swoon that raced through her stomach. It was a gesture so cute she almost internally gagged. Seriously, this wasn't a movie and yet, so many things seemed right out of a fairytale storybook.

Pulling her hand out of his, Cole stood up, stretched and walked over to the railing. She must've dreamed about seeing too many camera flashes yesterday because Cole felt like she was still seeing them. She blinked. Nope, still seeing there. When her eyes focused, she saw more than one man with a camera. Wait, no... Paparazzi? "Crap," she squeaked.

Rushing over, she shook Josh awake. "Get up! Wake up and get inside!"

An ineligible groan came out of his mouth. "Why would I do that?"

"Do you like being in tabloids?" That got his attention. As her words registered, he snapped into escape mode.

"What? Crap! Jerry's going to kill me. Jerry's going to kill you!" In two strides he was peering over the balcony, verifying Cole's fears. In a cold, protective manner, Josh shoved her through the door to her room, quickly letting down the curtains.

"Kill me? Why me?" Cole only just picked up on what he said.

"I had been able to lay relatively low lately."

"So, you're saying I caused this?" Anger began to rise in her throat.

"I'm saying that is was you who wanted to do this shoot in Savannah instead of in a studio, was it not? We could've just done an interview in a coffee shop, could we not have?"

His words were stinging her as though careful aim had been taking to hit a mark. "I took an assignment, Josh. The format of this article and interview was not my idea! Only the location was!"

The door burst open and Jerry held out his tablet to them. "What have you two done? Have you seen this!!"

Cole about fainted. On the tablet was a photo of her and Josh full on making out yesterday at the lighthouse. She supposed she should be glad it wasn't of them laying on the beach but all she could think about was vomiting as she blindly clutched for the bed.

Josh just set on the desk. "I can't believe I was so stupid. I should've been more careful. I can't just go around kissing anybody."

Cole blanched white at that, her head spinning faster.

"Jerry, there are hordes of photographers outside on the beach. I imagine they've infiltrated the staff, the hotel lobby, cafes and who else knows what."

"No, they haven't. Not yet anyways."

The man stated it so matter-of-factly that Cole almost forgot she felt like vomiting. "How do you know?"

His impassive face glanced at her like she should just know better. "Because I called the photogs on the beach."

Cole gasped, Josh groaned.

"After I saw this," he waved the tablet again, "I knew I had to do some salvaging before the press got out of control. As far as anybody is concerned the two of you are dating and have been for quite some time."

That was all it took for Cole to sprint off to her bathroom and vomit for real. Her life wasn't anybody else's business. Isn't that what I told myself last night? After the dry heaving was over, Cole dragged herself off the floor, brushed her teeth, pulled her hair back into a ponytail and returned to her room. Jerry and Josh had left to converse in the living room, which was fine by her.

Hurriedly, she went to work packing everything in her room as fast as she could. A buzzing interrupted Cole's racing thoughts as her cell rang. She shut it off and threw it in her oversized purse. She was leaving, and now, as this was way too much for her. How could I have been so stupid to get involved with a celebrity? Mr. Hollywood just acted as though this was all her fault.

Lugging her stuff out of her room and towards the door, Cole stopped just before she got to the doorknob. Turning towards the guys who were still in the throes of a creating a publicity band-aid, she breathed out her exit plan. "As you can see, I'm leaving." She was glad she couldn't look Josh in the face because his voice sounded harsh once he responded.

"That's probably for the best."

Ouch. Did he even bother to face her? Cole swallowed the urge to cry. How was it fair that her world had been turned upside down in less than twenty-four hours?

"I think she should stay." Jerry didn't look happy as he said it. "Unless you'd like to stage a breakup." The manager's eyes lit up like a lightbulb as he snapped his fingers. "Hey, that would work out well." Jerry did feel sorry for the chit – he really did – but he had to have his client's best interests first.

"I'm not an actress, nor do I want to be." Hesitantly, Cole peeked at Josh. "I'll tell them we broke up," she bitterly muttered, "but that's all. They have no need to know anything else. My life is mine."
Chapter Fifteen

She left. She really left. Josh thought she would've fought for them – for him. Now, he was still trapped in the hotel, while paparazzi was busy infiltrating Savannah, and holed up in his room in the dark. Sadness was only part of his problem, but Josh was angry too. Angry that Cole left, angry that he didn't stop her, angry that he'd fallen head-over-manly-heels for her and angry that he'd let her get close to him. Why did I open up so easily?

What would she write in her article? For a moment, Josh thought Cole leaked the pictures on them on the beach, and stupidly, he'd thought that she set the whole thing up, that maybe it had all just been a game to her, and that maybe, just maybe, her whole low-self-esteem-can't-trust-anybody-because-she's-been-hurt-so-much thing was just a farce. Yeah, he was feeling like an idiot now that Jerry admitted to calling to photographers outside the hotel.

Josh set straight up then, too fast. A groan poured from his lips while his head pounded, and even in the darkness of his room, the walls still spun. It wasn't her low self-confidence that ruined this, it was mine. Realization smacked him in the gut. While he never admitted it aloud, he was just as afraid of getting hurt as Cole was. Was he not constantly putting on a front and pushing people away? People never got close, never saw anything other than Joshua Danes. Before Cole, Jerry was the only person he could trust. Early on in his career, Josh had come across too many people that were just using him because he was Joshua Danes and he was famous. With fame came more negative than positives, and Josh wasn't entirely sure how his celebrity status came to be. Acting brought forth a sense of creativity that he loved, but eventually, Josh wanted to be behind the camera. Maybe then, he wouldn't feel like people were using him.

Cole hadn't been like that, though. No, she hadn't even liked him at first. "Oh God, I'm an idiot," he groaned to himself, wincing when his voice echoed like a hammer in his head. Hadn't she left at the first sign of attention from the public? Hadn't she said her life was hers? He was a moron. Obviously, Cole didn't want to be a part of his world, she wasn't using him. Regret dropped on him like a ton of bricks.

Josh knew he should've stopped her from leaving or at least gone after her. He'd watched her leave through a swarm of photographers from the balcony. As she took the car Jerry had reserved for her, he frowned when Cole didn't even look backwards.

"Maybe it's not too late." Jerry was standing in his doorway with two cups of coffee. "But you should shower first. You stink."

"I do not."

Jerry handing him a cup and then sipped his own. "No really, you do. Like wine and garlic covered pizza, it's awful. You've been holed up in here since she left three days ago. And you can't even call her because you smashed your phone against the wall."

Josh realized his stupidity of that decision almost instantaneously, but he didn't like being reminded of it now and shot Jerry a dirty look.

"What? You know I'm right." The lights flickered to life as Jerry continued his lecture. "Look, I too, was suspicious of her. Maybe letting her stay here with us wasn't my brightest idea, but I'm glad I did." There was a moment of pause before he hesitantly added, "You couldn't see the way you two were together. It was like one of you couldn't breathe without the other. You moved like you had synchronized all your steps. I knew you were going to be a goner the minute I met her."

Josh had to admit he did feel like he couldn't breathe now, his chest was literally throbbing and then there was a weird, out-of-character, mopey desire stay in bed for days – which he done already. "She was terrified of being hurt and I hurt her. Cole's not going to talk to me, why would she?"

"Being hurt in life is inevitable, Josh. But she'll talk to you, you're Joshua Danes."

"No, I'm not. To her, I'm just Josh. I'm just another ass who got her to trust him and then I didn't trust her in return."

"Well then, my friend, you're going to have to go after her, aren't you? So, get in the shower. We've got a plane to catch that's headed to Kansas City."

Uncertainty marred his handsome face. Josh wasn't sure this was going to work, he was going to try. "Why are you doing this?"

Jerry shrugged. "I liked that she didn't put up with your crap. You're a bit of a diva, ya know." As a pillow was thrown his way, Jerry managed to duck just in time.

Chapter Sixteen

Cole simply refused to believe her heart was broken because of Josh. Remembering the look on his face when he'd actually accused her of leaking their location to the press still stung a bit though. More than I'd like to admit, actually. But then again, she was mad that he could think such a thing of her. Just because she was, technically, the press doesn't mean she would stoop to a tabloid level of journalism. She didn't consider snooping and spying a real form of professionalism.

Rational logic would tell anybody that the possibilities of how the press could discover them was endless in the age of social media. First of all, they'd hit every major attraction in Savannah, so a sneaky photog waiting for them to appear wasn't much of a surprise. Secondly, any number of people could have snapped a photo of them and popped it onto the internet if they recognized Josh – he was kind of hard to not notice, after all, with his Mr. Hollywood good looks. Thirdly, his ball cap and sunglasses disguise weren't exactly going to win any awards.

A sigh of frustration escaped her lips as she plopped into her oversized and super comfortable chair, clacking sounds echoing through her home as she kicked off her booties onto the aged oak floors. Cole would prove she was the ever-consummate professional and she'd not only write this article, she'd nail it. The piece would be so chalk full of emotional branding that the readers of FTP Magazine would feel as though they were in Savannah with Joshua Danes themselves. And, his heartthrob status would surely find new heights with his fans. And hopefully Mr. Yates won't fire me for crossing the line.

A groan escaped her lips as she opened her laptop, the photos from the tabloids still on her screen. As she curled up her legs, Piggy jumped up to sit with her. Cole felt a little better with him there and cringed as her eyes drifted back to the photos. Ugh, the photos. Lord, they are dreadful. Images of them racing along the beach, kissing by the lighthouse, asleep on their balcony, walking through Wormsloe Park and grabbing coffee on Calhoun Square near Forsyth Park, covered her screen. To the viewers, it did indeed look like Joshua Danes was in love, but Cole knew better.

In his attempts to remedy the situation, Jerry already issued a statement that Joshua Danes was in Savannah for work and all the photos recently published online were taken out of context, as they were linked to a current project. Cole wondered what Jerry would say if even more photos were released.

Having poured herself a glass of a local Missouri winery's cabernet, Cole took a sip and mentally pulled herself together. Closing all the browsers showing the experiences that caused her to go into hiding inside her home, she opened a blank screen and began to write. Her battle wounds would have to be set aside if she was going to prove herself... to everyone.

Chapter Seventeen

"This is never going to work."

