 
### Love Means Zero

by Daisy Jordan

copyright 2014 Daisy Jordan

Smashwords Edition

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This book and its author in no way intend to depict or reflect the actual matches, events, or results of any of the ATP tennis tournaments named herein. All descriptions of tournaments are fictional, except for some historical references. Although names of real persons are used for the effect of verisimilitude, the actions and dialogue of such characters in this book in no way attempt to reflect or portray the real actions or characteristics of those persons in real life. All dialogue and scenes involving such characters are fictional.

### To Calli

Table of Contents

### Game Set Match presents You Won't Want Love Once You Know How to Score

### SoHo – May 3, 2007

### Italy – May 4-21, 2007

### Dale – May 21-26, 2007

### Paris – May 27-June 10, 2007

### Dale – June 11-14, 2007

### Lake Port/Chicago – June 15-17, 2007

### London – June 24-July 8, 2007

### Dale – July 17-20, 2007

### Indy – July 27-29, 2007

### New York City – Labor Day Weekend 2007

### Dale – September 6, 2007

### NYC – September 6, 2007

### Dale – Fall 2007

### Aspen – December 14-16, 2007

### Dale – December 20-27, 2007

### Chicago – New Year's Eve Day 2007

### New York City – New Year's Eve 2007

### The Hilton Chicago O'Hare – New Year's Eve 2007

### At Sea – New Year's Eve 2007

### NYC – New Year's Day 2008

### Dale – January 1-9, 2008

### Melbourne – January 10-25, 2008

### Dale – January 24, 2008

### Adelaide – January 25-27, 2008

### Dale – January 30-February 7, 2008

### Delray Beach – February 7-12, 2008

### Dale – Valentine's Day 2008

### Delray Beach – Valentine's Day 2008

### Dale – February 21, 2008

### San Jose-NYC-Memphis-Dale-Indian Wells-NYC-Miami-NYC-Houston-NYC-Monte Carlo-Barcelona-Rome – Spring 2008

### Dale – May 8-22, 2008

### Paris – May 23-June 7, 2008

### London – June 8-29, 2008

### Dale – July 1-3, 2008

### London – July 4, 2008

### Adelaide – July 5-17, 2008

### LA – July 20, 2008

### Dale – July 24-25, 2008

### Toronto – July 25, 2008

### NYC – August 30-September 25, 2008

### Brinkley & Caldwell – September 26-October 4, 2008

### Discussion Questions

### Author and Book Info

### _Game Set Match_ presents

YOU WON'T WANT LOVE ONCE YOU KNOW HOW TO SCORE

A beginner's guide to tennis

A tennis match is divided into either 3 or 5 sets. To win a match, a player must win either 2 sets (in a best-of-3 match) or 3 sets (in a best-of-5 match).

To win a set, a player must win 6 games. The player must win the set by at least 2 games (example: 6-2).

To win a game, a player must score 4 points and win by at least 2. The scoring, however, does not go 1, 2, 3, 4. It goes as follows:

love = 0 points

15 = 1 point

30 = 2 points

40 = 3 points

There is no specific name for the 4th point, because as soon as someone wins it, the game is over, unless the score going into that point was tied at 40-40. If the players are tied at 3 points apiece, or 40-40, this is called deuce. Whoever wins the next point after the deuce has the advantage. If this player wins the next point as well, he/she wins the game. If the player who does not have the advantage wins the next point, the score returns to deuce. This goes on until someone wins the game.

If the score reaches 6 games to 5 in a set, another game is played. If the score is then 7-5, the set is over. If the score is then 6-6, a tiebreaker, or "breaker," is played. To win the tiebreaker, a player must score 7 points and win by at least 2 (example: 7-4). In the tiebreaker the score simply goes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and so on. If the score is tied at 6-6, 7-7, or higher, the game goes on until one player wins by 2 (example: 12-10). The winner of the tiebreaker wins the set 7 games to 6, or 7-6.

In 3 major tournaments—the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon—tiebreakers are not allowed in the 5th set of matches. Therefore, if players are tied at 6 games apiece in the 5th set, they will continue playing normal games until one player has won by 2. The longest 5th set to ever be played was at Wimbledon in 2010, when John Isner of the US beat Nicolas Mahut of France 70-68 in the 5th set of their 1st-round match.

Scores of matches are written and announced as follows in this example:

"Player 1 d. Player 2: 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(1), 7-6(8)."

The numbers in parentheses () tell the scores of the tiebreakers. The number shown in parentheses is the number of points scored by the player who lost the tiebreaker. Given this number, it can be determined how many the winner scored as well, since it is known the winner must score at least 7 and win by at least 2.

So, here is what can be interpreted from the above score:

1) Player 1 defeated Player 2.

2) This was a best-of-5 match, because Player 1 had to win 3 sets to win the match.

3) Player 1 won the 1st set 6 games to 4, lost the 2nd set 5 games to 7, and won the 3rd and 4th sets in tiebreakers.

4) In the 3rd-set tiebreaker, the losing player (Player 2) scored only 1 point. Therefore, it can be deduced that Player 1 scored 7 points since 7 points must be scored in order to win.

5) In the 4th-set tiebreaker, the losing player (Player 2) scored 8 points. This means Player 1 had to have scored 10 points, since the tiebreaker must be won by 2.

At the beginning of a match, a coin flip is performed to see who will serve the first game. The other player serves the second game, and they continue to switch back and forth every game of the match. Typically, players win the games they serve. Every time this happens, it is called a hold. Players are said to have "held serve." If a player is able to win a game while the other player is serving, it is called a break. The player who lost the game he/she served has "been broken." The following are some terms that go along with serving.

up a break: a player is ahead in the set because he/she has broken the other player's serve ("up 2 breaks" would mean a player has broken the other player twice in the set, and so on)

down a break: a player is behind in the set because he/she has been broken ("down 2 breaks" would mean a player has been broken twice in the set, and so on)

on serve: no one has broken in the set; each player has held his/her own serve in every game

back on serve: each player has broken the other player an equal number of times in the set, so that the score is what it would be if each player had held his/her serve in every game

trade breaks: one player breaks, then the other player breaks back so that the score is back on serve

fault: a player's serve does not land within the service lines on the court

2nd serve: after a fault, the player's 2nd try to serve the ball within the service lines

double-fault: a player serves 2 faults in a row and therefore loses the point

let: a player serves and the ball hits the net on the way over but still lands within the service lines—the player then gets a free do-over

We don't expect you to remember all of this, but feel free to use it as a guide, tear it out to keep by your TV when you watch tennis, refer to it while reading GSM, use it to improve your tennis lingo, etc. If you do take one thing from this how-to, just remember...love won't help your game in this sport. GSM

### SoHo

### May 3, 2007

"Agh, you guys are so lucky!" Kelsey said. "I can't believe you're leaving for Italy in four hours and I have to get up and go back to work tomorrow!" She pouted her lips, then leaned forward and sipped her margarita through the straw without picking up the glass. Her long blonde hair fell around her face.

"I know!" Hilton and Jill cried together. They looked at each other and laughed excitedly.

"I'm so glad you took the last couple days off work to hang out with us though!" Jill said. "This has been so fun, and we haven't even started the main part of the trip yet!" She grinned, her long layered brown hair framing her face. She and Hilton lived in Indiana, but they had booked their flight to Rome from JFK, rather than from Indy, so they could spend a few days in New York City visiting Kelsey, one of their old best friends from high school. They'd also been hanging out with Arden, another friend from high school who was living in New York City. Arden and Kelsey had been close back in high school, but Hilton and Jill hadn't known Arden as well as they'd known Kelsey.

"Oh my gosh, Kels," Arden said, laughing as Kelsey took another sip of her margarita without picking up the glass. "I cannot take you out in public. If my boss saw me right now she'd be like, 'I am never letting that disgusting friend of yours into another party, Arden.' "

Kelsey grinned. "You know I do it on purpose, bitch." She leaned forward and slurped frozen margarita up the straw. Arden looked around the outdoor patio, pretending to be horrified someone might see.

Hilton, Jill, and Kelsey all grinned at each other and laughed.

"Arden, this is freakin' awesome," Hilton said, following Arden's gaze around the patio. The four of them were sitting at an outside table at Cipriani Downtown in SoHo. The crowd was young, hip, sort of artsy, and incredibly good-looking.

Arden flashed a smile at them. "I know, I'm the shit. What can I say?"

They all laughed again.

"I'm seriously so jealous of you," Hilton said as she picked up her mojito. She took a long drink, then set it back down as she looked around again. "With your kickass job where you get paid to party and meet tons of celebrities...I am so sick of my job. I am so freakin' glad I'm going to Italy right now, 'cause I _have_ to do something different."

"Hey, maybe you'll meet some hot famous tennis players!" Kelsey said, her blue eyes lighting up. "Like Tanner Bruin or Andy Roddick?"

"I have a huge crush on Tanner Bruin," Hilton giggled. "I just hope somebody like that's still playing the day we go. It's a clay tournament, so the Americans usually don't do as well." Hilton and Jill were going to see a tennis tournament while they were in Rome, because Hilton had played in high school and had always wanted to go to a pro tournament. When she and Jill had realized there was one scheduled in Rome while they would be there, they'd decided to buy tickets online. Jill had never played tennis, but she liked to watch it on TV. Hilton had gotten her into it their freshman year of college. Now Luke and Todd, Hilton's and Jill's boyfriends, were even kind of into it, since the four of them all lived together.

"I think Haidin Bayliss is hotter than Tanner or Andy," Arden said. "He was at a party the other week at Bungalow with Aubrey, and oh my gosh." She let her head fall back and rolled her dark brown eyes. "He's a huge asshole though, but that's what I like." She grinned.

Haidin Bayliss was a young, and very good, Australian tennis player who was dating Aubrey Gage, a Calvin Klein model-turned-actress who had just starred in her first film, _Love Means More Than Money_. Neither Hilton nor Jill had seen it, but it was supposedly cute and funny.

"He is hot," Jill said, smiling back at Arden and raising her eyebrows. "Did you talk to him or anything?"

"Yeah, he fucking hit on me while his girlfriend had her back turned." Arden was pretending to act disgusted, but she was still grinning. "I love my job."

"I love your job too!" Hilton laughed. "Although Haidin's a huge tool. I can't stand him. Every interview he does I just wanna smack him in the face with his tennis racquet." She looked at Jill and they both laughed.

"What?" Jill said. "I think he's so humble and modest..." She batted her eyelashes. "I _love_ him."

All four girls giggled. Anybody who'd ever listened to thirty seconds of an interview with Haidin could tell he was completely full of himself.

"Hey, did you guys hear Aubrey's gonna be in some new TV show?" Kelsey asked. "Like some new drama for the fall?"

"No," Jill and Hilton said.

"I don't like her," Jill said. "She seems really annoying. Or full of herself. Like Haidin."

"Perfect couple," Hilton said.

"So are you like, really gonna try to make a calendar or book from this trip and get it published?" Arden asked Hilton. She picked up her dirty martini and sipped while she waited for Hilton's answer.

Hilton shrugged, but her caramel-colored eyes lit up. "I don't really know. I just wanna take tons of pics and then see what I can do with them when I get back. I guess I can try to sell them at Nick's if nothing else." She laughed and rolled her eyes.

Nick's was Nick's Special Occasion Photos, where Hilton had worked since graduating college a year and a half ago. She'd actually worked there part-time while she was in college too. It wasn't a _horrible_ job...it was definitely a blow-off and she had tons of free time, which was nice, but she'd been craving something else for a long time now. Ever since she'd switched her major from architecture to photography her sophomore year, she'd had this vision of herself traveling after graduation and taking gorgeous photos of all the strikingly beautiful and exotic places she went, and then making calendars and coffee table books out of them. She smiled as she thought about it again now. It was the best possible job she could imagine, full of new places and excitement while being on her own schedule all the time and free to follow any impulsive whim she wanted. And Arden's job with a famous New York City PR firm that represented movie stars and artists seemed so glamorous...sort of like what Hilton imagined for herself. Not exactly, but closer than any job anyone else she knew had. And being here in New York City and tasting that exciting life for a few days had left her wanting it more than ever.

"Whatever, you're so gonna do better than that," Jill said. "You're gonna be famous someday." She grinned at Hilton, and Hilton grinned back, grateful for Jill's support.

"I hope so!"

"Me too!" Kelsey said. "So I can say I knew you back in the day! And you stayed with me right before you left on the trip that turned into your big break."

Hilton laughed and pushed long loose waves of golden-brown hair over her shoulder, enjoying the feel of it flying a little bit out of place in the breezy early evening Manhattan air. "Whatever, Kels!"

"Let's do a toast!" Jill said, flipping her dark brown hair over her shoulder too and raising her Bellini. "To Hilton becoming famous!" She stuck her tongue out at Hilton teasingly.

"Yay, Hilton!!" Kelsey said, and she and Arden raised their drinks to Jill's.

Hilton laughed again and raised hers too. "Hell yeah!" she said. They all four clinked their glasses together and took long drinks.

"Jill, do you miss Adria yet?" Kelsey asked as they set their glasses back down.

"Oh my gosh, so much," Jill said, slumping her shoulders. "This is like, the first time I've been away from her since we went to South Padre, and that was like two years ago. And this is gonna be for way longer." Adria was Jill's two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

"Awww," Kelsey said. "Well, I'm sure she and Todd will have good bonding time while you're gone."

"I know," Jill said. "I'm kinda sad I can't be there to see it. He is sooo adorable with her, you guys."

"He is." Hilton nodded. "And Jill and Todd are adorable together too." She grinned at Jill, and Jill grinned back.

"No shit!" Kelsey said, whipping her straw out of her margarita and acting like she was going to blow the icy contents at Jill. Jill ducked and laughed. "I don't even know," Kelsey said, shaking her head. "I'm just so glad you guys finally did it. Oh, and fell in love too."

Jill, Hilton, and Arden burst out laughing. Hilton reached across the table and high-fived Kelsey.

"Um, yeah," Jill said, and they all four laughed harder. Jill and Todd had had a long and tortured "just best friends" relationship all through high school and most of college, and they hadn't actually gotten together until almost five months after Adria was born. Jill had been in love with him basically since freshman year of high school, and all the girls had been ecstatic for her when things had finally worked out with him.

As they stopped laughing, Jill's expression grew more serious. "Sometimes I still can't even believe I'm with him, you guys." She shook her head and looked around the table. "He's just so...everything I ever wanted. I am so in love with him." She grinned and ducked her head a little.

"Aww," Kelsey said. "I always knew you guys would end up together. I'm so jealous of you guys with your perfect boyfriends." She looked from Jill to Hilton. "And Arden, who goes out and meets hot famous boys every night." She grinned at Arden.

Jill's eyes widened at Kelsey's insinuation. "Have you hooked up with anybody famous?" she asked Arden, learning forward.

Arden smiled secretively.

"Co—" Kelsey started.

"Shut up, bitch, I wanna tell!" Arden cut her off. She and Kelsey looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Jill's and Hilton's eyes widened. They looked at each other in excited surprise, then looked eagerly back to Arden.

"I hooked up with Colt from _Southampton Summer_ ," Arden said.

" _What?!_ " Jill and Hilton cried together. They threw incredulous glances at each other, then looked back to Arden with huge eyes.

"Well, RiesWell threw their season premiere party last week." Arden shrugged as if it were no big deal. "And I didn't actually have to work it, 'cause I was on another event that afternoon, but mine got over early so of course I was gonna go. 'Cause, I mean, my bosses want us all to show up at events and stuff. Like if I did something crazy and got publicity for it, that would be awesome for RiesWell." She laughed. "Isn't that kickass? Like shit that would get me fired from any other job will get me a raise at RiesWell."

"That is totally the kind of job I want," Hilton laughed, her mouth still hanging open in amazement.

"So what happened?!" Jill cried. "Did you guys...?"

"Oh, no," Arden said. "We just made out in a booth at the club and got a little touchy-feely." She grinned. "He was as good of a kisser as he is hot though."

"Ahhh!" Hilton cried. "I love it!"

"So wait, were they filming?!" Jill asked. "Are you possibly gonna be on the show?" _Southampton Summer_ was an MTV reality show following eight rich New York City-bred kids who were now in their early twenties as they partied the summer away in the Hamptons on their trust funds and parents' money. It was totally shallow and totally addicting and had just started its second season.

"Well, there was no filming in the club," Arden said. "But...that doesn't mean it won't happen again someplace else." She held up her cell phone. "I did get his number."

"Aaahhh!" Hilton and Jill shrieked.

"I know, isn't she so freakin' lucky?" Kelsey asked. "I'm gonna stalk her to some party she has to work in Southampton and try to meet one of his friends or something."

"Here you are, ladies. Anytime you're ready," their server said as he placed a small black book on the table.

"I've got it," Arden said, signaling with one finger for the server to wait. She dug in her Chick by Nicky Hilton bag and pulled out a credit card. She stuck it in the book and handed the book back over without even looking at the bill.

"Thanks so much, Arden," Hilton said.

"Yeah, this is awesome," Jill said.

Arden shrugged and smiled at them. "Thank Riesling & Wellesley, right? If they actually look at my account and ask about this meal, which they won't, I'll say it was a business dinner. And I mean, it is, right? 'Cause you're gonna let us rep you when you're a famous photographer, Hilton?"

"You know it," Hilton said with a sassy wink at Arden, and they all laughed.

When the card came back, Arden scrawled in a tip amount and her signature on the receipt.

"How much was it?" Jill asked curiously.

"Three hundred." Arden stuck the corporate card back in her purse. "Well, plus I left a hundred dollar tip. So four hundred."

Jill's mouth fell open.

"Damn," Hilton said. "Do they tell you how much tip to leave?"

"Um, no, they don't really care, but it should always be at least thirty percent. I could've left higher but we had to wait like forever to get our second round of drinks. But below thirty would look bad on the company, so..." She shrugged.

"I'm so lucky to be her friend and get to mooch off her corporate account," Kelsey said with a grin. " 'Cause my job plus my thousands of dollars of debt to Brown so do not pay for this." Kelsey had graduated from Brown with degrees in environmental engineering and anthropology, and she worked for the New York City Environmental Conservation Agency. Right now she was a project design and research specialist on a project to lessen pollution and improve air quality in and around Long Island Sound.

"Okay, well I have to go," Arden said, pushing back her chair and standing. She looked stylish and chic in her short black and silver dress with a very low V-neck. It was mostly black but had silver material going around the straps at the shoulders, so that the straps were wide going into the V-neck but came to a point at her shoulders. Her long wavy brown hair was in a high ponytail, and she wore a thin black headband with the hair in front of it teased up. "I have to be at Privé in like five minutes to make sure everything's ready to go." Tonight Arden's company was in charge of some kind of Tribeca Film Festival party.

"Bye!" Hilton stood up to hug Arden, and Jill did too.

"Yeah, thanks again, so much!" Jill said. "For dinner and for getting us into Vogue the other night."

"Oh, no problem. Have a blast in Italy!" Arden waved and hurried off.

Kelsey stood up to go too and glanced at her cell phone. "You guys' flight is in like three hours. We'll just run back to my apartment and get your stuff and then get on the subway. We should be at the airport in plenty of time."

"Okay!" Hilton and Jill said. They grinned at each other excitedly, and in that split second when they stood to go, Hilton could've sworn she felt a change in the air. The wind seemed to pick up just the tiniest bit, and a charge of energy and exhilaration surged through her. It was significantly darker than when they'd arrived at the restaurant, and the breezy night air held the enticing promise of the faraway and unknown. Instead of sitting at a restaurant in SoHo, they were now on their way to the airport...and Italy.

### Italy

### May 4-21, 2007

Hilton couldn't sleep at all on the plane. She pushed her seat back and put her pillow behind her head, turned on her iPod, and closed her eyes, but all she could think about was the two and a half weeks that lay ahead. She'd looked at pictures of Italy online and in the travel guide her parents had gotten her for Christmas last winter, but she still had no idea how to really picture it. She had never been to Europe at all; the only times she'd been out of the country were on her family's annual vacations when she was growing up, and they had usually gone someplace in the Caribbean. Hilton loved being on the beach, and she definitely wanted to travel to more tropical places and make whole books and calendars out of those pictures, but she was thrilled to be going someplace completely different from anyplace she'd been before. She and Jill had been planning this trip for a long time, and Hilton couldn't believe it was finally here. They had chosen Italy because it was the place in Europe they'd both always wanted to go most. Hilton had wanted to go as soon as she graduated, but she'd graduated in December and knew it would be better to go in the summer. And Jill hadn't had enough money to go last summer, since she had just graduated in May and had been getting ready to start grad school in the fall and had Adria. Todd had graduated the May before Jill, from Eastern Indiana University, and moved to Dale, where Jill, Hilton, and Luke all went to school, and now he was a personal trainer at a gym in town. Jill and Todd almost never had to pay for a babysitter for Adria, because they could usually work it out for Hilton or Luke or one of their other friends to watch her for a few hours for free, but Jill had felt like she should save some money and not go on a vacation last summer, because she'd known she wasn't going to be working over the summer or during grad school at all.

So Hilton had said it would be fine to wait a year to go; she'd known it would be good for her to save up some money too, and she hadn't minded staying at Dale for another year with Jill, Luke, and Todd. She loved their living situation; it was the most fun she'd ever had. But over the last few months, her job had started to get on her nerves more than ever. She hadn't minded it when she knew it was just a temporary thing, but everyone around her was going somewhere, while she just kept working at a dead-end job and dreaming about some day in the future when she'd start doing what she really wanted to do. Jill was going to grad school for forensic psychology, Todd was getting more and more clients all the time and loving his job, and plus he and Jill had Adria. And Luke was in law school, so he was busy all the time. So a lot of the time Hilton ended up being bored while they were all busy, and she'd felt like she was in a huge standstill.

But now, finally, she was on her way. It's not like she really expected this trip to be her big break, like Kelsey had said, but it was finally something. She would take as many pictures as she could in Italy, and it would give her something to start with. She smiled to herself, her eyes still closed. Then she decided she might as well quit pretending she was going to fall asleep and opened them.

The plane was mostly dark, and all around her, it looked like people were sleeping. A light was on across the aisle and a woman was reading. Hilton had a book with her, but she didn't think she'd be able to concentrate. She was too hyped up. She peered out the window into the black night sky, wishing she could see more. But they were over the ocean, so there wouldn't be a lot to see anyway.

She turned to Jill and nudged Jill with her elbow. "Are you awake?" she asked over her still-playing iPod, hoping maybe Jill was just pretending to sleep too.

"Hmmm," Jill said without opening her eyes.

"Wake up, wake up." Hilton tugged on Jill's elbow and grinned when Jill opened her eyes. "Sorry, I'm just really excited. I can't sleep."

"I think I fell asleep for a little while." Jill paused her own iPod and leaned over Hilton to peer out the window. "Do you know what time it is?"

Hilton looked at the time on her iPod. "It's 3:56." Their flight had left at eleven.

"I wonder what time it'll start to get light out. 'Cause it's like...9:56 in Italy already? I wonder what time it is where we are." Jill folded her legs up into her seat and yawned. "Do you wanna stay awake the rest of the time? We should, it'll be fun."

"Yeah!" Hilton said, excited. She smiled happily at Jill, then turned and switched on the screen on the back of the seat in front of her. It had a map showing the plane's current location. "Oh my gosh, look how far we are." She pointed, and Jill leaned forward to look. They were smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Jill looked at Hilton, her brown eyes big and excited, and Hilton gave her the same look back.

"So what place are you most excited about?" Jill asked. She covered her mouth as she yawned again.

"Oh my gosh." Hilton rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, thinking. "I don't know. Maybe Venice. I mean, that's gonna be so gorgeous. But everyplace is. What are you most excited about?"

"I don't know. Probably Adria. I don't wanna get too excited about it though, in case we can't go." Adria was a small town in Italy, which Jill hadn't actually discovered until after she'd picked Adria's name. She had found the name in a baby name book and loved it, but her little sister Winnie had been disappointed when Jill decided on it for sure, because Winnie had wanted Jill to pick a city name. Some of Winnie's favorites had been Aspen, Denver, and Capri. Hilton had actually really liked the city names too. But on the day Adria was born, Winnie had looked it up online at school and discovered, to her great delight, that Adria was, in fact, a city. When Jill and Hilton had planned this trip, they'd thought they would definitely go there, but they hadn't been able to find much information about train schedules online, and they didn't even know if any trains went to Adria. So they were going to try asking at their hotels in Florence and Venice—the two big cities that looked closest to Adria on the map—about how they could get there.

"I know, I really hope we can go!" Hilton said. "But if not, maybe we can at least learn some more about it, and then you'll be able to actually bring Adria one day when she's older."

"Oh yeah, I definitely wanna bring her sometime. I can't wait."

"Maybe you can name your next daughter Capri, and then you can bring them both to Italy together." Hilton grinned.

Jill grinned back. "Todd and I actually have joked about that, like if we had another daughter someday, naming her Capri."

"Winnie would love it."

"I don't know...she said she's naming her first daughter Aspen Capri now. So she might be pissed I stole her name."

Jill and Hilton both laughed.

"Oh yeah!" Hilton said. "I told her I was gonna name my first daughter that too. So never mind, you can't have Capri. It's mine and Winnie's."

They both giggled again.

"Have you and Luke talked about what you'll name your kids?" Jill asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think he likes any of my names," Hilton said with a grin. "I really do like Aspen, but I was thinking it'd be cool to spell it with a 'y,' like A-s-p-y-n. I don't know for sure though. I just want something unique. Luke thinks I'm crazy, but he doesn't really care. He said he would 'probably' love whatever I picked." Hilton laughed as she made air quotes.

Jill laughed too. She loved Hilton and Luke together; they were so funny and so perfect for each other. Anyone could watch them talk for thirty seconds and see they were crazily in love. They had had a lot of fights over the five and a half years they'd been together, some of them pretty big, but they always worked it out, and they were totally sex-crazy; they did it all the time. On Luke's Facebook profile, his About Me section said simply, "i love hilton." That was it. Jill thought it was so cute, and she had thought ever since they started dating freshman year of college that they were just _right_ together. "You guys are gonna have hot kids," she said now. There was no doubt about that. Hilton had always been gorgeous...the girl every girl in high school had wanted to look like. She was about 5'6 with long light brown hair that had a touch of blonde in the summer, and her eyes were a captivating caramel color. Luke had dark eyes and shaggy dark hair, and he was tall and lanky with lots of muscles left over from playing sports in high school and intramurals in college.

"Oh I know. So are you and Todd. Adria's gonna be a heartbreaker." Hilton already believed that; Adria was adorable with her sandy light brown hair that matched Todd's perfectly and her big chocolate-brown eyes that looked like both Jill's and Todd's.

"Yeah she is."

"So do you think the pictures I take on this trip are gonna lead to my big break, like Kels said?" Hilton laughed.

"Hell yeah I do."

Hilton laughed again. "Well, we'll see. I don't even know how I would go about putting together a book, or like making a calendar and then trying to sell it. But I don't really care. Once I get the pictures I'll figure it out." She leaned back happily in her seat and looked out the window again. "Hey, I know!" she said suddenly, turning back to Jill. "I'll name my first kid after the place I like best of all the places Luke and I have been together. 'Cause you know how we've always said I'd travel while he was in law school, then we'd get engaged after that and stuff? Well I was just thinking how fun it would be if he would take a year off, like after law school or after he's worked a couple years, and we could just travel for a whole year. Or at least he could take a lot of vacation and come meet me whenever he was free." Her eyes sparkled with laughter. "And then we could name our first kid after the place we liked best of all the places we went."

"Aahhh, I love it! Luke would love that too." Then Jill grinned wickedly. "Wait, you mean your favorite place, not the hotel the baby's conceived in?"

"Shut up!" Hilton laughed and swung her pillow at Jill. That's where her name had come from...she had been conceived in a Hilton hotel. She didn't know which one though and didn't really want to know. Her family had sometimes stayed in Hiltons on their vacations, and she'd always wondered if she had actually stayed in the one where it had happened. She shuddered now, thinking about it. Weird!

"Maybe your favorite place will end up being the same place you get knocked up," Jill said, still grinning. "You better hope it's not something like...St. John. What if you had a girl and you had to name her St. John? Or the Virgin Islands. You could have a boy, first name Virgin, middle name Island." She cracked up laughing and covered her face with her own pillow as Hilton dropped her mouth open in an amused O and swung at Jill again.

Jill peeked out. "He'll get all the girls in high school!" she squealed quietly, then immediately ducked back behind her pillow again, gasping with laughter. Hilton burst out laughing too and tried to muffle her giggles as she pounded Jill over the head. Jill moved the pillow away from her face again and they grinned at each other in silent hysterics.

### ***

Hilton and Jill were astounded by Rome. It was beautiful, as they'd expected, and stunningly historical. Everywhere they walked on its cobbled streets, they felt like they'd been swept back hundreds of years into a world of emperors and gods and goddesses and outdoor events at amphitheatres and gladiator competitions at the Colosseum. They were amazed at how the city had changed over the centuries and morphed into a modern city, yet still maintained so much of its original structure. Hilton took over a thousand pictures in their first three days there, during which they wandered the city in a sort of random fashion and went to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Vittoriano, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia, and the Vatican. They climbed the narrow stairs with slanted walls to the top of the _cupola_ in Saint Peter's Basilica and stayed there for half an hour, marveling at the Vatican below and the rooftops of Rome beyond.

"This might be the most gorgeous view I've ever seen," Jill said.

"I don't know," Hilton said thoughtfully. "Do you think it's better than a sunset over the ocean, or just a gorgeous beach? Or some of the postcards Lorylyn sent us when she was studying abroad?"

Jill thought of Fort Myers Beach, where her family had gone on spring break every year while she was growing up. It was her favorite place in the world. "No," she decided. "I like Fort Myers better. Or beaches in general. But this is gorgeous. Just in a different way."

"Yeah."

Even their hotel seemed like something out of ancient Rome, with its tiny lobby, small number of guest rooms, cozy atmosphere, and old-fashioned elevator that barely fit the two of them and had a manual door. It was absolutely nothing like a hotel in the US. It was more like a bed-and-breakfast, but that description still didn't totally fit.

On Monday morning, they left Rome on a bus headed through the Italian countryside for Naples. They'd booked the excursion through their hotel and couldn't wait to see another area of Italy.

Lunch was at a pizzeria in the middle of the bustling city, which had a completely different vibe from Rome. It felt historic still, but not to near the same extent.

"This pizza rocks my world," Jill moaned happily as she took a gigantic bite. The cheese oozed off and she had to shove it in her mouth with her fingers.

"Oh my gosh, I know," Hilton said. "This is better than the pizza in Rome."

After lunch they went on a tour of the Royal Palace, where they got to go up to the roof and look out across the Bay of Naples, then they walked around the Piazza del Plebiscito near the palace and the Castel dell'Ovo, the oldest castle in the city.

After their sightseeing tour, they had a couple free hours before dinner, and Hilton and Jill wandered in and out of a dozen small shops on the Spaccanapoli, taking their time and picking out souvenirs for themselves and Luke, Todd, and Adria. They wanted to get something for themselves and those three in every city they visited.

They met back up with their tour group for dinner at a pasta and seafood restaurant, similar to the restaurants where they'd eaten dinner in Rome. But Hilton thought this restaurant, and Naples in general, had more of a local, homey taste and atmosphere, while the places they'd eaten in Rome had seemed more upscale and impersonal. She smiled happily as they lingered after their food was gone, drinking more water and wine. She couldn't believe how much they'd already done and seen in the last four days. So far this trip was everything she had thought it would be.

### ***

The next morning their bus took them to the Bay of Naples, where they had half an hour to take pictures and look around before boarding a steamer for Capri. The Bay of Naples was as breathtaking from the ground as it had been from the roof of the Royal Palace, and Hilton couldn't stop snapping pictures as they got on the boat. She felt sad to leave. There was so much beauty, and there was no way she could capture it all. As they floated out of the bay, she and Jill looked through their pictures eagerly. Hilton couldn't wait to see them blown up on the computer.

When they arrived on Capri, Hilton was stunned yet again, and no longer sad to have left the bay. If she had thought that was gorgeous, this was ten times that. She and Jill both felt like they were walking around with their mouths hanging open all day.

"So if Luke was here and you got pregnant today, would you name the baby Capri?" Jill asked with a grin at lunch, as they sat looking out over the topaz-blue water lapping at the sand and up at the enormous cliffs towering over them.

"Oh my gosh, yeah. I feel like I'm in a postcard."

After lunch their tour group got in motorboats at the Marina Grande to go to the Grotta Azzurra. Hilton and Jill had never heard of the Blue Grotto before signing up for this excursion, and all they knew was it was some type of sea cave. When their boats approached the entrance, the motors idled and their tour guides explained that everyone wishing to go into the Grotto would have to get into a little gondola, two people in each one. The gondolas would be pulled into the cave one at a time by a rope. Because of the very narrow and low entrance, barely high enough to accommodate the tiny gondolas, it was very difficult to get the boats inside. The gondoliers had to have perfect timing, and everyone on the boat had to be lying down.

"Oh my gosh, that's kinda creepy!" Hilton said quietly to Jill with a laugh. "Do you still wanna do it?" She knew Jill would.

"Oh yeah."

"Good, me too."

They grinned at each other.

"This is so weird," Jill said a few minutes later as they lay side by side in the bottom of their gondola.

"Yeah, I love it though." It gave Hilton a rush, being squeezed through such a tiny space while not being able to see what was going on. It added a little sense of danger.

They made it through the entrance without mishap, and when they were able to sit up again, both girls gasped in delight. The inside of the cave was almost completely dark, and the water was a striking sapphire blue. It was almost like there was some kind of weird blacklight effect going on in the cave.

"This is so freaking cool," Hilton breathed.

She snapped some more pictures while they waited for the other gondolas to enter, and she and Jill got someone in another boat to take one of them with their gondolier. When all the boats in their group were inside, the tour guides told about the history of the cave. It was thought to have been a private royal bathhouse used by Roman emperors in ancient times. The blue effect came from the way the sun shone through the opening of the cave, and it was only visible on sunny days. Hilton found the whole thing fascinating.

"This is really surreal," Jill whispered as she took pictures with her own camera. "I feel like I'm on some futuristic water ride at Cedar Point or something."

Hilton laughed. Jill was right; even though they were learning all about the history of the cave, it did look kind of futuristic.

### ***

The following morning, back in Rome, the girls slept in a little bit, then went out to get some gelato from a street vendor, then headed to the tennis tournament. Play didn't start till one in the afternoon, and it felt amazing to sleep in. They'd been getting up early every day to go sightseeing and then staying up half the night every night talking, and they had both been exhausted last night when they got back from their Naples/Capri excursion. They'd stayed up talking a little bit but had passed out by eleven, and neither of them woke up until ten in the morning.

The concierge at the front desk of their hotel called a taxi for them, and they arrived at the Foro Italico sports complex where the tournament was taking place around noon. Dozens of spectators were milling about already. The midday sun was out in full force, and it soaked into Jill's and Hilton's shoulders as they picked up programs and the daily schedule of play and headed to check out the enormous draw board. They were both wearing tank tops and flowy cotton skirts that stopped just below their knees.

"It feels _so_ good out," Jill said.

"Hey look, Tanner Bruin has the night match!" Hilton cried, pointing down at the schedule of play in her hands.

"No way, are you serious?! Who else plays today?" Neither girl had brought a laptop to Italy, so they hadn't been on the Internet since the tournament began on Monday, and they'd had no idea who would be playing today or who was even still in the tournament. They'd asked Todd and Luke to check online when they'd talked to the boys on the phone Monday night, but the boys had only been able to tell them who had won on Monday.

"Aahh, Andy Roddick plays at one, and Tim Henman plays after him!" Tim Henman was a British player who had been Hilton's favorite since the first time she'd seen him play on TV at Wimbledon, probably ten years ago or so. She'd thought he was cute, plus a British player hadn't won Wimbledon since something like 1936, and he was their best hope in a long time. The British tabloids were always crazy during Wimbledon, filled with stories about Henman, and the fans were even crazier, wearing British hats, painting their bodies like the British flag, filling the courts for all his matches, and swarming the area of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club dubbed "Henman Hill" to watch his matches on the big screen outside the courts. He had made it to the semifinals four times, and Hilton would always remember the intense, drama-filled 2001 semi against Goran Ivanisevic that had been dragged out over three days due to rain delays. Henman had lost in five sets, and it had been one of the hardest sports losses to stomach in Hilton's life, comparable to her own losses in the doubles regionals her sophomore and junior years of high school tennis.

"Oh my gosh, that's freakin' awesome! I guess we picked a good day to come!" Jill said.

"Yeah, a bunch of the seeded players had first-round byes, so today's the first time some of them are playing." Hilton was busy studying the draw board and comparing it to her daily schedule. "I'm glad we didn't come earlier!" They'd had to buy their tickets way in advance of seeing the draw; the draw hadn't come out till last week, when they'd already been in New York. So they'd just had to take their chances.

"Eww, Haidin Bayliss plays the first match on another court." Jill pointed at her own schedule of play.

Hilton wrinkled her nose. "We'll definitely be watching Andy."

"Oh, but Haidin plays Nate Young!" Jill made a sad face. "I love Nate!"

Hilton laughed, loving how Jill was talking about the players like a true tennis fan now. Nate Young was an American player who wasn't ranked as highly as Haidin, but he was well-known because he was hilarious and always gave good interviews. "I like Nate too. Maybe we can go to some of that and some of Andy's. I hope he kicks Haidin's ass!"

"Me too!"

### ***

They went to the first set of Andy's match, which Andy won 6-1 in twenty-two minutes. Since his match looked like it was going to be a blowout, Hilton and Jill headed over to Haidin and Nate's match. When they arrived, it was 3-2 in the first set, with Nate in the lead.

"Yes!" Hilton and Jill cried together when they saw the score and realized Nate was serving, so he must be up a break.

Nate won that game at love. Haidin yelled, "AAGGGHHH!" and winged his racquet in the direction of his chair.

"Warning, Mr. Bayliss," the umpire announced over his microphone. "Four games to two, Young."

Haidin ignored him and stormed over to pick up his racquet. He briefly inspected it, then walked to the back of the court as the ballkids bounced balls to him. He held out his hand for a towel, wiped off his face, then threw the towel on the ground so the ballgirl had to bend down and pick it up.

"What an asshole," Jill said.

Nate ended up winning that set 6-4. He lost the second 6-4, and Jill and Hilton sat worriedly in the stands as the players sat in their chairs and prepared for the third set. Haidin had given Nate a cocky look and chin-up nod when he'd won the second set, and now he was sitting in his chair looking like a total arrogant jerk, like he was thinking, Yep, that's right, now things are back on track, since we all know I'm way fucking better than you. Nate had ignored the look and nod and was just sitting calmly in his chair drinking water.

Nate and Haidin traded breaks in the first two games of the third set, then each held his own serve until it was 5-5. They were both playing pretty well, and neither of them had had any trouble holding serve since those first two games of the set. Then, out of nowhere, when Haidin was serving to go up 6-5, he double-faulted on the first two points. Hilton and Jill, along with several other people, were screaming and cheering, while other fans yelled out things like "Come on, Haidin!" and "You've got this, Haidin!"

Haidin, who'd been bouncing the ball and preparing to serve again, looked up angrily. "Can you tell them to shut the fuck up?!" he said to the umpire, loudly enough for most of the stadium to hear.

Hilton and Jill looked at each other incredulously, both half laughing.

"Boooo, Haidin, you suck!" Hilton screamed joyously. She and Jill laughed even louder. Several other people were screaming similar things, and a collective boo rose from the crowd.

"He just insulted his own fans!" Jill said.

"I know, what a dick."

"Quiet, please," the umpire said to the crowd, shooting a warning look at Haidin.

"Uh!" Jill cried. "He should so have lost a point for that! He already got a warning! Aren't you supposed to get warned for profanity?"

Hilton shrugged. "I think you're supposed to, but I don't think they do that much. Haven't you ever heard Andy Roddick cuss on TV?"

"Yeah, I love it," Jill said with a grin. " 'Cause he usually has good arguments! Haidin's just a cocky asshole."

"Yeah," Hilton agreed.

Haidin served, and Nate whipped a blistering return right past him. The whole crowd was on its feet and screaming.

Haidin paced angrily at his end of the court, keeping his head down while he bounced a couple balls with his racquet.

He won the next point, and the crowd's enthusiasm was dampened a little. Hilton and Jill leaned forward on the edges of their seats.

The next point was a rally that seemed to go on forever, and when Haidin hit a lob that it appeared would go over Nate's head, Hilton and Jill gripped the seatbacks in front of them. Nate scrambled backwards and jumped into the air, catching the ball on the edge of his racquet and slamming it down just on Haidin's side of the net. It sprung back up from the ground and flew beyond Haidin's reach, into the stands on the side.

" _Woooooo!_ " Hilton and Jill screamed at the top of their lungs as they jumped to their feet. The majority of the stadium applauded thunderously.

Nate pumped his fist as he jogged to his chair. Haidin slammed his racquet into the ground, then snatched it back up and stormed to his own chair, where he dumped the racquet off to the side and pulled a brand new one out of his bag. He sat unmoving the whole changeover. When a girl came to hold an umbrella over his head to cool him off, he waved her away rudely. He did the same to the boy who offered him a water bottle. Hilton and Jill raised their eyebrows and grinned at each other.

"I feel bad for those kids though," Jill said. "They're probably so excited they get to meet him, and then he's a total jerkoff."

"Yeah, I know. I hate when people are mean to the ballkids. Come on, it's not their fault you suck."

Jill giggled.

"Time," the umpire announced.

Both players came back on the court, and Haidin stood impatiently at his end, giving Nate a shitty look as he waited for Nate to serve.

Nate won the first three points of the game without Haidin even getting a return in play. The crowd was going crazy. Hilton knew there were probably lots of Haidin fans here too; he was ranked number five in the world and he was hot, plus he was dating Aubrey Gage, but he had been such an asshole that the majority of the crowd was for Nate now.

On triple match point, Nate served an ace that left Haidin diving to the side. Hilton and Jill were on their feet instantaneously, screaming as loudly as they could. Nate jumped into the air and pumped his fist again, then jogged to the net to meet Haidin. Haidin walked up quickly, barely shook Nate's hand and didn't make eye contact, then walked to his chair and grabbed his bag without shaking the umpire's hand at all.

Hilton and Jill looked at each other with wide eyes. That was a _huge_ slight, one of the rudest things a tennis player could do. It almost never happened.

Nate did a quick on-court interview, in which he said he felt he had played well and Haidin was a very tough competitor, and he was excited to be moving on to the next round. He thanked the crowd for its support and grinned in a totally cute way, which drew another huge round of applause, then he grabbed his stuff and stopped to sign several autographs on his way off the court.

The girls wandered out of that stadium and headed over to Tim Henman's match. Hilton was disappointed to see it was already in the second set, but she didn't really mind because the Nate/Haidin match had been so good. She was glad she'd seen it, especially since Haidin had lost.

Henman won in three sets too, and Hilton and Jill left his match feeling buoyant and pumped up. They got some food and sat eating it while they talked about what to do next. It was only 4:30; Tanner's match wouldn't start till at least seven or so.

"Oh my gosh!" Jill said suddenly, her brown eyes huge as she hit Hilton's arm. She motioned slightly with her head, and Hilton turned.

Her mouth dropped open. It was Tanner Bruin, carrying a racquet bag and turned halfway around, talking to his coach, who was carrying a single racquet. Tanner's trainer walked on the far side of Tanner, carrying a hopper full of balls. Hilton knew who his coach and trainer were because they were always shown on TV during his matches. The three of them passed Hilton and Jill and continued walking and talking.

"Let's follow them! They must be going to practice!" Hilton hissed.

She and Jill jumped up, grabbing their food, drinks, and bags and then trying to walk normally, as though they weren't really following Tanner.

Sure enough, he went to one of the outer courts that wasn't being used, walked right out to the middle, and set his stuff down by the net. He pulled a racquet out of his bag, and he and his coach began to hit back and forth.

Hilton and Jill looked at each other, wondering if it was okay to go in and sit down.

"Is that Tanner Bruin?" asked a woman behind them.

"Yeah, he's practicing," Jill said.

Jill and Hilton moved apart to let the woman and her family see.

"Sweet!" a ten-or-so-year-old boy cried. "Let's go watch!"

The family squeezed past Hilton and Jill, who grinned excitedly at each other and followed. They took a seat in the third row up, near the net, across the court from where the family had sat.

Tanner and his coach continued practicing as though no one was there. The trainer squatted down to watch and ignored the spectators as well. A few others trickled in. Tanner hit forehands, then backhands, then volleys, lobs, smash shots, and finally he practiced his serves. About halfway through the session he peeled off his shirt, and Hilton and Jill stared, their mouths watering. He was perfectly built, 6'1 or so with a six-pack, rippling arm muscles, and a deep tan. His hair was light brown and tousled and hung down almost to his eyebrows. Sweat glistened in it and on his face and chest and stomach. He was gorgeous.

"So I might be crazy, but I honestly think Todd's _that_ freaking hot," Jill said. "Hotter, actually. I seriously have never met anybody who I thought was hotter than Todd."

Hilton grinned at her, then looked back to the court. "Todd is hot. So is Luke, but I don't know...Tanner might be hotter." Both girls laughed without taking their eyes off him.

Finally Tanner walked over to the sideline and put his racquet back in his bag. Then he stood up and chugged water from a cooler. When he was done drinking he sprinkled it all over his hair and face, then shook out his hair. Water droplets flew everywhere.

He turned to the audience. Fifteen or so people had gathered. "You guys want balls?" he asked.

Hilton and Jill looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Hell yeah!" Hilton yelled. Jill burst out laughing.

"Sweet," Tanner said in a laid-back, sexy tone, turning toward them. He picked up a ball and grabbed a marker out of his shorts pocket. "What's your name?" he called to Hilton.

Jill's mouth dropped open.

"Hilton."

Tanner scribbled something, then tossed the ball to her. "You too?" he asked Jill.

"Sure. Jill."

Tanner tossed her a ball too, then went on to the next group.

Hilton and Jill looked at their tennis balls. The writing was incredibly messy, but Hilton's read _To Hilton_. Jill's said _To Jill_ , and both were signed, _Tanner_.

"Aahhh!" they squealed quietly, grinning at each other.

"He's so much like Haidin," Hilton said in a pretend thoughtful tone.

"Yeah...but I think Haidin's like probably ten times nicer," Jill said back in the same tone, and they both burst out laughing.

### ***

"Guess what?" Jill said on the phone to Todd later that night.

"What?"

"I kinda met Tanner Bruin today."

"Are you fuckin' serious?"

"Uh huh. Hilton and I were just sitting there like eating our lunch, and we looked up, and he was walking by with his coach and trainer. And it looked like they were going to warm up, so we followed them, and we got to watch his whole practice session. And there were only like ten other people, and he asked us all our names and autographed tennis balls for all of us."

"Holy shit. That's pretty cool."

"Yeah. And he was _so_ hot." Jill grinned to herself.

"Great, so are you gonna dump me for him now?" Todd asked, making a sobbing noise.

"No, 'cause you're hotter."

"Shut the fuck up," Todd laughed.

"No, you really are. I told Hilton that too, when we were watching him practice. I was like, 'I think Todd's hotter than him.' "

"Wow," Todd said. "That makes me horny. I wish we could have sex right now."

Jill giggled. "Me too."

"Let's have phone sex."

"Okay."

### ***

"So are you still having the time of your life?" Luke asked Hilton.

"Yeah. I wish you were here though. But Jill and I are having a blast. I was thinking though, all four of us should go on a trip sometime. You and me and her and Todd. I miss you so much."

"I know, I miss you too." His voice was a little thick, and Hilton smiled into the phone. "Hey, I see Tanner Bruin won," Luke said. "Did you see his match?"

"Yeah! Are you watching _SportsCenter_?"

"Yeah. Man, it looks like he kicked the dude's ass."

"Yeah, he did. It was sweet. We got to see his practice session too, and he autographed tennis balls for us. It was pretty cool," she said airly, then laughed. "And Haidin lost; we saw that one too. It was freakin' awesome. He played Nate Young, and he was _so_ pissed when he lost. He like yelled at the crowd to shut up in the second to last game, and he didn't even shake the umpire's hand when he walked off the court. It was crazy."

"Shit," Luke said, sounding impressed. "That sounds like a good one. So what are you girls up to tonight?"

"Probably just chilling. We're _so_ tired. We've been getting up early every day, you know, and going sightseeing, and then we have dinner late every night and sometimes go out, and then we stay up all night talking." Hilton laughed. "So tonight I think we're just gonna go to the restaurant right next to our hotel and try to eat a little, then come back and be lazy."

"What time is it there? Like 11:30?"

"Yeah. We just got back like half an hour ago."

"Yeah, me and Todd just got home from work. I think Todd was talking to Jill a little bit ago. I think they were talking dirrrty to each other." Hilton could hear the grin in his voice. "He went in their room and shut the door."

Hilton laughed. "Were they? Those whores. I was in the shower. Jill's in there now."

"Oh yeah, she probably had to go have some alone time after talking to him."

"Luke!" Hilton laughed again, and he did too. "Are you gonna go have some alone time after talking to me?" she asked.

"Hell yeah I am."

"Good."

### ***

When Jill came out of the bathroom in jean shorts and a tight T-shirt, Hilton was lying on her stomach on the bed staring at the TV. "Come here!" she cried quietly, not wanting to block out the sound. "You gotta hear this shit!"

Jill hurried over and sat down next to Hilton. The TV was tuned to a press conference with Haidin Bayliss. He was wearing a Nike jacket, and his black hair was spiked up and looked freshly washed.

"Well, of course I should've won," Haidin said nastily, glaring at some reporter the girls couldn't see. "He's a"— _bleep!_ —"ing American, and Americans"— _bleep!_ —"ing suck on clay!"

"Aahhh!" Jill cried. She laughed and widened her eyes.

"Yeah, he's been talking for like a minute and the whole thing's been like this."

"Haidin, do you attribute your loss today to you playing badly or Nate playing well?"

"Obviously I played like"— _bleep!_

"Haidin, is Aubrey with you in Rome?"

"I don't answer questions about my personal life. How"— _bleep!_ —"ing stupid are you people? Have I not said that in every press conference? Somebody get me the"— _bleep!_ —"out of here." He rolled his almost-black eyes as though answering their questions was so beneath him it was the worst way he could possibly be spending his time.

Hilton laughed, then sat up and flipped off the TV with the remote. "Are you ready to go eat?"

"Yeah, I'm not gonna dry my hair. I'm way too lazy."

"Yeah, me too."

They grabbed their purses and left the room.

### ***

An hour later, when they returned from the pizzeria next door, a young-looking couple coming from the other direction entered the hotel a few seconds before Hilton and Jill got to the door. By the time Hilton and Jill stepped inside the couple was almost to the elevator.

"That's weird...that guy looks a lot like Haidin," Jill said with a frown. She studied him a second longer. "A _lot_."

Hilton followed Jill's eyes. Jill was definitely right...the guy did look a lot like Haidin...right height, right build, black spiked-up hair...and he was loosely holding the girl's hand. "If that's Haidin, that is _not_ Aubrey," she said.

"Do you really think that's him?" Jill asked, walking faster as the couple stepped into the elevator.

Then the boy turned and made the briefest eye contact with them as he closed the elevator door.

Hilton and Jill stared at each other in disbelief. It was definitely Haidin.

"Come on!" Hilton cried quietly, running for the stairs. "Let's see where they go! We have to get a picture of this shit!"

"Oh my gosh, Arden and Kelsey would flip out!" Jill laughed, bolting up the stairs after Hilton. " 'Cause Arden said he was checking her out when Aubrey wasn't watching, remember?!"

They ran breathlessly up the stairs, checking on each floor to see if the elevator stopped. When it didn't, they raced to the next floor.

"Good thing the elevator's so freaking slow!" Jill said when they reached the fourth and top floor, once again beating the elevator.

This floor was small, with only three rooms on it. Hilton had pulled her camera out of her purse and turned it on while they were running up the stairs, and now she stood in the middle of the landing with it poised, where she would have a perfect view of them as they stepped off the elevator.

"Hide behind that plant or something!" Jill hissed, pointing to a tall potted plant across from the elevator door.

"No way, I want a good shot!" Hilton said with a laugh. "I don't care if he gets pissed!"

A few seconds later the elevator grinded to a stop. Someone opened the door from inside, and the girl, a tall thin blonde, stepped out first. She was still holding Haidin's hand and turned to wait for him, not seeing Hilton. Haidin stepped out and immediately turned to pull the door shut, and he didn't see Hilton either. Then he turned and leaned down a little bit to kiss the girl, and Hilton's camera flashed in their faces.

Haidin's head shot up as the girl whirled around.

"What the fuck! Who the fuck are you, bitch?!" Haidin snarled.

"We're Nate Young's biggest fans," Hilton said calmly. Then she grinned at him.

"Nice match today," Jill said. She beamed and gave him a thumbs-up.

Hilton burst out laughing. "Yeah, who's the bitch here? 'Cause it looked to me like you were his."

Haidin looked even more pissed than during his press conference. He flipped them off and pulled the girl, who gave them an ugly sneer, by the hand into the room at the end of the landing as Hilton's camera flashed again.

"Thanks, Haidin!" she called brightly as the door slammed.

"Nice to meet you!" Jill shouted.

Hilton and Jill looked at each other and shrieked.

"Holy shit, that was freakin' crazy!" Hilton cried jubilantly. She was full of adrenaline now and no longer the least bit tired.

"I know!" Jill cried back. "How did that even just happen?!"

### ***

The next day Hilton and Jill's train was scheduled to leave for Florence at eleven in the morning. They got up at eight, packed, ate the free continental breakfast, then had the concierge once again call them a taxi. He said it would arrive in fifteen minutes or so, so the girls dragged their luggage outside to wait since it looked sunny and like another beautiful day. They'd been talking nonstop about last night ever since they got up; they still couldn't believe it had happened.

"What the hell?" Hilton asked as soon as they stepped outside the hotel. The sidewalk was lined with media people carrying microphones and cameras.

" _Scusi, scusi!_ Excuse me!" shouted one of them. He was holding a microphone and had a thick Italian accent. Hilton and Jill stared at him dubiously. "Did you stay in this hotel last night?" he asked.

Hilton and Jill looked at each other. Um...did it look like they'd stayed here?

"Yeah..." Jill said.

"Do you know who Haidin Bayliss is?" a woman shouted, holding out a microphone.

Hilton and Jill looked at each other again, this time with wide eyes and small grins.

"Yeah..." Jill repeated.

"We have word he was seen going into this hotel last night with a mystery blonde woman!" the female reporter yelled. "Did you see him here?"

Hilton and Jill exchanged yet another look.

"We saw him _and_ we got pictures!" Hilton yelled back. Jill burst out laughing, and the photographers and reporters swarmed them.

"Could we see your pictures? Could we see your pictures?" they were all asking.

Hilton got her camera out of her purse and turned it on, then moved from person to person, letting them see but holding her camera somewhat close so no crazy reporter or stalker fan tried to rip it out of her hands.

"A thousand dollars!" one of the reporters said.

"What?" Hilton asked, totally stunned.

"I'll pay you one thousand dollars for those photos."

"A thousand each!" someone else said.

Hilton looked at Jill in disbelief.

"I'm Deidre Fox," said the woman who'd asked if they knew Haidin Bayliss. She had shoved in front of the others and stuck out her hand to Hilton. "I'm from _Game Set Match_ magazine, and we are very interested in your photos. We would definitely be willing to pay you more than two thousand. How can I contact you?"

Hilton looked at Jill again, still shocked. "Umm...I'm on vacation."

"Do you have a cell phone?"

"Not here..."

"Where are you staying tonight? What hotel? Can I contact you there?"

"Um...I guess so. We're leaving for Florence right now though."

"That's no problem. What's the name of the hotel?"

Hilton told her. She noticed the other reporters had backed off; they must not be able or willing to outbid Deidre.

"And you'll be there till when?"

"Um, until Sunday. May 13."

"Okay, wonderful. Someone will contact you. We definitely want those pictures." Deidre reached out to shake Hilton's hand, and Hilton shook back, half in a baffled daze. "Oh, and your name?" Deidre asked.

"Hilton Joliet."

Deidre jotted it down. "Okay, great. Thank you. We'll be in touch."

A taxi pulled up to the curb.

"Oh, that's us," Hilton said, grabbing her suitcase by the handle and wheeling it toward the waiting car with Jill close behind.

As the driver got out to load their bags into the trunk, Hilton gave Jill another wide-eyed look. They both turned to look back at the reporters. Every single one of them had turned back to the hotel, their cameras and microphones ready, waiting for Haidin to exit.

"Holy shit," Hilton and Jill breathed at the same time.

"Do you really think they'll call?" Jill asked.

"I have no idea. Can you imagine if my pictures actually got published in _Game Set Match_ though?!" Hilton widened her eyes. "That's like, the _Us Weekly_ of tennis!"

"I know!"

### ***

The train ride was long and stressful because their tickets were first class, but all the first class compartments were full, so Hilton and Jill had to drag their luggage through three second class cars before they found a seat. It was hot and cramped, they had nowhere to put their luggage, and they had to sit there for an hour until some people got off and a first class compartment opened. They were relieved to finally have their own compartment, and they both slept on and off the rest of the way to Florence. When they arrived, they worked their way past people and hurried outside of SMN, the train station, and hailed another cab.

"What do you wanna do the rest of the day?" Jill asked on the way to their new hotel.

"I don't know. We've been so busy we haven't even had a chance to look at our book or anything. Let's get it out when we get to the hotel and see what there is to do in Florence. I can't even remember," Hilton laughed.

"Okay, me neither."

When they checked in at the front desk of their hotel, the concierge nodded slightly. "Ah, yes, there is a message for you, Miss Joliet. A Deidre Fox left this number and said for you to call her at any time. She said if she didn't hear from you she would try back later tonight."

Hilton gaped at the piece of paper as she took it, then shot a glance at Jill. "How do I call this number? Can I use a calling card?"

"Yes, or you can dial the country code. It is 01 for the States. There is a payphone here in the lobby, and there is also a phone in your room."

"Okay, thanks."

"If she calls back, should I put her through?"

"Sure."

"Would you like help bringing your bags up to your room?"

"Oh, no, I think we're okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome. The elevator is right that way."

"Thank you," Hilton and Jill chorused. They grabbed the handles on their suitcases and wheeled them toward the elevator.

"I can't believe she called already," Hilton said to Jill, her golden-brown eyes big with surprise. "I wonder how much money she's gonna offer me! Oh my gosh, I can't wait to tell Luke. He's gonna freak out. And my parents." The elevator was another manual one, and Hilton shifted the weight of her carry-on over her shoulder to open the door.

"Yeah, no shit. That's totally crazy!" Jill grinned wickedly. "I still can't believe it happened! Like seeing him at the hotel or anything."

"I know."

"Are you gonna call her, or wait for her to call back?"

Hilton shrugged. "I don't know, I might wait till we get ready and then if she hasn't called yet, call her back."

### ***

Their room phone rang just as Hilton was getting out of the shower.

"Hello?" she heard Jill answer. "Yeah, just a minute."

Hilton burst out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and almost ran smack into Jill. "Is it her?!"

"Yeah!"

Hilton hurried to the bedside table and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hilton? Hi, this is Deidre Fox from _Game Set Match_. If you're still interested in selling your photos to us, I've talked to my director of photography and he'd like to offer you five thousand dollars."

"What?!" Hilton shrieked. "Five thousand?!" She made a face at Jill and shook her fists and bounced on her toes. Jill's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Yes, five thousand. If it's convenient for you, we'll send someone to your hotel tomorrow to transfer the photos and sign the paperwork. What time would work for you?"

"Um...probably early in the morning." She and Jill were planning on sightseeing all day again.

"Would 7:00 work?"

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

"Okay, someone will be there at seven. My photo director is also interested in any other pictures you might have gotten of Haidin. Were those two the only ones?"

"Well, I have some from his match yesterday, but those were the only ones in the hotel."

"You were at the tournament yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"That's great. I think we'll want to take a look at some of your other photos as well, just to see if there's anything there."

"Umm...okay." Hilton was completely stunned again. But surely they wouldn't want any of her photos from the tournament; they would've had their own people there.

"Okay, well we'll see you at seven tomorrow," Deidre said, sounding hurried and businesslike.

"Okay, that sounds great!"

"Okay, thanks very much, Hilton. Bye."

"Bye."

### ***

"Luke, you are not gonna freaking believe what happened!" Hilton practically shouted as soon as he answered the phone.

"What?!"

"You know _Game Set Match_? I have it laying around sometimes?"

"Yeah?"

"They're freaking buying some of my pictures!"

"What?! From the tournament?"

"No! Oh my gosh, Jill and I saw Haidin Bayliss in our hotel last night kissing another girl. A girl that wasn't Aubrey. And I took pictures."

" _What?!_ "

Hilton breathlessly explained everything that had happened.

"Holy fuckin' shit!" Luke said when she was finished. "That's frickin'...wow. Congratulations. I don't even know what else to say." He laughed incredulously, and Hilton shrieked giddily.

"I know! I still can't even believe it! So somebody from _Game Set Match_ is gonna come by the hotel tomorrow morning at seven to transfer the pics to their computer or whatever, and have me sign a contract."

"When are they gonna pay you?" Luke asked.

Hilton frowned. "I don't know. She didn't say."

"You better make sure you get a check before you hand over the pictures. Hey!" Luke sounded like an excited little boy all of a sudden. Hilton could just imagine his face and dark brown eyes lighting up, and she grinned, wishing she could see him right now. "You should fax me the contract and I'll look at it."

"Yeah!" Hilton loved the idea. Luke was in law school, and he'd taken a class on contracts.

"Sweet! This is awesome. I feel like a real lawyer." Luke laughed. "Wait, so they're coming at seven, right? What time is that here?"

"Um...one."

"Okay, I'll just go to the office." Luke interned at a local law office, to which he had a key.

"Okay, thanks, baby!" Hilton giggled. "I love you! This is so crazy!"

### ***

Deidre arrived right at seven, with a guy in tow. Hilton hadn't known whether to expect her or someone else. Deidre was wearing a business suit with a knee-length pencil skirt, but the guy looked scraggly in jeans and a T-shirt and baseball cap. His hair was long and unkempt, and he and Deidre made a strange-looking pair.

They sat in the breakfast area, and the guy, who had yet to introduce himself, looked at Hilton's two pictures from the hotel. He nodded, seemingly impressed. "Those are golden."

"I told you," Deidre said. She looked to Hilton. "Are your pictures from the tournament on here as well?"

"Yeah. Just scroll back. It should be the ones right before those."

Deidre and the guy leaned close to look at the screen.

"Wow, you took a lot," the guy said a minute later. He and Deidre were still looking.

"I know," Hilton laughed. "I'm kinda a crazy picture-taker."

"These are good. Good positioning, good angles."

"I was a photography major," Hilton said with a pleased grin at Jill. Jill grinned back.

"Really?" Deidre was interested. "Who do you work for?"

"Oh, just this little portrait shop in the town where I live." Hilton waved her hand.

"You live in the States?"

"Yeah."

The guy turned the camera to study a photo, then turned it back. "These are really good. Nice camera too."

"Thanks." Hilton smiled again, enjoying the compliments.

"Here's the contract, if you'd like to look it over." Deidre pushed a single sheet of paper across the table to Hilton. "It's really straightforward; it just outlines that we're buying the rights to your photos and will pay you the named fee, and your name will appear under the photos if and when they're published, and any time we may publish them after the original printing as well."

"Hold on, there's another one I'm interested in," the guy said, still looking at the camera.

Hilton looked at Jill excitedly.

The guy leaned over toward Deidre and showed her a picture. "I'm seeing that one being a good 'I'm an asshole on the courts too' picture. The ones I got were towards Young's face."

"You were there too?" Hilton asked. She hadn't been sure if he was an actual photographer, or the photo director Deidre had mentioned, or someone totally different.

"Yep, sure was. D?"

"I like it." Deidre nodded.

"Add it up." The guy motioned to the contract, then handed the camera back to Hilton. "Five hundred for this one. It's not near as damaging as the others." He smiled for the first time.

Hilton looked to see which one he was talking about. Jill leaned over to look too. It was of Haidin barely shaking Nate's hand at the net. He was looking off behind Nate's shoulder, and the fury on his face was clearly visible.

"Sure!" Hilton said. "That's fine." Her heart was racing with excitement.

Deidre jotted a couple things on the contract, then slid it across the table to Hilton. "I just filled in the total number of photos we're buying and the total amount we're paying you," Deidre explained. "We left those blank on purpose in case we wanted any of your other ones. We have the check right here for you today."

"Okay. Do you mind if I fax this to my lawyer really quick? I'd like to have him look it over." Hilton had to purse her lips together to keep from laughing, and she could tell out of the corner of her eye Jill was doing the same thing.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks." Hilton and Jill stood up and headed back into the lobby, flashing each other excited grins.

"Can I help you ladies?" the guy at the front desk asked as they approached.

"Can I fax this?" Hilton held up the contract.

"Sure. Do you have the fax number?"

"Yep." Hilton pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and handed it to him. He took it and the contract and went into a back room.

Fifteen minutes later, Hilton had a fax back from Luke in his handwriting that read, _Sign that shit!!!_ and had a drawing of what looked like a thumbs-up sign.

"Is that a thumbs-up, or a penis?" Jill whispered.

Hilton burst out laughing, and she and Jill both covered their mouths, their eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe this," Hilton whispered. Then she took a deep breath, and she and Jill headed back into the breakfast room.

"He said it looks good," Hilton said, sitting back down. She took the pen Deidre offered and held it above the x for a brief second, silently taking another deep breath, then scrawled her name on the line. As she slid the paper and pen back, she looked at Jill and grinned. Jill smiled back excitedly and squeezed Hilton's elbow.

"Great," Deidre said. She handed Hilton the envelope with the check, and Hilton peeked inside to make sure it looked real. It did. "Do you want to leave us your address so we can send you some copies of the issue? It'll be the one on the stands not tomorrow, but next Saturday."

"Sure!" Hilton took the business card Deidre handed her and wrote her address on the back. Then Deidre gave her another card to keep.

"How would you feel about another contract?" the guy said.

Hilton turned to look at him, not sure what he meant.

"One that would have you coming to Paris and London to cover the French and Wimbledon?"

Hilton's mouth dropped open. "What?!"

The guy shrugged and sat back. "Well, your shit's good. And those are two biggies; we'll be understaffed. We'd want you at the tournaments of course; you could help us cover more matches and get more candids around the grounds. But where you'd really be able to help us is in the hotels, and at the clubs."

Hilton stared.

"The whole reason _Game Set Match_ was created was to draw more fans to the sport," Deidre cut in. "We want to show people the players' lives are interesting, and we want them to become household names. We want everybody talking about tennis players like they talk about Hollywood celebs. So the off-the-court action is just as important, if not more so, than the on-court action."

"Yeah," Hilton said. "I mean, I know there's kinda been a push lately to draw more fans to the sport. Like with the US Open Series and everything." The US Open Series was several weeks of televised hard-court tournaments leading up to the US Open. The tournaments had existed for a long time, but tying them together into the US Open Series, having male and female winners who could then earn extra prize money at the US Open, and showing hours upon hours of TV coverage had only started a few years ago.

Deidre smiled at the guy. "This is perfect. She not only can take pictures, she knows tennis."

The guy nodded. "That's what we want. So, interested?"

"Hell yeah, are you freaking kidding me?!" Hilton said with a laugh.

Deidre and the guy both smiled now. "All right," Deidre said. "We'll have our lawyers draw up another contract. Can we fax it here before Sunday?"

"Um, sure."

"Great. It was nice to see you again." Deidre stood and held out her hand.

Hilton stood too and shook it. "You too. Thanks so much." She turned to the guy, expecting to shake his hand too, but he was already headed for the lobby.

He nodded politely back at her. "Great pictures. See you in Paris."

"Thanks. See you in Paris."

### ***

The rest of Hilton and Jill's time in Florence was kind of a blur for Hilton, yet in a way it wasn't at all. When they went out sightseeing or sat in a restaurant or bar or shopped at the street vendors, it all seemed slightly off to Hilton, like it wasn't really happening, or she wasn't really here in Florence, Italy right now, she was just having some crazy hallucination. Yet at the same time, she felt totally and completely alive, and all her senses were heightened. Every place they went seemed more beautiful, more tangible, clearer than the places they'd gone in Rome, like she'd been half asleep then but was wide awake now.

When she told Luke about Paris and London she almost cried, she was so happy and excited. She'd realized she would miss his birthday while in London though, and she was completely bummed about that. When he told her that was crazy, and half jokingly said if she missed out on London in order to stay home for his birthday, he might break up with her, tears did actually gather in her eyes.

She and Jill spent all day Friday exploring Florence. They went to the Medici and Pitti Palaces, saw the original David sculpture, took pictures outside the replica in front of the Medici Palace, and climbed to the top of the _cupola_ in the Duomo. They shopped in Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, and a store they could actually afford, Zara, and bought fake D&G and Prada bags from a street vendor. They had three cones of gelato apiece and then ate dinner outside in the Piazza della Repubblica by a huge merry-go-round.

The contract was at the hotel when they got back that night, and Hilton faxed it to Luke. He faxed back another handwritten note that said _REALLY sign_ _that shit_ , with an even worse attempt at a thumbs-up. This one also said _I love you_ , and Hilton pressed it to her heart and smiled a silly smile when she read it.

On Saturday she and Jill took another bus tour, this time to Tuscany and a castle where they got to tour the wine cellar, learn how the wine was made, and do a wine tasting. The castle and its surroundings, as well as all of Tuscany, were beautiful, and Hilton and Jill still felt a little tipsy when they got back to Florence. They went right to another restaurant in the Piazza della Repubblica and sat outdoors for three and a half hours eating dinner and drinking more wine. When they got back to the hotel they were tripping all over and laughing about everything and nothing. It had been a good trip so far.

### ***

Early the next afternoon, back in SMN, while Jill went to the bathroom, Hilton picked up the train tickets she'd reserved for them online before leaving the US. When Jill returned, they wheeled and carried their bags back to the middle of the station, where the huge boards with the track announcements loomed above them.

"Come on, I see it!" Hilton cried, grabbing Jill's arm. She hitched her duffel bag a little higher on her shoulder and took off, walking quickly.

"Which track? I didn't see it," Jill said as she hurried after Hilton.

"Thirteen. I hope we get a freaking first class compartment this time!"

"No shit! Me too."

At Track 13, they validated their tickets and stepped up onto a car marked with a large turquoise **1** for first class.

"Aahhh," Hilton sighed when the first compartment they came to was empty. She shoved open the door and stepped through, pulling her luggage with her. She dumped it on the ground, then collapsed on the seat and spread her arms lazily. She grinned at Jill as Jill stepped in. "Our own compartment."

"I know! It must be a good sign; Venice is gonna be amazing."

Hilton made an apprehensive "shit, we're screwed" face. "I don't know, 'cause Florence was pretty amazing, but our train ride here sucked!"

Jill imitated Hilton's face. "Shit! Well, maybe some more people will come in here and fuck up our ride. Like on _Eurotrip_."

Both girls laughed, and Hilton ducked her head and smiled secretly at the seat.

### ***

"Jill, wake up, we're here!" Hilton hit at Jill's leg, and Jill's eyes flickered open.

"Already?" she yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "Man, now I'm just more tired."

Hilton was already stepping out the door, and Jill stood up and grabbed her bags, still yawning, then followed Hilton out of the compartment, looking back to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. They walked down the narrow corridor and descended the steps off the train onto the platform, maneuvering their luggage with them. Jill was surprised by how few other tracks there were; she'd expected the Venice station to be as big as the Florence one. When they walked into the station she was even more surprised. It was tiny.

"What is up with this station?" she asked Hilton. "I thought Venice was big." She frowned to herself. Maybe she'd been totally wrong; maybe it wasn't big at all, it was just a popular tourist place because of how gorgeous it was. All the canals...it actually made more sense that it'd be small, a quaint little seaside town. She'd been so busy with school and finals she hadn't done that much research about the places they were going.

"Yeah, Venice is big." Hilton was giving her a weird look.

"What?" Jill asked. She frowned at Hilton, then looked around again. Then she gasped and came to a dead standstill. Straight in front of them, above the boards listing the arrival and departure trains and track numbers, were huge letters spelling out ADRIA.

A grin broke across Jill's face as she dropped her carry-on bag and purse and hugged Hilton tightly. Tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh my gosh, Hilton. I can't believe this."

Hilton laughed as they pulled back from their hug. "I know, I totally got you. Did you like how when we were in Florence I was like, 'The guy at the front desk said it'd be better to wait till we're in Venice to try finding an Adria excursion'?"

"Ahh!" Jill cried, her eyes going wide. "You knew then?! You didn't just buy these tickets today? I was thinking you must've bought them while I was in the bathroom! Is Venice really even closer to here than Florence is?" That's what Hilton had told her; she'd said the guy at the hotel desk had told her Adria was only about fifty kilometers from Venice but almost two hundred from Florence, so they should probably wait till they got to Venice to find out about going there.

"No, I bought these tickets like weeks ago." Hilton laughed again and grinned mischievously, pleased with herself. "But yeah, that's true about the distance thing I told you. Venice really is closer."

"Aahhh, I can't believe you!" Jill hugged her again. Hilton was amazing. It really didn't surprise her at all that Hilton had done this; it was totally a Hilton move, but Jill hadn't seen it coming at all. She let go of Hilton and picked her purse up off the ground, digging for her camera. "I have to take a picture of that sign. Oh my gosh, I have to take so many pictures here, so I can show Adria. I can't wait. Hey, did Todd know we were coming here?" She raised her camera and snapped a picture of the sign, then backed up several steps so she could get one of the boards with the train announcements.

"Yeah, he knew." Hilton grinned. "Hey!" she called out to a passerby. She motioned between herself and Jill. "Will you take a picture of us?"

Jill hurried back and handed the guy her camera, and she and Hilton posed with the letters spelling out ADRIA in the background above their heads, both of them beaming happily at the camera.

"Thanks!" Jill said as she took her camera back. She and Hilton leaned together to look at the picture.

"Aww, that's so good!" Hilton said. She smiled happily at Jill, loving how surprised Jill was.

"I know! Thank you soooo much. Aahhh, I'm so excited!"

### ***

"Jill Sherer," Hilton said when they checked in at their hotel. "I put this one in your name, since it's your city," she said to Jill.

"Thanks," Jill said, laughing.

They took their bags up to their room, and Hilton said Jill could take a shower first.

"Okay," Jill said. "Agh, I wanna call Todd so bad though! And tell him we're here. I wish he wasn't at work! Maybe I could try though; maybe he's on his lunch break."

"Okay, well if you wanna try calling him I can shower first."

"Okay." Jill grinned at Hilton. "Aahh, I hope he answers!" She sat down on the edge of one of the beds by the phone and dug her calling card out of her purse.

It seemed like it took longer than usual to get through all the steps on the calling card, and Jill was tapping her foot impatiently. She wanted to talk to him so badly, to tell him she was in Adria. What she really wanted was to see him and be able to hug him and feel his arms around her and....She heard the sound as the call connected. She sat up even straighter and tapped her foot even faster, grinning at the nightstand. _Answer, answer!_ she thought excitedly, waiting for it to ring. But it never did.

"Hey, this is Todd. I'm not here so leave a message."

"If you would like to record a message..."

Jill made a pouty face at the nightstand now. That was weird his phone was off; usually he left it on even if he didn't have it with him. But her expression immediately turned back into a smile when the phone beeped and she started leaving a message. "Todd, oh my gosh, I'm in freaking Adria right now!" She let out a wild laugh. "I cannot believe this; I can't believe you guys didn't tell me! I'm _so_ excited! But I wish you and Adria were here with me..." Her face turned glum again, and she could hear the sadness in her voice too. "I miss you so much, and Adria too, and this would be even a hundred times better if you guys were here..." She trailed off, then smiled again, at her feet this time. "But anyway, I just wanted to tell you I'm here and I love you so much and I can't wait to talk to you. I'll try calling back again tonight. Okay, bye."

### ***

When Jill got out of the shower, Hilton wasn't in the room. Jill figured she had gone to look for a snack or try to find out about places to eat dinner, and Jill went back in the bathroom to do her makeup and finish getting ready. Just as she finished drying her hair, Hilton burst back into the room.

"Where'd you go?" Jill called, running her hand through her hair and giving herself one last glance in the mirror, then coming out of the bathroom.

"We're moving rooms," Hilton said. "I found blood on the sheets."

" _What?!_ "

"Yeah, it's fucking disgusting. Don't sit on the bed. They're almost done checking another room for us right now. I made them check it before just going in there. I'm checking it out too though before I move my stuff in there."

Jill glanced at the beds and shuddered, moving away from them. She'd sat on one while she was on the phone...yuck!

"Just kidding," Hilton said. "We're actually just moving 'cause they have a nicer room open."

Jill stared at her. "What?"

Hilton laughed. "Yeah, I totally made that up about blood on the sheets. But I was down there asking about places we could eat, and they told me they have a suite open. And they said we could just move there and they wouldn't charge us any more."

"Seriously?! You bitch!" Jill laughed. "I was totally freaking out 'cause I sat on the bed to call Todd!"

Hilton laughed. "Sorry. I'm just hyper! I don't know why. But yeah, the room should be ready. Are you ready to move?"

Jill looked around. "Yeah, I think so. Let me grab my shampoo and stuff." She disappeared back into the bathroom.

"This is freakin' awesome that we're getting a suite," she said a minute later as they dragged their stuff out into the hallway and walked over to the elevator. "I love Adria!" She laughed.

"Yeah, right?" Hilton said. "You picked a good city to name your daughter after!"

The elevator came, and they rode two floors up to the fourth and top floor. Jill looked around as they stepped out. The landing was small, and there appeared to be only one room on this floor. "Wow, it's like the penthouse," she said jokingly.

"Hell yeah!" Hilton said. "This rocks." She walked across the landing to the door and slid the key in. She pushed the door open and held it for Jill to go through first.

"Thanks," Jill said as she stepped through. Then, just inside the door, she stopped. The suite was completely dark except for a dim soft light coming from straight ahead. She was in a little entryway, and there was a small room to her right...a kitchen. She could just make out a stove. The light was coming from around a corner where it looked like the suite opened up into a larger room. She let go of her suitcase and felt on the wall for a light switch. Then she heard the door shut behind her. She whirled around. Hilton was gone. "What the hell?!"

All of a sudden music started playing. Jill recognized the song right away.  "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. One of her and Todd's sort of unofficial songs. She whirled back around, her heart pounding and her breath short.

"Hey, Jill." He was standing there at the end of the short hallway, grinning at her. Even in the almost-dark, he looked gorgeous. He was wearing khaki cargo shorts and a blue Dale Sports & Fitness T-shirt, and his light brown hair was spiked up and sticking messily in all different directions, like always.

Jill shrieked in delight. "Todd!" She ran and jumped a little off the ground as she wrapped her arms around his neck, causing him to stumble back a couple steps, his arms tightly around her waist. They both laughed, then Todd kissed her. Jill inhaled sharply, moving her hands to his face as she kissed him back.

"I missed kissing you," she whispered a minute later, her lips still on his.

He grinned into her mouth, then kissed her again, locking his arms even tighter around her waist. He slid his hands up her back and then down and over her butt. "I missed kissing you too," he whispered huskily. He stepped back a little. "So, do you wanna dance?" He grinned at her.

Jill laughed. "Sure." How cute is he?! she thought as he put his arms around her waist again and pulled her as close as he could. He must have burned this CD just for this moment...

She wrapped her arms around his neck again and beamed up at him as they swayed slowly to the music. Then she jumped up and down a little, still in his arms. "I can't believe you're here!"

Todd grinned down at her. "You thought I was gonna let you come to Adria all by yourself?"

Jill suddenly felt tears spring to her eyes. She shook her head and sniffled but didn't try to wipe them away.

"What?" Todd asked, alarmed. He moved his thumb to her face to wipe away the first tear as it rolled down her cheek.

"I just can't even believe we're together. I mean...you and me..." She shook her head again as more tears threatened to spill over. "I was just saying to Arden and Kelsey and Hilton how lucky I am and how I still can't even believe it sometimes. It's just unreal, Todd."

Todd kissed her again. It was slower and softer this time, but still unbelievably sexy and passionate. She practically shivered as she felt the intimacy flowing between them and literally pulling them closer together as they pressed into each other even more tightly.

When he finally pulled back a little bit, he wiped away her tears again. "I'm the one who's lucky," he said quietly. "I can't believe I didn't do anything sooner. I can't believe I didn't know sooner. I'm so lucky you didn't find somebody else before I could stop being stupid for two seconds and realize I was in love with you." His eyes and voice were so earnest Jill just wanted to hug him and hold on forever.

She shook her head and sniffled away more tears, pulling him closer again. "I'm just so glad it turned out how it did."

"Me too." Todd's chocolate-brown eyes locked with hers as they kept dancing.

Jill couldn't take her eyes off his. She thought this was one of the most romantic moments of her life, one of her best moments with Todd ever. It was comparable to the first time they'd hooked up, and to the night he had told her over the phone that he was in love with her and she had realized she was still in love with him too and driven from Dale to Eastern, to his apartment....Pieces of those nights and this one flashed through her mind like images in a slideshow. She pictured waking up with him that next morning, after the night they'd said they loved each other, and never having felt so ecstatic and fulfilled in her life. She couldn't have imagined being anywhere better, and it was the best feeling ever. And nothing had changed. She definitely couldn't imagine being anywhere better right now.

The song switched, and Jill's mouth dropped open in a laugh. "Aahh! Oh my gosh, Todd!" It was the  Friends theme song. Todd was grinning at her, and he spun her out and held up his arm for her to twirl around. _Friends_ had been her favorite show since junior high, and she and Todd had watched it together through most of high school and dressed as Ross and Rachel every year for Halloween. Part of the song reminded Jill of Todd too, the last verse where it talked about having a friend who knew you better than anyone else and how you were better when you were with that person.

They danced wildly around the bedroom, Jill whirling in circles and Todd just acting crazy and then pretending to pound on drums like in the music video. They sang at the top of their lungs, and Jill loved how he was just as into it as she was. His goofy playful personality was one of the first things she'd liked about him. That and his looks...well, and pretty much just everything else too. He was smart, he was athletic, he'd always been a flirt, and he was just everything she'd ever dreamed about in a guy. It couldn't get any better than him.

By the end of the song, they were both out of breath and laughing, and Todd collapsed on his back on the thick black bedspread covering the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. Jill fell beside him, sinking into the soft material, and Todd grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. He squeezed her boob and she shrieked and laughed.

"Come here, Jilly." He kissed her and ran his tongue sloppily all over the inside of her mouth.

"Todd, stop it!" she giggled. She bit at his tongue.

"Ouch!" He grinned and tickled her sides, and she squealed and jumped up off of him.

"So Jilly Bean, are you glad I came?" he asked, still lying on his back. His voice was earnest again, and she thought it was so adorable how he was seriously asking her that question.

"Are you kidding me?! It pretty much made my whole summer!"

"Really?"

She smiled and sat back down on the bed by him, folding her legs up under her. "I was just thinking, when we were dancing, how this was one of our best times ever. Like I kept thinking about tonight, and then about the first night...you know...and then that night I came to your apartment 'cause you said you loved me on the phone..."

Todd took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. He looked at their hands for a minute, then back up at her. "Jill, I love you so much." He sat up beside her, still holding her hand. His eyes never left hers. "I think all of our times are our best times, you know?"

Jill's heart melted.

"Like everything. I mean, even back in high school and college when we just hung out together and had fun, like all of our _Friends_ Thursdays, and when we went to Homecoming and prom together and stuff, and being on Homecoming Court together...California, walking on the beach that night and talking, and Florida, and when we used to go visit each other at school....Those weekends were always the most fun, when we were together. I loved just sleeping with you, like how we cuddled. I mean, I enjoyed it 'cause I thought you were hot, definitely." He grinned at her, and she laughed. "But I just loved how we were best friends. And I love that we still are. All our times together have been all the best times of my life."

"Aww, Todd..." Jill could feel the tears in her throat again and tried to hold them back so she could talk. "Me too, you know that, right? I mean, I definitely loved the cuddling and stuff 'cause I thought you were hot too." She grinned, and he grinned back. "But in high school and stuff, I just wanted to be around you all the time. I was afraid you would get annoyed by it, but I couldn't just pass up a chance to hang out with you. If I had a chance to be around you, I was gonna be there."

"Are you kidding me, Jill? I was never annoyed by you. You were my best friend. You were the person I wanted around more than anybody. I think the worst I've ever felt in my life..." He looked away, and she thought he was about to cry. Then he looked back. "...were the times you were mad at me or we weren't talking. Like, I have always cared so much about being your best friend and about what you think of me, and the times we weren't talking, I just couldn't even...I didn't know what to do. And then when we made up or whatever, it was like my whole life fell back into place. I didn't really think about it in those terms then, but that's how it was."

Jill's eyes glistened with tears. She blinked them back.

"You're the person I'll always want around more than anybody. It's like the song says. 'Chasing Cars'? If it was just you and me and nobody else, I'd be so happy. You and me and Adria. I'm so lucky I have you. And I know things won't ever change with us." His eyes were a little wet now too. "I can't even imagine where I'd be today if I never met you, or if we didn't become friends. I think back on the last ten years of my life, and I think you. That's pretty much it. You're the most important person to me. You're still the coolest freaking girl I know." Todd laughed a little as a tear slid down his cheek.

Jill laughed through her now-falling tears too and gave Todd a one-armed hug. With her other hand she squeezed his fingers, and when he squeezed back the warmth flowed through her hand and all the way up her arm into the rest of her body. Smiling giddily and still laughing through her tears, she drew back from Todd and used the arm that had been around him to brush them off her cheek. Todd had written that to her in his high school senior will, that she was the coolest freaking girl he knew.

"So anyway..." Todd gripped her fingers a little tighter as he slid his other hand into the pocket of his shorts. His eyes never left hers.

Jill's heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to look, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his.

"I know we've only been together a little over two years," Todd said. "But you've been my best friend for ten years. And now—" Tears flowed down his face and he squeezed her hand again as he got off the bed and knelt on one knee in front of her. "Now I hope you'll be my wife." He looked down briefly and popped open the box he'd gotten out of his pocket. Then he looked back up at her. "Jilly, will you marry me?"

Jill burst into tears and giddy, uncontrollable laughter at the same time. "Of course I will, Todd." She fell to the floor and hugged him, closing her eyes blissfully when she felt his arms go around her. She buried her face in his shoulder for a brief moment, then pulled back to look him in the eyes again.

He was still crying too. He kissed her, letting his lips linger on hers, then slid the sparkling ring onto her finger. It was on a thin white gold band and had a huge round blue-green stone in the center. Jill had no idea what stone it was. It was amazing, like the color of the ocean. She turned it and it sparkled dazzlingly even in the dim light.

"It's beautiful, Todd," she whispered through her tears, staring at her hand, which felt incredibly heavy now. It was an amazing feeling. She kissed him again.

Todd touched her face and leaned his forehead against hers. "I remember you saying you didn't want a diamond engagement ring. You wanted something unique. And the one we cut out of the magazine that one time was green, so I looked at green ones first, but then I saw this one, and it was like blue-green, and blue's your favorite color, so I thought you might like this better 'cause it's like a combination of both. And you know what's cool? It's actually an emerald." He motioned to her ring. "Like the one we cut out. The jeweler told me bright green emeralds are pretty common, but the blue-green ones are really rare. Is it okay?"

"It's perfect." Jill stared at it for another moment. "But that was in high school. When I said that about not wanting a diamond ring. And when we cut the emerald one out of the magazine."

Todd drew back and looked panicked. "You mean you wanted a diamond one now?"

"No!" Jill laughed and ran her hands softly through his wild hair, pulling his forehead back to hers. "I still didn't. But I can't believe you even remember me saying that."

Todd smiled and ran his fingers through her hair too. "Of course I remember. It was in sociology, when we did that marriage project, and we cut out that picture 'cause you said diamonds were boring."

Jill laughed, thinking back to that project. She was unbelievably touched he remembered. "Weren't you an investment banker? So much for that, huh?" She grinned at him. "I could still be a lawyer I guess...I did major in pre-law. And we're definitely on the right track with the vacations. We kinda messed up the no-kid thing though." She giggled.

"Uh, yeah," Todd said. "But it's okay, we still have plenty of time for sex. Which was the reason we weren't gonna have kids, remember?"

Jill laughed even harder. "Oh my gosh, when we did that project, I was like, so in love with you. But I didn't think I had a chance of ever actually marrying you." She grinned.

He looked back at her, his eyes as deep a brown as she'd ever seen them. "When we cut out that ring, I don't think it was even a clear thought at the time, or that I really realized it, but I think part of me knew, like, That's gonna be you buying her that ring someday."

"Oh my gosh, Todd." Jill kissed him again. "You don't even know what it's like to hear you say that. You're just...you're just everything I ever wanted." She laughed to keep from crying again. "And it's not like I had some image of this guy I wanted, and then years later I met you. It was just _you_. From the beginning."

"Thanks, I know," Todd said in a jokingly arrogant voice. They both laughed and then kissed again. It was a long slow kiss at first, and then all of a sudden it was explosive and impatient. Todd pulled her to her feet and they fell back onto the bed with her on top of him. "Wow, that ring is sexy," he said in a low voice between kisses as he played with her fingers.

Jill laughed into his mouth, and he grinned and then flipped her over. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it behind him, then pulled her shirt over her head too and kissed her again, hard.

Jill kissed him back breathlessly as she unbuttoned his shorts. The rest of their clothes were off in a matter of seconds, and then Todd was poised above her.

"I love everything with you," he whispered huskily, his mouth right on her ear. Her breath quickened in anticipation. She loved when he whispered to her; just having him so close and feeling his breath on her ear and neck was a huge turn-on. "But you were right, this is definitely gonna be one of our best times ever." He grinned mischievously and adorably at the same time, then quickly leaned down and bit her neck.

"Aahh!" Jill shrieked in delight, laughing out loud. Then he was inside her and she was moving with him, and it felt incredible, mind-blowing, like the absolute best sensation she'd ever experienced. It was like they'd done it a million times before, which they had, but it was also like it was the first time ever.

### ***

When Hilton shut the door, leaving Jill in the room with Todd, she quickly hurried back to the elevator with her luggage, grinning giddily to herself. She was _so_ excited for Jill and Todd, and she'd barely been able to contain herself this whole trip, but especially all day today, ever since they'd gotten in their taxi in Florence this morning and headed for the train station. And there was still another surprise coming, even after the proposal.

Hilton took her luggage back to her room and left it outside. She would take it in in a minute. She hurried back to the elevator and rode the rest of the way down. She practically skipped out into the lobby. When she'd left the room during Jill's shower, she'd gone up to make sure Todd had arrived and was ready. Then she'd taken Adria down to the concierge and asked if he could watch her for just a few minutes.

"Hitton!" Adria giggled now, seeing Hilton coming back across the lobby. She jumped out of her chair, nearly falling, and ran to hug Hilton's leg.

"Hey, girl!" Hilton bent down to hug her. "So did you and Daddy have a good trip here?"

Adria's brown eyes went huge. "It was a big pwane." She spread her arms out as wide as she could. "Daddy was being funny." She wrinkled her nose. "He said he was nuhvous about his soopise foh Mommy."

"Aww!" Hilton giggled, then stood back up and took Adria's small hand. "Come on, let's go up to our room. You and me can hang out for a while, okay? You can help me take my bags back inside."

Adria suddenly burst into giggles. She let go of Hilton and covered her face with both hands.

Hilton laughed. Adria was so adorable. "What are you laughing at, silly girl?!"

Adria shook her head and giggled some more. Then she ran ahead of Hilton to the elevator. " _I_ have a soopise foh YOU!" She dissolved into a fit of hysterics, pointing at Hilton and stomping her feet.

" _You_ have a surprise for _me_?!" Hilton laughed and ran to the elevator, scooping Adria up in her arms.

"Aaaahhhh!" Adria squealed in delight, her long blondish-brown hair flying everywhere.

Hilton put her back down. "Come on, let's go up the stairs. I'll race you!" She took off toward the stairs.

Adria clambered after her, shoving past her on the second step and still giggling hysterically.

"Oh no!" Hilton cried. "You're gonna beat me!"

Adria reached the second floor and kept going.

"Ah ha!" Hilton called up the stairs. "I'm gonna win! You didn't know our room was on this floor!"

"Aaahhh!" Adria squealed, racing back down and almost falling over Hilton's feet. "Which woom, which woom?"

"I guess I know and you don't!" Hilton took off down the hall.

"Hitton!" Adria squealed, running after her and tugging on the bottom of Hilton's skirt.

"Shit!" Hilton mouthed, laughing as her skirt almost came down. She yanked it back up and scooped Adria up again. She ran down the hall with Adria, who squealed wildly the whole way, and came to a breathless stop in front of the door.

"Is this it?" Adria asked eagerly.

"Yep, I guess we tied." Hilton stuck her tongue out at Adria.

Adria giggled. "Ewwwy, put me down!"

Hilton set her on her feet.

"Wet me in!"

Hilton slid the key into the door, and Adria shoved the door open and ran into the room. When Hilton stepped in behind her, dragging her bags, Adria had already disappeared around the corner. "Adria, where'd you go?!" Hilton cried, pretending to be worried. She stepped around the corner, and her mouth dropped open.

Adria was sitting on the bed beaming. Next to her sat a grinning Luke.

"Luke!" Hilton screamed. She dropped all her stuff and ran to him. He stood up to meet her, and she flew into his arms, laughing. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and basketball shorts, and she thought he'd never looked hotter. His shaggy dark hair fell across his forehead and around his ears, and his smile was so genuine and happy.

They kissed quickly on the lips, and Hilton turned back to Adria, who was now jumping on the bed. "Was this your surprise, Adria?" She wished she could rip Luke's clothes off right now. His arm was still around her waist, and he let his hand graze her butt ever so slightly. She grinned at him, and he grinned back.

"Yes!" Adria shouted exuberantly as she jumped.

"That was such a good surprise!" Hilton grabbed Adria and knocked her down, then started tickling her mercilessly. Adria squealed and kicked and screamed and giggled.

"Stop it, Hitton! Stop it!"

Hilton finally let Adria go, and, laughing, turned back to Luke and hugged him again. "How long have you known you were coming here?!"

"Since _yestooooday_!" Adria piped up, bouncing back to a sitting position on the bed. "Daddy said..." She paused for breath. " 'Adwia, we going to see Mommy in Itawee!' "

Hilton and Luke looked at each other and cracked up.

"I bought my ticket the day Todd bought his," Luke said, grinning at her.

"I cannot believe you guys! I thought I was so cool with my surprise for Jill." Hilton giggled.

"Never underestimate the power of Luke and Todd," Luke said, pulling her into another hug. "We can outsmart you anytime."

"Outsmaht you! Outsmaht you!" Adria chanted as she recommenced jumping on the bed.

Luke and Hilton looked at each other and laughed again.

"I love you," Luke whispered.

"I love you too." Hilton hugged him again. "I'm so glad you're here."

### ***

A few hours later, around ten, the five of them went out to eat. The two couples held hands as they were led to a table, and Adria, who'd taken a nap in Hilton and Luke's room and was now wide awake again, led the way eagerly, walking in front of Jill and Todd.

"Would you like a chair for her?" the maitre d' asked, nodding at Adria.

"Yes, please," Jill and Todd said in unison.

"Mommy, did you wike soopise?" Adria asked when they were all settled into their seats. She pounded eagerly on the table.

"I loved it," Jill said, smiling happily at Todd. He squeezed her shoulder. Neither one of them could stop grinning. Jill stroked Adria's hair.

"I soopised Hitton!" Adria shouted. She banged on the table some more. "Hitton and Wuke!"

Everybody laughed, and Jill reached out to stop Adria from pounding.

A server came to take their drink orders.

"Get something good," Luke said to Jill and Todd. "It's on us. We're watching her tonight too." He nodded to Adria.

"Aww, thanks, you guys," Jill said, grinning at him and Hilton. She turned back to the server. "Um, can I get a Bellini?"

Todd ordered a beer.

"Adria, what do you want?" Jill asked her. "Water? Coke?"

"Coke!" Adria shouted.

"I knew she would," Jill said with a laugh. Adria had only had Coke twice before, and she loved it just because it was a special treat.

"Her name is Adria?" the server asked in his thick Italian accent.

"Yeah. It's her first time here." Jill reached out to hold Adria's hand and gave her a silly grin.

"You two are the parents?" He motioned to Jill and Todd.

They both smiled at him. "Yep."

"They just got engaged tonight," Hilton said, flashing a grin at Jill and Todd.

"Well, congratulations! I think this calls for a meal on the house."

Jill's and Todd's eyes widened. "Really?" they asked incredulously.

"Of course. How could we not treat a couple who has a daughter with the same name as this beautiful city?" He turned to Adria. "And you are just as beautiful as the city you share a name with." He bowed his head slightly to her. Jill and Todd shared a private grin.

"Say thanks, Adria," Jill whispered.

"Tanks!" Adria smiled sweetly.

"Say _grazie_ ," Hilton told her, looking at Jill with a giggle.

" _Gwatzyyy!_ " Adria said, still giving the server a winning smile.

The server laughed and patted Adria's head. "Very good. A true Italian girl. _Bella._ "

After Hilton and Luke had ordered their drinks and the server left, Jill, Hilton, Luke, and Todd all sat back contentedly.

"Thank you for bringing her," Jill said quietly to Todd, squeezing his leg under the table.

"You're welcome. I wanted us to all three be here together on our first time."

"Me too. I'm so happy." Jill hadn't possibly imagined her night could get any better after Todd showing up, but then he had proposed to her, and then she had found out Adria was here too. She was still in a state of euphoric shock, and she could hardly keep her hands off Todd. He looked gorgeous right now, in black dress pants and a teal dress shirt. "So where did you guys fly into?" she asked.

"Venice," Luke said.

"So wait, are you going back to Venice with us?!" Jill's eyes shone even more brightly. "How long are we even staying in Adria?" She looked at Hilton.

Hilton laughed. "Till Tuesday. And it's all you guys's time to do what you want. We'll watch her, or whatever you need."

"And hell yeah, we're coming to Venice," Todd said, slinging his arm around Jill's shoulders.

She grinned ecstatically at him. "You better not be lying. Aahhh, I'm so excited!" She laughed and looked at Hilton, who grinned back at her.

"Yeah, we'll be there the whole time you guys are," Luke said. "And then when you guys go to Milan we're going home. We just got roundtrip out of Venice."

"That's so awesome," Jill said, still grinning happily. "This is _all_ so awesome. And Venice is supposed to be like the most romantic city in the world....I still can't even believe this." She raised her hand to look at her ring, then leaned over to kiss Todd.

"Coke!" Adria clapped her hands excitedly as her glass was placed in front of her. It was a small child-sized glass, and the server put the rest of the bottle of Coke next to it.

" _Grazie,_ " Jill said. She leaned over to help Adria take a drink.

They all ordered food and handed their menus over.

"So wait, Hilton, how long have you known about this?!" Jill said.

"Um, they bought their tickets like...two weeks after we got ours?" Hilton looked at the boys, who nodded. "I didn't know about Luke coming though!" She grinned and grabbed his leg under the table, making him kick his foot out a little. He kissed her noisily on the cheek.

"So did you know the whole time you were gonna propose to me?" Jill asked Todd. "Or did you decide that later?"

"Jilly, I've wanted to propose to you for like, two years." Todd grinned and ruffled her hair. "I just had to save up some money first. I was planning on doing it sometime this summer, and then when you guys decided you were for sure going to Italy, I thought that'd work out pretty well. I've had the idea in mind ever since you guys have been talking about going. I just was glad you didn't go last summer, 'cause I wouldn't really have had the money for a ring yet. Or at least not as much as I wanted. I woulda had to get a loan from my mom." He grinned at Jill again.

"All of this was Todd's idea," Hilton said. "Adria and everything. I booked the tickets, but he asked me if we could go here so he could do this."

"Aww, Todd, I can't believe that. I had no idea." Jill ran a finger under her eye to catch a tear.

"You really didn't have any idea I wanted to marry you?"

The way he'd said that and the look in his eyes made her fall more in love with him than she already was, if that was even possible. "Well I hoped, someday...but I had no idea you were thinking about getting ready to propose." She buried her face in his shoulder for a second, and he wrapped his arm tightly around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so happy," she whispered.

Todd kissed the top of her head again. "Me too," he whispered back.

"Mommy, why awe you cuh-wying?" Adria asked when Jill turned back to the rest of them.

Jill laughed and wiped at her eyes again. " 'Cause I love you and Daddy, honey." She squeezed Todd's leg under the table, then squeezed Adria's hand.

"I wuv Daddy too!"

"Me too," Luke said. "He's just... _uhhh_." Luke sighed dramatically. "The man I always wanted to be."

" _Vaffanculo_ ," Todd said with a grin, then did the _Friends_ flip-off where you made both hands into fists and banged them together twice.

"What?" Luke frowned at Hilton, and she, Jill, and Todd all looked at each other and snickered.

"Hey, not cool." Luke pretended to pout.

" _VAFAFAFA!_ " Adria screamed.

Jill, Todd, Hilton, and Luke all looked at each other and burst out laughing.

### ***

Adria stayed with Hilton and Luke that night so Jill and Todd could be alone. The next morning, Jill and Todd took Adria out sightseeing all day. As soon as they picked her up in the morning, Hilton slid into Luke's bed, and they didn't get up till one in the afternoon. They went sightseeing on their own for a few hours, then everybody met back at the hotel, showered, and got ready to go out to dinner.

"I got you pwesents!" Adria announced excitedly to Hilton and Luke when they went up to Jill and Todd's room.

"Really?" Luke asked, bending down. "What'd you get us?"

Adria hit him on the forehead and ran around him to the bed. Hilton and Luke looked at each other and cracked up.

"Thanks, Adria," Luke called dryly.

"Yoh WECCOME!" Adria said, running back to him and Hilton and presenting them with a sack.

"Ooohh," Hilton said as she dug inside it. "I wonder what it is..." It felt like two T-shirts. She pulled them out. "Aww, look, they say Adria!"

"My name!" Adria exclaimed happily.

"Aww!" Hilton grinned at Luke again. "We get to wear your name around! We'll be so cool! Thanks, girlie!"

"Yoh WECCOME!" Adria said again, beaming at them.

"Check it out," Todd said, sticking out his chest and poofing out his shirt as he came up behind Adria and scooped her up. She squealed in delight and kicked the air. Todd's shirt said ADRIA too, in big block letters.

"Daddy wuv me, Daddy wuv me!" Adria sang as Todd flipped her upside down in his arms. She shrieked some more.

"I wuv you very much," Todd said to her.

"I can't believe you have a kid, Todd," Hilton said with a laugh. He was soooo adorable with her; Jill was right. Hilton loved watching him with her. He was an amazing dad. It sometimes really was still hard to believe he had a kid though...or that Jill did. It seemed to Hilton like not that long ago at all that they'd all been freshmen or sophomores in college. What she really couldn't believe was that she and Luke had been together for over five and a half years. In a way it seemed like they'd been together forever, but in a way it seemed like it had only been a couple years at most. She felt so lucky that everything with him was so comfortable, yet at the same time so exciting. They'd never gotten bored with each other, never had a phase when they stopped having sex or just bickered about everything. They fought, yeah, but not on a daily basis over stupid little things like a lot of couples. And the sex was as hot as it'd been right from the beginning. She could never get enough of him.

### ***

Venice was breathtakingly beautiful and romantic and everything Hilton and Jill had thought it would be. Hilton took more pictures than she had anywhere else. Her favorite was one of her and Luke standing on a bridge with a busy canal behind them, full of water taxis and gondolas and brightly colored buildings. She could already see it as her new computer desktop. All the colors would make it stunning. They went to a couple art museums, the Bridge of Sighs, the top of the _cupola_ in the Piazza San Marco, and Ponte di Rialto, the oldest bridge in Venice. They bought paintings of Venice from local artists along the waterfront, ate gelato at least three times a day, and took a boat to Murano, the island where Venetian glass was made. Jill and Hilton bought glass palm tree and dolphin figurines, and Hilton even found a little glass tennis racquet. Todd bought Jill a gorgeous necklace made with pieces of blue-green glass that matched her ring perfectly. Because of how the light hit different parts of the ring at different angles, in one glance it could look almost opaque and in another almost transparent.

"Oh my gosh, guess what I just thought of?!" Hilton asked Jill on the boat ride back to Venice. It was sunset and the sky was a gorgeous pinkish-purple shade as they approached the Piazza San Marco. "Remember how we went to visit Lorylyn for Halloween freshman year, and you changed your name to Venice for the night?!"

"Oh my gosh, yeah!" Jill's eyes widened. "Oh, wow, that's so weird!" She laughed. Jill had renamed herself Venice for the night because her and Hilton's friend Lorylyn and all Lorylyn's suitemates had unique names and called themselves the Weird-Name Whores, and Jill and Hilton had dressed as whores with them for the Halloween party. Lorylyn and her suitemates had agreed Hilton was definitely unique enough, but they'd thought it would be fun if Jill just made up something for the night. Hilton had suggested Venice completely out of the blue, and Jill had loved the idea. She had been to Venice Beach, California, and she'd always wanted to go to Venice, Italy. So she'd made everybody call her Venice all night, and she'd had romantic images of beaches and the Pacific Ocean and canals and beautiful Italian buildings floating through her mind the whole time.

"Yeah, isn't that crazy?!" Hilton said with a wide-eyed grin. "It's like you knew you were gonna be here someday on this amazingly romantic vacation and get proposed to just miles away, and name your daughter after a town really close to here..." She laughed, her eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, I knew it all along," Jill said airily, then laughed when Todd hit her in the back of the head.

### ***

Their last full day in Venice, during the afternoon while Jill and Todd took Adria for another walk along the waterfront and had her portrait painted, Hilton and Luke took a gondola ride. Their gondolier maneuvered them through the canals of the city, and they learned all about the history of different buildings and parts of Venice. It was romantic as hell, and it was Hilton's favorite thing they'd done on the whole trip so far. Later that night, Hilton and Luke took Adria to dinner and then watched her while Jill and Todd went on their own gondola ride and had a late private dinner. The next morning, when Adria went back to Jill and Todd's room, Hilton and Luke had sex all morning till they finally had to get ready to leave. The five of them all walked down to the Grand Canal together, and the couples kissed goodbye. Jill spent a few minutes saying goodbye to Adria and explaining that she'd see her at home in a few days. Then Luke, Todd, and Adria boarded a water taxi for the airport, and Hilton and Jill boarded one for the train station to catch their train to Milan.

### ***

They spent half of their time in Milan sightseeing and half of it shopping, and they went out every night to modern, flashy clubs. To them, Milan seemed the most like an American city, probably because of the prominence of partying and fashion. There was history here, of course, like in the other cities they'd visited, but it didn't seem to be what Milan was all about.

And yet Milan felt different from any American city Hilton had ever been in too; it was more sophisticated, more stylish, faster. When she'd heard the word "Milan" in the past, she'd pictured models on runways. That impression didn't change during her and Jill's three and a half days in the city.

"This is _totally_ different here," Jill said as they sat in a club one night, sipping drinks and people-watching. "I almost feel like we're not even in Italy anymore, like it's a whole different country or something."

"I know," Hilton agreed. "But I love it. It reminds me of Arden's job; it makes me think of what the parties she goes to are probably like."

"Yeah." Jill grinned. "It seems exactly like that."

### ***

"Can you believe we're leaving?" Hilton asked two days later as their plane taxied out to the runway at the Milan airport.

"No. It's so weird. I feel like we've been gone way longer than three weeks."

"I know. I feel like it's been three months. And look at everything that's happened in those three weeks." Hilton grinned. "You and Todd are freaking engaged! And you had no idea. You never would've thought on the plane ride over here you'd be going home engaged."

"Oh my gosh, I know." Jill's face lit up with a huge, silly, irrepressible grin. "I'm still in shock, I think. It's just like this unreal dream. It was so perfect. Todd's so perfect." She sighed blissfully, then looked back at Hilton. "And we kinda met Tanner Bruin _and_ Haidin Bayliss, and Luke came and surprised you, and a week from now you're gonna be in _Paris_ working for _Game Set Match_." Jill, wide-eyed and still smiling, shook her head at Hilton in disbelief.

"I know. Holy shit. _Paris_. And _Game Set Match_. Holy freaking shit."

"It was definitely a life-changing trip." Jill laughed.

"Yeah, you can say that again."

### Dale

### May 21-26, 2007

### HAIDIN CHEATS ON AUBREY

That was the headline plastered across the cover of _Game Set Match_. Above it was Hilton's full-color photo of Haidin kissing the blonde girl just outside the hotel elevator. Even though his face was tilted down to the girl's, it was a close-up and unmistakably him...black hair spiked straight up, flawlessly shaped thin-but-not-too-thin face, muscular arms and shoulders.

The actual article was a six-page spread. Blown up on the left-hand side of the first two pages was the photo Hilton had taken of Haidin barely shaking Nate's hand with a beyond-pissed look on his face, and on the second two pages was the one of him flipping off the camera as he led the blonde girl by the hand toward what was obviously the door of a hotel room. Under each picture it said photo by Hilton Joliet and at the very end of the article it said cover photo by Hilton Joliet.

HAIDIN? MORE LIKE HADES

### Bayliss' devious doings in Rome—on and off the court

BY JAMES DYER

Tennis bad boy Haidin Bayliss, ranked No. 6 in the world as of Monday's official ATP Tour rankings, surpassed even his own previous level of unsportsmanlike conduct with a slew of bad behavior at the ATP Masters Series Rome last week. Bayliss' disgraceful decorum began Wednesday, during his second-round match against American Nate Young. Seeded fifth in the clay-court tournament, a surface on which American men have not had great success in the last few years, Bayliss may have expected an easy win. What he got was a vicious slap in the face.

Young took the early lead in the match with a break at 2 games all to go up 3-2 in the first set. When Young followed up by holding his own service game at love, Bayliss threw his racquet and was issued a warning from the chair. Young won that set 6-4, and Bayliss won the second 6-4.

Fast-forward to 5-5 in the third: Bayliss double-faults twice to lose the first 2 points of the game. He then proceeds to yell at the umpire to ask the crowd to "shut the f—k up," even though many fans are cheering for him. Answered by resounding boos from the fans, Bayliss goes down love-40 on a winner off a blistering crosscourt forehand return by Young. Bayliss is able to salvage one point, but loses the game in three short minutes. Young holds at love to win the match. Young jumps into the air and hurries to the net to meet Bayliss; Bayliss barely shakes Young's hand and refuses to make eye contact. Bayliss then leaves the court without shaking the chair umpire's hand, an almost unheard-of occurrence in professional tennis.

Afterward, Young, in his on-court interview, said of the match, "Yeah, it was tough, I mean, Haidin's one of the best players out there and always a strong competitor. I feel like I played really well today, and I'm glad I was able to pull it off. I had a lot of crowd support and that really helped, so thank you guys. I'm looking forward to the next round."

Bayliss, on the other hand, in a press conference following the match, appeared livid and used the f-word 14 times, in statements such as, "Well, of course I should've won. He's a f—king American, and Americans f—king suck on clay!" and "Are you a f—king idiot? How do you think I f—king feel about the match?" Due to Bayliss' similar January press conference after his quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open to Rafael Nadal, all his press conferences and interviews now air on an 11-second tape delay.

For Bayliss, 25, who had a bye in the first round at Rome, this is his earliest exit in a tournament since last summer at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, DC, where he went out in the second round to American wildcard Scoville Jenkins, 6-7(8), 6-7(4). The early-round loss at Rome caused Bayliss—whom many have predicted will finish the year in the top 3—to drop from 5 to 6 on the ATP poll. Not exactly what he wanted going into Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

But the real shocker came later that night. Asked in his press conference after the match if Aubrey Gage, 23, his girlfriend of 5 months, was with him in Rome, Bayliss snapped angrily at reporters that he doesn't answer questions about his personal life. However, he inadvertently answered the question just hours later when he was photographed kissing a mystery blonde woman at the Hotel Sette Colline (the Seven Hills Hotel) near Palatine Hill.

Hotel guests Hilton Joliet and Jill Sherer were returning from dinner around 12:30 a.m. when they spotted a young couple headed into the hotel in front of them. The couple entered the elevator; Joliet and Sherer took the stairs. When Joliet and Sherer reached the fourth-floor landing, the elevator opened and the couple emerged. Avid tennis fans, Joliet and Sherer immediately recognized Bayliss, and Joliet, who has a photography degree, started snapping pictures. Bayliss' reaction?

"He said, 'What the f—k! Who the f—k are you, bitch?!' " Joliet reports. "And we said something a little mean about his loss that day, and he flipped us off and went in his room." Were Joliet and Sherer just turned off by Bayliss' actions that night? "No, we've never been fans," Sherer says. "He's always seemed like a cocky jerk." And cocky jerk, indeed—leaving the hotel the following morning, Bayliss walked out wearing sunglasses with both middle fingers held high in the air all the way to a waiting car. Hotel Sette Colline staff declined to release the name Bayliss' room was booked under, or to confirm Bayliss was a guest at the hotel, saying they value their guests' privacy.

So where was party-girl Love Means More than Money star Gage while her boyfriend kissed another woman in a Rome hotel? She was in New York City partying, of course; she was sighted having dinner that night at Pastis with friends and later taking shots of Patrón at Tenjune and Bungalow 8. When contacted the following day, a rep did not return calls. Gage issued a statement Friday morning through her publicist Julia Hollack, in which she said, "Haidin and I are still together, and neither of us even considers this an incident in our relationship. Yes, we are in a relationship, but who hasn't heard of the area code rule? And Italy is definitely a different area code, if I am not mistaken. I was also out Wednesday night; I guess it just happens nobody got the right pictures of me. Haidin is in New York with me now, and we'll see you all in Paris in a week and a half."

Bayliss' rep also did not return calls, and Bayliss has not issued any kind of statement regarding the incident.

Sounds like this may be one of those cases of life not imitating art. Just imagine the reality show—Haidin and Aubrey: Money (and Partying) Means More than Love. Episode 1: "The Area Code Rule."

Anybody else think this so-called "relationship" screams publicity stunt? GSM

There were twenty copies at the apartment when the girls got back Monday night.

When Luke, Todd, and Adria picked Hilton and Jill up from the Indy airport, Adria ran to hug them both, yelling, "Mommy! Hitton!" Jill scooped her up and Adria settled happily into Jill's arms.

Luke and Todd kissed Hilton and Jill, then Luke said, " _Game Set Match_ came." He had a huge, sly grin on his face.

"I'm engaged to an avid tennis fan," Todd said, wearing the same mischievous grin as Luke.

"What?" Hilton and Jill asked warily.

"Ohhh, just wait," Luke said. He and Todd looked at each other and snickered.

Hilton hit at Luke and laughed. "I can't believe you're gonna be a little turd about it all the way home and you didn't even bring a copy with you!"

"Oh, believe it, baby." Luke kissed her again, then picked up her big suitcase to slide it into his trunk.

Hilton and Jill spent the whole drive back to Dale prying for information and regaling the boys with all their Italy stories they hadn't had a chance to tell on the phone or when the boys were there. Adria fell asleep before they were even out on the highway.

When they walked into the apartment, Hilton started laughing. There were copies of _Game Set Match_ everywhere...the kitchen counter, the table between the kitchen and living room...the coffee table. She had a feeling there'd be some waiting for them on their beds too.

She dropped her purse and carry-on bag and grabbed one. Jill did the same. By the time Luke and Todd came in with the rest of the bags and Adria, Hilton and Jill were laughing incredulously as they pored over the article.

"We're famous!" Jill cried. "Especially you! Look how good your freakin' pictures look!"

"Ahhh!" Hilton cried, unable to contain her excitement. She was grinning uncontrollably. "I cannot believe this. This is freakin' crazy!"

### ***

The whole week was crazy. The girls had gotten home Monday night around ten, and Hilton had to leave on Sunday morning for Paris. On Tuesday she went into Nick's and explained to Nick what had happened. He asked her if she would be back at all or if he should hire someone else. Hilton laughed. "Oh, I'll definitely be back! This is only for a month or so. I mean, they probably won't need me anymore after the big tournaments are over. But I mean, hire somebody else if you need to; I understand."

Nick said he might look for a photography major to hire just part-time, but Hilton could definitely have her job back when she returned from Paris and London.

"Thank you so much," Hilton said. "I really appreciate it. I'm really sorry I didn't have sooner notice or anything."

Nick shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You have to take these opportunities when they come."

"Thanks!" Hilton said again, then rushed out of the shop. As she stepped back into the bright sunshine, she felt a huge sense of freedom and relief. She liked Nick, but that job was just so boring. It definitely didn't compare to traveling to Paris and London and working for _Game Set Match_.

After leaving Nick's she went and bought a laptop with some of the money she'd made from _Game Set Match,_ because she'd decided she couldn't deal without Internet anymore while she was in Europe. Now at least she'd be able to keep up to date with what was going on at home on a daily basis.

Hilton and Luke went to lunch together every day the rest of the week when he was on break from the law firm where he worked, and they spent every evening together too, sometimes with Jill and Todd, sometimes alone. That was the only bad part about this...she wasn't going to see Luke much till early July. She'd be in Paris for basically two weeks, come back for a couple weeks, then go to London for two more weeks. And while she was in London she'd miss his birthday, which she still felt horrible about, despite the fact he wouldn't even let her bring it up and insisted repeatedly when she did that it wasn't a big deal. She was bummed, but this was exactly what she had wanted...to travel. She would definitely miss him, but this was the opportunity of a lifetime, and she was as excited as she could ever remember being about anything.

On Friday, Hilton's parents came down from Caldwell, her hometown, which was about two hours away, to take her, Luke, Jill, and Todd out to dinner to celebrate. Jill got one of her friends from class to babysit Adria. Hilton and Jill talked nonstop through most of dinner, telling all about Italy and Jill and Todd's engagement. Hilton's parents were thrilled for Jill and Todd, both of whom they'd known for years. Hilton's mom had known how much Jill liked Todd all through high school, and she had always been pulling for them to get together. Then they talked about Hilton's new "job"—Hilton felt weird calling it that because it was more like a short-term thing—tennis in general, Adria, Todd's job, Jill's and Luke's school, and everybody's plans for the rest of the summer. They stayed until the restaurant closed at eleven, then Hilton's parents went to their hotel, and Hilton, Luke, Jill, and Todd went back to their apartment.

"Night, _lovvv_ ers," Hilton said as Jill and Todd headed into their bedroom after the babysitter left and they'd checked on Adria. Hilton was sitting on the couch reading the _Game Set Match_ article again. She still couldn't get over it or even believe it existed.

"Night, superstar," Jill said, flashing Hilton a grin.

"Yeah, night," Todd said. "By the way, you're kind of a big deal."

"Shut up," Hilton laughed.

Todd and Jill disappeared into their room and shut the door. Their room was on one side of the apartment with Adria's room right next to it. Hilton and Luke each had their own bedroom on the other side of the living room, but they always slept together, in whomever's room they happened to go to bed that night. It was nice having separate ones to keep their stuff in though; it gave them way more space, and it gave Luke privacy when he needed to work on homework. They lived in the same apartment Jill and Hilton had lived in since their sophomore year at Dale. After their other roommates, Laney and Natalie, had graduated, Luke, Todd, and Adria had all moved in. Jill had actually lived at home for a while after having Adria, but she'd moved back in too, and it was the perfect arrangement.

Luke came out of his room. He'd changed into just basketball shorts; he wasn't wearing a shirt, and he looked delicious. Hilton grinned up at him from the couch.

Luke reached out his hands to her. "Ready for bed? Let's go get it on."

"Okay." Hilton tossed the magazine to the side, then let him pull her off the couch. She ran her hands up and down his bare back as she followed him into his room. "I want you really bad right now," she whispered into his shoulder blade.

Luke slammed the door behind them and then threw her down on the bed, grinning as he fell on top of her. Hilton shrieked with laughter as he bit at her neck, then she grabbed his face and pulled it to hers.

### ***

The next night, Hilton's last night home, she and Luke cooked dinner together. Jill and Todd had taken Adria to a movie, so Hilton and Luke had the apartment to themselves for a while. And Hilton knew they'd probably be in the bedroom by the time Jill, Todd, and Adria got home. She grinned to herself at the thought as she stirred the boiling noodles for their chicken alfredo.

"Excuse me," Luke said as he brushed by her to open the fridge. He pressed into her and ran his hand over her ass, and her grin widened.

When the food was ready they turned out all the lights in the apartment and Hilton lit candles around the living room and kitchen area. They sat at the table between the two rooms and ate quietly, both enjoying the food and the wine from Italy and each other's presence. They kept looking at each other and smiling.

"You're beautiful," Luke said once when their eyes met.

"Thanks, so are you." She gave him an ironic smile, and he broke into silent laughter. He kicked her foot under the table and she ran her foot up his leg. Their eyes never left each other's, and their expressions didn't change.

"You really are gorgeous though," Hilton said a minute later as she lifted a bit of pasta to her mouth. "I never get enough of you. Isn't it crazy how after almost six years we still just wanna jump each other all the time?" It was true too; she did think he was gorgeous. He was tall, about 6'4, and had a well-toned body with long, lean muscles. When he smiled, his brown eyes twinkled in a way that automatically made Hilton smile too, and she loved running her hands through his brown hair that came down to his ears in front and the base of his neck in back and fell across his forehead in an adorable way. It was long but it always looked combed and smooth, even though he never actually combed it. It was so sexy. He was so sexy.

"Yeah," he said with a grin, his eyes twinkling the way she loved. "And you know that's never gonna change."

"Hell no it's not."

"Yeah, I decided I don't like this you traveling thing. I don't know what I'm gonna do. I've had sex almost every day for the last five and a half years."

Hilton grinned back at him, her eyes twinkling with laughter like his were. "We should get web cams."

"That's a very excellent idea."

"That's what you can get us for our birthdays." Her birthday was in July too, sixteen days after his.

"Well that won't do us much good while you're in Paris; our birthdays aren't for a while."

"Well, shit. What are we gonna do?"

"Maybe Jill and Todd will let me have a threesome."

"Oh yeah, maybe. Will you videotape it and send it to me?"

"Of course."

"Good, I can't wait. It's what'll get me through the nights in my lonely European hotel rooms."

"Let's do it on the balcony."

They were still grinning at each other.

"Okay," Hilton said.

"It's not dark yet."

"So? We live on the third floor. No one will see."

"Let's go."

### ***

"I seriously cannot believe we did that," Luke said in a low voice later as he and Hilton lay in bed. They'd done it on the balcony and then again as soon as they came into the bedroom.

A wild laugh escaped Hilton's lips as she lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him. "That was fucking crazy. And so unbelievably hot." She kissed him on the lips.

"Yeah it was. That might get me through while you're in Paris, just thinking back on tonight. We should've videotaped _that_."

Hilton laughed again. "Yeah, and then I could've taken it with me too." She kissed him again. "I am gonna miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too. But I mean, this is a freaking awesome opportunity, Hilton. You're gonna have the time of your life. You'll be so busy you won't even have that much time to miss me. I'm jealous."

"Yeah, but I'll still miss you like crazy. I mean, it's freaking _Paris_. I wish you were coming with me."

"Me too. Hey." He pulled back and slid out of bed. Hilton propped herself up on her elbow and watched him. He looked incredible when he was naked. Even better than when he was dressed. "I have a song for you," he said with a grin as he leaned over his computer.

"Okay." Hilton smiled, curious to see what it would be. As soon as it started she burst out laughing. It was  "Makin' Good Love" by Avant. She knew it word for word. It was all about sex and not being able to keep your hands off each other, and there was a verse about doing it on a balcony.

Luke was laughing too as he dove back onto the bed and landed on top of her. The first verse was about doing it in a bed and the girl's legs and hair being all over the place, and it made the sex sound totally crazy. It reminded Hilton of her and Luke in every way. Luke kissed her roughly just as the words started, and Hilton raised her hips and kissed him even harder as he pushed into her.

### Paris

### May 27-June 10, 2007

Paris was a whirlwind.

Some days Hilton went to Roland Garros, to the tournament, to photograph matches or to catch the players in candid moments around the grounds. She laughed in amazement every time she looked down and saw the huge media pass hanging around her neck with her name, photo, and the words _Game Set Match_ Staff on it, or when she took pictures with the high-end, kickass camera she'd been given to carry around the grounds so she could zoom in farther, take picture after picture with no recovery time in between, and get higher-quality photos. When she covered matches, Deidre or James—the guy who'd come with Deidre to the hotel in Florence and the one who'd written the article in which her pictures appeared—would have her in the stands, in the first or second row, positioned on the end of the court with the VIP, company, and friend boxes, so she'd have a different angle from whatever _GSM_ photographer happened to actually be out on the court. The ones on the court were always on the side opposite the chair umpire and the players' chairs. Hilton would go to the front desk of the hotel every morning around eleven and the concierge would give her the ticket for whatever seats Deidre or James or somebody had arranged for her for various matches that day and tell her what time her car would arrive to take her to the tournament. Some days she covered smaller matches at which she was the only _GSM_ photographer, or the only photographer period. Since _GSM_ came out weekly, it didn't just focus on the big-name players, and Deidre and James wanted coverage of everybody. Whenever Hilton wasn't at a match, she was assigned to be walking around the grounds looking for practice sessions, players autographing for fans, significant others of players, and anything else she thought might be news- or photo-worthy.

Other days, she was to sit in the hotel lobby with her own camera ready and watch for players to leave the hotel. This hotel was much bigger and much more like an American hotel than the ones where she and Jill had stayed in Italy, and she could obscurely sit in a group of lobby chairs but still have a good view of the elevator area and the main doors. Each player only had a match every other day, so her job was to follow them on their off days to see what they did and photograph them doing it. The first time she jumped into a cab and said, "Follow that car, please!" and pointed to the one the famous American player James Blake and his brother had just gotten into, she felt a little crazy and laughed out loud, absolutely loving it.

That was mostly how she saw Paris, by following vehicles carrying tennis players through the busy streets. It was beautiful, breathtaking, romantic, stylish, everything everyone said it was. And seeing it for the first time through a series of car chases made it seem even more all those things.

No matter what she did during the day, at night she was always supposed to wait in the lobby for players to leave the hotel. She knew these were the pictures Deidre and James really wanted, ones of the players out partying. But so far there hadn't been a lot of action at night. Once Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish had left the hotel together, and even though Hilton figured it couldn't be for anything too exciting since they were both wearing gym shorts, she followed them and got a great zoomed-in picture from several yards away of them looking around the corner and conferring before heading back inside the hotel. She hoped they might leave again in a little while, if they'd been looking for something around the corner and found it, but they didn't. She felt kind of like a creepy stalker, because no other reporters or photographers were following the players around at the hotel, but she figured they were used to _Game Set Match_ people doing that. Plus, she was pretty sure Andy and Mardy didn't even see her. On another night, Haidin and Aubrey walked into the hotel holding hands and she snapped a picture of them crossing the lobby. Haidin saw the flash and turned, and his eyes narrowed immediately. At first Hilton was shocked. There's no way he would remember me, she thought. But then she figured he probably didn't remember her at all; he was just glaring because he didn't like being followed by photographers. So Hilton just gave him a half smile and a little wave, trying not to laugh. Aubrey saw Haidin's head turn and looked too. She saw Hilton waving at Haidin and flashed a glare ten times icier than Haidin's. She thinks I'm flirting with him! Hilton thought, laughing hysterically to herself. She had a sudden urge to run across the lobby shouting, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Aubrey Gage! You're so amazing! I _love_ you!" in a totally fake voice. The thought made her half smile become a full one, and she knew it looked like she was either laughing at them or just totally star-struck. Aubrey continued to glare, and Hilton flashed another picture before the couple rounded the corner to the elevators. She immediately flipped back to look at it; she was sure _GSM_ would want that one. She grinned. Yep, it was great. Aubrey looked like a total bitch. Haidin had turned away before she took the picture, but it was still awesome.

But that was as exciting as the nights had gotten so far. Hilton came back to the hotel after her assignments each day, showered, and dressed up to sit in the lobby, in case somebody went out to a nightclub, and she was really wishing somebody would so she could go to a Paris club. It was boring as hell just sitting in the hotel lobby hoping someone came along. And it wasn't the most fun to get all dressed up every night but then never have anyplace to go. If she did ever get to go to a club, she was supposed to act like just a normal customer and carry her camera in her purse. She was supposed to act inconspicuous and follow whoever it was around the bar and get whatever pictures she could. It was the same when she followed players during the day—she was supposed to act like a tourist and use her own camera, because the one _GSM_ had given her was way too big and noticeable. She'd gotten to follow players a few times during the day, but at night, she waited till about five in the morning, then went to bed. She loved that aspect—staying up late and sleeping in—of this "job" or whatever it was. That had always been her lifestyle in college. And because of her nighttime assignment, she was never scheduled to cover a match that started before one p.m. On some courts, the bigger ones, play usually didn't start till one anyway, and even on the smaller courts it never started before eleven.

Her pay for this job was all her travel and accommodations, a fifty-euro stipend every day for whatever food, taxi, and club expenses she might have, or in case she followed someone to a museum and had to pay to get in or something, plus however much the magazine decided to pay her for any of her photos they bought. So far they'd bought a couple to put up on their website, which was updated daily, and tomorrow they'd be looking through everything she'd taken to buy some for next week's magazine. She could keep all her photos for her own personal use, but she couldn't sell any to any other media outlet until _Game Set Match_ had seen and bypassed them. So she was kind of like a staff member, but kind of like a freelancer. But the fact that they were paying her by the photo was motivation to get as many good ones as she could. And it's not like she even wanted to try to sell them to anyone else; she didn't give a shit. The money _GSM_ was paying her combined with the opportunity they were providing her was plenty. She couldn't even imagine wanting more.

Her priorities, as given to her by Deidre, were as follows: 1) Andy Roddick/Tanner Bruin/Haidin Bayliss, 2) James Blake/Mardy Fish/other young Americans, 3) Rafael Nadal, 4) Roger Federer, 5) on down the list in the order of current ranking. Roddick, Bruin, and Bayliss were first because they were the most well-known in the US and the ones Deidre thought people would most want to read about. Even though Haidin was Australian, he'd been all over the celebrity magazines since he started dating Aubrey, and he lived in New York. The young Americans came next because so far, _Game Set Match_ was still circulated mostly in the US. Nadal was third because he was No. 2 in the world and considered hot by much of the female audience. And Federer, who was ranked No. 1, was fourth only because Deidre said she didn't know of one scandalous thing he'd ever done. And that was the top priority with what _kind_ of photos to get. That list went: 1) scandalous, 2) great tennis moments/shots/matches, 3) different/unique off-court shots that capture players' lifestyles, 4) boring-everyday-life-outside-of-tennis shots, 5) boring everyday tennis shots. Hilton was only in charge of getting pictures of the guy players; _GSM_ had a whole separate staff of photographers and reporters who covered the women, because very seldom were the men's and women's tours actually in the same city at the same tournament.

Hilton had been hoping for something exciting from Tanner Bruin, just because he was so hot and it'd be crazy to follow him around at a club and see what he was like when he was out. But he'd been lying low, and the most interesting pictures she'd gotten of him were at his second-round night match when he jumped over the net at the end to hug his opponent instead of waiting for him to come to the net to shake hands. He did that because he was playing Nate Young, whom he'd known for years and trained with when he was younger. Hilton was psyched about getting the pictures, because it was a good heartwarming childhood-friends story, and she'd captured Tanner at several stages mid-jump as well as when he'd hugged Nate. She didn't know if _Game Set Match_ would want those, because their on-court photographer had probably gotten good ones too, but they'd at least be sweet ones to send Jill, Luke, and Todd and to keep for the scrapbook she was definitely going to be making later this summer.

But she'd kind of started to wonder if Tanner had some secret girlfriend and was hiding out with her in his room all night every night, or if maybe he wasn't actually staying at the hotel, but somewhere else with friends who lived in or around Paris. She'd seen most of the other players at least coming in from dinner while she sat in the lobby—she usually missed them going out _to_ dinner because she was in her own room getting ready—but she hadn't seen Tanner once outside Roland Garros, the complex where the tournament was taking place. And she thought that was kind of weird, not to have even seen him _one time_ in the hotel when she sat in the lobby all night most nights and sometimes for a little while during the day. She'd seen his coach and trainer three times, but never Tanner. Unless he was back from dinner every evening by eight or so—which would be _extremely_ early in Paris—stayed out past five in the morning, or had room service every night, he wasn't staying at this hotel.

Tanner was a mystery, and Hilton was intrigued.

### ***

"So is it still ridiculously amazing?" Luke asked on the phone Monday night. Hilton had been in Paris for just over a week now. It was 5:15 in the morning her time, and she'd just returned to her room after another un-exciting night in the lobby.

"Oh my gosh, Luke, I don't even know how to explain it. It's like going from zero to sixty in like, two seconds. I mean, a few weeks ago I was just this former tennis player who still plays for fun once in a while and watches it on TV and who was excited 'cause she was finally gonna go to her first pro tournament. And now I'm surrounded by tennis players all day, these people I've watched on TV for years, and they're staying in the same hotel as me and I get to watch them play _every single day_ and sit in the front row at matches and do this as my _job_. It's the freaking coolest thing ever." She laughed excitedly.

"That does sound pretty freakin' cool. Maybe sometime I can come with you to a tournament if you get to keep working for _GSM_."

"You better come! That would be so great. It's lonely in my room. And when I'm sitting in the lobby by myself all night. You could sit with me and at least we could be bored together." She laughed. "And I do really wanna get to go to a club, but it'd be a lot more fun if I had somebody to go with, since I'm supposed to act like a normal customer while I'm there." She laughed again. "It's not that normal or fun to be at a club by yourself."

Luke laughed too.

"And I wouldn't have to eat dinner by myself...I mean, the other day I got to follow Tim Henman and his wife to dinner, and that was freaking awesome, so I didn't care I was by myself, but it gets boring _never_ having anybody to eat with." She grinned into the phone. Following Tim Henman and his wife had been pretty exciting, even though nothing even remotely scandalous or out of the ordinary had happened. She hadn't even gotten any good pictures, because it'd been dark and rainy outside and the Henmans had carried umbrellas from the hotel to a car, then gone right into the restaurant when they arrived. And inside the restaurant obviously wasn't an inconspicuous place to take pictures. But it had still been awesome, because Henman was her favorite player, and she hadn't gotten to cover any of his matches here. And now he'd lost, so she was sure he was probably back in England preparing for Wimbledon. It was down to sixteen players on the men's side now, and Hilton had been hoping with less players in the hotel, she'd be more likely to catch Tanner. But she still hadn't so much as seen him, besides in his matches and around the grounds at the tournament.

"Wow, that's awesome about Henman. _Game Set Match_ better keep hiring you so I can come and we can have another romantic vacation."

"I know." Hilton pouted her lips. She missed him so much. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Hilton could hear the smile in his voice, and she smiled too, touched. "Hey," she said a second later as she thought of something. "Tell Todd I got his stupid Facebook message, and he can kiss my ass." She laughed. Todd had written on her Facebook Wall the day after she'd arrived in Paris and asked why he hadn't seen any of her pictures on the _Game Set Match_ website or in the Dale newspaper yet. "You can tell him there's some on there now."

"Oh, don't worry, Jill made sure to show him." Luke laughed. "Hey, Jill's right here; she wants to talk to you."

"Okay! Bye, baby. I love you so much."

"I love you too. Well, I'll come back after Jill."

"Okay." Hilton made an exaggerated kissy noise into the phone and giggled when Luke did it back.

"Hey!" Jill said a second later.

"Hey! Oh my gosh, Jill, guess what happened. It was like the day after I talked to you. I had a little run-in with Haidin and Aubrey in the hotel. Well, kind of."

"No way!"

Hilton laughed. "Yeah. I got a picture of them, and Aubrey looks _so_ bitchy in it. And _GSM_ bought it. I think it'll be in this week's issue."

### ***

Four nights later, Hilton got up to her room around 8:45 to shower and change and get ready to sit in the lobby. She'd just gotten back from the tournament; she'd been covering Tanner Bruin's semifinal against Rafael Nadal. The match had started around 4:00, but after three rain delays and the completion of only two sets, play had finally been suspended until tomorrow. The other men's semifinal hadn't even started, so tomorrow was going to be crazy. Right at eleven she got to go to the conclusion of Tanner's match. It was tied one set all, on serve at 2-2 in the third. Then she would be covering the other men's semifinal...Haidin's. He played Roger Federer, so most people, including Hilton, didn't think he stood a chance, but it _would_ be a good match-up, and probably Federer's toughest match so far in the tournament. And of course some people, mainly Haidin himself, thought Haidin could and _would_ win. No matter what happened, it was definitely going to be a day of great tennis. Hilton couldn't wait.

_Aaahhh_ , she sighed in her head as she slid out of her soaked jeans and sweatshirt and into a pair of short cotton Dale shorts and a huge T-shirt of Luke's. She grabbed her laptop and settled back against her pillows comfortably. She didn't have to be back downstairs at any certain time, and she felt like relaxing a little before showering and dressing up for what was sure to be another uneventful night in the lobby. Nobody went out on normal nights; they surely wouldn't be going out in this rain. Plus, all the men who were still in the tournament played tomorrow, and play on the main court was starting two hours earlier than normal because of how many matches they had to get in. The women's final was tomorrow afternoon and had already been pushed back from 3:00 to 4:00 to accommodate the men's semifinals; the tournament directors wouldn't want to push it back any farther.

As soon as her computer had started up, Hilton checked her AIM buddy list. Jill didn't have an away message up, but she'd been idle for an hour and twelve minutes. Todd's away message said @ work. Luke wasn't online at all.

Bummed, Hilton logged into Facebook. She'd been hoping he'd be on; he didn't work on Fridays because the law firm where he worked wasn't even open on Fridays. He didn't have class on Fridays either, but he was probably writing a case review or working on a project on campus. She debated calling him, but using the phone cards was a huge pain in the ass, and she'd used up almost all of hers already anyway, so she wanted to save the minutes she had left so she could call tomorrow or Sunday. She'd talked to him on the phone last night, and she didn't go home till Monday, so if she called today, she wouldn't even get to talk to him or Jill again till she went home. She could buy another phone card here, but she didn't know when she would possibly have the time. She didn't even know where she could get one. Maybe she could get one at the hotel. Hmmm. But it would be dumb to waste the one she had right now, when he probably wouldn't even be able to answer his phone.

Suddenly she screamed in delight. "Aaaahhhhhhh!" She covered her mouth, bouncing up and down wildly on the bed. She leaned closer to her computer to read the message on her Facebook Wall again, just to make sure she'd seen it right.

Luke Windler wrote

at 11:10pm on June 6th, 2007

so...surprise...i am coming to london w/ you! ;)

"Aaaahhhhhh!" she shrieked again, bouncing even harder and grinning from ear to ear. She clicked back to her AIM list, wanting him to be online. She had to talk to him! This was fucking awesome! She couldn't believe it. Wait...June 6?! That was two days ago! He hadn't even told her on the phone last night...or Wednesday night when they'd talked online...he'd probably written this _while_ he was talking to her! He'd just waited for her to check her Facebook and see it! That little dork! That was just like him. She giggled giddily. She couldn't wait to talk to him. Suddenly a thought occurred to her...had he known about this when he'd been saying on Monday night how he should come with her sometime?! She laughed in surprise, her mouth hanging open. He was so good.

But he still wasn't online, so she wrote him back on his Wall.

Hilton Joliet wrote

at 2:52pm on June 8th, 2007

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!! NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!! i am so freaking excited!!!!!!! aaggghhhh!!!!!! that totally made my whole week!!! :D:D:D love you so much baby! can't wait to see you...3 more days!!! ;)

She smiled when she saw the time it put with her message was the Indiana time. That was so weird! She still found it hard to imagine that it was a whole other time of day back home, or what was going on there. 2:52 p.m. on June 8 had been six hours ago for her, but Luke, Jill, Todd, Adria, her parents, and everybody at Dale...they were all experiencing it right now. It was the middle of the afternoon there.

"Aaahhh!" She rolled onto her side and pounded a pillow excitedly. She still couldn't believe he was coming. She wondered if they would be on the same flight. She didn't even know her flight details yet...had he called somebody at _Game Set Match_ to ask them? Who knew. But this was the best surprise she could possibly imagine.

### ***

Tanner and Haidin both lost their semifinal matches. Tanner lost in five sets, nine games to seven in the fifth. It was an amazing match and a heartbreaking loss. But even though Tanner was obviously disappointed, he was still in good spirits and funny in his interview, and he had only good things to say about Nadal. It was the kind of interview Hilton loved and hoped would get put up on YouTube so she could watch it again. Tanner was just such a _good guy_. And _so_ hot.

Haidin got beat by Federer in straight sets. Hilton was overjoyed and laughing the whole time. In last week's _Game Set Match_ , there had been an interview with Haidin and ESPN's Chris Fowler, of which only bits and pieces had aired on ESPN. _GSM_ had transcribed the interview in its entirety to print in the magazine. In it, Chris Fowler had asked Haidin about his potential semifinal match-up versus Federer and his potential final match-up against Nadal. Haidin had responded, "Why would I even care about that now? Or then? I can beat either one of them, and probably so can some other people. I guarantee you I'll be in the semis, but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't against Federer. But like I said, I don't care, bring on anybody. I'll come out the winner."

Yeah right, you fucking loser! Hilton thought jubilantly, on her feet and clapping as Haidin stormed off the court after his loss. He had shown a lot less temper than in his match against Nate Young in Rome, but it was still obvious he was pissed throughout the match and even more so at the end. He shook Federer's hand and gave him a slight nod, briefly shook the chair umpire's hand, then gathered up his stuff with his head down and marched irately off the court without looking anywhere but straight ahead. He didn't even acknowledge the fans who were yelling things like, "It's okay, Haidin!" and, "You'll get him next time, Haidin!" Most players, even after a loss, at least acknowledged the fans' support by turning and waving as they walked off the court. But of course Haidin wouldn't.

Well, at least he didn't yell at them to shut the fuck up this time, Hilton thought with a small laugh.

### ***

Hilton was down in the hotel lobby by 10:30, mulling over her chances of something exciting happening tonight. Obviously Nadal and Federer had the final tomorrow, and Tanner might or might not even be staying in this hotel, but maybe, _maybe_ , Haidin would go out tonight. He'd be pissed he lost and maybe in the mood to drink it off. And Aubrey was still here; Hilton had been sitting just a couple sections over from Haidin's friend box at the match today, and Aubrey had been there, wearing her huge Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses, just as she had at all his other matches. They were putting on the show of the perfect happy couple here, and Aubrey was playing the supportive girlfriend to a T. She was always with him...watching his matches or practice sessions, entering and leaving the locker room area with him, holing up in their suite with him as soon as they returned to the hotel. Hilton had watched them exit the locker room area and leave the grounds one day, and they had been swarmed by reporters who thrust microphones in their faces and shouted questions. Aubrey had said, "Haidin is an amazing tennis player. I'm so happy to be here with him, and we're having a great time." When a reporter shouted out, "Can he win it, Aubrey?", she'd called, "Of course he can, and he will!" Then she'd flashed a big smile and walked out without answering any more questions. The only attitude from Aubrey had been the picture Hilton had gotten of her in the hotel, but even that picture didn't raise any questions about their relationship; it just gave the impression she wanted privacy with Haidin.

Hilton's thoughts drifted to Luke and how she couldn't wait to see him in two days and how cute he'd been on the phone last night when she'd finally gotten back up from the hotel lobby and called him. She'd been going crazy down here all night just wanting to talk to him, so finally she'd gone back up earlier than normal, around four, and called. They'd talked until her phone card ran out, and she still couldn't stop smiling every time she thought about his surprise. She couldn't wait to be in London with him. Adria and Venice had been _so_ amazing, and this time they'd be in Europe for his birthday. It was going to be perfect. She wondered what she could do for him for his birthday while they were there. She wanted it to be something really different and cool, something they could only do in London.

Suddenly Hilton saw a flash of movement to her right and whipped her head around. Haidin and Aubrey were crossing the lobby, both of them dressed to go out.

Hilton practically jumped to her feet, but then made herself wait till they were out the door. Then she hurried after them, staying behind them as she stepped outside. A car was waiting, and they slid into it. Hilton jumped into an idling taxi. " _Suivez cette voiture,_ _s'il vous plait?_ " she said to the driver. He gave her a brief nod and pulled out. Hilton smiled to herself, glad she'd brought the French dictionary she still had from high school. She'd been studying it a little in the lobby each night, and she was starting to remember more and more.

She leaned forward the whole ride, keeping track of Haidin and Aubrey's car. She couldn't believe she was finally going to a club in Paris.

They rode for a few minutes, then Haidin and Aubrey's car stopped and they climbed out. Hilton quickly paid the taxi driver and jumped out too; it was really crowded on the sidewalk and she didn't want to lose them. They disappeared into some kind of entrance. Hilton hurried after them and didn't even catch the name of the club. A couple people got between her and them, but that was fine; she didn't want them to see her.

But they didn't even turn around anyway, and a few seconds later, as she stepped into the club, Hilton discovered she wouldn't have any trouble staying out of their sight here. It was packed and completely dark except for blacklights over the dance floor. Haidin and Aubrey headed straight for the bar, and Hilton followed.

Suddenly Haidin snapped his fingers at a girl walking by with a tray of drinks and said something to her. She nodded, then walked over to a couch that circled around a small table. A second later, the group of ten or so on the couch was standing up to move. The girl signaled to Haidin, and he and Aubrey took their places.

Hilton's mouth dropped open. They had just made _ten people_ get up so the _two_ of them could sit on that huge couch?! What spoiled little bitches!

Hilton glanced around. There definitely weren't any other empty tables, and it wouldn't be fun to sit by herself anyway. So she approached the bar. She'd get a drink and just sort of watch them from afar, then snap some pictures. They'd never notice with all the flashing from the blacklights.

"Hey, I swear I know you."

Hilton turned and practically passed out. It was Tanner Bruin. And he was talking to her.

"Um...I saw you at Rome," she said in disbelief. "My friend and I watched your practice session and you signed tennis balls for us."

"Oh, that's right." Tanner smiled in recognition, and his smile made his whole face light up. It was amazing. Hilton couldn't look away. "You're Hilton, and your friend was Jill."

"How do you remember that?"

" 'Cause aren't you guys the same ones who took those pictures of Bayliss?"

Hilton's mouth fell open in a laugh. "You heard about that?!"

"Are you shitting me? Everybody on tour knows about it." He grinned again. "We all read _Game Set Match_. What else do we have to do while we're sitting in our hotel rooms and killing time in the players' lounge?"

Hilton laughed. "Holy shit."

"Yeah, when I read that article I was like, Wow those names sound familiar. And then I figured out I signed those balls for you guys. I was telling James—'cause I was with him when I read that article—I was telling him I met you guys, and he was like, 'No way.' "

James. He was talking about James Blake. On a first name basis. Because they were friends. Hilton laughed again. This was _so crazy_. She was standing in a club in Paris talking to Tanner Bruin, and _he_ had recognized _her_.

"So anyways, what are you doing here?" Tanner asked. "Do you live in Paris? Or are you here for the Open? Do you play tennis?"

Hilton laughed again. "No, I live in the States. I play, but just for fun. But I work for _Game Set Match_."

"Really?!"

"Well actually, that night at the hotel in Rome was kinda what got me the job." She grinned mischievously at him.

Tanner laughed, and his pale green eyes sparkled. "No shit. Well, congratulations. That's pretty crazy. I'll buy you a drink to celebrate."

"Oh, no, you don't have to." She smiled at him again, shocked he'd offered.

"I know," Tanner said. He walked past her and to the bar. She stayed where she was, completely stunned. He raised his hand in a signal to the bartender, then turned back to Hilton. "Hey, what do you want?"

Hilton loved how normal he was. And yet he was stylish too, and classy, in the way he was dressed. He was wearing dark jeans and a simple blue T-shirt with a black blazer. He looked so good. She loved when guys were good dressers. "Surprise me," she called.

Tanner grinned, then turned back to the bar.

A minute later he was back at her side with three drinks in his hand. He handed a dark-colored one to her. She took it and sipped, then smiled. "Captain and Coke."

"Good choice?"

"Great choice." She'd thought he would order something fancy, something Parisian, but she liked that he hadn't. He was a true American boy.

"Hey, you're welcome to join us. Or are you here with somebody?" He glanced around.

"No, I'm actually kinda here following them." She pointed.

Tanner looked surprised, then he laughed. "Holy shit, didn't know they were here. So is that your job, just to follow people around and get pics of them?"

"Pretty much."

"Well I can give you some good ones if you want. Maybe I'll get a little crazy and dance on one of the poles or something." He gestured with one of his drinks to a pole not too far from where they stood.

Hilton laughed. "Well you _are_ my top priority."

"Seriously? They, like, gave you a list?"

"Well, they told me. You, Andy, and Haidin are number one." She tilted her head in Haidin's direction and grinned as she took another drink.

"No shit. Seriously? I guess I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks, _Game Set Match_. A little weird, but whatever." He laughed. "So I guess you hit the jackpot tonight."

"Yeah, it looks that way. Andy's not here, is he?"

They both laughed, then Tanner said, "So, you wanna join us? Bry's probably wondering where the hell I am."

"Sure." Hilton followed him through the throng of people, wondering who Bry was. Bob or Mike Bryan?! The number one doubles players in the world?! That would be so cool. Maybe she could actually get a picture _with_ all of them. Not for the magazine of course, but just to keep and show Jill, Luke, and Todd and her family and all her other friends...that would be crazy.

But Tanner led the way to a small round table where a girl sat texting. The girl looked up when Tanner placed the drinks on the table.

"Hey, this is Hilton," Tanner said. "We met in Rome a couple weeks ago."

"Hey!" the girl said, flashing Hilton a welcoming smile. "I'm Bryony." She leaned across the small table and gave Hilton the European kiss-on-both-cheeks hello. She was gorgeous, tan with long sleek auburn hair. She had a cool accent, just a little bit of one, but Hilton couldn't pinpoint it. It sounded European, definitely.

"Hey, nice to meet you!"

"You too. Wait!" Bryony set her phone on the table. "Hilton?! You're the one who took those pictures of Haidin Bayliss!"

Hilton's mouth dropped open incredulously. She threw a glance at Tanner.

"Oh my gosh, I love you!" Bryony cried. "That was fucking awesome! Tanner showed me the article."

"You don't like Haidin?" Hilton asked, laughing.

"I _hate_ him! Well, I've never actually met him, but I think I would hate him."

"Want me to introduce you?" Tanner asked. He pointed. "He's right over there. With the infamous Miss Gage."

"What the hell?!" Bryony cried excitedly, standing and trying to peer over people.

"Yeah, maybe you can leave me and break him and Aubrey up," Tanner joked. "Or no, wait, it wouldn't break them up. As long as you make sure she's in a different area code when you hook up with him."

Bryony and Tanner looked at each other and burst out laughing. "I love that idea; I think I will," Bryony said through her laughter, then sat back down and took a long sip of the new drink Tanner had brought her.

Hilton's stomach clenched a little. So they were together. She hadn't known Tanner was dating anybody. Then she laughed as she realized what a dork she was being. Like it even mattered.

But it was just like a celebrity crush...how when you found out a celebrity you liked was dating somebody you were always a little disappointed and jealous and bitter towards the person they were dating. Well, it wasn't actually _like_ a celebrity crush...it _was_ a celebrity crush. She grinned to herself.

"So, Hilton, that's a cool name," Bryony said. "Are you dating somebody on the tour? Or do you play?"

"No, I work for _Game Set Match_."

" _Ooohhh!_ That makes sense!"

"Those pics of Hades got her the job," Tanner said.

"What?! So you didn't work for them then?"

"No, I was just on vacation, and my friend and I went to the tennis tournament, and then later that night we randomly saw Haidin with that girl in our hotel."

"That's crazy," Bryony said with a grin, raising her eyebrows excitedly. " _Très drôle!_ "

Hilton remembered _drôle_ from French class; it meant funny. Bryony's French sounded so natural, even though Hilton had only heard two words. Maybe that was her accent. "So where are you from?"

"Oh, I live here. _Paris_." She said it the French way, without an "s" sound on the end. "I was born in England though, and I've kind of lived everywhere. I moved all around growing up. My dad, I don't know if you would've heard of him; he was an actor. Lenny Adams? Probably not; he was never in anything big. But we just traveled around to wherever he was working. My mom was from England; he met her while he was doing Broadway there. That's why I have an English name. Kind of. It's supposed to be pronounced 'Bree-ony' I think. But I like the way they pronounced mine better." She smiled. "But she died when I was two, so I just moved around with my dad."

"Oh, wow," Hilton said. She hadn't heard of Lenny Adams, but Bryony's life sounded interesting and exciting. "So why'd you decide on Paris?"

"It's inspiring. I mean, don't you think? I think it's gorgeous. I can't get enough of it. And I wanna be a painter. I mean, I guess I kinda am a painter, but I haven't actually sold any of my work or anything."

"Oh my gosh, that's cool."

"She's also a model," Tanner stage-whispered.

Bryony looked a little embarrassed.

Hilton's eyes widened and she grinned. "Really? Who do you model for?" She laughed to herself...what was it with tennis players and models?! She glanced over toward Haidin and Aubrey's couch. They were still there. She looked back to Bryony, thinking she should've known all along. Bryony had that distinctive model look...the high cheekbones, the slender face, the smoky eyes, the shimmering hair. Hilton could easily picture her on a runway.

"Oh, I don't have any kind of huge contract or anything. I've just done some stuff locally. Nothing big."

"Nothing big?! It's Paris!" Hilton laughed. "It's the fashion capital of the world. Getting any modeling job here is huge!"

Bryony smiled, still looking a little embarrassed. "Thanks."

"So how did you guys meet?" Hilton asked.

Bryony looked at Tanner and laughed. "Our agents set us up."

Hilton laughed too. "No way. That's awesome."

"Yeah, I saw him playing on TV during the Australian," Bryony said. "And I was like, holy shit that guy is hot! So I called my agent a little later and asked if he could do stuff like that, like set us up. I really didn't think he'd be able to, but he did. Tanner was playing in Monaco, so we ended up going out one night after one of his matches."

"Oh! So how have you guys kept it all quiet?! I haven't heard anything about it!" Monaco had been at least a month and a half ago, Hilton thought.

"We just kinda keep a low profile," Tanner said. "Like I'm staying with her this week, but I booked a room at the hotel under my name and everything. I mean, the hotel's sponsoring the tournament too, so I have to anyways, or else look like an asshole. And I've had my coach order room service to my room almost every night too, and mess up the bed a little." He grinned. "Even the hotel thinks I'm staying there."

"Wow, you're good," Hilton teased.

"Yeah, and I didn't sit in his box," Bryony said. "I was there, but I sat on the other end."

"Hey, you know what?" Tanner said to Bryony. "We should let her get a picture of us."

"What?!" Hilton said.

"Yeah. I mean, it's not like we're trying to _hide_ it. And then it'll be out before Wimbledon, and that'll keep people from asking me all kinds of questions when you sit in my box there."

"Yeah, I like that so much better!" Bryony looked to Hilton. "He wants me to sit in his box, but I've been telling him I shouldn't, 'cause then it'll create all this speculation, and it'll distract him from just being able to go out and play."

"Um, works for me!" Hilton said with a laugh. She was crazily excited. If they actually let her take a picture of them together...that would be so huge. She wondered how much _Game Set Match_ would pay her.

"Okay, so we're doing it?" Tanner asked Bryony.

"Hell yeah, we're doing it!"

Tanner grabbed Bryony's hand and pulled her down off her stool and towards the dance floor. Hilton grabbed her camera and followed, feeling kind of weird, but also giddy and hyped up. She quickly ascertained which side of them she should be on to get the best shot and positioned herself. Tanner and Bryony began dirty dancing, and then they started kissing. Both their mouths were open, and the flash of the camera clearly showed their tongues pushing into each other's mouths and their bodies pressed tightly against each other.

"Was that good?" Tanner called a few seconds later when they stopped kissing.

"Hell yeah!" Hilton held up her camera, and they both came over to look.

"Aaahhh!" Bryony laughed. "That's so freakin' hot!" She and Tanner grinned at each other and kissed again.

"Hey, look!" Tanner pointed behind Hilton's head.

Hilton whirled around, then rushed forward and started snapping pictures again. Haidin and Aubrey were lying on the couch, Aubrey on top and their legs tangled, making out hard core. They didn't even notice the flashes from the camera.

"Holy shit!" Hilton cried, turning to Tanner with a grin. "You freakin' rock. You probably just made me like, a few thousand bucks."

"Yeah!" Tanner said, grinning back and holding up his hand for a high five.

Hilton smacked it hard and drew her hand back with a laugh, hardly able to believe she'd just high-fived Tanner Bruin.

### Dale

### June 11-14, 2007

"Jilly!" Hilton screamed, running to hug her outside the Indy airport. Jill had been waiting for her at Arrivals. "Oh my gosh, I have the craziest freaking story!"

"What?!"

"I freaking followed Haidin and Aubrey to a club the other night, and Tanner was there, and he _remembered_ us!"

" _What?!_ "

"Yeah! He came up to me, like I hadn't even seen him yet, and he goes, 'Hey, I swear I know you.' " Hilton had lowered her voice to try to sound like Tanner, and she laughed, then rushed on. "And I told him he signed tennis balls for us in Rome, and he was like, 'Oh yeah, Hilton and Jill!' "

"No fucking way." Jill stared in disbelief.

"Yeah fucking way! And then he was like, 'You guys are the ones who took those pictures of Bayliss!' And he was like telling me how when he read that article in _Game Set Match_ , he realized we were the people he'd thrown balls to, and he was telling James Blake he knew us!"

"No fucking way!" Jill repeated. Her brown eyes were huge and astonished. She grinned. "He _remembered_ us?! He signs how many autographs a day! And throws how many balls to random people!"

"It's 'cause we're so hot."

"Oh, well yeah."

They grinned at each other, then hugged again. Hilton grabbed her stuff and started shoving it in Jill's trunk. "And I ended up sitting with him," she continued. "And that's not even the craziest part. He was sitting with this girl, who ends up being a model, and they're dating. They've been together since like April. But nobody knows about it yet or anything, so get this." Hilton stood up and grinned at Jill. "They let me take a picture of them making out."

Jill's mouth dropped open.

"Yeah. And _then_ , Tanner's like, 'Hey, turn around,' so I turn around, and Haidin and Aubrey are like laying on this couch making out on top of each other."

"Oh my gosh! That's like, the best night ever!"

"I know!"

### ***

Hilton couldn't stop talking all the way back to Dale. Her phone time with Jill had been so limited, and she'd been dying to tell Jill all her stories. Jill had been the first person she told her stories to for ten years, and it had been so hard not being able to just call her every time something crazy happened.

By the time they reached their apartment, Luke was home from work. Hilton dropped all her bags just inside the door and ran and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and shoving her lips against his.

He kissed her back just as enthusiastically. When he finally set her down, both of them laughing, Hilton threw her arms around his neck again. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close, and Hilton smiled, burying her head in his shoulder for a second. Then they kissed again.

"I've been waiting for this moment all day," Luke said with a laugh.

"I know! Me too." Hilton giggled. He'd originally been planning to get off work early to come pick her up, but when he'd found out he could go to London, he'd decided he probably shouldn't leave early today since he'd be missing two whole weeks soon. That had been fine with Hilton; she'd loved the story time with Jill. But she'd been going crazy for two weeks now waiting to see Luke. "Oh my gosh, I have so much to tell you," she said. "Let's go in my room."

### ***

That Thursday, twenty advance copies of the newest _Game Set Match_ arrived. The cover picture was split diagonally. Taking up the whole top right-hand side was the picture of Tanner and Bryony making out in the club, and on the bottom left was the one of Haidin and Aubrey. Plastered across the bottom:

FRENCH OPEN, FRENCH KISS

### Same night, same club! Tanner makes out with secret model girlfriend Bryony Adams while Haidin and Aubrey have PDA fest!

The article this time was a six-page spread including a bio of Bryony, one of her modeling shots from a Parisian clothing brand ad, details on how she and Tanner had met with a quote from Bryony's agent, a description of Haidin and Aubrey's totally-into-each-other-solid-couple behavior in Paris, the picture of Aubrey glaring at the camera as she and Haidin crossed the hotel lobby, and a recap of Haidin's and Tanner's performances throughout the tournament with a couple other photos from their various matches. Under Hilton's picture of Haidin and Aubrey from the hotel lobby, it said photo by Hilton Joliet. At the end of the article, under the last line, it said cover photos by Hilton Joliet. For the three photos used in conjunction with this article, Hilton had been paid $8,500. In total, she had made $13,500 in Paris.

### Lake Port/Chicago

### June 15-17, 2007

That Friday, Hilton, Luke, Jill, and Todd drove two hours northwest to Lake Port, Indiana, for their friends Hillary and Dirk's engagement party. Hillary and Dirk had gone to high school with Hilton, Jill, and Todd. Hilton hadn't met Hillary till freshman year, but Jill had known her since preschool, and Todd had known Dirk just as long. Hillary and Dirk were both teachers at Lake Port High School now—she taught French and he taught social studies—and Dirk had proposed to her over spring break, while they were on a cruise in the Caribbean. They had waited to have their engagement party till the summer just so they wouldn't have school to worry about and more people would probably be able to come. It was an all-weekend-long party and was doubling as Hillary's birthday party; her birthday had been last Sunday. The whole ordeal had originally been planned for last weekend, but Hillary had moved it so Hilton would be able to come. Hilton was excited; she hadn't seen Hillary and Dirk in a long time, and she'd seen on Facebook that a bunch of her other high school friends were going this weekend too. They'd all gotten together in Chicago in March for their friend Bennett's birthday, but Hilton hadn't seen most of them since then.

"Hey!" Hillary cried when they arrived, rushing out the door of her apartment building to meet them. Her long wavy blonde hair flew out behind her. She ran up to Jill and hugged her. Then she turned and hugged Hilton, then Todd. She shook Luke's hand loosely. "Sorry, I don't know you as well," she said.

Hilton laughed. Hillary was pretty blunt and outrageous. Hilton missed being around her.

Dirk came out of the building just then, and he and Todd greeted each other with grins and slap-on-the-back guy hugs. After Dirk said hi to everybody else, he and Hillary helped them carry their bags upstairs.

"You guys can fight over the other bedroom," Hillary said over her shoulder to Hilton and Jill. " 'Cause you're the first ones here."

"You have a two-bedroom apartment?" Jill asked, looking around as they entered and walked through the living room.

"Yeah, 'cause there's like, not shit for housing in this dinky-ass town," Hillary said with a dramatic roll of her bright green eyes.

"It's a college town," Jill said. Lake Port was home to Northern Indiana University, where Hillary and Dirk had gone.

"Yeah, and I'll repeat, there's not shit for housing here. They don't know anything about college living. It's like all family-style apartments." She stopped just past a door in the hallway and motioned inside. "See how that one's pretty small? It's like, the 'kid' room. And me and Dirk have the master bedroom."

"Well, _I_ think," Jill said with a grin at Hilton, "Todd and I should get the room, 'cause remember how we hooked up at Bennett's on New Year's, and you guys did it on his birthday? So it's our turn."

"Aahhh!" Hilton laughed. That was true; on New Year's Jill and Todd had had sex in the shower at Bennett's apartment when they all got back from the bar, and Hilton and Luke had done the same thing on Bennett's birthday weekend in March. "Well, I guess you guys deserve it anyways, since you're engaged and all." She grinned back at Jill.

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot I haven't even seen your ring!" Hillary rushed over to Jill and grabbed her hand. "Ahh, it's gorgeous!" She gave Jill a mock glare. "I can't believe you didn't even put up any pictures! Just all those ones of you guys with beautiful Italy in the background."

"Yeah, I didn't wanna be one of those annoying girls who plasters pictures of her engagement ring all over Facebook," Jill said with pretend distaste. "Like seriously, who does that? Oh wait...you do."

Hillary laughed delightedly. "Fuck yeah I'm plastering this baby all over Facebook!" She flashed her one carat colorless Tiffany diamond, and it sparkled as her hand moved.

"So when is everybody else getting here?" Hilton asked as she moved back down the small hallway to the living room and dumped her bag. She curled up on the couch, and Luke sat beside her.

"Um, Lor should be here any time, and I don't know if she's bringing Zibby or not. And then Lindy and Robbie are leaving the city when Robbie gets off work, so they'll be here in a couple hours, and the same for Jade. And whatever random guy she's dating has to work tomorrow, so he's staying in the city and meeting us tomorrow night. And then Bennett's picking Kelsey up at the airport, and her flight gets in at like eight, so they won't be here till nine or ten, but that actually works out fine; she'll just miss dinner. 'Cause all of us girls are going out to dinner. And Nicole should be here any minute too."

Hilton smiled. She couldn't wait to see everybody. Lorylyn, Bennett, Lindy, and Robbie were all friends from high school. Zibby was one of Lorylyn's college roommates. Jade was Hillary's best friend from college, and Nicole was Hillary's twenty-one-year-old sister. Hilton hadn't seen Nicole in years...since high school. Nicole had been a freshman when Hilton and Hillary and all their friends were seniors. And Hilton had never met Jade, so that would be fun too. She loved this group of people. It was going to be a great weekend.

### ***

"So, Lor, how come Zibby and DJ didn't come?" Jill asked at dinner. DJ was Zibby's husband.

"Oh, they're in Europe with her family. It's their vacation time."

"Oh, must be nice," Jill giggled. Zibby and DJ went to Europe with Zibby's family every summer. "So what's going on with your guy situation?"

Lorylyn rolled her eyes and moaned. "Nothing. It's so depressing."

"Have you talked to Brady lately?" Hillary asked. Brady was Lorylyn's high school boyfriend, and they'd still hooked up through part of college too.

"Um, not really, I mean he sent me tickets a couple months ago for his Chicago and Cincy games. But the first White Sox series was during finals week, and I actually had finals during the game times. So it's not like I could've even driven up and back. He called me and asked if I was coming, but we didn't talk for very long."

"When are the other games?" Jill asked.

"Um, the Cincy ones are in July, and then they go back to Chicago in August, to play the Cubs. So I don't know, I'll just see what's going on I guess."

"How many tickets did he send you?" Hillary asked with a sly smile.

"Two. Like always."

"Are you gonna take Cade if you go?"

Lorylyn shrugged. "I don't know. Just whoever can go." Cade was one of Lorylyn's guy friends from college with whom she also had some romantic history.

"So what's going on with Brady and Holly?" Hillary pried. "Like now that he's playing for the Rockies? 'Cause he's living in Denver, right? Was she pissed he left the Astros? Did she move with him?"

Lorylyn shuddered at the thought. "No, not that I know of! She stayed in Texas...at least his Facebook profile says something about 'moving to Denver has made things complicated,' and his relationship status says 'It's Complicated' too. So I assumed that's what he meant...she's probably not thrilled about it. But I don't really ask him; I don't like to talk about it with him. It feels weird."

"Does he ask you about guys?" Hillary asked.

"No." Lorylyn shuddered again. "I mean, like I said, we don't even talk that much."

"Hey, I saw there's a new Dierks Bentley CD out this year!" Jill said, her eyes bright as she looked at Lorylyn. "Did he send it to you?"

"Yeah."

"Ooohh, what song?" Hillary demanded.

" 'Every Mile a Memory.' "

"Aww, I love that song," Lindy said.

"Yeah, me too," Lorylyn said glumly as she stirred her straw around in her water. "But it's not really the one I wanted. I mean, that song was already out when the CD came out, you know? Both the other times he picked one I'd never heard, 'cause it wasn't released as a single. So I guess I just had my hopes up, you know, like wondering what the song would be about this time, and then it was one I already knew. And it's just...I don't know." She shook her head. "It's like, he's traveling, I guess, and everything makes him think of me. But a lot of the songs on that CD are about traveling, like about Dierks being on tour, you know? And I guess I was just...I don't know." She shook her head fiercely. "Never mind. It's no big deal."

Hilton made an empathetic face at Lorylyn. She knew exactly what Lorylyn didn't want to say...she'd wanted it to be a song more about how the guy couldn't handle the distance, how he had to be with the girl...or one about how the distance made him realize he loved her more than ever...not one just about memories. She'd wanted it to hold some promise of a future, but it only talked about the past.

"So explain this to me already!" Jade said, looking around at everyone. "Who's Brady, and what's the Dierks Bentley thing? And he plays for the _Rockies_?!"

Hilton smiled a little. Jade reminded her a lot of Hillary; she could already tell how Jade and Hillary had become good friends, and she'd only known Jade for an hour. They were both outgoing and eager to hear and tell juicy stories, and Hilton figured Jade was probably as into talking about sex as Hillary was. It was Hillary's favorite topic and had been since freshman year of high school, and Hilton could just see Hillary and Jade sharing all their crazy stories and shrieking with laughter at all the dirty parts.

"Yeah, I remember Brady!" Nicole chimed in. "Whatever happened with him? I was like a freshman when you were a senior, and he was already in college, so I don't even know anything. He plays for the Rockies?! That's crazy!"

Lorylyn smiled wryly. "Yeah, he's a shortstop," she said to Nicole. Then she looked at Jade. "Brady's my ex-boyfriend. And he had just started listening to country when Dierks Bentley was becoming big, and he found this song on Dierks' first CD that reminded him of us, so he sent the CD to me with that song marked. And so ever since then, whenever Dierks has a new CD, he does the same thing, picks a song and sends it to me."

"You dated the Rockies shortstop?" Jade cried. "Wait, hasn't Dierks Bentley been around for like, a while? How long have you guys been broken up?! Or were you together when he sent the first one? How do you know him?"

Lorylyn laughed at all the questions. "No, we were broken up already when he sent it. I know it seems really stupid, but we haven't really been together since high school. I mean, we've hooked up a little since then and stuff, but really nothing for like four or five years. But yeah, we went to high school together. And he played baseball in college, and then he got drafted to the Astros. He played in the minors for like the first year after college, but then he went to the actual Astros. And he just went to the Rockies this year."

"Wow." Jade looked shocked. "So what's going on with you guys then? You said something about some other girl?"

"Holly? Yeah, he's kinda been dating her on and off for a long time, like four or five years. Pretty much ever since the last time anything happened between me and him. She's from Texas, so that's why I don't really know what's going on with them now that he moved to Denver. I just know his relationship status says 'It's Complicated.' I'm kinda scared to ask."

"Have you dated anybody since him?"

"She got _married_!" Hillary exclaimed.

"What?!" Jade and Nicole cried. Jade looked at Lorylyn, even more shocked now. "So are you divorced?!"

Nicole smacked at Hillary. "Thanks for keeping me up on the gossip, big sis!"

"Whatever," Hillary said. "We weren't friends then. You were a bratty little bitch."

Everybody laughed. Hillary and Nicole had only become close in the last three years or so, since Nicole had been in college.

Lorylyn giggled. "No, I guess technically I'm still married." She fingered the silver hoop in her cartilage and explained the story to Jade and Nicole.

"You still wear the earring?" Jill asked in surprise. She'd noticed Lorylyn finger her hoop too.

Lorylyn smiled. "Yeah. This was my 'wedding ring,' " she told Jade, Nicole, and Lindy. She wasn't as close to Lindy as Hillary was; she'd barely talked to her since high school, so she didn't know if Lindy would've heard the whole story about her marriage or not. "We both still do. He wears one of my earrings. I mean, it was something special between us, you know? Something we wanna always share."

"Wow," Jade said. "Your life is crazy!"

Lorylyn giggled. "Um, I don't know about that."

"Ugh, speaking of Brady," Hillary said with distaste, "did you guys see what Brooke wrote on my Facebook wall after Dirk and I got engaged?"

"Yes!" Hilton and Jill cried together. Brooke had dated Brady in high school, and she'd been a total bitch. Years ago, in a moment of weakness, Hillary had told Brooke she'd cheated on Dirk, and Brooke had ended up telling Dirk. That had been right before Brooke went off to college and right before Hillary and Dirk started senior year of high school. Hillary and Dirk had weathered the storm, but Hillary and Brooke had never talked again. When Hillary and Dirk had changed their Facebook statuses to "Engaged," Brooke had left Hillary a congratulatory message saying she was glad they'd made it even though she had tried to fuck it up back in the day, and she hoped everybody was all past that now. She'd finished it with a smiley face.

"Ugh, puke!" Hillary said. "I mean, sorry, Lindy, I know she's your best friend. But how dumb. Who would say that?"

"I know, I know," Lindy said apologetically. "Sorry about that. If I would've known she was gonna do it I would've tried to talk her out of it. But she really does mean well. She's really happy with Tate, and she's changed a lot. I mean, she's still Brooke..." Lindy grinned, and so did Hilton, Jill, and even Lorylyn a little. "But she's grown up a lot."

"Well, whatev," Hillary shrugged. "But you won't be mad when I don't invite her to the wedding, right?"

"No, I totally understand why you wouldn't," Lindy said. "I doubt she expects to be invited."

"Good. Hey, speaking of that, that's kinda why I wanted to ask you guys to dinner." Hillary reached in her purse and drew out several sheets of paper folded in thirds. "I have one for each of you guys." She got up and started to hand them out. They were each sealed with a sticker in the shape of a bridal gown and had a name written across the front in Hillary's big cursive handwriting.

Hilton took hers with a smile and peeled back the sticker, eager to read it. Hillary came across as kind of shallow and superficial, but she could be really sincere and thoughtful when she wanted.

~Hilton~

I just want to say thank you for being one of my best friends over the last 10 years. I really can't believe it has been that long...freshman year cheerleading and the first party at Landon's really doesn't seem that long ago. You have been there for me through everything and I've never told you how much I appreciate it. I know that even though I don't keep in touch very well, you would be there for me in a second if I needed you. I don't know if I can say I would do the same (b/c you know how I am) but I really would want to, and I hope I would. ;) Anyways, I love you so much, and you've been a huge part of my life and my relationship with Dirk, and I would love it if you would be in my wedding, because I really can't imagine you not being part of it.

Love,

Hill ♥

"Aww, Hill!" Hilton looked up with tears in her eyes.

Hillary grinned back, her eyes damp too, and stood up, holding her arms out for a hug.

Hilton jumped up to hug her. Everyone else was finishing their letters too, and they all looked at each other, laughing and wiping away tears as they waited to hug Hillary. Jill was just finishing hers as Hilton sat back down, and she was crying harder than anybody as she ran to wrap Hillary in a tight hug. Hilton pulled Jill's letter across the table.

~Jill~

_I love you so much. You have been my best friend since preschool, and we share more memories than I do with anybody else. (Yeah, yeah, even Dirk.) ;) You have been part of more of my life than anybody else, and I'll never forget it...growing up together, crazy crushes, writing notes to each other every day in junior high and high school, all our Thanksgivings in Schaumburg and our spring breaks in FMB, our Christmas Eve dinners at the Brinkley House before church every single year of our lives, being roomies after the tornado and reading all each other's MSN convos, staying up all night talking and talking about everything...thanks so much for all of it. I know I haven't always been the best friend over the years, but I'm so glad you stayed with me and gave me second chances (and third, and fourth..._  _) Anyway, I know we don't talk on a daily basis anymore, but I love that when we do, nothing's changed and we're still best friends, or maybe more like sisters. You and I have all those childhood memories you can't ever share completely with the people you meet later, and I will always treasure those. It would make me so happy and honored and start my marriage off right if you would be one of my maids of honor (I asked Jade to be the other one). And you better say yes, cuz I won't have it any other way._ 

Love,

Hill ♥

P.S. I'm crying, so sorry if your paper is wrinkled.

Hilton handed the paper back to Jill as Jill returned to her seat, and they smiled at each other through glistening eyes as they wiped away more tears.

"So does that mean you guys all say yes?" Hillary asked, half laughing, half crying.

"Yes!" they all chorused.

"Yay! Thank you guys so much! Aww, I'm so happy. I love you guys all so much."

### ***

"You guys, I think Ty's pissed at me," Kelsey whispered later at Hillary and Dirk's apartment. The girls had just gotten back from dinner, and several more of Dirk's friends had arrived while they were gone, along with Kelsey and Bennett. When the girls had walked in the door from dinner, Kelsey had jumped up from the couch and run over to hug them all, demanding eagerly to see Jill's and Hillary's rings and jubilantly reminding Hilton how she had predicted in New York that night right before Hilton and Jill left for Italy that Italy would be Hilton's big break.

"What?! Why?" Jill asked now, looking at Kelsey in surprise. Ty was Bennett—his first name was Tyler—and he was Kelsey's ex-boyfriend. They'd dated for two years in high school and had remained good friends afterwards.

" 'Cause you know how he paid for my plane ticket for me to come to Chicago for his birthday? Well he made some comment after _my_ birthday about how I didn't fly him to New York for it, and then when Hillary put up the thing on Facebook for her engagement party, I like replied right away and said I wouldn't miss it or something like that, and then he wrote on my Wall and was like, 'Oh, you wouldn't miss their engagement party or Hill's birthday, but I had to pay for your plane ticket for you to come to my birthday?' And I thought he was just joking around, and I made some comment back like, 'Well maybe if it would've been your engagement party I would've gotten it together and made it out there, you know,' and then he never responded to that, but I didn't really think anything of it, but then today on the way from the airport, he brought it up like five times."

"Really?" Lorylyn asked, her dark brown eyes wide. "I can't really see Bennett being mad about that." She glanced across the living room to the bar Dirk had kept from his college apartment and put up here, where several of the boys were now gathered. Then her dark eyes sparkled excitedly as she looked back to Kelsey. "Unless he likes you! Oh my gosh, I bet he likes you again!"

Hilton widened her eyes excitedly at Kelsey too, then she and Jill and Lorylyn all grinned at each other. It did make sense. "He _was_ really flirty with you at his birthday," Hilton said as she remembered how cute the two of them had been, joking around and teasing each other. "And he leaves dumb flirty messages on your Facebook Wall all the time..." She grinned at Kelsey.

"Oh my gosh, no, I don't think so," Kelsey said.

"What if he did?" Lorylyn asked. She, Hilton, and Jill were all leaning toward Kelsey eagerly.

"Oh, no, I don't know." Kelsey leaned back and shook her head, making a face. "I mean, I love Ty and everything, but we were never like that. I mean, we were like so innocent. We were pretty much just friends while we were going out."

"That's not true," Jill said, giving Kelsey a look.

Kelsey grinned a little. "Okay, okay, but I mean, we were never like, really hot and passionate. We didn't even have sex."

"That's 'cause you guys were young!" Lorylyn said. "It doesn't mean you didn't have something."

"Yeah, just think, it wasn't like that before, but it could be now. All those years of locked-up passion just all of a sudden let loose..." Hilton grinned devilishly at Kelsey.

Kelsey laughed. "No, stop it! There's no locked-up passion."

Hilton laughed. "So is Arden still loving her job?" Going to Paris and getting her own little taste of something similar to that crazy exciting life Arden led had only made Hilton want even more of it.

"Oh yeah."

"Hey, has she hooked up with Colt any more?" Jill asked.

"No," Kelsey said. "At least if so she hasn't told me. And I don't know why she wouldn't tell me. Arden makes out with different guys all the time though." She laughed.

Hilton smiled. "I love her job."

### ***

That night everybody got wasted, and all the girls turned up the stereo and danced in the living room, their hair flying everywhere, their beer bottles raised high, and their faces bright with laughter.

As Luke stood around the bar drinking his own beer and talking to the guys, he watched Hilton out of the corner of his eye, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. She was so beautiful, so radiant. Watching her dancing and laughing like that automatically brought a smile to his face. All the girls leaned together, laughing hysterically at something, then they spun out and continued dancing. The flash of Jill's ring on her raised hand caught the light as she turned, and Luke's eyes were drawn to it.

Jill and Todd are engaged, he thought. Wow. It's not like he hadn't expected it; everybody knew they were perfect together, and he was beyond thrilled for them. It was just crazy...and they were at an engagement party for another one of Hilton's friends too....He glanced behind the bar, at Todd and Dirk. They were laughing and high-fiving, and they just looked so...happy. Genuinely happy, but even more than that. Like they had everything, like their lives couldn't be any better.

Luke looked back at Hilton, and it hit him. It was like a punch in the gut; he jerked forward slightly and had to catch his breath. That was what he wanted. What Todd and Dirk had that made their smiles different from other guys' smiles. He wanted to be engaged to the girl he was in love with, the only girl who had ever really mattered.

As he continued to watch Hilton dance, he felt it in his whole body. It was weird and scary as hell...and awesome. It was the best he'd ever felt.

### ***

"So what do you think about Bennett?" Jill said to Kelsey in a hushed voice the next night. They were out at a bar in downtown Chicago.

"Oh, no, nothing." Kelsey shook her head. "He's not acting mad at me anymore though. He probably never was; I probably just misread it."

"Yeah, you guys were getting along pretty well all day it seemed like."

"Yeah." Kelsey smiled.

"But nothing though? I saw you dancing just now."

"Whatever." Kelsey laughed and waved her hand. "It's just how he is now; he's a flirt. A lot more than when we were going out. He was kinda shy back then. I take partial credit for the player he's become though." Kelsey giggled. "It was during me and him that he got a little bit like this, a little more outgoing."

"You know, that's really true!" Jill said, glancing at Bennett, who was now talking to a random girl. "That's so weird! I never thought of it. Wow, 'Kelsleigh.' We owe Bennett to you!"

Both girls laughed, grinning at each other drunkenly. Kelsleigh was what Bennett had called Kelsey when they were together because her middle name was Leigh.

"He still calls me that, you know," she said to Jill with a mischievous smile.

"Well, yeah. You're the one who got away," Jill teased. "But seriously..." She looked back to Bennett. "He would totally have sex with you. You guys should do it, just since you never did." She grinned again.

"Jill!" Kelsey laughed, swatting at her. "It's not gonna happen!"

### ***

"Dude," Luke said to Todd. They were the only two currently standing around the small table their group had snagged; everybody else was dancing or buying drinks or in the bathroom. "I wanna propose to Hilton."

"Yeah!" Todd grinned at Luke and gave him a half high five, half handshake. "Man, that's freakin' awesome!"

"Yeah," Luke said, once again unable to wipe the grin off his face. "Yeah."

"In London?!"

"Nah, I don't have enough money, plus that wouldn't leave me much time to pick out a ring. I'll have to wait a little, but...I'm ready. I wanna do it. Do you think she'll go for it?"

Todd looked at Luke as if Luke were crazy. "Are you freakin' kidding me, man?! You guys have been together way longer than me and Jill...like six years!"

Luke grinned some more. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He shook his head, and his long brown hair tumbled across his forehead. "It's just, we always talked about her traveling, you know, while I went to law school, and then we'd get engaged."

"Dude, that doesn't matter. You know it's gonna happen; why wait, you know? If you wanna do it, do it. Live in the moment." Todd laughed at his inspirational advice and slapped Luke on the back.

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, I still wanna wait till the end of the summer, so I can save up some money to get her some gorgeous-as-hell ring, but I don't wanna wait another year or two." As he watched Hilton on the dance floor, he felt the exact same way he had last night...like he'd never wanted anything as much as this, like the rest of his life was right here in front of him, and he wanted it all right now. Suddenly he was choked up. "She's everything I ever—" He had to pause and swallow. He hoped Todd couldn't tell his voice was shaking. "She's just everything. God, I love her."

### ***

A little later Luke went to dance with Hilton, and Jill made her way over to join Todd at the table.

"Hi," he said in a low voice, sliding his hands over her hips and pressing up against her.

It was the voice she loved the most, his totally sexy, turned-on voice. Sometimes she still couldn't believe he actually used that voice on her. He had before they'd gotten together, but it had always been in a teasing way, when he was just being dumb and flirting around with her. But now it was serious...and the way he looked at her when he used it....She felt shivers all over.