"You have always underestimated the power of method acting."

"Is that what you're calling this?" Josh shook his head as he set across from Jerry on their private plane, only one hour away from landing in Kansas City, Missouri. "You're nuts, you know that? I think this business has finally gotten to you."

"I have no idea what you're referring to."

Josh could only roll his eyes as Jerry did a very over-the-top and dramatic impression of a girl flipping her hair back dismissively. Jerry Singers, a highly sought-after talent agent in the entertainment industry, was planted in the cushy seat across from him with his short legs crossed, hands poised atop his knees and wearing a long brown wig that was supposed to resemble Cole Black, the woman he'd royally screwed up with.

"If you're going to beg for forgiveness, you'll need to practice. After all, this is something you've never done," Jerry pointed out, emphasizing the end of his sentence in a whispered tone.

"Gee," Josh sarcastically replied, "thanks for pointing out the obvious."

"I'm not hearing an apology, Josh" Jerry crooned in a high pitch voice.

Rolling his eyes – yet again – Josh sighed a deep ragged breath and gave into his manager's game plan. "Cole, I'm sorry."

In full character, Jerry pursed his lips and briefly closed his eyes, turning away as his high-pitched voice said, "For what?"

"For not believing you."

"Well, why would you? You don't even know me." Jerry still refused to look at him.

"I know that. I know. But, can you understand why I assumed you leaked the photos?"

"You should've known better! Why should I believe anything you say? You're an actor! I let myself trust you and you broke my heart!"

"Jesus, Jerry!"

His managers hands flew up in a sign of apology, "Sorry, I got carried away."

"Take the wig off, you're starting to creep me out."

"Was it the method acting?"

Silence followed for a moment while Josh swallowed his pride. "No, it's because you hit the nail on the head. Cole's not going to believe anything I say."

"She won't believe Joshua Danes, but she might hear out Josh."

Just then, the captain announced that they'd be landing soon and Josh peered out the window to see the Missouri skyline glistening in the summer sun. The green trees shimmered with flowers against a brilliant blue sky. "I hope you're right about that."

  * \- -

"Cole's not here."

A woman with curly, toffee colored hair stood in his way, blocking the entrance to the FTP Magazine office. She'd seen him coming and had bounced through the doors more quickly than he could've anticipated. With her hands on her hips, she shifted her weight and cocked her head at him in an all-knowing way that told Josh that she was aware of his treatment towards Cole.

"I have to see her. Do you know where she is?"

"Why? Trying to salvage your article?"

"What? No!" In truth, Josh had completely forgotten about the article. Was she even still going to write it?

"Well, that's good, because she's already submitted it. And Chandler Yates loves it."

"Great, who cares. I still need to know where Cole is."

The overly protective woman crossed her arms and bounced her glance between him and Jerry. "Why?"

"I want to apologize. I messed up and I want, no, I need to fix it. I miss... I just need to make things right."

It was said so sincerely Josh could practically hear the swoon of the receptionist standing behind them.

Ana began to shift in her stance as her eyes danced between him and Jerry once more. "Listen, she's not here. That's all I can tell you."

"Nothing else?"

"She took some time off to recoup. All she told me was that she needed to feel like herself again."

Josh reflected on everything he and Cole had spoken about and knew instantly where she'd gone – home. Flinging his arms around his new guardian angel, he shouted "Thank you!" right into Ana's ear.

Ana Herring was so startled by the hug and then his exclamation, she nearly fainted. After all, she was just hugged by one of Hollywood's hottest men.

Chapter Eighteen

The air held the scent of golden wheat and fields of strawberries as the breeze swam around her shoulders. Horseback riding had a funny way of making everything feel as though it was going to be alright. Cole needed that feeling. She just wanted to grasp it tight and refuse to let go. As she sat atop Pumpkin, her chestnut mare, her saddened eyes took in the view of the sunset over the river and her high ponytail swirled as Pumpkin teetered along the edge of the riverbank. Missouri could be magical when it wanted to be – even in her hometown of Boonville – and the pink and orange hue of the oncoming night sky proved this.

Funny, how growing up in such a small town hadn't seemed magical back then. No, Cole was always on the outside of everything. Picked last in PE when teams were chosen, never part of a true friendship clique, never included when class representatives were selected, never nominated for a queen, princess or even a class clown... no, Cole never particularly felt like she was ever part of something. But oddly enough, this was the town that built her. If she felt pushed down, she stood taller. When invisibility crept up, her imagination kicked in. Forcing herself out of her comfy, cushy box over and over again, this formed the independent streak within her – a streak that fed her confidence. Cole was not afraid to jump into a new town, new job, new situation. Except where Josh was concerned.

How was it possible that he'd shaken her up so badly? Why, when it came to relationships, did she just not trust herself? Rejection. The word floated into her head as her heart sunk. Patting Pumpkin's smooth neck, she told her, "I should've stood up for myself Pump. I should've been as strong as you."

The horse's ears perked up and Cole was shocked to see a direct response to her verbal confession. But then, she heard it – the faintest sound of a vehicle speeding down the mile-long gravel lane, churning up a trail of dust into the summer air. Who could that be? Kicking into action, Pumpkin took off in avid curiosity and Cole's long ponytail flew behind them.

  * \- -

Small town had a whole new meaning to him now. Josh understood Cole a little better now. Boonville was quite different from Los Angeles and they really were from two different worlds. Having left Jerry at the airport, Josh rented a car, bought a map and took off down I-70.

It wasn't until he was driving down Main Street that he started to question his reasoning. As he passed local restaurants, he started to feel a pit in his stomach. Hoping it was hunger pains, he continued. When he saw a jewelry store with an upcoming festival being advertised in the window, his throat felt dry as he realized even more people may recognize him and post it on social media if they saw him. That would blow his plan of surprise. Josh then saw a junior high school, which triggered a memory of Cole telling him how tough school had been for her growing up. Was he about to ruin her life even more?

Guilt trailed him all the way through town and into the country. As he turned off onto a gravel lane for Rivercrest Farms, his stomach was wobbly and his hesitation a mountain he wasn't sure he could climb. Then, when something caught his eye in the hue of the orange sky, he nearly turned around, ready to drive all the way to California. It was Cole – and she looked magnificent as she rode through what appeared as a field of gold against the sunset tones of the evening sky.

His rented black SUV slowed as he turned up the hill and stopped in an area near the stables. There was courtyard surrounded by buildings, including a barn, as well as a shed where he could see a man's legs underneath a classic, candy red Buick GS 400. Slamming the car door, Josh climbed out and said a silent prayer a hope.

"You've got to me kidding me."

Turning around, slowly in case her father had a gun or something, Josh tilted his chin up to meet her chocolate eyes as she sat on top a beautiful chestnut horse that seemed to mirror Cole's opinion of him if her cold stare was any indication. There was a lump in his throat that was particularly hard to swallow.

"Have you come to yell at me a little more?" Swinging her leg off her saddle in a well-executed manner, she gracefully jumped down from her horse. "Or wait, you're here to keep the story going, right? That a romance made for the tabloids was real?" Scorn colored her voice as she led her mare towards the stables. "You need to leave, Josh. I don't want any further attention from the you or the press, thank you very much."

"Cole, wait." Taking two steps towards her, his hope lifted when she stopped in her tracks, but still didn't look at him. "I came to say I was sorry."

Without turning to face him, "well, go on then."

The horsed neighed as Josh took three big strides to stand in front of her. "I am, you know, truly sorry."

"For?" Cole's head tilted with a look on her face that said he'd have to do better than that.

"For hurting you, not believing you, for... thinking that you were just like everybody else. I'm too accustomed to people trying to use me to further their own careers that I forget what it was like to trust someone. That hasn't happened in a long time."

Cole chewed on her lower lip as she contemplated his words. Frustration was swimming around her as she shifted her weight from boot to boot. "Okay then. Thanks for that, you can go now."

Horrified as she stepped around him, Josh rushed to cut her off once more. "Go? Go where?"

"Back to Hollywood."

"Stop walking away from me, Cole" he said as reached out for her.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Don't you ever give anybody a second chance? People mess up and you just write them off the page, don't you? I made a mistake." Cole stopped, something he'd said halted her progress into the stables. "Let me prove to you I mean every word, Cole. I want to show you... how much I've missed you this past week."

There was a flicker in her eyes as she took in his words. "What do you mean... you want to prove it?"

"Prove that I'm sorry, that I miss you. I'll do anything you ask, Cole."

The flicker in her eyes grew brighter as a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Anything?"

Crap, he thought, I just sold my soul. "Anything."

Stroking her mare's mane, she simply said, "Have I introduced you to Pumpkin?"

Chapter Nineteen

"You made him muck out the stalls?"

"He said he'd do anything. I figure he can start with that."

"And then what?"

"Take a walk through the fields at night and hope the coyotes smell him?"

"Nicole Elizabeth," her mother admonished. "I did not raise you to be vindictive."

Cole winced at the use of her full name and placed her glass of wine on their patio table. Her mother had seen Josh's arrival and was ready with merlot-in-hand by the time Cole stalked into the house. Now, the mother and daughter duo were sitting on the back patio of the wraparound porch as the sun sprayed its last bit of rays into the twilight sky. "Yes, I know. But I just can't help it when I think about him. Seeing him step out of that SUV just made me so mad."

With a silent nod of acknowledgement, her mother shifted her eyes away from Cole as she took a sip of wine.

"I do not still like him, Mom."

"I didn't say a word."

"You didn't have to." Finishing her glass, Cole moodily stood up. "I'm going to go hop in the shower. Hopefully, he's gone by the time I'm gone."

"Okay sweetie."

After taking the longest shower ever possible, Cole was positive Mr. Hollywood would be gone. Her scalp had been scrubbed clean, as had every inch of her body, but she could not manage the scrub away the memory of the sincerity that had been in his eyes as she recalled his apology. Admittingly, she was far too stubborn to just simply forgive him. What if he hurt her again? I just can't let him get close to me again. Friends, we will just be friends. As she towel dried her hair, she realized it didn't matter what she told herself. It was unlikely she'd ever see him again, let alone talk to him.