Then he kissed her, and the shivers multiplied deliciously. She absolutely loved how that happened every single time he touched her. He was so breathtakingly sexy she never got over it.

"Hi," she breathed back, grinning up at him.

"I know a secret," Todd whispered into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What?" Jill sort of wanted to pull back and look at him, because she was immediately curious, but it felt so much better to hug him and feel his body against hers.

"Luke wants to propose to Hilton."

Now she did pull back. "What?! Are you serious?!" Her brown eyes were wide with excitement.

"Yeah." Todd grinned at her, as genuinely happy as she was. "He just told me."

"Oh my gosh, that's awesome!" Jill cried in a hushed voice. "Yay!" She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him hard. She started to pull back right away, but he deepened the kiss.

"Yeah, I think so too," he said into her mouth a minute later. He pulled back a little and looked her in the eyes, his deep and serious now. "But they'll never be as good as us."

Jill's heart jerked. The way he said that, so genuinely, so lovingly, the look he was giving her right now...it was totally different from the look he'd given her when he used the sexy voice, but completely the same too. It got to her in the same way because she'd never felt closer to anyone than when they shared looks like that.

"I know," she said. "Nobody will. It's hard for me to imagine anybody else having anything like what we have."

"I know. I feel sorry for them."

Jill smiled. "Me too." Then she grinned. "Although we kinda have what we have 'cause we're so fucked up. Maybe that's why nobody else has it, 'cause they don't have all the crazy history we do."

Todd grinned back at her. "Hey, I love our fucked-upness." He kissed her.

Jill laughed. "Me. Too."

### London

### June 24-July 8, 2007

Compared to Paris, Hilton thought London as a city was much more laid-back. Despite the formality of Buckingham Palace and the guards and the fact that there was a queen, the atmosphere was just more casual. Paris was high fashion, sophistication, glamour, while London, with its rain and pubs and English-speaking people, was rowdy and friendly and fun. Even the traditional and sometimes-portrayed-as-snooty All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club seemed to Hilton like it fit with the rest of the city. With the raucous, enthusiastic fans queuing for tickets, crowding Henman Hill, painting their hair, chests, and faces like the British flag, and filling the stands of Centre Court and Court 1 every single day, it was hard to feel like she was in a prim and proper old-fashioned tennis club. Hilton thought it was cool how the club had relaxed some of its rules to change with the times and produce this amazing atmosphere during the fortnight of Wimbledon, while still maintaining some of the time-honored traditions like requiring all the players to wear white.

Her first few days in London, Hilton spent all her time at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Since all 128 players were still in the tournament, it was where all the action was. She was constantly busy, running from one match to the practice courts to another match to the player entrance/exit, trying to get as many pictures as she could. Luke went with her the first two days—Deidre had gotten him an extra media pass so he could have all the access Hilton did—but even though he did like tennis and often watched it on TV with her at home and thought it was pretty sweet how she got kickass seats all the time, he got bored with running from one place to another and watching matches that were practically walkovers. He actually liked the matches between two lesser-known players better, because those were closer and more interesting. He was impressed by how Andy Roddick won his first-round match in an hour and a half, losing only four games and eight points on serve, but he was kind of looking forward to the later rounds, when more of the matches would be real contests. Since he didn't have any real favorite players, he'd rather see a good match than a blowout any day.

He did love being with Hilton, and he loved how excited she was and the joy radiating out of her face and eyes and voice all day. This job was perfect for her, and he liked being here with her, being a part of this with her. But he knew she felt bad because she thought he might be bored, and he _did_ feel like a third day in a row at the tournament would be long and slow, so on Wednesday he went out on his own to explore London.

He really knew nothing about the city, so he just left the hotel and wandered. He didn't really care what he did, but he thought it'd be kind of cool to just walk around. Maybe he would look for a nice place he could take Hilton to dinner tonight when she got back. Both nights so far, they hadn't gotten back to the hotel till after ten, and they'd just ordered room service. Hilton thought in a couple days when the action at Wimbledon slowed down after most of the players were eliminated, Deidre and James would want her to start waiting in the hotel lobby at night again in case any of the players went out. Luke thought it would be fun to go out to dinner some night before they had to do that and be at the mercy of whatever restaurant some player chose. And maybe he could get her a little souvenir or something too, since she hadn't had any time to sightsee yet. She had said that'd been the only thing she would've wished was different in Paris...she'd been there for two weeks but hadn't really gotten to be a tourist...she still didn't really feel like she'd "been to Paris."

As he strolled down the street in his plain white T-shirt with his hands in his jeans pockets, the slight wind blowing his shaggy brown hair around a little, he spotted a jewelry store on his left. He paused, his hands still in his pockets, and thought. It's not like he was going to buy anything...he didn't have near enough money saved up...but it couldn't hurt to look.

Glancing around, somehow nervous Hilton might see him even though she would be at the tournament by now, he pulled open the door and stepped inside.

The interior of the store was dim and stuffy-looking. He didn't see anyone else. He wandered slowly up to the nearest glass case and peered inside.

"Could I help you?"

Luke looked up, a little startled. A fairly young guy, maybe thirty, walked out from the back. He was wearing a dark-colored suit and his blond hair was slicked back.

"Oh, no, I'm just looking."

"For anything in particular?" His English accent was strong, which struck Luke as unfitting, because his appearance was precisely what Luke would picture a French guy to look like.

"Well, I was kinda gonna look at engagement rings for my girlfriend."

"Ahh." The guy grinned, and Luke couldn't help grinning back a little. "What type of stone do you have in mind? What's your price range?"

Luke shrugged. "Uhh, I don't know. I don't really know anything about jewelry. I was just gonna kinda look and see if anything struck me, you know."

"Well, then, let me show you our diamond selection." The guy walked over to another glass display case and waited for Luke. "These are our most expensive. This one?" He pointed to a ring in the middle. The stone in the center was enormous, and the whole band was covered with smaller diamonds. "The center stone is flawless and colorless, and all the outside stones are VVS; even a ten-times magnification couldn't catch the inclusions. This is top of the line, best of the best."

Luke didn't really like it. He was sure everything the guy was saying was true, but he didn't even know what VVS meant, and was colorless a good thing? It sounded like a bad thing. And what were inclusions? But it didn't really matter; that wasn't what he was looking for. "Actually," he said, his hands still in his pockets, "I don't really want a diamond. I mean she doesn't want a diamond." She had said how much she liked Jill's ring because it was different and she thought diamonds were kind of un-original and less personal.

"Ohhh." The guy smiled and nodded. "The other stones are very popular right now. They are unique, different. They make a statement." He walked over to another case.

"Yeah," Luke said, smiling as he followed. That was perfect for Hilton then; she should have a ring that would make a statement. A ring that was just like her...unique and gorgeous and bold.

### ***

As Hilton left Centre Court after watching Tim Henman easily win his second-round match, she gave a little skip, pumping her fist in the air and laughing. Henman had been her favorite player for practically as long as she could remember, and when watching tennis on TV, she always got more into his matches than anyone else's, especially during Wimbledon. She couldn't freaking believe she'd just seen him play in person, on Centre Court at Wimbledon, for the second time in a week.

Full of energy and adrenaline, Hilton shook her long honey-colored hair out behind her and looked around, taking in all the fans milling about in the hot late-afternoon sun. She smiled some more as she people-watched, thinking how amazing it was that she was here right now. Going to Wimbledon had been one of her dreams ever since she was three or four and had started watching it on TV with her mom. And it had seemed a pretty much impossible dream, because it was impossible to get tickets. You had to enter into some kind of lottery the year before or something, and then there was some kind of random draw, and you just had to get lucky enough to be one of the ones to get tickets. Or you could camp out in the streets overnight and queue for tickets, which Hilton thought sounded like a blast because she'd heard people made a huge party out of it, but either way, you still had basically no control over which matches you got to see. You could get a grounds pass and watch the outer courts in person and the higher-ranked players' matches on the big-screen on Henman Hill, or you could actually get a Centre Court or Court 1 ticket and have access to that court all day, but you had no way of knowing which players would play on which court on any given day. Only half of the draw played each day, and the draw wasn't even made till the Thursday or Friday before the tournament. The actual schedule of play for each day came out only about twelve to fourteen hours before play started for that day. Plus, the higher-ranked players usually rotated between Centre Court and Court 1, or sometimes even Court 2, the infamous Graveyard Court, where seeded players had suffered uncanny amounts of upsets over the years. So it was impossible to guess who would be where what day. And on top of all that, the seats would probably suck anyway. So Hilton's situation was about the next best thing to sitting in one of the players' boxes. And actually, it was kind of better. Her seats were just as good—only a couple rows farther back at most—and if she were part of a player's camp, she'd only get those seats for that player's matches. But with her job, she got those seats for _all_ the matches.

She was still smiling and thinking about it all as she walked along the back of Henman Hill, scanning the crowd and draining the bottled water she'd started drinking during Henman's match. She stopped, thinking it would be cool to get some pictures of the fans out here on the hill. This was such a big part of Wimbledon; they were always showing the hill on TV and sometimes they would interview the fans sitting here. She was sure James or Deidre or one of the other reporters would have gotten some quotes from people out here. Maybe they'd already gotten pictures too, but if not, maybe they'd want hers. And if they didn't, she wanted them. This was a place she'd seen on TV so many times...it felt surreal to be standing here.

She snapped several pictures, zooming in to get close-ups of some groups of people, and panning back to get all-encompassing shots as well, ones that showed how closely the fans packed together and what a fun, rambunctious scene it was.

She flipped back through the pictures, smiling, then put her camera back in her bag and headed in the direction of the practice courts. There were women's matches on both Centre Court and Court 1 right now, so she thought she'd check to see if there were players warming up for their matches later today or practicing on their day off. If not, she'd go to one of the matches on the outer courts.

"Hilton!"

She turned and grinned, her insides jumping around spastically, as Tanner Bruin jogged up alongside her and touched her arm briefly. "How's it goin'? Gettin' some good pics?"

Hilton laughed. "Yeah, not bad. I just saw Tim Henman's match."

"Yeah, I heard he won."

"Yeah." Hilton grinned happily.

"Hey, follow me." Tanner grabbed her arm briefly again as he stepped ahead of her. "I'll get you into the players' lounge."

Hilton's eyes widened excitedly, and she hurried after him.

"Tanner! Tanner!" A little boy rushed up to Tanner, holding out a tennis ball. He was closely followed by another boy. "Can I have your autograph?"

"Sure," Tanner said easily in his totally sexy voice, reaching for the marker the boy held out. He scrawled his signature on the ball.

"Me too!" the second boy said.

"No problem." Tanner scrawled his name on the second boy's tennis ball as well.

Hilton glanced around and noticed other people rushing over as they started to catch on.

Tanner smiled at them as they approached, continuing to walk slowly as he signed whatever they thrust at him.

Once they were past the fans, Tanner led the way toward the locker room area, where a crowd usually swarmed at the beginning of each day. Now, with all the matches in progress, there were only a few people lurking around and hoping to catch a player entering or exiting, so Tanner signed a few more autographs and posed for a picture with someone, then led Hilton inside.

There was a drastic change in temperature as soon as they stepped inside and out of the bright sun. Hilton breathed in the cool air. It felt refreshing and invigorating. She followed Tanner down a short hallway and into a carpeted room with round tables, couches, TVs, and tall Dasani and Gatorade coolers. Players were everywhere...lounging on the couches, sitting around the tables, standing with their arms folded as they watched one of the TVs. Hilton saw a few eating food that must have come from another room. It was on plates and looked hot. There must be a cafeteria nearby.

Hilton's eyes darted around, trying to see who all was present. There were non-players too...coaches, trainers, girlfriends. She spotted Bryony at a table with James Blake, Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, and Noah Ablett, a young Australian player. Holy shit. That's probably where Tanner was headed. Still flicking her eyes around, she noticed Lleyton Hewitt and his wife, Rafael Nadal with two players she didn't recognize—maybe his practice partners or something—and Tommy Haas. She tried not to let the huge grin pulling at the corners of her lips break all the way across her face. This was so crazy.

Tanner walked over to the table where Bryony was and pulled out the only remaining chair for Hilton, then grabbed a chair from the next table over and sat on it with the chair facing backwards.

"Hey!" Bryony cried with a smile when she saw Hilton. Everybody at the table was playing poker.

"Hey!" Hilton said.

"This is Hilton," Tanner said.

"Hey, you're the one who took those pictures of Bayliss," Andy Roddick said.

Hilton grinned. "Yeah."

"That was hilarious," Andy said. His hair was spiked straight up, and Hilton thought he looked really hot. Hilton always thought Andy looked like he was about to do something outrageous...especially when his hair was kind of crazy. She wasn't really sure why, but it was something about the combination of his hair and the look in his eyes. She snuck a glance at Tanner. He looked freaking hot too, of course. He was wearing white Adidas gym shorts and a blue Adidas T-shirt, and his light brown hair hung around his face, framing it in a totally sexy way. Actually, Hilton thought as she looked around the table, pretty much every one of these guys looked downright gorgeous. But she liked Tanner best. No question.

"Want in?" Mardy Fish asked. "A hundred dollar buy-in."

"Sure," Hilton grinned, reaching in her purse. Surely playing poker was a good use of her daily compensation. Especially since it was in the players' lounge. At this point she didn't even give a shit if she got any pictures. This was freaking awesome anyway.

### ***

"Guess what?!" Hilton cried as she burst into her and Luke's hotel room late that evening.

"What?!" Luke looked up from his laptop and shoved it to the side. He was sitting back against the pillows, and he held out his arms.

Hilton fell on top of him, laughing excitedly. They kissed quickly, then Hilton said, "I got into the players' lounge today! I got so many good pics; it was freaking crazy!" She laughed wildly and kissed him again.

"Really?" Luke sounded impressed. "That's awesome, baby. Nice job."

"I know," Hilton said airily. "I'm so good." Then she laughed again. "So how was your day? What'd you do?"

Luke smiled, and Hilton thought how gorgeous he looked. "I just kinda walked around. Checked out the city a little. Nothing real exciting. Hey, I did make dinner reservations for us though."

"Oh, really?" Hilton pouted a little. "I just saw Deidre in the lobby, and she said she and James were going to dinner, and I told her we'd go. I'm sorry. I didn't know. Do you want me to cancel?"

"No." Luke shrugged. "It's cool. It'll still be fun to go out. We can go by ourselves some other night." He felt a little disappointed but didn't show it; he didn't know if it'd be a good move for Hilton to cancel with the people who were essentially her bosses.

"Okay." Hilton kissed him again, then rolled off him to get ready. "I'm gonna take a shower. They wanna go at like 10:30."

"Okay."

### ***

For dinner they went to a small, dimly lit but upscale restaurant a couple blocks from their hotel. The maître d' knew Deidre; this was apparently her regular spot during Wimbledon. Hilton watched Deidre and James and wondered, as she always did, if they were sleeping together. They were so opposite in terms of appearance; Deidre always wore skirt suits during the day and was now wearing a black cocktail dress, and James always wore jeans or cargo shorts and only shaved every few days. He usually wore a baseball cap too. Tonight he was wearing cargo khakis and a button-down shirt, the dressiest Hilton had ever seen him. He was still wearing a baseball cap though. She thought they were probably about the same age, around thirty-five, and they pretty much ran the magazine together. Deidre did interviews with players, agents, and whoever else, doled out the assignments to everybody on staff, and made decisions as to what freelancers to hire, and James was sort of a jack of all trades; he was at the tournaments all day taking pictures, and he usually wrote the cover story, as well as a few smaller articles in each issue, plus he had the official title of photography director.

"So, successful day?" Deidre asked Hilton once they were all seated.

"Yeah." Hilton grinned and reached in her bag for her camera. "I actually got into the players' lounge, and they all let me take pictures."

Deidre and James both reached for the camera at the same time. Deidre grabbed it first, and Hilton grinned at Luke as they leaned over it, staring intently. Deidre pushed the arrow to move through the pictures.

"This is perfect," Deidre said. "Four-page spread? Six-page spread? 'An Afternoon in the Players' Lounge'?" She looked at James.

James nodded, still going through the pictures. " 'What You Don't See on TV: Off the Court and Inside the Players' Lounge.' "

"I love it," Deidre said.

James handed the camera back to Hilton. "We'll talk prices tomorrow. How about no more business at dinner?" He grinned.

"Sounds good," Hilton said.

"Wait, one question," Deidre said. "How'd you get in?"

Hilton gave her a coy smile. "Tanner. He saw me and just invited me in." She shrugged.

Deidre smiled back, a clearly pleased look in her eyes. "That's fabulous. Keep that up."

Hilton grinned, thinking of Arden's job and how if Arden did crazy, wild things with celebrities, her bosses would be all for it because it would draw attention to their company. This kind of reminded her of that. If she became good friends with the players and was present for their wild, crazy adventures, Deidre and James would love it. She didn't need to get photographed doing it, like RiesWell would want Arden to do, she just had to be there to take the pictures.

### ***

There was never play on the middle Sunday of Wimbledon, but this year there wouldn't have been anyway, because it was cold and rainy. Hilton woke up around ten and got up to look out the window, shivered at the grayness and puddles, and immediately crawled back into bed. She wondered what the day would hold now...probably not much excitement tennis-player-wise. She had been supposed to sit in the lobby and follow players out, but now everybody would probably just stay at the hotel in their rooms and she wouldn't see much. She was excited, because it was Luke's birthday, and she'd been hoping to do something special. Maybe she could just not even go sit in the lobby and spend the day in bed with him instead, and then they could finally go out for their dinner date. That sounded so much better than waiting around for nothing to happen. She wanted to get him a present too, something cool from London, and she wondered if she might be able to sneak out for a little bit to find something.

Luke, half asleep, slid his arm around her waist when she crawled back into bed, and she snuggled up against him, smiling contentedly. "Happy birthday, baby," she whispered.

"Thanks, baby," Luke whispered back, and then Hilton drifted back off to sleep.

An hour later the phone rang, startling her.

She rolled towards it and grabbed it, wondering who it would be. Maybe Deidre was just going to tell her she could take the day off. Well, really, she could pretty much take a day off whenever she wanted; it just would mean she didn't make any money that day.

"Hello?"

"Hilton? Hey, it's Tanner."

"Hey!" Hilton sat up and pulled the comforter around her. "What's up?"

"Not much. Well, me and Bry were gonna go out and find a pub or something, and just get wasted 'cause it's kinda shitty out. You wanna go?"

"Yeah!" Hilton was thrilled; she couldn't believe he'd called and invited her. She wouldn't have been surprised if he were just some guy she'd met and kept running into and sort of become friends with at Dale, but this was _Tanner Bruin_. Calling to invite her to spend a rainy Sunday getting wasted. But wait...it was Luke's birthday. "Well, hey, my boyfriend's here with me; can he come too? It's actually his birthday, so I don't really know what we were planning on doing."

"Yeah, I saw him with you at my match the other day. Yeah, that's totally cool. We'll get fucked up for his birthday. It'll be good. Well, you wanna meet downstairs in like, an hour?"

"Sure, we'll be there, as long as it's cool with him."

"Okay, later."

"Aahhh!" Hilton squealed after she hung up. She couldn't stop smiling at the fact that Tanner had noticed her at his match. She'd been a couple sections over from his box where his coach and trainer and Bryony had been sitting, and she'd been a couple rows back from the front too. She'd never thought he would've noticed.

"What?" Luke asked sleepily, pulling her back down next to him.

"That was Tanner. He wants us to go out with him and Bryony today."

Luke opened his eyes. "Seriously?" He laughed.

"Yeah! I mean, we can do something else though if you want, for your birthday."

"Fuck no, this sounds good to me. So I get to hang out with a supermodel all day?" He grinned devilishly.

Hilton laughed and bit at his lips. "No. She's just a normal model."

"Oh, just a normal model. She must be a loser. What guy wants to hang out with a normal model?"

Hilton laughed again. "Yeah, and what girl wants to hang out with a tennis star?"

"Probably not as many as guys that wanna hang out with a model."

"Well...true. But for me it's like hanging out with Matthew McConaughey or something."

Luke laughed, and Hilton did too.

"Shut up!" she giggled.

### ***

The four of them went to a dark, crowded, noisy pub right across the street from their hotel. When they walked in, they had to walk down a set of steep, creaky stairs into the main room, and Hilton liked it, because down here below ground it was warm and cozy and they were secluded from the rainy gloom outside. It was horribly smoky, but Hilton figured she could deal with it for one day. The atmosphere was festive; all over people were talking and laughing loudly while they downed pint after pint.

"Oh my gosh!" a girl behind the bar shrieked when they approached. "Oh my gosh. You're Tanner Bruin. And you're Bryony Adams. Oh my gosh! I read about you guys in _Game Set Match_. Hold on, I'll clear a table for you right away."

Tanner smiled his easy, sexy smile. "It's okay, we'll wait."

The girl couldn't take her eyes off him. "Oh my gosh."

"What do you guys want?" Tanner asked, turning to Bryony, Hilton, and Luke. "First round's on me. For Luke's birthday."

"Thanks, man," Luke said. "What's a good English beer? I feel like trying something new."

"What would you recommend?" Tanner asked the girl.

"Ummm..." She was star-struck and could hardly seem to think. "How about Bass? It's one of our best pale ales. It's probably our most popular. I think you'll like it." The last comment was directed toward Luke, but Hilton laughed to herself as the girl's eyes immediately darted back to Tanner. She only wanted to impress Luke because he was part of Tanner's party.

"Oh no, we don't want pale ale," Tanner said. "Give us something dark. Something with some bite. You pick something. I'll trust you. Whatever you think is best." He grinned at the girl again. Bryony looked at Hilton, and they laughed.

"Okay! You want that in pints?"

"Sure." Something about the way he said it _was_ so sure, so confident yet warm. Hilton felt little tingles all over. Everything he did was such a turn-on. And he always looked so good too; he was wearing dark jeans with a blazer again, like in Paris, but this time he wore the blazer over a fairly tight-fitting Aerosmith T-shirt, and he wore black Adidas shoes with white stripes. Hilton loved the mix of casual and classy. Bryony was wearing dark skinny jeans and a long slinky purple shirt with a low V-neck that clung to her body and showed off how thin she was. Hilton was wearing jeans and a dark green lingerie-like top with thin spaghetti straps under a tight long-sleeved black shirt with a V-neck that went down almost to her stomach and showed off a lot of the shirt underneath. Luke had on jeans and a lightweight black long-sleeved shirt from The Buckle. It was tight and showed off his toned-but-not-too-huge upper body. Hilton thought he looked delicious too.

"Okay!" The girl scurried off a few feet and was back merely seconds later with their drinks.

Tanner pulled out a wad of cash.

"Oh, no, it's on the house." The girl beamed at him.

"Oh, well thank you." Tanner slid a fifty-pound note across the counter, then picked up a pint and handed it to Bryony.

"That was like a hundred dollars!" Hilton hissed in amazement. "Wow. It's her lucky day." She laughed.

"Was it?" Tanner shrugged. "I don't really know the conversions. I go so many places I can never remember the ones like here, that have their own currency. I've got the euro pretty down, but I can never remember pounds."

"Must be nice not to have it matter," Luke laughed.

"Hey, I see a table!" Bryony pointed, and they all rushed over.

They ordered food and talked for a few hours. Tanner and Luke asked each other lots of questions about where they'd grown up and what they liked to do, and Hilton loved how well they got along. She learned a lot about Tanner too; she'd known for a long time just from watching his matches on TV and listening to the commentators that he'd been born in Aspen, Colorado and had moved to Vero Beach, Florida with his family when he was fourteen to train, but now she was learning all the details. He said he missed Aspen like crazy; he hadn't been skiing in three years because he never had time. He'd grown up skiing every winter, all winter long, and had looked forward to being on the alpine ski team in high school. Even though he was modest, Hilton got the idea he'd been pretty awesome at it. But he had been doing really well in some regional tennis tournaments, and when he'd realized he had the chance to make it big in that, he'd decided to go for it. He said someday he wouldn't mind moving back to Aspen though; his family had moved back when he'd joined the pro tour. He told all kinds of stories about growing up there; his dad had worked at a ski resort so his family had always had free unlimited ski passes, and Tanner had started skiing when he was three. He'd snowboarded too, but he said that was more just for fun; he hadn't ever planned to be competitive with it. He'd started playing tennis when he was three too, at the courts at the resort, and that was what he'd done all summer when he wasn't skiing. He told about how when he was sixteen and back in Aspen for Christmas, he'd asked out a girl he'd liked back in middle school and taken her skiing, and she'd broken her leg on the first time down the slope. She'd lived in Aspen her whole life but hadn't ever been skiing; her dad had forbidden her from it because his brother had died in a skiing accident. So Tanner had thought it would be romantic and bad-boy-like and adventurous to take her, and then after she'd broken her leg, her dad had told her she could never talk to Tanner again, but Tanner had only been in Aspen for another week after that anyway.

The four of them were practically rolling with laughter by the time he finished, and Hilton could tell Bryony was hearing all this for the first time too. After all, she'd only known Tanner since April. Hilton had tears streaming down her face. She loved the image of Tanner as a teenager, really liking this girl and trying to be reckless to impress her...it was totally hot and just reinforced her image of his personality.

He told them other stories about Aspen too, like how it wasn't out of the ordinary at all to walk into the grocery store and see a celebrity—tons of them owned homes in Aspen and the neighboring Snowmass Village—and how a lot of people who worked in Aspen and Snowmass couldn't even afford to live there and had to live in neighboring, less ritzy towns. As he talked...about the Aspen Music Festival every summer, the Winter X Games, how he and his friends would ski anytime they possibly had the chance...she could hear the love for Aspen in his voice. She felt a bond with him; she, Luke, and Bryony were hearing him talk about stuff not a lot of people ever got to learn.

"Do you ever wish you wouldn't have left?" Hilton asked.

Tanner looked thoughtful. "I don't think so. But I think about how it would've been different, where I'd be in life right now." He smiled. "Maybe I would've made it big in skiing and gone to the Olympics and Bry would've seen me on TV anyway." He flashed his gorgeous smile in Bryony's direction, and she laughed and shoved into him with her shoulder.

"Probably, but I might not've been able to tell he was hot, if he was all bundled up in ski shit," she said, and they smiled easily at each other.

Hilton laughed, but she felt a little twinge of jealousy. She shook it off, knowing she was being ridiculous.

"No," Tanner said, turning back to Hilton, "I really do think about it sometimes...what it would've been like. I think I would've had a blast going to high school there and stuff, and then who knows, maybe I would've played tennis in college and ended up going pro anyway. But I think part of me would've felt like I missed a chance, like I was too scared to take it."

Hilton nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I can see that."

At 3:00, the pub closed until 5:30. Bryony told them that's how all pubs were in England on Sundays, so they made their way outside, all feeling pretty tipsy and laughing a lot. It was still overcast but now only misting slightly.

"Take us someplace good, Bry," Tanner said, slinging his arm around her. "It's your city."

So Bryony took them to the London Eye. Hilton and Luke had never even heard of it, and none of them except Bryony had been up in it. It was a huge continuously rotating wheel that loaded people at the bottom and then took them on a thirty-minute ride over London. Bryony said even on an overcast day like today they would be able to see most of the city from the top.

They bought tickets and got in line, laughing and talking some more. Hilton could tell Luke was having a good time, and she was thrilled they were getting to do something so random and fun on his birthday. She figured they probably could've gone right to the front of the line because of Tanner and Bryony, but she liked that neither of them exercised that power. They were just normal people. Well...kind of. She laughed to herself.

The people in front of them, two middle-aged women, recognized Bryony right away.

"Are you Lenny Adams' daughter?!" one of them shrieked, hitting her friend in the shoulder. "He was my _favorite_ actor. I have all his movies."

"Really?" Bryony was surprised, and Hilton remembered she'd said her dad had only done pretty small stuff. "Yeah, I'm Bryony." She shook their hands.

"Can we have your autograph?" one of the women asked. "Wow, I remember seeing pictures of you as a little girl, holding your dad's hand. I've seen some of your fashion ads too. I would've recognized you anywhere." She gave a weird little giggle and widened her eyes excitedly at her friend.

"Sure," Bryony said, seemingly surprised again. One of the women drew a small notebook from her purse, and Bryony signed it on two different pages so each woman could have one.

By then a family had gotten in line behind them, and the two kids saw Bryony signing the notebook and looked at her more closely.

" _Tanner Bruin!_ " the teenage girl shrieked.

"And his girlfriend!" The boy, who was probably about twelve, hit his sister repeatedly in the shoulder. "That model girl!"

"Oh my gosh, _Tanner Bruin_!" the woman who'd asked for Bryony's autograph shouted, causing several groups in front of her to turn and look.

Tanner waved in a sort of embarrassed fashion, a cute smile on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't even see you!" the woman in front of them cried. "Did you see him?!" she asked her friend. She turned back to Tanner and Bryony. "Are you two dating?!"

Bryony, Tanner, Hilton, and Luke were all laughing now.

"Will you sign something for us?" the boy behind them asked. "Mom, give me something for them to sign!" His sister's eyes were darting back and forth between Tanner and Bryony, and she was practically hyperventilating. "Oh my gosh, I love you," she breathed to Bryony, and Hilton practically lost it, thinking this girl had probably never even heard of Bryony till the news about her and Tanner broke a couple weeks ago.

Their mom produced a date book and opened it to a blank page, and Tanner and Bryony both signed it, then Tanner turned to sign the notebook the women were holding out again.

"I want a separate one!" the teenage girl demanded, so her mom found another blank page, and Tanner and Bryony both signed that one as well. Hilton thought it was cool how they both asked everybody's names and wrote _To: Whomever_ instead of just scrawling their initials really quickly.

Some other people were rushing back from up ahead in the line, carrying their own objects for Tanner and Bryony to sign.

"Who are you?" one of the middle-aged women asked Hilton and Luke while Tanner and Bryony were busy signing other autographs. "Are you famous? I'm kind of out of touch with the young stars today. I just knew Bryony because of her dad, and Tanner of course because Wimbledon's going on right now and his picture's everywhere."

Hilton looked at Luke and laughed. "No, we're not famous."

"That's not true," Tanner said as he signed a little girl's backpack. "Hilton works for _Game Set Match_. The magazine. Have you seen it? She's a photographer. And Luke's in law school; we're actually in arrangements for him to become my lawyer when he graduates. And today's his birthday."

Hilton covered her mouth to stifle the wild laugh threatening to escape. She snuck a glance at Luke. He was grinning and trying not to laugh as well. He met her eyes, and they both had to quickly turn away so as not to lose it.

"Wow!" the woman said. "That's amazing! Happy birthday! Can we get a picture with all of you? And I better get your autographs too," she said to Hilton and Luke. She looked back at her friend and squealed like a giddy teenager. "I can't wait to tell Marv and everybody back home how we met all these famous people!"

Hilton was still trying not to laugh as they all four posed for a picture with the two women and then the brother and sister from the family behind them, and as she and Luke signed autographs for all of them. She absolutely couldn't believe this. It was crazy.

"Buy a copy of _Game Set Match_ ," Tanner told the two women. "Look for next week's; there's gonna be a photo spread about what goes on in the players' lounge at tournaments. All the pictures are by Hilton. Her name will be in there. So you can show your friends."

"Oh my gosh, I'll do that for sure," the more talkative woman said as she slipped her camera back into her purse. "Thank you so much. It was so nice to meet all of you."

Finally the two women turned back to the front of the line, and Hilton, Luke, Tanner, and Bryony all looked at each other and laughed silently.

"Just a day in the life," Luke said arrogantly, and they all laughed again.

After that the autographing excitement calmed down, and the four of them talked the rest of the way through the two-hour line. Hilton could tell the teenage girl behind them was trying desperately to hear every word they said, and she thought the two ladies in front of them were listening too. She thought it was hilarious. This whole day was surreal.

When they finally made it to the front of the line and got to go up in the Eye, Hilton decided it was by far the coolest view-from-the-top experience she'd had in any city, just because it was so different. Bryony pointed out the sights of London to them—Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Big Ben soaring high over Westminster Palace, the Globe Theatre, West End, and Piccadilly Circus.

Hilton would have loved to see each of those places individually, but she was glad Bryony had chosen the London Eye, because this way she'd gotten to see all of them a little bit, which she thought was better than seeing just one of them in more detail. She took dozens of pictures, including one of Tanner and Bryony kissing at the top of the ride with London in the background. Then Bryony took one of her and Luke kissing. Hilton grinned happily as she and Luke leaned together to look at it.

Maybe I'll name our first baby London, she thought with a surreptitious smile.

When they left the London Eye, it was past six and all the pubs were open again. They went into the first one they found.

"Do you play tomorrow?" Luke asked Tanner after they'd sat down and ordered more pints.

"Yep." Tanner grinned. "But not till late."

They ended up staying till almost midnight. They took tons of pictures with Hilton's camera of everybody goofing around, and Bryony told Hilton she wanted to stop by Hilton's hotel room sometime and copy the pictures onto a flash drive so she'd have them too. By the time they piled into a cab outside, they were all pretty much obliterated.

"I have to sneak into the hotel," Tanner whispered across Bryony in the backseat of the cab to Hilton and Luke. "So my coach doesn't get pissed at me."

Hilton burst out laughing. Something about his stage-whispering was hilarious.

When the cab pulled up in front of their hotel, Tanner whispered stealthily for Hilton and Luke to go in first and check out the scene.

They rolled out of the cab, tripping over each other as they stood up, then darted into the hotel holding hands.

"It's clear!" they called back out together. Then Hilton caught something to the right and turned to see Deidre sitting in a lobby chair where Hilton normally sat to scope out players. Just then Tanner and Bryony stumbled into the hotel, gasping with laughter and falling all over each other.

"Come on, hurry!" Luke was stage-whispering now as he started to jog toward the elevators.

As she ran after him, still holding his hand, Hilton turned to flash a grin at Deidre.

Deidre was grinning back, and she gave Hilton a thumbs-up. "We'll talk," she mouthed, then Hilton turned and crashed after Luke, Tanner, and Bryony into the elevator, where they all burst out laughing again.

"It was a fun birthday," Luke said. "Thanks, you guys."

They reached Hilton and Luke's floor first, and the two of them stumbled out, calling goodnight back to Tanner and Bryony, who were still laughing hysterically. Tanner and Bryony waved at them.

"I decided what I'm getting you for your birthday," Hilton said excitedly to Luke as they walked down the hall holding hands. "Sorry I didn't have it today, but it's kinda not something I can give you right now. But if _Game Set Match_ hires me again, I want you to come with me. So that's your present; I'm gonna get you a plane ticket and stuff. Even if you can't miss work and it's only for a weekend or something. I just love it so much more when you're here with me." She grinned up at him as he unlocked their door and pushed it open.

"I love being here with you," he said, grinning back at her as they moved through the door into the room. "Just being around you is the only present I could ever ask for."

Hilton placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too. Well, actually, I could think of one other present I wouldn't mind." He grinned and tickled her sides, and Hilton burst out laughing again, running toward the bed and pulling him with her.

### ***

Monday was gorgeous and sunny, but Tuesday and Wednesday the rain came back. Hilton and Luke spent Tuesday at the hotel waiting for players to go out. Nobody did, but Hilton had so much more fun than she'd had sitting in the lobby in Paris, just because of Luke being here this time. On Wednesday Luke went back to the tournament with her, and they hung out in the players' lounge all day waiting out the rain delays and chilling with Tanner, Bryony, and Andy Roddick while Tanner and Andy waited to see if they'd get to play their quarterfinals. Haidin was scheduled to play today too, and Hilton wondered where he and Aubrey were. She wasn't surprised they didn't hang out in here, but she wondered where they did.

Tanner's match started, but after four hours, two rain delays, only ten completed games, and impending darkness over the non-lighted Centre Court, play was suspended till the following day. Andy's match never started. Hilton and Luke got back to the hotel early, and since they knew there wouldn't be any excitement tonight with everybody scheduled to play tomorrow, they finally got to go out to dinner alone. Even though Hilton had loved every minute in London so far, she was relieved to finally just get to be with Luke for a little while somewhere besides their room. They lingered over dinner for three hours, and Hilton felt completely happy and content, except for the fact that she missed Jill and Todd like crazy. Other than that, she couldn't imagine anything much better than this moment.

### ***

Haidin lost the next day in his quarterfinal against Lleyton Hewitt. Hilton didn't see it because she was covering Tanner's match, but she saw a repeat of the press conference when she got back to the hotel later. Haidin was surprisingly subdued and restrained during it. Although he didn't look happy at all, he didn't lash out or act like an asshole like he usually did.

"How do you feel?" a reporter shouted.

Haidin shrugged, looking at the table. "I've felt better."

"Would you rather lose to Lleyton Hewitt, a countryman, than someone else?"

"I'd rather not lose."

"Are you close with Lleyton?"

"Sure."

Hilton couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. He was mostly looking at the table, but when he did look up, his dark eyes were piercing and opaque, unreadable.

"Did you feel you could have won?"

"Well yeah, I won the first set."

"So what went wrong? Can you identify a turning point?"

"I guess when I lost focus and started sucking. Did you guys miss that part?"

"Why did you lose focus? Did it have anything to do with Aubrey?"

"Of course not." This was the only time Haidin blatantly glared. "Aubrey's great." He stood up and left the table.

"Haidin! Haidin!" the reporters shouted after him, but he didn't turn back.

### ***

Friday night Hilton got her advance copies of Saturday's _Game Set Match_. She usually got them by Thursday, but Deidre had sent this week's issue to print a little later than normal in order to have more up-to-date results from the tournament. The cover was a close-up full-body shot of Andy Roddick serving. The headline read, in gigantic letters at the bottom center of the cover:

### ACE

Andy scores again,

as do world's other

top-ranked players

In the upper right-hand corner was a small picture of Andy and Tanner at the poker table with the heading The Secret Life of Your Favorite Players.

Hilton flipped right to the table of contents to find that photo spread. It took up six pages, and the headline read almost as James had originally said; it was just turned around a little. Spread across the first two pages it said:

### Off the court and inside the players' lounge...

Then across the next two pages:

...the side of tennis fans never see

all photos by Hilton Joliet

Hilton squealed happily and threw another copy of the magazine at Luke. He joined her on the bed and they both pored over all the pictures. It had turned out awesome.

"People are gonna love this," Luke said.

"I know! I would, if I was still a normal person who was home in Indiana and bought _GSM_ this week." She giggled.

After looking at it so long she had the layout memorized, Hilton finally flipped through the rest of the issue. The cover story was an update on the tournament, with scores, details of matches, and quotes from players, coaches, family, friends, spectators, and commentators. Hilton already knew all the results, so she just skimmed that article.

"Aaahh!" she shrieked when she turned the next page. She poked Luke repeatedly in the shoulder. "Look!"

A RAINY MIDDLE SUNDAY

### While most players hole up in their hotel rooms, Tanner and Bryony make the most of the day off by hitting 2 London pubs and the London Eye with friends

Underneath the headline, spread across the two pages, were pictures of Tanner and Bryony at the second pub they'd gone to and the one of them kissing at the top of the London Eye. Tanner and Bryony had told Hilton she could sell whatever pictures she wanted, and Hilton knew _Game Set Match_ had bought the pictures of course—they'd bought all her pictures from that day for a total of three thousand bucks—but she was thrilled by this spread...and right behind the cover story! She'd had no idea how they'd use these photos. She'd thought they might just put one or two of them in the "ShotSpot" section—which was named for the Shot Spot technology used to make line calls during matches when a player challenged a linesperson's or umpire's call—and always filled with candids of players and accompanying captions but no actual stories.

"Holy shit." Luke pointed, and Hilton gasped. In the bottom right corner of the right-hand page, right above Hilton's byline, was a picture of all four of them that someone else at the pub had taken for them.

Hilton looked at Luke with a wild smile. "Aaahh!" She kissed him excitedly. He laughed into her mouth. "I can't freaking believe we're in _Game Set Match_! I can't wait to call Jill!"

"I know, that's pretty freakin' crazy. I can't believe _I'm_ in a tennis magazine." He laughed, and Hilton grinned devilishly at him.

"Ooohh, check this out," she said, her voice still edgy with giddy excitement as she flipped to another page. The whole left page was a blown-up photo of Aubrey sitting in Haidin's box at one of his matches, her long thick black hair cascading around her, her face cool and expressionless and mostly hidden by her giant D&G sunglasses.

"Aubrey's great!"

says Haidin, and it appears she is

was the headline on the right-hand page. It was the quote from Haidin in the press conference when he'd been asked if Aubrey had anything to do with him losing focus. The article was an interview with Aubrey about Haidin and her new TV show coming up in the fall. Deidre had done the interview.

Luke leaned over Hilton's shoulder to read it with her.

Earlier this week, Haidin Bayliss' girlfriend Aubrey Gage, 23, star of Love Means More Than Money and the upcoming fall show NYC, sat down to chat with GSM's Deidre Fox.

GSM: Aubrey, are you having fun at Wimbledon?

AG: It's great. I love London, so it's good to be back, and of course I love supporting my boyfriend.

GSM: You two seem pretty solid.

AG: (smiles) Haidin and I are great.

GSM: Glad to hear it. Were you a tennis fan before you met him?

AG: I wouldn't say I watched it that often, but I've always liked it. I play a little.

GSM: Really? Ever played Haidin?

AG: No! He's too competitive. We'd probably get in a huge fight.

GSM: (laughs) So, you're enjoying a lot of success with Love Means More Than Money. What was it like making your first movie?

AG: It was fantastic. One of the best experiences of my life so far.

GSM: Tell us about your new show in the fall, NYC.

AG: It's going to be crazy, and really great. I can't wait for people to see it. It's about four friends who just graduated college and got jobs in New York City, so they all move in together.

GSM: And this is a mix of guys and girls, correct?

AG: (grins) Yep, two guys and two girls. There'll be sex and drama, I'll promise that.

GSM: Sounds great. We'll be looking forward to it, as I'm sure a lot of people will.

AG: Me too. Thanks.

GSM: Where can we expect to see you and Haidin next?

AG: We're headed back to the States after Wimbledon. We'll be in New York for a little bit, and then the next tournament's in Indianapolis. I'll be able to go to a few more because we don't start shooting for NYC until August.

GSM: Great. We look forward to seeing you both in Indy.

AG: Thanks.

Well, all you readers out there hoping for some scandal, sorry, but it looks like there's none this time. Gage and Bayliss are still going strong. "Aubrey's great," and it does not appear she had anything to do with Bayliss' loss of focus in his quarterfinal match against Lleyton Hewitt (see cover story). Bayliss may be disappointed over the loss, but at least he has a supportive girlfriend by his side. See you in Indy. GSM

Hilton looked at Luke and pretended to gag, then laughed.

"Yeah, I probably won't be watching _that_ TV show," Luke said dryly.

"Actually it sounds good," Hilton said. "I probably will watch it."

"Well, I'll be hiding in my room on those nights."

Hilton laughed and hit him over the head with a pillow.

### ***

On Saturday Tanner played Andy Roddick in the semifinals. Tanner won in five sets. Even though Hilton had said she didn't care who won, she'd secretly been rooting for Tanner the whole time, and she jumped out of her seat screaming and clapping when Andy hit it out on match point.

Luke rose to his feet beside her and gave her an amused look as he clapped too.

"Shut up!" Hilton laughed. "So I wanted Tanner to win." She had a sudden image of him winning the whole thing tomorrow and his reaction...she could see him sinking onto the court in tears and then running up to his box to hug everyone...how freaking cool would it be if he ran up into the stands and hugged her?! Of course he wouldn't actually do that; he would go hug Bryony and his coach, but still, that would be awesome if she eventually became such good friends with him he invited her to sit in his box sometime. Aaaggghh! She could barely stand the thought, because it was so alluring she all of a sudden wanted it so badly it was almost like an ache. She laughed and shook her head at herself as she continued cheering, then turned and high-fived Luke.

"I was cheering for him too," Luke said. "He's pretty cool."

Hilton gave him a sideways look, then they both laughed.

### ***

Tanner lost in the finals on Sunday afternoon to Roger Federer. It wasn't even close. Hilton was disappointed, and she glanced over at Bryony in Tanner's box during the awards ceremony, thinking again how cool it would be to sit over there and watch him win a big tournament and have him run up and hug her and Bryony and everyone. That would be crazy.

Tanner was humble and funny during his interview, and he gave all the credit to Federer, saying Federer had kicked his butt from the beginning and he'd never stood a chance. "But I'll be hoping for a rematch someday!" he said at the end, then raised the runner-up plate high in the air and stepped out away from the crowd of photographers, tournament sponsors, and All England Club officials in the middle of the court so the crowd could get pictures of him. Centre Court went wild with applause.

"I'll be hoping for a rematch as well," Federer said with a smile when he got the mic, and Tanner grinned and nodded at him. People cheered some more.

"Too bad it wasn't a little bit better of a match," Hilton said.

"Yeah, but still, can you believe this?" Luke asked. "I mean, we're on Centre Court, and we just watched the finals of Wimbledon from the second row. Even I think it's cool."

"Yeah," Hilton said, grinning up at him and giving him a quick kiss. "I mean, no, I can't believe it. I'm so glad you're here with me." They kissed again.

### ***

Hilton had hoped to see Tanner and Bryony again before they all left London, but she didn't. She figured Tanner might have gotten out of here pretty quickly after losing. She'd kind of been hoping he'd stay to go out tonight or something and invite her and Luke again, but she wasn't that disappointed, because since he didn't, she and Luke got to spend their last night in London alone. They went to dinner again, then to a pub, where they laughed and drank as they talked about everything that had happened the past two weeks. They were both pretty tipsy by the time they got back to the hotel.

"I was serious before; I'm so glad you're here with me," Hilton said in a low voice when they were in their room. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. "And I really hope they hire me for another tournament so we can do this again. But if they don't, for your birthday present I wanna use some of the money I've made so we can go on another vacation together."

"I'm so glad I'm here too. Even more than all the crazy stuff we've done here, I'm just glad I got to be with you. Wherever you are is always where I'll wanna be. I can't wait till next time, or our next vacation. It's exactly what I wanted for my birthday, like I said, just to be with you."

"Aww, thanks, Luke." Hilton almost felt like she was going to cry. "Me too. Wherever you are is always where I'll wanna be."

They kissed, slowly and deeply.

"So we better make our last night in London one to remember," Luke whispered with a mischievous grin.

"What, like sex on the balcony? Oh wait...there's not one in our room."

"Oh, I think it'll be memorable enough without the balcony," he said. Then he spun her around and shoved her down on the bed, falling on top of her as she laughed in delighted anticipation.

### Dale

### July 17-20, 2007

"Are you gonna do it for her birthday?"

"Dude, no, I told you it's too soon."

"Oh come on, man, it's been six years!" Todd laughed. He and Luke had both just gotten home from work and were lounging on the couches in the living room watching TV. Today was Hilton's birthday.

"Yeah, but I mean too soon money-wise. Especially now that I went to London with her. But I mean, I'm glad I did that."

"Yeah, I still can't believe you guys hung out with Bruin and a model." Todd laughed again.

Luke laughed too. "Yeah, it was pretty crazy. And it was cool going to the tennis too. I mean, I didn't go every day, 'cause it got a little old, but some of the matches were pretty good, and we got fuckin' awesome seats. I probably will watch it on TV more now."

"Well so what'd you get her for her birthday, if not the ring?"

Luke grinned a little. He couldn't wait to give Hilton her present. "Well, I think she was kinda bummed they didn't ask her to do the US Open Series. For _Game Set Match_ , you know? She said she understands and everything, 'cause the tournaments are way smaller and they don't need as many staff, but I think she was still kinda hoping. So I got us tickets to go to the one in Indy next week."

"Oh, that's awesome. She'll love that."

"I hope so. And I got her a necklace in Italy too, on that one island we went to where they make all the glass."

"Oh yeah, where I got Jill's necklace?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I kinda had to be subtle about it."

"Well that's cool. She'll love that too. But I bet she woulda loved a ring more." Todd gave Luke a sideways grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Well now I can just do it at some random time, and it'll be better that way. I didn't really wanna do it on her birthday anyway."

"That's true," Todd said thoughtfully. "It is better if it's random. I guess it makes that day separate from the other holidays."

"Yeah, well I don't know if I'll ever be able to beat yours," Luke said, giving Todd a sarcastic glare. "You set the standard way too high, asshole."

"Well, did she get pregnant in London? If so, just wait like three years and then go back to London and propose to her. Or just name the baby some name of a place and go to that place and propose to her. But you probably shouldn't be on speaking terms most of the pregnancy." Todd laughed. "Nah, dude, you'll think of something creative."

Just then the door to the apartment swung open and Jill and Hilton came in from the pool, carrying their towels and keys and wearing sunglasses on their heads.

"Come let me motorboat your boobs," Todd said loudly to Jill.

Jill and Hilton both laughed, and Jill went over and straddled Todd, then leaned out of the way just as he started to put his face in her boobs. "Oops, sorry, joking," she said.

"Awww," Todd said, grabbing Jill's hand and trying to pull her back down.

Hilton climbed onto the other couch on her knees facing Luke and kissed him.

"Mmm, you taste good," he said to her. They kissed some more.

"Get a room," Todd called. " 'Cause we are. See ya after while for dinner."

Luke and Hilton didn't even stop making out as Jill and Todd left the room. Finally Hilton hopped off the couch and held out her hands to pull Luke to his feet. "Come on. I want birthday sex. But I don't want Adria to wake up and come out here and be scarred forever."

Luke laughed and followed her into her room. "Yeah, we'll just leave that one to Todd and Jill. It's bound to happen sooner or later."

### ***

After they had sex, Hilton and Luke took a shower together and did it again in the shower. Then Luke went into his own room to get dressed for dinner. When he went back to Hilton's room he took her presents with him. She was just tying the straps of a dark purple halter dress around her neck. Luke grinned.

"What?" Hilton asked, turning to him with a smile.

"Nothing. You just look really gorgeous."

"Aww, thanks." Hilton kissed him and pressed her body into his for a second. "Ooohh, is that my present?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she pointed at the gift sack in his hand.

"Nah, it's actually a present I got for Todd. You know, since his birthday's like...I don't know, when is his birthday?" Luke laughed, and Hilton did too.

"You're such a loser," she said. "Give me my present." She laughed again as he handed over the bag, then she sat on the bed to open it.

She pulled out the envelope first, thinking it was a card, even though Luke didn't usually do cards. It was weird-shaped for a card too...a long business envelope. Hmmm. She tore it open and pulled out the small, rectangular-shaped pieces of neon yellow-green poster board inside. When she turned them over and saw what was written on them, she gasped, her eyes flying up to Luke's. "Holy shit, are you serious?!" They said, in black Sharpie, _INDY TENNIS THING_. She jumped off the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Luke, this is awesome! Are we really going?! Seriously?"

Luke grinned at her. "Yep. We just pick up the tickets at will call, so I didn't have anything to really 'give' you. So I just got that poster board from the office. But yeah, we're going for all of next weekend; we should see the quarterfinals through the finals. I checked out the schedule online. And they're third-row seats. It was the best I could get, sorry."

"No, Luke, that's awesome! I can't believe it! Thank you so much!" She hugged him again, then grinned at him. "I love how you're addicted to tennis now, just like me."

He laughed, then gestured back to the sack. "There's more."

Hilton had completely forgotten the envelope hadn't been the only thing in the sack. She turned back to the bed and pulled out a small package. It was a lavender and sky blue sack with a sort of random design that looked like a sponge had been dipped in both colors and then stamped onto the sack over and over till the colors ran together and overlapped everywhere, making a beautiful swirling mix. The opening of the sack was folded over and closed with a sticker that read MURANO GLASS FACTORY.

Hilton once again looked at Luke in astonishment. He was still grinning at her. She peeled back the sticker, careful not to ruin it, and her mouth dropped open as she pulled out the necklace. It was beautiful. A thin purple wire connected black and dark purple glass beads. There was a bead about every two inches, and they were asymmetrical and of all different shapes and sizes. Hilton rubbed one between her fingers. It was smooth, even though it wasn't at all flat. "I love it," she breathed. She turned to the mirror on her closet door and slid it over her head. It was long enough she didn't have to unfasten the clasp. "Oh my gosh, I love it," she repeated. "And it's perfect for this dress." It hung along the V-neck of her halter dress down almost to her belly button. That was her favorite length for necklaces.

She turned back to Luke. "This is seriously one of the most gorgeous necklaces I've ever seen. I can't believe I randomly wore this dress tonight." She laughed. "Everything happens for a reason!" Hilton had believed that since high school, and she said it all the time.

"It looks totally hot on you," Luke said. "Just like I thought it would." He grinned and pulled her close, fingering the necklace as they kissed and then running his hand along the inside curve of her breast. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you so much." Hilton looked into his eyes and cupped his face in her hands. "It really is a happy birthday. And thanks for the message on Facebook earlier." He'd written on her Wall saying happy birthday and that this summer so far had been one of the best times of his life.

"I meant it."

"I know. This summer has been one of the best times of my life too. And that's partly 'cause of working for _Game Set Match_ and everything, but it's mostly 'cause of you and everywhere we've been and all the time we've spent together. I have the most fun when you're with me."

"Me too. I love you, Hilton."

"I love you, Luke."

### ***

On Thursday night, Hilton, Luke, Jill, and Todd went to the Purple Turtle. It was their favorite bar, but it was only open Thursday through Saturday, so they hadn't been able to go on Hilton's actual birthday. After dinner on Tuesday, they'd gone to a couple of the other Dale bars. It had been pretty dead, but they'd still had fun.

They had just arrived at the Turtle and were at one of the bars above the dance floor in the main room getting their mugs filled—the Turtle sold mugs you could bring back every Thursday for super cheap drinks—when they heard, "Hilton! Jill!"

They threw a quick glance at each other, then turned around to greet Laney, one of their former roommates.

"Hey!" they cried.

Laney ran up to them and hugged Jill, then Hilton.

Natalie, their other former roommate, trailed behind Laney with a sheepish smile. "Hey," she echoed.

Hilton and Jill both hugged her too, but these were loose, barely-touching hugs, whereas their hugs with Laney had been more genuine, glad-to-see-you hugs. Their three years of living together hadn't ended on the best of terms, but it had been long enough now that they could all sort of ignore what had happened and act like old friends. Especially with Laney. Natalie had been the major problem. She'd dated Todd for six months before he and Jill got together, even though she'd known Jill had liked him for years. Hilton noticed now that Todd kissed the top of Jill's head as he handed her her drink and gave only a slight nod to Natalie.

"Happy birthday, Hilton!" Laney said. "And congrats on the job!" Then she turned to Jill, her piercing green eyes bright and excited, and grabbed Jill's left hand. "Oh my gosh, that is gorgeous! I've been dying to see you ever since I saw on Facebook that you guys got engaged! Ahhh!"

Jill's whole face lit up as she laughed. "Thanks!" She grinned up at Todd.

"Good job, Todd!" Laney said with a grin. "Man, I hope Del does that good!"

"Oh yeah, how's Del?" Jill asked. "Do you think you guys will get engaged soon?"

"Oh, he's good. He's still living in Indy though, so it sucks. I interviewed for a job down there, but I didn't get it." Laney pouted. "We're kinda trying to move to the same town, and I think when that happens we'll probably get engaged."

"That's so exciting!" Jill said. Laney and Del had been together for almost three and a half years now. "And you'll find something. There's plenty of places that've gotta need accountants in Indy."

"Yeah, he's looking up here too."

"That's cool! Well congratulations!"

"Yeah, that's awesome," Hilton said.

"Thanks!"

"Yeah, congrats on your job, Hilton," Natalie chimed in, flashing a little more normal of a smile. "That's so cool. I'm so jealous of you. And congrats to you guys too." She looked to Jill and Todd. Hilton thought she sounded sincere.

"Thanks," Jill and Todd said together.

"So are you dating anybody?" Hilton asked Natalie, thinking it might sound like a bitchy question to ask right at this moment but not really caring.

Natalie shrugged and rolled her eyes. "No. I feel old here now. All the guys are like college-age guys."

"Well, I'm sure you'll meet someone," Hilton said dismissively, suddenly bored with Natalie. "So, have you guys been in Mike's?" She addressed the question to Laney. Mike's was the karaoke bar inside the Turtle.

"Yeah, we just came out of there. It's pretty fun tonight. Are you guys going in?"

"Maybe later," Jill said. "We wanna dance."

"Oh, okay, well I think we're going back in for a while, but we'll come dance with you guys later!"

"Okay!" Jill and Laney hugged again.

Laney turned to Hilton and hugged her again too, then playfully stuck out her hand to Luke and Todd, laughing as they each shook her hand. "Former roomie," she said to Luke with a nod.

Luke and Hilton both laughed. For two of the years Laney and Hilton had lived together, Luke had been basically a constant fixture at their apartment. Jill, Laney, and Natalie had called Hilton's bedroom and bathroom "their" bedroom and "their" bathroom, because it really had felt like Luke lived there.

"Later!" Laney called with a wave as she and Natalie hurried off toward the bathrooms. Natalie gave a small wave too.

"Nat brings out my bitchy side," Hilton said with a bright smile.

Everybody laughed, including her.

"To Hilton's birthday," Luke said, raising his mug into the middle of their small circle.

Everybody clunked their cups together and drank.

### ***

An hour or so later, Laney and Natalie came back out of Mike's and found Hilton, Luke, Jill, and Todd on the dance floor. Hilton was pretty drunk by then and danced and laughed with Laney but mostly ignored Natalie. Jill basically ignored Natalie too, in a way that wasn't rude, just indifferent. She smiled at Natalie and danced in a circle with her, Laney, and Hilton, but she didn't say anything directly to her. Hilton made it more of a point to actually ignore Natalie. Todd and Natalie didn't even really look at each other this time. It was like their friends were all friends but the two of them didn't know each other. Hilton was glad, even though she knew Todd would never really even look at another girl again, and she smiled and toasted Jill once after Jill and Todd made out a little. Natalie ended up dancing with a guy and making out with him, and Hilton whispered to Jill with a grin, "Looks like nothing's changed." Jill giggled and smiled back. All through their time as roommates, Natalie had hooked up with a lot of different guys and almost always made out with somebody at the Turtle. Todd was the only guy she'd actually dated though.

"You're being kinda mean to Nat," Luke said to Hilton when the two of them went to the bar for another drink.

"She's not a very good friend," Hilton said with a careless shrug.

"Yeah, but she probably feels left out right now 'cause you guys are being all nice to Laney but not her."

Hilton shrugged again, a little irritated. "Laney's a good friend. I like her. I haven't hung out with her in forever. I kinda miss when we were roommates, how we came here every Thursday. And Nat doesn't feel left out. She's making out with that guy."

"I think she's making out with him _'cause_ you guys are ignoring her."

"Well, it's her own freaking fault. I don't think she actually expects us to still be her best friends. Jill and I aren't fake; we're not gonna act like nothing ever happened and we still love her to death." Hilton's tone was matter-of-fact.

"Well, I just think you're making it awkward. I think you could be nicer to her."

"What the fuck?" Hilton was kind of pissed now. She slammed her cup down on the bar as they reached it, and her long hair whipped around as she turned to glare at Luke. "You don't think acting like a fake two-faced drama-filled bitch would be awkward? Like, 'Oh, yeah, Nat, we're totally still your best friends! Aaahhh, I've missed you _so_ much!' "

"I think you are kinda being drama-filled by the way you're acting."

Hilton gave a small disbelieving laugh. "Are you fucking serious? Okay, since you're suddenly the social expert, why don't you tell me exactly how to act. Especially in a scenario that has not shit to do with you."

"What the hell does that mean? Since I'm suddenly the social expert?" He was glaring back at her now.

"What can I get you guys?" the bartender asked.

"Rum and Coke," Hilton said, not looking away from Luke.

"Same." Luke shoved his cup across the counter and didn't look away from Hilton either.

"It means why the hell would you be giving me advice on how to act around people? You know what the situation was with her; why are you suddenly telling me to be all nice to her? I didn't realize my behavior was so unacceptable. Apparently I'm not all up on Luke's Standards for Social Decorum."

"Whatever, Hilton, that's stupid."

"Really? Do you even know what it means?"

" _Oh, do you even know what it means?_ " Luke mimicked.

"Apparently not." Their drinks were placed in front of them, and Hilton grabbed hers and walked off toward the dance floor. "Thanks for the drink." She flashed Luke an overly sweet smile and raised her cup to him. Then she turned and hurried back to Jill and the rest of the group, completely pissed. Where the hell had that come from?! And why the hell would he be telling her how to act?! She was furious. She had never believed in being fake; she hated girls who acted all friendly and smiley to people's faces and then went and talked about those people behind their backs. She had never been one of those girls, and she resented that Luke would expect or want her to act like that.

"What's wrong?" Jill asked as Hilton approached. She could tell the second she saw Hilton's face that Hilton was pissed.

"Luke fucking told me I'm being mean to Natalie and I need to be nicer, 'cause she feels left out and that's why she's making out with that guy," Hilton whispered bitingly.

"What?!" Jill's face registered immediate disgust.

"Yeah, I know. He brought it up as soon as we walked away and he said I should act nice to her and basically pretend like we're still best friends. And I told him I didn't wanna be a fake drama-filled bitch, and he said I'm being drama-filled anyway."

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Yeah, okay, let's act all fake and run up and start jumping up and down and give her a big hug, 'cause she'll know we're being _completely_ sincere and then that won't be weird at all. Nat knows how it is. She expects it to be just like this. We all know and we all understand."

"I know. But whatever. He's being a dick."

Jill looked around. "Where is he?"

"I have no clue." Hilton looked too and didn't see him coming their way. "Maybe he left."

"That'd be so shitty. We're out to celebrate your birthday."

"I know. I don't think he really left. But I'm so pissed at him right now."

"Well if he did leave he's coming to pick us up! And he can bite me about Natalie."

### ***

Luke returned a long time later. Laney, Natalie, and Natalie's make-out buddy had left about fifteen minutes ago. Jill and Hilton had hugged Laney and Natalie goodbye, and the hugs were much like the ones from the beginning of the night—enthusiastic and genuine with Laney, and loose and casual with Natalie.

"You know?" Todd said to Jill after they left. "That wasn't even that weird. I didn't even feel like she was somebody I ever dated."

"Really?" Jill asked.

"Yeah. I mean, obviously she never even mattered to me, but it just didn't even feel like there was anything between us ever. I mean, I guess there wasn't. I was in love with you the whole time."

"Aww." Jill smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he hugged her back tightly.

"Yeah, it was just weird," Todd said thoughtfully. "But good. It's just like, how freakin' stupid was I when I was dating her? Now all I can see is you and what we have, and I can't believe I could've thought anything else meant anything."

Jill kissed him. "Thanks, Todd, that's really sweet. I love you."

"It's just the truth. I love you too."

Hilton was watching them with a smile when she saw Luke coming toward them out of the corner of her eye. She turned and fixed him with a sour look. "Damn it, we thought you left. We were gonna call you to come pick us up."

"I was just in Mike's. I see Natalie left though. Did you run her off with your blatant rudeness?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"No, man, she ran off to get laid," Todd said. Jill and Hilton laughed.

"Why do you even _care_ about this, Luke?" Hilton asked.

"You're just usually not like that."

"Like how? A drama-filled bitch?" Hilton gave him a challenging stare.

He shrugged a little and took a sip of his drink. Hilton heard Jill gasp angrily. She was fuming all over again now too.

"Luke, you know me! You know I'm not gonna be fake to somebody I don't like just to make things 'comfortable' or whatever! No, I'm not gonna get up in her face and tell her I think she's just desperate for a boyfriend and I think she's a horrible friend, but I'm not gonna go out of my way to be friendly either! I hate fake girls! You _know_ that's not me; you've known me for six years! And I don't freaking understand why you suddenly care and want me to be all fake!"

"I don't know, I could just feel a lot of tension and I didn't like it." He shrugged. "And it didn't have to be that way."

"Hilton didn't make it that way!" Jill said. "Natalie did, by coming here! She knew it was Hilton's birthday this week and that we would be here! She _knew_ it would be like that. It's not like she expected us to be all nice to her and act like she's our favorite person and nothing's changed! She knows we're not great friends anymore! So to be fake to her would've just made us look stupid, 'cause she would've known we were being fake, and it would've been a hell of a lot more awkward than it was! We all know, Laney and Nat and Hilton and me, how it works! This wasn't even a big deal, Luke, and you're making it one."

Luke shrugged. "Okay, okay, fine, I'm wrong, whatever."

Hilton just rolled her eyes and turned to start dancing with Jill again.

### ***

Later, when they got a cab home, Luke sat in front with the driver and Jill, Hilton, and Todd sat in back.

When they walked into the apartment, Luke tried to follow Hilton into her room. "Hey," he said quietly, putting his hand on the small of her back as she stepped through her doorway. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier, okay?"

"Okay," Hilton said. "Night." She shut the door in his face.

### ***

When Hilton woke up around ten, she remembered the fight with Luke and moaned into her pillow, then rolled on her other side and pulled her covers up around her head, just wanting to fall back asleep and forget about it for a little longer.

She woke up again around 11:30 when someone knocked tentatively on her door. She pulled the covers even farther over her head without opening her eyes.

Her door opened slowly. "Hilton?" Luke said in a low voice. She didn't move. Luke shut her door behind him and came over to sit on her bed. He touched the top of her head, the only part poking out from under the covers. She was turned away from him. "Hey," he whispered.

Hilton took a silent deep breath, her eyes open now and staring into the covers. Just something about the way he'd said that, so unsure and apologetic, was so sexy. She could hear in his voice how much he loved her.

"I'm so sorry about last night," he continued in the same voice. "I don't even know why I got shitty about it. I don't even know why it bothered me. It doesn't at all now. Of course I know you're not fake. That's one of the things I love about you. One of the many endless things." He stroked her tousled hair.

Hilton finally rolled over to face him, and she couldn't keep herself from smiling. "Thanks, baby. I'm not mad anymore."

Luke crawled under the covers beside her and ran his hand through her hair again. "Thanks. I'm glad."

Hilton laughed. "That was just so weird. I had no idea why you just went off all of a sudden. About something so random."

Luke shook his head. "I have no idea. I was pretty drunk. I know that's not an excuse though."

Hilton shook her head too. "Whatever. Thanks for apologizing to me like this though. I love how you did that."

"Well, I was wrong, so there was really nothing else to do. I woke up this morning and I was like, dude, what the fuck were you thinking?!"

Hilton laughed and then placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. "You know what I love most about when we fight?"

"Please say the make-up sex."

"Definitely the make-up sex."

### Indy

### July 27-29, 2007

"So what's it feel like being a tourist?" Luke asked Hilton teasingly the following Friday as they left the Stadium Court at the Indianapolis Tennis Center. They had just watched Tanner Bruin win his quarterfinal match against Fernando Gonzalez. Their seats had been great, and Hilton had used the zoom lens on her camera to look for Bryony in Tanner's box at the opposite end of the court. She was disappointed not to see her; it would've been fun to hang out with her again. But it made sense she wouldn't make the trip to Indiana from Paris.

"It actually feels really good," Hilton said. "It's kinda nice to have no pressure for once, you know, not having to worry about getting all the good pics at the right times from the right angles." She grinned up at Luke. "But I love that shit too."

Luke grinned back down at her and ruffled her hair a little. "I know you do. Hey, I'm gonna run to the bathroom while we're right here."

"Okay. Hey, I'll go down to that place by the store and see if any of those tables are open." They had decided to eat and chill for a while until Haidin's match tonight. There was one before his, but Hilton didn't really care about seeing either of the players in it. It was a gorgeous day, and she thought it'd be more fun to just sit with Luke at one of the cute little outdoor tables and people-watch.

"Okay, I'll meet you down there."

None of the tables were open, so Hilton wandered up to the bar to order a couple beers. They could just make their own seat on the ground or maybe go over and check out the practice courts for a while. She heard someone shriek behind her and turned to look.

Aubrey Gage was walking out from the locker room area, and a teenage girl had seen her and run up to get her autograph. Aubrey quickly scrawled something on the gigantic tennis ball the girl held out, then moved in Hilton's direction without even looking directly at the girl or saying anything to her. She was wearing her trademark D&G sunglasses, and her long black hair was in a high sleek ponytail.

"Ugh, I _hate_ this pathetic excuse for a town," Aubrey said in disgust as she came up next to Hilton. "Get me the hell out of here. I'm so sick of these annoying little kids asking for my autograph."

Hilton glanced sideways at her. "What are you doing out here?"

"Ugh, Haidin's in his fucking 'zone.' He's impossible to be around before a match. I thought I'd at least be able to come get a cosmo or something without being _swarmed_. I can't believe they don't have somebody in the locker room taking orders. How freaking annoying. How do you put _up_ with this place? Why does he even play in little shit tournaments like this?"

"This is actually one of the highest ranked tournaments in terms of players' favorite ones to go to," Hilton said. She'd read that somewhere.

"Whatever. Hey," Aubrey said to the bartender. "Could I get some service today? I'll have a dirty martini, if you get a chance sometime. What do you want?" she asked Hilton.

"Two Guinesses," Hilton said to the bartender, her voice subtly apologizing for Aubrey. The guy gave her a slight grin, and she grinned back a little.

"Which one's your boyfriend again?" Aubrey asked Hilton. "I know I've seen you before at these things."

"I actually work for _Game Set Match_ ," Hilton said, looking directly at Aubrey and trying not to grin. "I took a picture of you and Haidin in the hotel lobby in Paris. And I also took the ones of him with that girl in Rome."

Hilton could see Aubrey's expression change even though she was wearing those huge sunglasses. She visibly recoiled, and her mouth formed a nasty snarl. "Oh, you're that bitch," she said. The bartender placed her dirty martini in front of her, and she dropped a twenty on the counter and picked up the drink. "Well if you really want a good picture sometime, maybe I'll email you one of me and Haidin fucking." She turned and disappeared back down the walkway to the locker room.

Hilton laughed incredulously, then grinned at the bartender as he placed her beers on the counter.

"Did Aubrey Gage just call you a bitch?"

"Hell yeah she did!" Hilton laughed.

The bartender raised his hand, and Hilton slapped him a high five. People around the end of the bar were looking curiously at them and after Aubrey, but Hilton didn't think they would've been able to hear what Aubrey said.

"She is threatened by you!" the bartender said. "Something you did she did not like. You got to her. And I'd say she should be threatened, 'cause you're just as hot as her, and you seem a hell of a lot cooler."

Hilton laughed again, a little embarrassed. "Thanks, I think. But I want nothing she has."

### ***

Hilton and Luke saw Tanner briefly; they caught his warm-up session on Saturday morning before his semifinal. Hilton was hoping he would ask them to sit in his box, but he just ran over with a big grin and said hi, shook Luke's hand, and talked to them for a minute, then jogged out onto the court with his coach and trainer. Hilton was a little disappointed, but she'd known all along there was probably no chance of him asking them to sit there. He signed balls afterward for the fans, as he had in Rome. Hilton and Luke remained seated while everyone else swarmed the fence. Hilton knew a few weeks ago that would've been her, and she laughed.

When Tanner had finished autographing, he pulled out two more tennis balls and wrote what took way too long to be just his signature. It looked like both balls were completely covered in black Sharpie. He tossed them to Hilton and Luke. He winked, then headed for the locker room. Hilton looked down at hers.

To my fav photog. I'll do something crazy for ya during the match. Be ready. –T

She grinned and looked over at Luke's.

My other lawyer's fired, he never comes to my matches. When can you start? –TB

"Do you know him?" a young girl asked in wide-eyed amazement.

"Yeah," Hilton said, grinning at the girl. "We know him a little."

"I'm his lawyer," Luke said, and Hilton burst out laughing and hit him in the arm.

"You are?!"

"Yep."

"Wow," the girl breathed.

### ***

Tanner played Haidin in the finals on Sunday afternoon. It was a close match all the way through, and Tanner was way more focused than he'd been in his match yesterday, when he'd been far enough ahead to play up the crowd a lot and do a front handspring on the court. Hilton had been thrilled; it'd been one of the best things she could ever remember seeing during a tennis match. He'd been walking to his end of the court after a changeover, and suddenly he'd looked up toward Hilton and Luke with a mischievous grin and given them a slight chin-up nod. Then he'd run and done a sloppy but still decent front handspring. The crowd had gone crazy, Hilton and Luke especially. Tanner had waved and bowed jokingly, then given Hilton and Luke another chin-up nod, still grinning his irresistible grin.

But today he was serious and his head was totally in the match because he had to be completely on his A-game. It was a long match, going to a tiebreaker in every set, and Hilton was pissed when Haidin won in the third-set breaker. He pumped his fist, but instead of looking thrilled or excited, he just looked annoyed, like, _Finally_ I beat this fucking loser; this should've been over an hour ago.

He gave Tanner only a brief handshake at the net, then shook the umpire's hand, then blew a kiss in Aubrey's direction. She was standing and clapping, but it didn't even look like she was smiling. Hilton smirked.

When Bud Collins interviewed Tanner, Hilton just wanted to shake herself; the whole thing made her squirm, watching Tanner have to say nice things about Haidin.

"He was just too tough today," Tanner said with a shrug. "He played great. It was a great match. Obviously I wish I could've come out the winner, but I have to congratulate him."

"Thanks, Tanner. And now let's turn it over to our new RCA champion, Haidin Bayliss." There was a brief pause for people to cheer.

"BOOOO!" Hilton screamed. Luke laughed, and she did too. She hadn't been the only one who'd booed.

"I disagree. It was a pathetic match. If I would've played great I would've won in straights and gotten the hell out of here an hour ago," Haidin said with no semblance of laughter or humor. There was an awkward silence as a few people in the crowd laughed uncomfortably, not sure if he was serious.

Hilton looked at Tanner. He was shaking his head slightly. She saw him turn and look toward his box, and she could just hear the silent message he was sending to his coach and trainer.... _Are you fucking kidding me?_

"Okay...well thanks, Haidin."

"Good, cut him off!" somebody in the crowd behind Hilton and Luke yelled. Hilton laughed, feeling a small sense of satisfaction that they were doing exactly that. Bud Collins had stepped away from Haidin, and now some other people were getting ready to present the checks to both players.

Hilton snapped a couple pictures as Tanner and Haidin stood beside each other, and a couple more a minute later as they were presented with their trophies—Tanner's a crystal plate and Haidin's a large crystal cup. She loved the sarcastic "please kill me now" look on Tanner's face; she thought it was hot. And even though Haidin was a total tool, he did look hot too. Haidin Bayliss and Tanner Bruin standing next to one another...it didn't get much better than that in the world of tennis.

### New York City

### Labor Day Weekend 2007

"This is soooo crazy," Kelsey said happily as she leaned back and stretched her legs out in front of her. "Thanks so much for letting me come."

"Thanks for taking off work to come. I love having somebody with me," Hilton said. She and Kelsey were sitting next to each other in the second row at Arthur Ashe Stadium watching the third-round US Open match between James Blake and Xavier Malisse. It was Friday, and Hilton had been in New York since Sunday. The tournament had started on Monday. So far it had been good, but Hilton was totally bummed because Tim Henman had announced his retirement, and he was already out of this tournament. He was going to play in the Davis Cup this fall at Wimbledon, but this US Open had been his last grand slam. She had been at his last match, and she'd had tears streaming down her face afterward when he gave a speech to the crowd and thanked his fans for all the support over the years. It had felt so incredible to be standing in the second row witnessing that moment, and she knew it would be one of those scenes she'd remember in vibrant detail forever. She felt so lucky to have been there. It had been indescribable...sad but powerful and poignant, and happy at the same time...happy for Tim because he was her favorite player and he was moving on to another part of his life; he had his third kid on the way and seemed like he had a really amazing family life.

"Well, you know, I have all these vacation days I haven't used, so I figured I might as well. I'm so glad you guys are here, 'cause Arden's gonna be MIA all weekend for the wrap party of _Southampton Summer_ ," Kelsey said.

"Yeah, she is so freakin' lucky. I still can't believe she hooked up with Colt again." Hilton grinned. She, Arden, and Kelsey had had a late dinner Monday night—another "business dinner" on Riesling & Wellesley, this time at Nobu, another NYC hotspot—and Arden had filled Hilton in on how she'd seen Colt a few times over the summer through work functions related to his reality show and "more than made out" with him in a dark hallway by the bathroom of a club. Arden had said it with a mischievous, cat-like grin, and Hilton had actually felt a little envious. That sounded so wild and exhilarating. And now Arden was in the Hamptons all weekend for _Southampton Summer_ 's wrap party on Monday night after filming finished for the season.

"Oh, I know. She didn't do a very good job of hooking me up with any of his hot friends though." Kelsey pouted her lips and then laughed. "But I can't believe _you_ hung out with freakin' Tanner Bruin in London! And had dinner with Bryony Adams last night....Well, okay, so I didn't even know who she was a few months ago." Kelsey laughed as a plane roared low over them. The tennis center was basically right next to LaGuardia. "But now she's like a rock star."

Hilton laughed. Bryony had called her hotel room last night around ten, saying Tanner was going to bed but she was bored and felt like going to dinner. So Hilton had gone with her, and they'd had a blast. They'd gone to a tiny pizza place with only four tables and stayed for two hours, devouring two huge slices apiece and sharing three pitchers of beer. They'd talked mostly about Tanner and Luke and tennis, and they'd gotten pretty drunk and laughed nonstop.

"So you still haven't run into Haidin and Aubrey this week?" Kelsey asked.

Hilton shook her head. "I was at his match the other day, but she wasn't there."

"Well she's in New York," Kelsey said. " 'Cause they've been filming her new show. It's been crazy. 'Cause the building where the characters are supposed to live, it's in the Village, so me and this girl from work went to check it out one day and people were all over the place. We didn't even stay 'cause we weren't even gonna be able to get close to the set or the actors or anything."

"Ooohh, let's go," Hilton said sarcastically with a giggle. "Maybe she'll see us and call me a bitch again."

Kelsey laughed, her pale blue eyes sparkling. "That's so hilarious."

"I know. I about died."

"Hey, so when does Jill and Luke and Todd's flight get in again?"

"9:05, I think."

"Okay, well I'll just leave at like 8:30 and meet them and then we'll be at my apartment when you're done here."

"Yeah, it could be like one." Hilton frowned. She kind of wished Deidre hadn't asked her to cover a match tonight, because Luke, Jill, and Todd were flying in for Labor Day Weekend and she wanted to go out with all of them. But...it was Tanner's match. So she definitely wanted to see it. And this was actually an assignment; it wasn't like when she just sat in the lobby and followed people. If she didn't go to the match, _GSM_ wouldn't have as many photographers there as they wanted. And Luke, Jill, and Todd would probably be tired when they got here anyway; they had talked about just all chilling at Kelsey's apartment tonight and drinking with Hilton when she got there, then going out tomorrow. And Hilton had specifically asked Deidre not to assign her a match tomorrow night. Deidre had grinned knowingly and Hilton had grinned back the same way, fully aware Deidre probably thought she had plans with Tanner and Bryony and was going to get some good pictures.

So she'd be done by five or so tomorrow, and she couldn't wait to hang out with all her friends in the city. She and Luke had decided to save their next vacation for sometime when the tournament was in a farther away location, especially since the US Open occurred over a long weekend anyway and Jill, Todd, and Luke had all been able to get pretty cheap plane tickets. Hilton was psyched for them all to be here, and she was hoping she'd get hired by _Game Set Match_ for the Australian Open in January, and that could be when Luke came with her for the whole two weeks again. She suddenly couldn't wait to see him. It was going to be kind of lonely tonight, being here at the tournament by herself while Kelsey went to pick everybody up at the airport. She hoped Tanner's match would go fast.

### ***

Hilton was bored and a little annoyed waiting for Tanner's match to start after Kelsey left for the airport; she'd so much rather be with Luke and her friends. But then when his match did finally start around ten, she completely forgot about everything except the action in the stadium. She was enthralled and in a world that included only what was inside the walls of Arthur Ashe, as she always was during Tanner's or Tim Henman's matches. Tanner won the first two sets easily, then played a loose third set and dropped it 6-3. Hilton felt frustrated and like she wanted to pull her hair out. _Come on, Tanner, what the fuck was that?!_ she wanted to cry. One of the hardest things for her to watch was when a player she liked sort of fell apart on court. Plus, losing a set in the third round to a qualifier—someone who hadn't been ranked high enough to automatically make the tournament and had had to play qualifying matches to even be here—wasn't a great sign for the rest of the tournament, as Tanner's draw would get progressively harder. She saw Tanner roll his eyes toward his box, and his expression was similar to the one he'd given in Indy during Haidin's narcissistic little speech.

He won quickly and easily in the fourth set, closing out the match on a confident surge of much more Tanner-like play than what he'd illustrated in the third set. As he grinned and waved at the crowd, Hilton thought he still looked a little annoyed about having lost that set. It was just a flicker, something in his facial expression behind the smile, and she was sure anybody who didn't know him would never see it. It gave her a pleased feeling that she could.

She lingered by the player exit for a little while after his match, hoping to see him, but he didn't come out, and she didn't see Bryony either, so finally she decided she should shake off the little bit of disappointment she was feeling about not getting to talk to him and get to Kelsey's since everybody was waiting for her. She glanced at her cell phone. It was 1:12 a.m. Aagghh, shit! she thought, suddenly desperate to be out of here. She couldn't wait to see Luke, Jill, and Todd and chill with everybody and drink.

### ***

"So," Kelsey said with a grin the next night at dinner. Hilton had worked at the tournament today while Kelsey had taken Jill, Todd, and Luke around the city. Jill had been here before, of course, in May, but neither Todd nor Luke had, so they'd gone to Central Park, Times Square, the top of the Empire State Building, and Ground Zero. Now it was eight, and they were at a cute restaurant on MacDougal Street in the Village, not far from Kelsey's studio loft in SoHo. "Do you guys wanna hear the plans for tonight?" Kelsey was grinning hugely.

Jill's eyes lit up. "What? I didn't know you had anything planned already."

"Well, I wanted to surprise you guys." Kelsey paused dramatically, still grinning. "And I think this is especially appropriate, since we're celebrating Todd's birthday."

Todd's birthday was this coming Thursday. Hilton was bummed she was going to miss it, because Luke, Jill, and Todd would all go out to the Turtle while she'd still be here in New York. She never missed her friends' birthdays. Even though she and Luke had had so much fun on his birthday, it had still made her kind of sad Jill and Todd weren't there with them. Now this was the second one of their birthdays in a year they wouldn't all four be there to celebrate together. "Tell us!" she laughed to Kelsey, trying not to feel the gnawing of disappointment and guilt that thoughts of Thursday brought.

"Arden got us on the list for a party RiesWell's throwing in the city tonight," Kelsey said slowly. "It's some kind of _Sports Illustrated_ party. They just opened their own bar in Manhattan. _SI_ NY?" She looked to Todd and Luke. "And it's featuring the swimsuit models."

For a second Luke and Todd were both speechless and wide-eyed. Then they turned and high-fived each other. "No fuckin' way!" they cried simultaneously. Hilton and Jill burst out laughing.

"Wow, seriously?" Jill asked, impressed. "Where's the bar?"

"Midtown. Times Square. It should be pretty sweet. I mean, it'll become a huge tourist attraction, I'm sure. I think it's gonna be kinda like a Hard Rock during the day or something, like a restaurant where families can go, and they're gonna sell sports memorabilia and stuff. But then at night it's a bar."

"That sounds so cool," Jill said. "Is tonight like the grand opening?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Wow," Todd echoed, still half in shock. "That's pretty freakin' sweet. We're going to the new _Sports Illustrated_ bar on opening night? For my birthday party?"

"Hell yeah, dude," Luke said. They high-fived again.

Kelsey grinned at the girls, and they smiled back excitedly.

### ***

When they got out of the cab at 45th and 7th, the glaring red sign blinded them from high above, blazing out over them and into the flashiness of Times Square. _SI_ **NY** , the letters shouted. There were people everywhere, and the line behind the velvet ropes stretched around the corner and out of sight.

"Holy shit," Jill said, making sure her cute short black skirt covered her butt as she stepped out of the cab.

"Do we have to wait in that line?" Todd asked. "I do not like waiting on my birthday." He tried to look arrogant, then laughed.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Kelsey asked haughtily. Then she flashed a grin and walked past them up to the door. Hilton couldn't hear what she said to one of the bouncers, but he made a mark on his clipboard, nodded at Kelsey, and pulled back the rope to let the five of them through.

"Aaahh!" Kelsey squealed excitedly once they were inside. "I was so nervous I was gonna get shot down or something." She laughed.

"What'd you say to the bouncer?" Jill asked curiously.

" 'Kelsey Johnson, with Riesling & Wellesley.' That's what Arden told me to say. She said it had down there would be six people in my group, in case I wanted to bring anybody else. But I'm a loser who can't find a date." Kelsey laughed.

"Still no prospects?" Jill asked.

"No. It seems like every guy here who wants a relationship is at least thirty, and that's too old for me. The ones my age are hot, but they're players. Not that that's all bad...just not boyfriend material."

"Yeah, that sucks," Jill said. Then she grinned. "But it could be fun too."

Kelsey grinned back. "Yeah. You could say." Then she shrugged. "It's still fun for now. I'm not crazy about settling down yet."

They all surveyed the scene. It was packed already, but it wasn't so bad they couldn't move. The room they were in was huge. They were near the left side, where a bar ran along the wall as far back as they could see. Scattered throughout the rest of the room were couches intermixed with typical restaurant tables. Gigantic TVs stared down from the walls and broadcast out hi-def sports from around the world in flawless color with captions. Music blared from the walls and ceiling into the center of the room, so loud the pulse invaded their bodies and became part of their heartbeats.  "Bartender," by T-Pain and Akon was playing. Hilton had heard it for the first time this week. She figured it probably wouldn't be on the radio in Indiana for months. Most of the music she'd heard here was completely new to her. She swayed her hips a little as she continued to survey the scene. She felt like dancing, but it didn't really look like a dancing club. The walls were lined haphazardly with sports stuff—it was hard to tell what in the dim lighting. But it looked like a mix of jerseys and photos and equipment.

"Let's get some drinks! First round's on me!" Luke said, and they all headed for the bar.

### ***

By midnight, the party had picked up even more, and the whole room was so crowded it was almost hard to move now, especially by the bar. People were sitting at tables and on couches and dancing in the space in between or standing in tight groups talking. Hilton's group had snagged an L-shaped couch and everyone was sitting facing each other and joking around and people-watching. They'd seen Derek Jeter earlier, and the girls had practically flipped out. Now they were trying to follow him around the room with their eyes. Todd and Luke had recognized some of the swimsuit models and thought they were unbelievably hot, but were a little disappointed they weren't actually wearing swimsuits tonight.

"Do you want us to let you pretend you're single?" Hilton teased the boys. "Like one of those 'if you have a chance to do a celebrity you can' things? We can do it too; you guys can go for the swimsuit models and we'll kick each other's asses over Derek Jeter."

"Yeah," Jill said, grinning at Todd. "I'd do that for you for your birthday."

"What, you'd fuck Derek Jeter for me for my birthday?" Todd pulled Jill's head down and mussed up her hair roughly. Jill shrieked and laughed.

"Holy shit," Todd said suddenly as he let Jill go. He hit Luke on the shoulder and pointed subtly. "That's Peyton and Eli Manning."

"No fuckin' way." Luke leaned forward, and Jill, Hilton, and Kelsey followed his and Todd's stares. Sure enough, standing about twenty feet away, the Mannings talked to two other guys who looked like they were probably professional athletes as well.

"This is crazy," Jill breathed.

"Ooohh, Derek Jeter sighting!" Kelsey cried in a low voice, and Jill and Hilton immediately looked in the direction Kelsey was looking. Jeter was now only about ten feet away, and he was talking to a girl Hilton couldn't see clearly.

"Oh my gosh," Kelsey said. "That's Vanessa Minnillo. Holy shit. If Nick Lachey is here I'm gonna crap my slutty little skirt."

"That'll be attractive," Todd said, then grinned at Kelsey when she flipped him off.

"Vanessa Minnillo and Derek Jeter used to date!" Jill said. "I wonder if that's awkward!"

Kelsey started rapidly hitting Jill's arm. "Nick Lachey, Nick Lachey."

"Oh my gosh, he's my favorite," Hilton said. He always had been the celebrity she thought was hottest, ever since his _Newlyweds_ days anyway. She knew her mouth was hanging open and she was blatantly staring at him from not that far away, but she didn't even care. He walked up and handed Vanessa a drink, then shook hands with Jeter.

Suddenly Hilton heard Jill gasp, and she looked over.

"Haidin and Aubrey, Haidin and Aubrey," Jill said, imitating Kelsey's breathless tone from a minute ago.

Hilton's head whipped back around. Sure enough, approaching the threesome of Vanessa, Nick, and Derek was a couple that was unmistakably Haidin and Aubrey. It was the first time in a long time Hilton had seen Aubrey without her D&G sunglasses. She looked stunning in a short turquoise dress with a V almost down to her belly button and a long silver necklace made of big connecting circles hanging to her waist. Her hair was up in a ponytail with the front poofed and teased way up. And Haidin looked about the hottest Hilton had ever seen him. His black hair stood straight up, offsetting his perfectly chiseled face. His outfit was sporty but club appropriate, dark gray dress pants and a soccer jersey for what Hilton assumed was an Australian team with a black blazer over it. As Aubrey excitedly hugged Vanessa, Haidin gave Derek and Nick what actually was probably a smile as he shook their hands. But it really wasn't a smile at all; on anyone who smiled on a regular basis, this would've looked more like a grimace. It was just more like a smile than any facial expression Hilton had ever seen him wear. Hilton watched Vanessa and Aubrey hug and wondered if they were really friends. They were both part of the New York party circuit, so maybe. She pulled out her camera to take pictures. Deidre would love this because of the connection to non-tennis celebs. It was just what _GSM_ wanted...for people to care as much about tennis players as movie stars or singers, and pictures like this would help.

After a few minutes, the group drifted apart and went their separate ways, and Hilton, Jill, and Kelsey decided to go to the bathroom so they could try to walk by Nick Lachey, who now stood near the bar, and get an even closer view of him.

"Oh my gosh," Kelsey cried in a pained whisper after they passed within a couple feet of him and got good close-up glances. "He is so freaking gorgeous! I don't think I can handle it!"

"Oh my gosh, Hilton," Jill said quietly, walking closer to Hilton so Hilton would hear. "Haidin's right there and he's totally staring at us. Do you think he remembers us?"

Hilton turned to look. Haidin was only a couple feet away, and he didn't try to hide the fact he was watching them. When Hilton looked at him he slowly slid his eyes down her body and back up. Then he flashed a grin that totally took Hilton by surprise because it lit up his face in a way she'd never seen before and was totally hot, even though it was also arrogant as hell. "Hey, ladies," he said in a voice that was just as arrogant. Hilton felt a rush from the combination of his smile and his sexy Australian accent. What the fuck?! How was she turned on by Haidin?! She gave him a piercing look and then turned away. She and the girls had never stopped moving, and now they passed him and went into the back hall, where a neon blue sign advertised the restrooms.

The girls all stared at each other, wide-eyed and practically falling down with laughter, as they pulled open the door to the bathroom and started inside. They practically slammed into Aubrey, who was leaving.

Aubrey threw an irritated glare in their direction, intending to keep walking, then she saw Hilton and stopped, her eyes narrowing into even tinier slits. "What, are you fucking following me or something?!"

Surprised yet again and trying not to laugh even harder than she already was, Hilton straightened her face and gave Aubrey a blank stare. "Following you? Who are you?" Then her voice took on a juicy tone. "But oh my gosh, Haidin Bayliss just totally hit on us outside! Do you know who he is?!" She gave an exaggerated giggle. Kelsey clamped her hand over her mouth to hide another fit of laughter, and Jill let half of a laugh escape before biting her lip to stifle the rest.

Aubrey was furious. She stepped closer and pointed a finger in Hilton's face. "Don't you dare even _mention_ Haidin!" Her voice was a low angry hiss. "And stay the fuck away from him! How the fuck did you even get in here, 'cause you work for that stupid piece-of-shit magazine? Well you might think you're somebody fucking special, but you're a fucking nobody. And Haidin wouldn't even look twice at you." She stormed past them.

"Maybe not, but he definitely looked once!" Hilton called after her. Aubrey didn't look back.

"Aaahhh!" Jill and Kelsey shrieked. Their mouths were hanging open and their eyes were wide, and they were both laughing hysterically. Hilton was cracking up again now too. She couldn't believe she'd managed to hold it in as long as she had.

"Oh my gosh, that might be the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life!" Kelsey gasped.

"I know!" Jill cried. She wiped at the tears streaming down her face.

"I think I just made an _en_ emy..." Hilton laughed. "I just couldn't help it. It was too easy. And she's such a bitch I don't even care."

"I think you already had one!" Jill cried. "She's totally threatened by you! That bartender in Indy was right."

They all three looked at each other and lost it laughing again.

### Dale

### September 6, 2007

"So Grandma Lynn tells me you made me a birthday present," Todd said to Adria on Thursday. Grandma Lynn was Todd's mom, with whom Adria had stayed while Jill and Todd were in New York last weekend.

"Me and Scwappy did!" Adria said, clapping her hands excitedly and beaming at Todd.

"Really?" Todd leaned forward and made big eyes at her, as though astonished. "Scrappy helped you?" Scrappy was Todd's dog from his mom's house.

"Yes!" Adria clapped again.

"Well when do I get to open it?"

Adria looked at Jill questioningly.

"It's up to you, Adria," Jill said, running her hands though Adria's light brown hair.

"Ummmm..." Adria stuck her fingers in her mouth and looked extremely thoughtful. Then she beamed again. "Okay, now!"

"No way!" Todd cried, scooping her up into his arms and pretending to fly her like an airplane. "Really?! I can open it now?!"

"Aaaaahhhhhh!" Adria screamed in delight. "Yesssss!"

As suddenly as he had picked her up, Todd set her back on her feet. Adria looked a little dazed and swayed to the side, still giggling. Jill and Todd both caught her before she came close to falling.

"Adria, go bring Daddy the present!" Jill said, sharing an excited smile with Adria.

Adria ran into her bedroom and emerged a moment later, tottering rapidly across the floor with the bag swinging and hitting her legs on every step. She placed it proudly in Todd's lap, then just as he reached for it, she swung her hand up and started to pull it away. Then she withdrew her hand and started giggling hysterically, grinning at Todd with a mischievous gleam in her dark brown eyes.

"Uhh!" Todd cried, looking at Adria in pretend shock. "You little sneak! You tried to take it away from me! I thought I got to open it now." He pouted.

Jill leaned down to Adria and held up her hand for a high five. Adria giggled, hiding her mouth behind her left hand as she high-fived Jill with her right hand.

"Both of you?!" Todd cried, his voice dripping with pretend hurt. "I feel so betrayed."

"Open it, Daddy!" Adria shouted, bouncing up and down.

"Okay." Todd ripped the tissue paper out of the bag and reached inside, then made a show of digging around in the small bag. Adria giggled some more.

Jill was laughing hysterically but trying to stay silent. Todd gave her a wary look as he finally pulled out the present. Then he glanced down at it. It was a thin strip of red construction paper taped together at the ends so it made a circle. There was writing on it, and Todd peered close to read it. It was obvious his mom had helped Adria write it. "D-A-D-D-Y," he spelled out slowly. There was another small flat piece of blue construction paper hanging from the main circle, cut into a flat circle, and Todd squinted to read that one. This one he could tell was in his mom's handwriting. There was no way Adria could've written small enough to fit the letters in so tiny a space. "If found, please call Adria Nicole Blake," he read. His heart skipped a beat and he looked up at Jill. She was still laughing, but now she gave him a private little grin and a slight nod. Todd was grinning too as he turned back to Adria. "Adria Nicole Blake? What is this?"

"It's a dog cowah!" Adria exclaimed. "I mean a daddy cowah! That's what Gwamma Wynn said! She said you need a cowah!" Adria giggled jubilantly. "And Scwappy said so too! It was Scwappy's idea!"

"A daddy collar?!" Todd cried. "Well only if you'll put it on me and take me for walks around the parking lot."

Adria collapsed on the floor in a fit of giggles. "Okay!"

"Really? You will?"

"Of cose I wi _ww_."

"Can you help me put it on right now?"

"Okay!" Adria reached out her hands eagerly. She took the collar, then looked at Jill. "I don't wemembeh how, Mommy," she whispered.

Jill kneeled down next to Adria. "Here, look," she whispered, pointing to where the collar was taped together.

"Oh yeah!" Adria tore it open with so much force Todd was worried it would rip, but it didn't. She rushed forward a couple steps to put it around Todd's neck. He helped her slide it around, and she taped it back together unevenly.

"Look, it fits almost perfectly!" Jill said to Adria. "You and Grandma Lynn and Scrappy did awesome!"

"We did awesome!"

"Yeah you did!" Todd said. "Okay, ready to walk me?"

"Okay!"

Todd dropped out of the chair onto all fours. Adria stood beside him and latched onto the collar, then took a tentative step forward while watching Todd the whole time. He crawled after her, letting her lead. When Adria saw it seemed to be working, she continued walking slowly, beaming proudly at Jill as they moved past her.

"Adria, do you know how old Daddy is today?" Jill asked.

"Twenty-five!"

"Wow," Todd said. "You're a smart girl."

"And how old is Mommy?" Jill asked.

"Twenty-foh!"

"So what does that make Daddy?"

"Ohhhd!"

Todd laughed and looked at Jill as he continued crawling after Adria. "Haha, funny, how long did ya practice that one?"

Jill beamed back at him happily.

### ***

"So the Adria Nicole Blake thing?" Todd said in a low voice to Jill later that night at the Turtle when they were alone. He'd been stunned, because Adria's last name was Sherer...Jill's last name. He and Jill hadn't been together when Adria was born, and the topic of changing her name had never come up between them. Todd had thought from time to time how he would love for her to have his name...for both of them to have his name...and how cool that would be, but he had thought maybe when he and Jill got married, and he hadn't even expected it at all. He never would've asked Jill to change it.

Jill grinned at him. "Yeah. That's your present from me."

"Jill, you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. I've wanted to ever since we got together."

Todd wrapped her in a bear hug and buried his face in the top of her head. "Thank you, Jilly Bean. That means so much. I love you." He kissed her hair.

"And eventually it'll be me too," Jill said with a grin in her voice as she hugged him back.

Todd pulled back so he could look at her, an adorable smile lighting up his face. Jill fell in love all over again. "Jill Blake," he said. "Jill Elizabeth Blake. Yeah, I like the sound of that." He grinned. "I'll admit I've thought about it before."

"Me too," Jill said. Hearing him say it like that practically made her shiver. Hilton and Lorylyn had used to jokingly call her "JB" back in high school, just because she'd liked Todd so much, but she would've died if he'd ever found out. It was hard to believe the two of them were actually standing here talking about it now, and it was really going to happen. _Living in a moment I would die for,_ Jill thought, as  the country song with similar lyrics suddenly flashed into her head. She'd thought that so many times before with Todd, because every moment with him was indescribably amazing.

### ***

"This kinda blows," Luke said later as he, Jill, and Todd sat at a table above the dance floor. "Not to bring down your birthday, man, but I just wish Hilton was here."

"Yeah, I think I'd die from loneliness if Jill was gone all the time," Todd said. "I can't live without her." He pretended to let a sob escape and dropped his head down on the table.

Jill laughed and hit him in the shoulder. "Shut up, asshole. But yeah." She made a sympathetic face at Luke. "It does suck. I'm sorry. I miss her too. It's weird to be out for one of our birthdays without her."

"Yeah," Luke said. He gestured to Jill and Todd with his Turtle mug. "And you guys are over there all happy and engaged, and I'm just alone."

"Oh, Luke, come on," Jill laughed. "You're not alone. You have us!" She looked at Todd, who dropped his head on the table again. Jill laughed. "But no, seriously, Luke, you're not alone at all. You and Hilton are so happy together, and you guys have an amazing relationship. You're so much luckier than all these other people." She gestured around. "All these people who don't even have anybody, and are here looking for...what? A one-night stand? Some desperate hope they'll meet 'The One' tonight? You're with the girl you know you wanna be with forever. Just 'cause she travels a little isn't the end of the world. I mean it's what you guys always said would happen anyway; she'd travel while you were in law school. And tennis season's basically over. The US Open's the last big tournament. She's starting at Nick's again in a couple weeks, and she doesn't even know if she'll ever work for _Game Set Match_ again."

"I know, I know," Luke said. "And it's not even that I wouldn't want her to work for them again if she got the chance. I just miss her. Sorry, you guys. I know it's your birthday. I just think that's what really got to me today though, is not having her here on a night when we would normally all go out and get shitfaced and have a blast."

"I know," Jill said. "But we're all going out next Thursday to re-celebrate after she gets home. And it's only like four more days till she's back."

"I know. I just wish she was here." Luke took a long drink of beer, looking totally dejected. Jill thought it was adorable.

"I know. We all do. But it's almost over, the traveling. For this year anyway."

"Yeah. I can't wait for her to get back." Finally he smiled, his brown eyes twinkling, and he looked much more like his normal self.

### NYC

### September 6, 2007

"Hey there," a slightly pudgy forty-something man near the bar said to Arden as she, Kelsey, Hilton, and Bryony walked through the dimly lit main room of Tenjune. Arden didn't even glance at him.

"She's married," Kelsey called, her hand on Arden's back as the four of them moved past.

Arden laughed and turned to grin at Kelsey. "Yeah, I like that line."

"Hey, it's true," Hilton said with a shrug. "Facebook doesn't lie."

"What, you haven't heard the news?" Kelsey asked. "They got divorced the other day. On Facebook and everything. I guess I should've told that guy you just went through a divorce," she said to Arden. "Since I guess you're not married anymore."

Hilton dropped her mouth open in pretend alarm. "What?!" She giggled.

"Yeah, I just realized I'm not ready to be so committed," Arden said in a careless, "whatever" voice, shrugging. Then she laughed too. "One of my guy friends and I just put as a joke on Facebook that we were married," she told Bryony. "Before that we had that we were in a complicated relationship. It worked out really well when one of us hooked up with somebody who added us on Facebook the next day. It got rid of them pretty fast."

"You're such a bitch, Ard," Kelsey said.

"I know."

"Detter's a skanky little bitch too," Hilton said with a laugh. "I can just see him doing that."

Arden grinned back. Detter was Arden's guy friend whom she had been "married to" on Facebook, and in a "complicated relationship" with. Hilton knew Detter from high school, and this did sound just like him, putting that he was in a complicated relationship so he could have an easy way to get rid of his one-night stands. He and Jill had used to hook up in high school and a little in college, and Hilton loved Detter to death; he was a blast. Just definitely not a one-woman type of guy.

The girls reclaimed their seats on the velvet couch at their table with Tanner and two of his friends from New York City who'd come out with them tonight. Tanner had lost today in the quarters, and even though Hilton was bummed, the good part of it was that he was out tonight. He didn't even seem to be in that bad of a mood; right now he was cracking up at something one of his friends had said. He raised his beer to that guy's, whose name Hilton thought might be Ben—for some reason she'd completely blanked on both of Tanner's friends' names after Tanner had introduced them—and they cheers-ed. Tanner took a long gulp, still laughing. Then he turned to the girls. "Welcome back, gorgeous girls. Hi, babe." He leaned over to kiss Bryony, and Hilton felt a quick twinge in her chest. She looked away and shook her head a little, laughing at herself.

The guy who'd been talking to Tanner, Ben or whatever, immediately turned back to Arden when she sat down. He'd been flirting with her all night. Hilton thought Arden was only vaguely interested, but might make out with him. Arden made out with a lot of guys, from what Kelsey said, but she only brought home a few...the ones she really liked. This guy wasn't one of them. He'd been trying to tell Arden all night how they should party together more after tonight; he wanted her to let him know about RiesWell parties and said he'd get her info on some "tight bands" because he was friends with a bunch of people in the music industry, including, apparently, Fall Out Boy. Hilton didn't doubt that, but she could tell Arden was annoyed and bored when this guy kept suggesting maybe RiesWell could even rep some indie bands he knew. He was undeniably hot though, which was the only reason Arden had probably put up with him for this long and the reason Hilton thought Arden might make out with him. Plus, at least making out with him would shut him up for a while.

Kelsey, Bryony, Tanner, Hilton, and Tanner's other friend, whom Hilton was referring to in her head as JJ because she was pretty sure his name was Jeremy or Jeff, had been keeping up a separate conversation. Hilton was having a great time. She was beyond bummed though that this might be her last night hanging out with Tanner ever, if she didn't get to work for _GSM_ again. She wanted the night to go on forever.

Suddenly she started and grabbed for her slinky black purse, which was lying on the table. She yanked out her phone, panicking. She couldn't believe she'd totally forgotten to call Todd at the Turtle and wish him a happy birthday. She'd called earlier in the day, but she'd wanted to call while they were out too, to say hi and tell everyone she missed them and wished she could be there.

She breathed a little sigh of relief when she saw it was only 12:21...not so late it would be obvious she'd forgotten for a while. "Hey, I have to run outside," she said to the group at the table, then rushed for the door. Once outside, she hurriedly pushed Todd's speed dial number.

It rang three times before he answered. "Hey, missing link!" Todd shouted into the phone.

Hilton could hear all the background noise from the Turtle, and she grinned. "Hey, birthday boy! How's your night?!"

"Best birthday ever! Except for you not being here."

"Awww, good, I'm glad. So you liked Jilly's present?"

"It pretty much made my life."

"Awww," Hilton said, grinning happily into the phone, her heart melting.

"Well, you know, that plus being her boyfriend. And being engaged to her. We have a pretty kickass best friend, don't we?"

"Hell yeah we do! So can I talk to her?"

"Sure. Hey, thanks for callin'. See ya in a few days."

"Okay, bye, Todd, love you!"

"Hey!" Jill said into the phone. "What's up?"

"Oh, just missin' you guys." Hilton looked back into Tenjune. Part of her couldn't wait to be back inside, but she wanted so badly to be with Jill, Todd, and Luke right now too.

"Whatever!" Jill laughed. "You're probably having way more fun than we are!"

"Well, we are at Tenjune."

"Aahhh! That's awesome!"

"But it's not as good as being with you guys. I feel so horrible I'm missing Todd's birthday. I wanna be there so bad."

"Awww, well thanks," Jill said. "Hey, Todd's like about to fall down. Here, Luke wants to talk to you."

"Okay, bye, Jilly!"

"Bye!"

"Hey," Luke said, and Hilton thought his voice seemed weird somehow...faraway, disjointed. She suddenly felt a huge emotional distance between them, and it washed over her like a wave of sadness.

"Hey," she said. "I miss you so much."

"Yeah, me too. I'm glad you missed me so much you talked to Jill and Todd both first." His voice was sarcastic in an almost bitter way.

"Luke! It was Todd's birthday! That's why I called him first. I'm sorry, it's not like I missed him more than you."

"Yeah, I guess," Luke said. Now he just sounded bummed.

"What do you mean, you guess? Luke, I can't wait to see you Monday. I wish I could see you right now. It's killing me I'm not there for Todd's birthday."

"Yeah, that's just it," Luke said.

"What's just it?"

"You're sad you're missing Todd's birthday. You're not sad you're not with me."

"Luke, stop it," Hilton said, her voice hard. "I miss you like crazy, and you know it."

Luke sighed. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I've just been in a shitty mood tonight 'cause Jill and Todd are here all happy, and it's the first time you haven't been here for one of our birthdays, and I'm just lonely I guess."

"Aww, I'm sorry. I love you so much. I know it's lonely. I'm lonely in the same way, you know? But I mean, just think of all the people at the Turtle who don't even have anybody at all. Or all the people here tonight who don't have anybody. We're way better off than them."

Luke laughed, surprising her. "That's pretty much exactly what Jill told me."

Hilton smiled. "Jill and I are pretty much soulmates."

Luke laughed again. "Trust me, I know."

"We're girl soulmates. You're my boy soulmate."

"I like to think so," Luke said, and Hilton could hear the grin in his voice. She grinned too. "All right, sorry for being an asshole," Luke said. "Have fun tonight. I love you."

"Thanks, I will. I love you too. Don't let Todd pass out in a Dumpster or anything."

Luke laughed. "I'll try. Don't let Arden or Kelsey fall in front of a subway."

Hilton laughed too. "I'll try."

"All right, bye, baby."

"Bye." Hilton flipped her phone shut and slid it back into her purse with a grin. Then she turned and hurried back inside.

"How's my lawyer?" Tanner asked, flashing his heart-stopping grin at Hilton as she rejoined their table.

"Oh he's good." Hilton grinned back. She still hadn't stopped smiling from how her conversation with Luke had ended.

"We just ordered shots," Bryony said, shooting Hilton a feisty grin. "My treat. To celebrate Tanner's season."

"Why?" Hilton asked. "It was a pretty shitty season if you ask me." She grinned at Tanner across the table, then gasped in surprised laughter when he chucked an ice cube from JJ's drink at her.

Bryony, Kelsey, and Arden laughed in half astonishment too.

Hilton grabbed an ice cube from her own glass and winged it back at him. He put his hand in front of his face to block it, laughing hard. He was drunker than Hilton had ever seen him, and she loved it. He looked so freaking hot, and something about the way he was acting when he was wasted made him almost even hotter, if that were actually possible.

"Hey, let's get outta this place," Tanner said. "Let's go to the hotel."

Hilton and Kelsey exchanged excited looks as they grabbed their bags off the table. Hilton had kind of been hoping to go dance in the other room, but the hotel sounded way more fun.

As they all stood, Arden's phone blared  "Make Me Better" by Fabulous and Ne-Yo, startling everyone as it rattled loudly against the table.

"Oh, that's my husband," Arden said with a grin at the girls as she grabbed the phone. "Well, ex-husband, whatev. Heyyy, loverrr," she said into the phone. "It's our song," she stage-whispered to everyone at the table.

Tanner's friend Ben looked like he'd been punched in the face.

"Don't worry, I was still gonna make out with you," Arden whispered to him, causing the other three girls to burst out laughing as she turned back to her phone. "I can still call you lover if I want! Just 'cause we're divorced doesn't mean we're gonna stop doing it."

Ben looked from Arden to Tanner to the girls, trying to figure out if she was really talking to her husband, but Tanner was already headed for the door.

Bryony walked up to join him. Hilton and Kelsey were right behind them, then Tanner's two friends, then Arden bringing up the rear, laughing into her phone and paying no attention to anything around her. Hilton glanced back and saw Ben looking at Arden, but he quickly turned back to the front and then averted his eyes when he realized Hilton had caught him looking.

"Don't worry," Kelsey said to him. "She probably really will make out with you."

Flashbulbs exploded as soon as Tanner and Bryony stepped onto the sidewalk. Hilton and Kelsey grinned at each other behind Tanner's and Bryony's backs.

"Where're you headed, Tanner?" a few voices of reporters and photographers called.

"Private party!" Tanner yelled back, then he grabbed Bryony's hand and took off running.

With wild laughs, Hilton and Kelsey ran after them. Tanner dodged all the cabs and limos and reporters lined up at the curb and darted across the street. Hilton looked back to see Tanner's friends jogging behind them and Arden dashing across the street like a pro in her heels, still on her cell phone. I'd probably be more likely to fall in front of a subway than her, Hilton thought with a laugh. The cameras were still flashing in their direction, but nobody tried to actually follow them. Hilton was surprised at first, but then she remembered those reporters weren't _GSM_ people; they cared more about the bigger Hollywood celebs still inside.

They ran another half block, then all regrouped, laughing breathlessly.

"Let's take the subway," Tanner said. "Does anybody else wanna take the subway? I'm sick of being chauffeured around."

"I love the subway," Kelsey said.

Hilton looked at Kelsey and grinned. She loved the subway too. Kelsey grinned back, her long pale wind-blown blonde hair hanging raggedly down over her shoulders.

"Race to the subway station!" Tanner called, then he took off running again.

Ben and JJ flew around the girls and raced after him. The girls took off sprinting too, or sprinting as much as they could in heels on the cracked sidewalk, then stopped after a minute and fell into each other, laughing hysterically.

"Okay, that's enough fucking running for me!" Bryony said. "They can just wait for us, or meet us at the hotel, whatever, but I'm walking now."

"Are you still talking to Detter?" Kelsey asked Arden.

"Oh, no, I just told him I was about to run a race and then I hung up."

Kelsey, Hilton, and Bryony all laughed some more, just as Arden's phone blared "Make Me Better" again. They all jumped, just as they had in Tenjune, then laughed.

"It's just a text this time," Arden said as she flipped her phone open. "Omg, drunk fuck, call me from the hospital," she read and burst out laughing.

The rest of the girls were still laughing too as they reached the steps for the subway station and descended. Hilton thought it felt paradoxical to be walking down into the dirty station all dressed up in their cocktail dresses, but she loved it. It somehow embodied a little part of the essence of New York City.

The boys were waiting just on the other side of the entrance gates.

"Look," Tanner said, holding up a yellow card. "I bought a MetroCard, 'cause it's good for unlimited rides, and I thought we could all use it, but you have to wait five or thirty minutes before using it again or some shit."

The girls all looked at each other and laughed.

"Five or thirty minutes?" Bryony said, leaning over the entry bar to kiss Tanner. Then she pulled out a credit card and followed the other girls to the ticket machines along the wall.

"Yeah, thanks for the effort though," Arden called back to Tanner, causing Hilton and Kelsey to crack up all over again.

"Hey, does anybody know what train to take?" Tanner asked a minute later after the girls had all bought single-ride tickets and joined the boys on the other side of the gates.

"Any of the ones going downtown," Kelsey said. "The A, C, or E."

"Good thing you know," Arden said, and everybody laughed again.

They waited for what seemed like forever. There were only a few other people, and no one was standing very close to them. When they finally got on the train, there were only two other people in their car.

"I wish I had a flask," Tanner announced, and Hilton laughed delightedly. She wished he did too. That'd be so fun, to drink even more on the subway before they got to the hotel.

"Don't even say that," Arden said. "You're just making me thirsty."

A couple more pictures of their group were snapped outside the Soho Grand Hotel a few minutes later as they approached on the sidewalk and walked in, talking loudly and completely ignoring the photographers. Hilton knew she'd be checking every single celeb magazine and website in the next couple days and weeks to see if any of those were published. She knew they probably wouldn't be, but still, it'd be fun to look.

They took the elevator to a penthouse suite that Tanner had booked just for tonight. Up until today he'd been staying in a different hotel with all the other players, but tonight he'd wanted to get totally away from the tennis scene, now that he'd lost. He was in party mode, he'd said, not tennis mode anymore.

In the room, Tanner took food orders from everybody and then called for room service. He gave all their orders, asking each person again as he went because he'd forgotten already, then asked for three bottles of champagne and "seven huge-ass rum and Cokes. That okay with everybody?" He pointed around the room and raised his eyebrows, checking for approval.

Everybody nodded or said yes, and Hilton grinned to herself, thinking back to Paris when she'd first hung out with him and told him to surprise her with a drink, and he'd picked rum and Coke. She loved that that was his favorite, but also that he ordered three bottles of champagne at the same time. Luke or Todd would never order champagne. Tanner was unlike any guy she'd ever known. He was a small-town boy next door, a typical all-American guy who was hot and good at sports and drank rum and Cokes, and yet he had more than a touch of something urban in him too; he was the kind of New York guy who knew how to be stylish in a vintage way, a way that went beyond matching his Abercrombie shirt with his Abercrombie khakis, and who ordered bottles of champagne in hotels _while_ drinking rum and Cokes. When Hilton thought about it, the whole idea of Tanner absolutely enthralled her, and she couldn't get enough of him. She loved being around him for that simple fact that he was unlike any guy she'd ever known, and, in a way, _more_ than any guy she'd ever known. There was just so much to him, so many aspects and facets. She was already disappointed about the huge void she knew she was going to feel when she was no longer around him and had no idea of when she would see him next, if ever. It was such an empty, lonely feeling she couldn't even stand to think about it, so she pushed it away as the drinks came and gladly accepted hers.

"Bru, where's your speakers?" asked Tanner's friend JJ, the one who wasn't sitting right up next to Arden on the couch and trying to monopolize her attention.

"Um, in the bedroom somewhere," Tanner replied as he poured champagne into the flutes left by the room service guy. "Here, Bry," he said as he handed Bryony one. They smiled private sexy little smiles at each other, then Tanner continued passing out the flutes.

Suddenly music blasted out of the bedroom, some rap song Hilton had never heard. JJ emerged from the room and rejoined them. "What are we toasting to this time?" he asked as he took his flute from Tanner.

"How about the naked dance party we're about to have?" Tanner asked with a mischievous grin so sexy Hilton felt electric waves race down her throat and through her body. She had to force herself not to just sit and stare at him.

"Ooohh, sounds whory. I like it!" Arden said, raising her flute.

Everyone else raised theirs and clinked them together, laughing.

"So who's ready?!" Bryony jumped up and started to pull up her skirt, as though she were going to rip the whole dress over her head. Then she dropped it, laughed, and sat back down.

" _Ohhhhh,_ " Tanner and his friends cried, disappointed. "Come on!"

"I'll do it if you will," Arden said to Bryony.

Bryony jumped up again and ran over to another couch, leaping up on it. Arden shoved past Tanner's friend who wouldn't leave her alone and pulled her dress over her head on the way to the other couch. She joined Bryony wearing only a thong and a strapless bra. Bryony pulled her dress off too and tossed it on the floor. She wasn't wearing a bra at all and made a half-assed attempt to cover her chest with one arm. Then she arranged her long auburn hair so it fell over her boobs.

"Come on, you guys!" Bryony laughed, motioning to Hilton and Kelsey while Tanner and his friends cheered loudly.

Hilton ran over too, followed by Kelsey, and jumped up right in between Bryony and Arden. When Kelsey leapt up, the leather cushions sank a different way, causing the four girls to stumble all over each other. Laughing, Hilton peeled her dress off and dumped it on the floor as Kelsey did the same.

Just then the song ended, and the next one that came on was "Bartender." Hilton shrieked happily, and all four of them started shouting the words.

"These are the freakin' pictures _GSM_ needs!" Tanner shouted over the music, grinning as he downed his rum and Coke and danced from his seat on the edge of the other couch.

"None of us are tennis players!" Bryony yelled back. She caught Hilton's eye and laughed.

"Yeah, but it'd sell copies! And you're up there, plus one of their own employees!"

"RiesWell would _love_ if a picture of me like this got put in a magazine!" Arden shouted. "As long as it said my name and that I work for them. It'd make them look like the hot young PR company with the crazy party-girl employees, and then they'd get even more hot young celebs as clients."

"I think they _are_ the PR company with the crazy party-girl employees!" Ben shouted over to Arden. "They've got one, anyway!"

"You don't even know half of it!" Arden shouted back with a sassy hip jut in his direction.

"I like the BARRRRTENDER!" Bryony shouted, and then all four of them lost it. They fell into each other and Kelsey almost stumbled off the couch.

"Aahhh!" Hilton exclaimed. She was almost crying, she was laughing so hard. This was one of her favorite feelings, just the right amount of drunk where everything was hilarious. It was so much fun.

"Bry, we're having a private naked dance party later, right?" Tanner called.

"Tell me when!" Bryony called back.

Hilton laughed again. She and Kelsey exchanged longing looks over Arden's shoulder, both glancing at Tanner and then back at each other. Then they lost it laughing again.

"Hey, I don't even wanna hear it!" Kelsey cried, still laughing. "You get to have private naked dance parties with Luke, and he's fucking hot as hell!"

"Yeah I do!" Hilton said, grinning as she thought about sex with Luke. She wished he were here right now...

"Make room!" Tanner suddenly shouted, and before Hilton even knew what was happening he had catapulted onto the couch right between her and Bryony. Her skin caught fire at all the points where they were touching, even though he was fully clothed.

"Let's give him what he came for!" Bryony shouted around Tanner to Hilton, Arden, and Kelsey. She turned so her back was to Tanner and leaned forward a little, rubbing her butt against him. Tanner locked his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

Hilton, Arden, and Kelsey surrounded him on the other three sides, all dancing right up on him and trying not to fall off the couch. Hilton was absolutely loving it.

"This might be the best moment of my life," Tanner said loudly. His tone was joking but not altogether un-serious.

"Even better than winning a tournament?" Arden asked, her smile saying she already knew the answer.

"Oh fuck yes."

Hilton grinned. Tanner was such a freaking blast. She hoped they stayed up all night and partied, because she was more bummed about tomorrow than ever. The thought of being back at Dale, far away from Tanner and having no contact with him, was completely disheartening.

Tanner suddenly started shouting the last verse of the song, but he didn't know the words well enough and ended up yelling, "Blah blah blah blah!" into the ceiling with his head tilted back. His tousled light brown hair tickled Hilton's nose, and she grinned into the back of his head.

Yep, Tanner...or maybe just being around Tanner...was going to take some getting over.

### Dale

### Fall 2007

_GSM_ did publish one of the paparazzi photos of that night, a close-up of Bryony and Tanner as they left Tenjune. Hilton was a little disappointed she, Kelsey, and Arden weren't in it—she could just barely see the edge of her purse behind Bryony—but oh well. It also made her a little sad to think _GSM_ had obviously bought this photo from someone else, not her. She had taken a couple in Tenjune and Deidre and James had bought one of them, but it was just in the ShotSpot section. Hilton wondered if they would have any need for her again next year, when the season started in January. She hoped so.

She settled fairly quickly back into her job at Nick's, at least outwardly. Inside, part of her screamed that it was too fast, that the absolute return to her old life was somehow wiping out the clarity and significance of her summer, especially those last two weeks in New York. That all of a sudden felt far away, like another life, which bothered her and made her resent her job at Nick's. Tanner was worlds away, both physically and emotionally. She had wanted to ease back into her Nick's job and her life at Dale, always keeping her memories of New York and the rest of the summer at the forefront of her mind, but she felt like she'd been forced to push them to the back right away and they were back there collecting dust while their sharpness faded into dull rusty overlooked threadbare strands. She wanted time to dwell on the summer and lie around lazily replaying every part of it in her mind. But no such luck.

She _was_ happy to be back with Luke, Jill, and Todd, and she wasn't upset about falling back into her normal routine with them and Adria at the apartment. Even though she and Luke had spent a lot of time apart this summer, she was thrilled nothing had changed between them. They still had sex all the time, laughed and joked around easily together, sometimes fought, and then had mind-blowing make-up sex. She was happy in their relationship, and in her living situation with him, Jill, Todd, and Adria, but she wasn't at all happy with her job. She wondered almost every day when it was going to end...how long would she work at Nick's? And what would she do after this job was over? Like if Luke finished law school and got a job in some city, like Chicago or Indy or something, what would she do when they moved? She'd never worried about that before, but now that she'd had such an amazing job, anything else seemed sort of...discouraging...blah...unfulfilling.

She told herself she needed to go through all her pictures from Italy and make a scrapbook and maybe try to get some pictures together for a calendar, plan which ones she would use...or even for a book. Or at least a section of a book. Maybe she could do a book on all of Europe. Maybe this coming summer, if _Game Set Match_ didn't hire her back, she would go back to Europe on her own and take photos to make a huge coffee table book of all different locations. Or, if _Game Set Match_ did hire her back, she would just do more sightseeing during tournaments and do some traveling on her own after the French and after Wimbledon. The thought of sorting through her Italy pictures and starting to put some together for some kind of project like that excited her, but as soon as she started doing it, it just made her even more restless about her job at Nick's. She'd needed so desperately to get away from this town and this job for a while last spring, but now, after being away, she wasn't any readier to come back. If anything, she needed to get away now even more than before...get back out there and keep traveling, take more pictures, start on her way to...something. She was sick of just sitting around working at a stupid, pointless job now that she'd had a taste of what her life could be like. Not even necessarily her life if she got hired again by _GSM_ , but just all the freedom she could have if she traveled as a freelancer and the immense satisfaction and enjoyment she knew she'd get out of just spending her day walking around quaint towns, sun-splashed beaches, and lively cities taking gorgeous, striking photos.

Aubrey's show had started, and Hilton, Jill, Luke, and Todd watched it every Monday night. Hilton and Jill really liked it; the storyline was scandalous and totally addicting, and Aubrey did a good job playing a character remarkably different from herself, or in other words, likable. Hilton hadn't predicted her to be a brilliant actress, but she was unexpectedly kind of...great. Her character on the show was named Mischelle, but called Misch by her three roommates, one of whom, Alex, she had a major crush on. The other guy roommate, Trevor, liked _her_ , and the other girl roommate, Brianna, had hooked up with Alex through a couple years of college, but only Brianna and Alex knew about it. Brianna knew Misch liked Alex and thought it was better if Misch never knew she'd hooked up with him. Hilton and Jill agreed Misch was bound to find out, since it was a TV show, and they couldn't wait to see what happened when she did. They liked all four characters, even Aubrey's, and when Hilton watched it, she didn't even feel like the girl playing Misch was the same girl who dated Haidin or who'd called her a bitch in Indy. She still laughed to think of that though, and she and Jill would jokingly root against Misch on the show, even though they both actually liked her a little better than Brianna and both kind of wanted to see her hook up with Alex. Todd and Luke complained every Monday when the show came on and played it off like they hated watching it, but Hilton and Jill both thought the guys were into it. It wasn't like they were being forced to watch it, but they always did anyway, and the girls could tell from the intent looks on their faces that they were paying close attention.

"I actually kinda like this," Luke admitted after the fourth week. "It's kinda cool 'cause I actually kinda met one of the actresses. Well, not really. But she called my girlfriend a bitch." He grinned. "And I saw her at that _Sports Illustrated_ bar."

"Yeah," Todd agreed, and Hilton and Jill snuck grins at each other.

When Jill and Hilton were alone, they talked endlessly about Hilton's summer and Hilton retold Jill all her stories, or told for the first time little tidbits she'd forgotten before. She talked about Tanner nonstop, and she knew Jill knew she had a major crush on him, and she was so glad she could confess that to Jill, because it would suck having no one to share it with.

"Do you think it's bad I like Tanner so much?" she asked Jill out of the blue one night as they sat on Jill's bed talking and eating popcorn. A _Friends_ DVD was playing on Jill's computer. The boys were out playing basketball at the gym where Todd worked, and Adria was in bed.

"No." Jill shrugged. "I mean, it's not like you don't like Luke anymore or are only still with him 'cause Tanner has a girlfriend or something like that. I mean, it's a celebrity crush. You're allowed to have those."

"Yeah, but I _really_ like him. I mean, that night in his hotel room, on Todd's birthday, when Bryony and Kelsey and Arden and I danced in our underwear, you know, like that night I was thinking how he's just so much _more_ than any guy I've ever met. I mean, he's like such a small-town boy, like the boy next door, but he's also such a city boy; he fits in in New York like he lives there. And he's such a good dresser, and he just has so many different aspects to his personality, and...I don't even know. I seriously love everything about him."

"I still don't think that's bad," Jill said thoughtfully. "I mean, you're right. He _is_ more than any guy we've ever known. He's different 'cause he's had a totally crazy, awesome life, and he's obviously really fun. And I don't think there's anything wrong with you liking him so much. I mean, even if you're freaking in love with him, I think that's okay. 'Cause nothing's changed between you and Luke. You guys are still as sex-crazy and in love as always." Jill grinned, and Hilton grinned back. "And even if you _weren't_ ," Jill continued, "you can't help how you feel about Tanner. If knowing Tanner changed the way you felt about Luke, then that would suck, but it's not like you can choose how you feel. You know?"

"Yeah," Hilton said thoughtfully. "You're right. And knowing him is just like...incredible and...indescribably amazing. But it doesn't change the way I feel about Luke at all. It's like you said. I'm still totally in love with him. Knowing him is incredible and indescribably amazing too. Our relationship is incredible and indescribably amazing."

### ***

Adria turned three on October 17, and Jill and Todd took her to the zoo, her absolute favorite place, then her friend Katie came over to play at their apartment for a while. Katie was Adria's first friend, and Jill and Todd were excited and extremely proud. Adria and Katie had met through one of Adria's babysitters, who also sometimes babysat Katie. Katie was four and in preschool, and it was obvious Adria worshipped her. It was adorable and hilarious at the same time. Hilton smiled as she watched Jill and Todd take picture after picture of Adria and Katie playing together. They were so in love with each other and with Adria. It was beautiful. She couldn't even think of another word to describe it.

That weekend Jill and Todd went home to celebrate Adria's birthday with their families, and Hilton decided to go too. Luke couldn't because he had a huge case review due on Monday, but Hilton thought it would be fun to go home and catch up with her parents for a weekend. She hadn't been home since returning from the US Open just over a month ago; she'd only talked to them on the phone. So she spent most of the weekend telling them a more in-depth version of New York. She knew she was talking about Tanner more than anything or anyone else, but she couldn't stop herself. It made her feel good to talk about him, but at the same time it was depressing, because she hadn't talked to him in so long, and sometimes the fact that they'd kind of been actual _friends_ seemed like some crazy dream.

"It sounds unbelievable," her mom said, shaking her head as she and Hilton sat on the couch in the living room Saturday night talking about Hilton's whole summer in general. "And you're obviously happy."

"Yeah, that's the thing though," Hilton said. "I _was_ so happy, this summer while all that was going on. But now that I'm back at Dale and I don't know if they'll hire me again for next season, I just feel kinda bored and restless. I'm _not_ as happy as I was this summer. And I feel horrible saying that, 'cause I know it was a great opportunity and I shouldn't expect it to go on forever, and I don't; I have no idea if they'll hire me back. And now I'm back with Luke, and we didn't see each other a lot this summer, and that definitely sucked. But it's like now that I've had a taste of that, my normal life almost doesn't do it for me anymore or something."

"Well then you're gonna have to find something that does do it for you," her mom said. "Even if _Game Set Match_ doesn't hire you back. Something to fulfill you while Luke finishes school, and after he finishes school."

"I know," Hilton said, frowning. "I have started trying to sort through my Italy pictures and think about creative stuff I could do with them. Making my scrapbook has given me some ideas already of how I could do a book, of how I could lay it out and start each section and stuff." She grinned. "My scrapbook's gonna be awesome. And when I'm done with that I wanna start actually trying to put together some kind of little coffee table book or something. Just work on it on my own, you know, but maybe in the meantime send some pictures to publishing companies? Or at least look into it. I really have no idea how to even go about it."

"I think that's a good plan," her mom said. "You'll know pretty quickly if that's gonna be enough to satisfy you or not. It is really hard, isn't it, to have just a little taste of something great and then have to pick up the pieces afterward?" She smiled.

Hilton smiled back. "Yes!" She laughed. "But I'll manage. Thanks, Mom."

### ***

Hilton read _Game Set Match_ religiously, looking for news of Tanner's latest escapades and checking the photo bylines to see if it seemed like there were any new regular photographers. She couldn't pick up on any, but who knew. Most of the stuff seemed to be done by James, Deidre, or a couple other photographers Hilton had met in Paris and London. The biggest story was Mardy Fish's engagement to his girlfriend of over a year, a lawyer from California and a briefcase holder on _Deal or No Deal_. The other articles focused a lot on reviews of the year, outlooks for next year, the upcoming Masters Cup event in Hong Kong in November, the smaller tournaments going on right now, mostly in Europe, and sightings of players living their daily lives. Hilton read about Tanner, Andy Roddick, and the Bryan brothers working with US Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe to prepare for the upcoming Davis Cup finals in Portland, Oregon and about Tanner going out to Marat Safin in the third round of the Spain Masters tournament the week of Adria's birthday, his earliest exit in a tournament since last spring at Indian Wells, another Masters event. Hilton remembered seeing that one on TV; he'd come out playing like complete crap in his third-round match and gotten his ass kicked by a wildcard.

There were pictures of Haidin and Aubrey, holding hands in the streets of New York during the day and hitting the clubs at night...climbing out of limos or entering and exiting bars with cameras flashing from all sides. But there were other pictures of Aubrey too, from two wild nights out with her _NYC_ costars. One of the pictures from the first night was a blow-up of her sitting on Telan Gangley's lap. He played Trevor on the show, and he was mouth-wateringly gorgeous in a grungy, punkish, rock-star way. In the picture his hand rested on the side of Aubrey's thigh, and she was laughing and talking to someone not in the shot. In the pictures from the second night, Aubrey sat in the front seat of a convertible driven by Telan. Their other two costars were laughing together in the back, and Aubrey and Telan were staring at the camera with cocky, sure smiles while they each flipped it off with one hand. Their other hands were joined and raised straight in the air over the console in the middle of the car. It was a mischievous, confidently sexy picture, and definitely enough to make the press go wild with rumors of Aubrey cheating on Haidin. Some version of that picture appeared in all the celebrity magazines that week, and it was an even bigger story because of Telan's character being so into Aubrey's character on the show. It was the _Game Set Match_ cover picture, and the headline was:

### AUB'S REVENGE FOR ROME?

### Aubrey parties hard and spends her 2nd night in a week in a hotel with _NYC_ costar Telan Gangley while Haidin loses in Paris

Awww, poor Haidin, Hilton thought with a grin. What a fucking loser.

### ***

The Masters Cup was on TV, and Hilton watched every minute of it. She immediately noticed they weren't showing Bryony during Tanner's first match. They showed his coach and trainer several times, like they always did, and his parents, who attended a few tournaments a year, but they didn't show Bryony or mention her. It was extremely common for the TV stations to show players' girlfriends or wives in the stands; it would be almost weird if they _didn't_. So Bryony must not be there. Hilton wondered why; the Masters Cup was a big tournament. Only the top eight players of the year got to go, and it was sort of the big year-end thing before the month and a half with no tournaments at all.

_Game Set Match_ apparently wondered too, because the cover that week was a close-up of Tanner's whole box, which contained only his coach, trainer, and parents, and the bold print across the bottom of the picture read:

WHERE'S BRYONY??

The story inside detailed Tanner's run to the final, where he'd been beaten by Roger Federer, and then it discussed Bryony's MIA status and pointed out that the last time she and Tanner had been photographed together was in Spain three weeks ago. It also speculated why Tanner wouldn't have played in Paris two weeks ago when that was where Bryony _lived_. Hilton didn't really think that meant anything...it was only three weeks ago they'd been seen together, and she thought the whole speculation about the Paris tournament was stupid...even if Tanner and Bryony had broken up, he wouldn't not play in a tournament in her city because of it. That just wasn't Tanner's style. He would definitely still play in the tournament. So obviously there was some other reason he hadn't played...maybe he'd been slightly injured and needed to rest up for the Masters Cup and Davis Cup, or maybe he just hadn't wanted to play...who knew. She was kind of surprised _GSM_ wouldn't know why he hadn't played, but then she figured they probably did know and had chosen not to share just so they _could_ speculate about him and Bryony, because that made a better story. And plus, the tournament going on now was in China, so maybe Bryony just had other stuff going on. Maybe she had a modeling job or something. And there was a quote from Tanner after being asked where Bryony was, and he'd said, "She couldn't make it here this week. But she's with me in spirit. And my parents decided to make the trip out, so that's been really fun." Then he'd grinned, according to Deidre, who'd written this article, and shoved his hair out of his eyes. So probably nothing was wrong.

"I so would've gotten the whole story if I was there. Their reporters are worthless," Hilton said to Jill, pretending to be snobby about it and then laughing.

"No shit," Jill said. "They didn't even do like a personal interview. It's just from a press conference or like when they swarmed Tanner at the locker room when he came out or something. You would so do better." She grinned at Hilton, and they both laughed again.

### ***

Jill's birthday was on November 29, the Thursday after Thanksgiving. Jill, Todd, and Hilton had all gone home the week before for the holiday. Jill, Todd, and Adria had stayed all weekend. Hilton had gone with Luke to Treyville, in southwest Indiana, for his family Thanksgiving on Thursday, then they'd gone to Caldwell, her hometown in northern Indiana, on Friday and spent the rest of the weekend at her parents' house. Hilton had kind of hoped Bennett might have some people over or something, but nobody had heard from him, so they figured if he'd come home, it'd only been for the day Thursday. They'd gotten to hang out with Lorylyn, Hillary, and Kelsey one night though, which had been fun.

Now, a week later, Hilton couldn't wait to go to the Turtle to celebrate Jill's birthday, especially since she'd missed Todd's. She was sitting at the counter at Nick's, bored and thinking about what the night would bring, when the bell on the door dinged loudly and Jill burst into the shop.

"Hey!" Hilton said with a grin. "What's up?!"

Jill stopped in front of the counter, her brown eyes shining ecstatically. "You are not gonna freaking believe this."

"What?!" Hilton raised her eyebrows excitedly. She didn't know what Todd had gotten Jill for her birthday; maybe he'd gotten them some kind of vacation or something. Jill was practically bouncing up and down.

"My Aunt Marcy, you know? The one who died summer before sophomore year when you were in the Bahamas and Todd went with me to the funeral? In California?"

"Yeah?" Hilton had no idea where this was going now.

"Well you remember how I told you she was really rich, and what a sweet-ass house she had and everything?"

"Yeah?"

"She freaking left me a trust fund for a _million_ _dollars_!" Jill shrieked and actually did jump up and down now. Her brown ponytail bounced jubilantly behind her.

"Holy shit!" Hilton screamed, running around the counter to hug Jill. "No fucking way!"

"I know!" Jill cried. "I can't freaking believe it!" Now she sounded like she was crying, and when she let go of Hilton, she wiped at her eyes a little. "Oh my gosh, Hilton."

"I know!" Hilton cried now. "Holy freakin' shit, Jilly!" She hugged Jill again. "I can't believe it. That's sooo crazy! And you obviously had no idea before today, right?"

"No! None! And my dad told me she left the same thing for Aaron and Winnie, too, for when they're twenty-five."

"Holy shit," Hilton said again. "That's freaking awesome!"

"I know! Oh my gosh, I can't even believe...I mean, this totally sets Adria up..." Jill's eyes sparkled with tears again, and she laughed as she wiped them away.

"Yeah it does! Does Todd know? Ahhh!" Hilton shrieked in giddy excitement and jumped up and down a little herself.

"No, I called the gym right away, but they said he was with a client, and at first I was gonna say to get him anyway 'cause it was important, but then I had an idea." She grinned, her eyes still wet. "I'm gonna buy us a vacation for over Christmas break. And just give him that and then he'll be all like, ' _What?_ ' Like can't you just see the look on his face? And then I'll tell him."

"Aahhh, that's perfect!" Hilton cried happily. "That's gonna be freaking awesome!"

"Yeah, so you have to help me pick where to go and stuff. I wanna look tonight and _do_ this tonight. I'm going freaking crazy; I don't think I can wait any longer than that to tell him. I had to tell somebody, so I had to come over here." She grinned again, her whole face glowing.

"Oh my gosh, Jilly, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you guys. That really does set Adria up. Like for college and... _ev_ erything. That's so cool."

"Yeah, and my parents have known all along, so it's like when I got pregnant they had to pay for everything 'cause this wasn't accessible yet." She laughed. "So I'm definitely gonna pay them back for all that. This is so freaking unbelievable. I don't even know. I can't even...I feel like I'm in a really random dream or something."

### ***

"So I hope you're not disappointed with your present," Todd said to Jill later as they sat in their room on the bed and he got ready to hand over the gift bag. "I couldn't really top yours to me on my birthday, so..."

Jill grinned. "Whatever, Todd, I don't even care what it is. I know I'll love it, 'cause it's from you. And I already have the best present." She leaned over and kissed him.

Todd grinned as he pulled back. "Well, that is true. Nobody could ever hope for a better present than me. I'm pretty fuckin' awesome. And really...so's the present."

Jill laughed and grabbed for the sack. She knew she _would_ love whatever it was, and she couldn't wait to see. Todd had always gotten her funny, cute presents, even back in high school when they were just friends, and now, just like then, she couldn't wait to open anything from him simply because it was _from him_. She pulled the tissue paper out and looked into the bag. A folded piece of paper lay in the bottom. She gave Todd a curious look as she reached for it. He just sat there grinning and looking like an excited, expectant little boy. It was adorable. He looked so freaking hot too, with his long light brown hair spiked straight up. His grin was irresistible, and Jill grinned back automatically as she unfolded the paper. She looked down at it.

She scanned it quickly, then her eyes flew back to Todd's.

He was still grinning. "Yep. I'm that good. Told ya."

"No way, Todd! Ahhh!" She threw her arms around him and kissed him enthusiastically. When she finally drew back, she asked, "How did you even have any idea of like the building or anything?!" Her heart was jumping around excitedly. The piece of paper was a reservation receipt for a condo in Fort Myers Beach, Florida over Dale's spring break. And it wasn't just any condo...it was Jill's dad's college roommate's condo...the one Jill had stayed in on every single spring break of her life until she graduated high school.

"I just called your dad." Todd still looked like a little boy, now one who was enormously proud of himself. "He hooked me up. He called his roommate or whatever and checked to see if it was available that week and put it on hold for me, and then I called and booked it."

"How long ago did you do this?! I can't believe that room's still open for a college spring break week! Well, I guess most college kids want a cheaper place and closer to the public beach. But still!"

"Like back in July."

"Oh my gosh, Todd." Jill kissed him again, letting her lips linger on his for a few seconds. "This is definitely as good as my present to you. It's so perfect. I love you." They kissed again.

"Well," Todd said, his deep chocolate eyes twinkling. "I know it's your favorite place in the world, and your fam always went there. So I thought maybe we could start our own little family tradition. You, me, and Adria."

Jill hugged him again and held on tight, feeling tears spring to her eyes. "That's exactly what I want, Todd. You're amazing." She pulled back to look at him, unable to wipe the giddy grin off her face. "I love you so much."

"I love you so much too," he said, grinning back. "Happy birthday, Jilly Bean."

### ***

Later that night at the Turtle, Hilton and Jill stood in the crowded corner by the bathroom above the dance floor and tried to decide what Jill should do about surprising Todd with a vacation now that he'd surprised her with one for her birthday present. She didn't want to outdo him or make him feel like his gift was less special now by floating in with her million dollars and booking something outrageous, and she was immensely glad she hadn't already booked something earlier today.

"I think you could still do it," Hilton said, sipping her rum and Coke through the straw out of her big Purple Turtle mug. "You said you wanted to do something over Christmas anyway. Maybe just make it shorter. Like a New Year's trip or something. And make it just for the two of you. One of your parents could watch Adria for a few days, and it'd be a nice little getaway for you guys." She grinned devilishly. "Lots of sex, and you guys could get wasted..."

"Ooohh." Jill grinned back. "I like the sound of that!"

"Yeah, like a New Year's cruise!" Hilton said excitedly, hitting Jill's arm. "Or some kind of all-inclusive place."

"Ooohh, yeah! I'll have to get online and look tomorrow."

"Aww, I'm jealous," Hilton pouted playfully. "That's gonna be so romantic, just the two of you somewhere tropical...and that'll be so nice to go somewhere warm for New Year's too! I wonder what Luke and I will do without you guys."

"Come here?" Jill asked with a giggle. "Or maybe you guys could go to Chicago again and go out with Bennett. That was really fun last year."

Hilton brightened. "Yeah, that was! That's a good idea. I might text him and see what he's doing."

"Yeah, maybe he'll pay for Kelsey to fly out again," Jill said with a giggle. "I bet he would if he knows she dances on couches in her underwear." She grinned wickedly. Hilton had told her, Luke, and Todd that story over the phone the day after it happened. Luke and Todd had been disappointed no one had taken any pictures.

Hilton shrieked with laughter. "Hell yeah he would!"

### ***

Later Hilton and Luke sat at a table and sipped their drinks, sweaty from dancing, and watched Jill and Todd, who were still down on the dance floor. Luke almost couldn't take his eyes off them...they were just so happy. He glanced surreptitiously over at Hilton and saw her watching them with a relaxed, easy smile on her face. He smiled at her profile. He and Hilton were so happy too, but ever since she'd been home, he'd just been wanting more and more to be engaged like Jill and Todd were. Todd had kept asking him the week before Hilton came home from New York if he was going to propose to her when she got home, but it just hadn't felt right, because he wanted to do it at some really special, romantic time that would mean something to both of them, not just on some random day. "What about your anniversary?" Todd had asked, but Luke had thought that was kind of lame and unoriginal, like it would've been to do it on her birthday. He still hadn't thought of the perfect time, but he felt like the idea would just suddenly pop into his head, and he would know it was perfect. But every day that went by he kept getting more and more anxious to do it, because he couldn't wait to be engaged to her...his soulmate. He grinned.

Hilton turned and caught him grinning at her. She grinned back. "What?"

"Nothing, just thinking about how much I love you."

"Aww, I love you too," Hilton said happily.

Luke's brown eyes twinkled, making Hilton's smile spread even wider. Then his eyes grew suddenly serious. "What do you think are the chances of _Game Set Match_ hiring you back next year?" he asked.

Hilton shrugged. They had already analyzed this a million times. "I have no idea. I just wish I'd hear from them or something. I'm afraid they'll call like a couple days before and be like, 'Hey, can you go to this tournament? Here's your flight info.' " She grinned. "Although actually, I'd kinda like that. It'd be exciting to just pick up and go."

Luke forced a smile back. It wouldn't be too exciting for him. He knew she had no way of knowing if _GSM_ was going to hire her again, but he was kind of trying to feel out whether she thought she was going to be around much. He knew she loved working for _GSM_ , and it was true that he and Hilton had always said she would travel while he was in law school, but that's not really what he wanted anymore. He just wanted to be with her more than that plan allowed for. And if she was gone all the time, when would he propose? He'd kind of been hoping in the back of his mind all fall that she would decide she didn't _want_ to work for them anymore, and if they offered, she would turn them down. He'd been hoping she'd be so happy to be back home and back with him, seeing him every day, that she would realize she didn't want to leave again. But he'd been able to tell all fall that wasn't the case. And every time she said it out loud, he felt kind of like he was being jabbed in the heart by some sharp pointy spear, even though he told himself to stop being stupid.

"Hey, so would you wanna go to Chicago again for New Year's?" Hilton asked. "I was thinking it might be fun to go out with Bennett again."

"Yeah," Luke said. That did sound fun. "That was cool last year."

"Yeah." Hilton smiled at him. "It was a blast. Okay, I'll text him."

### ***

"Okay, so," Jill announced that Sunday to Todd, "I have a surprise." A huge grin was threatening to break out across her face, and she could barely keep it suppressed.

"What?" Todd looked at her curiously. He was in the living room watching football. Jill had just come out of their bedroom. Adria was taking a nap, and Hilton and Luke were in Luke's room with the door closed watching the Davis Cup finals.

"Close your eyes," Jill said, looking like she was about to start bouncing up and down. She was practically giddy. Todd felt a little excited, even though he had _no_ clue what this was about. He closed his eyes, and felt her place a few sheets of paper in his hands. He opened his eyes again. Jill stood before him, grinning crazily now. Todd looked down at the paper.

"What?" he asked, sitting up straighter and looking back up at Jill. "No freakin' way." It looked like it was a cruise.

Jill nodded slightly, still grinning.

"But what—, I mean, are you—...what?"

Jill burst out laughing and plopped down next to him on the couch. "It's a New Year's cruise." She pointed at the itinerary. "It goes to Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel. And on New Year's Eve we're at sea. And...it's just us. You and me. Our parents are gonna watch Adria. I already talked to them." Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Are you fuckin' serious?!" Todd cried with a grin. He kissed her hard and sloppily on the lips. "No way!" Then he held his hand up for a high five, and she smacked it. "But how did you do this? Is it like a Christmas present from your parents or something?"

"No..." Jill grinned mysteriously, relieved he hadn't seemed to think she was stepping on his present to her. "Remember my Aunt Marcy?"

"Yeah," Todd said. "Well, I mean, I never met her, obviously, but I remember going to her funeral and stuff. How could I forget that?" He said it simply and sweetly, and Jill's heart melted. Of course she hadn't really thought he would forget about going to California, but she didn't really know if he'd remember that her aunt's name had been Marcy.

"Well, remember her crazy house and how rich she was? Well I just found out on Thursday that she left me a trust fund. For when I turned twenty-five. My parents never told me about it till the other day."

Todd's eyes widened. "Wow. That's freakin' awesome."

"Yeah. It's for a million dollars."

Todd's mouth fell open and he stared at her.

Jill giggled. "Yeah." Suddenly she had tears in her eyes again. "Can you freakin' believe it?! A _million_ _dollars_. Do you know what that means? Adria's college is paid for, and so much other stuff...like if we wanna buy a house when we get married..."

Todd hugged her tightly, feeling a little choked up himself. "That's unbelievable, Jilly," he whispered into her hair. He kissed the top of her head, then pulled back. "That's fucking amazing!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and grinning wildly and pumping his fist in the air. He grabbed Jill off the couch and kissed her hard again, pressing his body into hers.

Her heart beat rapidly and she felt thrills all through her body as she kissed him back just as hard.

"I can't even believe it," he said when he pulled back. "Seriously. That's crazy." He ran his hand through his messy spiked-up light brown hair. "Holy shit, Jilly Bean. Holy fucking shit! YEAH!" He grinned again.

"I know!" Jill cried. Todd grabbed her and they jumped around the room together. Jill laughed delightedly, thinking how delicious Todd looked right now. Her mouth was practically watering. She grabbed him and kissed him again, and he responded hungrily. "You look really hot right now," she said breathlessly between kisses.

"You always look really hot. You look even hotter naked."

"Is that a proposition?"

"Fuck yes it is."

"Good." Jill kissed him again and they stumbled toward their room.

### ***

The weekend of December 8 and 9 was the huge charity event in Boca Raton, Florida for the Andy Roddick Foundation. Hilton had been hearing about it for the last few years, and she'd thought briefly about trying to get tickets for her and Luke to go to it this year. She was sure Tanner would be there, because the American guys were such good friends and always super supportive of each other. It was really cool, Hilton thought. James Blake even wore one of the blue Andy Roddick Foundation wristbands during his matches. Lots of other non-tennis celebrities would be at the charity event too, and Hilton was sure _Game Set Match_ would cover it, although they probably wouldn't need any extra photographers. She couldn't wait to see next Saturday's issue. She remembered last year they'd done a several-page spread on it, like _Us Weekly_ and the other celeb mags always did on the Oscars and the Grammys. Back in October, Andy had had a Charity Gala for his foundation in Austin, Texas, where he lived. Hilton hadn't known about that till she read about it in _Game Set Match_. There hadn't been a huge spread on it, but there'd been a story, right behind that week's cover story, with a few pictures, including one of Elton John, who was an honorary board member of the Andy Roddick Foundation, as were Boyd Tinsley from the Dave Matthews Band and Lance Armstrong.

This event, the Charity Weekend, was just that, a weekend-long event. Hilton had read about it on andyroddick.com, and the first night was apparently some kind of dinner and dance gala with a silent auction, while the second day featured a celebrity tennis event. When Hilton had originally looked it up, she had told herself there was absolutely no way she could afford to buy tickets for herself and Luke, plus plane tickets and a hotel room, because she'd used all her _GSM_ money from the summer to pay off her credit cards and student loans, but now—now that it was sold out—she wanted to kick herself in the ass for not going. It would've been amazing, and she was pissed she hadn't bought tickets. She thought some other players had charity events too, so maybe she would look those up and try to go.

That Sunday, she searched online for any pictures that might have surfaced from the dinner and dance gala the night before, but she couldn't find anything. She sighed, a little disappointed. She didn't want to wait till next weekend when _GSM_ came out to see them! Aagghh, if only she'd been there...but oh well, there was nothing she could do about it now. And everything happened for a reason, so even though she would never know what it was, there must've been a reason she wasn't supposed to be there.

### ***

On Monday morning around eleven Hilton's cell phone rang while she was at Nick's. She smiled as she pulled it out of her purse under the counter and "Bartender" blared more loudly. She'd downloaded that ringtone as soon as she got back from New York, and every time her phone rang it made her think of dancing on the couch in Tanner's hotel suite and Bryony yelling "I like the BARRRRTENDER!", or of that party at _SI_ NY with Jill, Luke, and Todd.

Suddenly she gasped and her heart skipped about twenty beats. It was Deidre. Thrilled and nervous at the same time, Hilton slowly flipped open her phone. Could Deidre possibly be calling to invite her to the Australian Open?! Or...she couldn't think of any reason Deidre would call that didn't have to do with hiring her for another job...but she didn't want to get her hopes up... "Hello?"

"Hi, Hilton, it's Deidre Fox, from _Game Set Match_."

Hilton half laughed to herself...like she wouldn't know who Deidre Fox was? "Hi," she said, trying to sound a mix of surprised and curious, which she actually was. She told her racing heart to slow down.

"Do you have plans for this weekend?" Deidre asked.

This weekend? There wasn't anything tennis-related that Hilton knew of going on this weekend. Could this be some crazy invitation for Hilton and Luke to hang out with Deidre and James at some mountain cabin or something? If Deidre and James were even together, which Hilton had never been able to figure out for sure. But she was almost positive something was going on between them. She realized she didn't even know where either of them lived during the off-season. LA? New York? She wasn't sure where the magazine was based. Or maybe _Game Set Match_ was having some kind of end-of-the-season party...? All this flew through her head in a split second. "No," she said.

"Good, now you do," Deidre said. "Book it," she said to someone in the background.

"What?" Hilton asked.

"You and Luke—that's his name, right?—are on a flight to Aspen Friday night at 8:00. Out of Indianapolis. Layover in Denver. I figured that gives you time to get to the airport if you have a job till five or whatever. And Aspen's two hours behind, so that still gives you plenty of time to go out that night. Oh, I need Luke's last name."

"Windler," Hilton said, her thoughts flying. "Lucas Windler." Deidre was talking as if Hilton would know exactly why she was being flown to Aspen on a random Friday in December when nothing even remotely tennis-related would be going on. But Aspen?! Her heart was racing. That was where Tanner's parents lived...could he be having some kind of _GSM_ -sponsored party or something?! But probably not...because he lived in Florida. "Why? What's in Aspen?" she asked.

"Heard of the Andy Roddick Foundation Charity Weekend?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, Tanner Bruin liked it so much this weekend he decided to have one too. Very last minute, everything's being thrown together this week. But it'll be spectacular. It's going to be at the ski lodge in Aspen where his dad works; the whole lodge is rented out for the weekend; it's going to be an all-day-and-night thing Saturday, from what I'm hearing so far. 'Tanner's Best Friends,' that's the name for the event. It's to support a place in Utah called Best Friends. It's some kind of animal place. Cute, huh?"

Hilton gasped in delight, her mouth dropping open as she placed her hand over her heart. Best Friends...she'd heard of that; she'd even sponsored an animal from there for her mom for Mother's Day last year. It was this amazing-sounding place that was like a sanctuary for rescued animals. She felt tears well up in her throat. Of all the charities he could've picked to raise money for last minute, Tanner had chosen an animal charity. She seriously might be in love with him.

"Anyway," Deidre continued, oblivious to Hilton's gasp and not giving her a chance to respond, "they're bringing in a bunch of animals for people to adopt, and it's going to be a huge fundraiser too. I haven't heard yet what all they're doing to raise money at the evening event, or even what the evening event is. I mean, seriously, it's nine a.m. in Aspen right now. I can't believe they have this much planned already. But Tanner just called _GSM_ five minutes ago to tell us about it himself. He said he'd love if this could be next week's cover story, which obviously it would've been anyway, and he requested we send reporters and photographers, including you."

"What?! He asked for me?"

"Yep." Deidre laughed. "So of course we're bringing you. If Tanner Bruin wants a certain photographer there to take pictures of him nobody else can ever get, we're sure as hell sending that person. I think his exact words were something like, 'Send as many photographers as you want; I'd love to have as many as you wanna give me, but make sure Hilton Joliet's at the top of the list. And Luke. Her boyfriend.' So basically, he was telling us you're the key to the pictures we want."

"No way," Hilton said, and she couldn't help letting a wild laugh escape her lips. "That's awesome! I'm there. I can't wait."

"Good." Deidre lowered her voice. "And you'll read this on Saturday, if you haven't already heard, or maybe you'll hear Friday night when you get to Aspen, but Bryony wasn't in Boca. The word is they're over. Should be an interesting weekend." Her voice returned to its normal volume. "The flight information will go to your email. See you Friday. Just come to the Snowbear at Aspen Mountain Resort from the airport." And then she was gone.

### Aspen

### December 14-16, 2007

"Welcome, Miss Joliet," the man at the ski lodge check-in desk said with a somewhat sleazy smile. "Here's your room key. And this message was left for you earlier." He handed over a notepad-sized piece of paper, folded once, sliding his eyes down Hilton's torso as he did so.

"Thanks," Hilton said, wrinkling her nose at him and turning away. She flashed a little sideways grin at Luke, who was barely containing his laughter.

"Ooohh, I'll know where to find you later," he joked, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"You know it," Hilton said as she unfolded the paper. It had the ski lodge's logo across the top.

Pre-party in the main lounge of the lodge tonight. See you guys there!

Tanner

Hilton grinned and showed it to Luke.

"Niiiice," he said.

They went upstairs to shower and change quickly; Hilton hadn't had a chance to shower after work today since they'd had to go straight to the airport, and she felt gross. Luke said he did too, just from traveling. Hilton was glad she'd brought two formal dresses. She hadn't been sure what they'd do tonight, and she'd wanted to be prepared just in case. She'd thought the clubs in Aspen might be pretty dressy, since it was such an upscale town. She couldn't wait to wear the new dress she'd bought for tomorrow. It was long and black and satiny with a low scoop neck, a tight bodice, and thin black spaghetti straps. It was simple and gorgeous. The one she was wearing tonight was the one she'd bought for New Year's in Chicago last year. It was short and black with three-quarter length sleeves that laced down the sides, leaving some of her upper arm bare, and a low V-neck. She did her long light brown hair in loose waves that hung halfway down her back.

"Mmmmm, you look hot," Luke murmured when they were both ready, pulling her close for a kiss.

"Thanks, you look pretty hot yourself," Hilton said. She grabbed the camera Deidre had sent up to the room while she was in the shower and stuffed it in her large dark silver bag. She was carrying a much larger bag than she would have normally because she didn't want to just carry the camera around in her hand all night; it was huge.

She and Luke left the room and headed downstairs holding hands. His hand felt big and warm around hers, like it always did, and Hilton smiled. She couldn't believe that in two minutes or so, she was going to see Tanner again. It seemed almost unreal, too good to be true. She'd wanted this moment for so long, and now she felt almost a little nervous, just because she'd built it up so much in her mind.

They took the elevator down to the main lounge, which was a level below the check-in lobby. Hilton had never been to a ski lodge before, but when they stepped out of the elevator, the lounge looked exactly as she would've imagined one to look. The floor was wooden, and the walls were brick. There were cozy-yet-expensive-looking couches and chairs everywhere, spread around wooden coffee tables. There was a huge fireplace in the center of one wall, and bright orange flames jumped and danced in it. Hilton could feel their heat from all the way across the room. All along another wall was a dimly lit bar. The whole room was currently lit only by candles and the fire. Hilton thought it was romantic and the perfect ski-lodge-party atmosphere. She glanced around as she and Luke headed leisurely in the direction of the bar. Andy Roddick and James Blake stood near the center of the room, talking to some older man Hilton didn't know and a woman who Hilton was pretty sure was Mardy Fish's fiancée. Mardy was returning to them from the bar, carrying four drinks. Other small groups clustered around the dark room, some sitting on the couches and talking intimately, others standing. The women were mostly older and all wearing little black dresses or long gowns. Several of them were sipping champagne. Laughter rang out from the many conversations and mixed together. Hilton thought there were probably about a hundred people here. A jazz band was set up in the corner, and their music flowed across the room and added to the classy, elegant atmosphere.

"Champagne?" asked a passing server. He held the tray out to them. Hilton took a flute, but Luke shook his head.

"What, no champagne?" Hilton asked, pretending to be bewildered. Then she giggled.

"Yeah, I'll take beer, thanks," Luke said with a sideways grin at her, resuming his path toward the bar.

As Hilton walked along beside him, she scanned the room for Bryony or Tanner. She didn't see either of them. Luke ordered a beer, and he and Hilton looked for an empty couch.

The jazz band finished a song, and suddenly a sexy, scratchy voice spoke into the mic.

"Hey, everybody!"

Hilton's head whipped around, her heart pounding fiercely when she saw him. He was standing on the little makeshift stage, grinning out at the crowd through the candlelight. He was wearing a suit...black, it looked like...with the jacket open. The untucked blue shirt underneath was unbuttoned two buttons down. He looked stunning. Hilton had never seen him so dressed up before. She loved how he was wearing the dressy clothes, but in a causal way.

"Thank you so much for coming out tonight," Tanner said. "This is great. I just wanted to welcome you all and tell you a little bit about the upcoming weekend."

The crowd cheered. Everybody was turned toward Tanner and seemingly enraptured with him.

"So, this is my first annual Charity Weekend, which I got the idea for from a little someone you may have heard of once or twice in passing...like one of those names you know sounds familiar but you can't quite remember where you heard it..." Tanner was laughing.

Hilton was too. She looked over at Andy, who was laughing too and shaking his head at Tanner.

"Anyway, I think the first person we should credit for making this weekend happen is, well, me of course." He grinned again as people laughed out loud. "No, no, just kidding, it's actually that huge tennis star standing right over there, Mr. Andy Roddick." Tanner raised his hands above his head, clapping, and the whole crowd joined in as they turned to Andy.

Hilton grinned as she clapped along and watched Andy raise his drink and nod in a cute, sort of modest way at the crowd.

"But anyway," Tanner continued, and everyone turned back to him, "his little gala's over now, so it's time to focus on _my_ charity." He laughed again, as did everyone else. "Well, not really mine, but the one I chose to have this weekend in honor of. I've been donating to this organization for a few years now, ever since I first heard about it. I actually took my first visit there about a year ago, and I was amazed. Best Friends Animal Society takes in lost, hurt, abandoned animals from all over the world. And not just your typical dogs and cats, although they do rescue a lot of those. But they also have horses, birds, sheep, and tons of other animals. I went there and fell in love for the first time in my life."

Hilton shared a quick glance with Luke, knowing she was going to start crying any second. Tanner was so earnest and little-boy-like, with his serious voice and his thick light brown hair falling just above his eyes. It was too dark to see them, but Hilton could see them in her mind...that dazzling light green.

"I spent three days there, and it was three of the best days I've ever had," Tanner continued. "I left feeling like anything was possible, just sort of with a renewed sense of belief in people and in good things happening. So how could I not give back? I wish I would've thought of this idea sooner, but at least we're all here now." He flashed his winning smile at the crowd. "So welcome to the first annual Tanner's Best Friends!"

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered loudly, Andy, Mardy, and James the loudest.

"Tomorrow there'll be a lot more info about Best Friends," Tanner said when everyone had quieted down again. "And from noon to four will be the adoption event, in the Green Room. I hope if you have room in your home for a new pet, you'll consider adopting one, or at least go out and play with the animals. There'll be open bar tomorrow starting at eleven a.m., here in the main lounge, which will follow the brunch in the breakfast lounge from nine to eleven. All food and drinks are complimentary, and I'll just be grateful for any donations you would like to give. There's a station set up at the main desk in the lobby upstairs for donations tonight, and there'll be one down here throughout the day tomorrow as well. Checks, cash, and all major credit cards are welcome. We'll also be having some surprise festivities tomorrow night at which you'll have a chance to further help the cause." He grinned again. "And, of course, skiing all day, with some contests from eleven to two. See the front desk in the morning if you're interested in those, or in lessons or whatever. As many of you may know..." he grinned. "There are no green slopes here on Aspen Mountain, no bunny slopes, nothing for beginners. Blues, blacks, and double black diamonds are all we've got." Somebody let out a loud cheer, and Tanner laughed. "So for anyone wanting lessons or just some easier slopes, there'll be free shuttles running every fifteen minutes over to Snowmass. Our wonderful people here at Aspen Mountain have been kind enough to donate all proceeds from skiing tomorrow to Best Friends, as have the people at Snowmass. I appreciate all of you being here this weekend; I know the tickets were costly, so please don't feel you have to give more. All of your generosity is already going to work. Thanks again for coming. All right, let's let the party begin!"

Everyone broke into applause again, and the band resumed as Tanner stepped off the small stage.

People swarmed him right away, and Hilton and Luke took seats on an unoccupied end of a couch. "I wonder how much tickets were," Hilton said.

"How much were they for Roddick's thing? Do you know?"

Hilton hadn't told Luke she'd looked that one up and sort of considered going. "Yeah, they were a thousand."

"Shit," Luke said, impressed. "That's awesome though. Think how much money they're raising just off ticket sales. 'Cause I bet a shitload more people will be here tomorrow, and there's a lot already." He gestured around the room.

"Oh yeah."

"What's Andy Roddick's charity for?"

"Underprivileged kids," Hilton said.

"Oh, that's cool."

"Yeah," Hilton said. She liked the idea of supporting an animal charity even more though. She finished her champagne and took another one as the server passed.

"Hey there!" Tanner said suddenly as he appeared in front of them. He grinned. "You guys made it."

Luke stood to shake his hand, and Hilton stood too, giving him a quick hug. She took a deep breath, inhaling his husky, sexy scent. She didn't know what kind of cologne he was wearing, but she loved it on him.

"This is awesome!" Hilton said. "I couldn't freaking believe it when Deidre called me on Monday. Thanks for asking for me, 'cause I don't think she would've thought of me otherwise." She laughed.

Tanner grinned. "Well she's stupid then; the pics have sucked since the Open."

"I know they have," Hilton said seriously.

She, Tanner, and Luke all laughed.

"This is amazing in here," Hilton said, gesturing around the lounge. "This is always what I pictured a ski lodge would be like. And I love the candlelight-only."

"Oh, well I had nothing to do with that. That was...I have no idea. Some kind of party planner or something. I don't even know. This is one of the oldest ski lodges in Aspen though. They've modernized it a lot, but the new ones are more hotels than actual ski lodges."

Hilton laughed. "Well, it's a good atmosphere. I like it. And Best Friends, I've heard of them. I sponsored an animal for my mom for Mother's Day last year."

"Really?" Tanner smiled, his adorable boy-who-cares-about-animals breathtaking smile. "That's cool. I mean, it wasn't like I just decided to have this and then picked them, you know? I hope that's not what people think. I've been donating to them for a while, like I said, and at Andy's thing last weekend I was suddenly kinda like, wow, I could do this for Best Friends. Why the fuck did I never think of that before?"

"Tanner!" a middle-aged woman called from a few feet away. She was standing in a small group of people, and Hilton immediately recognized her from TV. She was Tanner's mom.

"Hey, come on," Tanner said to Hilton and Luke. "You guys can meet my parents." He flashed them a wry smile and headed over to the group. "Hey, Mom." He kissed the woman on the cheek.

She was tall, probably 5'9 or so, and elegant looking, with hair the shade of Tanner's pulled back into a flawless French twist. She was slightly tan, even though it was December, and her eyes looked to be a dark brown, but Hilton wasn't close enough to tell for sure. She was beautiful in a classic, refined sort of way.

"Hi, honey. We just wanted to introduce you to our new neighbors. They just bought the Jasper house? This is Peter and Gwen Foster."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Tanner said in an easy, charming voice, extending his hand to each of them. "Thanks so much for coming. I really appreciate it." He turned so Hilton and Luke were included in the circle. "These are my friends Hilton and Luke. These are my parents, Paul and Virginia."

"Hi," Hilton said with a smile, offering her hand to his mom as Luke shook hands with his dad, who was also tall and elegant looking, with slicked-back grayish-white hair. His face looked a little leathery and weather-beaten, probably from all the skiing he did, and his smile gave Hilton the impression he was a fun, easygoing guy. Hilton and Luke went opposite ways around the circle, nodding and smiling politely at each person as they shook hands.

"Hilton's a photographer for _Game Set Match_ ," Tanner was saying. "We met in Rome last summer. And Luke's my attorney." He crossed his eyes at Hilton and Luke, then quickly turned back to everyone else.

Hilton glanced quickly at Luke and tried not to laugh. Was Tanner drunk, or just joking around?

"Oh!" Tanner's dad said, reaching out to shake Luke's hand again. "What happened to Bob Freeley?" he asked Tanner with a slight frown.

"Oh, Bob's around," Tanner said vaguely, almost making Hilton lose it. "But he stays in Vero. Luke travels with me a lot. He organized the legal side of this weekend."

"Oh, well that's a great idea," Tanner's mom said. She nodded approvingly. "That's probably a much safer plan than having Bob all the way in Florida and not with you on a daily basis."

"Yeah, it's like a Get Out of Jail Free card," Tanner said. Then he grinned at his parents and their friends. "Just kidding. Don't worry, I don't really get in legal trouble all the time," he said to his mom, who was glaring at him suspiciously. "Just sometimes. Okay, let's wander," he said quickly to Hilton and Luke. "Talk to you later, Mom, Dad. Nice to meet you," he said again to the Fosters. "It means a lot that you're here."

"Dude, are you fucked up?" Luke asked Tanner with a laugh once they were several feet away.

"Not yet," Tanner said. "But I like to freak my parents out a little. Make 'em wonder what the fuck's gonna go down. Put 'em on edge a little." He grinned. "Especially at these classy, formal kind of events."

Hilton and Luke laughed in sheer amusement.

"Hey, where's Bryony?" Hilton asked casually, as though she hadn't read or heard any of the breakup rumors.

Tanner looked at her, a little surprised. "Oh...we broke up. Didn't you hear?"

"Well, I read a little about it, but I didn't think it was true. The 'signs' _Game Set Match_ gave of a breakup had nothing to do with anything."

"Didn't they? I didn't read it. She just needed to be in Paris more. She didn't have any time to paint or anything when she was traveling with me," Tanner said, his green eyes more serious now as he looked at Hilton.

"Dude, that sucks," Luke said. "Sorry."

"Yeah," Hilton said, thinking how crazy Bryony was to dump Tanner Bruin. But...it did make sense about her wanting to be in Paris more often, especially if she wanted to try making it as a painter. "Well, her loss." She smiled at Tanner in a friendly, sorry-about-your-luck way.

"Thanks. We were good together," Tanner said. "But we weren't in love." He shrugged simply. "We had fun though. I'm doing okay about it." He laughed. "Don't fuck it up for me now. Let's talk about something else."

"Well, that's cool," Luke said, shrugging back.

Hilton watched Tanner, impressed. He'd said that in such a sure way...he had it all figured out already. It was like he'd known all along they were just having fun; he'd known it wouldn't last that long. For some reason she liked what he'd said about how they were good together, but they weren't in love. She knew that would stick with her. There were so many different levels of relationships, so many different things one person could mean to another, so many different ways guys—and girls—looked at the people they were involved with. She liked the idea that he saw himself and Bryony as good together and saw Bryony as a fun, awesome girl he obviously liked and respected and would've dated for some indefinite period of time, yet could tell all along it wasn't love. Hilton didn't even know why she liked that so much...or which aspect of it caught her attention...something about his statement was just fascinating and alluring in some indescribable way.

### ***

The next day had a totally different feel. The pre-party last night had kept with its elegant atmosphere, not ever getting crazy or out of control, although some people had gotten pretty drunk and a little louder toward the end of the night. Hilton and Luke had stayed till 2:30, standing and talking with Tanner, Andy, and that group for a while, then dancing, then resting, then dancing some more. Hilton had gotten some awesome pictures of Tanner and the other players, although none of them were anything outrageous or risqué. Her favorite was one of Tanner and Nate Young, Tanner's childhood friend whom he trained with in Florida during the off-season and the one he had jumped over the net and hugged after their match at the French Open. Hilton had had a blast, and she thought Luke had had a good time too, even though it probably hadn't been his ideal type of party. They'd constantly had drinks in their hands, and they'd both been well beyond drunk when they'd tripped off the elevator and down the hall to their room.

"I'm having so much fun," Hilton had whispered to Luke when the door was closed behind them, grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him. "Thanks for coming with me."

He'd kissed her back and pulled her dress over her head all in one motion, and they'd fallen on the bed in a tangle of limbs and clothes as they both tried to unbutton his shirt. They'd finally fallen asleep around 3:30, naked and wrapped around each other under the covers in the extremely cold room.

"Want me to turn up the heat?" Luke had whispered.

"No." She'd blissfully snuggled even closer to him, and he'd squeezed her tightly, kissing her again and then falling immediately asleep.

Now it was 10:30, and they'd hurried to get ready after waking up at ten because they wanted to make brunch. For the daytime activities, Hilton had decided to wear a sort of see-through white blouse with lace around the buttons and flared khakis. Luke wore khakis and an untucked button-down. He looked sexy and casual.

They hurried down to the breakfast lounge off the main lobby. Several people were still seated in the large room. Hilton and Luke got a small table by the window, which looked straight out at a huge mountain peak completely covered in snow and rising way above them.

"Man, that's a crazy view," Luke said. Hilton wondered if that was a slope people skied. She scanned it but didn't see any skiers. It was lined up and down with evergreens, which were also covered in snow, making the scene even more stunning.

Brunch was good, and there was so much food even Luke couldn't eat all of his. And since it was complimentary, they could order more than one thing off the menu without even worrying about it. Luke started out with an omelet, then thought Hilton's pancakes looked good, so he ordered some of those too.

"I feel kinda bad 'cause we didn't pay for tickets," Luke said as he poured syrup on his pancakes. "So we're getting all this stuff for free and we haven't donated anything to the charity yet."

" _Game Set Match_ paid for our tickets," Hilton said. "There's no way those were free."

"You think? Even though they want press here?"

"Well...I don't know. I hope ours weren't free. I'm gonna donate a lot though. As much as I can. I wish I had more saved up from this summer. And Jill gave me a check for ten thousand bucks."

"Wow, I didn't know that." Luke nodded, impressed. "I still can't believe she got that trust fund. That's so awesome."

"I know."

"So what do you wanna do after brunch?"

They ended up wandering down to the main lounge and ordering drinks, since the adoption event didn't start till noon and it was only 11:30. Luke had beer and Hilton had rum and Coke. They sat on couches in the lounge, slouching down lazily and people-watching. There were definitely a lot more people here today, and that didn't even include the tons who were surely out skiing. They didn't see any of the tennis players. Hilton suddenly wondered if Tanner was in any of the skiing competitions. He'd told them how much he loved to ski and how he'd planned to be on the team in high school, and Hilton had definitely gotten the impression he was awesome.

"I love drinking this early in the day," Luke said.

"Me too," Hilton agreed. They grinned at each other.

"Have you heard what the surprise event tonight is?" a woman asked another woman as they walked past Hilton and Luke's couch.

"No! Have you?"

"No! Everybody's talking about it, but nobody knows."

"What do you think it is?" Luke asked Hilton.

"I have no idea. At Andy's they had a silent auction, but it seems like it's gonna be something crazy, the way he's making it a big secret."

At 12:20, after two drinks apiece, they headed to the adoption event. The Green Room, where it was located, was huge. Hilton figured it was normally a banquet room. Despite its size, it was still packed and hard to move through. Hordes of people clustered around tables, holding and petting animals and oohing and aahing over them. There were large signs hanging form the ceiling marking the areas of the room by types of animal.

"Are you actually thinking about getting one?" Luke asked.

"Yeah," Hilton said. When Tanner had announced the adoption event last night, she'd had a sudden and strong urge to get a pet. She hadn't mentioned it to Luke, but she'd been excited about it ever since. She had two cats at her parents' house, and ever since going to college, she'd missed living with animals.

"Really?" Luke looked at her. "What kind?"

"Well, I thought about it last night, and I want it to be something small enough that I can carry it on the airplane with me when we go back. 'Cause I don't like the idea of it being in the cargo hold. So either a little puppy or a cat."

"Wow," Luke said, sounding like he was turning the idea over in his head. "Huh. I kinda like that idea. We're gonna have a pet." He grinned at her. "That's pretty sweet-ass. I'm actually pretty excited."

Hilton clasped her hands briefly around his elbow and smiled up at him. "Yay! Me too."

They went to the cat section of the room first, and Hilton knew the one she wanted as soon as she saw it, which was almost immediately. It was a tortoiseshell cat, long-haired and orange and black all over with a little white on its paws and stomach. Hilton ran right over to it. "Oh my gosh, I love it!"

Luke followed close behind. "It's cute," he said.

"Can we hold it?" Hilton asked, looking around for someone who was working.

A lady saw her and Luke and came over. She scooped the cat up and placed it in Hilton's arms.

"Is it a boy or girl?" Hilton asked.

"She's a girl."

"Hey," Luke said. "What if we got two? I've always heard if you want two, you should get them at the same time so they don't have to adjust to each other later. And you had two growing up."

Hilton's caramel-colored eyes lit up happily. How adorable was it that Luke was so into this too? And they were going to have two pets!

### ***

Forty-five minutes later, Hilton and Luke were letting themselves into their room upstairs with two cat carriers, a bag of cat food, a food bowl, a water bowl, a litter box, litter, and their two new pets, Cookie Monster and Aspen. The names had already been picked by workers at Best Friends; all the animals who came to the sanctuary were given names. Hilton and Luke loved those and had absolutely no intention of changing them. Aspen was the tortoiseshell Hilton had picked out, and she had actually been found here in Aspen about a year ago by a skier, skinny and soaked with snow, huddled under a tree on a ski slope. When Hilton had heard her name, she had been even more positive that cat was the one. She'd wanted to possibly name their first daughter Aspyn, which she knew Luke wouldn't be thrilled about, so now they had a cat named Aspen instead. She giggled, thinking about it. How perfect and totally meant to be...everything happened for a reason! And this cat had definitely been meant for her and Luke.

Luke had picked Cookie Monster much like Hilton had picked Aspen; he'd known as soon as he'd seen him that Cookie Monster was the one. He was a big, lumbering, grayish-with-almost-a-hint-of-blue cat, and he slunk around in a sort of disgruntled manner that was totally hilarious and charming and made Hilton and Luke fall immediately in love with him.

Hilton felt like an excited little girl as they entered their room and plopped everything down on the floor and bed. "I'm so excited!" she said as she opened Aspen's cat carrier. Aspen peered out warily.

"This dude is frickin' heavy," Luke said, laughing as he set Cookie Monster's carrier on the bed and opened it. Cookie Monster walked out, sniffed, eyed the comforter suspiciously, and stalked off to one corner. Aspen ventured out and rubbed against Hilton, purring loudly. Then she suddenly walked away, sat down and stared at Cookie Monster, and twitched her full tail a couple times. Hilton laughed in delight.

"I didn't know you were such a cat person," she said to Luke with a grin.

"Shut up." He grinned back. "I don't know what came over me. Must be that I'm feeling bad over our tickets maybe being free and not having donated anything yet." He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. "It's just too much pressure!" he practically shouted, and Hilton fell backwards on the bed laughing.

"We got pets, baby! It's such a big step for us," she giggled jokingly.

"Shit! Ohhh...fuck. No, no...that's not what I meant to do. This can't be happening. Now you're gonna like think we're committed or some shit...I feel like I'm choking." Luke grabbed his throat and bulged his eyes out. Then he laughed and leaned over the bed to kiss Hilton, who was still lying on her back and laughing.

"Thanks again for coming with me," she said. "I'm so happy right now." And she meant it. This whole weekend, being here in Aspen with Luke, she hadn't felt the discontent that had been plaguing her all fall.

"Good, I'm glad." Luke stood back up, flashing her a grin. While she lay there watching him, he fixed the litter box and placed it in the bathroom. "Hey, what's this?" he asked as he walked back out of the bathroom. He bent over and picked up a formal-looking card that had apparently been slid under the door. Hilton sat up on the bed as he brought it over and sat down next to her.

### Tanner's Best Friends Banquet

### Green Room

of the

### Snowbear at Aspen Mountain Resort

### 8 o'clock in the Evening

### Followed by the 1stAnnual

### Best Friends with Benefits Gala

### Black tie optional

"Ooohh, 'Best Friends with Benefits,' " Luke said. "Sounds kinky. I like it."

"Ooohh, me too," Hilton said, her eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation.

### ***

Haidin sat at his table in the banquet room with his agent, bored out of his fucking mind. So far they were the only two at the table, and this event looked totally lame; there weren't even any hot fucking girls. He'd been here for an hour, and he wanted to bail already. He'd immediately checked the other place cards after being seated, and was irritated beyond hell not to recognize any of the names, even though he had known he and the other players would be spread out among the tables as a surprise for the guests. How fucking stupid. Really. His agent/manager was rattling on with his usual bullshit about how Haidin needed some positive press, and Haidin was blocking him out. That's why he was here, wasn't it? To get some positive fucking press? Haidin Bayliss at a charity event? He'd shown up; couldn't Oscar shut the fuck up now? Haidin glared around the room, looking for a waiter. He needed another drink or there was a good chance he was going to go fucking insane.

But part of the reason Oscar's little lecture was pissing him off so badly was he knew it was fucking true; he did need some good press. Aubrey was really fucking him on that one right now with all her photo ops with fucking Gangley. Haidin didn't doubt she was cheating on him either. Plus he'd acted like a total asshole in his press conference after losing during the round robin part of the Masters Cup. He didn't give a shit about that, but Oscar claimed that everything piling up would make him look less like tennis' bad boy and more like just an asshole loser whose girlfriend was openly cheating on him.

Suddenly his eyes landed on the first hot girl he'd seen tonight. She was just walking in, and she was stunning. A long black dress with a low scoop neck, perfect body, her light brown hair in loose waves. She was with a guy and they were holding hands, but whatever. She actually looked kind of familiar. Maybe the guy was a tennis player, and the girl had been at tournaments before or some shit. But Haidin didn't think the guy was on tour, unless he was some loser ranked way down in the hundreds or something.

As the girl sat down, Haidin continued to watch her. She was partially facing him, and it was bugging him now that he couldn't place her, because he really didn't think that guy was a tennis player. Someone else sat down at her table. It was that stupid asshole from _Game Set Match_ who'd written that story about him the night he got photographed making out with some random slut in Rome. And then suddenly he knew who the girl was.

She was the one who'd taken the pictures.

### ***

When Hilton and Luke arrived in the Green Room around 7:55, they were both surprised by its transformation. Everything from the adoption event was gone, and round tables with slightly lacy-looking sheer silver tablecloths filled the room. At each seat was a filled water glass and an empty wine glass, and in the center of each table was a lone candle. The lights were dim, but not completely off like in the lounge last night.

"Your names, _monsieur et mademoiselle_?" the maître d' asked with a smile.

"Joliet," Luke said, because he thought their whole reservation here was under Hilton's name.

"Ahhh, yes please, right this way."

They were led to a table near the middle of the room but a little off to one side near a fireplace. Hilton hadn't noticed the fireplaces in this room earlier, but now she could see there were at least four, one on each wall. Four people already sat at the table, and Hilton realized she knew them. They were all photographers and reporters from _GSM_. The maître d' pointed to the place cards with Hilton's and Luke's names, pulled out Hilton's chair for her, then scooted quietly away.

"Hey!" exclaimed one of the reporters, a bubbly woman Hilton thought was probably in her late twenties. They'd met briefly in Paris last summer. "Hilton, right?"

"Yeah." Hilton smiled back. "Myra?"

"Yep."

"Hey, it's good to see you again! This is my boyfriend Luke."

"Long time no see, dudes," one of the photographers, Eric, drawled slowly, holding out his hand across the table to both Hilton and Luke. Hilton figured he must remember Luke from London. The way he was holding out his hand, using his other hand to hold that arm up, he looked like he could barely move or function. His speech was fucked up too. He was definitely on something. And he'd taken the "black tie optional" a little too far...he was wearing a gray polo shirt. All the other guys Hilton could see, including Luke, were wearing suits with dress shirts underneath, some even in tuxedos. Most of the older men wore ties, while very few of the younger ones did, but they were definitely dressed up. Eric looked totally out of place, but Hilton thought it was kind of funny.

"Yeah, man," Luke said as he shook Eric's hand, speaking with a dubious undertone Hilton was sure was lost on Eric. She looked at Luke and grinned out of the corner of her eye. He grinned back the same way.