Or, at least, that is what she'd assumed until she was halfway downstairs and heard her mother laughing in the kitchen, followed by the deep timbre of his own voice. What the devil?

There was Joshua Danes – in her kitchen – cooking with her mother. What's more, he was wearing an apron and slicing potatoes. His head popped up then and he grinned as though he was a child that had just gotten away with something.

"Hey Cole, perfect timing. We could use your help."

"We?" Disdainful belief dripped from the word.

"I've been invited to stay for dinner." Cue the grin again.

Cole's disbelief shifted into a look that only her mother would be able to read.

"Oh honey, Josh came to the house to introduce himself, as well as apologize to us for the situation he placed you in while you two worked together in Savannah. I accepted it and invited him to dinner. Your father and I would like to know him better."

"Don't include me in this. I'm on Cole's side," her father said from the corner of the room where he was buried deep in a book about old classic cars. Only the salt and pepper coloring of his hair was viewable from where he sat.

At least someone supports me, she grumpily thought. It's bad enough I like him, but I don't have to forgive him.

"Come on honey, it's no big deal. Now could you please set the table?"

Her mother placed a stack of plates in front of her and Cole swore inwardly. The nice china. My oh my, are we trying to make a good impression. Mr. Hollywood better appreciate how nice her parents were being to him.

After setting the table, Cole set on the opposite side of the island and watched in avid interest as her Southern raised mother attempted to teach Mr. Hollywood how to cook. And while Cole was certainly not a chef in the kitchen, she at least gave herself some props for knowing the basics, such a peeling potatoes or boiling water. But when the onion chopping began, a small snicker escaped her father's lips when Josh's eyes started tearing up. Cole felt vindicated somehow.

"Okay, so I've never cooked before, but can you do better Cole?"

"Actually, I can," she said a bit pompously as she swung her legs off the bar stool and marched over to take his place. In less than thirty seconds, Cole had not only chopped the onion, but she'd picked up the cutting board and slid the root vegetable into the overly large skillet where dinner was simmering. Smirking over her shoulder at Josh, "Told ya so."

Josh couldn't only stare offensively at the knife in his own hands, as that must have been the culprit. "I think this one's broken."

  * \- -

After dinner, Cole helped her father carry the dishes to the sink and began to rinse the plates. Almost ready to begin complaining to her father about Josh being there, in their home, she was interrupted when the man himself brought in the leftover pot roast to be wrapped up.

"Mr. Black, I saw you working on an old Buick when I pulled up. Does it still run?"

When her father's face lit up, Cole knew she'd lost another family member to the charms of Mr. Hollywood. This was confirmed verbally when her dad exclaimed, "It not only runs, it's been put back to its original glory. Although, my grandma did her best to wreck it when she nearly ripped off the back end one night. The woman drove like her foot was made of lead."

A laugh bubbled from Josh. "I have a grandma who's like that now. Somehow, she manages to talk herself out of every single speeding ticket."

"You don't say? Sounds like they could've been friends." Her father placed a dish in the sink and wiped his hands off on the dishtowel. "Want to go for a ride?"

"Do I? Yes sir."

"Great, let's go. Cole can finish this up in here." Turning back towards her, her father offered a sympathetic smile and a whispered, "He's not so bad!"

Cole stood there dumbfounded as the two bounded from the kitchen out to the side door and disappeared around the wraparound porch. Another one bites the Hollywood dust, she thought grumpily as she slammed the dishwasher door shut.

Chapter Twenty

After a restful night of sleep, Josh woke up to a rain storm pelting the window of the guest room at Rivercrest Farms. It had been a long time since Josh had felt so comfortable that he just passed out into blissful slumber. There was something about Cole's family that put him so at ease. They were welcoming, generous and kind. Not once was he asked about his career, next film, asked to take a photo or anything involving his Hollywood life. It was like he was just part of the family – what a nice feeling it left him with. If he couldn't work things out with Cole, maybe the family would adopt him.

Nervousness crept up as he realized he'd have more hoops to jump through to win Cole back. What will she make me do today? His thoughts floated back to yesterday in the barn. Once, during a filming, he'd had to ride horses and Josh loved every moment of it. So much, he was hoping to produce and star in a western remake one day. But never, ever, had he done such hard work as mucking a stall out. It was both humbling and rewarding. In a way, he looked forward to what today would bring.

Throwing on a pair of black sweats and a Savannah hoodie he'd picked up in Georgia, Josh quietly stepped out of his room and padded downstairs into the Black's kitchen. As quietly as possible, Josh opened the fridge to look for coffee creamer. Cole wasn't aware he was staying there for a few days, at least, if she didn't kick him out. Her mother, Penny, asked him to stay last night and Josh didn't think she'd take no for an answer.

"Cole's outside, she doesn't know you're here."

Startled, he turned around to see her father standing behind him, fully dressed in work clothes and placed protectively between his daughter and the actor drinking his coffee.

"It's raining." Nothing like pointing out the obvious Josh. Good start.

"We have a screened in back porch – she likes to write there. Even more so when it's raining. We tend to let her be when she's in her head so much." Edward Black paused as a thoughtful expression crossed over his features before adding, "it's really good to see her writing for herself again, actually."

"Does she not normally?"

Edward sighed as he opened the fridge and grabbed some eggs, ham and onions. "Ever since Cole was a little girl, she has had an overly creative mind. Most of the time, her mother and I couldn't keep up with the stories she could entertain us with. But somewhere along the way, she became more sheltered with her imagination – not realizing it was her best gift. Gone were the stories of her being an author and in its stead was the concept of being a professional writer."

Realization shook Josh as he understood the difference of what Cole's father was telling him. An author is in charge of their narrative and a writer is handed the storyline. Two very different things. "What do you think has changed for her now?"

Without looking him in the eye, Edward continued cracking eggs into a skillet as he simply said, "You. You've changed her."

"With all due respect sir, I think she's changed me more."

All Edward Black could do in response was smile as he went about chopping ham and onions. Not being able to muster up the courage to tell her father more, Josh rolled up his sleeves and went about helping cook breakfast. The two worked in silence for a few minutes until Edward spoke up again.

"I don't know what happened with you kids in Savannah, but it seems to be unfinished. Penny and I won't get in your way, but it's up to you to fix it. We aren't going to help any further than we already have."

"Understood. And... thank you for giving me the chance, sir."

  * \- -

It had been a long time since she'd felt secure enough to pour herself into a story and write – really write. Words flowed from her mind and braided themselves into sentences as her fingers danced away on the keys of her laptop with the sound of tapping. Creativity and imagination swirled around her as sat on the sun porch that ironically held no rays of sun, but rather was scented with the drops of rain swimming through the air. The effect was calming yet energetic and magical.

In every creative writing class, she'd ever taken, Cole had always been told to write what she knew. The only problem with that was she was never comfortable enough to put herself – her thoughts, hopes, daydreams, stories – on paper for others to judge. Therefore, Cole had never excelled in those classes. But as she'd laid in her bed the night before, with the lightning lighting up her childhood room, something floated into her vision and she felt an old, hidden, rusty part of her mind unlock. Climbing out of bed, she'd pulled on a sweatshirt and wool socks, padded out to the back porch, and opened up a blank page on her laptop.

Hours and thousands of words later, her fingertips still flew across her laptop with fluidity as everything poured out of her soul. There were so many stories within Cole that the narrative poured out onto the pages and she could see the whole picture in her mind as though it was movie.

It started with her in high school, feeling lonely and invisible. After all, she was writing what she knew. Then it ebbed and flowed through her struggle to find a passion when she figured out being an author was going to work out. Photography interested her enough to distract her from daydreaming and telling a story from a photograph was easily done for her, so journalism was the path she'd followed. All throughout college, she'd put her all into school, graduated early at semester and gotten a job in Kansas City. Everything had worked out – so why was she unsatisfied?

Why had going to Savannah changed everything for her? Her smiles became real again, but why had she not noticed they weren't real before? How did meeting Joshua Danes change her whole world?

Even Cole had to admit, love did crazy things to a girl.

Chapter Twenty-One

After the rain let up, Cole saved the words she'd scribed into a story since dawn that morning, closed her laptop and then, threw it through the sliding glass door when she saw Mr. Hollywood in her house – again.

Love might do crazy things to a girl, but that didn't mean forgiveness was easily forthcoming. Joshua Danes – the heartbreaker – was sitting at her kitchen table with her father, eating eggs, and seamlessly fitting right in with her family. What the Hell?

How long had he been there? Why hadn't she heard him drive up? Why was her father being so nice to him? Why am I mad and thrilled all at once? Playing it cool and taking a deep, cooling breath, she slid the door open and stepped inside.

"You're back," she said, almost dismissively, as she strode by Josh to the coffee pot.

"Well, honey, he actually never left."

Ice spread through veins as reality slammed against her like an avalanche. Never left? That meant... "You're staying here?" Her cool was nearly gone as she rudely blurted out, "Why!"

Penny Black took that time to emerge on the staircase. "Nicole Black, where are your manners? Josh mentioned he had nowhere to stay and we have plenty of bedrooms here – now that we're empty nesters and all. And he's welcome to stay as long as he needs to."

Scorching hot coffee charred her throat at the same time ice was still wrapping around her body. The combination caused her scoff to sound more like a cough as she said, "Well then, he can help with our chores then, can't he? Get the full Rivercrest Farms experience."

Piping up for the first time, as everybody in the room was talking about him but not actually to him, Josh smiled. "I'd love to. What shall we do first?"

  * \- -

The woman was up to something, this Josh was positive of. And embarrassing him could surely only be part of it. After she'd given him a pair of old, worn overalls and boots, she'd had him feed both the chickens and the pigs. There wouldn't be another day on the planet that Josh wouldn't be grateful for a hard-earned meal, although he'd maybe eat less bacon from now on. While the chickens had only pecked a bit at his feet – something he assumed Cole was disappointed about – the pigs had more than let him know he was a foreigner. Never had he'd known how mean those animals could be. His borrowed clothes were now covered in torn holes as the critters kept trying to eat his pants, his butt was covered in mud after they'd knocked him on his rump and one of them – Fluffy, he was named – headbutted him in the ribcage while he'd still been trying to get to his feet. And yet, it all happened before Josh had even gotten to the trough.