The last two to join the _Game Set Match_ table were Deidre and James. Even normally scruffy James had managed to put on a gray silk suit, and he was clean-shaven and had combed his hair. Hilton snuck a glance at Eric and snorted to herself. Then Eric stood up to go to the restroom, and Hilton almost died. She covered her mouth to hold back laughter. He was wearing green, red, and blue plaid shorts. Like the kind guys might wear out to the bars at Dale in the summer. She snuck another glance at Luke.

"D, you're gonna have to start having a _GSM_ dress code," one of the reporters joked as Eric walked away.

Deidre glanced at him, apparently not having noticed what he was wearing. "Oh, shit, somebody get me a drink," she said, and Hilton burst out laughing.

### ***

"That's it," Haidin said, brusquely cutting off Oscar's stream of out-loud planning, strategizing, and bitching, which he had pointedly been tuning out for the last several minutes.

Oscar stared at him. "What's what?" He looked around the room impatiently.

"Her." Haidin nodded his head toward the girl, whose name he couldn't remember. He'd blocked it out when he saw those fucking pictures.

"Who?!" Oscar threw his hands up in annoyance.

Haidin tilted his head slightly. Four other people joined his and Oscar's table.

"Haidin Bayliss!" a middle-aged woman with a horrible fake tan shrieked.

Haidin glared fiercely in her direction and made a "zip it" signal with his fingers. She was silenced into shock.

"That's the girl who took the pictures in Rome," Haidin said in a low tight voice to Oscar, now focusing his glare in the girl's direction.

Oscar turned to look now. "Ohhhhhh." Then he turned back to Haidin. "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about! Bad press! Everywhere! And these people are everywhere! Look, she's sitting right over there, and I'll bet you one million fucking dollars she's just looking for more—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Haidin snapped quietly. Oscar's voice was growing louder by the word. "I'm saying, that's the fucking solution."

"The solution to what?! What the fuck are you talking about?!"

"I'm gonna hire her," Haidin said simply. Then he sat back and fixed Oscar with a stone-faced stare. "Or actually, you are."

"Wh—...wh—... _hire_ her?!" Oscar sputtered.

Haidin continued to stare, his piercing almost-black eyes unyielding.

Oscar stared back, his mouth agape. Finally, knowing Haidin wasn't going to give an inch, he said weakly, "Explain?"

"I don't see what there is to explain," Haidin said rudely. "She's a photographer; she will now be my personal photographer. She probably freelances for that shit-ass magazine; she can take pics that'll give you your fucking 'good press' and sell them. Call her my 'assistant,' whatever you want. _Game Set Trash_ can think she's my assistant but still works for them, but part of her contract with _me_ will say she can't sell any bad photos." He shrugged. "How fucking obvious does it get? What fucking college did you go to?"

Oscar was staring at Haidin like he was a fucking idiot again. "Can I just remind you that that girl..." He gestured in her direction. "... _hates_ you? Was she or was she not quoted in the article with the pictures as calling you a cocky asshole, or some similar _won_ derful compliment?! Why would she ever work for you?"

Haidin narrowed his eyes. He hadn't really thought of that; he was used to getting whatever he wanted, and he didn't like the idea that this girl would say no to him. He glared in her direction again. _You have no idea what's about to hit you_ , he thought. Then he turned back to Oscar. "Give her whatever she wants. I don't care. However much money it takes. For one year. Starting in January. She'll travel with me; pay for all that, and give her some benefits or some shit. She's gonna get me some fucking 'good press.' She fucking owes me anyway."

### ***

The dinner was a four-course meal with three options for each course. Hilton had salmon, Caesar salad, Cajun chicken, and gelato for dessert. She was thrilled when she saw gelato was one of the choices; she'd only found it a few times in the US since returning from Italy. Dale definitely didn't have it anywhere, so she could only get it when she was in someplace like New York City. And who knew when she'd be there again.

Between courses, Deidre and James got up and walked through the room, snapping pictures of the tables with tennis players or other celebrities at them. Hilton had seen Alicia Silverstone, Pamela Anderson, Natalie Portman, and Paul McCartney, and when she saw Jennie Garth, who had played Kelly Taylor on _90210_ , walk into the room, her mouth dropped open and she hit at Luke excitedly.

"Who's that?" Luke said jokingly when Hilton told him. "Pam Anderson's here. I can't see anybody else."

Hilton was sure other celebs were here as well. She asked Deidre and James if they wanted her to help, and Deidre winked and said, "No, hon, you can just enjoy yourself for now. I'm counting on you for the behind-closed-doors photo ops nobody else will have access to."

Hilton had spotted Tanner at a table near the front of the room where a large stage ran the length of a whole wall. She didn't recognize any of the people at his table, and she figured they might be workers from Best Friends. She'd seen some other tennis players walk in, but she couldn't see where any of them were sitting. It was a huge room though, and it was impossible to see all the tables.

"Have any of you guys heard what the secret event is?" Myra asked excitedly as the dessert plates and dishes were being cleared later and Deidre and James were up taking more pictures.

Nobody had.

"This is gonna be a great story for _Game Set Match_ ," one of the other reporters said. "And right on the heels of Roddick's Charity Weekend? People love reading about celebs' charity events. This is golden, man."

"Ladies and gentlemen."

Hilton turned to the front of the room, where Tanner stood on the stage speaking into a mic and looking as good as ever. Tonight he wore another black suit with an untucked mint green shirt. The whole room was immediately focused on him.

"Welcome to the first annual Tanner's Best Friends Banquet!"

Everyone cheered and screamed and clapped. The crowd was already rowdier than last night, and Hilton grinned. It was going to be a crazy party, she could tell.

"So you liked it? The food was okay?" Tanner asked, and everybody screamed and cheered some more.

"Good! I wanna recognize the chef, Nico Moss, one of Aspen's greatest, normally the chef right upstairs in the Snowbear at Aspen Mountain's Après restaurant." He paused for people to clap. "So now, take your time finishing your dessert, order some Bailey's and coffee or whatever other drink you'd like, and get ready for, also the first annual...Best Friends with Benefits Gala!"

People rose to their feet now, and some of them raised their glasses in the air and loudly clinked them together. Hilton's whole table stood, and she grinned at Luke again as they sat down a minute later. She absolutely loved this.

"All right," Tanner said. "First of all I'd like to give a big thank you to all the people who helped make this weekend happen, especially on such short notice..." He named off several people and organizations and waited while the audience applauded again. "Okay, we have three main events tonight, which we're gonna get started in just a little while at ten. But I'm gonna tell you about them right now, in case you want to sign up. First of all, we're going to have several lovely ladies walking around selling raffle tickets. A hundred dollars a ticket or six for five hundred. There'll be two raffles, so make sure you know which tickets you're buying, 'cause trust me, it could make a little difference." He grinned. "Okay, the _green_ tickets are gonna be for a weekend stay here at the Snowbear at Aspen Mountain, all-inclusive, including your lift tickets, meals, rental equipment, lessons, drinks, whatever you may need. And the second—" He had to pause for the enthusiastic cheering reverberating throughout the room. "Yeah, thanks, I try," he said, and a collective laugh resounded from the crowd. "Well if you think that one's good...the second one is...US Open tickets for this coming summer. Labor Day Weekend or finals weekend, your choice, with flight, hotel, and meal vouchers. First row Arthur Ashe seats for all matches that weekend, Friday through Monday if you pick Labor Day, or Thursday through Sunday if you pick finals weekend."

Now people were gasping and oohing all over the place and throwing astounded looks at each other. Hilton was impressed. Either one of those would be sweet; Tanner was going to raise _tons_ of money off the raffle.

"And," Tanner said, "those all-inclusive weekends will be paid for by me personally, so all the proceeds from the raffle tickets are going straight to Best Friends."

That brought an immediate standing ovation. People were screaming louder than ever. Hilton felt tears well up. That was amazing.

"Okay, so those are the blue tickets," Tanner said. "Green—Aspen Mountain, evergreen trees, _no_ green slopes, whatever helps you remember, blue—US Open. Like the courts at the tournament." He leaned forward into the mic, smiling, his hair falling almost to his eyes. "So that's the raffle, and the tickets will be on sale for the next hour or so. The drawing will be our second event of the night. But right now, for our first event, we need eight ladies who wouldn't mind being auctioned off for a date to one of our handsome ATP players."

"What?!" Hilton looked at Luke, her mouth a huge O.

Luke laughed in disbelief. "No fuckin' way. You should do it."

"What?" She laughed.

"Yeah, you should do it."

"We don't even know who the players are!"

"True."

Hilton looked around and laughed again. It wasn't going to matter anyway. There were already about twenty women, most of them ten to twenty years older than her, standing and raising their hands above their heads as though in school. Some of them were practically jumping up and down, begging to be chosen.

"You can sign up right upstairs at the main desk," Tanner said with a totally sexy smile. "We'll take as many as want to sign up from now till ten, then we'll draw if we have more than eight. It's free to sign up. The drawing will take place up in the lobby as well. Okay, so if you want, take a minute to buy your raffle tickets and sign up for the auction, and the auction will start at ten, followed by the raffle drawing, followed by our very special top secret finale event. Welcome to the Best Friends with Benefits Gala, and drink up!" Tanner waved and jumped off the stage.

### ***

"Excuse me."

Hilton looked up to see the maître d'. She and Luke and the _GSM_ staff had been busy guessing which tennis players were going to be part of the date auction, and how much they would pay for these women they probably had no interest in whatsoever. Hilton thought it was cool they had volunteered to do it though, whoever they were. She couldn't wait to see who Tanner got, but she hoped to hell it wasn't some girl their age he might actually like. Not like it mattered, but still.

"Hilton Joliet?"

"Yes?"

"There is someone in the Vail Room who would like to speak with you."

"The Vail Room?"

"It is a meeting room, just out the main doorway there and down the hall to your left, past the stairway to the main lounge." He nodded toward the doorway at the far end of the room.

"Okay." Hilton figured it was probably Deidre. Maybe she'd heard about something going on later and she wanted Hilton to try to get in on it, but didn't want everybody at their table to know. "I'll be right back," she said to Luke as she rose.

She made her way through the tables toward the door, scanning the crowd once again for any tennis players. She almost stopped in her tracks when she saw Haidin Bayliss sitting sulkily at a table. She couldn't believe he would show up at a charity event, no matter who told him to go. She looked immediately for Aubrey. The chair next to Haidin was empty. Hilton raised her eyebrows and stepped out of the Green Room. Outside in the hallway it was quiet and chilly. One man stood talking irritably into a cell phone by the stairway up to the main lounge, which was one level above.

The door to the Vail Room was open, but when Hilton peered in, there was only a frumpy-looking middle-aged man sitting at the long conference table in the middle of the room. He glanced up at her.

"Oh, sorry," she said, ducking back out. Maybe Deidre hadn't made it here yet.

"Hilton Joliet?" the man asked, his voice sounding overeager and urgent.

Hilton turned in surprise. Who the hell was this guy?

He rose and hurried toward her, sticking out his hand. "Oscar Turcell. Agent and manager for Haidin Bayliss."

Hilton practically recoiled. She shook his hand for only a second. "Yeah?" He was probably going to bitch her out for all her photos of Haidin or some shit. There wasn't any way she could be sued for taking pictures of him that were used in a negative way, was there? Hopefully not...it happened to celebs all the time. If this guy said anything even remotely shitty, she was just going to walk away. How like Haidin though, to have his agent try to scare her.

"Mr. Bayliss would like to hire you as his personal assistant and photographer."

Hilton felt her facial expression go all out of whack. " _What?_ "

"Mr. Bayliss, as you probably know, could use quite a bit more positive press than what he currently receives," Oscar rushed on. "He recognizes your talent as a photographer and would like you to travel with him for one year, working as his assistant and photographer, with all your travel expenses paid, of course, and take photographs of him that frame him in a more positive light and point out his many more endearing characteristics that the press currently ignores or shuts out."

Hilton snorted with complete incredulity. Even Oscar looked like uttering those words was an enormous effort. Hilton absolutely couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth, in more ways than one. The only reason she was still standing here was she was too shocked to move. Well, and she kind of wanted to hear the rest, it was so freaking ridiculous. Laughter was bubbling up inside her, and she struggled to keep a straight face as she replayed Oscar's words in her head. _Endearing?!_

"You could still sell these and your other photographs to _Game Set Match_ , of course...I'm assuming you work as a freelancer?"

It took Hilton a moment to even realize he'd asked her a question. She nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Bayliss would in fact encourage you to continue to sell your pictures; that is much the purpose of his hiring you. On top of your free travel and accommodations, we assume _Game Set Match_ will continue to offer you media passes for the tournaments, but if they do not, we will take care of your seats as well; you would sit in Mr. Bayliss' box, as he cannot actually request a media pass for someone. In addition, we would like to pay you one million dollars for the year. However you want it, as a lump sum or weekly, monthly...whatever works best for you. Oh, and a global phone and plan, of course."

Hilton stared a moment longer, then she burst out laughing, unable to hold it in anymore. "You can't be serious," she finally said. "I mean, I see that you are, and it's actually...pretty right on par for what I know of Haidin, I guess. But I would _never_ sit in his box, no matter how much you paid me. Or travel with him, or be associated with him in any way except for any pictures I might take _not_ as his personal photographer. But thanks for the offer." She turned and started to walk away. Then she looked back over her shoulder. "Tell Haidin if he wants good press...he should probably be hiring a body double with a better personality."

She turned and grinned wildly at the empty hallway in front of her, wanting to break out into a run. She couldn't get back to Luke and tell him fast enough. And Deidre and James and everybody too...they were going to have a fucking shitfit. She wished she'd brought her cell phone when she'd left the banquet room; she wanted to call Jill right now.

When she approached her table, she sat down with a huge smile on her face, laughter threatening to burst out.

"What's going on?" Luke asked.

Deidre was back and noticed Hilton's crazy smile. "Ohhh, tell, tell! Do we have a good story in the works?" The rest of the table heard and turned to Hilton expectantly.

She grinned at them all for another second, a couple giggles spilling out. Then suddenly she was laughing so hard she could barely speak, and tears were streaming down her face. "Haidin fucking Bayliss just tried to hire me to be his personal fucking photographer!" she finally gasped.

" _WHAAAT?!_ " Myra screamed. Everyone at the table leaned forward, completely stunned and captivated, as Hilton finally caught her breath and wiped her eyes and started to tell them what had just happened.

### ***

Haidin had been watching the girl's table and the door ever since he'd given Oscar the instructions to hire her and Oscar had gone off to accomplish the mission. He'd seen a maître d' approach the girl, say something, and then lead her out of the room, and he'd sat a little tensely waiting for her return. No one at his table had dared to speak to him since his hideously rude snap at the lady who'd cried out his name, and he was glad. He hated talking to stupid losers who were so obsessed with tennis players they would come to dumb-ass shit like this. What a bunch of idiot ass-kissers...what were they hoping for...that they'd actually become _friends_ with one of the players or something? What pathetic fucking lives they must have.

When Haidin saw the girl stride in less than five minutes later, walking quickly and wearing a huge grin on her face, the corners of his mouth turned up just the slightest bit in cocky assuredness. He'd known it wouldn't be that hard. Fucking Oscar. He probably wouldn't have even had to offer her as much as he had....Haidin's guess was he'd offered her a million on top of the free travel. She was obviously stoked as hell about it; she probably would've done it for way less. But what the fuck ever. He allowed himself to smile a little more broadly as the girl rejoined her table.

He cocked his head in surprise as she started laughing hysterically and wiping at her eyes. Wow, she was really fucking excited. She was probably just another groupie like all the rest of them. If she was this excited, it didn't look like she was going to have a problem giving him "positive press." She'd probably just pretended to hate him because she'd been jealous of that girl in Rome. She was no fucking doubt jealous of Aubrey too. Oh well, whatever. She was fucking hot, so he didn't care. The way she was laughing so openly and genuinely was actually kind of a turn-on. She was one groupie he wouldn't mind having hang all over him. Suddenly a cunning smile spread across his face. Maybe having her around all the time would make _Aubrey_ jealous. This was getting better by the minute. He was a fucking genius.

Then the girl gasped out a few words between laughs. Haidin could only catch part of it. "...fucking Bayliss...fucking personal photographer!"

" _WHAAAT?!_ " some lady shrieked as practically the whole table burst out laughing.

Haidin froze, feeling his chest and throat tighten. What the fuck?! The girl was gesturing wildly now and talking rapidly, while the rest of the table listened with intent amusement, gasping and shrieking with laughter. Were they making _fun_ of him?! That bitch! He shoved back his chair and stormed toward the exit.

"Haidin! Haidin!" A reporter spotted him and rushed to intercept him, shoving her microphone in his face. "Where's Aubrey? How come you chose to come to Tanner Bruin's charity event but not Andy Roddick's?"

Haidin pushed past her roughly and practically slammed into Oscar in the doorway. "What the fuck?!" he hissed. "Whatever it takes! I said do _whatever it takes_!" He grabbed Oscar's shirt in his fist, then shoved him away. He saw cameras flashing behind him and rolled his eyes. Of fucking course. "Just make it happen. Find out what she wants most and give it to her. Work this out, or you're fucking fired." He stormed out.

### ***

Every so often throughout the date auction, Hilton would start laughing again and turn to Luke, whose deep brown eyes twinkled back at her. He draped his arm around her, and Hilton scooted her chair so it was right next to his, contentedly laying her head on his shoulder. So far four lesser-known but very cute tennis players, one of them being Tanner's friend Nate, had "bought" the first few ladies, all of whom Hilton thought were at least late thirties or older. But it made sense that not a lot of young people would be at this event; where would they get the money to buy tickets for it?! She wondered who most of the people were...were they Aspen locals, or tennis fans from across the country or world who'd heard about this and impulsively bought tickets just a few days in advance? Probably it was a mix of both.

The players now sat at six tables right in front of the stage. Tanner had called them all up, and they'd filed to the front, most of them way more dressed up than Hilton had ever seen them. As a group they were stunning. Besides Andy, Mardy, James, and Nate, she saw Tommy Haas, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya, and several others she recognized. She thought there were probably about forty of them up there for the auction. Even Haidin was there, but he was lingering at the back, and Hilton was sure he wouldn't bid on anyone. So far the most spent on one of the women was five thousand dollars.

"And our next gorgeous lady..." Noah Ablett, an Australian tennis player and the MC/auctioneer, called out, "is Rory from Aspen!"

A girl who Hilton thought looked about her age strutted out from behind the curtain set up at the back of the stage. She wore a gorgeous silvery-blue dress and her blonde hair was teased up with a silver headband in front of her long ponytail. It was a total goddess look. The crowd cheered loudly, just as it had for every other woman. Tanner was at the front center table, and Hilton was sure the girl looked right at him as she jutted out one hip and flashed a sassy wink. Ugh, of course...the one girl she wouldn't want Tanner to get, because although she hated to admit it and couldn't to Luke, she would be a little jealous. She tried to tell herself it was only in the same way she would be jealous of a girl who got to go on a date with any hot celebrity, but she knew it wasn't. Nick Lachey was one of the hottest guys she'd ever seen, and she was remotely jealous of Vanessa Minnillo, but it didn't bum her out to think of him and Vanessa spending time together or having a close bond. She didn't even think about it. She didn't know Nick, and therefore she had no real chance with him, or even a delusional hope of a chance. She loved him and Vanessa together. But Tanner...she did know. She had liked him and Bryony together, but it just somehow bummed her out to think of him going out with this girl...or anyone else now that he and Bryony were broken up. She sighed and rolled her eyes at herself.

"We'll start the bidding at five hundred dollars! Do I hear five hundred?"

Several of the players called out numbers, one-upping each other over and over again and having a blast with the game that was the auction. Tanner didn't say anything, and Hilton felt relieved.

" _Eight_ thousand! Wow! Eight thousand. Do I hear nine?" Noah shouted. "Eight thousand, going once, going twi—"

"Fifteen thousand," Tanner's voice called out over the others in a confident challenge. Hilton's heart leapt to her throat. The girl—Rory—grinned right at Tanner again, as though she'd been expecting it.

No one else outbid him. To Hilton's dismay, the players all leaned back as though surrendering and clapped loudly for Tanner and shouted " _Oooohh!_ " in suggestive tones. Rory flashed him one more seductive look as she exited the stage through the curtain. Noah had said at the very beginning that no one should try to talk to his or her date right away; they'd like everyone to wait till the auction was over and then there would be a quick meet-and-greet for the pairs.

At Tanner's table the other tennis players slapped him on the back and shook his hand, and he said something, his playful grin illuminating his face even in the dim partial light.

Hilton smiled a little, shaking her head at herself and joining in the clapping so Luke wouldn't think she was acting weird and so she could maybe make herself _feel_ a little less weird.

### ***

In the raffle drawing, Charlize Theron won the US Open tickets, which Deidre was thrilled about because it would be a great publicity angle to use this week in _GSM_ and again at the Open—a tie to an A-list star. After somebody from Georgia won the weekend in Aspen, Tanner got back up on stage to announce the "grand finale" event.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," he called into the mic, after thanking everyone who had participated in the first two events, "the moment you've all been waiting for, the culmination of the first annual Best Friends with Benefits Gala....We have, for your bidding pleasure, eight _men_ to auction off for dates. And those men all happen to be—well, we hope at least—some of your favorite ATP tennis players!"

The room went wild. All the guests were on their feet applauding and screaming and throwing wide-eyed looks of anticipation at each other.

" _But,_ " Tanner continued, "the hard part is, you won't know who each one is till he comes out. So, you have to decide, do I want Nate Young, who _is_ pretty damn good-looking? Or should I wait to see if somebody even _more_ strapping and charming, say, Tanner Bruin?, comes along?"

Tanner laughed at himself while all the women in the room giggled wildly like teenagers and shouted their agreement. Hilton laughed. Tanner cracked her up.

"And if you should win one of our fine young men, you get _not only_ dinner for two at one of New York City's finest restaurants of your choice, you'll also get to sit in this player's courtside box for one match at the US Open next August!"

The noise was deafening. Hilton couldn't even hear herself as she yelled and clapped enthusiastically along with everyone else. This was going to be awesome, even though she knew there was no way she'd have enough money to win one of the players. She wondered who they all were, and how much they would go for.

"All right, so let's get started!"

Noah, who was now standing in the front row, tossed Tanner a bottle of champagne. Tanner opened it, spraying it into the crowd and the reverberating cheers.

As people started to quiet, Hilton and Luke took their seats.

"You gonna do this one?" Luke asked with a playful grin.

Hilton elbowed him and grinned back. "Shut up. I wish. If I had endless thousands of dollars. But hmmmm." She frowned. "I wouldn't know who to pick. They're all so hot..." She grinned at Luke again and ducked out of the way as he tried to rub his knuckles across the top of her head.

The first three players to be auctioned off were James Blake, Mardy Fish, and Mike Bryan. Hilarious old-school songs like "Dancing Queen" were blasting as each player strutted around the stage and Noah, resuming his role as MC/auctioneer, shouted the player's bio into the mic. Hilton was having a blast. She loved the crazy atmosphere in here. This was definitely the way to do a charity benefit.

After Mike Bryan came Andy Roddick, then Bob Bryan. He went for a thousand more dollars than Mike, his twin brother, and Noah made a big deal out of it. The whole crowd yelled, " _Oooooohhhh!_ " and Hilton burst out laughing halfway through yelling it.

Then, to Hilton's complete shock, came Haidin. She quickly looked back to Haidin's table, checking for Aubrey. Aubrey was probably pissed he was doing this, even though it was for charity. _Ohhhh_ ...Aubrey wasn't there...the empty chair that had been next to Haidin earlier was now occupied by his agent/manager or whatever he was. Hilton cracked a smile and turned back to the front. Haidin, of course, didn't dance like everyone else, he simply walked to the center of the stage and stood there looking like a totally hot, pissed-off bad boy. She wondered how much he would get. Probably just as much as everybody else, if not more. She rolled her eyes as Noah finished Haidin's bio, which hadn't been near as detailed or funny as everyone else's.

"Bidding starts at one thousand dollars! Do we have one thousand?"

"A hundred thousand!" a woman shouted from the back of the room.

Hilton's mouth dropped open in shock. She and everyone else in the room turned to stare. Even Noah and Haidin were staring in surprise.

The woman was petite and had her blonde hair piled on top of her head. She was probably about forty, and she was wearing a long white sequined evening gown.

"Okay!" Noah said somewhat dubiously. "A hundred thousand dollars! Going once...going twice...sold! To the woman in the back!"

Haidin turned and left the stage, still looking shocked.

Nate Young was next, and when he went for only fifty-one thousand, Noah and all the other players yelled, " _Oooooohhhh!_ " again.

"What a loser," Andy Roddick said loudly.

"What'd you go for? Forty-eight?" Mardy Fish asked.

Andy laughed and slapped Mardy on the back, looking like he was having a blast.

"And next, the one all you ladies have probably really been waiting for, we have our—to use his own words— _strapping and charming_ host, _Tanner Bruin_!"

Tanner burst onto stage and started break dancing to "Billie Jean."

Hilton jumped to her feet, grinning and screaming for him along with all the other women in the room. She couldn't believe how good of a break dancer he was. And he looked so freaking hot in his suit with that mint green shirt...

"Tanner hails from Vero Beach, Florida, but he was actually born right here in Aspen, Colorado, where he grew up skiing, snowboarding, and, of course, _playyy_ ing tennis!" Noah rolled his eyes sarcastically at the crowd, and everybody laughed again. "He is currently twenty-five years old and ranked number three in the world! Tanner enjoys gardening, ice ballet, and Jell-O wrestling. He is also president of the Vero Beach chapter of the Richard Simmons Fan Club."

Hilton burst out laughing. "Ice ballet?!" she gasped to Luke. "What the fuck is that?!"

"Bidding starts at one thousand dollars! Do I hear a thousand?"

A few women went back and forth until the bidding was up to fifty thousand, which was about what the other players before Haidin had gone for. Hilton expected Tanner to get a little more since he was the host. A lot of women had probably been waiting, expecting him to be last.

"Seventy-five thousand," said a cool and confident new voice from behind Hilton. She turned to see Rory, the girl Tanner had won earlier in the women's auction, standing just three tables behind hers.

Tanner heard her voice too and turned to look at her. When he saw who it was he grinned right at her. Hilton had to look away, because he was looking right in her direction too...but he didn't even see her. He was grinning over her head at Rory. Hilton took a quick drink of her champagne.

"Seventy-five thousand! Going once...going twice...sold, to Rory from Aspen!" Noah laughed, obviously remembering Rory too.

Hilton turned to look at Rory again. She was smiling at Tanner and holding up her glass of champagne in a silent toast. Hilton turned back to the stage. Tanner gave Rory a chin-up nod and pointed at her for a split second, still grinning.

Even though it was in front of hundreds of people, it was somehow an intimate moment between the two of them, like they already knew each other and there was something going on between them.

"And now..." Noah's voice boomed, drawing everyone's attention back to him, "you're probably all thinking this auction is over...but you'd be wrong! We have one more surprise auctionee!"

There were more wild cheers, but Hilton's was forced this time.

"So, ladies, if you already bought one of these eight fine young men, you better hope you have some money left, because our last auctionee is none other than one of the greatest tennis players of all time...Mr. _ANDRE AGASSI_!"

There was a collective gasp, and then Agassi was on stage, grinning at the crowd, which was on its feet again, screaming louder than ever. Even Hilton had forgotten about Tanner and Rory. This was unbelievable.

"This is freaking awesome!" she shouted to Luke, grinning wildly.

"It's fucking crazy!" Luke shouted back. "This is definitely the coolest charity event I'll probably ever go to!"

### ***

"Hey, you should follow them," Luke said half an hour or so later. He and Hilton were dancing and she was trying not to feel weirdly uneasy about how this weekend was turning out.

"What?" Hilton looked where Luke had nodded. Tanner and Rory had left Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Mike Bryan, to whom they'd been talking for several minutes, and were heading toward the exit.

"It's where the good pics are gonna be," Luke said with a grin. "Deidre will love you."

Hilton hesitated. She knew six months ago she would've jumped all over it; she would've run after Tanner and any girl, hoping to get some hot pictures. But now...it just kind of sucked. But...it would seem weird to Luke if she didn't want to, plus she hadn't really gotten any of the crazy pictures so far this weekend that she knew Deidre wanted, and she didn't want Deidre and James to think she suddenly sucked and ruin her chances of getting hired again. "Thanks!" she said, rushing over to their table to grab her camera. "Come with me!"

Luke hurried to the hallway, and when Hilton joined him a moment later, he pointed in the direction of the Vail Room. "They went around the corner down there," he said quietly.

The hallway was once again empty and chilly, and Hilton rubbed her arms as they rushed down it and then stopped to peek around the corner. Luckily the carpet was thick and they didn't really have to worry about being quiet.

This hall was empty too. Hilton and Luke exchanged a quick glance, then hurried to the glass door at the end. A sign above it read EXIT in bold red letters.

"It's gonna be noisy," Hilton whispered. It was a door you would have to use your key card to get back in, and it didn't just push open; there was a lever down below you had to push in. She could just hear it clicking loudly as they eased it open, and then Tanner and Rory would know they'd been followed. Even though Tanner would know she was just trying to get pictures, she didn't want him to see her right now for some reason.

"I can't see them," Luke whispered back. "They probably won't hear. Come on." He bent down and pushed in on the lever while pushing the door handle outward at the same time. The door swung open, making a clicking sound just like Hilton had imagined. They glanced at each other, then stepped out into the three or so inches of snow covering the ground.

Hilton looked around, rubbing her hands rapidly up and down her bare arms. Her feet and strappy stilettos were buried in the snow, and the bottom of her dress was already soaked. They appeared to be in some kind of small courtyard. Suddenly delighted laughter pierced the air.

"Hey, look." Luke pointed, already heading across the small courtyard area. There was a slightly open gate on the far side. Hilton kicked off her shoes and rushed after him, holding her dress up.

They stopped at the gate and peered through. They were looking right at the lodge's heated outdoor pool. Two pairs of shoes lay haphazardly on the deck, and Tanner and Rory were both in the pool, laughing giddily. Hilton raised her camera and started taking pictures. She didn't want to turn the flash on and give herself and Luke away, but there were only two deck lights framing the pool, and the pictures weren't coming out great.

"This is clutch!" Luke laughed excitedly under his breath, holding up his hand for a high five.

Even though part of Hilton was totally bummed, part of her was caught up in the excitement too. Even with the lack of lighting, these pictures were going to be awesome. Deidre would be thrilled. Hilton just wanted to wait till Tanner and Rory got a little closer to each other in the pool, and then she was going to turn on the flash and get one really good one, then run.

"Hey, get on my shoulders and let me flip you," Tanner said breathlessly. Even in the dim lighting Hilton could see his irresistible grin.

"Ooohh, you always have the crazy ideas. Just don't flip me into the wall and make me break a bone!" Rory laughed. Tanner laughed too and splashed at her as she swam closer to him, then he went underwater and Rory positioned herself over him, only her head visible.

A second later they rose out of the water together, Rory on his shoulders, her silvery-blue gown clinging to her in a totally misshapen fashion and Tanner still in his suit jacket. Rory was laughing. Tanner pushed upward, Rory flipped backward, the camera flashed, and Hilton and Luke took off running, both of them laughing hysterically.

"Oh my gosh, that was freakin' awesome!" Hilton screamed when they were back inside the lodge. She and Luke slapped a high five so hard it left Hilton's palm stinging. " _Woooooo!_ "

### ***

"Hilton!" Deidre called the next morning as Hilton and Luke were standing at the main counter of the lodge checking out.

Hilton looked around in surprise.

"I almost forgot to tell you; _GSM_ 's having a New Year's party. It's going to be a total blowout. _SI_ NY. All the top-priority players will be there. And after those pictures last night, you sure as hell better be there too."

Hilton looked at Luke with a sideways grin. "Hell yeah, I'm in."

Deidre glanced at Luke. "And of course you're welcome too, although since it's not on Tanner this time you'll have to book your own flight. But you can share Hilton's hotel room, of course."

"D!" Myra called from across the lobby. "Come check out this pic Eric got!"

Deidre started backtracking across the lobby away from Hilton and Luke. "Your plane ticket will be in an email. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" Hilton turned to Luke, a grin in her caramel eyes. "Aahhh!" she cried quietly.

"So, so much for going to Chicago to go out with Bennett, huh?" Luke asked in a teasing voice.

Hilton grinned. "Well, I really would've liked to do that. But maybe we can go visit him in a few weeks. And I'll hopefully see him in Caldwell over Christmas. But you'll come with me, right? For New Year's?"

"Hell yeah I will, baby." Luke wrapped his arms around her waist. "But only if they can get us separate hotel rooms." He wrinkled his nose. "Why would she think I'd wanna share with you?"

Hilton laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know, seriously, why would you?"

Luke slid his hands under her coat and shirt and up her back, making her shiver deliciously. "I don't know," he whispered. "But if you give me a few seconds I might be able to think of a reason." He unsnapped her bra.

Hilton jumped back, laughing and widening her eyes at him. "Nice! I didn't see that one coming."

Luke grinned at her and bent down to pick up Aspen's and Cookie Monster's cat carriers. As he stood back up he kissed Hilton quickly on the lips. "Just wait till the plane," he whispered, then he winked sexily at her and walked off toward the lodge's main exit.

### Dale

### December 20-27, 2007

BEST FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

Hilton grabbed the stack of magazines eagerly, slammed the mailbox door shut, and ran back into her apartment. It was freezing out.

It was around noon on Thursday, and she'd just gotten up. Luke was at work, and Jill, Todd, and Adria had gone home for Christmas two days ago. Hilton and Luke were going to his parents' house after he got off work today, staying there till Christmas Eve, then going to her parents' house. Hilton had taken today off from Nick's because he had told her to leave for Christmas whenever she wanted. The college guy who'd worked there over the summer was available over Christmas break too, because he was actually from Dale, so he'd be around the whole time and wanted hours.

Hilton dumped all the copies except one on the coffee table and dropped onto the couch next to a sleeping Aspen, peering at the cover more closely. She'd realized as soon as she took it out of the mailbox it was the picture of Tanner flipping Rory in the pool. She was thrilled they'd used her picture for the cover, but she felt that annoying tug of jealousy at the same time. She looked down to what was printed under the headline.

### Tanner makes a splash at his charity weekend in Aspen, raising over $4 million for animals and reuniting with a high school flame

Oh my gosh! Hilton thought, petting Aspen's head absentmindedly. Rory was from high school?! There _had_ been that moment when she'd thought it seemed like Tanner and Rory already knew each other, right after Rory had won him in the auction, when she'd raised her champagne glass and their eyes had met in that silent toast....Wait...he'd gone to high school in Vero Beach...so was she from there? They had called her "Rory from Aspen" during the date auction....Hilton flipped to the cover story. The picture on the first page was of Tanner break-dancing on stage. Hilton laughed, loving it.

TANNER'S BEST FRIENDS

### A weekend of drinking, dancing, and date-auctioning in Aspen to benefit animals, with more than a few wild surprises thrown in

BY JAMES DYER

Aspen, Colorado, the winter playground of the rich and famous and the childhood home of ATP No. 3 Tanner Bruin, was even more star-studded than usual on the weekend of December 14-16. The occasion? The First Annual Tanner's Best Friends, a charity event to raise money for Best Friends Animal Society in Utah (see sidebar, page 57).

The weekend-long fundraiser came directly on the heels of Andy Roddick's annual Charity Weekend for the Andy Roddick Foundation, which took place December 8 and 9 in Boca Raton, Florida. Bruin was so impressed by Roddick's event he decided to throw one of his own. How did he choose which organization to support in so short a time? "Oh, there was no question," Bruin, 25, said in a press release December 10. "Best Friends is amazing. They have saved so many homeless animals and animals needing medical attention. The animals who come in in extremely poor condition, needing a lot of medical help, they put those animals into what they call the Guardian Angel program. So let's be guardian angels for all the animals at Best Friends." And later, in a welcoming speech to guests at the weekend-opening cocktail party Friday night at Aspen's 4-star Snowbear at Aspen Mountain Resort, Bruin continued, "I actually took my first visit [to Best Friends] about a year ago....I went there and fell in love for the first time in my life. I left feeling like anything was possible, just sort of with a renewed sense of belief in people and in good things happening. So how could I not give back?"

The weekend, planned in four and a half days by Aspen Events, was carried off without a hitch, starting with the elegant candlelight-only cocktail party on Friday night. Saturday included skiing and snowboarding lessons at nearby Snowmass, contests on the more difficult slopes of Aspen Mountain, and an adoption event in which over 500 animals found new homes. The climax came Saturday night with the Tanner's Best Friends Banquet, a four-course dinner, and the Best Friends with Benefits Gala, a dance featuring a raffle and two date auctions—one in which eight lucky ladies were auctioned off by auctioneer-for-the-evening Noah Ablett to ATP tennis players such as Nate Young, Zeke Blackman, and, yes, Tanner Bruin himself. And the prizes in the raffle drawing were nothing short of stupendous—an all-inclusive weekend for two at the Snowbear and an all-inclusive weekend for two at the US Open next summer, both paid for by Bruin himself so all proceeds from the raffle would go directly to Best Friends.

But the second date auction, not announced until the Gala was already underway, was the real shocker. This time, it was ATP players themselves on the auction block, and not just any ATP players, but fan favorites James Blake, Mardy Fish, Mike Bryan, Andy Roddick, Bob Bryan, Nate Young, and Tanner Bruin himself. And not only did Haidin Bayliss show up at this charity event (see sidebar, p. 58), he was auctioned off too...for $100,000, blowing the 2nd-highest bid for host Bruin ($75,000) out of the water.

But the biggest bombshell of all? A surprise ninth player was auctioned off, and it was none other than former world No. 1 Andre Agassi, whose presence, up until the moment he appeared onstage, was unknown to all guests. And yes, he did go for more than Bayliss—$185,000, to be exact, to tennis and animal lover Ellen DeGeneres. Other animal-loving celebrities in attendance included Pamela Anderson, Alicia Silverstone, Jennie Garth, Paul McCartney, Natalie Portman, and Charlize Theron, who was the winner of the all-inclusive weekend for two to the US Open next summer. So all in all, the First Annual Tanner's Best Friends was an awe-inspiring success.

And not only was it a success for Best Friends Animal Society, but it was a personal success for Bruin as well. The contestant he won in the ladies' date auction (and the only one on whom he bid), was known at the time only as "Rory from Aspen," but she turned out to be much more. She bought him right back less than an hour later in the players' date auction, then she and Bruin spent several minutes chatting amiably with other players, all close friends of Bruin. The twosome then ducked out of the lodge to the heated outdoor pool, where they quickly kicked off their shoes and jumped right in the water in their formal wear. "They were laughing and teasing each other" in the pool, says an anonymous witness. "They seemed really comfortable around each other."

Well, no wonder—turns out "Rory from Aspen" is Rory Bollier, 25, an old flame of Bruin's from high school.

"We actually didn't go to high school together," Bruin told GSM's Deidre Fox in an exclusive interview Monday. "We went to elementary and middle school together, but then in high school I moved to Florida. But I'd always known her and liked her, and so one year when I came home for Christmas I asked her out. But it was kind of a disaster" (smiles and laughs).

"He took me skiing, and it was my first time ever, even though I'd grown up in Aspen, and I broke my leg," said Bollier Monday in a separate interview with GSM. When asked if she has been skiing since, Bollier laughed and said, "Nope! It really wasn't funny at the time, but it's hilarious now. I thought he was so cute though, and it was so romantic that he took me skiing. It was a good story. When he joined the tour and started playing on TV and all my friends in college were always saying how hot he was, I would be like, 'Oh, yeah, he broke my leg in high school,' and nobody would believe me."

Well, believe it. "They were having a great time. It looked like they had known each other for a long time and were catching up or reminiscing," says witness and event-attendee Gary Shards of Snowmass, CO, who saw Bruin and Bollier at the Gala Saturday night before they disappeared outside.

After the twosome's escapade in the pool, no one spotted either of them until the following morning, when Bollier was seen leaving Bruin's suite at the Snowbear wearing too-long Adidas sweatpants, an oversized Adidas jacket, and a Colorado Rockies baseball cap. (For any of you who don't know, Adidas is Bruin's sponsor.) Talk about Best Friends with Benefits. GSM

Hilton was breathless. Rory was _that_ girl from high school? The skiing date girl? The one Tanner had told her, Luke, and Bryony about at that pub in London?! No freaking way. She wondered if Bryony would see this article. How weird would that be for her...to read about him hooking up with a girl he'd told her about....Hilton was sure when he'd told them about it, he hadn't had any lingering interest in Rory or any intention of seeing her again...obviously he hadn't had any idea they would hook up. And yet now, less than six months later, here were pictures of him and Rory plastered all over _Game Set Match_. That was so crazy. It probably wouldn't be that upsetting for Bryony though; after all, she was the one who'd broken up with Tanner. The whole thing was just weird. Hilton tried to push away the ickyness she felt.

She looked at all the pictures more closely and read the captions. There was one of Rory onstage from when she was being auctioned off and one of Charlize Theron accepting her raffle prize. There was also a huge picture of the adoption event and a really cool one of Tanner doing a crazy jump during the snowboarding contest. There was a sidebar about Best Friends, telling when it was founded and how many animals it had helped and giving a brief rundown of the facilities and programs and how to sponsor an animal. The Best Friends website was listed, and Hilton knew she'd get on and check it out later. She'd been on it before, when she'd sponsored an animal for her mom for Mother's Day, but she wanted to read more about all the cool stuff they did. She flipped to the other sidebar. She was really curious about this one because it had been referenced next to Haidin's name in the article. Who knew what he'd done now or what the sidebar would be about.

Twisting Down the Slopes—

Surprising Turns of the 1st Annual

Tanner's Best Friends

Twist #1: Haidin Bayliss attends a charity event.

Twist #2: Although in attendance, Bayliss refuses to talk to guests at his dinner table or answer questions from reporters. He is seen grabbing his agent by the shirt and yelling at him. (Okay, seriously, does anyone else think this really isn't that surprising?)

Twist #3: The big finale event is a date auction in which ATP players are the ones auctioned off.

Twist #4: Haidin Bayliss takes part in this date auction.

Twist #5: A woman pays $100,000 for him—even Bayliss appears dumbfounded.

Twist #6: Andre Agassi appears onstage as the final player to be auctioned off.

Twist #7: Haidin Bayliss does not show up to the meet-and-greet session immediately following the auction to meet the (lucky?) lady who won him. He is not seen again until the following morning when he leaves for the airport.

Twist #8: Rory Bollier, whom Tanner Bruin bought in the 1st auction, buys him back in the next auction and it turns out they've known each other since elementary school and used to date—she once broke her leg while they were skiing.

Twist #9: Noah Ablett excels as a comedic auctioneer. Definitely has a future in that business (yes, comedic auctioneers are in high demand) when he retires from tennis in 10 years or so. Ice ballet, anyone?

Twist #10: Rory Bollier is spotted ducking out of Tanner Bruin's room at 10:30 Sunday morning. To end the weekend, Bruin hits the slopes 2 hours later with Nate Young.

Hilton's cell phone rang, scaring the shit out of her. She jumped and then breathed out, laughing at herself as she grabbed it. She didn't recognize the number. It was a 917 area code. Hmmm. She flipped open the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, I'm calling for Hilton Joliet?" said a man's voice. It sounded somehow overwhelmed and vaguely familiar.

"This is she." Hilton looked back down at her magazine and rubbed Aspen's head. Aspen purred in her sleep.

"This is Oscar Turcell, agent and manager for Haidin Bayliss."

Hilton widened her eyes and rolled them. Seriously?!

"Mr. Bayliss is still very interested in hiring you. In fact, he is adamant about the idea and has a very lucrative proposal to offer you," Oscar rushed on, not giving Hilton a chance to respond. She widened her eyes even more, trying to hold back a laugh, and waited to see what the proposal would be. Who the fuck knew?!

"As stated before, the offer includes all-expenses-paid travel and accommodations of course, and you would be traveling with Mr. Bayliss for one year. You will also be provided with a top-of-the-line digital camera, which you may or may not use at your discretion, based on what kind of equipment _Game Set Match_ supplies you with. You will receive a one million dollar stipend on top of your travel and accommodations, and, as also mentioned previously, a global phone and plan, as well as a personal laptop. On top of all this, as an addition to the previous offer, Mr. Bayliss would like to offer you another incentive. Have you heard of Adelaide International?"

Hilton frowned. It sounded like an airport, but who knew. "No..."

"Adelaide International is a major publishing house started in Adelaide, Australia. It has since expanded and opened offices in New York and London. It publishes many kinds of books, but its specialty is travel books. If you go to any major bookstore and look in the travel section, you will find many of the books have been published by Adelaide International."

"Okay..." Hilton said, her mind flying all over the place now. What was he getting at?! And how would he even know...?

"Mr. Bayliss has learned you are interested in publishing a book of such a nature. He promises if you work for him under the conditions previously stipulated, for the period of one year, you will receive a contract with Adelaide International to publish a travel book full of your own photographs, of whatever location or locations you choose."

Hilton inhaled sharply. " _What?_ "

"You will have quite a bit of freedom with the book; your photos and the final book will have to be approved by Adelaide, of course, but as I said, the subject matter or theme will be your choice."

"But wh—...I mean how...?"

"Oh," Oscar said with a smile in his voice, sounding like he already knew he'd locked her in. "Did I forget to mention? Haidin Bayliss _owns_ Adelaide International."

### ***

"Oh my gosh, that's so freaking crazy!" Jill screamed into the phone. "So you told him yes?!"

"Fuck yeah I did! I mean, oh my gosh, Jill, I haven't even really stopped to think about it yet, 'cause I'm scared if I do, I'll realize I made a huge mistake and freak out. I mean, I didn't even think about it when I was on the phone with him either. I just said yes. There was just like, something telling me to do it. I don't know. It was totally crazy." Hilton laughed wildly, then shrieked with excitement. "Aaahhhh, Jill, I'm so freakin' excited! I can't stop smiling; I'm like jumping around the apartment. Aspen and Cookie Monster think I'm crazy." She laughed breathlessly.

"So wait, how did he find out all that stuff about you?!"

Hilton stopped and looked in her mirror with a frown. "I don't know. I didn't even ask. I was thinking that, like when he first started talking about travel books. But then when he told me the offer, I forgot to even ask. I couldn't even think. I mean, he's faxing a contract to Luke's office this afternoon and I'm gonna have Luke look at it. I'm gonna go to his office as soon as I hang up. I haven't even told him yet. I had to call you right away. Oh my gosh, Jilly," Hilton said, "do you think I made the wrong decision?" She grinned at her reflection in the mirror. She knew she hadn't. It might be crazy, and it was going to totally change everything, but she knew she hadn't made a mistake.

"Fuck no," Jill said confidently. "We _both_ know you made the right decision!" She shrieked excitedly now, and Hilton burst out laughing.

"I know!"

### ***

"You guys ready?" Luke asked Jill and Todd a week later, looking up as they wheeled their suitcases out of their room. He flipped off the TV and stood up. He and Hilton were driving them to the airport; they were leaving for their cruise tonight.

"Yeah," Jill said, flashing Luke an excited grin. "We think." She grinned at Todd.

"Yeah, I almost left my passport," Todd said. "I'm really smart."

Luke laughed. "Hilton, they're ready!"

"Okay, hold on! I have to pee really quick! I'll be out in a second," Hilton called from behind her closed bedroom door, where she was changing out of her work clothes into sweats for the drive.

"Are _you_ ready?" Todd said quietly to Luke with a grin. "I think that's the real question."

Luke grinned back. "Yep. You heard back from your friend, right, Jill? Everything's set for me being able to get into the party?"

Jill grinned, thinking it was cute he was so worried. "Yeah, I talked to her Tuesday. You're on the list. Somebody from _GSM_ had already put you on it and they must've never taken you off."

Luke rolled his eyes with relief. "Thank God her company's the one throwing it. I mean seriously, what are the chances of that?"

"They're huge," Jill said. "It's not that weird." Arden's company, Riesling & Wellesley, was the one throwing the _Game Set Match_ New Year's party in New York. Arden had heard about it the week after Tanner's charity weekend and had requested to be put on that project.

"So did you decide when you're gonna do it?" Todd asked. "Like at the party? Or at the hotel, or what?"

"Yeah," Jill whispered. "Are you gonna go to the hotel first and surprise her there? Or be waiting at the party?"

"I don't know," Luke said, shaking his head. "I wish I could like, rent out the bar beforehand or something. Maybe if it wasn't _SI_ NY, right?" He laughed and rolled his eyes. "But I wanna do it in private somehow. I mean, I kinda wanna talk to Kelsey or something and see if she could somehow ask Hilton to meet her somewhere that afternoon and then I'd be there instead. Like someplace romantic."

"Oh my gosh, yeah!" Jill said. "That's perfect. You should ask Kelsey to help you pick someplace." She glanced toward Hilton's door. "Do you have her phone number?"

"No, but I'm friends with her on Facebook. Does she check it every day? I was gonna send her a message tonight."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, she checks it all the time." Jill glanced towards Hilton's room as she heard her come out of the bathroom. "Aaahhh, I'm so excited for you guys!" she whispered. "Definitely get in touch with Kelsey! Hey, I'll text you her number, just in case. I'll do it on the drive down. Just don't check it in front of Hilton. Yay! I can't wait to hear about it! I wish we could be there."

"Yeah, congrats, man," Todd whispered. He reached out to high-five Luke, and they hit hands quietly just as Hilton's bedroom door opened.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Hilton said with a smile. "Let's go!"

### Chicago

### New Year's Eve Day 2007

Luke sat in a bar in O'Hare Airport, nervously tapping his foot against his bar stool as he sipped his beer. He had never felt so keyed up in his life. And he supposed that made sense, since this was the biggest day of his life. In an hour his flight would leave for New York, and around 2:00 he'd be landing, and at four he'd be waiting on the roof of Kelsey and Arden's building. Kelsey and Arden had met up with Hilton last night when Hilton had gotten to New York, and they'd told her she should stop by their new apartment today to check it out, and then they could all go to dinner and have a few drinks before the _Game Set Match_ party. So Hilton was supposed to get there at 4:30, and then Kelsey and Arden would tell her she had to come up to the roof to see the view, and then he would be there waiting. Kelsey had promised it truly was an amazing view; their building was twenty-eight stories high and overlooked the Hudson River and the wharf at Battery Park City, as well as the Statue of Liberty, and, in the other direction, all the way across the Village and up towards Times Square. As soon as Kelsey had told Luke about the roof, he had known it was perfect. He didn't want to do it in any kind of café or anything like that; he wanted it to be a private moment for just him and Hilton. And Kelsey thought it might tip Hilton off if she and Arden told Hilton to meet them somewhere like Rockefeller Center or the Empire State Building or Central Park. This way Hilton shouldn't catch on at all.

Luke grinned as he dug the ring box out of his pocket and flipped it open. The deep purple amethyst he'd bought that day in London glowed at him, almost like it was smiling back. He had kept his purchase to himself for a while after London, not even telling Todd and Jill till the fall. Luke grinned again as he tucked it away. He'd told Hilton his boss was making him work New Year's Day to help prepare for a huge trial that was starting next week, so he wouldn't be able to go to New York with her after all. He could've just gone along with her to New York as planned and found a way to propose there, but he'd thought it would be better this way, if he totally surprised her. Hilton thought he was spending tonight at Dale with some of his friends from school.

His cell phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was Kelsey. He flipped it open. "Hey."

"Hey, Luke! Oh my gosh, I'm so excited! I have a quick question. Arden's at _SI_ NY right now doing last-minute stuff for tonight, and she just called and said they have all the champagne there for tonight, you know, and she wanted to know if you would want a bottle. But she doesn't have time to leave and bring it, and she's afraid she might not be home by the time Hilton gets here, so she wanted to know if Detter and I wanted to come pick it up. So would you want that? 'Cause it's like really expensive champagne I'm sure. I don't know what kind, but it has to be. And we could hide it up on the roof as soon as we get back, and then it'd be chilled and everything, and I thought that'd be kinda romantic."

"Yeah, that'd be great. Are you sure you don't mind doing that? I mean, you guys have gone so far out of your way already, I don't wanna—"

"Oh my gosh, Luke, shut up!" Kelsey laughed. "It's one of my friends getting _engaged_! Of course I have time! And it gives me an excuse to go check out the bar before the party. So please say yes." She laughed.

"Hell yeah," Luke said. "That's awesome, Kelsey. Thanks again so much."

"Yay!" Kelsey cried with a giggle. "So are you going crazy right now?"

"Yes," Luke said with a nervous laugh. "Hey, is it snowing there?"

"No, why?"

"Oh, I just wondered. It was here when I got to the airport, so I just thought that might be kinda romantic too, you know, if the roof was all covered in snow or something."

"Oh, no," Kelsey said, sounding disappointed. "I don't think it's supposed to either. Well, that sucks. I wish it would."

"It's okay." Luke laughed again, more because he was nervous than because anything was funny. He couldn't believe it was less than six hours away. "Hey, thanks again. You guys are awesome. Tell Detter thanks too. I didn't know he was gonna be there."

"Oh yeah, he's here to visit Arden for New Year's."

"Oh, that's cool. Okay, well I'll see you guys soon."

"Yeah, I'll be at the airport. And the dinner thing's all set. The limo will be here at five, and the place is called One if by Land, Two if by Sea. It's supposed to be like the most romantic restaurant in the city. The reservation's under Arden Worthington with Riesling & Wellesley. And then the limo will take you guys to _SI_ NY afterwards and you should be there in plenty of time. Arden said the bouncers have your names down to get in early, 'cause the actual party doesn't start till eight. She double-checked; somebody from _Game Set Match_ had already listed you guys as staff. So just get there whenever, and you guys will be able to get in."

"Okay, that sounds great. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. She's seriously gonna love it, Luke. You did awesome. It's gonna be perfect."

"Well I feel like you guys did most of it."

"No, you did it. It just helps to have connections," Kelsey said with a grin in her voice. "Okay, I gotta go so we can go pick up the champagne and get it up on the roof so it'll be cold and then I'll still have time to get ready before I come meet you."

"All right, see you in a few hours."

"See ya!" Kelsey hung up.

Luke smiled again as he put his phone back in his pocket. He flicked his hair out of his eyes and dug out his wallet to leave money for his beer. He couldn't sit here any longer; he was too antsy. He needed to go over to his gate, or walk around or something.

"Attention in the terminal," a loud male voice suddenly boomed out of the ceiling. Luke looked around. Nobody else stopped what they were doing or even seemed to notice the voice. "At this time, due to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, O'Hare International Airport is implementing a ground stop, effective immediately. This ground stop affects all arriving _and_ departing flights. All departing flights will be held on the ground until the runways have been cleared and it has been determined that conditions are safe for takeoff. You may find weather updates located on the screens throughout each concourse, as well as updated flight departure and arrival times as more information becomes available. Again, at this time, due to rapidly deteriorating weather..."

Luke dashed across the concourse as the announcement repeated. His heart was banging against his chest. No. This could not be happening. No fucking way. If his flight was even an hour late, he might not make it to Kelsey's in time. And then Hilton would already be there when he got there, and they'd miss their dinner reservations, and the whole thing would be ruined. _Fuck!_

As soon as he came within sight of a window, he stopped dead in his tracks. It was a complete whiteout. He couldn't even tell if there were planes at the gates. Fucking shit! How the hell had it gotten so bad in the hour he'd been here?! There was no way he was going to make it on time. They probably weren't even trying to clear the runways; it was way too bad outside. They wouldn't try to clear them until it stopped. He knew it. The announcement hadn't even mentioned a projected time the ground stop would end. _FuckfuckFUCK!_ He couldn't think anything else. He was panicking. What was he going to do?! How else could he get to New York?!

He turned around, feeling like he'd been punched in the stomach, and his eye caught the TV screen above his head. It was all purple. Everything around Chicago. Purple. Even though he knew what it meant, he looked to the little key at the top of the screen anyway. Yeah. Not even white. Purple. The heaviest snow. All over Chicago. And all the way across Illinois to the west. And moving east. It was never going to stop.

Wait! he thought suddenly. Midway! Maybe he could get a flight out of Midway! Maybe they weren't under a ground stop yet! He ran to the counter at the nearest gate, but there was already a huge line formed, and the person currently at the counter was yelling at the employee behind it.

Luke turned and ran back toward security. He had to fucking get to New York.

### New York City

### New Year's Eve 2007

"This is so awesome, you guys!" Hilton said as she stared off Kelsey and Arden's roof over the wharf at Battery Park City. It was packed with ships, probably New Year's Eve cruises going out for the night. Hilton smiled as she thought of Jill and Todd and wondered what they would be doing tonight on their cruise. Probably there was some kind of big party onboard. She wished their cell phones worked so she could call them to say Happy New Year.

Behind Hilton's back, Kelsey anxiously checked her phone.

"Nothing?" Arden mouthed.

Kelsey shook her head.

"Fuck!" Arden mouthed.

The last time Kelsey had talked to Luke was about an hour ago. O'Hare was still under a ground stop, as was Midway, and conditions didn't appear to be improving at all. Luke had heard on a TV in the airport that Chicago and the surrounding areas had fourteen inches of snow already, and two feet or more were expected by midnight. It definitely didn't look good for him getting out tonight. He had asked about Milwaukee, but the gate attendant at O'Hare had told him Milwaukee was just as bad, and he'd been able to tell from the TV that was true. Even if he could get a flight out of there anyway, there was no way the roads would be good enough to drive there. Then he had tried Indy, and even though the snow hadn't reached that far south and the Indy airport itself was fine, there were no open seats, plus, once again, there was no way he'd be able to get out of Chicago in a car.

"I think if I lived in New York this is the area I'd wanna live in," Hilton said as she, Kelsey, and Arden moved toward the stairs to leave the roof. It was freezing out, and they'd only stayed a couple minutes.

Kelsey glanced back just before starting down the stairs and saw the bottle of champagne she and Detter had stowed in a corner earlier. It was almost hidden. Kelsey's face fell. This sucked so bad...Luke must be going crazy. And she felt bad for Hilton too, even though Hilton didn't know she was missing anything. This had been all set up to be perfect. And now...when would Luke propose? Probably soon, but it just sucked it couldn't be tonight. Kelsey was sure Hilton would've loved it. She would be engaged right now. But instead, she was just hanging out with two of her girlfriends and a guy from high school. How thrilling.

"Hey," Detter greeted them when Arden opened the door to the apartment. "I'm ready. I was just coming up to meet you guys."

"Ooohh, Detter, you look good," Hilton said with a smile. He was wearing a black suit with a royal blue dress shirt, and his blond hair was gelled so it stuck straight up.

"Thanks," Detter said, smiling back and giving Hilton a quick hug. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, no shit. What has it been, like some New Year's at Bennett's in college?"

"Ummm, yeah, it might be. Wow. That's crazy."

"I know!" Hilton laughed.

"Okay, I'm ready." Arden, who had slipped into the apartment, returned, and they headed for the elevator.

As soon as they stepped out of the building onto the sidewalk, Kelsey's eyes widened and flew to Detter. There was a limo waiting.

Detter looked back at her, his eyes saying, _shit_! "I forgot to call," he mouthed apologetically. He'd told Kelsey an hour ago he would call and cancel it while she was in the shower.

"Ooh, somebody got a limo, how fun," Hilton said.

"Umm..." Detter glanced at Kelsey again. "It's for us," he said quickly. "I ordered it." He walked over, and the waiting driver opened the door. Detter glanced back at the girls.

Arden flashed him a glittering smile and moved past him into the limo.

Hilton raised her eyebrows and flashed a surprised glance at Kelsey, and Kelsey tried to look excited and surprised as well.

"Thanks, Detter!" she said brightly, widening her eyes at him.

"Oh, no problem." Detter was trying not to laugh now.

"One if by Land, Two if by Sea?" the driver asked.

Hilton frowned, confused. What the hell was that, some kind of weird code speak for means of transportation, or the route they were taking? That made no sense, but it sounded kind of cool.

"Yep!" Detter said. Then he leaned over toward Kelsey as she slid past him into the car. "Is that right?" he whispered.

Kelsey laughed. "Yeah."

### ***

"Arden Worthington, under Riesling & Wellesley," Detter told the maître d' at the restaurant, which was in the West Village in an old romantic-looking carriage house. Hilton hadn't seen a name anywhere. Arden was outside on her phone going over last-minute details for tonight with someone from work.

"Um...I have the reservation down for two," the maitre d' said, glancing worriedly at Hilton and Kelsey, then looking back to Detter.

"Well, now it's actually four."

"Well, we are very full, as it is New Year's Eve, but I can arrange for a larger table if you would like, sir."

"Oh, no, it's fine, we'll take the table for two. We like being cozy." Detter grinned at the girls.

"Very well, sir. Would you like to wait for the other member of your party?"

"I'll wait for her. You can seat them."

The maitre d' led Hilton and Kelsey to a small corner table right next to a fireplace and pulled up two more chairs. The whole restaurant was crowded and intimate, with dark red decor and soft lighting. There was a large piano with a piano player in a black suit, and soft music floated out over the room. Hilton looked around. The clientele was all couples or groups of couples, and they were all very dressed up.

"What's going on?" Hilton asked Kelsey once they were seated. "The reservation was for two? And what was the deal with the limo? Something's weird." Then her caramel-colored eyes sparkled. "Wait! Do you think Detter planned all this for Arden?" Then she looked worried. "Shit, are we totally ruining it?! Maybe he expected us to go somewhere else."

Kelsey laughed out loud, but at the same time she felt like crying for Luke and Hilton. "No. No way. This was not for Detter and Arden. They're not like that at all. They'll probably both hook up with someone else tonight. No, it was for two 'cause Arden made it a long time ago for me and her, like before we knew you or Detter would be here. And then she said she didn't need to call and change, 'cause it wouldn't matter 'cause of it being under RiesWell."

"Oh!" Hilton laughed, looking relieved. "I mean, I think they'd be really cute together, but I'm glad we didn't ruin their night."

"Yeah," Kelsey said, then lowered her voice and tried to sound surprised. "I guess Detter really did order the limo though. I didn't know about that. That was cute."

"What is this place, anyway?" Hilton looked around again. "It looks really nice."

"Oh, it's called One if by Land, Two if by Sea. It's supposed to be one of the best restaurants in the city. I've never been here before though. Arden knew about it. It's unmarked though. I think that's part of its charm, you know." She smiled.

" _Ohhh_ ," Hilton said with a laugh. "Oh my gosh, I had no idea what the limo driver was talking about when he said that. I was so confused."

### ***

Arden had to be at _SI_ NY by seven, so after somewhat hurrying through the three-course menu option and downing two bottles of wine among them, they got back in the limo and headed uptown. Traffic was crazy, and Hilton wondered if they would even make it by seven. It was 6:08 now.

"That was really good," Kelsey said. "Good choice, Arden." She and Arden exchanged a glance. Arden had been the one to recommend the restaurant to Kelsey as one of the best romantic restaurants in New York.

When they got out at _SI_ NY at 7:09, there was a red carpet set up outside, and tons of photographers and gaping tourists were already milling around. Hilton spotted James setting up his camera equipment just off the carpet. Times Square was packed with the usual New Year's Eve crowd, and Arden told Hilton and Detter most of those people had probably been here since this morning.

"Hilton!" Deidre rushed up. "You're here. Good. Who are these people? I thought you were bringing your boyfriend. I only put the two of you on the list."

"I'm Arden, from Riesling & Wellesley." Arden stuck out her hand to Deidre. "We've spoken on the phone. They're here with me." She motioned to Kelsey and Detter.

"Oh, Arden! Of course, great to meet you. RiesWell has done an excellent job with the party. We're very pleased."

"Thank you. Just let me know if you need anything throughout the night, and I'll make it happen." Arden smiled.

"Thank you, I will. And you two know each other?"

"We went to high school together," Arden and Hilton said. They looked at each other and laughed.

Deidre smiled like she'd just heard a juicy story. "Perfect." She turned back to Hilton. "I'm expecting good shit from you tonight. And I'm expecting it all year too, even though you're working for Hades. You're one of my favorites; don't let me down." She winked at Hilton and walked away.

Hilton grinned.

"Does she know you're not supposed to take any bad pictures of Haidin?" Kelsey whispered.

"No. But, I mean, she's gotta kinda have guessed. I told her he hired me as his assistant and to help him get good press. And just 'cause I can't take any bad ones of him doesn't mean I can't still get drama-filled ones of other people. Like, um, Tanner?" She giggled, and Kelsey did too. But even at her own mention of his name, Hilton's stomach filled with butterflies and her heart raced. He would be here tonight. She couldn't wait to see him, to see what he was wearing...she was sure he was going to look ridiculously hot.

She wondered if Rory would be here. Probably. Last week's _GSM_ had done another story on them, telling all about Rory—she had a degree in marketing and communication from the University of Colorado at Boulder and worked as a buyer for some high-end ski apparel company in Aspen—and how they'd been hanging out every day in Aspen since the charity weekend. Tanner had planned to go back to Vero Beach for a week and a half, then come back to Aspen for just a couple days at Christmas, but he had stayed in Aspen the whole time. The headline on the front had been:

### TANNER AND RORY

### Hot and heavy in Aspen

The cover photo had been of them holding hands and walking down a sidewalk, Rory in a long black coat, jeans, and that same Colorado Rockies baseball cap, her blond hair in a long ponytail that started at the base of her neck and hung down over one shoulder, and Tanner in jeans and a gray Abercrombie-looking jacket open over a tight T-shirt. They had looked great together. Tanner had been laughing in the picture, his light green eyes sparkling and his light brown hair splayed across his forehead, and something about it had made Hilton yearn to the extent she could literally feel it in her throat and fingers and toes. She wasn't even sure exactly what she was yearning for...if it was Tanner, or if it was to be in Rory's position...or maybe it was even the idea of being just a normal girl who suddenly started dating some famous boy and got photographed with him. All of it was alluring. Having her name plastered all over magazines and having people wondering who she was...that would be kind of cool. Part of her had wanted to look at the picture endlessly, but she'd had to open the magazine after a few seconds because another part of her—the part that noticed how good Tanner and Rory looked together and knew that hat must be Tanner's and Rory had kept it after wearing it out of his room that morning—couldn't take it anymore.

### ***

Hilton got to stand alongside the red carpet and take pictures as players arrived. Deidre had been right; all the big-name players were here. Andy Roddick was with some _SI_ swimsuit model Hilton had never seen before, but they got tons of attention because of this being _SI_ NY. Nate Young came with three girls and was joking around with all the reporters. Hilton snapped tons of pictures, laughing hysterically to herself. How hilarious. She liked Nate a lot, from the little bit of time she'd spent playing poker with him and talking to him in Aspen.

"Three dates tonight, and none of them are the two lovely ladies from the date auctions at Tanner's Best Friends?" a reporter called out, a laugh in his voice.

"No, no, gotta spread out the love," Nate said back with a grin, raising his arms palm-up in a helpless shrug. "Too many beautiful ladies, not enough Nate."

Hilton reached up to wipe a tear of laughter from her eye as she snapped a couple more pictures. Then she looked to see who was coming next, and her breath caught in her throat. Tanner. Cameras were already flashing in his face, and he was grinning and waving and saying something Hilton couldn't hear. And...he was holding Rory's hand. They looked strikingly perfect once again; her hair was down except for a few pieces at the very front that were teased up and pulled back, and she was wearing a stunning teal gown that was low-cut and long and made her look like some kind of gorgeous, exotic mermaid. Tanner was wearing a black suit and a dark purple shirt, unbuttoned a couple buttons, as always.

Tanner spotted her as they moved closer. He grinned and came over, bending down to kiss her briefly on the cheek. "This is Hilton Joliet," he said to Rory. "She's _Game Set Match_ 's best photographer. She took the picture of us in the pool. Hilton, Rory Bollier. The girl I flipped in the pool." He grinned.

"Hey!" Hilton and Rory said to each other, and Rory leaned forward to hug Hilton.

"It's great to meet you!" Rory said, and Hilton thought she seemed genuinely friendly. Hilton tried to push away the still-present sensation of Tanner's breath on her ear and his lips on her cheek.

"Yeah, I've heard about you," Hilton said with a grin. People were screaming Tanner's name in the background, but he wasn't paying any attention.

"Seriously?" Rory looked up at Tanner.

He laughed and looked a little embarrassed, which Hilton thought was cute. "I kinda told the ski date story one time."

Rory laughed. "Yeah, it was memorable."

"But hey," Hilton said to Tanner. "What makes you think I took the picture in the pool?"

"Please. I don't know, maybe that their other photographers all must suck, 'cause there were never pics like that till you started working for them."

Hilton grinned. "Well, that is true."

"Oh, and your byline," Tanner said.

Hilton laughed. "Oh yeah. I guess that made it pretty obvious."

"Well, hey, we should go," Tanner said. "Find me later, catch me up. Is Luke here?"

"No, but I do have a somewhat interesting story." Hilton grinned.

"Really?" Tanner was curious. "About what?"

"My new job."

"What?"

"Go. I'll tell you later. You just might die." She grinned wickedly.

Tanner raised his eyebrows and flashed her an intrigued grin. "Can't wait to hear." Rory smiled at Hilton again and gave her a little wave as she walked off with Tanner.

Suddenly the noise level picked up noticeably, which surprised Hilton because it had already been crazy. She turned and right away saw why. It was Haidin and Aubrey. There were so many reporters screaming and thrusting microphones at them that Hilton couldn't make out any words other than their names. Aubrey was extremely tan and was wearing a pale yellow dress that reminded Hilton of Kate Hudson's in _How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days_. It was gorgeous. Her long black hair was in a ponytail set about halfway up the back of her head, with curls at the bottom. Haidin wore all black, and his suit was obviously expensive, probably Armani or something. He was really tan too, and Hilton had to admit he was as hot as always. They moved slowly toward her, Aubrey smiling and doing most of the talking and Haidin looking indifferent to all the questions asked of him.

"Aubrey, where's Telan tonight?" shouted a reporter almost right next to Hilton as Haidin and Aubrey neared.

Aubrey turned to Haidin and kissed him showily. Hilton snapped a picture of them making out just as Aubrey shot her middle finger at the reporter.

Hilton laughed, her mouth dropping open. She quickly looked at the picture. Yep, she'd gotten it. Welp, guess I can't use that one! she thought. Maybe she should start keeping all the pictures she got of Haidin that she couldn't use. By the end of the year she'd probably have ten times as many as ones she could use. Or maybe she _could_ use this one...depending on what kind of "good press" Haidin wanted. If he wanted his relationship with Aubrey to look solid, this might be a good one. She'd have to get some more clarification on that.

She watched as Haidin and Aubrey moved inside. Haidin either hadn't seen her or had chosen not to acknowledge her. Or maybe he didn't even know who she was. Maybe he had just told Oscar, "Hire that bitch who took those shit-ass pictures in Rome." She grinned at the thought. That's probably what had happened. Technically, she supposed her job as Haidin's assistant/photographer began at midnight. But she'd already received a package in the mail from Oscar with a plane ticket back to New York in two weeks and another one from New York to Melbourne, Australia, and instructions that she would meet Haidin in New York and fly with him to Melbourne for the Australian Open. That was all she knew. There was a warm-up tournament or two before the Australian, but he must not be playing in any of those. She wondered if she and Haidin would even interact tonight, and what the fuck Aubrey was going to think when she found out Hilton now worked for Haidin. Hilton could only imagine what kind of shit would go down if the way Aubrey found out was by Hilton showing up at the airport in New York for the flight to Australia. Because of course Haidin would have no idea she and Aubrey had even ever talked, or that Aubrey hated her.

It was going to be an interesting year.

### ***

The party was crazy. The music was loud, the bar was packed, and the drinks were amazing. Hilton, as part of the _GSM_ staff, was drinking for free, and by eleven she was feeling pretty good. She hadn't so much as seen Haidin and Aubrey since she'd been inside; that's how crowded it was. She figured they were probably on one of the couches making out, or maybe they'd just made an appearance and then left. She'd seen Tanner and Rory a couple times, dancing or walking through the bar, and once when he passed her, Tanner had grinned and given her a chin-up nod and said, "I'm coming to find you later so we can talk." Hilton had turned to watch him walk away, unable to hold back a silly smile. Seeing his smile and the way it made his eyes sparkle and his whole face light up just made her smile too. She snapped a picture of his ass just for fun.

"He is _so_ cute," Kelsey moaned beside her. Hilton giggled and showed Kelsey the picture she'd just taken. Kelsey laughed out loud.

"Hey!" Arden cried, rushing up with three shot glasses. "Another round!" She handed them off to Kelsey and Hilton, and they all three downed them. Arden hadn't been able to hang out with them a lot since she was working, but she'd been bringing them shots every so often. Detter was off hitting on Andy Roddick's girlfriend's friends, other _SI_ swimsuit models. Hilton didn't doubt he'd hook up with one of them tonight; he was hot.

"What was that?" Kelsey asked. "I think it was my favorite so far."

"I don't fucking know!" Arden laughed. "I just made friends with the bartender, and he's hooking me up." She grinned devilishly. "Even though I can get as much as I want for free, but he doesn't know who I am. I'm letting him think he's hooking me up."

"So is he gonna be your midnight kiss?" Hilton asked, grinning back slyly.

"He might be my hookup, but Detter and I are kissing at midnight."

"Why?" Hilton asked, surprised.

" 'Cause, that way we can both be flirting with people and then be like, 'Shit, it's midnight! I have to go find my boyfriend!' Or 'girlfriend,' for him. And then if we hook up with that person later, they'll know it can never go past tonight, 'cause they'll think we're cheating. So we won't have to worry about them like calling us and shit. It's an easy out."

Hilton laughed out loud. "Oh my gosh, you guys are hilarious."

"Yeah, this is typical," Kelsey said with a grin. "Actually, you guys could say you have to go kiss your ex-husband or wife or whatever."

"Ooohh, that's even better!" Arden said excitedly. "It's like, even more baggage. Like the divorce isn't final, and we're thinking about getting back together. They'll _never_ try to contact us!"

Hilton laughed again. Arden and Detter cracked her up. Their friendship worked perfectly for both of them.

"Okay, I gotta go!" Arden said. "I'll be back later. Have fun without me!" She rushed off.

"Whoa!" an Australian-accented voice said loudly, and Hilton whirled around. It was Noah Ablett, and he was headed straight for her.

"Whoa what?!" Hilton laughed.

"I heard about your new 'job,' if you wanna call it," Noah said, shaking his head at Hilton and laughing. "Two words. _Good luck_!"

"Thanks, I know," Hilton said, rolling her eyes. "But I kinda couldn't pass it up." She wondered how Noah had heard. She didn't know him very well; she'd just hung out with him that time in the players' lounge when they'd all played poker and seen him a couple times since then, at the US Open and in Aspen.

"Oh, hi," Noah said, suddenly noticing Kelsey. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, and Hilton could tell Kelsey thought he was totally hot. "I'm Noah."

"I'm Kelsey." She flashed a silly grin.

"Do you work for _Game Set Match_?"

"No, I'm friends with Hilton. And with one of the girls who works for the company throwing this."

"Wow," Noah said, looking impressed. "Friends in high places. Wanna dance?"

"Sure."

As Noah led Kelsey off, holding her hand, Kelsey shot an excited grin back at Hilton, and Hilton made an excited face back. That would be awesome if Kelsey and Noah hooked up.

"Hey," said a voice in her ear, and electric waves shot through her body. She turned around with a grin.

"Hey."

"Rum and Coke?" Tanner handed her a drink.

"Of course. Thanks."

"Of course. So tell me this story. You got a new job?"

"Um, yeah, kinda."

"Are you still working for _Game Set Match_?"

"Yeah."

Tanner put his hand across his heart and stumbled back a couple steps. "Oh, thank God. I was thinking I might have to do something really fucking crazy tonight for the last good pic I'd ever give them."

Hilton laughed. "Nope, no worries. Although if you wanna do something crazy that's cool with me. Hey, where's Rory?"

"Hanging with Nate's girls." He laughed. "I think Nate's trying to make out with some other chick now."

"Besides those three?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my gosh." Hilton laughed.

"Yeah. So how come Luke's not here?"

Hilton's face fell a little. "He has to work tomorrow. His firm has some big trial coming up next week, so his boss is making him come in."

"Oh, that sucks." Tanner made a sympathetic face, then hit her lightly on the arm and smiled. "So tell me about the new job already."

"Um, I'm working for Haidin."

" _What?_ " Tanner looked truly shocked. His light green eyes were wide and had a slightly horrified look in them.

Hilton laughed. "Nice face."

Tanner's expression didn't change much. "What the hell are you _doing_ for him?"

"Being his 'assistant,' which really means his 'personal photographer.' I'm supposed to get him good press." She shrugged. "You know, like take pictures that don't make him look like a total asshole? And then sell those to _Game Set Match_ , instead of ones like the hotel in Rome."

"Does _Game Set Match_ know you're doing that?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm gonna be traveling with him and everything, so I will get tons of pictures of him. And I'll be at like every event, so I'll still get a lot of good pics of other players too. Or 'bad' pics of other players." She grinned.

"Wow. How did he convince you to do this?"

"Offered me a book deal. That's what I really wanna do, is make travel books or coffee table books full of my pictures, you know, so I guess he owns some publishing company, Ad—"

"Adelaide International," Tanner said. "Yeah."

"Oh, you knew that? Well, yeah. So I mean, I didn't even think about it. I just said yes. It was my gut instinct."

"Well, hey, there's nothing wrong with that. That's awesome about the book deal. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Hilton smiled at him.

"Yeah, I just feel bad for you having to put up with his shit. Man, Aubrey is gonna hate you." He grinned.

Hilton grinned back. "Oh, that's already taken care of. She's hated me since last summer."

Tanner's eyes widened mischievously. "Why, what'd you do?"

"Told her I was the one who took the pictures in Rome. And then another night she was being a bitch, so I told her Haidin hit on me. 'Cause he did."

Tanner laughed in amusement. "When was that? Was I there?"

"It was at the US Open."

"The night you guys danced on the couch?" Tanner grinned again.

Hilton laughed in delight. "No, it was the weekend before that. It was here, at the grand opening."

"Oh. Well, this kicks ass though. 'Cause you'll be on tour all year now, right?"

"Yep, pretty much I guess. Whatever tournaments Hades plays in anyway."

Tanner grabbed two flutes of champagne off a tray as a server passed. He handed one to Hilton. "Well, to a crazy year," he said, grinning at her again as he held his flute up.

Hilton grinned back and tapped her flute against his. "To a crazy freaking year."

"Chug it!" Tanner said as she took a sip.

Hilton laughed, almost spitting champagne everywhere. When she saw he was serious, she tilted her glass back and drained it.

"Nice job," Tanner said. "But not as nice as me." He held up his empty flute with a grin. "We'll work on that this year. Well, I should get back to Rory before midnight. But seriously, congratulations on the job. And the book deal. That's awesome."

"Thanks," Hilton said, touched.

Tanner grabbed her chin and kissed her on the lips. "Happy New Year. I'm sorry Luke's not here." He grinned as he backed away, holding up his empty champagne flute in another toast. Then he turned and was lost in the crowd.

### The Hilton Chicago O'Hare

### New Year's Eve 2007

Luke sat on the edge of his hotel bed with his head in his hands. He basically hadn't moved since arriving in his room. He had no idea how long he'd even been here. He absolutely couldn't believe this had happened, and he had no idea what to do next. His flight had been cancelled, but he would be placed on the next possible flight out if he so wished. Should he still go? It would still catch her completely by surprise, and it could be a cool way to start off 2008, but in a way the whole New York thing was ruined now. They wouldn't have the limo or the dinner reservation or the sweet-ass party to go to afterwards.

But you know she doesn't care about that stuff, he told himself. It's Hilton. She doesn't care about those little romantic gestures as much as she just cares about being with you. She won't be upset if the proposal doesn't have all those things.

But _he_ kind of wanted the proposal to have all those things. Todd had freaking flown to Italy to surprise Jill in the city that had the same name as their daughter. Luke couldn't just show up in New York a day late with no plan. It just wouldn't feel right to him, after everything he had planned not working. And Hilton was flying home tomorrow night anyway. For all he knew, he wouldn't even get out of here by then. He would rather come up with a whole new idea, something completely separate.

But that's what really fucking sucked...he only had two weeks. And then Hilton was leaving. For basically a year. Realistically, he knew she would be home every few weeks. But it might not be for very long, and he had no idea if he'd be able to go to tournaments with her anymore, since she would be traveling with Haidin. He probably would; it would probably work just like it had before for him to stay in her hotel room with her and just make his own travel arrangements, like he'd done for London. But the semester coming up was going to be hell; it was his last semester of law school, and then he had to study for the bar exam this summer.

Suddenly his phone rang, breaking his thoughts with a shrillness that hurt his ears. It was Hilton.

"Hey, baby," he said with a sad smile at the carpet.

"Hey!" Hilton shouted. The noise in the background sounded like a roar of music and voices and people having a good time. Luke closed his eyes and threw a punch at nothing. "Happy New Year!" Hilton shouted.

"Oh, it's not midnight here yet," Luke said, then quickly realized it would be at Dale, where she thought he was. Chicago was an hour behind Dale.

"What?" Hilton asked.

"Oh, shit, I guess it is. Sorry!" Luke tried to laugh.

Hilton laughed too. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah, for a midnight kiss I think me and all the guys are gonna just make out."

Hilton laughed again. "Oooh, sounds hot!"

"Are you having fun?"

"Oh my gosh, yeah, it's a blast. I wish you were here though. I'm all by myself, so it's kinda boring. But Kelsey's making out with Noah Ablett, and Arden and Detter kissed but they're gonna both hook up with other people I think; they just kissed so they can tell the other people they have a boyfriend or girlfriend and don't ever have to see them again. But I haven't even seen Haidin. I mean, I saw him on the red carpet, but I haven't seen him inside. I'm seriously not even sure he knows who I am. This job is gonna be crazy. But Tanner asked about you. He was sorry you weren't here. And I am too. I miss you."

"Aw, well I'm glad you're having fun. I wish I was there too. I wanna see you so bad."

"I know," Hilton said. "I love you!"

"I love you too. All right, I'll let you get back. Get some good pictures, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll try! Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year."

Luke heard her hang up, and he slowly closed his phone and shoved it in his pocket. This pretty much fucking sucked more than anything in the world. She was out in New York City partying and having the time of her life, and he was sitting here in an airport hotel—the fucking _Hilton_ , no less—feeling pretty fucking miserable and pathetic. And didn't they say the way you spent your New Year's would be symbolic of the way your whole year would go? That the people you spent New Year's with would be the ones you spent the most time with that year? Well, if so, things were looking fucking great for him.

He tried to tell himself that of course that superstition or whatever it was wasn't really true, because he'd spent lots of New Year's Eves in college at home with his friends from high school, and then not spent any time with them the rest of the year. And this wasn't the first time he hadn't spent New Year's with Hilton either, but they'd still spent almost every day of those years together after New Year's. So it didn't mean anything.

Except that it did. Because this year, she _was_ going to be spending most of her time with all the tennis people. And he was probably going to be spending most of his time alone. He would never have told her so, but he'd been devastated when she'd told him about the job. She had taken it without even thinking. The fact that she'd be traveling constantly and would hardly see him hadn't even caused her a moment's hesitation, hadn't even registered in her mind. Her _instinct_ had been to say yes, because of the book deal. Because this job could make her dream come true.

Her dream...the book. Not him.

He shook his head angrily, mad at himself now. They'd always said she would travel while he was in law school. And he knew it wasn't like she was choosing the book _over_ him. It's not like she was saying she didn't want to be with him, or he wasn't her dream anymore. He knew he was overreacting and being stupid, but this was definitely up there as one of the worst days of his life. It just really blew when all you wanted was to see a girl and tell her you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her, but you ended up miles away, alone, while the girl happily partied the night away, never having any idea what had been supposed to happen.

But oh well...nothing he could do now. He would just have to suck it up and figure out another way and time to propose. He didn't want her to have any idea what had happened tonight, because he didn't want her to feel bad, and plus he felt completely stupid about it for some reason. No, he would just do it some other way.

He pulled his cell phone back out and quickly sent a text to Todd and Jill, even though he knew they wouldn't get it till they were back in Miami on Wednesday.

Got snowed in @ ohare hilton has no idea about prop. dont say anything about it

### At Sea

### New Year's Eve 2007

"Our final contestants in the talent portion of tonight's show, Couple 6, are Lizzy and Andy Todd, from Indiana!"

Jill and Todd looked at each other and lost it. Todd was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, which just made Jill laugh even harder. She fell into his shoulder.

"Couple 6, come on forward! So what do you have planned for your talent this evening?"

"Something that's gonna blow your MIND!" Todd yelled to the audience, which was all the cruise guests gathered in and around the pool and hot tubs on the ship's outdoor pool deck.

Everyone loved it; they screamed and cheered wildly. Jill was still laughing hysterically.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Todd asked. "You're not too drunk?"

"Oh no, I'm good."

"Whenever you're ready!" the MC, who was a crew member, said.

"Okay, here." Todd squatted on the pool deck and held his hands above his head for Jill.

She positioned herself behind him and took his hands, then stepped onto his shoulders one foot at a time.

"Okay, going," he said, then rose quickly and in one motion to his feet, shooting Jill up above him as she let go of his hands.

She giggled when she realized she hadn't even wobbled. His hands were around her ankles now, and she balled her hands into fists and stuck them straight above her head.

"Ready?" Todd called up.

"Ready." Todd let go of her legs, and Jill took a deep breath and stared at the railing on the deck above them. Then she quickly bent her knees and brought her arms down to her sides, then whipped them back up as she jumped straight into the air. Just as she reached the top of her jump and started to fall, she flipped backward, keeping her legs as straight as she could. The landing was a shock to her knees and bare feet, and she was in a little bit of a puddle, so she slid a couple inches, but she didn't even come close to falling. She turned to the audience with a huge grin and raised both her arms in a salute, feeling like she was back in high school gymnastics.

The crowd went wild.

Todd scooped her into his arms and swung her around. Jill wrapped her legs around his waist and they kissed on the lips. The crowd cheered some more.

"That was fucking awesome!" Todd hissed when they took their place back at the end of the row of contestants. "You rocked it!"

"I cannot believe we just did that!" Jill was cracking up again. "I'm so wasted, Todd!"

"Um, it's Andy," Todd said in a fake irritated voice, and Jill lost it all over again.

"Let's make up names," Jill had whispered drunkenly when they decided to be in the contest. "We have to be fake people 'cause we're not really married." The contest wasn't really just for married people, at least technically, but it was called the Mr. and Mrs. Gulf Island _Sunset_ Pageant. The Gulf Island _Sunset_ was the name of their ship.

"Like what?" Todd had asked.

"I don't know, but let's be secretive. Let's use our middle names."

"Lizzy and Andy?" Todd had said with a laugh, and Jill had loved it. Their middle names were Elizabeth and Andrew. Then, when the MC had gone through the line and asked each couple's name, every other couple had given a last name.

"Shit, what's our last name?" Todd had whispered. "We have to be stealth! This is gonna ruin our plan!"

"And Couple 6," the MC had said, moving over to them. "Tell us who you are."

Jill had practically burst out laughing as the idea popped into her head. "I'm Lizzy Todd," she'd said, leaning forward into the microphone and inwardly bursting into hysterics. "And this is Andy Todd. We're from Indiana!"

As the MC had repeated, "Lizzy and Andy Todd, from Indiana!" Jill had looked over at Todd. He had been laughing so hard no sound was even coming out. They hadn't been able to stop laughing since.

"WOW!" the MC said now. "That was amazing! Let's hear it again for Lizzy and Andy!" The crowd yelled and clapped enthusiastically. "Okay, now it's time to get to know our couples a little. And this time we're gonna go in reverse order, starting with Lizzy and Andy. So Lizzy and Andy, come on back over!"

Jill and Todd tripped in his direction to more cheers from the audience, still laughing hysterically.

"All right, so first of all, tell us how you met and how long you've been married."

"We met in ninth grade," Todd spoke up. He was about to say more, but this elicited even more applause, and Todd raised his chin in acknowledgement. "Thanks."

"Have you been together ever since?" the MC asked.

"No, we've had a troubled and tumultuous relationship," Todd said with a grin. "But we've always been best friends."

The crowd aww-ed.

"Well not always," Jill said with a grin. "But most of the time."

Now the crowd laughed.

"So what's the most tumultuous thing that's happened in your relationship?" the MC asked.

"She got pregnant and told me it was some other dude's baby!" Todd shouted.

"Aaahh!" Jill cried, her mouth dropping open. She hit at Todd. They were both still laughing, and all she could manage was a weak smack on his arm.

" _WOOOOO!_ " the crowd screamed in delight.

"No, that's not true!" Jill shouted into the mic now. "The most tumultuous moment was when I was pregnant, he started dating my roommate!" She broke out laughing again as the crowd screamed even louder.

Todd grabbed her and kissed her hard. She laughed into his mouth.

"All right, Lizzy and Andy, it sounds like you've been through some crazy times. So now tell us what you each think has been the best moment of your relationship."

Jill glanced at Todd, then leaned forward. "Every time he looks at me," she said. "Even before we dated, I loved how he looked at me."

There was a collective " _Awww_ " from the crowd. Jill and Todd shared a smile, and Jill's heart raced. He was looking at her the exact way she had meant.

"Andy?"

Todd leaned forward, but he kept his eyes on Jill's. "This one night at my apartment in college. We were still just friends, and we had passed out on my bed together, and then we woke up and she wanted to spoon like always but I all of a sudden couldn't. 'Cause that was the night I realized I was in love with her. So out of our whole relationship, that was one of the best moments for me." His eyes were still on Jill's.

Jill blinked back happy tears. She knew exactly what night he was talking about, and things hadn't even been the best between them that night, and it had gotten a lot worse after that before it'd ever gotten better. The fact that he would say that was the best moment...that was so incredibly sweet. She had just fallen in love all over again.

The crowd was aww-ing all over again too. Jill looked at them and laughed as she wiped a tear away from her eye.

"Lizzy and Andy!" the MC said, and then Jill burst into unstoppable laughter.

### ***

"Okay!" the MC said a little while later, after he'd interviewed the other five couples. "It is now time to have the crowd vote, by way of noise!" He went through each couple and the crowd applauded. When he got to Jill and Todd, the crowd screamed and whistled and cheered. Jill and Todd looked at each other, bursting into silent laughter again.

"And I think we have our winner!" the MC shouted. Another crew member ran over with sashes and some things that looked like huge plastic pinkish-purple suns. The MC helped Jill and Todd put the sashes over their shoulders, then he placed the suns on their heads as crowns. "I present to you...our New Year's 2008 Mr. and Mrs. Gulf Island _Sunset_!"

The crowd broke into applause again, and Jill and Todd stepped forward and bowed like actors after a play. Then they looked at each other in silent laughter, both wondering why the hell they'd thought to do that.

"And just in time, everybody! It's almost 2008! Are we ready to count down? _Fifteen..._ "

"FOURTEEN! THIRTEEN! TWELVE!" the crowd joined in, raising their drinks in the air.

Jill and Todd grabbed the plastic champagne flutes handed to them by a server and toasted each other as they shouted along with everyone.

"...FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! _HAPPY NEW YEAR!_ "

Todd and Jill kissed for a long moment.

"Happy New Year, Lizzy Todd," Todd whispered, and Jill threw her head back, laughing wildly.

### NYC

### New Year's Day 2008

"I'm sorry I didn't get anything really good for you this time," Hilton said to Deidre Tuesday afternoon. They'd just met up in the hotel for Hilton to show Deidre her pictures and allow Deidre to decide which ones she wanted to buy.

"Oh, you did better than you think," Deidre said as she flipped through the pictures on her laptop.

"Well, some of them are good. But nothing really crazy happened. And I don't know about that one of Aubrey flipping off the camera. I don't know if that's considered 'bad press' for Haidin or good." Suddenly a thought occurred to her. "Wait, you know what?! When I took that picture I didn't even work for him yet. It was still December 31." She grinned. "So I think it's fair game."

Deidre smiled back. "I like the way you think. I am gonna buy that one, but I'll check out what everybody else got too. Yours is probably gonna be the best angle since you were right next to that reporter, but if I can use somebody else's I will, 'cause I don't wanna jeopardize your book deal before you even start the job."

"Well, thanks," Hilton said. "You know what? If nobody else's is good, just publish it without my name."

Deidre smiled again. "I might end up doing that. Thanks. Hey, here's a good one of Nate Young making out with a completely different girl than any of the three he brought. I'll definitely take this one! Wait!" Deidre peered more closely at the screen. "Isn't that Arden from RiesWell?!"

Hilton grinned. "Yeah. I think she made out with him partly for the publicity. It's good for her to get photographed like that; it's good PR for RiesWell."

Deidre pulled out a notepad. "What's her last name? I'll make sure to publish it. They kicked ass with the party, so I'll put in this photo and name-drop them as a thank you."

Hilton grinned. Arden would be psyched. "Worthington."

"Perfect. What's your other friend's name? The one who made out with Noah?" Hilton had gotten a picture of that too.

"Kelsey Johnson."

Deidre jotted it down, then put her notepad away. "See, I told you you did better than you thought." She grinned at Hilton.

### ***

Hilton had just come out of the bathroom after going through security at JFK when she did a double take. "Lorylyn?!"

Lorylyn's head whipped around. "Hey!" she cried, her dark eyes lighting up in surprise. She and Hilton ran to hug each other.

"Hey!" Hilton said to Kylar, Jansen, Zibby, and DJ, Lorylyn's friends whom Hilton had met while they were all in college.

"Hey!" they all replied.

"This is crazy!" Lorylyn giggled. "So was the party fun last night? How was Haidin?!"

"We didn't even talk! I don't think he even knows who I am. I saw him on the red carpet and then not at all again after we went inside until like three in the morning. And then I just saw him and Aubrey leaving."

"Oh my gosh!" Lorylyn cried, her eyes wide. "That's weird! But the party was fun?"

"Oh my gosh, yeah, it was a blast. Did you have fun? Where'd you guys go?" Last week when everyone had been home for Christmas, Hilton, Jill, Lorylyn, and Hillary had all gotten together one night. Lorylyn had told them she was going to New York City for New Year's Eve to hang out with Jason, her roommate Jansen's best friend from high school. Jansen and Jason had both grown up in New York, and Jason had moved back after college. But Lorylyn hadn't known what bar they were going to.

"Yeah, it was awesome! We went to BackStage at the W, you know, the one Jason's friend Clint's dad owns part of? Like we had the VIP lounge, but we went out into the main part too. And then after midnight we went to this place down in Chelsea. It was so much fun."

"That's awesome! We were right by you for a while; I wish I would've known!" The W was in Times Square, near _SI_ NY. "Hey, are we on the same flight?"

"I don't know!"

"Delta to Indy? At 6:50?"

"Yeah!"

### ***

Hilton and Lorylyn managed to sit together on the plane after Lorylyn traded seats.

"So are you nervous about working for Haidin at all?" Lorylyn asked when they were in the air. "Or just excited to travel with the tour?"

"I don't know," Hilton said thoughtfully. "I guess I'm a little nervous it's just gonna be totally awkward. 'Cause if he and I don't get along, or if we just don't really ever talk but I have to travel with him, or if Aubrey's always around...that could be totally fucked up. But I'm really excited too. I think Luke's kinda bummed, you know, 'cause we're not gonna see each other that much. But it's just for a year, and he's gonna be finishing school and studying for the bar anyway. And then next year I'll be able to just hang out with him and work on my book. Aaahh!" She shook herself happily. "Work on my book. It sounds so freaking cool. I can't believe I have that locked in. I don't think it's totally even hit me yet. It's what I've wanted ever since I switched my major to photography. It's just like, everything has all fallen into place perfectly. I was so stressed about my job at Nick's and how I felt like I was going nowhere, but everything's happened for a reason." She grinned sideways at Lorylyn.

"That's so cool," Lorylyn said. She sighed contentedly. "Man, New Year's was so fun," she said in a quiet voice. "I kissed Jason at midnight." She snuck a smile at Hilton. "Like, made out with him a little."

"Really?!" Hilton asked excitedly. Lorylyn had always had a major crush on Jason.

"Yeah, but I mean, it doesn't mean anything, you know? Just like that other time I made out with him. I mean, he kissed Jansen at midnight too. And she'll always be his number one, or whatever." She giggled. "But it was still fun. I just wish I could see how everything's happening for a reason for me." Now she sighed. "I still haven't even talked to Brady."

"Really? He didn't even send you a Merry Christmas or anything?"

"Yeah, he texted me." Lorylyn shrugged. "But it's not like we actually talked."

"How are things with Cade?"

"The same. I mean, it's like I said to you guys last week, we're just friends."

"Yeah..." Hilton frowned, thinking about Lorylyn's guy situation. She didn't know which guy she wanted Lor to be with.

"Hey," Lorylyn said suddenly. "Do you think you and Luke will get engaged anytime soon?" Her eyes were bright with excitement again.

Hilton pursed her lips. "Hmmm. I don't know. I mean, we said I'd travel, he'd go to law school, then we'd get engaged. So I don't know. Maybe. He is almost done with school..." She smiled, thinking about it. "I don't know!" She laughed. "I'm kinda excited now though! Do you think we will? I don't really even know if he's thought about when to do it or anything."

### Dale

### January 1-9, 2008

Hilton hugged Lorylyn goodbye outside baggage claim in Indy and watched as Lorylyn and her friends hurried toward Cade, who'd come to pick them up.

"Hilton!"

She turned with a grin and ran to the curb and into Luke's arms. "Hey!" she said, tilting her face up for a kiss.

"Hey!" he said back with a smile. His dark eyes emanated warmth and happiness at seeing her, and Hilton kissed him again. "Was that Lorylyn?" Luke asked, looking after her.

"Yeah! She was on my flight! Isn't that crazy? She was in New York for New Year's too."

"I guess flying out of Indy's the way to go," Luke muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Here, let me get your stuff." He grabbed her suitcase and put it in the trunk.

"So you had a total blast, huh?" he asked as he got into the car a moment later. Hilton was fastening her seat belt.

She beamed at him. "Yeah! Except for you not being there. That sucked." She touched his arm briefly. "How was work today?"

"Awful. But we had so much shit to do I didn't really even have time to think about it. It didn't feel like it was New Year's Day." Luke had actually gone into work today when he'd gotten back from Chicago, even though his boss hadn't even been there, just to try to keep his mind off his disaster of a New Year's. By this morning at ten, when he'd left the Hilton Chicago O'Hare and headed back to Dale, the roads had been drivable, although still not great. He'd heard the ground stop had been lifted at six a.m.

"I think it feels like New Year's Day," Hilton said. "Hey! I need my New Year's kiss." She grinned at him, and as they idled in traffic trying to get out of the terminal, he leaned over and kissed her, cupping her face in his hands. "Happy New Year again," Hilton said.

"Happy New Year."

### ***

Jill and Todd got home late the next afternoon. Luke was still at work, but Hilton ran out to greet them. They both looked quickly at her finger, to make sure Luke hadn't proposed some other way, and exchanged a glum glance when they saw it was bare.

"How was it?!" Hilton cried. "Do you guys have lots of pictures?!"

They were showing her their pictures on Jill's computer when Luke got home. He came in and joined them, and they retold all their stories for him. When Hilton went to the bathroom, Todd whispered to Luke, "Dude, what the hell?! We got your text. I can't believe it."

Jill shook her head. "That sucks, Luke. I'm so sorry."

### ***

Hilton was only home for eight days, and it flew by. She and Luke spent as much time together as they could. He had to work, but he was still on break from school, so at least he didn't have homework. He had to pretend to be extra busy at work though, since Hilton thought he had that huge trial coming up next week.

Jill was still on break too, of course, and on Thursday they all went to the Turtle.

"This is crazy," Hilton said while they all stood around a table above the dance floor. "I can't believe I don't even know when I'll be back here. I have no idea where he's gonna be after the Australian."

"I know!" Jill made a sad face. "The Turtle won't be the same."

_Game Set Match_ came, and it was filled with pictures from the New Year's party. There was a section with full-page pictures of all the players' midnight kisses. Tanner and Rory, Andy and that _SI_ model, Mardy and his fiancée, Nate having a four-way kiss with all his dates, Nate kissing Arden later, Noah and Kelsey, several others. It was hilarious, especially the ones of Nate. The caption of the one of Nate and Arden—which was on the page right next to the one of him kissing his three dates—read: Nate's 4-way kiss must not have done it for him; it lasted only a few seconds, while his later make-out session with knockout Riesling & Wellesley party girl Arden Worthington, one of the planners of the blowout bash at SINY, lasted over half an hour.

One day while he was at work, Luke dedicated "Makin' Good Love" to Hilton on Facebook, the song he'd played last summer one time while they were having sex.

Hilton laughed in delight when she saw it. "I liked your song dedication," she told him when he got home. "And there better be a lot of that before I leave."

"Song dedications, or makin' good love?" Luke asked with a grin.

"Makin' good love." Hilton grinned back and unfastened his belt. "I think now's a good time."

"Okay." Luke scooped her over his shoulder and started for his bedroom. Hilton giggled and slapped his ass, then he slammed his door shut and tossed her on his bed and they were making out like crazy with clothes flying everywhere.

### ***

"I wish I knew when you'd be back," Luke said on her last night as they lay in bed together. He gently pushed a piece of golden-brown hair away from her face.

"I know. I mean, I suppose it could be only a week or so, if he loses right away. But if he wins or goes to the end, I have no idea what his plans are after that. I mean, there's a tournament the very next day, right after the Australian ends. So if he's playing in that, I might go right there. I don't know. And even if he loses right away, I wanna stay for the rest if I can. 'Cause _GSM_ will get me a seat and I'll be able to keep working for them."

"Well," Luke said, "I'll think about you all the time. I'm gonna miss you so much. But I'm happy for you, that you're getting what you want. That everything's working out for you."

"Thanks, Luke." Hilton kissed him, feeling a huge sadness weigh down on her. He sounded so bummed about her leaving. And she was bummed about being away from him too, and from Jill and Todd and Adria.

As they snuggled closer together and Luke wrapped his arms around her, he thought about proposing right now. The ring was in his closet. He could definitely do it. The thought made him feel excited and happy. If he did it, in five minutes he would be engaged to the girl he loved.

Hilton readjusted herself a little and made a contented sound into his chest without opening her eyes. "Night, Luke," she whispered.

Suddenly a better idea occurred to him. "Night, baby," he whispered, stroking her hair. He grinned at the wall. He would surprise her somewhere else. Once she found out some other tournaments she was going to, he would pick one and fly there and surprise her. She'd said she wanted to name their first baby after her favorite place they had been together. So he would pick a place with a cool name and propose to her there, and then maybe that's what they would name the baby. He kissed the top of her head, still smiling. He was almost glad New York hadn't worked out now, because they could never name a baby that. Hilton's theory was proving right...everything did happen for a reason.

### Melbourne

### January 10-25, 2008

When Hilton got to JFK the next afternoon and arrived at the gate for her next flight, Haidin was nowhere to be seen. She looked for Oscar or Aubrey but didn't see them either. Shrugging to herself, she settled into a chair and took out her cell phone. An hour till the flight was supposed to take off. She called her parents and left a message, then called Luke. They were still talking half an hour later when the gate attendant picked up a radio and began to talk into it.

"We will now begin our boarding process for American Airlines Flight 181 to Los Angeles. At this time all first and business class passengers are invited to board."

Hilton looked around. Still no sign of Haidin. "They're calling us to board and he's still not here," she said. "If he fucking misses this flight I'm gonna be so pissed."

"You're sure he's on your flight? You're not just meeting him in Australia?"

"Oscar's note with the ticket said, 'You will meet Mr. Bayliss at JFK and fly with him to Melbourne.' Like what the fuck am I supposed to do in Melbourne if I just show up there by myself? I don't even know my hotel info or anything."

"I'm sure he'll be there," Luke said.

"Uhhh..." Hilton laughed a little. "It's Haidin."

"Well, true." Luke laughed too. "So do you think you should wait for him, or get on the flight?"

"I don't know. Do you think if he misses it, he'd want me to too?"

"I have no idea."

The gate attendant called the next group of passengers.

"All right, screw it, I'm getting on," Hilton said. "If I get there and he's not there, I'll just call Deidre and hope she can get me a hotel room, and I'll just take pictures for _Game Set Match_." She laughed. "I mean, if I miss this flight, I have no way to get there."

"That's true," Luke said, wishing she would just miss it and come back home. "All right, well good luck. Call me when you can. Love you."

"Thanks, I will. Love you too. Bye, baby."

"Bye."

As Hilton handed her ticket over to be scanned a minute later, she took one last look around the gate area. Still no Haidin.

She was settling into her first-class seat and enjoying how roomy and comfortable it was—she'd never flown first class before—when Haidin suddenly appeared, wearing a long-sleeved Nike T-shirt, Nike windpants, and headphones. His face was chiseled and tan and sporting a pissed-off expression, as always. He dropped into the seat next to her without so much as looking at her.

Hilton stared at him. He didn't turn. "Um, I'm Hilton," she said finally in a sarcastic tone, sticking out her hand.

"And obviously you know me," Haidin said. He still didn't look at her or take out his headphones.

"Okay then!" Hilton withdrew her hand and tried not to laugh. "So where's Aubrey? Or Oscar?"

"What the fuck are you now, a reporter? _Where's Aubrey?_ Obviously not coming; she has a TV show; she can't just stop filming it whenever she wants. Not that she'd want to." He sounded a little bitter on the last statement.

Hilton repressed a grin. "So where's Oscar? Or your coach?"

"Oscar's there already, doing fucking press, and I don't have a coach. Coaches are worthless has-beens who were never even ranked as high as the players they're coaching."

"Oh," Hilton said, and this time she couldn't help giggling a little. This finally elicited a glare from Haidin. She thought about saying, _What about Jimmy Connors?_ just to be annoying—he was Andy Roddick's coach and had definitely been ranked as high as Andy—but she decided not to. She laughed again to herself at the thought though, and Haidin glared again. Then he noticed the magazine on her lap. It was last week's _GSM._ He pointed at the cover picture, which was of him and Aubrey kissing on the red carpet outside _SI_ NY while she flipped off the camera. The headline read:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hilton thought it was hilarious. "You took that, didn't you?"

Hilton hesitated. It was her picture, but Deidre had published it without her name.

"I thought so," Haidin said when she didn't answer. "Oscar was happy it wasn't me flipping off the camera for once." He rolled his practically black eyes. "And it makes me and Aub look solid."

A ten-or-so-year-old girl across the aisle began insistently tapping her mother's arm. "Mom!" she whispered. "Mom! That's Haidin Bayliss! You know, Aubrey Gage's boyfriend!" Her mom turned to look, and her eyes widened.

Haidin now had his eyes closed and was leaning back in his seat. "I'm fucking sleeping!" he snapped.

The mother recoiled, looking shocked.

Hilton made an apologetic face and pointed at Haidin. "He's an asshole," she mouthed, then shrugged.

### ***

They had almost a four-hour layover in LA. Haidin had slept the whole six-hour flight, but as soon as the plane was at the gate and the door was open, he was up and off of it. He didn't say anything to Hilton or attempt to wait for her. She grabbed her carry-on and ambled slowly after him, rolling her eyes. There was no way she was going to run after him like he probably expected. She could find the next gate just fine.

"Hey!" Someone tugged on her sleeve in the aisle of the plane and she turned. It was the little girl from across the aisle. "Do you know him?" she asked eagerly.

"Kind of, I guess. I work for him."

"Wow," the girl breathed. "That's so cool."

"Not as much as you might think."

"Is he always that mean?"

Hilton laughed. "Pretty much."

"Where are you guys going?"

"Australia."

"Wow," the girl breathed again. "Is Aubrey going?"

"No, she's in New York filming _NYC_."

"Oh. I love her!"

"Yeah, her show's really good," Hilton said, because that at least wasn't a lie. She, Jill, Luke, and Todd still watched it every week.

"Have you met her?"

"Yeah, a few times."

"Can I have your autograph?" the girl asked.

"Um, sure," Hilton laughed. She quickly grabbed a pen out of her bag and scrawled her name on the American Airlines napkin the girl held out.

"Thanks!" the girl said, showing her mom excitedly.

The mom smiled gratefully and a little apologetically at Hilton. Hilton smiled back and made her way down the jetway and into the airport. She looked around and didn't see Haidin anywhere. In the hopes of irritating him, she decided to take her time getting to the next gate, so she bought a piece of pizza and sat down to eat it. She called Luke to tell him Haidin had shown up, then she talked to Jill, Todd, and Adria too. Then she decided to try her parents again, even though she might be waking them up. She told them about the first flight, and they laughed.

"Good luck, hon," her dad said.

"Yeah," Hilton said. "Right." Then they all laughed.

By the time Hilton left the pizza place, she'd been off the plane for over an hour. Then she passed a bar, and on impulse she sat down and ordered a beer. It was going to be a long fifteen-and-a-half-hour flight. It'd be kind of entertaining to get drunk and see what Haidin's reaction would be. She might as well start now.

She spent another half hour sipping her beer, then stopped at the bathroom. By the time she finally made it to the gate for her flight to Melbourne, it had been two hours. Haidin wasn't there, so she took a seat and got out her iPod.

Fifteen minutes later, her phone rang. It was a number she didn't know, another 917 area code. It wasn't Oscar this time; she'd added his number to her contacts. "Hello?"

"Where the fuck are you?" said a voice that was unmistakably Haidin's.

"Who's this?" Hilton asked in an annoyed tone, grinning to herself.

"It's Haidin fucking Bayliss, who the fuck do you think it is? I'm in the first-class lounge. I had to call Oscar to get your fucking number and I didn't like it." He hung up.

Hilton burst out laughing. _It's Haidin fucking Bayliss?!_ What an arrogant fucking loser! She was tempted to just sit until he either called back or came and found her, because he hadn't specifically said to come to the first-class lounge. It was so funny how he just assumed she would think she should be where he was. But no, she needed to space her pissing-Haidin-off fun out a little. Still laughing, she stood and walked up to the counter. "Um, I'm looking for the first-class lounge?" She held out her boarding pass.

"Yes, ma'am, right that way." The gate attendant pointed in the right direction and told Hilton what gate it was by.

Hilton walked there slowly, then smiled a little to herself, opened the door, and stepped inside. The room was only semi-crowded. Haidin was sitting at the bar. She went and took the seat next to him.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

"Around. But I'm here now. You'll get over it."

A bartender approached. "Another?" he asked Haidin.

Haidin gestured at his empty glass as if saying, _Obviously_! The bartender took his glass. "Would your friend like anything?"

"I don't know. Ask her."

The bartender turned to Hilton.

"AmberBock, please."

"Sure thing."

Haidin's phone rang. He looked at it and his face registered disgust. He handed the phone to Hilton. "Answer it." He stood up and left the lounge.

Hilton stared after him, then slowly flipped the phone open. The screen had said it was someone named Adelle. "Hello, Haidin's phone."

"Who is this?" a woman barked in a strong Australian accent.

"This is Haidin's assistant."

"Who?"

"Hilton. I'm his assistant."

"Since when does Haidin have an assistant?! Let me talk to him."

"Um...he's in the restroom."

"And why are you answering his phone?"

"He said to answer it if it rang."

"UHHH!" the woman huffed. Then she hung up.

Hilton stared at the phone, then shrugged, flipped it shut, and laid it on the bar in front of Haidin's seat.

"So you're his assistant, huh?" the bartender asked with a smile. "Is he as bad as they say?"

"Yep!" Hilton said with a smile.

Haidin's phone rang again. Hilton looked at it. Adelle, it said again. She decided to answer. "Hello?"

"Who is this?" barked the same woman's voice.

Hilton almost laughed out loud. "Um, this is Hilton. Again. Haidin's assistant."

"When does Haidin's flight get to Australia?"

"Um, tomorrow morning." It was still Thursday night in LA, but it was Friday afternoon in Australia. Hilton didn't give the exact time because she had no idea who she was talking to.

"What time?"

"I can't tell you that, I'm sorry."

The woman huffed loudly and hung up again.

Hilton shook her head and put Haidin's phone back.

"What'd she want?" Haidin demanded when he returned.

"To know when your flight gets in, I guess."

"What'd you tell her?"

"That it gets in Saturday morning."

"Fuckin' great. Maybe she'll show up at the airport. You can get some pics of me hugging her and it'll be a big fucking family reunion." He downed his drink, which looked like vodka something, in one swallow and pointed to his glass. The bartender nodded.

"That was somebody in your family? Adelle?"

"My fucking mom, I guess."

He _guessed_? Hilton wondered if it was a step-mom or something, since it had said Adelle and not Mom on his phone. But that would be just like Haidin, to call his mom by her first name. It didn't sound like they had a great relationship. Oh well, not her business. She shrugged to herself and took a long drink of beer.

### ***

Haidin didn't talk much to her the rest of the time they sat in the lounge. "I'm going," he announced twenty-five minutes before their flight was supposed to leave, so she grabbed her stuff and followed him straight to the boarding line and onto the plane. As soon as they were on, Haidin put in his headphones and stared out the window. He didn't bother to take them out when the flight attendants asked for all electronic devices to be turned off, and no one said anything to him.

After they were in the air, Hilton put in her own headphones and slept on and off. She woke up once and saw Haidin was watching one of the movies on the small screen in front of his seat. She glanced at it and saw that it was _Good Luck Chuck_ , so she put away her iPod and stuck her headphones into the armrest too, flipping her TV to the movie selection channel. She'd seen this movie with Jill, Todd, and Luke, and she loved it. Dane Cook was so hot, and the movie was hilarious.

Haidin had been about half an hour into it already, so he finished before Hilton. When Hilton's was over, she went to the bathroom and then tried to go back to sleep. Haidin appeared to be sleeping too.

They got into Melbourne about fifteen minutes early. Haidin's mom wasn't there to meet them, but his phone started ringing promptly at 8:00, and Hilton wondered how many times she'd already tried to call while his phone was off. He turned it off again, stuffed it in his pants pocket, and put his headphones back in.

A car was waiting for them outside baggage claim. Oscar was in it.

"So, did you two bond?" he asked with a gross smile as Hilton and Haidin climbed into the backseat.

"Oh yeah, we're best fucking friends," Haidin said, then he stared out the window and didn't say anything else.

### ***

Hilton's room in the hotel was right next to Haidin's. Oscar informed her that at all of his matches, she would be sitting in his box. When he wasn't playing, she was free to go to other matches as a _GSM_ photographer with the media pass they were giving her or do whatever else they wanted her to do, such as following players around when they left the hotel, just as at past tournaments.

When they arrived at the hotel on Saturday morning, Haidin crashed for a few hours, and Hilton did too. She awoke to Oscar calling to tell her she needed to accompany Haidin to Melbourne Park for his first practice session. She blinked sleepily as she hung up and glanced at her phone as she pushed End. One in the afternoon. She felt so out of it. What was it at home, like eight or nine the night before? The time difference in Europe hadn't seemed so crazy, but here it was a whole different day. It was definitely weird.

She put on gym shorts, a wife beater, and flip-flops and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She figured there was no reason to try to look that great for a practice session, especially since the actual tournament didn't even start for two days. There were probably qualifying matches going on today, but that was about it. She grabbed her purse and stuffed her camera in it...you never knew when a good photo op would come up. She was sure a lot of players would be out practicing right now.

She waited in the hotel lobby for about five minutes for Haidin. When he arrived he walked straight outside to a waiting car rather than stopping to meet her, so she just rolled her eyes and followed.

Haidin listened to his iPod the whole way to the park. Hilton stared out the window and tried to take in as much as she could. She'd always wanted to come to Australia. She hoped she might have time to do a little sightseeing while she was here. The city looked huge. Maybe if Haidin lost early or didn't play in another tournament right after this, she could ask Oscar if it was okay to buy her own ticket home so she could go a couple other places in Australia along the way. Although that would be so much more fun if Luke were here, or Jill...

As they stepped out of the car and entered the tennis complex, Hilton basked in the feel of the sun on her bare arms and legs and face. It was the middle of summer here, and it was gorgeous out, probably mid-eighties and not a cloud in sight. It was going to be great getting tan in the middle of January. Just another perk of traveling with the tour...they'd almost always be in warm places, so she would have a year-round tan.

"Sooo...who are you practicing with?" Hilton asked Haidin as he led the way to the locker room.

"You. Why did you think you were here?"

"What?!"

Haidin shot her a biting look. "Well, I usually practice with Zeke Blackman, but he's in qualifying today."

Zeke Blackman was a fairly young American player who was ranked maybe somewhere in the 100s. Hilton had seen him play Mardy Fish once on TV last year in an early-round match at the Australian. He would have to go through the qualifying matches to play in the main draw here, because he wasn't ranked high enough to get an automatic spot.

"All right, whatever."

Haidin gave her another look. He seemed surprised she'd agreed so easily. He probably had no idea she actually played tennis. Not that she'd be able to even get a racquet on his serve, but she thought she could hit back and forth with him to practice. She'd gone to state in high school.

When Haidin went in the locker room, Hilton opted to stay outside. She was sure she'd have plenty of chances to go in there with him later if she wanted to check it out, but right now she just wanted to take in the fact that she was actually here at Melbourne Park, another great tennis complex she'd seen on TV so many times. It felt so crazy to be standing here in real life.

When they made their way to the practice courts and selected an empty one, Hilton scanned the other courts and saw James Blake, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, an up-and-coming Serbian player who was seeded fourth here. On Monday he would pass Tanner in the rankings and actually become the number three player in the world, because he'd won last week's warm-up tournament in Adelaide. The ranking system was based on points accumulated in the last fifty-two weeks, and players got points each time they reached another round of a tournament. For winning last week, Djokovic had gotten 175, which had allowed him to squeeze past Tanner by fifteen. Tanner hadn't played in any tournaments so far this year, so he needed to outlast Djokovic here to get his ranking back.

Haidin got out two never-before-used racquets, pulled them out of their plastic wrap, and handed one to Hilton. It was actually one of his own racquets, a Prince O3 Speedport Black. Hilton was a little impressed he didn't give her some old used one, but then she realized the value of the racquet meant nothing to him, because he had access to an endless supply. Still though, it was going to be pretty sweet to play with such a nice one. It was probably worth 200 bucks, twice as much as any of the ones she'd played with in high school.

"If this doesn't work with you hitting I guess I'll just practice serves," Haidin said condescendingly. "Or maybe you can manage to toss me some lobs for overheads." He took the hopper of balls he'd brought out of the locker room and headed to one end of the court.

Hilton grinned to herself as she kicked off her flip-flops and headed to the other end. He probably thought she'd never held a tennis racquet in her life.

Haidin hit a ridiculously slow forehand over the net to her. Just to get things going a little, Hilton whipped a crosscourt winner to the opposite corner from where he stood.

"Oh wait," she said, placing one hand on her hip. "It's your practice, so you probably wanted to hit the winners, right?" Then she turned around and walked back to the baseline.

Haidin didn't say anything, he just narrowed his eyes at her as she resumed her spot, then he sent a forehand with much better pace over the net.

They hit back and forth for ten minutes or so, and Hilton was having a blast. He was obviously better than anyone she'd played before, and she hadn't played for a few months, so it was definitely a challenge, but that's why she liked it. When she played at home, she never had anyone to play with who _could_ challenge her, so she always felt like she'd probably lost some of her quickness and court awareness since high school. But today it didn't feel like it. She could tell a couple times that Haidin sent her a hard ball on purpose, and she liked that he did that, because it either meant he was frustrated she could play with him as well as she could, or he was actually having a little fun. And she didn't think he'd be frustrated she could play with him, because they were just warming up; he wasn't even hitting the ball that hard. So maybe he was actually enjoying himself a little...as hard as the idea was to believe. But either way, she thought it was kind of funny.

"Hey!" she heard suddenly, and her head whipped up as a warm smile spread across her face.

"Hey!" she greeted Tanner. He was approaching her court with Rory, wearing an Adidas T-shirt and shorts and carrying a racquet bag. Rory was dressed similarly to Hilton, except she had tennis shoes on. Somehow the way Tanner was holding his racquet bag was totally hot. Hilton laughed at herself for thinking that.

"Hey, Hilton!" Rory said, flashing a friendly smile and waving.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Good! I heard you would be here." Rory snuck a glance at Haidin, then looked back to Hilton with a mischievous grin.

Hilton raised her eyebrows and laughed. Tanner had probably told Rory all about her job for Haidin and what an asshole Haidin was, if Rory hadn't already known.

"So who's up for some doubles?" Tanner asked.

Hilton's eyes lit up. That would be so much fun.

"Well not me," Haidin called loudly and rudely from the other end of the court. "I'd like to finish my practice session, if any of you don't mind."

"Hey, that's cool, dude," Tanner called. "I need to practice too. But after that, it's on!" He flashed another grin at Hilton as he started to back away and pointed at her with the hand that held his racquet bag. "We're right over there." He nodded to his left.

Hilton looked and saw his trainer depositing a hopper of balls near the net and his coach messing with the strings on his racquet.

"Sounds good!" she called.

"Hit me forehands," Haidin ordered.

Hilton hit him balls from midcourt so he could practice ripping them down the line or crosscourt for winners. Then she hit him drop shots so he could practice his volleys and lobs so he could practice his overheads. Even though he was being a total asshole like always, she was still having fun just because she was getting to play. She could tell with each new thing they did that he was surprised she could actually hit to him rather than just throwing the ball, although she thought by the time they got to drop shots and lobs he should've figured out she knew what she was doing at least a little bit.

When she finally sat down to stretch out a little and watch him practice his serves, she grinned. That had felt so good to play. She actually kind of hoped she got to practice with him a few more times. It was hard to believe she'd just had fun with Haidin Bayliss.

She watched Tanner two courts down. His coach was hitting him balls and he was blasting them as close to the baseline and the corners as possible for winners. His trainer stood beside the court watching, and Rory sat near the net, leaning back on her hands and appearing to enjoy herself. It wasn't hard to tell why...Tanner had taken off his shirt, and he looked delicious. He was tan and sweaty, and his arm and stomach and back muscles rippled every time he swung the racquet. Hilton didn't even try to tear her eyes away.

"Pathetic," Haidin said in disgust as he dumped his racquet on the ground next to her and chugged Gatorade.

"What?" Hilton asked, wondering if he'd been serving badly. She hadn't even been paying attention.

"That you're a groupie just like every other girl." He motioned in Tanner's direction with his Gatorade bottle.

"What?"

"He'll disappoint you if you really get to know him."

Hilton glared at Haidin. Who the hell was he to talk about Tanner? "Well, I've known him for a little while, and the only thing I've ever been disappointed about that had to do with Tanner is that he lost to you in Indy."

Haidin smirked without smiling and chugged more Gatorade. "You'll see," he said. "Or maybe you won't. What the fuck ever." He shrugged carelessly.

Hilton gave him a bewildered stare for a moment, even though he wasn't looking at her. What the fuck was he talking about? She laughed incredulously to herself, then looked back to Tanner. His coach had gotten a phone call, and Tanner was playing with a tennis ball while he waited by bouncing it upward off his racquet and trying not to let it fall.

"I'm done here," Haidin said. "So are we fucking playing or what?"

Hilton grinned. She hadn't thought he would go for it. But then, he probably just wanted to play so he could try to kick Tanner's ass. "Yep, I'm ready."

Haidin picked up a tennis ball, tossed it in the air, and whacked it with his racquet. It narrowly missed Tanner's shoulder, and Hilton thought he'd narrowly missed like that on purpose. She was slightly impressed with his accuracy.

Tanner turned around.

"Let the ass-kicking begin," Haidin called arrogantly.

Tanner laughed, and he and Rory headed over. Tanner stopped at his racquet bag and grabbed her a racquet. Hilton jumped over the net to join Haidin on his end of the court.

"One set?" Tanner asked.

"What the fuck ever," Haidin said.

"You guys can serve first," Tanner said. "I don't have a coin to flip."

Hilton served first, and she and Haidin ended up winning the whole set easily. Rory wasn't horrible, but she definitely wasn't as good as Hilton, so Hilton and Haidin had the major advantage. Tanner and Haidin ripped some back and forth, and Hilton could feel the tension between them. She was sure Tanner was still annoyed by his loss to Haidin in Indy, and Haidin just always created tension with everybody. Every time one of them took a full-force shot at the ball, Hilton felt a rush being so close to such good tennis. It was freaking awesome to watch. She could see their faces clench as they crushed a forehand or backhand and their wrists snap forward and down as they served. Haidin shed his cut-off T-shirt halfway through, and Hilton couldn't help checking him out a little too, when she was on the baseline and he was in front.

"Nice job, nice job." Tanner approached the net with a grin when it was over, holding out his hand.

"Yep, good game," Haidin said cockily, briefly shaking Tanner's hand, then barely touching Rory's.

"Way to bring the game," Tanner said to Hilton when she came forward to shake his hand. "Impressive."

Hilton laughed and shook Rory's hand. "Yeah, I think I'm about ready to join the tour, don't you?"

"You're already on the tour, baby," Tanner said with another grin as they walked off the court.

### ***

Shortly after Hilton got back to the hotel, the phone rang in her room. She grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Hey, a bunch of us are going out tonight," Tanner said. "Oh, this is Tanner. So anyway, I just didn't wanna tell you in front of Hades. But we're doing some pre-dinner shots in my room if you wanna come up. 918."

Hilton laughed. "You don't want Hades to come? Why not?!"

Tanner laughed too. "I try to stay away from hell; I've heard it's not the coolest place and its king is kinda an asshole. Okay, see you up here."

"See ya." Hilton hung up and grinned giddily at herself in the mirror. Perfect...Deidre would love it. She would definitely get a bunch of good pictures tonight, and it would be something a little different from anything else she'd ever gotten...all the young players out partying together. Well, she had gotten some like that at the New Year's party, but that was different because it had been an organized event. This was just everyday life...all of them deciding to go out together during a tournament, and Deidre would like how it showed the bond among all the young players and how much fun they were, plus it showed readers a piece of players' lives outside of tennis, which was one of the main goals of the magazine.

And it was going to be a blast going out and partying with a whole group of them. Hilton couldn't wait.

### ***

They went to a bar that was in the basement of a building and extremely dark inside. It was still light outside, and it felt weird to Hilton, like she'd suddenly been transported to a whole different world, or at least skipped forward a few hours. After she'd been sitting inside five minutes, she felt like it was 10:00 at night. The bar was cool-looking and the drinks were strong and delicious.

"Good choice, man," Tanner said to Noah Ablett, who was from Melbourne and had recommended the bar.

"Thanks." Noah nodded.

They were sitting at a large round table with a booth, and they were all crammed together. Their group included Noah, Tanner, Rory, Nate Young, Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, James Blake, Bob and Mike Bryan, Robby Ginepri—another young American player—and two of Noah's friends who lived in Melbourne. Hilton was sitting between Tanner and Mardy Fish, which she didn't mind at all. She also didn't mind that she and Rory were the only girls; she loved hanging out with guys. She thought suddenly how she no longer really had a big group of guy friends at home. In high school and college she always had, but now it was pretty much just Todd and Luke. Hmm. She pursed her lips, feeling a little sad at the realization.

They ordered food and more drinks. The food was good too. Then they ordered some more drinks, and some more. At one point Hilton was about to get up and take a few pictures of the whole table when Tanner said, "No, it's too hard to get out of the booth. Just have our waiter take them. Plus you should be in them anyway." He grinned at her, and as the waiter took the pictures a few minutes later, Tanner leaned over and said, "See, I told you you were on the tour. You're one of us now."

Hilton laughed, her skin tingling from his breath on her ear and the whole side of his body touching hers. "I guess I'll consider that a good thing?"

Tanner laughed too and hit playfully at her head.

"Let's have a crazy one!" their waiter said.

"Yeah!" Andy said, then he lurched sideways so his face was about two inches from Mardy's and stared at him, unblinking.

Mardy laughed and put his hand up in front of Andy's face, then leaned away and grimaced.

Everybody else made crazy faces too, and the waiter snapped a couple more pictures.

"Next week's _GSM_ cover!" Nate joked. "Wait, can we do it again? I wanna lick somebody's face."

"Oh, please, lick mine," Andy said loudly. "Rory, I need to trade you seats. Let me just crawl under the table."

Hilton grinned as she took her camera back from the waiter. It probably wouldn't be the cover picture, but she knew Deidre would buy it.

### ***

Haidin's first match was on Monday afternoon against a qualifier Hilton had never heard of. Haidin was only seeded seventh here, but because he was Australian—or at least Hilton figured it was because he was Australian—he got to play in Rod Laver Arena, the biggest court. Hilton was half embarrassed to be sitting in Haidin Bayliss' box, but she was psyched to be in the front row of Rod Laver. She wasn't sure if she wanted Haidin to win or not. She definitely wouldn't want him to win as soon as he was up against pretty much anyone she had heard of, and she thought it would be pretty funny if he got beat in the first round of his home Grand Slam by a qualifier. But she was kind of hoping to get to practice with him some more. She'd gotten to again yesterday, and it had been a lot of fun again, even though she and Haidin had only spoken maybe ten words to each other besides Haidin telling her what kind of shots to hit to him. She was just enjoying playing tennis, and she was hoping it might become a sort of regular thing throughout the year, because now that she'd played two days in a row, she just wanted to play more.

The only other person in Haidin's box with her was Oscar. Hilton thought if she'd ever watched more of Haidin's matches on TV, she probably would've realized he didn't have a coach since there never would have been a coach in his box. But she'd always tried to avoid watching his matches unless he was playing somebody she liked. She kept wondering if Haidin's mom was going to show up...Adelle or whatever. Haidin had given Hilton his phone yesterday and said he didn't want to deal with it and only to answer if Aubrey called. She hadn't, but Adelle had...eleven times. Hilton had never answered, and she didn't know if Haidin had listened to the voicemails, but this morning in the car on the way over to the park, Haidin had barked to Oscar, "If Adelle shows up get her the fuck out. I don't want a fucking repeat of last year." Hilton had no idea what had happened last year, but she didn't remember seeing anything on TV or in _GSM_ about Haidin's mom coming and causing some kind of scene.

Hilton took several pictures of Haidin in action, figuring that might be about the only "good press" she could get him. And half of those weren't even good, because he always had a freaking pissed-off look on his face. She sighed helplessly and put the camera back in her bag. This job was going to be tough.

When Haidin won, he actually nodded at his opponent without sneering as they shook hands. Hilton quickly snapped more pictures. It was practically a miracle. He'd won easily, and usually when he won easily, he looked like he was smirking at the other player and thinking what a loser the guy was.

"Haidin!" an interviewer said, holding up a microphone so the whole stadium could hear. "How does it feel to be back home in Australia?"

"About the same as everywhere else. New York's my home now."

Hilton rolled her eyes.

The reporter laughed awkwardly. "Well it was a good win today. You look solid."

"Yeah."

"Anything you'd like to say to your fans out there?"

Haidin raised the index and pinkie fingers on his right hand. "Rock on. You're the only smart tennis fans out there." He was completely serious.

Hilton heard Oscar sigh exasperatedly and looked over. He was shaking his head. "Let me see those pictures," he demanded, holding out his hand for her camera. He looked them over for a long time.

Finally he handed the camera back with another sigh. "Well, those are good at least. We're gonna need some positive press off the court too, but this is a start. At least he didn't do anything too fucking embarrassing today. If only he could make it through one bloody interview without sounding like an asshole."

### ***

Three nights later, Hilton was sitting in the third row at Tanner's second-round match when her cell phone vibrated. It was Haidin. "Hello?" she said, wondering with half curiosity and half dread what he might want.

"Where the fuck are you?"

"At a match."

"I need you to bring me some food."

"What?!"

" _I need you to bring me some food._ "

"Uh, I heard you, but like I said, I'm at a match right now. And it's only in the second set."

"Well, I guess you're leaving now."

Hilton made a face into the phone. "Well, I guess you can get some food yourself or order some freaking room service!"

"Well, I guess you can say goodbye to your book then." He hung up.

"Aagghh!" Hilton cried under her breath. What a fucking asshole!

She waited till the next changeover, then left the stadium. She called Haidin back as soon as she was outside to ask him what the fuck kind of food he wanted. No answer.

"Aagghh!" she cried again, immediately redialing. She called four times in a row. Still no answer. She was sure he was doing it just to be a dick. She stormed toward the exit. Well, he better fucking like whatever she got him. She couldn't believe she was missing Tanner's match for this shit!

She took a cab back to the hotel and went into the deli next door. She got him a sandwich with all different types of meat on it and carried it into the hotel and up to his room, where she pounded on the door angrily.

Haidin opened it a moment later, took the sandwich, and shut the door without even saying anything to her. Hilton stared at the closed door, then flipped it off in annoyance. She felt like kicking it as hard as she could.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at it. 10:07. What the hell was she supposed to do now?! It was too late to go back to the tennis match, and she wasn't at all in the mood to go sit in the lobby and see if anyone went out. She was freaking pissed. She was just going to go call Luke and Jill.

She stormed into her room and kicked off her flip-flops. Then she spotted the new _Game Set Match_ on the floor, like it'd been slid under the door. Deidre must have had it delivered to her room. She picked it up excitedly, then stared in disbelief when she saw the cover picture. It was the one she'd taken of Haidin shaking hands with his opponent after his first-round match, when he had nodded somewhat politely and not even sneered.

### AUSTRALIA '08

No one's been upset so far...not even Haidin

Hilton burst out laughing. "No one's been upset" referred to the fact that all the seeded players had won their first- and second-round matches so far, but she loved the double meaning. This was awesome. And it was good press for Haidin too! Oscar would have to love her for this. And in the top right-hand corner of the cover was the picture the waiter had taken at the bar Saturday night, the normal one where they were all smiling. It was small, but it was still possible to make out who all the players were. Across the bottom of the picture were the words

### Players party it up in Melbourne pre-Open!

Hilton quickly flipped the magazine open. The cover story detailed all the results so far and commented on Haidin Bayliss' most gracious victory since...well, since ever, that GSM can recall. Maybe home is truly where the heart is for Haidin. Or maybe not, since when asked how it felt to be back home in Australia, Bayliss responded, "About the same as everywhere else. New York's my home now," surely angering Aussie fans. Hilton just rolled her eyes with a small smile. So he couldn't get a totally positive article...but it was way better than she would've expected.

She flipped past that article to the next one. It turned out to not actually be an article. The crazy picture their waiter had taken of everybody making weird faces was spread across the whole two pages. The headline read:

### NIGHT OUT IN MELBOURNE

### Melbourne native Noah Ablett takes players and pals out for a

night of fun on qualifying weekend

The caption read, Pictured, from left to right: Chris Brown, Tom Mason, Noah Ablett, Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, Hilton Joliet, Tanner Bruin, Rory Bollier, Nate Young, Robby Ginepri, James Blake, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan.

It didn't give any explanation of who Hilton, Chris, or Tom were, but the headline just implied they were Noah's friends, which Chris and Tom were. Hilton grinned. She couldn't believe her picture was in _GSM_ again.

### ***

The next night Haidin beat Zeke Blackman, his practice partner, in the third round. He was rolling so far; he hadn't come close to dropping a set or even a service game so far in this tournament. He looked solid and sharp on court, and Hilton felt a little nervous...she didn't want him to do that well against any of the players she liked. She'd actually been hoping he would lose tonight, because she was still pissed at him for being such an asshole last night.

His match was the last one of the night, and Oscar told Hilton afterwards to wait and ride with Haidin back to the hotel. She waited for him near the player entrance/exit. Several fans were also crowded around, hoping to get pictures or maybe an autograph as Haidin came out.

When he finally did walk out, he shoved through the people without looking at any of them, like the crowd was just another annoyance he had to deal with and he wanted to get through it as quickly as possible.

"Who are you?" a random fan shouted to Hilton as she joined Haidin.

"Don't answer," Haidin ordered.

Hilton felt bad ignoring the guy, but she wasn't that thrilled to tell people she was Haidin's assistant either, so she pretended not to hear and just kept walking.

When they got to the hotel, Haidin and Hilton rode up in the elevator together. "Night," Hilton called in a fake upbeat tone, just for her own amusement, when they went into their separate rooms.

Haidin didn't respond.

Hilton laughed and let herself into her room.

She barely had the door shut when someone pounded ridiculously loudly on it. She threw open the door and gave Haidin an irritated look, even though she was really still half laughing. "What?!"

Haidin stormed into her room. "Lock the door."

"What?!"

"Did you fucking tell Adelle what room I was in?!"

"What?!"

"Adelle. Did you fucking tell her my room number and this hotel?"

"No...I just told her what day the flight got in."

"Have you talked to her since then?"

"Nope." Hilton widened her eyes at him in a "you're freaking stupid!" expression.

"Well then how the fuck did she get into my room?"

"How the fuck do I know?!"

"Great. Just fucking great. She's drunk as fuck and now I have no room." He was pacing furiously.

"She's drunk? Why don't you just tell her to leave? What's the deal with her anyway?"

Haidin glared at her. "What do you mean, ' _what's the deal'_?" he asked nastily.

"Why do you call her Adelle?"

" 'Cause she's a horrible fucking mom and I'll never call her _that_."

Hilton decided to back off. "Okay." She raised her hands to show she hadn't meant to piss him off.

"I guess I'll just wait till she fuckin' passes out and drag her out in the hallway. Stupid bitch can sleep it off out there. Or she could get the _fuck_ out of my life!"

Hilton stared. "Well if you don't want her in there call security or something."

"Of course I'm not gonna fucking call security, or drag her out in the hall! I was fucking joking. I can't have a scene like that."

Hilton was still staring incredulously at him. _Oh, so that's what you sound like when you're joking?_ she wanted to ask, but she decided not to.

Haidin's phone rang.

He pulled it out irritably and glared at the screen. Then his face softened a little. "Hey," he answered in a hard but less angry voice. Then he looked at Hilton. "It's my girlfriend. I need you to leave."

### ***

"Oh my gosh!" Jill said on the phone. It was noon on Sunday Australia time, and eight p.m. Saturday at Dale. "You've been on TV in Haidin's last two matches!"

"What?! Are you serious?!" Because of the time difference, it was hard to talk to anybody on the phone, and she hadn't been able to get ahold of Jill since Tuesday.

"Yeah! His first one wasn't on TV 'cause he was playing at the same time as Andy Roddick, and they just showed like a couple points, but you know how they always show the players' boxes and say like, 'Federer's girlfriend and manager,' or, 'Jimmy Connors and John Roddick, Andy's coach and brother'? Well during his second match they showed you like right at the beginning! We were flipping out." She laughed excitedly. "And after they'd shown you for a second, Patrick McEnroe was like, 'Haidin Bayliss' camp.' They didn't say who you were. It was just you and his agent though. But I wonder if Aubrey saw that! She was probably piiiiissed!"

"Oh my gosh!" Hilton cried. "I don't wanna be associated with him on _TV_! Aagghh!" She laughed, but she was serious.

"No, don't worry, it was hilarious," Jill said. " 'Cause every time they showed you guys, you were just sitting there looking like you didn't give a shit about his match. One of the times was after he went up a break in the second, and you were just sitting there not even clapping." She laughed. "It was awesome."

"Oh, good!" Hilton said with a giggle. "That's pretty funny. What'd they say during the last match?"

"They just showed you guys and it said 'Haidin Bayliss' Box' on the bottom of the screen. The announcers didn't actually say anything. They showed you a few times again though, throughout the match. You looked like such a celeb." Jill laughed again.

"Wow, that's crazy. I can't believe I was on TV. I'm surprised Luke didn't tell me."

"He didn't see it. He's always sleeping when the matches are on. But don't worry, I stayed up all night to watch _and_ I taped them," Jill said, a grin in her voice. "I wanted to make sure you got to keep the memory of sitting in Haidin's box with you forever. I thought about texting you the first time, but I wasn't sure you'd wanna know."

"Thanks, bitch," Hilton giggled. "You so rock."

"Oh I know," Jill said airily. "Hey, have you looked at the _GSM_ website lately?"

"No, why? Are my pictures from the bar last weekend up there?"

"Some of them, but that's not what I meant. You might wanna check it out."

"Why?!" Hilton asked eagerly, reaching for her laptop.

"Oh, just take my word for it." Hilton could tell Jill was still grinning, and she hurriedly opened the Internet and went to _GSM_ 's site.

"Aaggghh!" she cried when she saw it, cringing slightly. She didn't want to be photographed with Haidin anywhere! "Wait! Who even took that picture?!" It was of her and Haidin walking out of the park the other night after his match against Zeke, and the caption read, _Who's the mystery girl with Haidin?_

"It's from a fan," Jill said. "They're letting fans submit pictures now. _Gosh_ , don't you even keep up with the magazine you work for?" She giggled again.

"I guess I don't! I just haven't even had a chance to be online." Hilton looked at the picture more closely and decided it was actually kind of cool to have her picture on the _GSM_ website with fans wondering who she was. She laughed incredulously. "Holy shit. Oh! So listen to this fucking bullshit." She proceeded to tell Jill about Haidin making her leave Tanner's match to get him food and about him barging into her room and saying all that weird stuff about his mom. "And then Aubrey freaking called, and he was like, 'It's my girlfriend, I need you to leave.' "

" _What?!_ "

"Yeah! He made me leave my own freaking room. So I went and sat in the lobby for a while and followed Tommy Haas to dinner...which was kinda fun 'cause he's pretty hot." She laughed. "But then I get back to my room and Haidin's fucking passed out on the bed."

" _What?!_ "

"Um, yeah."

"So what'd you do?"

"Just changed into my pajamas and went to sleep in the other bed. And when I woke up in the morning he was gone."

"Oh my gosh, what a dick. I can't believe he passed out in your room! And kicked you out of it!" Jill laughed in disbelief. "So what do you think's the deal with his mom showing up drunk?"

"I have no clue."

"Did you find out what happened? Like is she still there?"

"I don't know."

### ***

Haidin played Tanner in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Hilton was disappointed that she really hadn't seen much of Tanner since that first Saturday a week and a half ago when they'd played doubles and then gone out to that bar all night. She'd been to all his matches and gotten a picture of him and Rory kissing while they waited for the elevator at the hotel one night, but she hadn't seen him on the practice courts again or really gotten to talk to him. She had gotten to practice with Haidin almost every day though. He had said he didn't want to practice with Zeke because Zeke was a "douche," and now that Zeke had lost he'd left Melbourne. Hilton brought her camera with her to the practice courts every day and she'd gotten some fun pictures of a bunch of different players.

As she walked into Rod Laver Arena around 12:30 Wednesday afternoon, someone called her name from behind. She turned to see Rory.

"Hey!" she said, smiling and waving.

"Hey!" Rory hurried to catch up with her. "So, are you excited to be sitting in Haidin's box today?" She laughed.

"Yeah," Hilton said sarcastically. "This is the match I least wanna sit in his box for. How rude do you think it would be if I openly cheer for Tanner?"

Rory laughed again. She looked gorgeous and tennis-match-chic in dressy gray pinstripe Bermuda shorts, a somewhat see-through short-sleeved white blouse with small ruffles around the sleeves and buttons, strappy heels, and a pair of large Calvin Klein sunglasses. Her blonde hair was in a long ponytail and was curled a little at the ends. "You should just come sit with me and Jeff and Rick," she said. Jeff was Tanner's trainer, and Rick was his coach.

"Yeah, right? I might get fired. I wish though. So are you having fun here?"

"Oh my gosh, yeah, it's great. I love traveling, and I love hanging out with Tanner. We're having so much fun. You're so lucky you get to do this as your job. So's Tanner. I wish I could just quit my job and travel with him all the time."

"Well it's cool you got to take these couple weeks off."

"Yeah, definitely. I didn't take any vacation time last year so I have a lot built up."

"So are you gonna try to go to all the Grand Slams?" The four Grand Slam tournaments were the Australian, the French, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

Rory laughed again. "I don't know, if we're still together. I mean, I think we might be; I hope we are. It's going really well." She sighed happily. "I mean, it's just like everything happened at the right time...like him and Bryony breaking up, and then him being in Aspen that weekend. It's been crazy. I never really even expected to see him again."

"Like after the charity weekend? Or after that date you guys had in high school?"

"After the date!" Rory laughed. "I knew I'd see him again after the charity weekend." She grinned, and even though Hilton felt awkwardly jealous, she couldn't help but laugh back, because she liked Rory and her comment had been confident and sassy and funny. She hated this stupid jealous feeling; it was so annoying...she wished it would go away... "I mean, sorry," Rory continued. "I don't mean I'm glad he and Bryony broke up or anything like that. I mean, I never wanted them to. I'd read about them and stuff, but it's never like I thought I was gonna see Tanner and was hoping for them to break up so something could happen."

"You don't have to apologize."

"Well Tanner said you and Bryony are good friends."

"Oh," Hilton said, surprised. "Well, I mean, we used to hang out when they were dating, but I haven't talked to her since they broke up."

"Oh," Rory said, flashing Hilton a relieved smile. "Well good, I didn't want you to not like me or anything. It's just so crazy, how fast things have gone with me and Tanner. I mean, the charity weekend was only five weeks ago or something, and we've been together pretty much every day since then. It's weird how your life can change so fast. It's been amazing though."

"Yeah," Hilton said. "It was kinda the same for me, when I first got hired for _Game Set Match_. It was right before the French and Wimbledon last year, so it was like all of a sudden I was flying all over the place and getting to see awesome tennis every day, and like you said, it's not like I ever expected any of it to happen. But it was definitely amazing." She grinned. "And it definitely still is."

"Even though you have to pretend to like Haidin?"

"Oh, I've never once pretended to like him, and I have no intention."

Rory laughed in delight.

### ***

U were just on tv! Jill texted Hilton near the beginning of the match. It was still in the first set and Haidin had just broken Tanner's serve to go up four games to two.

Hilton groaned and slouched even farther down in her seat. She glanced out at the court as she started to text Jill back. The next game had just started. She was so frustrated Haidin was up, and she hated not being able to cheer for Tanner, because she was normally really loud at matches. Whatd they say? she texted back.

Nothing it just showed u they didnt even say who u were...guess they think everybody knows by now u star ;)

Hilton laughed, then started to jump up as Tanner won a long rally by hitting a nasty smash shot that bounced way over Haidin's head and into the stands. "Ye-... _sss_ ," she finished quietly, after starting it as a yell. She quickly sank back in her seat. Oops. She looked in Rory's direction. Rory was looking her way and grinning. Hilton snuck a grin back. Then she peeked over at Oscar. He sent her a quick glare, then turned back to the match, his arms folded across his chest. Hilton texted Jill back. Oops just abt jumped out of my chair 2 cheer 4 tanner, i hate not being able 2! She looked back out at the court. Haidin hit a serve out wide and Tanner barely got his racquet on it. The ball fell to the ground near his feet. Hilton sighed. The score in this game was now 40-15. She hated when she wanted a player to break, and he won a really awesome point, like the last one, and got her hopes up, and then couldn't do anything else in the game. It was so frustrating. She could tell Tanner was pissed too; his face was tense and he had swung his racquet violently at the air in irritation after the last point.

He lost the game on the next point and walked quickly to his chair for the changeover, still looking pissed. Hilton's heart went out to him. She watched him chug Gatorade and prayed he would start playing better. Haidin hadn't even had to play that spectacularly yet; Tanner had fucked it up all by himself by hitting a lot of loose shots and making a ton of unforced errors. He just seemed like he was out of it today and didn't have a feel for how to place the ball where he wanted.

A new text came from Jill as the changeover ended. Dont worry were cheering 4 him xtra loud here! :) and were having fun haidin bashing

Hilton grinned again. She started to text back, then decided to wait. Tanner had to hold serve now and then break Haidin in the next game to stay in the set, and she didn't want to miss any of it.

Tanner won his service game easily, dropping only one point. But then Haidin won the next game at love to take the set. Pissed, Hilton glared at the back of his head as he walked over to his chair. She felt like flipping him off but didn't. She was sure Oscar would probably _love_ a maneuver like that. Ugh! I cant stand him! she texted Jill.

I know! Me either! He looks so fucking pissed even tho he just won the set

Hilton picked up her camera and zoomed in on Haidin. He did look pissed. He was sitting in his chair staring at nothing, his eyes cold and aloof.

Yea what a loser lol btw speaking of losers wtf r u guys doin watchin this when nyc is on?! lol i cant believe ur missing the wonderful girlfriend of hades

Oh don't worry were tivoing it ;), Jill replied. _NYC_ had been moved to Tuesday this week at home because of a Dale basketball game on Monday. The station _NYC_ was on aired all the Dale games. A second later Jill texted again. We should call her persephone

Hilton laughed in delight. Persephone was the wife of Hades in Greek mythology. Yea!!! :D, she texted back, then put her phone away as time was called and Haidin and Tanner walked back on court.

"Second set. Bruin to serve," the chair umpire announced, and Hilton sat back to watch.

### ***

The second set was the complete opposite of the first. Tanner turned it on, while Haidin seemed to be falling apart. Tanner was making seemingly impossible shots and serving aces all over the place. He even had a second-serve ace, which was fairly rare because players took a lot of speed off the ball on their second serves just to make sure they didn't hit it out. You got two chances to serve it in, but if you hit it out on the second try, you lost the point. Haidin, on the other hand, was now the one making unforced errors and looking sloppy and off. He was stumbling around and breathing hard, and Hilton couldn't help but smile in satisfaction as she watched. Tanner won the set 6-3, and as he and Haidin walked to their chairs and Haidin slammed his racquet into the ground by his racquet bag, Hilton grinned at him and thought, _Serves you right, you arrogant bastard_.

In the third set though, the momentum swung again, but not all the way back to Haidin. It seemed to level out, with both players playing extremely well. The set went to a tiebreaker and Tanner won 11-9. Hilton breathed a huge sigh of relief. He now had a somewhat comfortable lead—the match was the best of five sets—and she felt confident he would win in the fourth set.

Instead, the fourth set went into a tiebreaker again, and Tanner lost 7-1. Hilton rolled her eyes in frustration behind her aviators and smacked her hand against the rail in front of her seat. Fuck! Five-set matches made her so nervous because you never knew what would happen. This sucked because Haidin had the momentum now...she wished if it were going to go to five sets that Tanner had lost the third and won the fourth. Then he would have the momentum. And Haidin got to serve first in the next set...that was definitely not good. It was a huge advantage to serve first in the fifth, even more so than in other sets, because there was no tiebreaker. So if the score was 5-5 and you were serving and got broken, it would be 6-5 and you would at least have a chance to break back since the winner had to win by two games. But if you served second, and the other player was ahead 6-5, and you got broken, then it was just over. You didn't get a chance to come back. Agh! She felt even more nervous. It just seemed like nothing was going Tanner's way.

She picked up her camera again and zoomed in on him this time. He was sitting in his chair looking sweaty and frustrated, and like he was lost in thought and didn't hear anything going on around him. Come on, Tanner! she pleaded silently.

As she put her camera back in her bag, she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out. It was another text from Jill.

U were on tv again at the end of that set when u hit the rail and they said, bayliss' camp is fired up, lets c if they can help him pull thru the 5th

Hilton's mouth dropped open and she laughed. That was hilarious. They thought she'd hit the rail because she was excited...kind of like a "Come on, Haidin!" or something. They wouldn't have been able to see her eyes behind her sunglasses...and she was sitting in Haidin's box, after all, so that was a reasonable interpretation. She laughed again and texted Jill back. Haha thats awesome but also kinda bad ewww i dont wanna b cheerin 4 haidin! lmao

"Time," the chair umpire said.

Hilton put her phone away again and leaned forward anxiously as Haidin and Tanner walked back onto the court.

"Fifth set, Bayliss to serve."

Both players held serve through the first several games. Some games they held at love, and some were nailbiters with several deuces. Tanner had one break point at three games all, but he couldn't convert it; Haidin served two aces to get the advantage, then he executed a quick serve and volley that left Tanner diving and looking out of breath.

Hilton sighed in disappointment and slumped back in her chair.

"Come on, Haidin! Let's go!" Oscar shouted beside her, and Hilton snuck a glare at him.

Once it got to 5-4, Hilton was clenching her hands together so hard her knuckles were turning white every game that Tanner served. If he got broken, it was over. But he didn't even come close; the most Haidin scored in any of the next few games on Tanner's serve was one point. Each time Tanner held serve Hilton sighed with relief.

When Haidin was serving at eight games all, he double-faulted on the first point. Hilton pumped her fists in her lap where no one but Oscar could see and whispered, " _Yes!_ " under her breath.

On the next point, Tanner blasted his return down the line past Haidin. Hilton wanted to jump out of her seat so badly she could barely stand it.

"OUT!" a lineswoman called.

"What?!" Hilton cried.

"What?!" Tanner cried. He raised his hand to the chair umpire. "Challenge."

Hilton had her hands folded again and she leaned forward as they showed the Hawk-Eye replay on the big screen in the corner. Hilton could tell it was going to be extremely close, and when the ball finally bounced down, she leaned forward even more and squinted to see if there was any blue court showing between the ball and the outside of the line. OUT, the TV screen declared just as Hilton saw the fraction of an inch of blue.

Fuck! she thought. That would've been huge for Tanner to go up love-30, but now it was freaking 15-15.

"The ball was out. Call stands. Fifteen all. Mr. Bruin has one challenge remaining."

It's okay, Tanner, come on, you've still got him here, Hilton said silently.

Haidin served, and Tanner once again whipped a forehand past him down the line. And this one was definitely in. _Yes!_ Hilton shouted silently, trying not to let a smug smile break out across her face.

"That was a let!" Haidin shouted to the chair umpire, pointing at the net with his racquet. A let meant that on the serve, the ball had hit the net on the way over. If the serve landed in, which Haidin's had, the server got a free do-over. But Hilton hadn't noticed Haidin's serve hitting the net just now, and normally lets were called immediately and automatically by an electronic sensor in the net.

The chair umpire nodded and held his hand up to tell Haidin to back off. "Let," he announced, leaning forward into the mic. "First serve."

"What?!" Tanner and Hilton cried again. Hilton's mouth was hanging open indignantly. The umpire _never_ made let calls! If the sensor didn't beep, the chair never overruled that! Hilton had never once seen it happen.

Tanner stormed up to the chair. "What the hell?! _You're_ calling a let?! The sensor didn't go off! You've got to be shitting me! And the point was already over! You can't call a let now!"

"I was getting ready to call it. It was a let. Occasionally the sensor malfunctions."

"No! That's fucking bullshit! You guys _never_ overrule that shit, even when you know you should! And if you _were_ gonna call it, you have to call it when it happens, not later 'cause he tells you to!"

"I was getting ready to call it. The point was played very quickly, so I hadn't had a chance to say anything yet." The umpire spoke coldly and calmly. Hilton could tell he wasn't going to give an inch. She hated him right now. She had no idea if it'd been a let, but Tanner was right...what the fuck was he doing calling it now, after Haidin told him to?! And the umpires never overruled the sensor. This was total bullshit. It looked so bad...like the umpire was favoring Haidin just because Haidin was from Australia or something. Even though the umpire himself wasn't Australian...but still.

Suddenly she realized she should be getting pictures, and she whipped out her camera and started snapping. She was able to get Tanner, the umpire, and Haidin all in one shot. Tanner was standing right by the chair, and Haidin was still at his end of the court, bouncing a ball with his racquet and looking bored out of his mind.

"What the hell is this, like home-court advantage?!" Tanner cried. "Let's favor the local boy?!" He turned to the crowd. "What do you guys think?" he shouted, throwing both arms in the air. "Have you ever heard of the chair not only calling a let, but calling it after the point's already over?! Do you guys think Carl here had any idea whether that was a let or not? I think he did, and I think he knows it wasn't!"

The crowd went crazy, cheering in agreement with Tanner. Hilton heard a few boos too...after all, it was Australia, so Haidin was bound to have _some_ people who wanted him to win. And of course there were probably some people who just didn't approve of the scene Tanner was making. But Hilton loved it. She absolutely thrived off watching fights between players and chair umpires. It was awesome and usually pretty hilarious.

"See?" Tanner said, looking back at the umpire now and pointing his racquet behind him. "They agree with me." The crowd went crazy again. Hilton was standing now and still snapping pictures.

"It was a let."

"Fine. Whatever. Of course you're not gonna back down now; how embarrassing would that be for you? I understand. You can't look stupid. You're the umpire. My bad." Tanner raised his hands in front of him and backed away. The crowd cheered some more, enjoying his sarcastic display. Hilton was totally turned on by it. Tanner looked so freaking hot, and she'd never seen him yell at anyone before or even really get this angry. She'd seen him fight with umpires on TV, of course, and she'd thought it was a turn-on then too, but in person it was even hotter. She'd gotten a shitload of awesome pictures too. And she supposed they were actually good press for Haidin, because he was the one acting calm and staying out of it, while Tanner threw a profanity-laced fit that had just aired live on ESPN2 in the States. She grinned to herself.

Tanner took his position, still shaking his head, and Haidin served. The point turned into a rally this time, and when Haidin finally hit one long after what must've been thirty shots, Hilton was ecstatic. 15-30. Tanner pumped his fist, and Haidin threw his racquet down, then immediately picked it back up.

"Thanks!" he shouted to the umpire with a piercing glare. "Way to throw off my game by letting him stand up there and throw a hissy fit! Ever heard of delay of game?!"

Hilton laughed. It was true; Tanner could've gotten warned or penalized for delay of game or for profanity, but that rarely happened. Maybe you should just have the mental toughness to deal with it, she thought to Haidin, flashing a smug smile in his direction.

Haidin threw up the ball to serve, and as soon as he hit it, a lineswoman yelled, "Foot fault!"

"What?!" Haidin glared as Hilton burst out laughing. A foot fault meant his foot had crossed the line at the back of the court before he served. She covered her mouth and tried not to be too obvious. She didn't want Oscar to fire her or tell Haidin how she'd been acting so Haidin could fire her.

Haidin glared at the unflinching lineswoman for another second, then turned back to serve again. The ball hit the top of the net and bounced ten feet out. Haidin threw his racquet. This time it sailed a few feet instead of going straight down.

"Warning, Mr. Bayliss," the chair umpire said.

"What?! Are you fucking kidding me?!" Now Haidin stormed up to him. "I get a fucking warning and he got nothing?!"

Next to Hilton, Oscar covered his face with his hand and slunk down in his seat. Hilton raised her camera again. She might not be able to sell these, but she wanted them for herself. She knew this match was going to be one she'd never forget.

"I just fucking threw my racquet before that and you didn't say shit! What, have you had some time to think about it and now you're fucking worried people are gonna think you favored me, so you better fucking give me a fucking warning?!"

"Mr. Bayliss, I suggest you return to the game."

Haidin turned and walked back to the service line, shooting the chair umpire the finger as he did so. Hilton's mouth dropped open.

"Mr. Bayliss is penalized one point. Game, Bruin. Nine games to eight."

Hilton's mouth dropped open even farther, and she quickly covered it before a thrilled laugh escaped. No fucking way! They hardly _ever_ fined anybody a point. And it had been on game point! And now Tanner was up a break and would be serving for the match! No fucking way!

Haidin turned and ran back to the chair, his face more enraged than Hilton had ever seen it. She quickly snapped more pictures, then turned the camera to Tanner, who was walking toward his chair for the changeover with a disbelieving look on his face.

" _WHAT?!_ " Haidin screamed. "Are you fucking crazy?!"

"The next level of penalty is a game. I would suggest you not risk it." The umpire was speaking as indifferently to Haidin as he had to Tanner.

Hilton watched, spellbound. If Haidin didn't shut the fuck up and sit down, he was going to be fined a game, and that would be the match. She couldn't really believe he would let that happen. Surely he had more self-control than that.

Haidin stood there glaring viciously for another few seconds, then he walked to his chair, roughly kicked the stand it was on, and sat down.

Hilton breathed out. She looked at Oscar. He was sweating profusely and looked like he was about to have a breakdown. She felt kind of sorry for him. He was on Haidin's case all the time, and Haidin made absolutely no effort to improve his behavior. Oscar must be getting paid _really_ well.

"You're welcome!" Haidin suddenly snapped sarcastically in Tanner's direction. Tanner ignored him.

"Time," the chair umpire said a minute later.

Come on, Tanner..., Hilton thought, folding her hands again. You can do this, just stay focused...don't let him get to you...

But she didn't even have to worry. Tanner held at love; Haidin barely got a racquet on the ball.

"Game, set, and match, Bruin: 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 10-8."

About to burst with excitement, Hilton looked over and saw Rory standing and clapping. Must be nice, she thought sarcastically, but then she giggled. She was freaking pumped!

Haidin's handshake to Tanner was more like a hard hit. He smacked Tanner's hand, barely clasped it, and immediately dropped it. Hilton got a picture, but she wished it was a video. She was somewhat surprised when Haidin shook the chair umpire's hand. But then he yelled, right in the umpire's face except for the fact that he was a couple feet below him, "Fucking fine me whatever you want now, you fucking asshole!"

_Ooohh,_ Hilton laughed to herself.

Tanner came up behind Haidin and shook the umpire's hand as well, but he did so without making eye contact. He was probably still irritated about the let call but feeling awkward now since it had turned out as it had. At least Hilton imagined that was how she would feel if she were Tanner right now.

Haidin grabbed all his stuff and started off the court. As he neared the exit, he lifted his middle finger in the air and spun in a circle so he got the whole crowd. Then he walked out to a resounding boo.

Hilton, half laughing incredulously once again, quickly checked her camera to see if she'd gotten it. Perfect. Well...not perfect for Haidin's "good press."

"Tanner," Darren Cahill, the courtside commentator for ESPN2, was saying, holding out a microphone. Cahill was a former pro player from Australia, and he'd coached both Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi. He was known in the tennis world as Killer Cahill. "Tell us what you're thinking right now. That was a pretty wild match."

Tanner laughed incredulously now, looking somewhat dazed. "Yeah, I'm still not even sure what really just happened out there." He shook his head at the crowd, and there was a collective laugh.

"This probably isn't how you would've wanted to win this."

"No, definitely not. I mean, I guess a win's a win, but I would've liked to really play out those last couple games. I think the mental part of it kinda got to him, so he definitely wasn't playing as well there at the end. That's never how you wanna win."

"Well, you had a little bit of a riff with the chair there, just before Haidin did. Do you think that affected the way you played at all? Or did Haidin's argument affect you?"

"Um, no, not really. I just try not to let it get to me. When I was up there, after the let call, I just told myself I was gonna play even harder, and I just tried to use whatever I was feeling and put it into my shots. But when he was up there I just tried to focus on my game and not pay that much attention."

"Come on, don't tell us you weren't listening to every word."

"Well, it was kind of entertaining." Tanner smiled a little, and the crowd burst into applause. Hilton laughed as she clapped too. Oscar had left, so she was standing now, and it felt freaking awesome. _Finally_. Tanner looked up into the crowd and wiped his face with a towel.

"Any thoughts on your semifinal against Rafa?"

"Is that who it is? I hadn't heard yet. Well, that's not great news..." He grinned, and the crowd laughed again. "No, I'm just kidding, it'll be great to play Rafa. He's a great guy and we've had some good matches in the past. I'll just spend the next couple days preparing, and then I'll go out there and give it my best, and we'll see what happens."

"Thanks, Tanner. Great job today."

"Thanks, Killer."

### ***

When Hilton left Rod Laver, she used her _GSM_ media pass to sneak into the back of Haidin's press conference. She knew Deidre and James and maybe even another _GSM_ reporter or photographer would be right up front, so she didn't plan on taking any pictures; she just wanted to hear what the hell Haidin would say. It was sure to be classic.

After a long wait, Haidin finally emerged from behind the makeshift stage and took his seat at the table. Oscar sat beside him.

"Haidin! Haidin!" reporters shouted. Oscar pointed to one.

"Haidin, tell us what happened when you got in the fight with Carl Ingram. How did it affect your play? Do you blame your loss on that?"

"I think I already shared my thoughts on that; he's a fucking asshole. Next."

Oscar elbowed Haidin subtly in the arm and pointed to someone else.

"Did Tanner arguing with Carl throw you off? Is that why you double-faulted?"

"I double-faulted because that brain-dead lineswoman called a foot fault."

"Haidin, who's the mystery girl who's been sitting in your box all week?" called out a woman's voice before Oscar had a chance to point to someone else.

Hilton's eyes widened. That had been Deidre. She couldn't see her, but she was sure of it. She recognized her voice. Why would Deidre ask that?! She felt herself ducking a little, once again not wanting to be associated with Haidin. She hoped no one saw her.

"I don't like that question. Next."

Hilton stood up straight again. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Why would that be his response?

Oscar pointed to someone else.

"Haidin, how do you get through tough losses like today's? What helps you get your mental game back, or readjust your mindset?"

"Getting laid."

### ***

Hilton's cell phone rang as she was leaving the press conference a few minutes later. Oscar had finally told all the reporters and photographers it was over when Haidin refused to answer anything seriously and kept making comments that were going to make him look even worse than he already did, if that was even possible.

"Hi," Hilton said. It was Deidre.

"Hilton, where are you? I need you to meet me right now."

"I'm just outside the press conference," Hilton said in surprise. "Why'd you ask about me in there?"

"That's why I need to meet with you. See you outside in thirty." She was gone.

True to her word, thirty seconds later she was rushing up to Hilton and pulling her aside, out of the path of all the other reporters and curious fans. "I need to interview you."

"What?!"

"We're kind of...doing a story on you. There was a picture that got posted to the _GSM_ website of you and Haidin leaving the locker room—"

"Yeah, I saw that."

"Yeah, so people are wondering now, and it'll be a great story. We won't make it sound like anything's going on with you and Haidin of course; we'll say you're his assistant, but we'll use the mystery angle of there being a different girl with him this week to draw readers in to the story. But you really don't have to worry; I promise we won't make you sound bad, or say anything that would make your boyfriend mad. We'll tell about him. You can say whatever you want. That's why I wanna interview you."

"Okay..." Hilton was totally shocked, but she was excited too. There was going to be a story about her in _Game Set Match_. Holy freaking shit. And even though it would be in relation to Haidin...well, that sucked, but it was still kind of cool overall. It would probably pique readers' interest too, like Deidre had said, because people might think it was going to be another Rory...a normal girl who got a tennis star. And there was the added scandal of Haidin being with Aubrey...yeah. She could see why Deidre wanted to make it a story. "Wait," she said. "So I'm gonna have to make it sound like I like Haidin, or like I'm his fan. 'Cause I can't get fired." She frowned. She didn't want to sound like Haidin's fan.

Deidre grinned. "Maybe we can get around that. Work with me. Let's see what we can come up with."

### ***

The magazine had gone to the printer late again in order to include as many last-minute scores as possible, but Hilton's copies—when she was on tour, Deidre now sent ten to her hotel room and ten to her apartment back at Dale—were delivered to her hotel room Friday morning. There was a small photo in the upper right-hand corner of the cover—the one that had been online of her and Haidin leaving the locker room area and walking out the player exit. The article was directly behind the cover story and had a picture of Hilton sitting stoically in Haidin's box, as well as one of her and Haidin on the practice courts.

HAIDIN'S MYSTERY GIRL

Who is she, and where is Aubrey?

BY DEIDRE FOX

Beautiful. Fashionable. Long hair. Big sunglasses. Sitting front-row in Haidin Bayliss' box at the Australian Open. To anyone who hasn't been watching on TV, this probably sounds like an obvious description of NYC star Aubrey Gage, 24, Bayliss' girlfriend of over a year. It might even bring to memory images of Gage from last year's Aussie Open, just weeks after her and Bayliss' high-profile relationship began.

But this year it's a different story. Gage is MIA in Melbourne, and another girl has been occupying the seat usually reserved for her. And not only has this mystery girl been present at all of Bayliss' matches, but she and Bayliss have been spotted together everywhere from the locker room to the hotel and even the practice courts, where Mystery Girl has worked out with Bayliss on more than one occasion. In fact, practically the only time Bayliss, 26, has been photographed alone in the past week and a half is on the court.

So who is this mystery girl? Bayliss' new girlfriend? A practice partner? A tennis player? An old friend? A sister no one's ever heard of? Actually, she's none of the above—she's his new assistant Hilton Joliet, and she also happens to be a GSM photographer. Joliet has a degree in photography from Dale University and has been working for GSM since last May...when she snapped the now infamous photo of Bayliss kissing an unknown blonde woman in a Rome hotel during the ATP Masters Series Rome.

So why in the world would Bayliss hire someone to his own personal staff who took one of the most damaging pictures of him to ever be published? "Haidin recognized, appreciated, and was drawn to Ms. Joliet's straightforwardness and audacity and believed she would be someone he could learn from and the type of person who would be an excellent assistant as well as a positive influence to have in his life," says Bayliss' agent/manager Oscar Turcell. Bayliss himself refused to release a statement, and when asked in his press conference after his quarterfinal loss to Tanner Bruin about Joliet's identity, he responded, "I don't like that question. Next." But then, that was one of his most positive responses to any question in that press conference (see cover story).

Although many questions and rumors have arisen over the course of the past week and a half, it is safe to say there is nothing romantic going on between Bayliss and Joliet. Joliet, 25, has a boyfriend of six and a half years, and as far as we know, Bayliss is still with Gage; they were photographed together as recently as January 7, three days before Bayliss left for Australia, when they hit several clubs in Manhattan, including SINY and BackStage at the W. Gage is currently in New York filming NYC.

So what's it like to work for tennis' most notorious bad boy? "So far it's been good," Joliet says. "I love tennis, and I love to travel; working for GSM is one of the most fun things I've ever done. And now, working for Haidin, I'll get to go to even more tournaments." GSM questioned Joliet a little further.

GSM: So you were seen practicing with Haidin. I take it you play tennis?

HJ: Yeah, I've played since I was seven or eight. I love it. I'm not all that great or anything. (Laughs.) I just play for fun.

GSM: Well you must be at least halfway decent to practice with Haidin. So who's your favorite tennis player?

HJ: Tim Henman. Without a doubt. He's been my favorite ever since I was little. I love to watch his serve and volley game because you don't see that as much anymore and it's way more exciting.

GSM: Great choice. Were you sad to see him retire?

HJ: Oh yeah. I was there, at his last match at the US Open last year, and that was so amazing. One of the most powerful things I've ever experienced. But I'm sure it was the right move for him, and it's great that he seems to be really happy and in an incredible place in his life.

GSM: So who's your favorite current player, if you had to pick one now that Henman's retired?

HJ: (Smiles and shrugs.) I can't lie, I have to say Tanner Bruin.

Uh...maybe that's the straightforwardness Bayliss admires?!

But maybe he really doesn't mind—last week he and Joliet played a friendly set of mixed doubles against Bruin and Rory Bollier here on the practice courts in Melbourne. And maybe Joliet's a lot better at tennis than she lets on—she and Bayliss won the set 6-3.

Bruin's take on the questions surrounding Bayliss and Joliet? "Oh, there's definitely nothing to it. I've known Hilton for a while now, and she's hot and heavy with her boyfriend. Luke Windler. Great guy. One of my lawyers. I met him through Hilton. They've been together forever. Hilton's a great girl too, and they're a great couple. Hilton and Haidin? No way."

Sounds like Bruin knows what he's talking about. GSM can confirm that he, Joliet, and Windler have been friends since at least last summer—see the photo below (first published in GSM's July 7, 2007 issue) of Joliet, Windler, Bruin, and Bruin's then-girlfriend Bryony Adams hanging at a London pub during Wimbledon.

As for Windler's absence at the Australian, "He's home working," Joliet says. "But he'll be at other tournaments. I miss him so much. I wish he could come to all of them."

So, for all of you hoping for a scandal, you'll have to satisfy yourselves with rereading the cover story, 'cause that's as good as it gets; Haidin's not cheating this time. But a couple questions do remain....Who was Joliet cheering for in the controversial Bayliss/Bruin quarterfinal Wednesday? And could Bayliss still play an amicable set of mixed doubles against Bruin after that quarterfinal? Not sure about the first one, but as for the second one, something screams, shrieks, shouts, and screeches NO. GSM

Just as Hilton finished reading it someone knocked on the door of her room. She went to answer. It was a concierge.

"This is for you," he said, holding out an envelope.

"Thanks." Hilton took the envelope, shut the door, and walked back to the bed. She flopped back against her pillows and opened the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of stationary that said _Oscar Turcell_ at the top. _Lobby at 1p.m. for car to airport_ , the note said.

"What?!" Hilton grabbed the phone and dialed the front desk. "I need Oscar Turcell's room. This is Hilton Joliet."

"Oscar Turcell," he answered a moment later.

"What is this?" Hilton asked somewhat rudely. "This note about going to the airport? I wasn't planning on leaving today." What the fuck had Haidin done, told Oscar to buy her a plane ticket home or some shit? She would just pay for her own plane ticket home if she had to, but there was no way she was missing Tanner's semifinal tonight. She was kind of excited though, because if Haidin was done with her here, that might mean she'd have some time to travel in Australia before going home. Maybe he wasn't playing in another tournament for a couple weeks. She hadn't heard anything since his loss the other day; he'd been lying low. She was actually surprised he hadn't gotten the hell out of here already.

"Mr. Bayliss' car for the airport leaves at 1:00 this afternoon. He said you would be flying with him."

"To where?!" Hilton felt like she was about to be extremely pissed...wherever the fuck Haidin was going today, why the hell did he need her with him?! If she had to miss Tanner's match....She narrowed her eyes at the wall. But maybe Haidin just thought she would _want_ to go with him or something ridiculous, and she could actually wait till after the final Sunday if she said she'd rather stay here.

"Adelaide. He is going home for a short while."

"Oh. Well does he really need me there? Wouldn't he rather go alone?"

"No. Mr. Bayliss gave me specific instructions to make sure you got the message and were in the lobby by one."

"Fine," Hilton snapped. She hung the phone up loudly, annoyed as hell. She hated how Oscar called Haidin "Mr. Bayliss," like he was his fucking servant or something. Oscar was impossible. She grabbed her cell off the nightstand and dialed Haidin.

"What?" he answered insolently.

"What the fuck is this? Be in the lobby at one?"

"Yeah, what else is there to understand?"

"Um, I wasn't exactly planning on leaving today."

"Well, your plans just changed."

"Oscar said you're just going home. Why do you even want me to go with you?"

"To piss off my bitch girlfriend." He hung up.

Hilton stared at the phone in disbelief, furious. She wanted to slam it against the wall. She closed her eyes and took an angry breath, then threw the phone at the bed instead and turned to look at herself in the mirror. As she did, the utter disappointment sank in. She was livid, but more than that, she was incredibly upset she wouldn't get to see Tanner. It was going to be an amazing match, and if he made the final, the thought of missing it when she could be there if it weren't for fucking Haidin was unbearable. And she'd been hoping she might get to go out with Tanner and Rory one of these next few nights too.

But the worst part was that it was already noon, and she knew when Tanner had a night match, he did a short practice session at noon. He wouldn't be back by one, and she wouldn't see him again before she left.

### ***

Haidin's phone rang on the way to the airport. Hilton was sitting as far away from him as possible in the backseat and staring out her window, still seething.

"What?" Haidin snapped into his phone in the same tone he'd used when Hilton called him.

"What the fuck is this?!" shouted an angry voice that was unmistakably Aubrey's. Hilton didn't turn, but her ears perked up a little.

"What the fuck is what?" Haidin said coldly. But this time his voice was too calm, almost calculated. Hilton got the impression he knew exactly what Aubrey was talking about and had been waiting for this call.

"This fucking piece of trash whore in this picture!"

"Wow, nice of you to notice. I assume you're talking about the _GSM_ website."

"My fucking publicist just called me and asked me what the fuck was going on! I had to look it up on my fucking phone!"

"What'd you say?"

"I _said_ I was in a loud restaurant and I'd call her back! So you better fucking start explaining!"

Hilton glared out the window, wondering if Aubrey realized who she was. If Aubrey had only looked at the picture on her phone, it had probably been too small. This might be kind of funny if Hilton didn't want to kick Haidin in the fucking balls.

"Area code rule," Haidin said and hung up.

Hilton turned and fixed her piercing glare on him. "Do _not_ make it sound like we're hooking up! I don't want any-fucking-thing to do with your drama!"

"She'll figure it out when she reads _GSM_ ," Haidin said indifferently. "Even though I wouldn't talk to them, I'm sure they called Oscar and he gave them some gloss-over 'everything's perfect with Aubrey; nothing's going on with Hilton' statement. And it's not like they have any pictures to prove anything." He glared at her, and she knew he was referring to the pictures she'd taken in Rome last year. "So Aub'll figure it out. She'll know I was just trying to piss her off, even though she's probably been fucking Telan this whole time."

"Oh, yeah, she'll figure it out for sure then," Hilton said confidently, meaning something different from what Haidin had as she thought of all the pictures in the magazine. Haidin had no idea about her run-ins with Aubrey, and she wasn't going to waste her energy telling him that Aubrey was going to recognize her and probably be just as pissed, if not more so, than she would be to find out Haidin was cheating with some random girl. _He_ could figure it out when Aubrey freaked the fuck out on him.

### Dale

### January 24, 2008

"So guess what?" Luke asked irritably when Jill, Todd, and Adria came in the door from dinner Thursday night.

"What?" Jill and Todd asked.

"She's not coming home."

"What do you mean?" Jill asked. She hadn't expected Hilton home for at least a few more days. It was Friday afternoon in Australia right now, and the tournament didn't end till Sunday. Plus, Hilton had been hoping she'd get to travel afterwards.

"She's going to Adelaide." Luke's voice was flat.

"Today?" Jill asked in surprise.

"Yep. Bayliss is making her. She's pissed 'cause she doesn't get to stay for the rest of the tournament."

"Oh my gosh!" Jill's eyes widened. "That sucks!"

"Yeah, no shit," Todd said, sounding surprised as well.

"He's from Adelaide," Jill said. At the beginning of all the matches, while the players were warming up, the commentators would always give a little bio on each one, so she'd heard numerous times how Haidin was from Adelaide.

"Yeah, and she said the reason he gave for her having to go was to piss off Aubrey."

"Whoa, what a dick," Todd said with a small laugh.

Jill looked at Luke, who was slouched on the couch looking totally dejected. "I'm sorry," she said sympathetically. "Does she know how long they're gonna be there?" The person she really felt the most sorry for though was Hilton, because she knew Hilton had to be _pissed_ she was going to miss Tanner's semifinal. And if Tanner made the finals....Jill felt pissed at Haidin herself.

"No idea. They're leaving for the airport in like a half hour I guess."

"Well," Jill said, trying to make Luke feel better, "she was gonna travel afterwards anyway if she could. So she probably wouldn't have been home for like another week and a half or so anyway."

"Yeah," Luke said glumly. "I just feel like...I feel like she's pissed she doesn't get to see the rest of the tournament. But she's not even thinking about how long it'll be till she comes home. She's not pissed she won't get to see me soon."

"Don't be sad, Uncuh Wuke!" Adria said, dropping Todd's hand and running over to him. She climbed up in his lap, and Luke laughed. "Hitton woves you!"

Luke laughed again. "Thanks, Adria." He looked up at Jill and Todd.

"It's true," Jill said.

"Yeah, don't worry too much, man," Todd said. "I know this sucks, but remember, it's only a year."

"Yeah," Luke said, trying to sound less glum. But what he couldn't help thinking was how he had told Hilton in London that wherever she was was where he would most want to be, and she had said the same thing to him.

It was still true for him, but he didn't feel like it was for her.

### Adelaide

### January 25-27, 2008

They took a car from the airport to Haidin's house. It took about an hour to get there, but it seemed to Hilton they only went thirty miles or so. She watched the scenery out the window the whole time and felt like they were going way out of the main part of the city. Even though she didn't want to be here, she was stunned by the beauty of both the city and the suburbs, or wherever they were now. But then all of a sudden it seemed like they were just in the middle of farmland. Where the hell were they going?! She kept seeing signs saying things like Seaford Heights and Maslin Beach Road though, which excited her a little bit. She hadn't even known Adelaide was on the coast. She wondered what side of Australia they were on. She had no idea. She thought they might be driving south; the road they were on was called Main South Road. Maybe she would have some time to explore and sightsee, although she had no idea how she'd get back into the city from here. But if she got to go to the beach and see Adelaide, that would make this trip at least a little bit worth it. Finally they turned right onto a street called Sellicks Beach Road, and Hilton's hopes rose a little more. They turned again onto a smaller road that wound around a few curves. Hilton saw a few other roads with beachy names and a few driveways. This area looked pretty upscale and secluded. Not that she would've expected anything else.

Finally they turned into a long driveway leading to a house that appeared to overlook a cliff. Hilton inhaled sharply. It was beautiful. The house was white and modern-looking and the biggest house Hilton had ever seen, with columns framing the entrance and three balconies upstairs overlooking the driveway. As they got out of the car and she followed Haidin through the columns and up the steps, Hilton could hear the tide down below the cliff on the other side of the house, and she couldn't wait to look out on that side. As Haidin unlocked the door, she closed her eyes and breathed in the salt-water air. Aahhhh. At least it calmed her down a little bit; she still wanted to punch Haidin.

"Who all lives here?" she asked as she followed Haidin inside. The entrance was open and airy and led into a huge living room on the right that stretched backward and had picture windows covering the back wall. Hilton wanted to run and look out of them. On the left was some other kind of sitting room and a staircase leading up. She wondered what else was back behind the staircase. It looked like that side of the house went farther back than the living room side.

"Me."

"Where does your family live?"

"A different house."

Hilton rolled her eyes as he strode ahead of her toward the stairs. "So how long are we staying here?"

The front door opened again behind her and the driver deposited their luggage. "Oh, thanks," Hilton said. She'd been so enthralled by the house she hadn't even thought about her suitcase.

"Wait here," Haidin ordered the driver without even turning around. The driver nodded at Haidin's back and left, closing the front door behind him again. "A few days," Haidin answered Hilton.

"What are we doing while we're here?" She could hardly imagine long, lazy afternoons on the beach and laughter-filled dinners with Haidin's family.

"I don't give a shit what you do. I have to check up on things at the publishing company." He started up the stairs. "You'll have to carry your own shit up; I don't have any staff here except somebody to clean."

"Then why am I here?" Hilton asked, trying to keep her voice calm as she readjusted her purse so she could lift her carry-on over her shoulder. She wheeled her suitcase over to the stairs, then picked it up. She wouldn't mind seeing the publishing company and meeting the people there though...

Haidin stopped and waited for her at the top of the stairs, looking annoyed and like he wished she'd hurry up. She imagined standing down the second-floor hallway and shoving her suitcase at him so it sent him flying down the stairs and breaking both his legs. "To deal with Adelle."

"Oh, great," Hilton snapped. She reached the top of the stairs and glared at him as she set her suitcase down. "I thought my job was to get you good press, which I did, by the way. Thanks to me working for _GSM_ and them knowing I'm supposed to get you good press, they didn't put anything bad about you in the article that mentioned me. They saved all that for a separate article. If you wouldn't have been so fucking stupid on court all your press from this tournament would've been good."

Haidin's eyes lost their coldness for a brief moment, and he actually appeared interested. "You saw it already?"

Hilton dug it out of her shoulder bag and slammed it into his chest. "It's bad. Worse than Rome."

His eyes turned cold again, then he turned away from her and walked down the hall. He stopped at a door. "This is your room."

Hilton wheeled her suitcase past him, purposely running it into his foot pretty hard and pretending like she didn't even notice. The room was incredibly spacious and decorated in gray and bluish-green sea-like colors. There was a balcony on the far side, and she wanted to rush right to it, but she didn't want Haidin to know she was impressed. She stopped by the bed and dumped her shoulder bag and purse on it. "So how the hell am I supposed to 'deal with Adelle'? What does that even mean?"

"Who fucking knows, but she'll be around soon. She has people watch my house and tell her if I come home."

Hilton widened her eyes at him and lost her attitude a little bit. "Seriously?"

"Yep."

"What ever happened to her at the hotel that night?"

"Oscar took care of it."

Hilton wondered what he meant by that. It sounded like he'd had her killed or something. "What's the deal with her?"

"I told her years ago I want nothing to do with her and don't ever wanna see her again, and now whenever I'm in Australia she follows me around and tries to talk to me."