Laughter rolled from Cole's lips as she hooted. Feeling like there was something he needed to prove to himself more than the woman he was trying to win back, Josh let her laugh. The sound was welcomed after receiving the silent treatment most of the morning.

Standing proud, he poured the bucket of gruel into their trough. Turning to leave, he was surprised to see that Fluffy was still coming after him rather than his food. This porker was out to get him, he was convinced. That was, until he figured out how evil Cole Black was as he shoved his hand into his pockets and pulled out wild, freshly picked mushrooms. Fluffy's snout practically danced as the scent encountered the pig. Once again, Cole had played him.

Josh leaned over and held his palm flat as the large pig scooted close enough to eat the mushroom. Checking his other pockets, he found four more morsels to feed the pig. When he wasn't being attacked, he found Fluffy to be cute. Smiling as the pig licked his hands, Josh glanced up to see the amazed expression on Cole's face. This is going to be a long day, Josh realized, grinning smugly as the beauty turned and stalked off, muttering something about Josh being far from done with chores.

As the sun peeked from the clouds later that morning, Josh idly wondered if the Black's would let him visit from time to time just to work on the farm. It was hard work, but he was enjoying the exhausting feeling of sweat. The humidity would take some getting used to, same with the bugs that resembled small birds rather than insects, but it was a humbling experience to work with his hands and be a part of something. Nobody was fussing over him or worrying about what he was wearing, saying, reading, doing, eating... the farm life was heaven to him. And for the first time in a long while, he felt useful.

Sure, Cole was having her fun with him, but as he set on top of the chicken coop, he let her. If she knew how much he was enjoying himself, she may change her tactic. Hammering the roof so it wasn't raining inside the coop wasn't the worst chore she could devise, that he was sure of. No, no, that had been hand milking the cows. If he never touched another udder, Josh was sure he'd survive. In fact, he was considering giving up dairy altogether after that particular experience.

As he wiped the sweat from his eyes, Josh heard Cole chime, "And that's lunch!" as she hammered in the last nail into the roof. With ease, she scooted off the roof and plopped onto the soft grass. Josh's own landing was more reminiscent of the pig feeding incident. "That's gonna leave a mark," he groaned as he crawled to his feet to follow Cole into the house.

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Quit your fussing! I let you shower and change, be grateful." Inwardly, Cole chuckled as Josh continued to struggle as he strode, in vain, to their farm pickup in a pair of rather tight jeans. Honestly, the view was more than worth his ever-present annoyed attitude. His butt really was a ten, just as he'd stated in Savannah.

"And, just what are we going to town for again?" Josh grumbled as he hiked up his legs to climb into the 1988 red Chevy pickup truck.

"After we pick up supplies at the feed store, I need to drop some papers off at my sister's shop."

"And I'm going along because..." His question trailed off.

Turning the key, Cole revved the engine as she turned to face him. "The feed bags are heavy. I need your help to lift them." Country music filled the air as she clicked the old dial radio to power on and shifted the truck into gear.

"And this requires super tight jeans? Why do women wear these? They are so uncomfortable – I can't breathe!"

"Does Hollywood know you're such a crybaby? Does Jerry?"

Rolling his eyes, Josh retorted, "Jerry knows everything about me."

"That so didn't answer my question."

"Let's change the subject. Tell me about Boonville."

"Why?"

"Well, that's where we are, isn't it?"

"But, why do you want to know anything? This isn't a Hollywood playground, it's not some place you'll likely ever find yourself in again."

Josh looked taken aback. "Am I that bad to you?"

It was Cole's turn to look taken aback, "What?"

"I came here for you, Cole. I'm not here for any other reason than you."

"Or, maybe to make your image better?"

"When have I ever cared about my public image? I rarely do interviews if it's not part of a press junket. No one in the world knows who I date or what I do for fun. I typically stay low key." Josh ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "You really don't get that? Why do you think I was so upset in Savannah?"

"I seem to recall you taking that out on me."

A deep breath and a sigh of frustration from Josh followed then. The two of them hadn't really discussed this yet, they hadn't really hashed it out yet. Awkward silence ensued for several minutes before he shifted to face Cole – who seemingly refused to take her eyes off the road.

"I should have said this sooner to you, but I am sorry Cole. Nothing about what happened in Savannah was your fault. It was mine and I'm sorry. My reaction should have been better."

As the truck pulled off to park on the side of the road next to a cornfield, Cole slammed on the brakes.

"Geez Cole!" Josh freaked at the abrupt stop as his hands popped up to grasp an imaginary wall. "What the hell?"

Throwing the car into park, Cole unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. "Get out."

Perplexed, Josh mimicked her actions and stepped out of the pickup, just in time to duck a corncob flying in his direction. "Cole!"

"You come here, you act like the perfect little down-home country boy, try to win my parents over, do every damn chore I give you with that goofy smile on your face and now, now you have the gall to apologize?!" Cole chucked another ear of corn at him. "What is wrong with you Joshua Danes?!"

"What is wrong with you," Josh screeched as his ducked yet again, just before catching an ear of corn rather than letting it nearly smack him in the face. "Would you stop throwing corn at me!"

Slapping her hands to her hips, Cole huffed. "What do you want from me? I already submitted the article and trust me, you will come out smelling like roses, okay? You don't have to do all of these things, you don't have to be here."

Pondering the ear of unripened corn in his palm, Josh said with a very serious tone, "I'd rather come out smelling like popcorn, honestly." Holding the corn up, he cracked a smile as he cocked his head to the side.

Cole's eyes widened. Was it his goal to drive her mad? "Ughhhhh!" she groaned in frustration as she chucked another piece of corn at him. "Do you ever take anything seriously!"

"Do you ever not?"

"Get in the truck," Cole groaned, tossing one last piece of corn at him.

After they were both buckled back in, Cole shifted the gears and pulled back onto the road. A few minutes of silence passed before she was able to quietly whisper in an even-keeled voice, "I'm not ready to forgive you. It's not easy for me to trust people and perhaps I just trusted you too quickly and that's not fair to you. But," she paused, "You hurt me. You did – more than I'd like to admit."

Staring at her and slightly in awe of the vulnerability she was able to show, Josh nodded. "Okay then."

Side-eyeing him, Cole nodded in return. "Okay then."

"So, tell me about Boonville. What's it like?"

  * \- -

"Cole, you made him do all of that stuff? That is mean."

After loading the truck bed with thirty bags of feed for the farm animals, exhaustion had taken on a whole new level for Josh, who was now sitting in the chairs reserved for the little old ladies who shopped in her sister's jewelry store.

"Listen, he didn't not deserve it."

"Don't you think shoveling horse poop out of your stall was enough?"

Chewing on her lip, Cole muttered, "Maybe."

Always more mature, her sister Leigh gave her that all-knowing look that made Cole feel like a kid. "You don't know what it was like. If a guy broke your heart, you would've done the same thing."

"Um, really?"

"Okay, well maybe not you, per se. But I know I wouldn't be alone in the broken heart revenge club, okay? Besides, I think he secretly kind of liked it. The only thing he complained about was me making him wear those jeans."

Glancing over the counter to get a better look, Leigh whispered back to her sister, "Really? That's the only thing I'm okay with."

The sisters giggled as Cole winked at her. "Shhh, shhh, here he comes."

Coughing, Leigh initiated a new topic. "Do you have the marketing schematics with you?"

"Yes," Cole dug a file out of her bag. "These are my suggestions for the last two quarters of this year, plus all of next year. You'll find that the underlying themes will rotate with the quarters, so all you must focus on is the new product. The same guidelines will work." Cole had volunteered to help her sister with a new marketing plan to help support the local businesses and tie in social media.

Leigh sifted through the pages as Josh stood behind Cole awkwardly. This looks good. However," she tapped her finger on a page, "I don't know that this Heritage Days plan will work. Our Grand Marshall just told me he can't participate in the parade. We don't currently have anybody else but the Mayor, and she's done it at least the last five years. I highly doubt she'd want to be our brand ambassador for the store and wear our merchandise for all appearances."

"Grand Marshall," Josh inquired? "What do they have to do?"

The girls swiveled to face him. "Mostly, the Grand Marshall is the face of Heritage Days, Boonville's annual festival to celebrate our town. The person oversees the local pageants, the fair, the entertainment and, this year, it backs right up to July fourth, so fireworks are planned."

"Sounds like a good time."

"It usually is, if you like seeing all the people you went to high school with. Cole, here," Leigh motioned to her now mortified sister, "doesn't".

"Well, maybe this year will be different."

"Yeah, it will be, because I'm not going." Cole quickly changed the topic. "Leigh, review the plan and let me know if you want any changes."

Nodding with understanding, Leigh agreed. "I'll read it over and if I see anything, I'll let you know. Thanks sis."

"No sweat." Slapping Josh on the back, Cole pretended not to see his wince as she said, "Ready to go?"

Warily, Josh asked, "Do I get to change out of the jeans when we get home."

"Only if you plan on unloading those bags of feed pant-less. But, I mean, I'm okay with that," Cole smirked. "Bet the chickens are too."

Rolling his eyes, Josh held out his hand, "So nice to meet you, Leigh."

"Pleasure meeting you, Josh. Honestly, you are not at all what I expected from what the magazines describe."

A chuckle escaped from his lips. "Glad to hear it. I've never seen an accurate article in my entire career."

As the twosome turned to leave, neither woman noticed Josh slip one of the business cards for the jewelry store into his pocket.

Chapter Twenty-Three

As the rain pelted lightly against the truck's windshield, Josh couldn't help but sneak a sideways glance at the mysterious creature who continuously surprised him over-and-over again. Not only was she a brilliant photographer, journalist, soon-to-be book author, but she had an incredibly savvy mind that was an online marketing genius who created small business plans for her sister. Could one person have so many talents? The woman was a perplexing puzzle of complications. No wonder I can't figure her out, he thought. Are all women like this? Suddenly, the only word he could now use to subscribe himself was 'Simplistic'.

"You're staring."

"Am not," Josh replied, consciously shifting in his seat.

"Oh, okay then," she mocked humorously in a deeper voice than normal.