"Then why do you even come home? Why'd you buy a house in Adelaide?" She wondered what had happened between Haidin and his mom, or where his dad was. She realized she'd never heard anything about his family on TV. A lot of the time, players' families were at matches, and they were almost always shown on TV, and the commentators would tell a little about them. But she'd never seen anyone in Haidin's box besides Oscar or Aubrey...and now herself. Probably Haidin's mom just hadn't liked how he'd turned into a total asshole, and she'd tried to influence him to make some changes in his life, and he had told her he never wanted to talk to her again. Hilton felt kind of sorry for her.

" 'Cause of the publishing company. I have to make sure everything's going right and nobody fucks it up. And my grandpa built this house for me."

"Why don't you just sell it or something? Then you wouldn't have to come here."

Haidin's glare turned to solid ice. Hilton was taken by surprise before he even spoke. She'd obviously struck a sore spot of some kind. When he spoke, his voice was tight.

"My grandpa is the only person in my family I have any respect for. And it's none of your fucking business. Don't ever ask again." He slammed the door, leaving Hilton alone in the room.

She stared at the door for a moment, then shrugged and went to check out the balcony.

### ***

Hilton spent the rest of that afternoon and all of the next one on the beach. It was beautiful, and she only saw two other people the whole time she was laying out and taking pictures. She'd heard Haidin leave right after he slammed the door to her room yesterday, and she'd heard him come back around midnight, when she'd been in her room on her laptop, but she hadn't bothered to go out and see him. Today she'd slept in till almost noon, and he hadn't been home when she got up. When she'd gotten hungry last night, she'd wandered into the kitchen, which, like the other rooms, was spacious and had a beachy feel to it. To her surprise, she'd found it well-stocked and had been able to cook herself some dinner. She'd spent the evening watching Tanner's semifinal in her room, talking to Luke on the phone, playing around on Facebook, and reading out on her balcony. Since she was the only one in the house, she was shouting wildly and jumping around throughout Tanner's match. It felt good to finally be able to cheer for him, but it would've been better seeing it in person. Tanner ended up beating Nadal in five tight sets. Hilton was thrilled. He would play Novak Djokovic in the final Sunday, and Hilton prayed she'd be somewhere she could watch it live.

As she laid out on the beach Saturday, she thought again about how much it sucked that she hadn't gotten to see his semifinal in person, and that she hadn't had the possibility of getting to go out with him and Rory if they went out to celebrate last night. She wondered if Tanner had called her room or anything. She wondered if he'd noticed she wasn't at his match. Probably not. He would've been too focused on his game to even think about it. It practically killed her that if he won the whole thing tomorrow, she wouldn't be there to see it. And he would definitely go out to celebrate that win. That would be so crazily awesome...to party with Tanner Bruin after he won his first Grand Slam.

This totally sucked that she was here. The idea of not being there in person for his first Grand Slam victory when she so easily _could_ be practically made her feel sick. Fucking Haidin! She wondered where Tanner and Rory would go to celebrate and who all would go out with them. Probably all the other American players had left Melbourne already. But still...aagghh! She wanted to be there _so badly_. And it sucked she was missing good photo ops for _GSM_ too. She loved seeing her pictures in the magazine, and she surely would've gotten some good ones this weekend. She would one hundred percent rather be there than here, no matter how beautiful this beach was. She couldn't even go sightsee in Adelaide, because Haidin took the freaking car every time he left. Ugh! Maybe if they were still here Monday, or even tomorrow night after the final, she could call a taxi.

Her thoughts drifted back to Tanner and Rory. She wondered how long it would last between them. They seemed really into each other and rock solid right now, like things were going great. But it was still the beginning of the relationship, the honeymoon phase. She wondered how many tournaments Rory would be able to go to, and what would happen when she had to go back to work. How often would she and Tanner see each other? Maybe it would just sort of wear itself out after they had their fun for a few months, and Rory would want to get back to her normal life and devote more time to her job, like Bryony had. But then, Bryony was a model and an artist, so she needed time to work so she could make a name for herself. Maybe Rory would just quit her job so she could travel with Tanner.

And even if she didn't, Hilton had an uneasy feeling that Tanner and Rory could actually be right for each other. Rory could be The One for him. They had that weird high school connection, so that it seemed almost perfect how they'd ended up together now. They shared a childhood and a past; Rory wasn't some random celebrity or some Tanner groupie. She was normal. And she was apparently smart and had gone to a well-known college and had an awesome job. She was the girl Hilton would want most celebrity guys she liked to end up with. But that thought, that Rory could really be The One for _Tanner_ , made Hilton feel uncomfortably queasy.

### ***

Tanner lost on Sunday in four sets. Hilton was devastated. He won the first set in a tiebreaker, but then he completely lost control of the match, winning only seven more games total. But Hilton didn't feel like he'd even started playing badly; Djokovic had just suddenly turned it on, and it was like he'd left Tanner in the dust. Tanner was funny and gracious in his interview afterward, as always, but Hilton was just so bummed, and she was sure he was too. A chance at a Grand Slam title, and he'd come up extremely short...just as much so as he had against Federer at Wimbledon. It was like he jokingly said in his interview, "I don't even know what the hell happened out there. I felt like we were playing pretty even and then all of a sudden the match was over. I don't even remember it." He'd won the first set in just under an hour and seemed to be right in there with Djokovic, and then all of a sudden, just under an hour after that, he'd been down two sets to one and down a break already in the fourth. It was crazy how fast the tide could turn.

Hilton sat gloomily on her bed for several minutes, then she decided to try to find a phonebook or a list of phone numbers somewhere so she could call a cab to take her into the city. She found a phonebook in the kitchen and called a taxi company. They said the cab would arrive in about forty-five minutes, so Hilton went back upstairs to get ready. She wondered what Haidin had been doing all this time. She wasn't even sure he'd come home last night.

It only took her fifteen minutes to change and get ready, so she decided to wait for the cab outside. She grabbed her book to read while she waited and headed downstairs.

"There!" a voice screamed when Hilton opened the front door.

Hilton jumped about a mile and stared at the woman who had been sitting on Haidin's porch but was now right in front of her. Hilton's first impression, before she even really caught her breath, was that the woman reeked of alcohol. Hilton would've guessed she was in her late forties or around fifty, and she was slightly overweight with frumpy-looking short brown hair that looked like it hadn't been combed in weeks. She was tall though, and something in her face was slightly elegant, as though she used to be beautiful but had lived a rough life and lost her looks as a side effect.

When she saw Hilton, she frowned and appeared confused. "Who the hell are you?" she barked, and Hilton recognized her voice instantly. It was Adelle.

"I'm Hilton, Haidin's assistant," Hilton said, wanting to laugh. She felt major déjà vu from that night at LAX. She wondered about her earlier conclusion that Haidin's mom was really just trying to help him and he'd written her off. This didn't look like a lady who was trying to help anybody. She looked like the one who needed the help. But maybe Haidin writing her off was what had led her to this...showing up drunk wherever he was. If that's what she even did. Hilton really had no idea.

"Where's my son?!"

"I have no idea, actually."

Adelle leaned forward right in Hilton's face and shrieked, "Listen here, you little bitch, I know you're lying! I need to see Haidin, so you fucking tell me where he is!"

Hilton was completely taken aback. She sneered. "No, you listen. Haidin doesn't want anything to do with you, so even if I did know where he was, I wouldn't tell you. Maybe if you showed up sober sometime, he would actually wanna talk to you. But since that's obviously not the case, please get off his property." She turned around and went back inside, closing the door loudly behind her and then locking it because she absolutely didn't want Adelle coming in the house.

What the fuck, did you just stand up for Haidin?! her brain shouted at her. She kind of hated that she had, or that she'd taken his side in anything, but that woman was a total drunk bitch.

She decided to go upstairs to one of the rooms that had a balcony over the driveway so she could tell if Adelle left. Hilton didn't even know if there was a car in the driveway; she'd been too focused on Adelle to notice. She wondered if Adelle had driven herself here. She walked down the hallway toward the room farthest on one end of the house, where she thought she'd be least likely to be observed peering out of a window.

"Shut the fuck up, Aub! Do you not remember where I am?! She was just here."

Hilton's head whipped around to the closed door across from the room she'd been about to enter. Haidin was here?! Knowing she shouldn't but not caring, she snuck a couple steps closer to the door and listened. Haidin's voice was much quieter when he spoke again, and it was tight and tense.

"She was fucking drunk as always; I didn't know she was here but I knew she was around; I could just feel it when I got home last night, like she'd been here during the fucking day. I knew she had, and I knew she'd fucking be back. And then I heard her yelling. She was so fucking out of her mind, crazy fucking bitch. I wish she'd die."

Now Hilton was shocked by Haidin. Adelle might be a bitch, but to say he wished she would die?! That was horrible.

Haidin was silent for a minute, then he said, "She doesn't know shit. She just knows I hate her and to get rid of her. And she fucking did it too." He was silent for another brief second, then his voice was softer. "Maybe not. Look, I didn't mean the area code comment the other day....Good. I love you. Thanks for listening in the middle of the night. Sorry you had to get fucked up 'cause of me. I hope you at least had fun, and I'm glad you're not with Telan. Thank you for that, 'cause I couldn't have dealt with that tonight. Tell Vanessa hi....Okay, love you, Aub. Bye."

Hilton stared at the closed door in absolute shock. Haidin had actually seemed like a normal person for a minute there. He had said _I love you_ to someone. Twice. Holy shit. Well, of course she should've known he and Aubrey probably said that to each other and had their good moments...how else could they even be a couple? But she had just never been able to imagine it. She couldn't picture Haidin actually having a positive emotional connection with anyone because she'd only seen him be ridiculing, condescending, insulting, and an asshole. But just now, on the phone, he and Aubrey had seemed _close_. Not just like they had passion and chemistry, but like there was actually something else too. Aubrey obviously knew whatever the story was behind his mom, and he had called her in what was the middle of the night in the US to talk to her as soon as his mom showed up here.

Haidin and Aubrey actually had some sort of emotional bond. Hilton was still dumbstruck. She wondered how they'd made that connection with each other; it just seemed like something Haidin didn't do with people. He obviously didn't let people in easily or get close to many people. What about Aubrey had made him feel he could open up to her, or made him actually love her, when he didn't seem to even like anybody?

Hilton had absolutely no idea, but she was extremely curious now, and she still couldn't get over her incredulity. All she knew was her previous impression of Haidin and Aubrey's relationship had been shallow and inaccurate. They had a whole other level she never would have expected.

### Dale

### January 30-February 7, 2008

"That is so crazy," Jill breathed, her brown eyes wide. She shook her head. "I can't believe that either. It's just basically impossible to imagine Haidin being _nice_ to anybody!" She laughed.

"I know." Hilton shrugged. It was Wednesday night. She'd just gotten home today, and she was filling Jill, Todd, and Luke in on her trip to Adelaide.

"So you got to meet the people at the publishing company though?" Todd asked. "That's cool."

"Yeah, it was really cool. It made it seem real, you know?" Hilton grinned and hugged herself. She'd been cold ever since she set foot outside the airport; in Australia it'd been beautifully hot, and here it was in the low twenties. "But Haidin was such an asshole to them!" She rolled her eyes. "He was just introducing me to people, then he started asking to see some of the new books, and then he totally went off on everybody there for some random book they'd chosen to publish." She shook her head in bewilderment, her eyes wide. "I felt _so_ bad for them. It's like, how the fuck are they ever supposed to know which books he's gonna like or not? On a totally different day, he probably would've loved that book and been pissed about some other one."

"Why does he even own a publishing company?" Todd asked, looking totally mystified. "That's so weird to me. Haidin Bayliss? Publishing company? That doesn't seem to go together at all. And he actually cares about the books they pick?"

"I know!" Hilton cried. "That's what I thought too! But okay, this is weird." She leaned forward a little on the couch, and Jill, Todd, and Luke all leaned forward too. "I looked it up online, Adelaide International, and it said on Wikipedia it used to be owned by Lachlan Bayliss, who's Haidin's grandpa. And it said he left it to Haidin when he died. And when Haidin was telling me how his mom like follows him around whenever he's in Australia, I asked him why he didn't just sell his house so he wouldn't have to go home anymore, and he got _sooo_ pissed, and he said his grandpa built the house for him, and his grandpa was the only person in his family he respected, so I better never ask again. And then he slammed the door and left the room. And oh my gosh, you guys, if you think you've seen him look mad before..." She shook her head again and laughed a little.

"Seriously?" Luke asked. "Whoa, that is kinda weird. So he must feel like he has to keep it going for his grandpa then?"

"I don't know, I guess," Hilton said. "I'm just curious what happened between him and his mom now. 'Cause I figured she was probably totally nice and normal and he was just a freakshow asshole, but she really was fucking crazy. I can't believe I stood up for him though!" She shuddered, but she was laughing. " _That's_ fucking crazy. The fact that I took Haidin's side shows you how bad she was!"

"I can't believe you either," Todd said in a mock angry voice, his nose a little bit in the air. "You're such a traitor to all us good people. You've gone over to the bad side."

Hilton laughed and hit at Todd with the couch pillow next to her. He grinned and ducked. Jill and Luke laughed too.

"So you guys never talked about it though, after his mom left?" Jill asked.

"Nope. I still can't believe she took my cab. I was pissed, but it was kinda funny too. I don't have any idea how she got to his house. I guess another cab."

When Hilton's cab had come half an hour after her confrontation with Adelle, Hilton had watched, half laughing incredulously, from an upstairs window as Adelle marched over to the cab, got in, shut the door, and the cab drove off. "Huh," Hilton had said aloud. "Interesting."

"I heard him say that to Aubrey on the phone, about how Adelle had been there and I got rid of her, but he never even came out of his room that night," she continued now to Jill, Luke, and Todd. "And then the next day he woke me up and was like, 'We're going to the publishing company.' He didn't even give me a chance to say no or _ask_ me if I wanted to go; he just told me. But I mean, what can I expect?" She batted her eyelashes and spread her arms in a helpless shrug. "I'm just so lucky to get to work for Haidin Bayliss, I jump at his every command," she said in a pretend breathless voice. She giggled, and so did Jill. Then she turned serious again. "But I actually think he did it 'cause it was his weird way of thanking me for getting rid of her and sticking up for him. Of course he could never _say_ thank you. Well, not to anybody but Aubrey, that is...apparently." They all laughed again. "But I could be totally wrong. Who knows with him. Maybe he wasn't trying to thank me at all. But yeah, he never said anything to me about the Adelle incident at all. And he told Aubrey I don't know shit; I just know he doesn't like Adelle and to get rid of her. I don't know." She shook her head again. "I just have this feeling something big went down there."

### ***

"I'm so glad you're home," Luke whispered to Hilton as they lay in bed later that night. "I missed you so much." He grinned. "That was definitely the longest I've gone without having sex since we started dating. That wasn't fun."

Hilton laughed and kissed him. "I missed you too," she said. "And yeah, I missed the sex too." But as she was saying it, the horrifying revelation struck her that she really _hadn't_ missed him. She hadn't thought about it. She'd been too caught up in everything else going on, and that stuff had taken up all her time and thoughts. Well, not _all_ her time and thoughts—she had missed Luke and Jill and Todd the way you would miss anyone who had been in your life every day for so many years. They were the people she was usually around most, so lots of things had made her think of them, and she had wished they were with her to see or hear some of the crazy stuff Haidin had said and done. But she really hadn't missed Luke _differently_ from how she'd missed Jill or Todd. If she was completely honest with herself, she would have to say she'd missed Jill the most. Jill had been the one she'd most wished were there to experience everything with her...all of Haidin's outrageousness, all of Tanner's...well, just all of Tanner.

And that was why. She realized it with a wave of guilt that felt like a punch in the stomach. The reason she'd missed Jill the most and wished Jill were the one there with her was because of Tanner. Jill was the only one she could talk to about Tanner. Well...she could talk to Luke about him, but she had to limit herself; she had to be careful what she said. Jill was the only one she could share with completely, the only one who would understand, or who already did understand without her even having to say anything. And one of the reasons she hadn't been thinking about Luke sometimes or missing him was because she'd been thinking about Tanner's next match or caught up in his current one.

She felt absolutely horrible. She felt like she'd betrayed Luke somehow. Of course she knew traveling changed the way you thought and even what you thought about; distance did crazy things. A lot of the time while you were traveling it was like that trip was a whole other life; everything back home seemed remote and totally separate. She knew that because she'd traveled a lot, and it happened to some extent every time.

But the extent to which it had happened this time scared her. She felt an urgent need to make it up to Luke.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked. He kissed her forehead.

"Nothing really," Hilton said, but she knew her voice sounded glum. "I was just thinking, I _was_ gone for a long time. And I wish you would've been there with me." She really did wish that, because if he'd been there and she'd been with him every day, she wouldn't have ever thought about whether she'd missed him, and she wouldn't be freaking out right now.

"Me too," Luke whispered. "How come you decided not to travel any more after Adelaide? Or at least stay there a few more days and see the city?"

"I don't know," Hilton said. "I really had wanted to earlier, but Adelaide was just so weird it totally threw me off. I was just ready to come home and get away from anything Haidin-associated." She laughed a little. "Plus I'd rather go back to all those places with you."

Luke grinned. She'd said exactly what he'd hoped she would. He felt way more relaxed than he had all night. "Yeah, maybe we'll end up naming our kid Great Barrier Reef."

"How about just Barrier?" Hilton said, pretending to be completely serious. "I think that could be kinda cool. He could go by Barr, spelled B-a-r-r but pronounced 'Bear.' Like the beginning of _Barr_ ier." Then she laughed. "Okay, I actually do kinda like that."

Luke laughed. "You are out of control."

Yeah, Hilton thought to herself, the guilt rushing back. I really might be.

### ***

"I can't believe you're leaving again already," Luke said the following Thursday outside the Indy airport. "I'm bummed." He laughed sadly as he and Hilton hugged goodbye.

"I know. But a week from today!" Hilton said, pulling back to flash him an excited grin.

"I know. I guess I can't complain that I have to spend Valentine's Day in Florida this year." Luke laughed.

"I know." Hilton winked sassily at him. "You have your world-renowned tennis photographer girlfriend to thank for that."

Luke laughed more genuinely this time.

Hilton saw an airport policeman headed their way. "Shit! You're gonna get in trouble for taking too long." She kissed him again quickly. "Okay, bye! See you in a week!" She raised her hand in a wave as she grabbed her bag and started to back away.

"Bye, baby."

### Delray Beach

### February 7-12, 2008

Hilton spent the first weekend in Delray Beach hitting the practice courts with Haidin. Zeke Blackman, his normal practice partner, wasn't playing in this tournament, which was much smaller than the Australian Open. It had a draw of only thirty-two, while the Australian's draw size was 128. But Hilton was happy that a lot of her favorites, including Tanner, Mardy, James, Nate, Noah, and the Bryan brothers, were all playing. There were two other tournaments this week too, one in France and one in Brazil, so a lot of the non-American players were at those instead. That was how it would be most of the year—multiple tournaments each week in completely separate locations. That was why she had no idea where she'd be at any given time, because not only did she have no idea if Haidin would play every week, but she also had no idea which tournaments he would pick. She was hoping he'd pick a lot of the North American ones, because those were the ones Tanner and the other American players would mostly be playing in. She thought there was a fairly good chance he would, because she remembered him playing in a lot of those in the past, and they were mostly hard-court, which was Haidin's best surface.

On Saturday afternoon Hilton had just gotten back to the hotel from the practice courts when her phone rang in her room. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, hey, what's up?!" Tanner said. "Oh, this is Tanner."

Hilton grinned. She thought it was cute the way he always told her, like she wouldn't have any idea who the random guy calling her room was. "Hey!" she said.

"Wanna hit the beach with me and Rory?"

"Sure!" Hilton was pumped; she'd been hoping she'd have a chance to go to the beach. But she was also bummed for a split second that Rory was here. That went right along with what she'd thought about Rory being able to travel with him all the time and the two of them lasting...

"All right, awesome. See ya downstairs in fifteen?"

### ***

The day was a little bit chilly, but it was still warm enough to lay out. When the wind stopped completely and the sun shone right down on her, Hilton thought it felt about perfect. And she didn't care if it was a little cold; she was just happy to be at the beach.

"So Luke didn't come down for the weekend?" Tanner asked as they sat on their towels, looking out over the water. The beach wasn't too crowded; some people were walking their dogs, and some kids were playing Frisbee in the ocean and laughing and shrieking because of how cold the water was. A couple other groups of people sat in beach chairs around them, reading or talking. Hilton felt totally relaxed and peaceful.

"No," she said. "He's coming for Valentine's Day."

" _Ohhh_ ," Tanner said with a grin. "Well that's cool. What are you guys gonna do?"

"I don't know. I think it'd be kinda cool to come have a picnic on the beach or something. I hope it's nice. What are you guys doing?"

"I have to leave tomorrow," Rory said. "I have to work. And next weekend I have to go to Chicago to look at some stuff from designers. So I came this weekend."

"Oh," Hilton said. "That sounds cool. Do you travel a lot for work?"

"Yeah, sometimes. I have to go around and look at designers' stuff and go to fashion shows and sometimes just check out random little stores, you know. Like try to find hidden treasures." She laughed.

"Hidden treasures of gorgeous ski apparel?" Hilton grinned.

"Oh yeah, 'cause it's in abundance," Rory said, grinning back. "No but seriously, they make me do that. If they get a tip or see somebody wearing something, I sometimes get sent to go check it out. It's pretty cool though. I love my job."

Hmmm, Hilton thought to herself. It doesn't really sound like she'll be quitting work to travel with Tanner. But that still didn't shake the weird half nauseous feeling Hilton got whenever she thought about the possibility that Tanner and Rory could be totally right for each other. For some reason, it actually brought it on a little stronger.

"I wish I got to meet Luke though," Rory said. "I saw that picture of him in _Game Set Match_ , the one with you guys and Bryony." She motioned between Hilton and Tanner. "He's hot!"

"Thanks," Hilton said with a grin. "He is. I'm sure you'll meet him sometime."

"He was at my charity weekend," Tanner told Rory. Then he flashed her a mischievous grin that lit up his pale green eyes. "But you were a little too preoccupied by me."

"Well how could I not be?!" Rory grinned suggestively at him, and they kissed, then Tanner slung his arm around her and pulled her head down to his lap. Hilton had to look away.

Yeah, she thought. How could I not be?

### ***

As Hilton walked down the hall from the elevator to her hotel room a few hours later, she flipped through the pictures she'd taken at the beach. Deidre was going to love them. She had a couple of Tanner and Rory sitting on their towels talking—she'd told them to "look natural, like I'm just a passerby and you guys are by yourselves," and it had been hilarious trying to get the pictures because they'd all kept laughing—and a few of them playing in the water and splashing each other. She kind of wished she'd gotten one of her and Tanner or all three of them, so she'd have something for her own scrapbook and Facebook photo album to remind her of the time she'd gone to the beach with Tanner Bruin.

"Where the hell have you been?!"

Hilton looked up. Haidin was waiting outside her door.

"At the beach." She walked past him and slid her keycard into the door.

"Well fucking great, thanks for fucking telling me." Haidin's piercing almost-black eyes glared at her as she pushed the door open. He followed her into the room.

"Why, did you need something?"

"Yeah, I need to fucking get in your room so Oscar can't find me. He's been breathing down my neck all fucking day already about making sure I get good fucking press this time."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't fucking know. But maybe the next time you decide to just leave for a day you could notify me first, since I'm your boss."

"Yes, I'm so sorry, sir, I'll try much harder."

Haidin narrowed his eyes, still giving her an icy stare. "I see why Aubrey said you were a bitch. You didn't tell me she knew you. Don't piss her off unless I tell you to. That's my decision." He turned and left the room, leaving Hilton staring after him and laughing.

### ***

Hilton spent all day Monday at the tournament. She saw Noah's, Nate's, and Mardy's first-round matches and got tons of good pictures. She practiced with Haidin, and that night she went to Tanner's first-round match. He won easily. Hilton noticed there was someone besides his coach and trainer in his box, a man she didn't know. Later, when the _GSM_ car dropped her off at the hotel, Tanner was laughing and shaking hands with the same man in the lobby.

"Hey!" Tanner called, jogging up to Hilton as she passed him and headed for the elevators. "What are you doing?"

"Hey! Good job tonight. I'm just going up to my room to change. Then I'm probably gonna sit in the lobby all night and see if anybody goes out." There was actually a good chance of people going out tonight, because those who had played and won today wouldn't play again till Wednesday. Maybe Tanner and Nate would go out...

"Ooohh, go out? That sounds like a good idea. Nate and I and maybe Mardy were gonna grab some dinner. Wanna come? We'll give you good photo ops." He grinned. "And we might end up at a bar."

Hilton laughed, thrilled. "Sure, I can come."

"Awesome. Hey, did you see that guy I was just talking to?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, that's my 'real' lawyer. Look, now that we're in Florida, he showed up at a match." Tanner laughed.

"Well Luke's coming to your matches later this week too. All the way from Indiana." Hilton grinned. "He's so much better."

"You don't have to convince me."

### ***

They went to dinner at a steakhouse and then went to a bar. It was just the four of them—Hilton, Tanner, Nate, and Mardy—and Hilton got pretty drunk. She was happy to once again, like that night in Melbourne, be hanging out with a group of guys. And these guys were so much fun...at least as fun as her guy friends from college, if not more so. She did get good pictures of Tanner, Nate, and Mardy, and then Tanner said, "Hey, you need to be in them though too. I told you in Melb you were on the tour now, and they published that shit!" Tanner motioned to a server and asked her to take a picture, and then he ordered another round of drinks. "And you're even more of a star now," Tanner said with a grin at Hilton. "Now that you're tied to Hades."

"Shut up!" Hilton laughed. "That's definitely not how I'd wanna get my fame."

"Oh, don't worry, you'll get it from your books," Tanner said so confidently that Hilton's heart melted. That was so cute and sweet.

Just then two girls approached their table. They were looking at each other and giggling, and they looked like they could barely be eighteen, much less twenty-one. "Um, you guys are Tanner Bruin and Mardy Fish and Nate Young, aren't you?" one of them asked, still giggling.

"That's us," Nate said. "And who are you lovely ladies?"

Hilton met Tanner's eyes and laughed. Nate was so funny.

"Um, I'm Jasmine and this is Katie."

"Well hi, Jasmine and Katie."

The girl who hadn't been talking suddenly looked at Hilton. "Hey! You're that girl who was in _Game Set Match_! Haidin Bayliss' assistant!"

Tanner burst out laughing.

Hilton tried to answer, but when Tanner started laughing she lost it too. "Yeah," she finally managed to get out. "I'm Hilton."

"Oh my gosh, what's it like working for him?! He's so hot!" the first girl gushed.

"I don't comment on my work life," Hilton said, then she burst out laughing again. Tanner was dying; he had his head buried in his arms, and he looked up at Hilton for a brief moment, his green eyes sparkling and his nose scrunched up with laughter, then they both lost it all over again.

"They're drunk," Nate said helpfully. "Don't worry about them. How about I buy you ladies some shots?"

Jasmine and Katie giggled and agreed excitedly, and Nate stood up and ushered them toward the bar.

### ***

Hilton couldn't stop laughing the whole next day, even while she was sitting at Haidin's match. After Nate had taken the girls off to the bar, she and Tanner had been in hysterics all night. It had been a blast. They had laughed with Mardy at Nate and what a pimp he was; he'd stayed at the bar with those girls after buying them shots and minutes later had been surrounded by three more.

"There's his dates to the next _GSM_ party," Tanner had said, and he and Hilton had laughed so hard they'd barely been able to breathe. They were both in the tipsy mood where everything was funny. They'd stayed out for a few hours and taken a cab back to the hotel. Hilton had woken up this morning with a little bit of a headache, and she'd been a little out of it while she was warming up with Haidin, but it had been totally worth it.

"What the fuck is with you today?!" Haidin had snapped while they were practicing, and Hilton had just started laughing. Then Tanner had walked onto the practice courts and spotted her immediately. They had made eye contact and both started cracking up. Haidin had turned to see whom Hilton was looking at, then he'd glared at her and spat on the ground.

Haidin won his match easily, in less than an hour. Hilton was glad, because Luke's trip here was dependent on Haidin still being in the tournament on Thursday; if he'd lost today, who knew where he would've made Hilton go. But she was a little worried about his second-round match, which would be on Thursday. She prayed he wouldn't get the night match; most likely it would go to an American player like Blake. That was who was playing the night match tonight. Usually the night matches went to players who would draw in the most fans, since more people were able to come on weeknights than weekdays. A lot of businesses had corporate box seats too, so obviously they'd rather see somebody like Blake than some unheard-of or widely disliked player. Luke's flight got in at four in the afternoon on Thursday, so ideally Haidin would play the first match in the afternoon, and then Hilton could just go spend the rest of the day with Luke. But if Haidin did for some reason play the night match, it wouldn't be _that_ huge of a deal...she and Luke could still go out afterward, and she would just hope Haidin played a day match Friday so she could spend Friday night with Luke too. He would be here all weekend, and she was excited. It had been so fun when he'd come to London with her and when they'd gone to the Indy tournament together, plus she still felt guilty for how she hadn't missed him differently from Jill or Todd while she was in Australia. So once he got here, she was going to blow off some matches at which she could take pictures for _GSM_ and spend as much time with him as possible _._

### Dale

### Valentine's Day 2008

"Oh my gosh."

"What?" Todd asked sleepily, rolling towards Jill's voice. He opened his eyes to find her standing and peering out the window blinds. "Is it morning already? Let's have sex."

Jill laughed. He looked so hot when he woke up, with his normally messy hair even messier and splayed all over the place, still half spiked up. She leaned over to kiss him, and he tried to pull her back onto the bed. But her expression quickly became serious. "No, look outside."

"What?" Todd sat up and yawned, the covers falling off his bare chest and stomach. Jill stared for a second; the sight of him naked or even without a shirt always left her breathless. He leaned toward the window, and Jill pulled the blind up.

"Holy shit." Todd's mouth dropped open, and he and Jill shared a troubled look. "Is he awake yet?" Todd looked at the clock. It was 7:01. "Shit, he's gonna be getting up any minute. Let's check online." Todd jumped out of bed and leaned over the computer.

Jill leaned forward over it as well, and as Todd opened Firefox, they looked at each other again, their eyes grim.

"It's an hour from here," Jill said. "It could be totally fine." She glanced out the window again. There was probably close to a foot of snow on the ground.

Todd quickly typed "indianapolis airport" into Yahoo! search. When the results came up, he clicked on the first one. The page loaded, and his and Jill's eyes met again.

"Shit," Todd said. "Shit. This is not gonna be good."

"No." Jill shook her head. "He's not gonna take it well."

"I feel so fuckin' sorry for him," Todd said, his eyes still locked with Jill's. He shook his head too, then stood up and ran his hand through his hair.

Jill looked around the room and grabbed a pair of cotton shorts and a T-shirt off the floor.

"Wait," Todd said, grabbing her wrist loosely as she started to throw them on. He pulled her against him and ran his hands down her bare back. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said.

Jill grinned up at him. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Todd suddenly pinched her ass, and Jill shrieked and jumped away from him.

Todd laughed and pulled her back to him. "Don't get dressed," he said in a low, playful voice. "It's more fun when we're naked." He rubbed against her a little, grinning obnoxiously yet cutely at the same time. "I just decided I'm not going to work today. I'm so sick." He gave two ridiculously weak coughs.

"Ohhhh, that sounds amazing," Jill said, closing her eyes and locking her arms around his neck.

"What, you want me to get you sick?" Todd leaned down and coughed in her face.

"Todd!" Jill laughed and hit him away. Todd laughed too. They flashed grins at each other, and Todd slid into her a little bit.

"Mmmmm, Jill," he said, closing his eyes and running his hands down her sides and over her hips.

"Mmmmm," Jill moaned back, her eyes closed as well. He felt so good...

"Shit!" Luke yelled from the living room.

Jill's and Todd's eyes flew open and they stared at each other. "Shit," they both echoed, then they grabbed for clothes.

"We're definitely finishing that later," Todd whispered to Jill, putting his hands on her waist as he followed her out of the room. He gave her a quick squeeze, and she turned and flashed him a grin. "Stay in front of me," he whispered. "I don't want Luke to see my boner." Jill covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Dude, are you fucking kidding me?!" Luke cried as they came into the living room. He gestured angrily toward the balcony and then toward the TV. "Oh, sorry," he said, lowering his voice to a loud whisper. "I hope Adria didn't hear that. But fuck!" He walked over to the balcony door and let his head fall forward against the glass. When he turned back to Jill and Todd, his brown eyes were filled with despair. He looked so devastated, like an innocent little boy who'd had something horrible happen to him and he couldn't understand why.

Jill ran over to give him a hug. "I'm so sorry, Luke," she whispered, shaking her head into his shoulder and almost feeling like she might cry for him. As she backed away, she realized the strangeness of that. For _him_.

Not for him and Hilton not getting to see each other, not for both of them. For _him_. For Luke not getting to see Hilton. Because that's what it was. It was Luke not getting to see Hilton. It was something that was such a big deal to him; like she'd said, he wasn't taking it well. But she didn't think it would be that big of a deal to Hilton. Hilton would be disappointed, of course, but Jill wasn't worried about her...she didn't need to feel sorry for her. Hilton _would_ take it okay. And Todd felt the same way. Jill didn't know if he'd realized it, but she knew if she brought it up to him, he would agree. Those looks they'd exchanged in their room when they saw the airport was closed, and Todd's comment that this wasn't gonna be good...Todd felt sorry for Luke too. Not Hilton. Because he too knew that this wouldn't be that big of a blow for her, but that it would be devastating for Luke.

"Hey, dude, it's only seven in the morning," Todd said, trying to offer Luke some hope. He was sitting in the chair with a pillow over his lap, and Jill had to look into the corner of the room and cover her mouth again. "Your flight's not for like what, a few hours? It might be okay by then." He shrugged. "You never know."

"I just can't even believe this." Luke sank dejectedly onto the couch.

Cookie Monster left his lazy stretched-out position on the coffee table and jumped to the floor, where he rubbed against Luke's legs. Aspen sat on a square shelf that held a candle in the middle and was fastened to the wall way above the TV, almost as high as the ceiling, looking haughtily on, and Jill thought it was like a weird representation of Luke and Hilton. Cookie Monster, the one Luke had picked, rubbing against Luke's legs in sympathy, while Aspen, the one Hilton had picked, sat completely out of reach.

"When the fuck am I gonna see my girlfriend again?" Luke asked, and his voice sounded a little hopeless.

Jill and Todd looked at him sympathetically. Hilton had called last night to say Oscar had emailed her Haidin's schedule up through the beginning of the French Open in late May. There were only two weeks Haidin wasn't scheduled to play, one in March and one in May.

"Hey, the week Haidin doesn't play in March is only like two and a half weeks away," Jill said. "And if he loses early the week before that, she'll probably get to come home early."

"No, she'll probably stay to take pics for _GSM_ ," Luke said flatly, rubbing Cookie Monster's head and staring at the wall.

"Well isn't that one Memphis?" Todd asked, running his hand through his hair again. "I thought you were gonna try to go to that one. That's not that far at all."

"I'll probably get fucking snowed in," Luke said bitterly. Then a moment later he said, "I don't even know if I fuckin' wanna go anymore. She wasn't even disappointed when she got that schedule last night."

"No, she was _excited_ ," Jill reminded him. " 'Cause she didn't know if she'd have _any_ weeks off, but she has two. I know this sucks, Luke, but you have to look at the positive side of it." She sat down by him on the couch and put her arm around him. "You have us. I know that's not that great, but we really are here for you. And any time you wanna go out, or do whatever, we will."

"Yep, for sure, dude," Todd said with a nod.

"And hey, you could still fly down tomorrow," Jill said. "I'm sure they'll get the runways and the roads cleared by then. You guys would still have the whole weekend."

"Whatever," Luke said. "I just don't even feel in the mood anymore. It's like, how much bad fucking luck can I get? I didn't even want her to take this fucking job in the first place."

That pissed Jill off a little bit. She bit her tongue before going off on him about what a great opportunity this was for Hilton and how much Hilton would've missed out on if she didn't take the job. She knew Luke knew all that; he'd probably just made that comment because he was feeling like shit right now. "Yeah, but do you wanna just let the whole weekend get ruined?" she asked instead. "You could still see her."

"I don't know. I don't know. I just...I feel like I don't know anything anymore."

### Delray Beach

### Valentine's Day 2008

"Hey, so when does Luke get here?" Tanner asked with a grin as he jogged up beside Hilton. She and Haidin were leaving the practice courts; they'd just warmed up for Haidin's match, which would be in about an hour. Tanner had been practicing that whole time too, a couple courts down.

Hilton gave him a morose look. "He's not coming. We got like over a foot of snow at home, and the airport's closed."

"What?" Tanner's mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide.

"Yeah. I'm so bummed. And I'm just...I feel bad." She knew Luke was crushed; on the phone he'd been angry—at the snow, at the airport, at everything—but she knew under that he was devastated. She felt horrible. She was really disappointed too, but she knew it was ten times multiplied for him. He was the one stuck at home, snowbound, trapped, with no means of escape, while she was the one in Florida with gorgeous weather and lots of other stuff to do. But still, she thought now, shouldn't I feel just as devastated as him? She didn't know why she didn't, and it freaked her out a little.

"That sucks, Hilton, I'm sorry."

"Coming?" Haidin asked Hilton rudely.

She looked back at Tanner and rolled her eyes glumly. "See ya. Good luck tomorrow if I don't see you before then."

### ***

To Hilton's surprise, when she walked into the stadium to take her seat before Haidin's match, Oscar was already sitting in Haidin's box...and so was Aubrey. Hilton hadn't known Aubrey was coming today, but she figured she should've thought of the possibility, since it was Valentine's Day. She hadn't considered since first getting the job what it would be like when she and Aubrey were both at a match and both sitting in his box. The thought had occurred to her then, but when Aubrey hadn't been in Australia, she'd kind of forgotten about it.

Hilton walked the rest of the way down the stairs and took the remaining front-row seat. That put Oscar between her and Aubrey. She looked in Aubrey's direction. "Hey," she said around Oscar. She knew Aubrey wouldn't want to talk to her, and she was hoping to amuse herself a little, because she was still bummed out about Luke.

"Don't talk to me," Aubrey said without turning. She was wearing her D&G sunglasses, as always, and her long shiny black hair hung down over her shoulders.

Hilton laughed. "All right, that's cool," she said, holding her hands up to show she was backing off. She settled back in her seat to watch the players warm up, and she and Aubrey didn't say another word to each other the rest of the match.

### ***

Haidin once again won easily, and since Hilton now had no plans for the night, she decided she might as well see if Haidin and Aubrey went out and try to follow them to get some pictures for _GSM_. And it would be good press for Haidin too...him with Aubrey on Valentine's Day...no crazy cheating scandal or anything like that. She thought about just asking Haidin to let her follow and snap a couple pictures of them wherever they went, but after Aubrey's icy blow-off at the match, she wasn't sure they would tell her that was okay. So she sat in the hotel lobby to wait for them, thinking about Luke and feeling bummed.

It was 8:30 and she'd been waiting for an hour, bored out of her mind, when Tanner stepped off the elevator. He saw her and smiled as he headed in her direction.

"Hey!" she greeted him.

"Hey! I just tried calling your room."

"Oh, what's up?"

"I was just gonna see if you wanted to get dinner. Since neither of us has any plans for V-Day now." He said the last sentence dryly.

Hilton's heart raced. "Yeah, sure, that's cool. I was gonna try to follow Haidin and Aubrey out, but I've been waiting for an hour and they haven't come down. Maybe they're spending the night in their room." She smirked.

"Hey, there they are." Tanner nodded, and Hilton turned to look. Haidin and Aubrey were exiting another elevator.

"Oh!" Hilton laughed and stood up from her chair.

"Hey, I'll come with you." Tanner flashed his gorgeous grin. "It'll be more fun that way."

"Hell yeah it will." Hilton flashed a grin back. "Come on!" Haidin and Aubrey had just walked out the front doors, and Hilton rushed after them, Tanner following close behind.

They jumped in a _GSM_ car out front. This hotel wasn't as big as some of the ones in other cities, and it didn't have cabs constantly waiting, so Deidre had hired a couple cars to sit outside for instances like this. "Follow that car, please," Hilton said to the driver, who nodded and gave her a small salute. Hilton laughed, feeling a rush like she had in Paris last summer when the idea of following somebody was completely new to her. But tonight she knew the rush was because of Tanner.

Haidin and Aubrey's car stopped outside a restaurant called Bleu Noir. Hilton and Tanner waited until they were inside, then stepped out of their own car.

"Let's wait another minute, to make sure they're seated," Hilton said.

When they finally entered, Haidin and Aubrey were nowhere in sight. The restaurant was extremely dark inside and looked pretty upscale.

"What's your name?" the hostess asked Hilton.

"We don't have a reservation."

"It's going to be at least a two-hour wait. We're booked with reservations through eleven, unless someone doesn't show up." Suddenly she glanced behind Hilton and saw Tanner for the first time. Her eyes went wide, then she swallowed. "I mean, just a minute, let me clear a table for you."

Tanner stepped up beside Hilton. "If possible, could we be in the same room as Haidin Bayliss and Aubrey Gage? But not too close to them."

Hilton laughed.

The hostess looked surprised, but she nodded quickly and said, "Sure. No problem," and disappeared.

"Perfect," Hilton said, grinning at Tanner. "So we can get some pics."

"Yeah, but so we don't have to be right by them." He grinned back, and they nodded at each other, both scrunching up their faces and half laughing. "I wouldn't normally butt in front of people," Tanner said. "But we gotta get pics. We're on a mission, people. Sorry."

Hilton laughed. "Hey, I don't mind."

The hostess came back and led them to a table. Hilton spotted Haidin and Aubrey at a small table in the back corner. They were holding hands across the table. If Hilton didn't know them, she would've thought they looked cute together.

"Thanks," Tanner said with a grin at the hostess.

She gave him a slightly star-struck grin back. "No problem. Someone will be right with you guys."

"So guess where Nate is tonight." Tanner grinned mischievously.

"Where?"

"Out with one of those girls from the bar the other night."

"No way. The eighteen-year-olds?"

Tanner laughed. "Yeah."

Hilton laughed too. "Somehow I'm not even surprised." Nate was so hilarious.

"Uh, me either. Let's order something totally outrageous. Like something we don't even know what it is."

"I'm gonna _do_ something totally outrageous," Hilton said, grabbing her camera out of her bag and standing up. She walked right up to about five feet in front of Haidin and Aubrey's table, focused the camera, and flashed a picture.

Aubrey and Haidin turned to her, both their faces shocked and fixed in nasty sneers.

Hilton smiled at Haidin and shrugged helplessly. "Good press. Sorry, just trying to help."

"You fucking followed me here?!" Haidin hissed. "You're gonna get kicked out. They're gonna think you're some groupie."

"No, I won't get kicked out. I might even be higher priority than you." Hilton nodded toward her table, where Tanner was talking to a server.

Haidin glared at her. "Well thanks for my ' _good press_.' Now get the fuck away so I can enjoy Valentine's Day with my girlfriend."

Hilton grinned. "Good to see you, Aub." She waved cutely, then turned and walked back to her own table.

"Did you get it?" Tanner asked. "The waitress came, so I didn't see."

"Oh yeah." Hilton flipped back to the picture and looked at it, then showed Tanner.

"Nice." He nodded. "That will be good press for him. What'd they say?"

Hilton tried to twist her face up like Haidin's and Aubrey's. " _You fucking followed me here?! You're gonna get kicked out; they're gonna think you're a groupie. Thanks for my 'good press.' Now get the fuck away and let me enjoy Valentine's Day with my girlfriend._ "

Tanner laughed in delight and turned to look. Haidin and Aubrey were glaring in their direction. Tanner waved, and Hilton burst out laughing. Haidin and Aubrey gave them disgusted looks and turned away.

"Hey, I ordered you a rum and Coke," Tanner said. "Is that cool? If not, don't feel bad getting something else. I'm just in a weird mood. I feel like rum and Coke isn't what you're supposed to order here, so that's why I did it."

Hilton laughed. "No, I think it's definitely more like wine." She looked around. Everyone near them was drinking wine or water.

"Awesome. What are you gonna get to eat?"

"I don't know, I haven't even looked at the menu." She laughed.

"Oh," Tanner said, as though not realizing she hadn't even spent any time at the table yet.

The waitress came back with their drinks. "Are you ready to order?"

"Do you think they'd make us something special?" Tanner asked. "We don't even care what. Something really weird. My girlfriend and her boyfriend couldn't be here for Valentine's Day, so we're in a weird mood."

"Um, sure! I'm sure the chef would be happy to make you something, Mr. Bruin."

"It's Tanner."

"Oh, okay." She beamed at him much like the hostess had. "Okay, well I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." He handed his menu back. "Wait, do you wanna still order something?" he asked Hilton. "Sorry, I'm not just trying to order for you or anything."

"Nope." Hilton handed her menu back as well, smiling at the waitress. "I'm in the mood for weird too. Bring me anything." She could feel Tanner smiling at her. Then as the waitress moved away, Hilton did a double-take. "Hey!" she said. "Those people are from _Game Set Match_." She pointed subtly at a table halfway across the room, at which sat Myra and Eric, the guy who'd dressed totally inappropriately for Tanner's Best Friends with Benefits Gala. It looked like he had done it again too; he was wearing a bright orange wife-beater. Hilton couldn't tell what kind of pants he had on, but he was totally out of place in the fancy restaurant. Hilton was surprised he'd even gotten in. She was surprised to see him with Myra too, and on Valentine's Day, at a restaurant that only had room for people who'd made reservations. "Are they _dating_?" she asked aloud, even though she was mostly talking to herself.

"I've seen that guy at a bunch of my matches," Tanner said.

"Yeah, he's a photographer. She's a reporter."

Myra suddenly looked up and saw Hilton looking her way. Hilton waved.

Myra waved back, then said something to Eric and stood up and walked toward Hilton's table.

"Hey!" Hilton said as she approached. "What are you guys doing here?!"

Myra grinned in greeting, looking from Hilton to Tanner. "Hey! Well..." She glanced back at Eric. "I don't know if I'm actually supposed to tell you this...but we're kinda supposed to follow you."

" _Me?_ " Hilton asked, completely shocked. "What?! Why?"

"Yeah...like I guess now that you're friends with Haidin, or working for him or whatever." She wrung her hands in a weird way and seemed strangely nervous. "Deidre thought it was gonna be a dead night tonight, 'cause everybody plays tomorrow, so..."

"Wow," Hilton said, not knowing what to think. "Huh."

"Yeah....Sorry, I know it's kinda weird."

"No, it's okay, I mean I guess it's your assignment." Hilton just had no idea why Deidre would want them to follow _her_. Tanner, sure, Haidin and Aubrey, sure...but hadn't they already done their story on her? What more was there to say?

"So..." Myra said, "would you guys like wanna say anything? Like tell about what you're doing for Valentine's Day? And maybe let Eric get a picture? You know, so then D'll think we did a good job?" She laughed.

Hilton laughed too. "Yeah, I've been in that position plenty of times. Well, that's cool with me, I guess..." She looked to Tanner.

"Sure," he said without hesitation. "We can give shout-outs to Rory and Luke."

"Okay!" Hilton said, suddenly excited. That would be awesome.

"Okay, cool, let me get Eric." Myra hurried off.

"See, you might as well be on the tour," Tanner said with a grin.

"Shut up," Hilton laughed.

Myra came back with a notepad and with Eric in tow.

"Okay, so, what are you guys up to tonight?"

"Just out for dinner," Hilton said.

"Hanging out and missing Rory and Luke," Tanner said. He grinned at Hilton, and she smiled back.

"How come they couldn't be here?"

"Luke got snowed in. There was a blizzard in Indiana and the airport's closed."

"Rory's in Chicago for work. She was here last weekend though."

"Do you guys wanna say anything to them?"

"I love you so much, Luke," Hilton said. "I miss you and I can't wait to see you, and it breaks my heart we didn't get to spend Valentine's Day together." It did, but more so because she couldn't stand to think about him being totally bummed than because she didn't get to see him. She felt that wave of guilt again.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Rory. You rock my world," Tanner said. Now Hilton felt a brief wave of...something else. Whatever it was, it was unpleasant. She quickly pushed it away.

Eric snapped a picture of Hilton and Tanner holding up their rum and Cokes.

"Thanks so much. That was awesome," Myra said gratefully as she and Eric headed back to their table.

"No prob," Hilton said.

"Jeez, make me look bad!" Tanner said with a sheepish grin. He slurped some rum and Coke through his straw. "Rory and I aren't exactly to the 'I love you' stage yet, so what was I supposed to say?!"

Hilton laughed genuinely. "No, what you said was really good. It was obvious you totally meant it."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"She does rock my world." Tanner shook his head and moved his straw around in his glass, then looked at Hilton. "It's weird getting to know somebody again you haven't really known since you were like thirteen. 'Cause it's like we're both two totally different people than we were then, and yet it's like we've somehow known each other all along."

"That's really cool," Hilton said honestly. It _was_ really cool. It just made her a little uneasy because she had this crazy thing for Tanner...

"I mean, we really didn't know each other when the skiing thing happened. It had been two or three years since I'd moved away when that happened. It was like a random isolated incident."

"How would you compare her to Bryony?" Hilton asked, just because she was curious and she didn't think Tanner would care.

He looked thoughtful. "That's a good question," he said finally. "I've never even thought about them like that before. Like compared one to the other. I loved Bryony, man, she was awesome. So much fun. That was really crazy how we just met and clicked right away. We had a blast together." His eyes had a faraway look in them, like he was back in that time. "I would've dated her for a long time. But Rory...I don't know. I feel like our connection is different, somehow...I'm not even sure how. Maybe it's 'cause we've known each other a lot longer, even though we haven't really 'known each other' that whole time. I don't know." He shook his head, his eyes narrowed in thought. "She's great though." He looked back at Hilton. "Sorry, that was a horrible answer."

Hilton laughed. "No, I was just curious. 'Cause I can definitely see a difference in your connection with Rory than how it was with Bryony too, but I don't really know what it is either."

"Is it a good thing?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think I saw you and Bryony kinda the same way you did, like you guys had a lot of crazy fun together and would probably last a long time. You guys were an awesome couple. And you and Rory are good too. It seems more laid-back with her or something though. Like not so much about the crazy fun, just more...I don't know." She couldn't think of a word for it. But whatever it was...that difference that she couldn't name...it was what made her think that if Bryony hadn't been the right girl for him, Rory really might be.

"Yeah." Tanner nodded. "I know what you mean."

"Do you ever miss Bryony?"

"You know, it's weird, I would think I would, and I thought I would when we first broke up, but then the whole Rory thing happened and I just haven't really thought about Bryony at all."

"Huh," Hilton said, a little disappointed somehow. "I really liked her."

"Me too," Tanner said with a grin.

"I really like Rory too though." And she did; Rory was super sweet and nice and fun. She reminded Hilton a little bit of Kelsey. Probably that was partly because of the long blonde hair.

"Me too."

### Dale

### February 21, 2008

Adria was obsessed with seeing Hilton on TV and in _Game Set Match_. Jill had shown her the picture of Hilton on _GSM_ 's website too, and Adria couldn't get enough of the whole thing. She had wanted to print out that picture and hang it up, and then she'd wanted to cut all the ones out of the magazine too. So Jill and Todd had helped her, and they'd bought a message board to hang up in the living room at Adria's eye level with all of Hilton's pictures. Two of them were the same photo, the one that had appeared on the website and in the magazine, but Adria had insisted on hanging up both copies of it. In the issue after that, in the ShotSpot section, which was always filled with daily-life candids of players, there had been a picture of Haidin and Hilton carrying bags over their shoulders and both wearing sunglasses, walking side by side. Haidin Bayliss and his assistant Hilton Joliet arrive at the Melbourne airport to catch a private jet to Bayliss' hometown of Adelaide, the caption had read. Then in last weekend's ShotSpot section had been one of Haidin and Hilton on the practice courts at Delray Beach. Two of the shots Hilton had taken of Tanner and Rory at the beach had also appeared in that issue, in an article that was an update on what Tanner and Rory had been up to since the Australian. Those were on the message board too; Adria had wanted to cut them out when she found out Hilton had taken them. She could now recognize Hilton's name in the magazine and looked through the new issues to find it.

Now it was Thursday, and Adria knew the new issues of _Game Set Match_ sometimes came on Thursday. "Mommy, can I go get the maiww?" she asked.

"Sure, honey!" Jill was writing a paper, and Adria had been playing in her and Todd's room. Todd and Luke were at the Dale basketball game. Adria always wanted to get the mail lately, and Jill thought it was cute. "Let me get you the key." She went out to the living room with Adria and got the mail key off its hook by the door. "Here you go."

"Thank you!"

Jill opened the door and watched while Adria ran across the hall to the mailboxes. She was barely tall enough to reach theirs; she had to reach way over her head. She struggled for a few seconds to get the key in the hole, since she couldn't even see what she was doing, then gave a small jump of excitement when she got it. Jill grinned. Adria grabbed blindly for the mail, and it came spilling down around her.

"Don't help me, Mommy!" she cried, bending down eagerly to pick it up. It looked like just the magazines, and Adria piled them haphazardly on top of each other. The stack was practically too big for her to carry. She ran back toward Jill, and Jill was amazed when none of the magazines slipped out of her arms.

"Don't forget the key!" Jill reminded her, trying not to laugh. Adria had gotten mad one day when she'd forgotten the key and Jill had gotten it for her.

"Oh!" Adria dropped the magazines on the ground, then turned around and ran back. She shut the mailbox and had to struggle another minute to get the key back out. Then she ran back again. " _Game Set Match_ came! Wook, wook!"

"What's on the front?" Jill asked, peering down and helping Adria restack the pile. It was a picture of Haidin and Aubrey holding hands across a table. The headline was:

### THE ONLY DAY WHEN LOVE

### IS A GOOD WORD IN TENNIS

### See how Haidin, Tanner, Nate, and others spent V-Day

"Guess what!" Jill said to Adria, totally thrilled but playing it down a little. "I think Hilton took that picture! She told Mommy about it!"

"Reh-we?!"

"Yeah!"

"Can I sit on the couch and wook?" They were back inside now.

"Sure." Jill knew Adria would be captivated for an hour, at least, even though she couldn't read the articles. "Do you want me to look with you?" She was dying to read it, but she knew she should try to finish her paper first.

"No! I wanna wook by mysef!"

"Okay," Jill laughed. "I'll be in my room, okay? I'll come out and check on you."

"Okay." Adria crawled onto the couch and opened one of the magazines. She flipped through the pages impatiently until she found a picture of Hilton. She grinned excitedly. Then she had an idea. She would cut it out and put it up all by herself, as a surprise for Mommy and Daddy and Luke. Even more excited than before, she jumped off the couch and ran into her room to get her scissors.

"Adria, what are you doing?" Jill called.

"Ssshhh, don't wook! Surpriiiiise!"

### ***

Adria was just finishing when Todd and Luke got home.

"Hey, you little rascal!" Todd said, running to scoop her up and tossing her in the air, then catching her. "What are you doing?!"

Adria screamed in delight and burst into a fit of giggles. "I made a surprise for you and Mommy and Wuke!" she shrieked.

"What?! You did?! Where is it?"

"On the board!" Adria pointed, and Todd and Luke both bent down to look. A minute later Jill came out of her and Todd's room.

"What'd you make, Adria?!" She came over to join Todd and Luke.

Todd stood up and threw a look at Jill. Luke was still squatting, and his eyes were closed. "She doesn't _look_ heartbroken," he finally said when he opened his eyes and stood up. He went into his room and shut the door.

Jill knelt down to look. The first picture she saw was of Hilton, Haidin's agent, and Aubrey sitting in Haidin's box at his Valentine's Day match. Adria had been extremely careful to cut around the caption too, even though she of course had no idea what it said. Bayliss' two favorite ladies, assistant Hilton Joliet and girlfriend Aubrey Gage, look on during his Valentine's Day match in Delray Beach, FL. Jill almost burst out laughing. But then she looked at the next one. "Ohhhhh..." she said, just catching herself before she said shit in front of Adria. It wasn't even that bad, but Jill wasn't surprised it had upset Luke, just with how down he'd been about Hilton lately.

Adria had ripped out the whole two pages, because the picture took up most of the spread. It was of Hilton and Tanner grinning and raising their drinks toward the camera. The article was only one column on the far left-hand side, but the headline spanned the top of both pages.

### TANNER'S 'FRIEND'LY V-DAY

BY MYRA CATTON

Like many other players, Tanner Bruin, 25, spent his Valentine's Day in Delray Beach, FL, where he was playing in the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. His lucky date? No, it wasn't girlfriend Rory Bollier, it was GSM photographer and Haidin Bayliss assistant Hilton Joliet, who GSM reported in the Jan. 26 issue has a boyfriend of six and a half years, Luke Windler, 25, of Dale, Indiana. Joliet, 25, is known to be a friend of Bruin, and Bruin has told GSM that Windler is one of his lawyers.

So where were Windler and Bollier, 25, on V-Day?

"Luke got snowed in. There was a blizzard in Indiana and the airport's closed," Joliet told GSM.

"Rory's in Chicago for work. She was here last weekend though," Bruin reported.

That much is true—GSM published photos last week of Bruin and Bollier frolicking at the beach on Feb. 9. Joliet was there as well—the photos were taken by her.

But this time it was just Bruin and Joliet, out for dinner at Delray Beach's highly fêted Bleu Noir. (Interestingly, Bayliss and Aubrey Gage were at the same restaurant, but were seated across the room; see cover story.) The friends, while enjoying their peculiar order of rum and Cokes (most guests at the 5-star French restaurant order wine) and a concoction cooked especially for them by chef François Placard at the request of Bruin, offered shout-outs to their missing halves.

"I love you so much, Luke," Joliet said. "I miss you and I can't wait to see you, and it breaks my heart we didn't get to spend Valentine's Day together."

Bruin's message to Bollier: "Happy Valentine's Day, Rory. You rock my world." GSM

### San Jose-NYC-Memphis-Dale-Indian Wells-NYC-Miami-NYC-Houston-NYC-Monte Carlo-Barcelona-Rome

### Spring 2008

Haidin had lost to James Blake the day after Valentine's Day in the quarters at Delray Beach. That night, he and Hilton had been on a plane to San Jose for the next week's tournament, and once again, Hilton hadn't gotten to see any more of Tanner's matches. Tanner had lost to James Blake on Saturday in the semis, the same day Luke had put lyrics to the  July for Kings song "Girlfriend" on his Facebook profile, lyrics about a guy being stuck overnight in an airport hotel because his flight had been cancelled and he was frustrated and pissed because he had no idea when he'd see his girlfriend. Hilton felt terrible about the lyrics, and she wished she would've gotten to see Tanner's match; it had been a close one. Leaving tournaments early if Haidin lost was a huge downfall to this job that Hilton hadn't thought of before it had happened the first time in Australia. So now she was kind of actually rooting for him to win in the early rounds so she could stay and see the other players as well. But of course he had lost his first match in San Jose, on the first day of the tournament. He lost to John Isner of the US, whom Hilton liked. She had totally mixed feelings; she hated the idea of cheering for Haidin under any circumstances, but she was freaking pissed she didn't even _see_ Tanner in San Jose. Their fun on Valentine's Day was still fresh in her mind, but to leave San Jose without even crossing paths was somewhat of a blow, even though she knew it shouldn't be. It's just that she had naturally expected to see him there...and then all of a sudden it would be a whole week till she saw him again.

So, after only three days in San Jose, Hilton had been on another plane to New York; Haidin had forced her to go home with him until the following week's tournament in Memphis because he claimed he needed a practice partner.

"What happened to Zeke Blackman?!" Hilton had cried in frustration when she found out she couldn't stay in San Jose to work for _GSM._

"Zeke isn't my fucking practice partner; have you ever seen me practice with him once?! It's just something Oscar made up to make it look like I must get along with someone."

"Does Zeke even know that?!"

"He knows it like a hundred thousand dollars, which is way more than he'll earn in his whole pathetic fucking career."

Hilton took that to mean Oscar had paid Zeke $100,000 to say he was Haidin's practice partner. She shrugged. "Well I guess that's not a horrible deal." Then she glared at Haidin. "It's pretty fucking pathetic you have to buy your friends though. Just like me. What would you do if you'd hired an assistant who couldn't play tennis?"

"You're not my friend. Don't flatter yourself," had been his only response. Hilton had rolled her eyes hopelessly and given up.

In New York Oscar had arranged a suite for her at the 52nd Street Hotel near Times Square and also near Haidin's and Aubrey's apartments in the forty-six-story Atelier Condos building, the same building where Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo lived. Hilton hadn't really been sure prior to this trip if Haidin and Aubrey lived together, but it turned out they owned individual condos. They'd bought them when the Atelier building opened last summer. She'd learned that by asking Haidin a few questions, but it was like a freaking obstacle course to get any information out of him.

They stayed in New York from that Monday night until the following Saturday morning. Hilton spent her days practicing with Haidin in an exclusive Midtown tennis club to which he belonged. They practiced every morning at ten and every afternoon at two, and Hilton actually enjoyed it somewhat because it felt good to play and she felt like she was actually improving a little or at least getting back to the point where she'd been in high school when she'd played every day. The practice sessions were the only times she saw Haidin. Every morning she would get a Jamba Juice on her way to meet him, then after the morning session she would grab lunch somewhere between the club and her hotel. It was freezing out, but it was walkable, and she was always hot after playing for an hour anyway. Then she would relax at the hotel for a little while and check her email and Facebook or call Jill if she knew Jill wasn't at class or her internship, then she would head back to the tennis club to meet Haidin for practice again. Because of the exclusivity of the club and its high-end clientele, nobody bothered Haidin there. Hilton figured that was why he liked it. During those two-a-days, she saw a seriousness and a focus in him she'd never noticed before. She wondered if maybe it was because they weren't surrounded by other players or fans or media like on the practice courts at tournaments, so he didn't have to project any kind of image; he could just play all-out and give the game all his energy.

After their 2:00 practice, Hilton would go back to the hotel and watch the San Jose tournament on the Tennis Channel while she showered and got ready. Luckily Oscar had put her up in a hotel that _had_ the Tennis Channel. Then she would go down to Kelsey and Arden's apartment in Tribeca and go to dinner—sometimes preceded by happy hour—with Kelsey. Arden joined them twice too, and on Wednesday night she got them into a RiesWell party at Mansion for some male model's birthday. Hilton and Kelsey had never heard of the guy, but he was apparently ranked #17 on models.com, and he was gorgeous. They got to meet him and get their pictures taken with him. Kelsey was freaking out, and Hilton had a blast too.

On Thursday, while Arden worked a charity event, Hilton and Kelsey went to a Knicks home game, which Hilton thought was pretty cool too. Arden actually had Friday night off, and all three girls stayed in at Kelsey and Arden's apartment and got wasted. Hilton told them all about working for Haidin while they laughed incredulously at how ridiculous he was. Arden told how she'd seen Colt, the guy she'd hooked up with from _Southampton Summer_ , out one night when she'd just been out with some of her coworkers for fun, and she'd hooked up with him again, this time _in_ the bathroom of a club, rather than the hallway by the bathroom. Hilton and Kelsey shrieked and laughed in delight, even though Kelsey had already heard about it. Hilton ended up sleeping on Kelsey and Arden's couch, only to be awakened by a call from Haidin at eight in the morning telling her the car would be at her hotel in half an hour. So she had to rush to the subway and back up to her hotel, where she quickly changed into sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and a baseball cap, then shoved all her stuff in her suitcase and raced back down and outside just as the car pulled up. As she sat silently looking out the window on the way to JFK, she thought how this week she'd almost felt like she lived in New York. She'd had a job and friends to hang out with, and she was familiar with the city by now....She smiled. She loved New York, and after this week she was actually looking forward to the next time she'd get to come back with Haidin.

### ***

The tournament that week was Memphis. Haidin made it to the finals, and Luke came on the second weekend. He went to the semifinals and final with Hilton, and then she drove home to Dale with him for her week off. The week went by so fast it seemed like a blur. At first Hilton was bored during the day while Todd was at work, Adria was at daycare, and Jill and Luke were at class or internship. But her parents took a day off work and came down to see her, and she worked on her scrapbooks, and that kept her busy. Jill and Todd were getting ready to leave for their spring break trip to Fort Myers Beach with Adria on Saturday, but they wanted to spend every night with Hilton and Luke too. It felt unbelievably normal and yet _so_ weird to sit with Luke, Jill, and Todd watching all their old TV shows, which Hilton hadn't been keeping up on at all. She felt like she hadn't really been here in forever, and it was weird to think how their daily lives went on without her. It made her feel a little lonely. They'd saved all the episodes of _NYC_ for her on TiVo, and she caught up on those one day while they were at work and school.

On Thursday _Game Set Match_ came, and in the ShotSpot section was a picture of her and Luke sitting side-by-side in Haidin's box during his final in Memphis. She was thrilled about that, because it was so cool to see them in a freaking magazine together, and she knew Luke was happily surprised by it as well. On Thursday night they all went to the Turtle, and that lifted Hilton's spirits a lot more. She knew the reason she was kind of down this week was because of Luke. He'd seemed happy to see her last week in Memphis, and he still seemed happy she was home, and about the _GSM_ picture and all, but he wasn't acting like himself. He had pulled back from her; he was partially guarded. It was like he had to force himself to try to act normal, and Hilton could see right through it to the emptiness beyond.

But she didn't say anything, because she didn't know what to say. She just did the same thing he was doing...pretended everything was the same. She wasn't even sure why it wasn't, or when this change had happened, and she felt a vague sense of panic and urgency, like she needed to do something now while she still could. Because it wasn't too late....She felt it was within her power to get things right back to how they had been. But when she thought about how to do that...the obvious solution was to quit her job. Haidin, _GSM_ , everything. And there was no way she was going to do that. She thought part of Luke wanted her to, or maybe hadn't even wanted her to take the job in the first place, and that pissed her off. So, since she wasn't going to quit, and Luke didn't seem to want to outright admit he had pulled back from her or talk about the issue, she didn't say anything either.

She and Jill wanted a girls' night, and Todd was running home on Friday to get some old beach toys from Jill's parents to use over spring break anyway, so Luke went home to his parents' house for the night as well. Hilton told Jill everything she was feeling, and she cried and said how this week had been the worst sex of her and Luke's relationship because it felt like the intimacy was missing from it, and how she was sad and frustrated and worried, because if things had changed this much between them by March, who knew what the hell would happen by the end of the year? Jill told her about how Luke always acted depressed or sarcastic at home now and wasn't even that fun to be around, and she said there was no way Hilton could be blamed for it. She thought Luke was being a baby and not being that supportive of Hilton, and she reminded Hilton that everything would work out because everything happened for a reason, so Hilton just needed to go back out there and keep living her life. The night with Jill made Hilton feel a lot better and reassured her she _was_ doing the right thing; she had to stick with her job.

On Saturday and Sunday, her last days with Luke, she was her normal self again. She'd realized the closed-off vibe she'd gotten from him had led her to close herself off too, and she didn't want that, so she opened up again and didn't hold back with him in the way she acted. It seemed to work...he was a lot more like himself that weekend, and it didn't seem forced. They had sex several times and it was amazing and passionate like it always had been, and Hilton felt happy and like everything was good again.

But Monday morning the closed-offness was back, like a thin mask he wore that allowed her to see him just a little less clearly, have just a little less access to him. When she left that morning to fly to California, after only eight days at home, she was already missing Jill, Todd, and Adria, who had left for Fort Myers Saturday morning, as well as Aspen and Cookie Monster, but she was relieved to get away from Luke.

### ***

It was two months until she came home again. The first week she was gone was the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, near Palm Springs. It was in the desert and unforgivingly hot, even though it was only mid-March. This tournament had a large draw size of ninety-six, so it was actually a week and a half long. It started on Thursday, and Rory came for that weekend. Hilton saw her at Tanner's match on Saturday, but Hilton's _GSM_ seat was only in the third row, and it was a few sections over from Tanner's box, so she and Rory didn't get a chance to talk. She didn't see Rory and Tanner in the hotel over the weekend at all either, and by Tanner's match on Monday, Rory was gone. Hilton read later in that week's issue of _GSM_ that no one had seen Tanner and Rory over the weekend besides on court; they'd apparently been holed up in their hotel room.

By the time Hilton read that on Thursday, she'd already been in New York for three days; Haidin had lost Monday night at Indian Wells to Noah, and he and Hilton had been on the red-eye back to JFK less than two hours later. Hilton was disappointed, as always, to not get to stay for the rest of the tournament, especially since it was a bigger one, but she really did love New York. She spent her days exactly the same way as last time—Jamba Juice, practice, lunch, practice, get ready while watching the tournament, happy hour/dinner, then sometimes out with Kelsey and a couple times Arden as well. She told Kelsey and Arden how she felt at home in New York City and almost like she lived here part-time...after all, she was here as much as Haidin, and he _did_ claim New York as his home.

That Sunday, she screamed and jumped around the room and hugged Arden and Kelsey when the three of them watched Tanner win Indian Wells on Kelsey and Arden's TV, but like when Haidin had made her go to Adelaide, she was crazily upset to not have been there in person.

Hilton hadn't heard Haidin mention Adelle, his grandpa, or the publishing company since they'd left Adelaide, and she didn't bring it up either. She and Haidin didn't really talk at all, but he didn't snap at her as much anymore. She thought he respected that she was doing her job well; she _had_ gotten him lots of good press, including the Valentine's Day photo of him and Aubrey and several good pictures from his matches. The bad reactions he had to his losses that were caught on camera by James, Deidre, Eric, and other photographers were still getting published too, but there hadn't been anything bad regarding Aubrey yet this year, on her side or his. And Hilton thought her own presence helped Haidin's media image as well. _GSM_ had made it clear nothing was going on between her and Haidin, and Aubrey hadn't made her dislike for Hilton public, so it didn't appear to the media there was any kind of jealousy between Aubrey and Hilton. Plus Hilton had made it sound in _GSM_ that it was pretty great working for Haidin. The idea that Haidin could get along with his girlfriend for so long without a scandal and hire an assistant whom he apparently got along with as well probably improved his public image. And due to the weekly shots in _GSM_ , it _did_ appear to the public as though Hilton and Haidin got along. There really were pictures of Hilton in _GSM_ every week now. They were usually in the ShotSpot section, meaning they were accompanied by a caption but not a whole article. They were all candids of her and Haidin together—going through security at JFK, exiting the tennis club in New York after a practice session, drinking Gatorade at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden during a practice session there. They were never smiling or talking, but they always walked side-by-side and looked like a solid team.

She no longer talked to Luke on the phone every day, because he never seemed like he had much he wanted to say, and she got the vibe he didn't want to hear about her job. Thinking about it now, she realized their conversations had been strained before she'd gone home too, but she just hadn't noticed it at the time—or hadn't let herself notice it. She was always the one to call him, since he had a set schedule and she didn't. When her calls started coming only every other day or so, he didn't even mention it, and she felt a third sad, a third panicky and urgent again, and a third relieved. She prayed every night that things would work out for the best with her and Luke, and she believed they would, because she believed without a doubt that everything happened for a reason.

### ***

After eight days in New York, Hilton and Haidin flew to Miami for the next tournament, which, like Indian Wells, had a draw size of ninety-six, was a week and a half long, and was a Masters event, meaning it was one of the bigger tournaments and all the top players would be there.

It was the most fun tournament for Hilton in a long time, tennis-wise at least. Haidin made it to the semifinals, so she got to see all the matches of all her favorite players along the way and watch their practice sessions as well. She still practiced with Haidin and sat in his box for his matches, but Aubrey showed up two days into the tournament and was there the rest of the time, so outside of practice and his matches, Hilton rarely saw Haidin. She felt more like she was here to work for _GSM_ , which she definitely preferred to feeling like she was working for Haidin.

The night after Hilton arrived in Miami, she went out with all the American players who had byes in the first round and didn't have to play the first couple days. The big news of the week was Andy Roddick's engagement to his _SI_ swimsuit model girlfriend, the one he'd brought to the _GSM_ New Year's Eve party at _SI_ NY, so everyone was out celebrating that.

One other night she went to dinner with Tanner. He told her Rory was in Norway for work, but was getting back Wednesday and would be at the tournament the rest of the week, unless he lost early. Whenever he lost, they were going to Aspen until next Wednesday, when Tanner would go to North Carolina to play in the Davis Cup quarterfinal next weekend against France. When Tanner headed to North Carolina, Rory would finish out the work week in Aspen, then join him in North Carolina for the weekend.

The Davis Cup was totally separate from regular tournaments—it wasn't sponsored by the tour—and it was a competition between countries. The first round for this year had been in February, the weekend before Delray Beach. Tanner hadn't played in that one; only four players from each country played in each round, and the US tended to rotate its top players to some extent. Tanner, Andy, Mardy, James, Nate, Robby Ginepri, and the Bryan brothers had all been team members in the last few years. This next round was the quarterfinal, the semifinal would be in September, and the final would be in November. Australia had a Davis Cup team too, but Hilton had heard on TV during last year's Australian Open that Haidin had been asked to play on multiple occasions and had never shown even the slightest interest. When asked in an interview why he'd chosen not to play, he'd said, "I'm in tennis for myself, not for Australia."

"How are things going with you guys?" Hilton asked Tanner at dinner when he told her about his and Rory's upcoming plans. She was thinking how things always came in threes, and young American tennis players getting engaged seemed to be the latest trend. Mardy in November, now Andy...what if Tanner were the third? Maybe it's not the young _American_ players, she decided, because that's what she wanted to decide. Maybe it's just the young _good-looking_ players, or the young _popular_ players, or just the _young_ players. So maybe Haidin will be the third, not Tanner. That was the first time the thought of Haidin and Aubrey getting engaged had even crossed her mind, and she wondered if they were close, or if they ever talked about it. She had no idea, because she had only recently begun to take them somewhat seriously as a couple. Of course Tanner and Rory hadn't been dating that long anyway, but Andy had only been dating his girlfriend like six months or something, as far as Hilton was aware.

"Awesome," Tanner said earnestly. "She's...she's just so cool. I was thinking more about what you asked me, you know, like how she compared to Bryony, and I think what you said was right, like that Rory and I have a very different relationship from what Bry and I had. Bry and I _were_ kinda crazy, like always doing something outrageous and having a blast together. And Rory and I are just more laid-back, like you said, and I think it's 'cause we knew each other a little bit, or had an expectation for what the other one was like growing up. I mean, we definitely have our fun too, but that's not what our relationship is based on. I mean, I'm not saying it was bad it was based on that with Bry at all, but I do feel like it was more based on that. When we met we realized we were both kinda crazy and liked to have a good time, and that was what we shared; that was what like first bonded us together; that was how we were the same. It's how we understood each other. And that was a pretty cool bond to have with somebody. I haven't really met another girl like that. And I think Rory and I understand each other in a different way, like we had the same upbringing; we're from the same town, so that's something we understand about each other that nobody else can really understand about us, you know, and then we've gotten to know each other as adults or whatever too. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Hilton said. It made perfect sense. But she was a little disappointed he'd said he'd never met another girl like Bryony...somebody he connected with because they were so much alike. She would've said she and Tanner had connected because they had something in common, some basic philosophy on life that was to always make the most of every day and to always have fun. And because they both liked to do crazy, outrageous things sometimes...just like he and Bryony did. Hilton had felt like she and Bryony were a lot the same in some ways. She wondered how Tanner would explain his friendship with her, or what he would say they had in common. She was almost sure he would say the same things she was thinking if someone asked him. But he probably hadn't ever thought about it, because he hadn't thought about how he saw his relationships with Rory and Bryony till Hilton had asked him.

Haidin lost to Andy Roddick in the semifinals the following Friday, and Tanner beat David Nalbandian in the other semi. As soon as Hilton got back to the hotel after Haidin's loss Friday night, she went to his room and asked if there was any way she could _please_ stay for the final on Sunday and then join him in New York Sunday night. She said she knew she would miss practicing with him for a couple days, but if there was any way he would let her, she would be so grateful. Haidin glared at her for a second, then said, "Whatever. I'll just take the weekend off. See ya Monday morning at ten. Get your own flight." Then he slammed the door.

Hilton stared for a second in disbelief, then she jumped up and down ecstatically in the hallway, pumping her fists above her head. Then she laughed at herself. But she was going to see a Masters Series final between Tanner and Andy...Tanner's second Masters Series final in a row...how freaking _awesome_!

She went out with Tanner and Andy an hour later. She thought it was so cool how they were going out together to celebrate both making the final. She'd never been to Miami before, but Andy and Tanner seemed to know and agree upon the best clubs, and it was a crazy night.

The next day she woke up and got online to see that Luke had added lyrics from "When You Look Me in the Eyes" by the Jonas Brothers to his favorite quotes on his Facebook profile. She knew the song; it was on the radio constantly right now, and the lyrics he had put up were about waiting around for someone and how things were only good when that person was there. Hilton was immediately irritated. How freaking passive aggressive. He wouldn't talk to her about it, but he would put up lyrics on his Facebook profile? And the Jonas Brothers? Really?! She'd been planning to call him in a minute and decided not to. She signed out and went to take a shower instead.

Sunday's final was only a best-of-three match, and Andy won in three sets. It was an awesome match, and Hilton was only a little sad to see Tanner lose, since he was playing someone else she liked. Tanner and Andy hugged at the end, and Hilton snapped several pictures. Then they both gave funny on-court interviews, and Hilton couldn't stop smiling and thinking how much she loved this...being at all these kickass matches that would be remembered for years...witnessing the great moments like this...the funny interviews, the matches when the opponents were actually friends...traveling all around the world....She couldn't imagine a better job. She had thought she wanted to travel and take photos to make books, and she still did, but when she suddenly realized that next year at this time she might not be part of the tennis world anymore, she felt a pang of emptiness, a huge void. She didn't want to only do this for a year. Well...she was fine with only being Haidin's assistant for a year. But she didn't want to give up the tennis and the traveling. Hopefully she'd be able to keep working for _GSM_ , at least at the big tournaments where they needed more photographers. Then on the in-between weeks, she would travel to other places or explore the cities that hosted the tournaments, and that's when she'd take pictures for her book. She felt happy and excited thinking about it. That would be so awesome. She just hoped _GSM_ would let her keep working for them.

### ***

After five once-again relaxing and fun days in New York, which was beginning to feel more and more like Hilton's home away from home, she and Haidin flew to Houston on Saturday morning. Houston was the beginning of the clay-court season leading up to the French Open in late May. Two other clay-court tournaments were going on this week as well, one in Portugal and one in Spain. This was Hilton and Haidin's last week in the US before the action moved to Europe for the next three months or so. Clay was Haidin's worst surface and most of the American players' worst as well. Americans were known for being not so hot on clay, and this was the only clay-court tournament in the US. Haidin went out in the quarters to an eighteen-year-old from Argentina whom Hilton had never heard of before. Haidin threw his racquet down on his bag, then a minute later stormed off the court wearing a horribly pissed-off expression, but luckily this tournament was small enough that there was no press conference. Hilton hated to think about how awfully he probably would have insulted this kid, who'd come out firing and played an awesome match. She was glad the kid had beat Haidin, and she'd once again had to try hard to conceal her laughter throughout the match, as she had in Australia.

Making it to the quarters, though, was enough for Haidin to regain his No. 5 world ranking, which he'd lost last year in Rome and never quite earned back. He had been close on Nikolay Davydenko's heels ever since the Australian, and Davydenko wasn't playing this week, so Haidin had inched ahead of him. Tanner lost in the quarters too, and Hilton wondered if he was going to Aspen to see Rory before leaving for Europe. He wasn't playing this coming week, so Hilton assumed he and Rory would probably spend the whole week together. She was bummed he wouldn't be in Monte Carlo, where Haidin was playing, but she was still excited to go; she'd always wanted to go to Monaco.

Since the draw size in Monaco was fifty-six, Haidin had a bye in the first round and didn't have to play till Wednesday, so he and Hilton flew to New York for the weekend when they left Houston on Friday. This time, since she was only here for the weekend, Hilton bypassed the hotel completely and just stayed with Kelsey and Arden. They went out on Friday with Arden to an album launch party for a band Hilton had never heard of, and on Saturday she and Kelsey stayed at the apartment drinking, talking, watching movies, and drunk-dialing Jill while Arden went to another party for work. On Sunday it was in the sixties, and all three of them went shopping and then laid out on blankets in Central Park in their jeans and T-shirts. They went back and showered and went out for dinner at Cipriani Downtown, which was where the three of them and Jill had eaten last year on the night Hilton and Jill left for Italy. It was hard to believe that had been almost a year ago. That had been May 3, Hilton remembered, and today was April 20. Wow. It felt weird too that she was once again eating here right before leaving for Europe.

"Oh my gosh!" Kelsey said, as if reading her thoughts, "remember how last year when we were here I said you were about to go off on the trip that would be your big break?! I was so right. Whoa, that's so weird."

"That's exactly what I was just thinking!" Hilton said with a laugh. "That is weird. I mean, I still don't feel like I've had a big break necessarily; I still just feel normal." She shrugged. "But maybe when I actually start working on my book it'll hit me."

"You don't feel it when you see yourself in _GSM_ every week?" Kelsey asked. "It's so crazy how you're like, famous now. There were photographers at that release party Friday. They'll know who you were. They could totally sell a picture of you to _Game Set Match_."

Hilton laughed. "Whatever. They had no idea who I was. Why would they? Unless they read _Game Set Match_ , which is highly unlikely, and even if they did, they probably wouldn't recognize me. They were just taking pictures of everybody. It was probably like for the band's website or something."

"Hey, remember how you said RiesWell can rep you if you make it big?" Arden asked. She grinned. "Does that still stand? How about a book launch party?"

Hilton laughed out loud, thrilled. "That'd be freaking awesome."

"I'm serious," Arden said. "This is a verbal contract." She grinned again, and they all laughed.

"What I still don't get is how Haidin figured out I wanted a book deal," Hilton said. "Or how Oscar figured it out. That's _so_ weird."

Kelsey and Arden glanced at each other surreptitiously.

"What?" Hilton asked.

"It was Arden," Kelsey said.

"What?!" Hilton looked at Arden.

Arden laughed. "Yeah. He called me at RiesWell and asked me if I knew you, and then he asked what would get you to say yes to the job, what you wanted more than anything."

"Oh my gosh!" Hilton cried. "How'd he know to call you?!"

"He said he went to college with one of the CEOs from RiesWell and got my name from him." Arden shrugged. "I assume he did his research and found out where you were from, and then called all his connections to see if anybody knew somebody else from there, and he eventually came across me."

"Oh my gosh!" Hilton said again. She laughed incredulously and jumped up and hugged Arden, who was still sitting. "Thank you! I can't believe I didn't know! Why didn't you tell me?"

"So if you hated it you wouldn't blame me!" Arden laughed.

Hilton laughed again too. "No! I love it. Thank you so much. Oh my gosh, I can't believe this." She sat back down.

Arden grinned. "Well now you definitely have to let us throw you a book launch party. You owe me."

"Hell yeah! I can't wait!"

### ***

As it turned out, _none_ of the top American players were in Monte Carlo, because they were throwing a bachelor party for Mardy Fish in Vegas. Hilton hadn't even known about it, but she realized right away none of them were playing, and she was surprised and disappointed. It was a slow week because she didn't have anybody to hang out with at night and there wasn't a lot of action to follow for _GSM_ either, since Haidin was the only one of the "top priority" players in Monte Carlo.

But it didn't matter, because that week's cover story was the bachelor party. It had been on Monday night at JET nightclub at the Mirage, and Tanner, Andy, James, Nate, Robby, and the Bryan brothers had all been in attendance and had apparently been the ones who had organized the party. There were tons of pictures, and it looked like it'd been totally kickass.

To her complete shock, also in that week's _GSM_ , in the ShotSpot section, was a small photo of her, Kelsey, and Arden at the album launch party. Hilton Joliet, while in NYC with Haidin Bayliss the weekend of Apr. 18-20, hit up Red Light in the Village with high school pals Arden Worthington and Kelsey Johnson for the debut album release party of local club sensation A Stone's Throw. Worthington (far right) works for the prominent NYC PR firm Riesling & Wellesley and helped organize the GSM New Year's 2008 bash at SINY, where she made out with Nate Young while Johnson (center) kissed Noah Ablett to start off '08 (see Jan. 5 issue).

Arden called Hilton that night, having been given an advance copy of the issue by one of her bosses, who'd received it in the mail today. "This is fucking awesome!" she'd cried excitedly. "My boss is loving me!"

Hilton didn't really mind the slow week in Monte Carlo, because she got to go out and do some sightseeing, and one day she went to the beach. Monaco was beautiful, and she thought Monte Carlo had a fun party atmosphere, even though partying was the one thing she didn't ever do there, since she had no one to go out with.

Haidin lost in the semifinals that week, and he and Hilton moved on to Barcelona, where Tanner and the other Americans rejoined the action. Hilton was delighted to learn Tanner was playing doubles as well as singles this week, because his coach wanted him to get more practice on clay before the French. So he and Nate entered the doubles draw and actually made it to the quarters, where they got obliterated by the Bryan brothers, the No. 1 ranked doubles team in the world. Hilton saw all of Tanner and Nate's doubles matches, and that was awesome, especially the one against the Bryans because it was obvious all four players were friends; they were laughing the whole time and all high-fived at the end. Ironically, Tanner and Nate played each other in the singles quarters, and Nate won fairly easily. He wasn't ranked near as high as Tanner, but Hilton thought it was cool he'd gotten the win, and of course she was freaking thrilled when he beat Haidin in the semis the next day. Hilton decided to test her luck and ask Haidin if she could stay for the final again, even though he played in Rome next week and she would miss a day of practicing with him. When she asked, she pointed out that his first match in Rome wouldn't be till Tuesday or Wednesday, and she would be there by Sunday night.

"Well you're lucky," he snapped. "Zeke's playing in Rome and Oscar said I have to be seen fucking practicing with him at least once this year, so I guess I'll get that over with."

Hilton once again couldn't believe he was letting her stay. She really did get the impression that he was grudgingly beginning to not mind her. Not _like_ her, but not hate her either. The occasions on which he was outright rude to her continued to decrease, and she thought it was partly because when she was around, Oscar backed off. He hovered in the background instead of being constantly at Haidin's side and on his case. Hilton felt a sense of satisfaction about that, because she knew it was due to her rocking this job. Oscar's or Haidin's or whosever plan it had been to hire her was working; she was getting Haidin good press. She could tell she had gained Oscar's respect, and he was going to leave her alone a little more and let her work her magic. Because it really did take magic to get Haidin to not look like a complete asshole in the media, and Hilton really had been the catalyst for that. It was like she'd thought before; not only was she taking pictures that made him look somewhere on the up side of horrible—at least compared to where he'd been in the past—but her presence and the media image of the two of them as a sort of team had made him look like he could actually get along with someone other than his drama-creating bitch girlfriend.

When Haidin left for Rome and Hilton remained in her hotel room, she imagined what tonight and tomorrow were going to be like for Haidin without her there; Oscar would probably get on Haidin's flight to Rome and spend the whole time reminding him of what had happened in Rome last year and how bad it had made him look and how it better not happen again. Then Oscar would probably arrange a practice session with Zeke and go with Haidin to it to make sure Haidin didn't bail and that he got photographed. Hilton laughed as she pictured all of it, including Haidin's facial expression as Oscar nagged him. She kind of wished she could be there just to see how annoyed Haidin would be.

Nate lost to Rafael Nadal in the final, but still, it had been a great run, and Nadal _was_ unarguably the best clay-court player in the world, so it's not like Nate had just choked in the final. Hilton was thrilled for him and thrilled she'd gotten to stay and watch it.

### ***

It felt extremely weird to be back in Rome and to go to the same tournament she and Jill had gone to last year, but without Jill, and as a _GSM_ photographer, and as _Haidin fucking Bayliss'_ employee. If Jill would've jokingly told her last year that in a year she'd be working for Haidin Bayliss, Hilton would have burst out laughing. It was so weird how much things could change in a year in ways you never would have predicted. Last year at this time, she'd been so excited to finally be traveling and to be going to a professional tennis tournament, something she'd always wanted to do. She'd been feeling trapped and unhappy in her job at Nick's and desperate to take some action that would move her more toward what she really wanted to do. Well, she thought with a laugh as she sat in Haidin's box watching him warm up for his first match on Tuesday, I guess I did it.

But thinking about how much things had changed over the course of the year made her think about Luke too, which wasn't her favorite thing to do these days. A year ago Luke had come to Italy with Todd to surprise her, and they'd had an incredible time. Their relationship had still been at its best then. And Luke had been so happy for her when she got the job offer to go to Paris and London for _GSM_ ...when had things changed? Of course he'd been bummed about her being gone so much, but he had surprised her again by coming to London, and that had been great too...just as amazing as Italy, if not more so. And then he'd gotten her the Indy tickets for her birthday...she knew without a doubt he wouldn't get her tennis tickets right now. If for some reason she was home and not working the week of the Indy tournament this year, he wouldn't even consider buying her tickets to it.

And then, after Indy last summer, he, Jill, and Todd had come to New York during the US Open...then he'd come to Aspen with her, where they'd gotten Aspen and Cookie Monster and had another fantastic weekend. The change had definitely occurred within the last few months. Sometime between her accepting the job with Haidin and Luke's flight not getting out on Valentine's Day. She'd sensed a lessened enthusiasm from him regarding the job with Haidin than last year when she'd continued to get _GSM_ jobs. She'd wanted him to come to New York with her for New Year's and he hadn't been able to because of work, so that hadn't been her fault...of course she'd been bummed not to spend New Year's with him and bummed when he got snowed in on Valentine's Day, and she understood why he would be upset about that. But she just didn't understand why he no longer seemed to be cool with the plan they'd talked and dreamed about endlessly...the plan of her traveling while he finished law school. Okay, so he was graduating this weekend, and she'd be traveling at least until December and wanted to continue after that, but that didn't mean anything. After graduation he'd be busier than he was now because he'd be studying day and night for the bar in July. And when he was finished with the exam, Tanner probably really _would_ hire Luke as one of his lawyers, and he could travel with her.

The idea practically made her giddy. Why had she never thought of it seriously before?! That would be perfect. Luke loved to travel too, and he and Tanner got along well, and then Luke wouldn't be upset about her being gone. She thought some more. Would Luke want to do it? Last year at this time, or even in Aspen last December, she would've said absolutely yes. No question. It would be his dream job. But now...who knew. She felt such a disconnect with him that she had no idea. When she talked to him on the phone, they mostly talked about everything going on with him as he finished moot court and prepared for graduation. She could tell he didn't like talking about her job, so she didn't go into very much detail. She missed telling him all the little things going on every day. She kind of felt like he resented everything about the tennis tour right now. And if he did, but he wouldn't talk to her about it...what the hell kind of communication was that in a six-and-a-half-year relationship? Even if she finished working for Haidin in December and never went to another tennis tournament or worked for _GSM_ again, what would she and Luke do, just never talk about this year? She felt like it would be an uncomfortable subject between them.

So, she had no idea how he would feel about actually being one of Tanner's lawyers. She might see how things went between them this coming week when she went home and then maybe she would mention it. She just felt so weird about everything with him, and she hated it. Especially being in Italy and thinking about last summer and how it sucked so badly that her professional dreams starting to come true had led to this...whatever it was...with Luke. She missed him, and she missed their relationship. They had to have some real conversations next week, because this whole thing was killing her. She hoped Haidin would lose early...today...because as soon as he lost, she was going home. And she suddenly wanted to be there as quickly as possible. She needed to see Luke, and she needed to fix things.

### Dale

### May 8-22, 2008

Haidin didn't lose his first match in Rome, but he did lose his second one. On Thursday morning, Rome time, he and Hilton were on a plane to New York, and by Thursday afternoon, Dale time, Hilton was home. She hadn't called Jill or Luke to tell them; she wanted it to be a surprise. She rented a car and got to the apartment around four. She knew Luke would be at the library studying for the bar; that's what he'd been doing ever since the end of finals last week. She felt bad for him that he couldn't even enjoy the week between finals and graduation. And Todd would be at work, but she was hoping Jill would be home. She wanted time to talk to Jill before Luke got home. They talked on the phone all the time, but of course Jill had to be careful what she said with Luke in the same apartment.