Trying to change the subject, Josh squinted his blue-green eyes as though he was peering up at the sky. "Looks like more rain is coming."

"Perfect."

Josh felt a small pit in his stomach as the old red Chevy turned into the farm lane. Against his better judgement, "Why?" escaped cautiously from his lips.

A sly grin crossed the features of her face as a gleam entered her chocolate eyes. "Ever been mudding?"

The pit in his stomach flip flopped as the innocence in her voice wrapped around him in a hug as she threw the gearshift in park, just in front of the shed that housed a large vehicle that resembled a dune buggy.

Within five minutes, the chit had him buckled into the cart, wearing a helmet and screaming like a little kid. All in a good way, of course. Once again, Josh marveled at the creature in control of his life, heart, emotions and currently this wildly driving vehicle that was heading for the creek that was surrounded by banks of mud due to the heavy rains that day.

"Hold on to your knickers, Hollywood!" Cole laughed as she angled the wheel so his side of the cart was hosed in the majority of the mud. The laughter that erupted from her lips as they were coated in the Earth's natural blanket filled the air as she started doing donut swirls with the cart.

"Alright! My turn to drive!" Josh squealed as he realized how fun this actually was. Seeing her face light up from the laughter was just the cherry on top, after feeling all of his stress and anxieties over his career and life melt away, even if only momentarily.

Although, getting the chance to throw mud at Cole, as they switched seats, was a pretty close second.

  * \- -

As she stepped out of the shower, after trying to get the mud out of her ears and hair, Cole smiled as she remembered the events of that afternoon. Josh had really surprised her. It seemed farm life and small-town charm really brought out the best in him. As they had thrown mud at each other in such a playful manner, his face was so genuinely happy as his deep, hearty chuckles turned into raucous roars of laughter.

True, she'd thought mudding would have thrown him off his game and he'd turned into a Mr. Hollywood prima donna again. But, to both Cole's surprise and delight, getting down and dirty in the rain was just what a couple's counselor might've ordered. There was a weight lifted, a veil pulled back and, somehow, there was an unspoken agreement between them to start over again.

Hearing laughter downstairs, Cole quickly towel dried her hair and braided it to the side, went into her closet to pull on baggy sweats and a purple long sleeved shirt and then, she heard a little, soft meow coming from her bed. Coming out of her closet, she was shocked to see Pokey lying on her bed, right next to her best friend, Ana.

"Ana!"

"Cole!" Her friend's toffee curls were in her face within mere seconds as Ana hugged her. "We've been so worried about you! But, now, I find you hiding out with Joshua Danes? What gives?"

As she knew this would happen eventually, Cole braced for the questions to role in. "It's just Josh, Ana. He came here to apologize."

"Well, yes, I know that. His manager Jerry and him came into the office looking for you."

"They did?"

"Yes! I didn't tell you because I thought you were mad at him still."

Well, was she? Cole wasn't so sure anymore. An accord as definitely struck between her and Josh. And then, Cole realized what her friend had just said.

"Ana... who is we?"

George Ellis, Blake Garrison, Jerry and Ana were all sitting alongside Cole's parents, Josh and herself at the dinner table. When her sister popped in with her kids, it might as well have been a summer Thanksgiving party of some type. It certainly felt like it with the amount of food on the table, the children running around screaming, the wine flowing and storytelling occurring.

On one end of the table, Jerry – too charismatic for his own good – was regaling about the first time she and Josh had met. "I've never seen someone not be charmed by his presence before! No nerves, nothing! In fact, she really put him on edge." Jerry's signature chuckle accompanied his story.

On the other end of the table, Josh was describing the actors George and Blake were inquiring about. "You'd be surprised by who isn't what they portray to the public," he admitted. "It can be pretty tough to be around off camera." In response, Blake – sucking up – agreed that as part of the press, that was always something he'd personally felt uncomfortable with.

Hanging out in the kitchen was Ana, Leigh and Cole herself, opening another bottle of red wine. They liked to think of the space as the quieter corner.

"So, he's really down to Earth, Cole. Are you going to change the article?"

Cole blinked at her sister, not understanding the question. "No, why would I? It's already submitted and approved."

"Well, surely there's something you want to take back, no?" Ana added. Both ladies were aware of how heartbroken Cole was when she'd returned from Savannah.

"No, there isn't. And I resent that you think I made the article personal. I didn't. It was my job."

Across the way, unaware of his perked ears, Josh picked up on the comment. Though it sounded harsh, he wouldn't take her words to harshly. Whatever she'd written, Josh was sure he'd earned it.

"Guys, apparently there's a beer garden downtown tomorrow night to kick off this festival thing. Interested?"

"What do we do if you're recognized?" George asked.

"I think we can disguise him well enough," Leigh piped up as she put the newly opened wine bottle on the table. "I'll loan you some of Louis' clothes. You'll look like a local. And it'll be dark, so wearing a hat will disguise most of your face too."

"It's like we're in a movie!" Jerry chuckled, his ever-present smiling cheeks red with the wine he'd drank. "I love it!"

Chapter Twenty-Four

"No. My answer is no."

"Cole, you won't even consider going to the beer garden?"

"You mean a high school reunion. That's what it is, you know," Cole bit out pointedly, mouth clenched.

"Cole...." Ana whined just pathetically enough to gain her friend's gaze without annoying her. "Josh is going in disguise. Why can't we disguise you?"

Her eyebrow simply perched in annoyance. "You honestly think people I have known pretty much my whole life won't recognize me? This town's not that big." Cole slumped into the oversized chair in her parent's living room with George and Ana, while Blake and Josh were at her sister's house looking for clothes that Josh viewed as breathable.

Blake and Josh being together was weird for Cole and the feeling didn't sit well. Blake was the guy she'd dated when feeling particularly low about herself – yet Josh was the guy who'd gotten to know her for who she was. The pair hanging out for any stretch of time seemed unfathomable. Ana had confided that Blake was tagging along only because he'd been with them when Jerry asked about visiting her. That was when she'd learned that Josh was avoiding Jerry's calls while he was in town and that there was some suspicion, on Jerry's part, that Mr. Hollywood was buried by the railroad tracks on the back hill. In all honestly, Cole had considered that path, albeit however brief that moment was.

"I was nothing in high school, Ana. The depressed state that comes along in association to those people isn't something I'm anxious to feel again."

"Cole! Listen to yourself, will you? Really! You.Are.Cole.Black." Ana enunciated every syllable with growing arm movements as though she was on a talk show. "The youngest reporter on the FTP Magazine staff. An amazing photographer. A soon to be book author. And, you have the most fabulous best friend in all the lands," Ana finished as she flipped her toffee curls over her shoulder. "Who gives a damn what people who don't even know the real you think."

Is Ana right? Cole chewed nervously on her lip as she turned away from Ana and George to stare out the window. Why am I letting old insecurities rule the present me? Suddenly, she felt an imaginary weight lift from her shoulders. It was as though her insecurities from childhood had spelled Cole's soul and by realizing it, she was able to let it go.

The front door opened with Josh and Blake carrying a bundle of clothes through the door. A mischievous smile spread across Cole's face.

"Okay, we can go. But on one condition."

  * \- -

"I should've burned these jeans when I had the chance," Josh griped as he slowly walked down the staircase in the stiff pair of jeans that Cole had made him wear for the second time since he'd arrived in Boonville. To cap off his downhome fashion statement, he was wearing a black ball cap with a tractor logo framing the stylish tear in the bill, a green and blue plaid button up – that he'd agreed to only because Cole said it matched his eyes and he'd do anything for a compliment from her – and a pair of boots supplied by Leigh's husband. In all honestly, Josh had to wonder how he wasn't going to sweat his balls off. Fitting in isn't for the light hearted, Hollywood, Cole chuckled into his ear after she'd laid his outfit out on his bed. Rolling his eyes as he remembered her taunting, he'd snapped a selfie on his cell with a model-worthy gaze from under his cap.

"You should've burned these then, too." George griped.

"Oh, what!" Laughter belted out of Josh as Blake and George stood from their seats, both in their own pair of wranglers.

"Yuck it up, Hollywood, and I'll tweet a photo." George whined. "How do men wear these!"

"Well my, my, my," Ana swooned in a southern tone from the top of the stairs where a balcony rail gave her a full view of all three men standing in the Black's family kitchen. An appreciative whistle crossed her lips as she descended the steps and took in full view of the tight jeans that showed off the men's assets. "I'm one hundred percent in agreement with Cole's deal now."

Cole, Josh was learning, was quite the mischievous prankster. The guys were to all agree to letting her pick out their outfits for the evening if she was going to be persuaded to go to the beer garden. It was a tough deal and a firm line that she refused to budge on. Josh should've known better.

"I'm glad you agree, Ana."

All eyes turned to see Cole making an appearance at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a green plaid shirt over skintight jeans of her own with a breezy black blouse, a plain basic ball cap that highlighted her hair – which was fishtailed into a braid – and black ankle boots. Simply gorgeous, Josh thought to himself. She doesn't even have to try. When her chocolate eyes blinked up at his own blue-green gaze, Josh held out his arm, "Ready to go?"

The drive into town seemed insufferably long that evening to the three men who were still griping about their tight jeans. Sitting, breathing, walking – all were reportedly so uncomfortable that the men were comparing the pants to corsets. All Ana and Cole could do was laugh because women had been putting up with uncomfortable clothing since the beginning of time.

As the group parked Josh's rented fancy black SUV alongside the Cooper County Courthouse, Cole's nerves were clearly beginning to bubble over as Josh watched her chew on her lower lip, twisting her fingers into knots. Knowing what it felt like to feel as though everybody always had their eyes on you, Josh took pity on her.

"You know, I'll not say another word about these pants if you promise to dance with me." His left eyebrow perched in a silent question as Cole's surprised eyes turned to face him.

"What about keeping a low profile?"

"You know, there's something I've always been aware of after the launch on my first movie," Josh quipped as he lowered his head so his warm breath tickled her ear, "I'll probably never have a low profile again. If I want to experience something, I'll just have to seize the moment. You taught me that, Cole."

Confusion marred her brows. "I did?"

"Yes. Working with you in Savannah – being with you here in Boonville – showed me I was hiding, so afraid of being in the media. Shouldn't I be allowed to have my career and my life?"

Beaming, Cole laced her arm through the crook of Joshua Dane's elbow. "Yes, yes you should."

The gang strode around the corner, entering the Boonville Heritage Day's beer garden festival that kicked off the weekend's events and festivities that would last over the next week.

"Here we go boys and girls!" George squealed, quite content in his country outfit now.

Chapter Twenty-Five

It was worse than Cole thought. Instead of being treated as though she was wearing an invisibility cloak, or being called names, her old high school classmates were treating her like royalty. What the hell? Cole was far too perplexed. Ana, George and Blake now assumed that she'd been judging the situation too harshly, Josh was being harassed with question after question in an oh-so-casual manner as though the interviews being given by the girls she'd gone to school with were two-way conversations.

Josh, for his part, treated the girls like he would with fans. Happy to take photos but gave limited answers and no clues as to the status of his and Cole's relationship. The poor sod must have said, "Just passing through town and stopped by to say hi," forty-five times before Cole retreated in silence to the bar.

The moment she stepped away from the bubble, she felt like herself again. Keeping her head slightly down so her black cap covered her face, she weaved through the crowd of mixed generations until she edged up to the side of the beer garden's bar.

"Hey Cole! What'll you have, sugar?"

Her head snapped up at recognition. "Bobby?" Once upon a time, her older sister Leigh dated a guy named Robert prior to meeting her now-husband Louis. Having a soft spot for the agriculture salesman who'd always let her call him Bobby when no one else was seemingly allowed to, Cole grinned her first genuine smile since walking into the fest. "How ya' doing?"

Her longtime pal slid out from the bar and swooped her into a bear hug. "Damn good sugar! But it looks like you're having a bad time..." he trailed as he moved back into his bartender stance. "Don't think I didn't notice the swarm of the girls who made your life a living hell swooning over your fella."

"He's not my fella."

"Oh," Bobby said, "he's your fella. You just haven't admitted it to yourself. "But everybody knows he's your fella by the way he watches you."

"Watches me?"

"Your every move, darlin'."

Rolling her eyes, Cole couldn't hide her bashfulness. "Can I get a beer please?"

"Craft?"

"You know it!"

"Make that two," a deep timbre purred behind her. "Barely got away with my life," a hushed, joking tone whispered into her ear.

Spinning around and suddenly worried about how much had been overheard, Cole quickly scanned Josh's handsome face, trying to read his thoughts. Instantly, she felt a sense of relief as there was nothing in his eyes other than glee from breaking free of the Joshua Danes Compliment Club.

"Tired of something?"

It was Josh's turn roll his eyes. "Puh-lease. I know a fake personality when I see one. I do live in Hollywood, you know."

A small sense of pride swelled within Cole. Josh hadn't been fooled by them. "At least they were nice instead of... not nice," she offered.

"I'm not sure that's any better."

"True."

"Here you go, darlin'." Bobby plopped two Boulevard craft beers from Kansas City onto the bar top. "Hey man," he held out his hand, "Bobby."

"Josh. Nice to meet you." Their overly large hands clasped as they seemed to have something unspoked cross between them.

"Hurt her, I kill you."

A broad smile formed on Josh's lips as he glanced at Cole. "Him, I like."

  * \- -

"How do you know Tara Devlin?" Josh shouted into her ear.

"She's a hometown girl. Well, kind of... she's from across the river."

"Um, she's also a famous country singer. Or did you forget that part?" Ana fangirled into her ear.

Tara Devlin as the quintessential girl-next-door who became a famous country music sensation a decade or so earlier. But she never forgot her roots – a moral Cole very much admired in the woman. At least once a year, when the opportunity presented itself, Tara would still put on a show somewhere locally to show her love for her hometown and those that built her to where she was now. This year, that show turned out to be Heritage Days. It was a surprise to Cole, just as much as the others. Although, when Tara invited her up on stage to sing with her, even Cole had to admit that it must have been a shock to the whole crowd, let alone her near and dear friends who never knew she even sang.

"Cole Black, is that you I see out there? Y'all, help me get her up here to sing along with me!" Tara had exclaimed. Suddenly, people who didn't even know her were chanted her name as Cole shook in head in response. Bobby and Josh pushed her to the stage where a burly security guard boosted her up before she could respond.

And that's how she found herself on stage, as nervous as a shaking leaf in her tight skinny jeans, black boots, matching ball cap that seemed to frame her big brown eyes and her green shirt that somehow matched Josh's eyes. It had been years since she'd met Tara and even that happened on accident.

Three long years ago, Cole had been in a neighboring town, shopping for antiques, when she'd bumped into a fellow shopper. That person was Tara and as it turned out, the owner of the shop was none other than Tara's sister. It'd all been such a happy accident and the two connected rather quickly. Perhaps, somehow, because Cole had not treated the singer like anybody unusual, but rather like the plain old human that she was.

The twosome had always kept in touch and to that day, Cole had never asked her for a favor – not even for an interview at FTP Magazine. Now that she was on stage and facing her fears of singing in public, Cole was actively rethinking the strategy of not pulling favors from her friends.

"What do y'all think we should sing?" Tara asked the crowd. "Maybe an oldie, but a goody?"

Smiling, Cole knew exactly where Tara was going with that line. The singer's first hit, "Just the Girl Next Door". It was a whimsical, poppy tune and Cole's naturally sultry voice would lend an extra tone to it. The song was one of her all-time favorites and Tara knew this. It was about a girl who just wanted the boy next door to notice her and when he did, it was too late, for she'd already met someone who loved her for who she was.

"Alright boys," Cole grinned as she looked at the band, "One! Two! One, two, three! Let's go!"

She smiled down at Josh as he was, once again, completely smitten over the girl who was forever a mystery to him. After this, she would most definitely owe him a dance.

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Ugh, what is that noise?" Blake groaned from the couch.

"I think it's rain," George grumbled.

"Just shut up you two. How can anybody sleep with your chattering nonsense?" Josh was not exactly a morning person, especially when a hangover was involved.

"We should have listened to Cole and Ana. I knew taking shots with Tara Devlin would be bad news. Devil is actually part of her name...." Blake continued to bemoan.

"Why is it raining so loudly?" George whined.

"Probably because you nincompoops passed out on the screened-in porch. You're basically outside," Ana smirked from the doorway, coffee in hand and looking fresh as a daisy. "It's ten in the morning, get up."

Groans at this information, plus the chit's perky tone, came from all three gentlemen as they began to move on the patio furniture. None of them looked better for their age at that particular moment.

"I thought you all might feel that way. So, maybe, go take a shower and then enjoy the nice breakfast Cole and I are cooking up. It comes with a side of bacon grease, compliments of your hangover," Ana quipped as she went back inside.

"Why is your friend so perky in the morning?" Josh asked.

"That, right there, proved she's more Cole's friend than our own," George replied.

After the showering, the guys finally trickled down into the kitchen, one-by-one, as they at least smelled better than they appeared. All three men were so hungover that Cole almost took pity on them. Almost.

Plopping heaping plates of food on the table, perhaps louder than necessary, and allowed the aromas to waft through the air. Bacon, eggs, biscuits, sausage gravy and roasted sage and rosemary potatoes were all served hot, fresh and completely homemade by herself, her mother and Ana.

Jerry, who hadn't gone out with them last night, plopped into one of the chairs and motioned for Josh to sit next to him. There was a tablet in his hands and as the group began to fill their plates with the best hangover remedy in the state, Cole felt a pit in her stomach as she joined the twosome.

"I thought you were going to be low key, Josh." Jerry's voice was reprimanding, but yet, he sounded like a disappointed teacher.

Putting her hand on the back of Josh's chair, Cole leaned over his shoulder and saw several images of both herself and Josh splashed across social media. There were photos of him being surrounded by the girls she'd gone to high school with that were accompanied by headlines insinuating Josh was a playboy and not ready to commit. The headline that really unnerved her was the one implicating that Tara Devlin was only there because of Josh and that this was his move to win her over.

"Where do they get this stuff? It's all lies." Cole grabbed the tablet from Jerry as she took her own seat and began swiping through the images.

"You have to ignore it, Cole." Josh's hangover wasn't helping his mood.

"Easy for you to say," Cole griped as she slid the tablet back towards Jerry.

George, Ana and Blake, as well as her parents, all sat silently by as they chewed on their breakfast. Cole looked towards Ana for help, but all her friend could do was shrug.

"Come on, we figured this would happen, right? Besides, the highlight of the night wasn't my presence."

"It wasn't?"

"Nope," Josh let the word pop from his lips. "I do believe it was you singing on stage with Tara Devlin!"

"Oh, Tara was in town? She usually comes by to say hi," Penny calmly stated, as though talking about a country super star was no big deal.

"I think she's in town for a few more days, so you may still see her yet, Mom."

Josh shook his head. Women are nothing but a puzzle, he thought to himself as he took a big bite of biscuits and gravy. "Give no statement, Jerry. I'm entitled to live life on my terms."

Cole grinned. She was proud Josh was finally seeming to stand out from the shadows the media put him in. "Shall we hit up the Heritage Days festival later?"

The men all groaned, a hangover ever present in their mood.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

After a weekend of fun, Cole had said goodbye to her best friends, Ana and George, and even gave Blake a hug goodbye. They were leaving to head back to Kansas City for work and to resume their lives. Cole, too, would have to head back in two more days when her vacation time ran out.

Today was supposed to be relatively low key, so she grabbed her laptop and some coffee, returning to her new favorite writing space on her parents screened-in side porch. Having not seen Jerry or Josh yet that morning, she assumed they were still asleep, so she settled in with her homemade cinnamon soy latte, plugged her earbuds in and let her fingers dance over the black keys. She didn't even notice the shadows behind her slip through the kitchen and out the front door.

As her mood swirled, the story surged through her. From her heartbroken state she'd arrived in Boonville with – to the dreamy, wishful fancy she now found herself her – Cole's story ebbed and flowed with the lyrical prowess of a love story. A love story where a girl simply liked a boy, but their careers made it difficult to envision a life together. She was a reality tv star and he was a barista at the local coffee shop. How could they ever be together?

In only a few days, Cole completed her first official draft of her book. Sure, it would need a lot of work and been totally rough, but she had finally finished a book – her book. Turns out, all she'd needed to do was live through a daydream of her own. Josh turned her life upside down and she was all the better for it. Or so she'd thought.

"They're gone?"

"I'm not sure if they are gone, gone – but they definitely aren't here, sweetie." Penny Black was standing at the kitchen island, holding Pokey and trying to tug what appeared to be pieces of Jerry's pants from his claws.

"Aw, Piggy," she cooed the cat's nickname, "did you scare the big bad Hollywood agent away?" Cole had to admit, the cat looked mighty proud of himself. Even though she should be mad at Mr. Hollywood, a small chuckle escaped her lips. The only person this cat disliked in the whole wide world was Jerry, Mr. Hollywood's agent.

"I found the cat laying on Jerry's clothes and a copy of this." Penny slid a copy of Men's Ultimate Health in her direction.

There he was, in black and white imaging, staring into her soul from a glossy magazine cover. Dreading what she knew was to come, she flipped through the magazine until his article appeared. Although there was no mentioning of her in the story, the photo she'd even forgotten they'd even shot came to life right in front of her. It feels like years ago, she thought. She could remember how cool the water had been, but how warm Josh's body was next to hers. Mostly, Cole remembered how much she wished he could've kissed when he'd knelt towards her in the ocean, simply letting his forehead rest on hers. Savannah was the beginning of our story, but is Boonville the ending, she asked herself?

"Is it what you expected?" Penny asked.

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked her mom. "It's better," Cole said, her voice breaking.

"Come on dear, let's get you ready for the parade, shall we?"

  * \- -

"Why is the parade at night this year? And at the end of Heritage Days?" Cole was still confused. Typically parades kicked off festivals.

"Well, when we couldn't find a grand marshall right away, we had to move it to give us more time. It actually works out better as a closing ceremony though, this year. It leads us right into fireworks and the high school band will play God Bless America live in the park. I think they even found someone to sing the lyrics."

Cole raised her eyebrows. "Why the pomp and circumstance?"

Leigh shrugged. "All I know is that, when we changed the parade time, everything else simply lined up on its own." Leigh put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry he's gone."

"Well, it is what it is, yeah? It's not as though this past week was real for Josh."

"I think it was though."

Cole shook her head and changed the subject, not wanting to reconcile the need to cry because he hadn't even said goodbye. "Well, today's the parade and that's what I'm focused on. What do you need me to do?"

"I was wondering if you'd mind taking photographs for our social media feeds?"

Nodding her head in the of-course-you-did manner, because that's what sisters did, Cole pulled her camera out and started to check the settings. Hearing the alarm of the firetrucks signaling the parade was starting, she started towards the door and let her family trickle behind her as she fought for a space that she could photograph both the parade and her sister's storefront. The streets were lined with people of all ages and size, waving red, white and blue flags, sparkers, ribbons, hats and more. Local military lined up along the opposite side of the jewelry story, smiles on their faces. It was the most patriotic scene Cole had ever seen her town. America's colors gleamed from every angle, shining in the summer sun. It was downright beautiful.

It was odd though, because as she was snapping images on the locals lined up for the show, she felt as though they were all looking at her. It was eerie almost. There was no way they could've all seen the magazine image yet. Or had they?

Then their attention shifted and roars of screams erupted. Fan girl screams, Cole realized. Turning slowly, her heart stopped and her breath was caught in her throat. There, in the back of her father's old Chevy red truck, was Joshua Danes – the movie star. His tall frame seemed monumentally giant in that moment, as his espresso dark hair glistened in the sun. Chiseled arms were shown off in his tight black t-shirt, as was his "solid ten" butt in the tight pair of jeans he'd sworn he was going to burn. Capping off his Hollywood perfect photo op were his designer aviators that hid his blue-green eyes from her stare. Barely, Cole somehow registered Tara Devlin was in the truck with him and ecstatically clapping her hands when Josh and Cole registered each other's presence.

"Josh called me after you all left my shop last week and offered to help. He's been helping all day, actually, and even got Tara to agree to participate in the festivities."

When had Leigh snuck up behind her? Not taking her eyes off Josh, Cole could only murmur, "Why?"

"For you, silly. He loves you." Leigh pushed her sister slowly towards the pickup that was heading their way.

Taking the hint, Cole turned and handed Leigh her camera equipment and began walking towards the oncoming grand marshall pickup that was practically crawling in its official parade speed. When Josh leapt down from the vehicle and picked up his pace to reach her quicker, her feet took off in a sprint, jumping when they were close enough and all her limbs wrapped around Mr. Hollywood. It really was like a scene from a movie as he kissed her then, and she could feel a joyful smile against her lips. Josh stayed for her, he hadn't left, never once did he ask her to change the article or even care that people were now cheering them on.

He was simply, in that moment, a boy who loved a girl. And she, him.
The Article

Sometimes, in life, we are given curveballs that are meant to teach us humility. Other times, we are supposed to learn how to empathize, or laugh, or even, maybe, open our hearts to the idea that life isn't always perfect. It's just possible that the imperfection of life, and beauty being madness, is what we are supposed to take away from a situation.

When I first met Joshua Danes, I thought I was going to go mad from the assignment. Instantly, we had a connection. But, we both had a prejudice as well, butting heads and using sarcasm like a weapon right out of the gate. We were fighting to take the lead of this experience? Maybe. Was Joshua Danes not used to being in charge? Absolutely.

I supposed I walked into our situation, the one where we were supposed to spend five whole days together as I shadowed him in order to right this article, with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Mr. Danes was tagged as "Mr. Hollywood". I wanted to know who that was. What I discovered was that this character the media has written up on the cover of magazines for years was just that – a character.

Is Joshua Danes handsome? Yes. Is he irresistibly charming? Most of the time. But he's also extremely human. Like me, he has his insecurities. Like most everybody in the whole world, he wants a family, children and to be loved. The only problem when you're a Hollywood dreamboat, though, is that trust becomes a difficult concept to grasp.

What I learned from my time with Joshua Danes is that there were two versions of this man. Version A is a man that is an extrovert, a professional and work-focused individual, he has serious mannerisms that make me roll my eyes more times during a day than I can count, and that this is typically the version of himself that the world sees. His life is locked far and away from the cameras, and nothing personal is shared with the world. But who is the man behind the curtain?

Version B of Joshua Danes is, personally, the man I prefer. This is a man who is family-oriented, tender hearted and not afraid to be the butt of a joke if it means it'll put a smile on my face. This version goes by the name of Josh, will dance like a goober when no one is watching, loves to watch baseball, experience new things and race you along the beach. This man, I think, still has a boyish charm that is perhaps more irresistible that the Hollywood charm. Mr. Darcy, eat your heart out.

So how can one man be both? As I followed Mr. Danes and his agent around for days, I became part of their world. If their photo was taken, mine was taken. If their space was disrespected, mine was too. I would go mad – I almost did.

I took Josh to all of my favorite Savannah haunts. On the trolley tour, he was able to become a regular guy as he took in the history while driving around the city of squares. At Wormsloe National Park, we danced under the sweeping Oak and Spanish Moss trees and pretended we were Scarlett and Rhett. We strolled through Forsyth Park after stuffing ourselves full of fried macaroni and delicious red wine. I watched as Joshua became Josh, finding moments where he was able to relax and balance his life with laughter.

Unfortunately, by becoming part of his world for such a small amount of time, I also experienced the dark side of the media – the very industry I was there representing. After staying up one evening, looking at the stars and talking nonsensical things of no importance, we fell asleep. When we awoke, camera flashes changed our innocent evening of friendship into a tawdry affair. It was horrible and I felt sick to my stomach. And I have to admit, I didn't think much about how Josh must've felt until a few days afterwards. I was selfish.

Reflecting on the days, I'm amazed that Josh has the ability to still find those moments where he can be so down to Earth. I know why he prefers to live behind gilded iron gates in his life, both literally and figuratively. How frustrating it must be to have others being so involved in your personal moments? Creating your narrative for you? Making life feel unsafe to live?

I wish that, in that moment, I was more empathetic to what Josh was feeling when our time together became disjointed so quickly. By the time I returned, it was like I'd survived a car crash. I was devastated to know that I could've contributed to the chaos that was his life. Or that I made that chaos worse by trying to obtain real photos or a real man. I did not want overly staged photographs for this article – and I think I succeeded. But at what cost? I am not sure.

As you finish this article and view these photographs again, note that they are untouched, raw and the person on the other end of the lens unknowingly, but happily, took them with love.

As Josh finished the article, he did peruse the photos again. The cover image of the article was the image she'd taken that first morning, with a coffee cup in hand. It was in black and white and his face looked serious, as though the weight of the world were on his shoulders. The second one was an image of him smiling, candidly so, on the trolley in front of a pirate themed restaurant. When had Cole even snapped that photo? Seeing the third image, Josh rolled his eyes and he saw an image of him eating fried macaroni with goofiest face that looked like he was in ecstasy over the food. The last image, though, was his favorite. It was the behind the scenes of image of Josh and Cole in the water – the same image that was in the health magazine article. Except this was the photo Kenneth had taken that showed the photo was always part of a shoot and nothing more. It was an image that, he thought, perfectly depicted what Cole was stating in the article. Sometimes, he very much felt like he was living the tale of two men living one life.

"Do you like it?" A voice from his lap quietly asked, her cheeks flaming with magenta hues.

Dropping his blue-green eyes to look at her cautiously optimistic face, Josh grinned as the Fourth of July fireworks started to light up the sky. "It's perfect."

The End.
About Liz.

Boonville, Missouri born and raised, Liz Rau now resides in Denver, Colorado. As an avid and passionate supporter of the performance arts community, Liz's background & hobbies include dance, choreography, theatre, painting and writing.

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Southeast Missouri State University, Liz continues her education in communications while currently employed in the sales field; and actively travels throughout the world to the places that inspire her. No one is ever poor when traveling enriches your life and soul.

With six nieces & nephews, she often considers her role as an "Auntie" as one of her greatest pleasures in life. She also dotes on her two cats, one of which is black & fluffy...perhaps the real-life inspiration for Hanks in several of her books? The other one is often seen on her social media accounts as her co-cat author and editor.

October is Liz Rau's favorite month and time of year, and every season she will be posting #31DaysOfOctober on her website, so make sure to follow along at www.lizrauofficial.com.

Be sure to also tune into Liz's newest adventure, "Life with Liz". This is a podcast for everybody who feels a bit quirky and perhaps more of the oddball in this world. Along the way in her travels, her friends and family will join in these conversations, so download the podcast today!

Acknowledgements.

As always, I want to thank my parents for always supporting me, whether it is with work, books, podcasts or relationships.

To my sister, thank you for editing this book and continuing to support my creativity!

The Russian, you are my technical support as well as my boo boo. Sorry I watch so much reality TV, but that's just who I am.

For my friends, this book is for you.

Thank you Mat for your design skills!

Thank you to Gordon Jewelers in Boonville, MO for supporting my books and being my friend!

For Ashly, Lindsey and Dorie – you're the best! I know I can always talk to you!

To those who were never as supportive or true: you pushed me even harder to succeed and to love myself. Growing up, I felt weird, awkward and constantly out of place. Now, I appreciate those moments because I'm stronger, more centered, creative and successfully just living my life for me.

Fun Facts about this book.

  * Anouk, Ruth B, Tanner Bechtel, Mandy Moore, Taylor Swift (Um, hello Reputation!), Alice Merton, The Civil Wars (Barton Hollow!), Florence + The Machine (Sky Full of Song), and Sleeping at Last... all inspired me while writing. Occasionally, I'd also have a little dance party.

  * The names Chandler Yates and Ana Herring were chosen by Facebook voters.

  * The fact Cole Black's hometown is set in Boonville, Missouri was decided by Facebook voters. By making this the hometown, it then put FTP's headquarters in Kansas City, MO. The option outvoted was Loveland, CO and Denver, CO as the alternative option. In the original version I wrote at age 14, the base city was LA.

  * Savannah is one of my favorite places to visit. My last trip there was Memorial Day Weekend of 2017.

  * The first version of this story was written in 2000 when I was just 14 years old and on a summer vacation road trip from Boonville to Georgia with my family. It was written in a spiral notebook and was only about 14,000 words in total. It was much different than today's version. Only Joshua, Cole and Jerry's names remained the same, as well as part of the story centering around Savannah, GA.

  * In the book, Joshua is doing press for his new movie, "Pieces of Accordance". This is a reference to another book by Liz Rau that was published in 2016.

  * "Bye-ness" is a term Cole uses in the novel to say goodbye to people. This is a nod to my friend JDN and the phrase we used when we passed notes in LSE middle school. I still have some of them today.

  * Newsboy caps were very in style during the early millennium years and I tried to make "bunky hats" a trendy word for the style. I failed but managed to still get it into this book.

  * Piggy was my real-life cat that I had growing up. Although the family originally named him Pokey, Piggy became his nickname after we learned how much he liked food – all food. Piggy lived to be twenty years old before he passed away from a good, long, loved life.

  * The line, "There was just something so eternally romantic about the stories those walls must hold as secrets – secrets hidden from the world" appears in chapter ten. This is a nod to another Liz Rau book, Pieces of Accordance – which takes place in and around a Victorian home in Boonville, MO.

  * When Joshua Danes describes what his upcoming movie is that he is promoting, he describes it as a story about two lives repeating over-and-over again through time. This is, again, a reference to Pieces of Accordance. (Chapter 11)

  * The holiday being set around July 4th was also determined by Facebook votes on my Liz Rau Official page. Choices were Valentine's Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Independence Day.

  * Chapter seventeen was written while listening to the complete album of "High as Hope" by Florence + the Machine

  * In chapter 18, we find out Cole has a horse named Pumpkin. This is a nod the author's Secrets, Spells and Tales series, which is partially a love story about October.

  * I came up with the cover design idea while watching a Harry Potter movie marathon.

  * My mother is the first person to read every single one of my books.

  * Most of Chapter 20 was written while my kitchen was being demolished for new countertops. God bless headphones. And Demi Lovato's song, "Sober".

  * Chapter 26 introduces Tara Delvin, a country singer who is considered the girl next door, even though she is from a neighboring town. This is a reference to Sara Evans who is from New Franklin, MO which is, in fact, just across the river from Boonville, MO.

  * The last bit of this novel written was in Chapter 10, when Cole & Josh go to Wormsloe National Park. Everybody should visit this place at least once in their lifetime.

Social Media

Follow Liz on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see behind the scenes of being an author! Plus, you may get sneak peeks at the next book!

Website: www.LizRauOfficial.com

Facebook – Liz Rau Official

Twitter – @LizRauOfficial

Instagram – @LizRauOfficial

Official Book Hashtag \- #TheSavannahArticle

Listen to my Podcast – Life With Liz

Please, please, please share fun photos of a Liz Rau book! Use the hashtag, and you just may end up on Liz's Facebook page!
Sneak a peek at...

pieces of accordance

pieces of accordance.

His eyes were still roaming over her. Sasha had felt uncomfortable from the moment the man strolled into the small corner coffee shop. She had been trying to write about her new Queen Anne Victorian house, just over on High Street, but hadn't gotten far when the door chimed and her eyes popped up in time to see him enter.

Gosh, he was handsome, unparalleled so. Sasha guessed he was thirty years old or so, and at least six feet tall. There was a phantom ache in her neck from the idea of what it would feel like to stare into his eyes. The blue-gray three piece suit he wore somehow accentuated his rugged frame, ginger-red hair and crystal blue eyes. The same eyes that pierced hers when she first saw him in the doorway - and she had sensed them on her ever since.

Just keep your head down, act like you're working, Sasha kept telling herself. Avoid attention. The pencil in her hand absentmindedly traced doodles in her notebook. Curious though, she thought. He looks Scottish but I didn't see a single freckle on his face. That's odd for a ginger-haired man. Taking an oversized gulp of her bittersweet mocha, Sasha bent her head down to her lap top once more and started typing.

Why is it so hard to concentrate? I just want to look at him again. He was not exiting her mind as she wished. Was she not used to his unusual eyes? That must be it. She was sure of it. His face was just a novelty.

"Is this seat taken?"

Sasha jumped in her chair, looking up into those pale blue eyes, only this time they were talking to her. She couldn't even speak, too startled from her thoughts. Was this a small town greeting? Nobody in the city would ever dare walk up to a stranger. Apparently, this is country hospitality, she smirked to herself.

Shaking her head, the pretty blue eyes breezily sat down across from her, and managed to not even so much as blink as it might break their gaze. The owner of the bakeshop smiled as she decorated a wedding cake. Sasha could feel the woman's giggle as though someone slapped her across the cheek, snapping her back into reality, and broke their staring contest by shutting her laptop.

"You're new here, right? I know everybody in this town."

The hypnotic blue eyes were so warm and generous. And they come with boyish dimples.

"My name's Henry." He stuck his hand out and showed off a smile so brilliant it could compete with his eyes. Almost.

Somehow, she found her vocal cords. "Sasha. I just moved here from New York". Reaching across the table, she shook his hand and instantly became goosepimply all over. Sasha wasn't a believer in love at first site, or even love. But lust...well that was possible.

"Oh right, you bought the house just over on High Street?" The deep timber of his voice sent thrills up her spine.

She was taken aback and arched a curious eyebrow. "Yes that's right, but how did you know that?" Sasha wasn't the biggest fan of receiving attention.

Henry chuckled. "The whole town's talking about it. Don't you know?" He paused for her blush. "Nobody stays in that house very long. People are placing bets on you." His deep voice had an underlying and velvet-like Southern charm about it. It was soothing.

"Why? They don't even know me. I can handle a small town." Sasha folded her arm, her defensive side up and ready for anything the beautiful strange man could have to say. She didn't like being told the whole town was talking about her. It very much felt like judgment.

Henry's face blanched. He wasn't so attractive then, Sasha almost preferred it. "No! I'm sorry!" his hands offensively flew up, "that came out wrong. It's the house the townsfolk are gossiping about." Henry leaned forward. "You see...it's over a hundred years old and said to be haunted by its original mistress. Well, some people say that."

Sasha felt her defensive walls drop with ease. "And what do you say, Henry. Is it haunted?"

"No not in my opinion". He leaned back and took a sip of his tea.

Peppermint? Sasha recognized the smell from her grandmother's trunk, having found an old peppermint oil bottle that had leaked on the interior fabric lining. It was a wonderful reminder of her grandmother and now whenever she opened the lid to the trunk, the minty smell wafted through her senses.

"I think a house can choose its owner sometimes. But you are the one living there. What do you suspect?" he asked, taking another sip of tea.

It was Sasha's turned to grin, "That's how I feel. The house isn't haunted though, you can lay that rumor to rest. I did wonder how some of the original furniture was still there, now I know. It must have been abandoned, everything left behind."

"Have you searched the attic yet? Or the basement? Is it really unfinished?"

"Yes, it's stone. Someone has taken the time to update the plumbing and heating/cooling systems. The ducts are separate though, between stories, so I hope it won't be too expensive to heat." Why was she talking about plumbing and bills? What was wrong with her? Why do I ramble when I'm nervous!

There was an awkward silence between them as Sasha idly stirred her coffee without realizing it. Henry appeared to be studying her for an question he already knew the answer to. Sasha nervously chewed on her bottom lip and the silence grew.

"You can read people, can't you Sasha?"

Sasha was taken aback, but nodded her head in answering, "Yes." She allowed herself to gaze into his eyes then, and she felt her nervousness begin to melt. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because I rather got the impression you were people-watching, just before I entered the shop."

"I was. I like to know people's stories." She let go of her bottom lip.

"Really?" His interest piqued. "What do I do for a living?"

"Lawyer." There was no hesitation in her reply.

"That's amazing. How did you know that?"

A twinkle sparked in her eyes. "You're drinking tea, and there's not nearly as much caffeine in it as in coffee. It'd be awfully bad to be high strung in court. Also, your morning newspaper is turned to the police records, so you're probably wondering who'll be calling you this morning. The suit's pretty snazzy too."

Henry grinned and nodded, "Touché Sasha. Touché."