Hilton felt both relieved and excited when she saw Jill's car in the parking lot. She left her luggage in her car and ran up the stairs to the apartment and threw open the door. "Jill?!"

"Hilton?!" Jill came running out of her bedroom.

They screamed when they saw each other and ran to hug, jumping around in a circle with their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

"I didn't think you'd be home till Sunday or Monday!" Jill cried.

"What?! No way! I wasn't gonna miss you guys's graduation!" Hilton grinned. It felt so great just to be in Jill's presence. She felt relaxed and happy and like everything was going to be okay.

"What were you gonna do if Haidin made the finals?"

Hilton rolled her caramel-colored eyes dramatically. "Well I pretty much knew there wasn't a chance of that since he blows ass on clay!" They both giggled. "And if he did, by some crazy twist of God deciding to be really nice to him, then I was just gonna beg him to let me come! I think he would've, 'cause he's let me stay for those two finals now after he's lost."

"Yeah, 'cause no one's unsusceptible to Hilton Joliet!" Jill laughed. "He tried at first, but now he just can't say no to you!"

"Yeah, right?" Hilton stuck her nose in the air and flipped her long hair over her shoulder. Then she giggled, and she and Jill hugged again.

"I'm so glad you got home when Luke's not here," Jill said, widening her brown eyes. "So we can actually talk for once."

"I know!" Hilton gave Jill a look and shook her head. "Where's Adria?"

"She's playing at Courtney's house."

"Oh!" Courtney was Adria's friend from daycare. Adria had been going to daycare every Tuesday and Thursday, because those were Jill's busiest days with her internship. Hilton smiled, once again feeling relieved. It felt so good just to be talking to Jill in person. Hilton had missed her so much. She couldn't wait to talk out everything she'd been thinking about the last few months in greater detail than she'd been able to on the phone.

"Yeah, and Luke's been staying at the library till eleven or twelve at night." Jill grinned a little, then fell backwards onto the couch. "So tell me everything!"

### ***

Hilton did tell Jill everything. Everything about Luke and how she felt so far away from him and from how their relationship used to be, and her idea about him working for Tanner but her uncertainty about whether he would even want to do that, everything about Haidin and how she loved New York and felt like it was her second home now and how she thought Haidin really didn't hate her, everything about Tanner and how she still had a crazy crush on him and how much she liked Rory but how it bummed her out to think of Tanner having found his perfect girl in her. She told Jill everything Tanner had said about Rory and Bryony.

"And I know I'm so completely crazy," she said, "but the idea of him and Bryony never made me feel like this. I loved them together; I thought they were a great couple. And I love Rory and him together too, and I think they're a great couple too, but it's like, I think that _grudgingly_ , you know, like I wish they weren't, or I wish she was a bitch or something. And it's 'cause when I met him, he was already with Bryony; they were already an established couple. But then when he started dating Rory, he knew me, and I wanted him to think _I_ was the perfect girl for him. I know, it's totally crazy. I sound like a total loser. I mean, it's not like I was even available at the time or knew him very well or anything. It's just like this crazy celebrity crush that's gotten out of hand 'cause I actually know him in real life. It's like how all girls see themselves as being perfect for some celeb, you know, some hot guy, and we all think _we're_ the normal girl they should meet; _we're_ the one who's perfect for them. And then of course we never meet them, and they marry some actress or model or something, and we know we never had a chance with them, and yet we still feel this sense of longing, like we really _did_ think we had a chance." She laughed suddenly. "Or maybe that's not every girl. Maybe that's just me."

Jill laughed too. "No, I've definitely thought that too. Like before Todd and I got together I thought stuff like that all the time. You know I did." She giggled. "Like, um, Colin Farrell? I totally would've like, gone somewhere and tried to meet him if I knew he was gonna be there. Or Joshua Jackson in high school and the beginning of college? Oh yeah. But now that I'm with Todd, it's like I said in Rome last year when we were talking about Tanner, I seriously think Todd's better than all those guys. Like his personality, and just everything about him. And he's hotter too. So I think _I'm_ the weird one. I think most girls still have celebrity fantasies even when they have a boyfriend." She giggled again.

Hilton laughed, but when she spoke she was serious. "No, I can totally see why you feel that way about Todd. He was always your fantasy more than any celebrity. And you _have_ that now, so why would you want anybody else? I think you're so lucky. You and Todd both are. And then I'm over here like devastated about Luke and so confused and so upset over how things are with him, but then part of me's bummed 'cause Tanner doesn't realize I'm the one he should be dating." She laughed, but she was near tears now. "I'm so fucked up!" She laughed again.

Jill laughed too. "Um, yeah you are!" she joked.

Hilton laughed even harder, and a few tears rolled down her face. She and Jill had talked about Tanner like this before, about how Hilton had a crush on him, but not in a while, because Hilton felt guilty saying it on the phone when Jill was in the same apartment with Luke. But right now it felt so unbelievably good to be able to tell her craziest thoughts to her best friend and actually say them out loud.

Suddenly Jill looked serious again. "I have an idea why Luke's so upset though, or why he got so upset when he did. Like around New Year's."

Hilton's eyes widened and her laughter halted immediately. "What? Why?"

Jill glanced around as though afraid someone would hear them. But Todd had come home awhile ago, and after he and Hilton greeted each other with an enthusiastic hug, Jill had told him she and Hilton needed girl time, so Todd had gone to pick Adria up from her friend's house and take her to dinner and a movie. And Jill had said Luke had been staying at the library till eleven or twelve....Hilton's heart was racing. She had no idea what Jill was going to say, but she felt nervous.

"Okay, he would kill me if he knew I was telling you this. And I didn't even have any intention of doing it until a couple weeks ago, but then I just thought, if it was me, you would tell me. It's just the kind of thing you and I tell each other."

"What?!" Hilton was even more nervous now.

"Okay, well...he was gonna come to New York to surprise you for New Year's. That thing he said about having to work New Year's Day was made up."

"What?!" Hilton was shocked.

"Yeah, but then when he got to Chicago, it started snowing really bad, and there was over a foot in the first hour, and O'Hare had a ground stop."

"What?!" Hilton's voice was a ragged whisper this time, and her mouth was hanging open. She couldn't believe it, but all of a sudden everything made so much more sense. How upset he'd been about Valentine's Day, why he'd put those July for Kings lyrics on his Facebook profile about the guy's flight getting fucked up and him wondering when the hell he was going to see his girlfriend...it had happened _twice_ to Luke. How could that even happen...what were the chances?!

Then her heart jerked as the thought that flooded her brain was, _Everything happens for a reason..._

No! she told herself, feeling horribly guilty. She did believe everything happened for a reason, but she felt awful that that had been her reaction. Because she hadn't been thinking that maybe if he'd flown out he wouldn't have had a safe flight or anything like that...she was thinking of what had happened to her because of him not being there. Tanner had happened. He'd kissed her just before midnight on New Year's and they'd gone to dinner on Valentine's Day.

"Yeah," Jill said.

"Oh my gosh," Hilton said, her brain racing. Why would Luke be kept away from her _twice_ by blizzards so that she could end up having two of her best nights ever with Tanner?

"And—" Jill started, but she was cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

She and Hilton looked at each other in alarm. There was no way Todd and Adria would be back yet. The door opened the rest of the way.

"Luke!" Hilton cried. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, pressing closely against him.

"Hey!" Luke said with a laugh. He hugged her back tightly, but then he pulled away without holding on long. "I didn't think you'd be home today," he said, and his voice had already lost some of its enthusiasm.

"I wanted to surprise you."

"You did. I had no idea."

"Well, I'll leave you two alone," Jill said with a suggestive tone and smile, then she shared a quick look with Hilton and went in her room.

Hilton hugged Luke again and kissed him. "Hi," she said with a grin when she pulled back a couple inches.

"Hi," Luke said, but his smile was weak and forced, and it broke Hilton's heart.

### ***

By Sunday, the day of Luke and Jill's graduation, nothing had changed or improved between Hilton and Luke. It felt just like the last time she'd been home...like he was closed off but had no intention of talking to her about what was wrong. She hadn't brought up the New Year's thing, because she didn't even know what she'd say about it, and she didn't want him to get pissed at Jill for telling her. They'd had sex on Thursday night, her first night home, but then afterward he'd rolled away from her, something he _never_ did, and Hilton had rolled to her other side and cried silently into her pillow. She just wished he would _talk_ to her.

On Friday they'd gone out to the Dale bars with Jill and Todd, and that had been fun. She and Luke had acted somewhat normal toward each other, but he definitely didn't touch her or act flirty with her near as much as normal. The sex that night had been much like the last time she'd been home...empty. They'd gone out again on Saturday to celebrate Jill and Luke's graduation, and they'd all gotten way more wasted than Friday night. Once Hilton and Luke were drunk, it was like a switch had been flipped and they'd gone back in time six months. Everything was exactly how it used to be. Luke was all over her, and they made out a little in their booth at the bar.

"Hey, that's completely inappropriate!" Todd had said loudly. Then he'd turned to Jill and shoved his tongue in her mouth exaggeratedly. Jill had giggled and acted like she didn't love it, but everybody knew she did, and she and Todd made out for a little while too.

Hilton and Luke had barely made it into Luke's room when they got home before ripping each other's clothes off, and they did it twice before falling asleep in each other's arms, both still half out of breath and smiling.

### ***

When Hilton woke up, she immediately remembered the night before. She yawned and stretched. "Mmm, I feel so good," she said, and she did. It had been a long time since it had been like that. That had been _way_ better than when she'd been home in March. Her body felt amazing. And she felt good about her and Luke too. They'd always had crazy sex, and it had scared the hell out of her in March and the last couple days when she'd felt like the intimacy was gone. But it had definitely been there last night. And he had acted so much more normal around her when they were out last night too. They definitely still needed to talk, but she had a lot better feeling about how it would go. She smiled at the ceiling, then rolled toward Luke. His arm was still under her shoulders, and he was still facing her, his eyes closed. He looked as hot as she had ever seen him. She snuggled closer and kissed his lips.

His eyes fluttered open.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he said. He kissed her, but then he pulled back and climbed out of bed. Without looking back, he went in the bathroom, shut the door, peed, flushed, and turned on the shower.

Hilton stared after him, her heart breaking all over the place. It wasn't right again. She'd been thinking they could hang out all night with Jill and Todd after graduation and then actually talk tomorrow, and she'd thought things were on their way back to normal. But he obviously wasn't thinking the same way at all. Because if things were normal, she'd either be in the shower with him right now or they'd be doing it on the bed or lying lazily in each other's arms, wishing they never had to get up. It was almost like last night had been a lapse for him, had only happened because he was drunk. She knew that was true; it _had_ only happened because they'd been drunk. But she'd taken that as a positive sign; she'd seen it as both of them letting down their guard and just acting how they truly wanted to act with each other. That's what she'd been doing.

But for him it was like it had been a mistake, or something that he'd only wanted to happen because he was drunk. And now that he was sober and it was morning, it was time to pull away again. Just like he'd pulled away after their two good days in March. She'd thought he had done that because she was leaving again, but this time she wasn't leaving for a while. So maybe that had nothing to do with it. Maybe he just didn't _want_ to be close to her anymore.

### ***

Hilton was miserable through the graduation ceremony, and yet she was ecstatically happy for Jill and Luke too. Everything felt weird and surreal, like this couldn't really be Jill and Luke's graduation day, because this wasn't how it was supposed to be. She and Luke should be happier than ever and have so much to celebrate. She'd imagined they would be planning some crazy trip for when he passed the bar, and they would go out with Jill and Todd and all their families after the ceremony and then come back to the apartment and drink and stay up all night playing euchre or a drinking game and talking and laughing until four in the morning.

She got dressed up in the new pale turquoise dress she'd bought when she and Jill had gone shopping yesterday, and pulled her hair back just a little right at the top, teasing it up and fastening it with a few bobby pins. She stared at herself in the mirror, thinking it felt weird to be dressed up when she felt like such shit. Then she left her room and went to join everyone else in the living room, thinking how normally she and Luke would've gotten ready together and told each other how good the other one looked, and she would've kissed him, and they would've shared a special private moment before his graduation.

Her parents, Jill's family, and Todd's mom arrived a few minutes later, and Luke's family arrived about ten minutes after that. They took a bunch of pictures, and with all of them here Hilton felt a lot better. Her excitement for Jill and Luke took over her sadness. Jill and Luke opened their graduation presents, and Jill screamed when she opened Hilton's, a bottle of Captain spiced rum and a plane ticket to Paris for the French Open.

"I've always wanted to go to Paris!" she cried as she wrapped Hilton in a hug.

"I know!" Hilton said. She was as excited about it as Jill was, because she wanted Jill to see her world and be part of it with her.

"Yay! We're gonna have so much fun!"

### ***

At the ceremony Hilton sat between Todd and Winnie, Jill's sister who was about to graduate high school and would be at Dale next year. She talked to Winnie while Winnie held Adria on her lap, thinking how crazy it was that Winnie was a senior. It didn't seem like that long ago that she and Jill had been seniors and Winnie had been in...fifth grade? Wow. She thought how long ago it seemed that she had walked across that stage in her graduation ceremony from Dale, two and a half years ago, or how long ago it seemed that she had watched Luke's first ceremony three years ago. That almost seemed further away than high school graduation. She talked to her parents and everyone else's, and they all agreed how nice it was that Jill and Luke were in the same ceremony. Dale had six every spring because of the huge number of graduates. And when Luke walked across the stage, and then Jill walked twenty minutes later, happy tears rolled down Hilton's cheeks. She screamed for both of them even though you weren't supposed to. Jill looked in the direction of her voice with a grin, but Luke didn't even look up.

### ***

That night she and Luke did stay up all night drinking and playing games with Jill and Todd, like Hilton had imagined. But this time Luke wasn't all over Hilton like he'd been last night, and as Hilton watched Jill and Todd flirt she felt an overwhelming sadness and had to blink back tears. She watched Luke out of the corner of her eye. He didn't seem that sad.

When Jill and Todd went to bed, Luke finally turned to Hilton and smiled a little. "Ready?"

Trying as hard as she could not to cry, Hilton stood up and walked to the door of her own room. Luke started to follow. She turned to look at him, feeling the tears gather in her eyes. "Sorry, Luke, but there's no way I can sleep with you tonight," she whispered. She walked into her room and shut the door, then collapsed on her bed in tears.

### ***

The next morning when she woke up at 10:30 Luke was already gone. Hilton threw a couch pillow against the wall. He hadn't even tried to come talk to her.

Aspen sidled up to her and rubbed against her legs. Hilton bent down and scooped her up and collapsed into the chair by the coffee table, putting Aspen on her lap and petting her vigorously. Aspen purred loudly and dug her claws into Hilton's leg.

Jill and Todd's door opened, and Jill came out. She yawned and sat down on the couch.

"Jill..." Hilton said, and then she burst into tears all over again.

### ***

Jill, Todd, and Hilton watched the season finale of _NYC_ together that night, and Jill and Todd told Hilton how moody Luke had been the whole time she was gone.

"Dude, he's not even that fun," Todd said. "He's totally different. And I mean, I know he's had a lot of shit going on for school, but that's not it. When we went to visit Conrad he was pretty good, but then as soon as we got back it was back to this shit." Conrad was Todd's roommate from college who lived in Indy now.

"I'm sorry, you guys," Hilton said, making a sad face. "It's my fault, and you guys have to deal with him."

"Nooo," Todd said assuredly, shaking his head with wide eyes, just as Jill said, "No, it's not your fault at all, and you know it." She put her arm around Hilton. "We love you."

"Yeah," Todd said. "We're here for you. We go back way before him."

"Aww, thanks, you guys."

"You need to talk to him," Jill said.

"I know. I'm gonna talk to him tonight."

"There was something else I was gonna tell you the other day," Jill said. "Besides the New Year's thing. But then he walked in."

Hilton looked at her in alarm, suddenly remembering that Jill had started to say something right before Luke walked in. A feeling of dread washed over her. She somehow knew it was something big. "What?"

"It's nothing bad. It's kinda good, actually. But he should really be the one to tell you. I'm pissed he hasn't. He's being a fucking baby. Or he wouldn't have had to tell you, but he could've figured out something else. I thought he was going to. And then all of a sudden it was like he just quit trying." She looked disgusted. "If you're gonna talk to him tonight, ask him. Ask him about New Year's. And if he doesn't tell you anything besides what I already did, then I'm gonna tell you tomorrow."

Hilton looked from Jill to Todd. "So it's a good thing?"

"It was definitely good at the time. But it kinda...turned out bad. I don't really know how to explain it. I'm not sure what it'll be now."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what you'll think about it," Todd said.

Hilton had no idea what it could be. She trusted that if it were really bad though, Jill would've told her when it first happened. "So it has something to do with New Year's?"

"Kinda," Todd said. He looked at Jill. "You're right though, it's like he just got all sulky or some shit and quit trying." He looked back at Hilton and shook his head. "But it's the reason things are weird between you guys. I can tell you that for sure."

### ***

Luke didn't get home until midnight. Hilton had been curled up on her bed with a _Friends_ DVD in, thinking about how their conversation was going to go and what the thing could possibly be that Jill and Todd were talking about. It was kind of good, but it was the reason things were weird between them, and they weren't sure what she would think about it?

When she heard the apartment door open, her heart pounded nervously. Stop it, you shouldn't be nervous about talking to your boyfriend! she told herself. When she heard him go in his room, she left hers and went over.

"Hey, how was studying?" she said from the doorway.

Luke turned to look at her from where he'd dumped his backpack and laptop on his bed. "It fucking sucked, but I feel like I got a lot done. But it's like never-ending."

"Yeah," Hilton said. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, then turned back to him. "Luke, what the hell's going on with us?" She choked up as she said it, and she already felt tears springing to her eyes. She quickly swallowed as she stood there staring at him.

Luke quickly looked away and started unzipping his backpack. "What do you mean? Nothing."

"Fucking give me a real answer, Luke!" she cried somewhat quietly for Adria's sake. She was frustrated as hell. He looked at her again as a flash of guilt washed over his eyes, and she stared back at him, half pissed, half still trying not to cry.

Suddenly Luke shoved his stuff out of the way and sat down on the bed, motioning for her to join him. She sat facing him. He grabbed her hands. "Hilton...I don't know. I've just been so fucking depressed. It's like, nothing's working out the way I planned..." His voice was earnest now, and she felt a huge wave of relief that he was at least talking to her for real.

"What do you mean, the way you planned? I'm traveling, and you've been finishing law school—"

"And then we were gonna get engaged," Luke finished for her in a sarcastic voice.

Hilton jerked her hands back. "Yeah. I thought."

"Yeah, well, plans change."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"

Luke stood up and stormed across the room, running his hands through his hair. "It means I wanted to get engaged sooner, okay?!" he cried, turning back to look at her.

"What?"

"Yeah, I changed my mind. I fucking watched Jill and Todd all summer and saw how happy they were, and all of a sudden I was like, I want that. I wanna feel what they're feeling right now. I wanna be engaged to the girl I love."

Hilton stared at him in silence.

"And it was so fucking amazing, Hilton. To think about being engaged to you. _So_ fucking amazing. And when you were gone a lot last summer, or even when you were here, I would just watch Jill and Todd, and I wanted it more and more. And then you got the job with Bayliss, so I wanted to do it before you left. I'd told Todd and Jill about it, like as early as last summer, and Todd asked me if I was gonna do it for your birthday or for our anniversary, but I said no 'cause I wanted to try to do something really original. So I finally got this awesome plan, and then a fucking blizzard got dumped on Chicago."

"What?" Hilton breathed. She was in complete shock. He'd been going to propose to her on New Year's Eve. That's why he'd been coming to New York. Suddenly a memory flashed into her mind of sitting with Lorylyn on the plane home, when Lorylyn had asked her if she thought she and Luke would get engaged soon. It had been the first time she'd really thought about it happening in the very near future. She'd felt happy and excited. Just like Jill and Todd had thought she would...they'd said it had been a good thing...at the time. But they'd both told her they didn't know what she'd think now. What _did_ she think now? The thought that there was even a possibility she didn't want to be engaged to Luke right now shocked her all over again. She hadn't even considered not wanting to get engaged, hadn't even considered their relationship not eventually leading to marriage, even these last few months when things had been rocky. But Jill and Todd both weren't sure what she'd think of the idea of getting engaged to him right now. They thought she might not want to anymore, or that she might have doubts. Did she? Holy shit, was there a possibility it would happen tonight?! They were talking about it, and he'd told her he wanted to...he must have a ring...would he ask her, right here, right now?!

"Yeah," Luke said more quietly, his whole face downcast now. He stared at her from across the room. "I was gonna come to New York and surprise you. I was gonna propose to you on top of Kelsey's building. She had champagne set out for us, and there was supposed to be this awesome view of the city. And I know you love New York. I thought it would be perfect. And then we were gonna go eat at this restaurant. Kelsey and your other friend, the one who works all the parties, helped me pick it out. They said it was supposed to be one of the most romantic restaurants in the city."

"Oh my gosh," Hilton said, her voice practically a whisper. "One if By Land, Two if By Sea."

Luke looked at her. "Yep."

"Oh my gosh." Hilton looked down, feeling horrible as everything started to click into place. "That's where we went. And I told you about it when I got home. About the limo, and how I thought Detter had planned it for Arden or something and we were fucking up their night...oh my gosh. I'm so sorry, Luke." That had to have been so horrible for him, to listen to her tell what she thought was a strange story about Detter and Arden when it was supposed to have been their engagement dinner.

"Yeah, so anyway, I spent the night in a hotel at O'Hare...the Hilton, no less, and I was just so fucking upset about it not working out. And then you came home and you'd had such a good New Year's and I just had to hide it the whole time before you left for Australia. But then I decided it wasn't that bad, 'cause I was gonna surprise you somewhere else instead. And I wanted to pick wherever you were going that had the coolest name, so we could name our first kid that. And then I fucking got snowed in again on Valentine's Day. I wasn't gonna propose that weekend, 'cause I wouldn't have done it on Valentine's Day, but I was just like, awesome, I wanna propose to my girlfriend, but I can never even get to where she is to visit her for the fucking weekend? I never even see her?"

"Oh my gosh, Luke." Hilton shook her head at him, still stunned. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

" 'Cause it started to become pretty obvious you weren't even that upset you didn't get to see me." Luke eyes and voice were suddenly hard.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I don't know, ' _I'm so sad I didn't get to travel in Australia after the Australian Open.' 'Oh, Luke can't come for Valentine's Day, but look how happy I am in this picture!'_ "

"That's bullshit!" Hilton cried. "I could've traveled after the Australian, but I didn't! I came home as soon as I could after Adelaide, and I did it 'cause I wanted to see you! And I _told_ you that. Don't put fucking words in my mouth! And I _was_ bummed about Valentine's Day, of course I was! I wanted to see you! But you came to Memphis right after that, and then I was home for a while! I was upset about it, but I didn't think we were the kind of couple who couldn't survive not seeing each other on holidays!"

"Fine, maybe you were upset, but you know you didn't miss me as much as I missed you, Hilton! Don't fucking lie to me! In London last summer you told me that where I was would always be where you most wanted to be too. That you always had the most fun when I was with you! And it's pretty fucking clear that's no longer the case!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?! I was just thinking in Rome last week that I wished Tanner would really hire you as one of his lawyers and then we could travel together all the time! I've _hated_ how weird it's been between us these last few months, Luke! I've _hated_ it! But I feel like you think I shouldn't have taken the job with Haidin at all! _I love my job_ , Luke! I fucking love it! And I fucking love you too, and I can do both! My love for you hasn't changed! You're the one who pulled away from me! And you know it's true. Sometime between New Year's, or Valentine's Day, and when I saw you in Memphis, you closed yourself off! We haven't been the same since then! That's why I couldn't sleep with you last night! On Saturday night it was so good, and it felt so normal, and I woke up Sunday morning and I was so happy. And then you fucking rolled away from me and got out of bed and cold-shouldered me all day! And I'm not gonna sleep with you and hope it fixes everything! I don't wanna sleep with you on those conditions. 'Cause that's so special, Luke. I know we've done it like two million times, but it's still so special to me. And I'm not gonna do it when it's not." She blinked away tears that were threatening to spill over.

Luke walked over and pulled her off the bed so they were standing facing each other. He gripped her shoulders. "I know you love your job. And I know you loved going to Italy and Paris last summer and had fun without me, but I also know you meant what you said in London that you always had the most fun when I was with you. It didn't mean you wouldn't wanna travel for work, but it meant you would wish I could always be with you, and that you'd always be missing me. And I don't know how or when that changed, but it has. Look at me right now and tell me that's not true."

Hilton shrugged his hands off her shoulders. "It's not true! I just told you that! Yeah, I was sad when we couldn't spend New Year's or Valentine's Day together, but it didn't mean my life was over! Just like if last summer, you'd ended up not being able to come to London, I would've been bummed, but I wouldn't have stopped wanting to go myself, and I wouldn't have not had fun while I was there! I _do_ like it better when you're there, but I don't have a fucking breakdown if you're not! My reaction on Valentine's Day was exactly the same as it would've been last summer. You're the one telling yourself it's changed! And I could tell that on Valentine's Day too; I knew you were gonna be crushed about it! And that bothered me, 'cause I was feeling sorry for you, and last summer it wouldn't have been like that. 'Cause you wouldn't have been crushed! You would've rolled with it, just like I would've. It would've been like, 'Oh, that fucking sucks, but oh well. We'll see each other soon.' We would've talked about how we were disappointed, but it wouldn't have been this big issue! And I _do_ still want you with me. It's always the best when you're there. Like I said."

Luke spun away angrily, running his hand through his hair again. "Then what the fuck has changed, Hilton?! If it's not that, what is it?! Because something has, and it's not just me! And you know it! You know part of it's you! And that's really fucking awesome, that you're feeling _sorry_ for me! Fuckin' great!"

Hilton looked to the side and bit her lip. Then she turned back to him. "You're right," she said in complete honesty. "You're right, part of it is me. But I don't know what it is. I can't tell you. I don't even know. I can't pinpoint it."

"So that's why I closed off," Luke said, folding his arms across his chest and shrugging in an aloof manner. " 'Cause you hurt me, and 'cause I had been so fucking stoked to be engaged, and then I had to sit around here watching Jill and Todd—"

"Why do you keep saying Jill and Todd?" Hilton cut in. "What are they, like the theme of tonight? The theme of this engagement?" She waved her hand between herself and Luke. "You wanted to get engaged 'cause they were? That's what gave you the idea, what made you wanna do it sooner? What the hell is that, Luke? I thought you wanted our proposal to be original! I don't think modeling everything after Jill and Todd screams _original_! How about proposing 'cause of _our_ relationship, 'cause you feel like we're ready and we're at the right place?! It's not like, let's jump on the engagement bandwagon!"

"I wanted to propose to you because I love you!" Luke snapped back. "I'm sorry if seeing them gave me the idea, or if I wanted what they have! But it was based on _you_ , not them!"

"But that's just it! Listen to what you just said! You wanted what _they_ have. Not what _we_ have. We're not them. We're _us_. Our relationship is only about _us_. Just because we weren't engaged didn't mean we didn't have everything. We don't need a ring to make us feel that way. How could you have looked at them and thought what we had wasn't as good? When did you lose your view of _us_?!"

Suddenly she jerked backward as simultaneous waves of déjà vu and nausea pounded through her. She stared at Luke, her throat dry. "You were scared," she whispered. "You'd thought about it in the summer and fall and you were waiting for the perfect time. That would've been so amazing. And then I took the job with Haidin, and you were scared because I was leaving for a year." Her throat was so dry she could barely whisper. She swallowed, which didn't even help. When she whispered again, Luke could barely make out the words. "It's like the promise ring. You were gonna give it to me 'cause you were scared things were gonna change. You needed it to feel secure about us."

Luke stared at her as he realized what her whispered tone was. He'd thought at first that it was shock. But now he knew it was disgust, because he knew exactly what she was talking about. Landon. Her high school boyfriend. He had given her a promise ring right before he'd left for college, the summer before her senior year. Later Hilton had come to the realization that promise rings were usually given out of fear...when some major change was about to happen that would drastically alter one or both people's lives and possibly the relationship. She believed if the relationship was strong enough, it shouldn't need that promise, that security blanket. And when people felt the need to give it, there was a reason behind that fear—their relationship must not be that strong to begin with.

And she was right. That _was_ why Luke had done it. He hadn't even consciously realized it at the time, but as soon as she'd said it just now, he'd known she was right. He'd needed that assurance before she left. He couldn't believe he'd just reminded her of Landon. That was about the worst thing he could do. Hilton had told him all about Landon and about their relationship and their breakup, and he knew she had no respect for Landon anymore. He had no respect for Landon either. He thought Landon was the biggest dick in the world for the things he'd done to Hilton. He hated Landon. Hilton didn't hate him though; she just saw him as insecure and someone who would never live up to the person he said he wanted to be, and pretty much just...pathetic. Someone to write off.

"So what made you scared?" Hilton asked him, still staring at him from her position a few feet away. Her voice was now derisive, and she was half sneering at him.

"How excited you were about getting offered the job for Haidin," Luke said with a shrug, unable to tear his eyes away from hers. "I was crushed. I didn't want you to take it. But it wasn't even a decision for you. I had been so glad all fall that you were done traveling. I was so happy to have you back. But you weren't happy here, and I knew it. That's what scared me. The thing you wanted most was to leave again."

"You're right. I wasn't. I was happy to be with you and Jill and Todd and Adria, but I wasn't happy with my job at all. I felt restless, like I wasn't moving forward. Like I'd started to, but then just gone right back to where I was before. Like once I'd had a taste of being able to travel and have an awesome job like that, I wasn't satisfied without it." She was speaking at a normal volume now, but the disgust wasn't completely gone.

"Well, I wasn't satisfied without you here." Luke sat down in his computer chair, leaning toward her with his elbows on his knees. "And I am _so_ sorry, Hilton, because you're right. I was scared. I didn't realize it at the time; I wasn't consciously thinking I had to get that ring on your finger before you left, but that's what it was. It hurt like hell that you were so excited to leave. And it hurt seeing you not happy here last fall, when I was happier than I'd been in a long time. I felt like I wasn't enough for you. And I'm so sorry, once again, for acting out of fear like that, and I hate that I did anything to remind you of Landon. I hate that, and I feel horrible. But I won't apologize for being upset. You're right, over the summer I wouldn't have been that upset if I couldn't make it to see you 'cause my flight got cancelled or whatever. But that's 'cause that was temporary. It was like you were on vacation. This time's not temporary. It's till December, and maybe longer if you keep working for _Game Set Match_. I never know for sure when I'm gonna see you, and it fucking kills me that you don't seem to mind near as much as I do. I wish you wanted to quit. I want you to want to be with me."

Hilton shook her head as she sank back onto the bed. "I know it sucks, Luke, never seeing each other, and that I don't know when I'm gonna get to come home. But how can you want me to quit? If it were the other way, if you were the one traveling and I was still in school or had just graduated and had to study for a test so I could get a job, I would be totally fine with it. I would miss you, but it wouldn't be like this. I would be happy for you."

"I know. I believe every word of that. And I don't know why it changed for me, Hilton. But it did. And I am happy for you. I want your dreams to come true. But it used to feel like one dream, like being happy for you would mean I was happy for me too. And I'm not happy for me."

They sat there staring at each other for a long moment.

"So what now?" Hilton finally asked. She no longer felt disgusted or mad, and the creepy déjà vu memory of Landon was gone. This was Luke, and he was nothing like Landon. And she loved him.

Luke shrugged. "I guess you go to Paris with Jill, and then you go to London, and I study for the bar."

"And then I'll be back after Wimbledon, and then that week you'll take the bar."

"And then maybe I can come to the Indy tournament with you, if Hades plays in that one."

Hilton cracked a small smile. "You'll come?"

"Yeah." He threw his hands in the air. "And who knows, maybe Tanner will fuckin' hire me as his lawyer."

Hilton smiled again. "Would you even wanna do that?"

"Actually it'd be pretty fuckin' sweet. I would get to be with you all the time, and he seems like he'd be pretty cool to work for. It wouldn't be anything too tough, just like working out his endorsement deals and shit, and I'd never have to prepare for trials or anything..." He grinned at her.

Hilton grinned back. "Oh my gosh, Luke, that'd be freaking awesome!" She stood up and ran over to hug him. He pulled her into his lap. They kissed. "Do you want me to say something to him?"

"No, not yet, wait to see if I even pass the fucking bar."

"Oh, you will."

### ***

"So you and Hilton are cool now?" Todd asked two weeks later as he and Luke drove back to Dale after dropping Jill and Hilton off at the Indy airport.

Luke grinned out the front window. "Yeah. It's been great ever since that night we talked it all out."

"You think she feels good about it too?"

"Yeah."

"So are you still gonna propose?"

Luke looked a little less thrilled and shook his head. "Dude, I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to do now. Things are good, but I don't feel like we're there anymore. Now that she knows about the last time...it's fucked up. And I have to get a different fucking ring."

"Why?" Todd looked over in surprise for a second, then turned his eyes back to the road.

" 'Cause it fucking matches the necklace I got her in Italy. Just like how Jill's ring and necklace match. And she was really upset that I was basing wanting to get engaged off you guys, and she said that I said I wanted the proposal to be original, but it wasn't even about us. It was about wanting what you guys had. And she's right. I got that purple ring in London 'cause it matched the necklace I'd already gotten her in Italy, and that's what you did for Jill. Well, you got the ring first I guess, but whatever. They were matching. So it wasn't original at all when I did it. I even remember thinking when I was in that jewelry store, the guy told me colored rings were unique, and I remember thinking that's what Hilton should have, 'cause she's unique. And then I fucking bought a ring based off something you had done. Real fucking unique." He'd had another horrible realization later too, after he and Hilton had talked, and he was so glad she hadn't seen the ring...because that promise ring Landon had gotten her had been to match a necklace too. How fucking stupid was he?!

"Oh," Todd said with another glance at Luke. "That sucks, dude. Has she seen the ring?"

"Nope."

"Can you like, take it back? Or are you gonna try to sell it or what?"

"I don't know." Luke shook his head again, sounding bummed now. "I don't really wanna sell it, 'cause when I bought it I thought it was perfect, and ever since then I've just imagined her wearing it." He shrugged. The Landon thing did kind of ruin it though, now that he'd remembered that shit.

"Yeah," Todd said. "I don't know what to tell you." He would've felt the same way if he'd for some reason had to take Jill's back and pick a different one.

"What would you do?" Luke asked. "If you were me? You would get a different ring. This one has a bad association now."

Todd thought about it. He would've been bummed to take Jill's ring back after he'd imagined giving it to her, but had he realized the one he'd gotten would somehow upset her or even just not be what she wanted... "Yeah," he said. "I would've gotten something different. The most important thing was for her to love it."

### Paris

### May 23-June 7, 2008

Hilton and Jill got to Paris on Friday morning. The tournament didn't start till Sunday, and Haidin might not even play that day, but he wanted Hilton there for the weekend so they could practice together. She was kind of surprised she hadn't had to meet him in New York and fly over with him, but her ticket had been through Philadelphia, so she had no idea when Haidin was supposed to arrive. When she and Jill got to the hotel, she found out Haidin hadn't checked in yet. Oscar had though.

"Come on!" Hilton giggled to Jill. "Let's get out of here before he finds me! We can actually sightsee! And I'm sure if Haidin needs me, he'll call." She rolled her eyes.

She and Jill showered and got ready as fast as they could, feeling like the phone was going to ring at any moment or Oscar was going to knock on the door. Forty-five minutes later, they were on their way out of the hotel, walking fast and surreptitiously scanning the lobby, half sure they'd see Haidin or Oscar.

"That's where I sit at night to wait for somebody to follow!" Hilton said with another giggle, pointing at the cluster of chairs where she'd spent so much time last year. Then they were out the door and on the street, and Hilton threw her arms in the air. "Freedom!" she said, and she and Jill burst into more giggles.

They spent the whole day seeing Paris. They had lunch at an outdoor café and went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and then they went to the Louvre. Shockingly, Haidin didn't call, and neither did Oscar. They went to another outdoor café for dinner.

"I love that I remember enough French to read off the menu and order," Jill said.

"I know!" Neither Hilton nor Jill had taken a French class since freshman year of college. "I love this about European cities," Hilton said a moment later. "The outdoor tables, and how they're just everywhere."

"Me too," Jill agreed. "The US could use a little more of this."

They lingered at dinner for two and a half hours, enjoying being outside and people-watching. They spent the whole time talking about Jill and Todd's wedding. It was going to be next summer, but Jill and Todd hadn't set a date yet. They wanted to pick one soon, and Jill and Hilton talked about that, dresses, the bridesmaids, the bachelorette party, the shower, the honeymoon, everything they could think of.

When they got back to the hotel, Hilton checked to see if Haidin had arrived. He hadn't, and there were no messages for her at the desk. "Weird," she said as she and Jill headed for the elevator. "Well, you wanna go out?"

They grinned at each other.

Half an hour later, just as they were leaving the hotel again, Hilton's cell phone rang. She grabbed it out of her clutch, scanning the lobby in the hopes of seeing Tanner. She'd been thinking he might call and invite her out tonight. It was Luke. "Hey!" she said.

"Hey. So I just thought you might wanna know _Game Set Match_ came yesterday, and there's pictures of Haidin and Aubrey on some beach in France, and she's topless in all the pictures. They just put like, little stars over her boobs. And they're like holding hands in the water, and then making out on their beach towel. So I don't think they're broken up."

Arden had called Hilton the day after Hilton and Luke's big talk to say that RiesWell had thrown the _NYC_ season finale party the night before at a bar where the cast, crew, and friends had watched the finale live, then partied away the night, and Aubrey and Telan Gangley had been all over each other and hadn't tried to hide it at all. Haidin hadn't been there. Then that week's _GSM_ , along with _Us Weekly_ , _People_ , and all the other celeb magazines, had published pictures of Aubrey, Telan, and Austin Delks, the actress who played Brianna, the other girl roommate on _NYC_ , engaging in a three-way kiss that definitely involved some tongue.

Hilton laughed and rolled her eyes. "Well, guess not." She hadn't really expected them to be. "I guess that explains why he's not here yet though. I wish he'd just forget about the whole tournament and move to some deserted island with her and never have contact with civilization again."

Luke laughed. "I think most of the world wishes that."

### ***

Haidin arrived the next afternoon. Aubrey was with him, but she stayed at the hotel while Haidin and Hilton went to practice. Jill came with Hilton.

"Who the hell are you?" Haidin asked her when he met her and Hilton in the lobby.

"I'm Jill. Hilton's roommate. You might remember me from Rome last year?" Jill flashed him a bright smile.

Haidin sneered and strode out of the hotel.

Hilton and Jill looked at each other and burst into silent laughter, covering their mouths and making funny faces at each other.

### ***

Haidin's first match wasn't till Monday, so Hilton and Jill watched matches all day and night on Sunday. Hilton took two breaks to practice with Haidin, and Jill sat on the ground by the net watching.

Hilton wondered if Haidin's matches would be awkward with Aubrey here, but on Monday Oscar sat between her and Aubrey, and Jill sat on Hilton's other side. Aubrey didn't even ask who Jill was or speak to them at all. The only time she even looked their way was to send them a nasty look when Haidin won and neither of them clapped.

"Oh, like you're really the stand-up-and-scream type of girlfriend," Jill muttered sarcastically as Aubrey walked away. She and Hilton looked at each other and laughed. Aubrey was mostly stoic at matches, always hidden behind her big sunglasses and never talking to anyone. She did clap occasionally, but only after big points or after Haidin won a game or set or the whole match. She never yelled for him.

"Yeah, I go crazy for Tanner and everybody; I can't even imagine if it was my boyfriend out there!" Hilton said with another laugh. She and Jill had both always been the type to jump out of their seats and cheer as loudly as they could at sporting events. They were also the type to yell at the ump or ref if they didn't like a call, and they weren't above cheering against the other player or team, if that player or team did something offensive, or sometimes even if they didn't. Hilton thought it was just so much more fun that way; how could Aubrey sit there and not go crazy when Haidin played well? Hilton never liked the girlfriends on TV who didn't cheer or act into the matches. She thought about Rory and Bryony. Rory was much more into it than Aubrey; she would lean forward in her seat and pump her fist and yell, "Go Tanner!" and clap enthusiastically when he did well. Bryony was more on Hilton and Jill's level, screaming and jumping out of her seat.

And then, just as Hilton and Jill were leaving Lenglen, the court where Haidin's match had been, they saw her. She was walking along in a steady line of people heading toward Chatrier, the biggest court, where Tanner's match was scheduled next. Hilton knew a match had just gotten over there because she'd been following it point by point on her phone through the IBM SlamTracker on the French Open website.

"Bryony!" Hilton yelled. Jill turned to look.

Bryony turned toward them and broke into a grin when she saw Hilton. "Hilton?! Holy shit! Hey!" She ran over and kissed Hilton on both cheeks.

"This is Jill," Hilton said. "My best friend."

"Hey!" Bryony kissed Jill on both cheeks too. "So how have you been?!" she cried to Hilton. "I read about you; I saw you're Hades' assistant?! How the fuck did that happen?!"

Hilton laughed. "He offered me a fucking book deal. He owns some huge publishing company. The whole thing's crazy."

"Well tell me about it! Are you going to Tanner's match? Do you still work for _GSM_ too?" She glanced down and noticed Hilton's media pass hanging around her neck. "I guess so." She laughed.

"Oh my gosh, can we take a picture of you guys?"

All three girls turned to see two boys who looked like they were thirteen or so.

"Sure!" Bryony said with a laugh. She put her arm around Hilton and flashed a grin as the boy raised a camera.

"Hey, do you want me to take one of you with them?" Jill asked.

The boy who'd asked for the picture stared at her, looking like he was going to pee his pants. "Um, yeah," he stammered.

Jill laughed and took the camera.

"Do you know who that was?!" the boy who'd asked for the picture said as they ran off a minute later, hitting his friend in the shoulder. "That was Tanner Bruin's old girlfriend and that girl who's always in the pictures with Haidin Bayliss!"

Hilton, Jill, and Bryony all laughed.

"So you came to see Tanner?" Hilton asked.

"Yeah, he called me last week and invited me."

"Really?! So you guys still talk a lot?"

"No, we never talk. It was totally random, but I was like, hell yeah I'll go! I love watching him play. And box seats for the whole tournament; how could I say no?!" She laughed and held up the pass around her neck that was similar to Hilton's and Jill's media passes.

"You're sitting in his box?"

"Yeah, you guys should too! There's always extra seats."

Hilton and Jill exchanged a glance. Hilton had told Jill how many times she'd thought about how cool it would be to sit in Tanner's box. And at a Grand Slam?! Holy shit.

"Okay!" Jill said, shooting another look at Hilton and laughing.

"I saw your Valentine's Day picture with Tanner," Bryony said to Hilton as they headed into the court. "That was so cute! Hey, is Luke here?!"

"No," Hilton said. "That's actually been...well...I don't know."

"What?! You guys are still together, aren't you?!"

"Oh, yeah. It was just weird for a while. 'Cause he didn't want me to take the job with Haidin, but he wouldn't come right out and say it. He wanted me to think that was too much time away from him, and then when I took the job without even considering saying no, he was upset 'cause he felt like I didn't care about being away from him or like I was choosing the job over spending time with him or something." Hilton was a little surprised she was telling Bryony all this, because she would've thought she'd feel guilty toward Luke. But she didn't. She and Bryony had talked a lot about Luke and Tanner last summer when they'd hung out.

"Wow," Bryony said. "That's shitty; I wouldn't have expected him to be like that."

"I know, me neither. That's why I was so thrown by it."

They were nearing their seats now, and Hilton saw Rory was already here, seated next to Tanner's coach and trainer. She and Jill exchanged a look, wondering whether Rory knew Bryony was coming.

"Hey!" Rory cried, jumping out of her seat when she saw them. "I'm Rory. I'm so excited to finally meet you!" She leaned toward Bryony as they kissed on both cheeks. Hilton and Jill exchanged another look that said, Welp, I guess she knew!

"Hey, I'm Bryony. _Enchantée!_ I've read all about you. Dating Tanner definitely got me hooked on _Game Set Match_!" She laughed.

"Hey, Hilton!" Rory said, reaching over to give Hilton a hug.

"Hey! This is my best friend Jill."

"Hey!" Rory and Jill greeted each other. They hugged as well, then Bryony, Hilton, and Jill all sat down in the second row, behind Rory and Tanner's coach and trainer, who shook hands with Hilton and Jill and nodded and smiled at them as Rory did introductions. Bryony gave both of them the kiss-on-the-cheeks hello.

"Good to see you, Bry," they said to her, tipping their hats and grinning.

Just then Hilton's cell phone rang. She read the text and laughed, showing it to Jill. U biotches r on tv. It was from Todd. "Let's call him!" Hilton said. Jill's phone didn't work here.

"Okay," Jill said with a grin. They put the phone on speaker and dialed.

"Hello? Is this that ugly girl they just showed on ESPN2?"

Hilton and Jill both laughed. "No, it's your fucking fiancée, you asshole!" Jill said.

"Oh, shit, sorry. I was talking about Hilton." Todd laughed too.

"I can hear you too, fucker," Hilton said. "What are you doing home anyway?" It was ten in the morning at home.

"Um, I'm not at home? I work in a gym; we occasionally have ESPN on?"

Hilton and Jill burst out laughing.

"My bad," Hilton said.

"So we were on TV?" Jill asked.

Todd laughed again. "You're so excited, you whore. Yeah, you guys were on there. They showed Bruin and whoever he's playing walking on the court and stopping at their chairs, then they like went to some fans walking in, then they showed you guys. It said 'Tanner Bruin's Box' on the screen. You know, like it always does. Wait." He was silent for several seconds, then he laughed again. "They just flashed back to you guys and they were like, 'Wow, we just showed you Tanner Bruin's box a moment ago, but I guess we didn't look that closely; look at this! This is quite surprising! We have Bruin's coach and trainer Rick Holtz and Jeff Beckham,' and then they like showed a close-up of them, and then they zoomed back out and they were like, 'But here's where it gets strange! We have Bruin's current girlfriend, Rory Bollier, often a fixture at his matches, along with _Bryony Adams_ , Bruin's _ex_ -girlfriend; wow, we haven't seen her since...last fall? Shortly before he started dating Bollier, anyway, and then we also have Hilton Joliet, Haidin Bayliss' personal assistant. Do you know who the fourth girl is?' And then the other guy was like, 'No, I don't know her. Maybe we can get word on who that is. But wow, this is very interesting. Best-looking player's box we'll probably see all of these two weeks!' And then he laughed and was like, 'And I don't mean you, Rick Holtz and Jeff Beckham; no offense.' "

Hilton and Jill were shrieking with laughter. Everybody else in the box had heard too.

"Hey, wave at the camera." Todd said. "Straight out over the court."

They all looked at each other and laughed, then turned and waved.

"Oh shit, that was fucking awesome!" Todd laughed. "Wait, wait...'Oh, someone must have told them they were on TV. There you go, folks. A nice wave from the Tanner Bruin box.' " Todd laughed again. "That's what they just said."

### ***

Three games into the match, during the first changeover, Todd called back. "Can you put it on speaker again and stay on the phone with me for a sec?"

"Um, okay...why?" Jill asked. Hilton had given her the phone when she'd seen it was Todd.

"Oh, just trust me," Todd said assuredly. Jill and Hilton exchanged a look, and Jill turned to the rest of the box.

"I don't know what he's doing," she said. "But he told me to put him on speaker again."

"Now!" Todd said. "Wave again!"

They all six turned and waved to the same camera. Hilton thought it was hilarious even Tanner's coach and trainer were waving and getting a good laugh out of the whole thing.

"Sweet!" Todd was laughing hysterically. "I can't believe that fuckin' worked!"

"What'd you do?!" Jill asked.

"They have a thing on the website where you can send questions to the commentators and they'll try to answer them during the match," Todd said. " _Gosh_. Have you guys never seen a tennis match?" He laughed again. "No, so I sent them your name, Jill."

"What?!"

"Yeah, I sent it right before the commercial, at the changeover. I was hoping they'd get it during the commercial and then go right to it when they came back. I can't believe they actually did it." He was still dying laughing.

"What'd you tell them?" Jill asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Oh, nothing. Just the truth."

"And what's that, exactly?"

"Just that you think I'm hot."

"What?!"

"Oh yeah. When they just came back from commercial they were laughing and they showed you guys again and were like, 'Well over the break we got a message through the website informing us that the other girl in Bruin's box is Jill Sherer, and she's apparently Hilton Joliet's best friend and roommate. And she also thinks Todd Blake is hot.' And then he like lost it laughing, and then he was like, 'So congratulations, Todd Blake, whoever you are.' And then it showed the commentators, and one of them was Patrick McEnroe, and he like looked at the other guy and was like, 'This is pretty funny.' "

"Aahhh!" Hilton, Bryony, and Rory shrieked.

"Oh my gosh, Todd, I can't believe you!" Jill cried. She was laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, I just totally hooked you guys up. They're gonna be showing you guys all match now. I already called your mom and told her to go home and tape it if she could."

"Are you serious?!" Jill was thrilled. She couldn't wait to see this. She wished she could have some way of seeing all the stuff they'd already shown.

"Oh, come on Jilly, we both know you're gonna watch it obsessively over and over," Todd said with a grin in his voice. "Okay, shit, I gotta go, my next client just got here. Love you, Jilly. Bye, Hilton. Bye, people I don't know." Then he hung up.

Jill, Hilton, Rory, and Bryony all looked at each other with incredulous grins, then they all burst out laughing and high-fived.

### ***

Haidin didn't play again till Thursday. Hilton and Jill got to see all the American guys' matches and even some doubles. Haidin had a fairly easy draw to the quarters, but there he would meet Roger Federer if he and Federer both made it that far. That wasn't the hardest quarter Haidin could be in though, in Hilton's opinion, because at least he wasn't in Nadal's...Nadal had never lost a match at the French Open. He had won the tournament all three times he'd played in it.

Hilton and Jill did the same most of that week—watched matches all day and night and practiced with Haidin twice a day. A couple nights, when they weren't interested in the matches, they sat in the lobby of the hotel and then followed players out to dinner. They followed Mardy, his fiancée, and James one night, and the other night, just to amuse themselves, they followed two totally hot guys they didn't even know.

"What if they're not even tennis players?" Jill said with a laugh as Hilton snapped a few pictures in the restaurant. Jill was pretending to pose so it would look like Hilton was taking pictures of her, but she really wasn't even in the shot.

Hilton laughed too, widening her eyes as her mouth dropped open. "No, they have to be," she said. "Look, they're wearing Adidas. That's gotta be their sponsor. Maybe they're some hot new doubles team." She snapped another picture.

"They have no idea you're even taking pictures of them," Jill said in a low voice, watching the guys out of the corner of her eye.

"Yeah...they _must_ be new; they're not used to being stalked!"

### ***

### BRUIN'S BOMBSHELLS

BY MYRA CATTON

said the headline in the issue Hilton received Thursday. The two-page spread was right behind the cover story and had a blown-up picture of the four girls high-fiving. The photo byline said photo by Eric Mercer.

It's not a rare occurrence to see a gorgeous girl in Tanner Bruin's friend box at any given tournament, especially over the last eleven months, since Bryony Adams first graced his box at last year's Wimbledon. But at this year's French Open at Roland Garros, there are 4 gorgeous girls. That's right, 4. At Bruin's first-round match on Monday and again at his second-round match Wednesday, his coach Rick Holtz and trainer Jeff Beckham were joined by Rory Bollier (Bruin's girlfriend), Bryony Adams (Bruin's ex-girlfriend), Hilton Joliet (GSM photographer and Haidin Bayliss' personal assistant), and Jill Sherer (Joliet's best friend and roommate).

What?! you may be thinking. Well, that's what GSM thought too: Weird.

Okay, so it's no secret Joliet is friends with Bruin; they've been photographed together in multiple GSM issues dating back to Wimbledon 2007 and perhaps most famously in this year's Feb. 16 issue, when they offered shout-outs to their missing significant others as they celebrated Valentine's Day together at 5-star French restaurant Bleu Noir in Delray Beach, Florida. (Bollier was Bruin's significant other at the time; he and Adams broke up in November 2007.) Joliet has also been photographed with both Adams (July 7, 2007 issue) and Bollier (Jan. 19, 2008 issue), and has—although she works for Bayliss—told GSM outright in an interview that Bruin is her favorite tennis player.

So her presence in his box is explainable, as is her best friend Sherer's. And Bollier...well, that's no surprise, unless the last time you turned on a tennis match was last fall or earlier.

The real shocker is Adams. Last photographed with Bruin at the ATP Masters Series Madrid (Oct. 27, 2007 issue) and reported to have broken up with him three weeks later, no one expected to see her back in his friend box. The break appeared to be a clean one; no sightings of the pair were reported after the split, and Bruin and Bollier started dating a month later. But not just anybody can walk in and sit in that box. Ever noticed the special lanyards and nametags on TV? So that means only one thing—Bruin invited her.

What does Bollier think? She wasn't able to be reached and doesn't have an agent or publicist, but she appears to be having a great time with Adams—just look at the picture. The two of them, along with Joliet and Sherer, have been the life of Bruin's matches, jumping out of their seats to cheer for Bruin, waving at the ESPN2 cameras, and generally drawing the attention of everyone on Court Philippe Chatrier. So, it looks like Bruin has another talent besides tennis; he's an ace with women as well. After all, what other guy could have his current girlfriend, two friends who are girls, and his most recent ex sitting together watching him play and getting along so well? GSM

### ***

Haidin, as expected, lost to Federer in the quarters the following week. The match started on Wednesday night, but due to several rain delays wasn't finished until Thursday around six p.m. Tanner, in a repeat of his best showing ever at the French Open, lost to Rafael Nadal in the semis. Aubrey left for New York the day after Haidin lost; she was about to start filming her second movie and was due on set Monday morning. Haidin shocked Hilton and Jill by staying in Paris for another night after Aubrey left; Hilton didn't even have to ask for permission to stay for Tanner's semi. When she'd gone to Haidin's hotel room to do so, he'd flung open the door and said, "Don't worry, I'm staying at least till his fucking match is over tomorrow, and it's 'cause of your whole fucking 'Bruin's Bombshells' thing. Oscar fucking loves it, and now he fucking wants me to go to that asshole's match too 'cause it'll be 'good press' if I'm seen supporting another player."

Hilton had stared openmouthed.

"So see ya tomorrow, thanks," Haidin had snapped, then slammed the door in her face.

He didn't end up sitting with them in Tanner's box, which Hilton was extremely glad about, but he was front row on the side behind the chair umpire, and Hilton saw all the photographers snapping pictures. She saw him being interviewed for ESPN too, and she hoped he didn't say anything too horrible, because Oscar wasn't with him, and if Haidin got bad press out of this, she could just see him blaming it on her and not letting her stay at tournaments after he lost anymore.

### ***

After Tanner's loss, Haidin, Hilton, Jill, and Oscar went straight to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Hilton bought Jill a ticket home on the first flight out, which was in an hour if she wanted to go to New York.

"That's fine, I'll take it," Jill said to the lady at the counter. She turned to Hilton. "Maybe I can stay the night with Kelsey and Arden and go home tomorrow. And seriously, don't worry about the ticket from New York to Indy. This has been so freaking awesome!"

"I know!" Hilton grinned. "You have to come to more with me!"

Jill grinned back, then turned to take the boarding pass the lady was handing her. She lifted her suitcase up onto the scale.

"You're all set," the lady said as she wrapped a flight tag marked JFK around Jill's suitcase handle and handed back Hilton's credit card and Jill's passport.

Jill and Hilton moved away from the ticket counter. They would have to part here because the flight Oscar had booked from the car for himself, Hilton, and Haidin left from a different concourse.

"Seriously, thanks so much, Hilton," Jill said, giving Hilton a hug. "I had so much fun. And I'm so glad I got to see what it's like for you now." She grinned.

"Me too!" Hilton hugged Jill again. "I'm _sooooo_ glad you came. Have a good flight, and call me tomorrow. Say hi to Kels and Arden if you see them. And tell Todd and Adria I miss them! And let me know how Luke is." She gave Jill a slightly worried look. "I mean, he's seemed fine on the phone, but you know...I wish he was coming to London with me. I hate the stupid-ass bar exam." She laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you updated," Jill said. "See you soon. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too!"

They hugged one last time, then both turned to go.

"Love you, Jilly!" Hilton called back.

Jill grinned over her shoulder. "Love you too, Bruin's Bombshell!"

### London

### June 8-29, 2008

The first week in London, Haidin played in the Queen's Club tournament, a warm-up for Wimbledon. The week was fairly uneventful because most of the players had to play every day, so even though Hilton sat in the hotel lobby every night, she didn't get much action. Haidin made it to the final this time, where he lost to Tanner. Hilton was ecstatic—secretly, of course, at least while she was still at the tournament. As soon as she got back to the hotel she called Tanner's room and left a congratulatory message.

That week's _GSM_ published a photo of Haidin at Tanner's semifinal in Paris. Beside it was a smaller photo of Tanner's box from the same match. A small headline above the photos read, Hilton rubs off on Haidin? The caption spanned the bottom of both photos. Bayliss attended Tanner Bruin's Roland Garros semifinal match against Rafa Nadal Saturday night, and although he wasn't seated with Bruin's Bombshells and never cheered, GSM wonders if his assistant Joliet (second from left), a regular Bruin supporter, had any influence? Or maybe Bayliss was just scouting his competition for Wimbledon.

The second week in London, Haidin planned to take the week off and just spend it hitting the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to practice for Wimbledon. Queen's Club had been the first grass-court tournament of the season, so he wanted to get in more practice on grass. Even though the tournaments this week were grass as well, he said he never played the week before a Grand Slam because it ruined his focus. Hilton could actually understand that, and she knew a lot of highly ranked players didn't play the week right before a Grand Slam. But then at the last minute, Oscar informed Haidin he was playing doubles with Tanner at Nottingham.

Haidin was livid. Oscar said Tanner's coach had suggested it. Tanner had done so well at the French after playing doubles in one of the warm-up tournaments that his coach wanted him to do it again, but Nate was playing in a different tournament this week, in the Netherlands, and Tanner didn't want to leave London. He wanted to still be able to practice at the All England Club while playing in the doubles tournament, and he didn't want to have to worry about traveling.

Hilton found out when Tanner called her hotel room to tell her. "What?!" she cried. "Why didn't you ask Andy or something?! He's not playing this week, is he?"

Tanner laughed. "I don't know. I was in one of my weird moods. I thought it'd be funny to ask Hades, 'cause from what you've said I thought his manager might make him do it. And I figured that way you'll be there, and mine and Hades' boxes will be together since we're a team, so you can sit there and cheer for us. Rory had to go home, and I can't go from having four girls to none. That's just pathetic."

Hilton laughed in delight. " _GSM_ 's gonna jump all over this."

"Exactly," Tanner said, and Hilton could tell he was laughing. "See, everybody wins. Well, except probably me and Hades."

### ***

Tanner and Haidin did win...two matches. And one game in their third match.

Hilton was actually pretty impressed with them in their first two matches; they played well together and actually looked like they didn't hate each other as they conversed between points and nodded at each other when one of them hit a winner. Hilton couldn't believe it.

But then, in their third match, they got steamrolled. It was so bad it was hilarious, and Hilton was laughing the whole time. Tanner's coach and trainer were enjoying themselves too, sinking down in their seats and covering their faces with their hands as they looked at each other and laughed.

"Well that was a shitshow," his coach said when the match ended in forty-five minutes.

"Woooo!" Hilton shouted, standing and clapping loudly. She cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed for Tanner and Haidin as they walked off the court. "Nice job, guys! So close! You almost had it!"

Tanner looked up and burst out laughing, and Hilton was sure she actually saw a tiny hint of a smile tug at the corner of Haidin's mouth for just a split second. She almost fell over.

The court they were in was small, and people were staring in her direction. Tanner's coach and trainer looked at each other and pressed their lips together to keep from laughing.

"Rock on!" Tanner yelled, raising his right hand with his index and pinkie fingers extended. He turned in a circle so all the fans could see him. They laughed and cheered enthusiastically, loving the show.

Then, shocking Hilton as much as he ever had, if not more, Haidin turned back toward the crowd and bowed exaggeratedly.

Hilton's mouth dropped open in a stunned laugh as she quickly snapped a picture and the crowd cheered even more enthusiastically. Tanner burst out laughing and held out his hand for a high five. Haidin hit it, and then they walked off the court together.

"Holy shit," Oscar said in disbelief, and Hilton laughed out loud.

### ***

Wimbledon started the following Monday. As Hilton walked in that first day and saw all the people settling in for the afternoon on Henman Hill, waiting eagerly for player autographs by the entrance, and rushing excitedly to their seats in Centre Court or Court 1, she felt so lucky to be back. She absolutely loved the atmosphere and the tradition here. It was by far her favorite tournament.

And she felt like everything was going well now, and falling into place. It was only a little over a month till Luke took the bar, and she felt so bad for him with all the studying he was doing, but she couldn't wait till he was finished. She had no doubt he would pass, and then he might actually get to join her on tour.

Jill didn't know what she was doing yet; she was job-searching this summer. What she really wanted to do was work with eyewitness testimony and jury selection. Senior year of high school she had testified in Todd's parents' divorce trial, and she had seen Todd's dad and two of his friends get on the stand and tell outright lies about Todd's mom. Todd's mom had won the trial, but Todd's dad and his friends had made Jill so furious that ever since then she'd wanted to be able to psychologically analyze witnesses and give her expert opinion to judges and juries to keep people like that from winning. She also wanted to work in jury selection because she hated the idea of some biased or just plain stupid jury members making a decision that could ruin lives. She didn't think a lot of people out there really got the meaning of "beyond any reasonable doubt." Too many of them looked at it as guilty or innocent, rather than guilty or not able to be proven guilty. She was fascinated by trial law and the dynamics of it. But she was thinking she would have to move to a bigger city, at least Indy or maybe Chicago, because there wasn't a really high demand for forensic psychology in Dale.

So she, Todd, Hilton, and Luke were waiting to resign their lease for next year, since they didn't know where any of them would be. They were all kind of ready to leave Dale, because it felt like a college town to them, and they felt like they were becoming townies. So since Luke could pretty much find a job anywhere, he and Hilton were going to move with Jill and Todd wherever they moved and all four live together for another year. They had all decided that the last time Hilton was home. After Jill and Todd got married next summer, they would move into their own place with Adria. But for now, the four of them weren't quite ready to give up living together. They had so much fun, and they all agreed it was the best living arrangement any of them had ever had. Hilton was so excited to plan Jill's wedding with her, and she was excited for Hillary's wedding in October too. And it would be so nice next year to not be working for Haidin anymore and be able to take what jobs she wanted for _GSM_ and be home to plan the wedding with Jill the rest of the time. Jill had already said the wedding would definitely be in July or early August, so as not to interfere with the French Open, Wimbledon, or the US Open. Hilton had laughed and told her to have it whenever she wanted, and Jill had said she _was_ having it when she wanted, because she would never want Hilton to have to miss a tournament. And she wanted an outdoor wedding anyway, so it was better to go with July or August because that was when Indiana got the most consistent best weather.

Hilton thought about what it would be like if she were planning her own wedding right now, if she and Jill were getting married the same summer. She smiled at the thought; that would be so fun. And she supposed it could still happen...she wasn't sure when Luke would propose now. She understood without having to talk to him about it that it had been kind of ruined by their conversation in May when he'd told her about his plan to do it before, so it probably wouldn't come for at least a few months now. She would just wait and see, and when it happened, if she thought they had enough time to plan the wedding, maybe they could do it next summer. But if not, that was okay too. She believed what she'd told him...they didn't need a ring to be completely happy. She was just glad things were good between them again.

### ***

Hilton went to all of Haidin's matches and all of Tanner's matches, practiced with Haidin, followed players out to dinner at night, sold a few pictures to _GSM_ , and talked to Luke on the phone every day. One afternoon she spent a rain delay in the players' lounge playing poker with Tanner, Andy, Mardy, and James, and she sold a couple pictures from that afternoon to _GSM_ as well.

The pictures and article in that week's _GSM_ about Haidin and Tanner playing doubles together were hilarious. There was a shot of the two of them conferring on the court and another one of Hilton standing and cheering as they walked off the court, with Tanner's coach and trainer smirking in the background. James had also captured Tanner's "rock on!" gesture and Haidin's bow, and his shot had been from a better angle than Hilton's, but Hilton didn't even care. She thought the whole thing was hysterical. The article speculated about why Tanner and Haidin were playing doubles together and whether they might actually be _friends_. If so, it said, that might be able to be credited to Hilton, whom the article called a "possible miracle-worker." There was a quote from Tanner about why he'd asked Haidin to play. "I just thought our styles of play would make us a good doubles team," was all he'd said, and Hilton laughed hysterically when she read that.

Tanner called her on Middle Sunday, the day there was no play. "Did you see this shit?!" he asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, I freaking love it. Nice quote."

Tanner laughed again. "So, a repeat of last year? Minus our other halves? Unless you have to practice with Hades. I need to get out of the hotel."

"Sure," Hilton said, surprised he'd asked her to do something rather than James or Andy or someone like that. But, James and Andy both played tomorrow, and Tanner didn't play till Tuesday.

"All right, I'll meet you downstairs."

### ***

They went to the same pub they'd started at last year. The same girl was working, the one who'd freaked out over Tanner, and she freaked out again. This time she asked them both for their autographs.

"You were here last year too, weren't you?!" she asked Hilton as Hilton and Tanner signed coasters. "I knew it as soon as I saw your picture in _Game Set Match_ the first time. And especially when I saw you two in pictures together."

"Yep," Hilton said with a smile. It still felt so weird when people asked for her autograph. It had only happened a few times, but it was kind of cool.

She and Tanner had a few beers and talked some more about him playing doubles with Haidin and about Aubrey's pictures with Telan that had been followed up a week later by the ones of her on the beach in France with Haidin.

"They're so fucked up," Tanner said, laughing and shaking his head. "I don't get them at all. But I guess it works for them."

"I guess," Hilton said.

"Let's get out of here," Tanner said. "It's almost three. Aren't all the pubs closed from three to five or something?"

"Yeah, something like that," Hilton said, draining the last of her beer and hoping he didn't want to go back to the hotel yet.

When they stepped outside it was sunny and gorgeous. "So, you wanna be tourists and do the London Eye again?" Tanner asked. "I liked that."

"Sure."

They smiled at each other, and a thrill raced through Hilton's body. Stop it, for the millionth time! she told herself with a silent laugh.

The line was way longer than last year since it was nice out today. Tanner once again didn't want to cut and go right to the front, so he and Hilton stood talking and waiting for three and a half hours. Tanner asked her how Luke was, and she told him things had been bad for a while after Valentine's Day when Luke's flight got cancelled, but they were back to normal now.

"Good," Tanner said, sounding like he meant it one hundred percent.

Hilton smiled, thinking he was so sweet. She felt like he really viewed her and Luke as friends and cared about them. She told him Luke had graduated and was studying for the bar now, and she was tempted to mention the possibility of him actually working for Tanner, but Luke had told her not to yet, so she didn't.

She and Tanner signed some more autographs and took pictures with a few people, and Tanner signed more autographs and took pictures with more people who obviously didn't recognize Hilton. Someone asked who she was, and Tanner said, "This is Hilton. She's my best friend on tour who's not a tennis player." He grinned at Hilton, his pale green eyes sparkling, and she smiled back, touched he had introduced her as his friend rather than Haidin's assistant or a _GSM_ photographer.

When they were in their own compartment and on the way to the top of the wheel, Tanner said, "I broke up with Rory."

" _What?!_ "

"Yeah, I didn't wanna tell you till we were alone. I mean, I don't care if it gets out; it will eventually, but don't tell _GSM_ , okay?"

"Yeah, of course I won't. But why? What happened?!" Hilton's heart was racing crazily, and she silently told it to slow down, feeling guilty toward Luke but telling herself there was no reason to because it was just her crazy Tanner crush. Even though they were friends now, he was still a celebrity to her too. So it was okay for her to get like this around him.

Tanner looked thoughtful. He looked out the window for a minute, then looked back to Hilton. " 'Cause we were better as friends," he said. "She thought so too. We both agreed on it. We had our fun for a while, but you can't force something that's not there when it comes down to it. I guess it kind of wore itself out. It was like that excitement at first of seeing someone you haven't seen in years but used to be attracted to. I mean, I'm still attracted to her, but somehow we both just knew it was over."

Hilton sat silently, pondering it. Everything he said had made perfect sense, and she could see it. She just _hadn't_. She hadn't seen it coming. And usually she did see breakups coming; she could read couples and she could tell when things were on the way downhill. She hadn't seen it because she'd been afraid Rory was so right for Tanner that they would really last. Now, looking back at it more objectively, she could see everything Tanner was saying. He was absolutely right. But why hadn't she seen it? Why hadn't she been looking at it objectively? It's not like she was really involved in it. Even though she had this crush on Tanner, it's not like she'd had some crazy hope Tanner and Rory would break up and Tanner would want her. So why hadn't she been able to see this all along? Why had she had that thought that Rory might be The One for Tanner?

But...it hadn't been just a thought. It'd been more like a nagging feeling. So she had tried to stop thinking about them all together, because that feeling had made her slightly sick to her stomach.

Suddenly a thought pounded through her brain, and a whole new wave of that feeling washed over her, but it was a little different. It was more like...totally shocked, and guilty too, but....The thought astounded her, scared her, but there was something else too...like the tiniest little bit of excitement. Was she actually in love with Tanner?! Not in love like a celebrity crush, but actually _in love with him_?!

"What are you thinking?" Tanner asked, startling her out of her possible epiphany. Her eyes darted to his. He was looking at her, his eyes curious.

"Just that that makes perfect sense," she said slowly. "But I didn't see it coming. So it threw me a little. 'Cause I usually can see breakups coming a mile away."

"You probably didn't see it 'cause of everything going on with you and Luke," Tanner said. "You probably weren't paying any attention to me."

"Yeah," Hilton said, her mind flying around crazily. She looked back at him. "Are you sad about it?"

"Yeah. I mean, we liked each other a lot. I maybe even loved her. I definitely love her as a person. I was probably in love with her, or at least with the idea of me and her. So yeah, it's sad." His eyes looked sad, and Hilton felt butterflies racing through her body again.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I'm sorry, Tanner."

"It'll be okay," Tanner said. "But that's why I don't want _GSM_ to know yet. I need some time to process it on my own."

"When did it happen?"

"After Haidin and I lost at Nottingham. I flew to Aspen to see her. I wanted it to happen in person."

"Oh," Hilton said, surprised but thinking it made sense. She'd been disappointed she hadn't run into Tanner those few days on the practice courts or at the hotel, but she'd never guessed he'd left London completely.

"And I wanted to do it before Wimbledon too. We weren't supposed to see each other for almost three weeks, and I didn't wanna just let it go. It'd been bothering me already during Queen's Club, and it would've been distracting during Wimbledon. And I think it was partly seeing Bry too, you know. Not that I'm trying to get back together with her or anything, but seeing her just made me think about us, and how I would've kept dating her for...I don't know, however long...even though I don't think we were in love, but I was totally happy with her; the thought of breaking up or that it wasn't working out never even crossed my mind. And yet Rory, who I think I _was_ kind of in love with, I was feeling unsettled with. So it was like, I just felt like I had to do it, rather than drawing things out. And she wasn't even surprised. She knew when I showed up in Aspen that that's what it was."

"Well, I think it's good you did it, 'cause you're right, it's _not_ good to just let it go. What kind of relationship is that?"

"I don't know," Tanner said. "I mean, maybe it's one where you really do love each other, and even though you know it's not gonna work, you both still really want it to. I just don't think Rory and I had been together long enough to be at that point. It wasn't like we were each other's whole lives, or like we had planned this whole future together. It wasn't like trying to hold onto something that huge. So it was easier to let go."

"Yeah," Hilton said thoughtfully. "That's a good point. You're lucky you figured it out when you did, I guess."

"Hey, look," Tanner said. "We're at the top."

Hilton looked. They could see all of London, just like last year...Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Big Ben soaring high over Westminster Palace, the Globe Theatre, West End, Piccadilly Circus. Hilton saw them all in the same order Bryony had pointed them out last year, and she smiled nostalgically as she remembered that day. But now...this day...

"Let's take a picture," Tanner said. "Do you have your camera?"

"Yeah." As Hilton dug in her purse, she was half glad to abandon the place her mind had been going again. She pulled out her camera and turned it on, then looked toward the window to see from what angle she could get the best shot that included the most landmarks.

"I meant of us," Tanner said.

Hilton looked at him in surprise, her heart thudding again.

"You know, how last year we took pics up here of all of us? Just 'cause they're not here doesn't mean we can't do it again."

"Okay," Hilton said, ripping her eyes away from his as she positioned herself beside him.

They tilted their heads together and smiled, and Hilton snapped the picture.

"Let me see," Tanner said.

Hilton flipped back to it, and she and Tanner both leaned in to look, their shoulders touching. It was an awesome picture. Hilton couldn't help thinking how good they looked together. Their hair was almost the same color, and they were tan, and they looked like they were having a great time.

"Aww, it's good," Tanner said. He looked at her with his easy smile, his eyes glittering. "Thanks." He leaned back to look out the window. They were headed back down now. Then he turned back to Hilton and hit her lightly in the arm. "Hey, don't sell that one to _GSM_ though, okay? That one's just for us. I want a copy."

### Dale

### July 1-3, 2008

Luke's birthday was that Tuesday, July 1. It wasn't great of course, because of Hilton being gone, but he had promised himself he was going to try to make the best of it, because he didn't want to start feeling shitty again. He decided to take the day off from studying and sleep in, and when he woke up he lounged on the couch eating cereal and watching Wimbledon. Jill and Adria didn't appear to be home, and Luke figured they were probably at the pool. They went almost every day. Tanner's fourth-round match was on, and when ESPN2 came back from commercial before the start of the second set, they flashed to a picture of Hilton in the stands. She was wearing her aviators, the pair Luke remembered her buying on spring break in South Padre three or four years ago. Her long light brown hair was down and looked sun-streaked with gold, and she was wearing a black wife-beater that said **I** ♥ **NY**. She was slouched back in her seat a little, looking totally relaxed. There were a lot of people on all sides of her, and Luke figured she was sitting a few rows back, in whatever seats _GSM_ had gotten her.

"There's Hilton Joliet," one of the commentators said. "Haidin Bayliss' personal assistant and one of 'Bruin's Bombshells' as well, if you read _Game Set Match_." His voice was amused.

"That's right," the other commentator said. "A regular presence at Bruin's matches. She also works as a photographer for _Game Set Match_. I wonder why she's not in Bruin's box today."

"Maybe Bruin's Bombshells was a French thing," the first commentator said, and they both laughed a little. Luke laughed too and rolled his eyes; the ESPN commentators were always funny. "For those of you at home who may not know what we're referring to," the first commentator said as the shot on the screen flashed back to Tanner and the other player, who were returning to the court, "Tanner Bruin had four girls in his box at every one of his French Open matches a few weeks ago, and _Game Set Match_ dubbed them 'Bruin's Bombshells.' "

"Yep," the second commentator said. "If you were watching any of Bruin's matches, you probably heard us refer to them. It was a little interesting because there was Joliet, who's been a friend of Bruin's for a while, we hear, and then her best friend, and then Bruin's girlfriend Rory Bollier, who's been to several tournaments with him this year, and then _Bryony Adams_ , Bruin's _ex_ -girlfriend, who _used_ to go to a lot of his tournaments. We hadn't seen her since last fall sometime."

"Yep, it was interesting," the first commentator agreed as Tanner hit the first serve of the second set. "But all the ladies seemed to get along great; they were high-fiving and cheering all over the place..."

"Yeah, I think I'm a little jealous of Bruin," the second commentator joked. "I wish I had ever, at any match in my career, had four girls watching me when I played."

"Oh, well, don't worry, I'm sure you had some girls watching at home and cheering for you. Hordes of them, probably."

"Right!" the second guy scoffed in amusement.

Luke laughed again, then rolled off the couch and walked over to Adria's Lego table beside the TV, where all the old issues of _Game Set Match_ were stacked. Adria was still obsessed, and she spent hours poring over them. He found the one he wanted and carried it back to the couch with him, flipping through it till he found the pictures from one year ago today.

There were Bryony and Tanner kissing at the top of the London Eye, and there they were in the pub...and there was the one of the four of them. Hilton and Bryony in the middle, and he and Tanner on the outside. Luke grinned as he looked at the picture. That had been a fun day. He wished he could've gone to London with Hilton again. Stupid bar exam. But in two weeks it'd be over, and Hilton would be home, and then the next tournament was Indy. And if he passed the bar, maybe Bruin really would hire him. Who knew for sure, but that would be pretty fucking cool.

He grinned as he flipped the magazine shut again and grabbed his cell phone off the table to call Hilton and tell her what they'd said on TV. Then, as it rang, he quickly grabbed the remote and hit Record. He was pretty sure if he started recording now, the TiVo would catch the part of the program that had already aired, since he'd had it on that station the whole time. He knew Jill would love it, and Hilton could watch it when she got home.

### ***

Luke had been studying sixteen to eighteen hours most days, but on Thursday he only studied till six, because he, Jill, and Todd were going to the Turtle to celebrate his birthday. On his way into the apartment he picked up the mail. There was nothing for him, but the advance copies of Saturday's _GSM_ had arrived. He dropped the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter, taking one _GSM_ with him to quickly flip through and see if Hilton was in it. She almost always was now. "Hey!" he called toward Jill and Todd's room. "I'm home. I'll be ready in like twenty!"

" 'Kay, dude," Todd called back.

Luke went in his room, shut the door, and dumped his backpack and laptop case on his bed while he kicked off his flip-flops. The cover story was something about how Wimbledon was going, but Luke didn't really care about that right now. He'd probably skim it later when he had more time. He flipped through the ShotSpot section and didn't see Hilton, so he flipped through the rest of the magazine.

She jumped out at him just past the cover story. It was a whole-body photo of her walking down the street with Tanner, and it took up the whole right-hand page of the two-page spread. He looked to the left page, where the story was.

A SUNNY MIDDLE SUNDAY

### In a near-exact repeat of last year, Tanner and friend Hilton Joliet enjoy the day off by hitting 2 London pubs and the London Eye

BY MYRA CATTON

Last year on Wimbledon's famous "day of no play," Tanner Bruin was one of the only players to brave the misty cold and venture out of the hotel to have a little fun in London. He and his then-girlfriend Bryony Adams, along with 2 other at-the-time-unknown friends, chilled at 2 pubs and waited in line 2 hours to ride the London Eye, a large rotating wheel that gives riders spectacular views of the city on their half-hour trip up, around, and back down. The group—especially Bruin and Adams—was photographed together during the day by GSM photographer Hilton Joliet (see July 7, 2007 issue).

Well, as it turns out, Joliet was not only taking the pictures, she was one of the friends along for the day's adventure. July 7 became the first of many times she would appear in GSM with Bruin, and, a year later, the pair appear closer than ever.

Even though Bruin's girlfriend Rory Bollier and Joliet's boyfriend Luke Windler couldn't be in London this year, that didn't stop Bruin and Joliet from reenacting their Middle Sunday fun. And they appeared to have plenty of it—witnesses spotted them laughing and talking in both the pubs and at the Eye.

"They definitely looked like they were having a good time together," says fellow Eye-visitor Jack Gorris, who waited in line behind them for over three hours. "They signed some autographs and took some pictures with people and didn't seem to mind at all, and then they would just go right back to talking to each other. One person asked who she was, and Tanner said she was his best friend on tour. They were smiling the whole time; they obviously didn't even mind waiting in line for three and a half hours. They just seemed like normal people out for a good time." GSM

Luke sat down on the bed, feeling weirdly uneasy. Hilton had told him on the phone, "So guess what? Tanner and I went to the London Eye again today, and back to those same pubs we went to last year. It was fun." She'd told him about signing autographs and about how much nicer the weather had been this year. But somehow that description hadn't conveyed what the article did...how she and Tanner had been smiling the whole time, how they seemed to be such good friends, how they seemed "normal," like hanging out on Sunday afternoons was something they did all the time. It hadn't conveyed how _much_ fun they'd been having.

Something about that bothered Luke. Of course he'd known Hilton and Tanner were friends; Hilton always told him when she hung out with Tanner. But Luke had somehow still seen Tanner as a celebrity, not a real, or "normal," person. Not someone Hilton would _really_ get close with.

But it was plainly obvious he'd been wrong. They weren't the kind of friends he'd imagined them to be...acquaintances who hung out occasionally because they happened to, essentially, work together. They were _real_ friends, or apparently _best_ friends, if that guy had quoted Tanner correctly. They hung out because they wanted to, because they had fun together, because they had stuff in common, because they were close.

He looked over at the picture of them, which he hadn't paid that much attention to at first. He saw it had been taken by Eric, that weirdo from the thing in Aspen. Hilton and Tanner were walking fairly close together and looking at each other. Tanner's mouth was open and it looked like he was talking, and Hilton was laughing, her mouth open as well and her golden-brown eyes sparkling. They obviously hadn't even noticed their picture being taken. They looked like exactly what the article had described...good friends out for a good time, enjoying each other and not caring about the people around them. They were leaning towards each other ever so slightly, and there was something about Hilton's face Luke couldn't quite place. She just looked so... _something_.

And then it hit him like a hard fist to the stomach, completely knocking the wind out of him. He knew without a doubt what that was in her face.

Hilton was in love with Tanner.

### ***

After sitting for several minutes, unable to move as so many thoughts ran through his brain that he couldn't even make sense of them or focus on one, Luke stood and stormed to the door. He'd finally landed on a feeling—pissed the fuck off.

"Jill!" he shouted across the living room.

"What?"

"Come here." Luke heard his own voice shaking but tried to hide the anger in it only for Adria's sake.

Jill came out of her and Todd's room and hurried across the living room. "What?"

"What the fuck is this?" Luke threw the magazine at her.

Jill widened her eyes at him in surprise as she caught the magazine. She looked down at it, then back up at him. "What?" She was secretly thrilled when she saw the picture of Hilton and Tanner. She couldn't wait to read the article.

"Look at her," Luke said, his face and voice tight. "Look at her face. Tell me what emotion that is."

Jill looked again, and she saw it right away. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Shit, shit, this was bad! "Um, I don't know, happiness?"

Luke grabbed the magazine out of her hands with a glare. "If you fucking knew she was in love with him and you didn't tell me..."

"In _love_ with him?!" Jill glared back. "What the fuck?! What are you talking about?! And don't fucking yell at me for no reason!"

Luke's face softened. "Look, I'm sorry. But _look_ at her face." He handed Jill back the magazine, and now his eyes were just devastated. "She's in love with him." Now he walked out of his room and sank down on the couch. "How the fuck did I not see it? I mean, I knew they were friends, but I just didn't even see that they were... _friends_." He looked at Jill, his eyes begging with hers. "Did you know? Please, just tell me."

"Luke." Jill sat down next to him and held the picture right in front of him. "You're right, _look_ at her face. She's having a great time, and she's laughing her ass off. That's what Hilton _does_. It doesn't matter if she's around her best friend or somebody she doesn't even know. She's not fake. She's just... _herself_. All the time. And she has fun with basically everything she does. You know that. This picture's just her being her." She widened her eyes at him a little bit and shook her head as if to say, Stop being so fucking weird!

Luke studied the picture again. "Maybe you're right," he said finally.

Jill just stared at him, making her eyes and facial expression impatient.

"Okay, okay," Luke said. "I'm sorry. I made a big deal out of nothing."

" _Thank_ you," Jill said. She stood up and stalked back into her room. But as soon as she was turned away from Luke, she widened her eyes excitedly at the wall. That picture hadn't surprised her at all. She'd seen that look on Hilton's face every time Hilton had talked about Tanner over the last year, and in every picture of the two of them.

And even though Jill loved Luke to death, she kind of wanted something to happen between Hilton and Tanner. She knew Rory and Tanner had broken up, and she knew Luke didn't. Hilton hadn't told him yet. She knew about Hilton's crazy epiphany on the Eye, and she also knew it really wasn't that crazy at all. She'd kind of thought it before Hilton discovered it...that it _wasn't_ just a celebrity crush. Not that she'd ever want Hilton to cheat on Luke, and not that Hilton ever would, but...Hilton and Tanner would just be _so freaking hot_ together. She couldn't wait to talk to Hilton again.

### London

### July 4, 2008

Haidin and Tanner would play in the semifinals, if they both made it that far. Due to numerous rain delays, the schedule was way backed up, and both of their quarterfinal matches ended up being on Friday evening. Hilton was bummed she didn't get to watch Tanner's, but she was actually cheering for Haidin for once, because she wanted them to play in the next round. Their match at the Australian had been one of the best matches she'd ever seen, because of both the level of tennis and the players' personalities. That had been the one when both of them had fought with the chair umpire and there had been that crazy let call. She was sure they wouldn't fail to deliver some good entertainment this time either. As she watched Haidin's match against Novak Djokovic, she used her phone to track the score in Tanner's.

Tanner won fairly easily in four sets, but Haidin lost in four. Hilton had been tense the whole match; it had been extremely close, and she was thoroughly disappointed when he lost. Even though he'd been down two sets to one, the first three sets had gone to tiebreakers, so they'd been nailbiters. And Haidin had been playing really well. The match had been awesome. And then he'd totally fallen apart in the last two games in a matter of minutes and lost the fourth set 6-4.

But...at least Tanner had won, and hopefully Haidin would let her stay for the rest of the tournament, because they had a week off now. The next tournament was Indy, and it started a week from Monday.

She slid in the back of Haidin's press conference to hear what he would say. She was a little disappointed she hadn't gotten to see Tanner's press conference; his match had ended an hour before Haidin's, so he was long gone by now.

Haidin hadn't arrived yet, and reporters and photographers packed the room. Fifteen minutes later, when Haidin still hadn't arrived, Hilton began to wonder if he was even coming. It would be so like him to just skip the whole thing and get the hell out of here. She debated whether she wanted to wait a little longer or just head back to the hotel. Just then she felt her phone vibrating.

She reached in her purse and was surprised to see it was Haidin. "Hello?" She put her hands over her ears so she could hear better.

"Meet me outside right now." That was all he said before hanging up.

Hilton laughed a little as she flipped her phone shut. Wow, how considerate of him to think of me, she thought sarcastically as she made her way out of the press conference and toward the player exit. She glanced around at the grounds quickly, taking it all in one more time just in case Haidin didn't let her stay for the next couple days. She breathed in happily, loving the night air and the feel of the somewhat cool breeze.

"Till next year," she whispered with a grin. "Or hopefully tomorrow." Then she turned and hurried toward the exit.

There was a car outside, and the door opened from inside as she approached. Haidin and Oscar were both in the backseat. "No press conference, huh?" Hilton asked as she slid in. She glanced at Haidin, expecting a glare or sneer but no answer.

Instead she was taken aback as soon as she saw his face. He met her gaze for a brief second, his piercing almost-black eyes and facial expression so hard and intense Hilton actually shrank back a little. He looked _creepy_. She immediately knew something wasn't right, and it was something bigger than tennis.

"We're going to Adelaide," Oscar said. "There's been an emergency."

### Adelaide

### July 5-17, 2008

When they arrived at Heathrow, they were met by airport security and taken directly to their private jet. As they rushed from the security car to the plane, Hilton was firmly instructed by Oscar that her camera didn't exist on this trip; if she took any pictures that ended up in _GSM_ or online anywhere, she would be fired. She hurriedly pulled her phone out and dialed Luke as she jogged up the steps behind Oscar and Haidin. "Shit!" she said when she got his voicemail. She knew he was studying, but she'd hoped he would still answer. "Luke, it's me," she said breathlessly as she stepped onto the plane and looked around. It was fairly small but had way too much room for just the three of them. There were rows of two seats on each side along the windows and a long seat across the back, with a narrow aisle down the middle. She fell into a seat by the window across the aisle from and one row behind the seat Haidin had taken. Oscar had gone into the cockpit. "I'm on a plane to Adelaide. I don't even know what's going on, but right after Haidin's match I just got this call from him that he was outside waiting for me, and I thought we were going to the hotel, but we came to the airport, and all they told me is it's some kind of emergency. Sorry, I'll call you when I know more. Love you." She hung up feeling horrible and dialed Jill. Luke was expecting her home on Monday at the latest, and she didn't know how long it took to get to Adelaide from here, but even if she got right there and got on a flight home, she might not even make it by Monday. It was like...noon Saturday in Adelaide right now?

"Hey!" Jill answered.

"Hey!" Hilton said, her voice hushed, as it had been in her message to Luke. She didn't want Haidin to really overhear, even though he had his headphones in. "Oh my gosh, Jill, something totally weird's going down. I'm on a plane to Adelaide right now."

"What?!"

"Yeah. I was at Haidin's press conference, waiting for him to show up, and then he called me and said to meet him outside, and then he just hung up. So I went out there, just thinking he skipped his press conference, and I got in the car and made some sarcastic comment to him, and then I saw his face, and I was like, holy shit. It was _so_ weird. I've never seen him look so mad. His eyes were like...fucking creepy. And then Oscar was like, 'We're going to Adelaide. There's been an emergency.' And then nobody said anything the rest of the way to the airport. And then we got here and we were met by security and they drove us around to a private jet. We didn't even go in the airport. Shit!" she said, suddenly realizing. "All my stuff's still at the hotel! Fuck! I hope Oscar can do something about that. _Aagghh._ " She rolled her eyes and tried to think if she'd had a bunch of stuff lying around and how hard it would be for somebody to pack up. And she had nothing with her...only her purse. Not a toothbrush or any other clothes....Well, hopefully she'd be able to go to a store in Adelaide. She continued to Jill, "We're moving already. I'm probably gonna have to go."

"Oh my gosh. That's so fucking crazy! Okay, well call me when you get there and let me know what's going on!"

"I will. Tell Luke for me. I left him a voicemail, but it was really quick 'cause I wanted to make sure I had time to call you before we took off."

"Okay, I will. Good luck, love you!"

"Love you too. Say hi to Todd and Adria. And pet Aspen and Cookie Monster for me."

"I will!" They both giggled. "Bye."

"Bye."

### ***

The flight to Adelaide was nineteen hours, which included a fuel stop twelve hours in. Hilton wondered where they were but didn't ask. She figured you would fly east from London to Australia, but she wasn't even sure about that. She found out all her stuff was actually on the plane; Oscar had sent a maid into her room at the hotel, and the maid assured him she had packed everything that didn't belong to the hotel. Hilton was relieved about that, because she would've been pissed if she didn't get some of those clothes back, plus it would've been a pain in the ass to buy new stuff in Adelaide, and who knew if she'd even have a chance. She hoped Oscar would tell her what the emergency was, but he didn't.

So Hilton announced, "I need a week off."

"What?" Oscar looked panicked.

"Look, I was supposed to be home seeing my boyfriend and my friends and family next week," she said somewhat angrily. "But no, instead I'm on a fucking plane to Australia for some reason I don't even know. So I need a week off, and it's the week that ends on October 4." October 4 was Hillary's wedding. Hillary and Jill were going home to their parents' houses the whole week before to make final preparations, and now Hilton could go with them.

Oscar glanced anxiously at Haidin and seemed slightly relieved to see Haidin had his headphones in and was staring out the window. Oscar looked back to Hilton. "I'll see what I can arrange," he said. Then he went to the bed-like row of chairs along the back of the plane, breathed loudly and nervously for a few minutes, then fell asleep.

Hilton looked over at Haidin. He still had his headphones in and was staring out the window. She decided to take a chance.

She stood up, walked across the aisle, and dropped into the seat next to him. He turned to look at her in alarm. "What's going on?" she asked simply, her voice low so as not to wake Oscar.

He stared at her for a long moment, then narrowed his eyes into a glare and said, "This better not end up in that magazine."

Hilton rolled her eyes. "Haidin, seriously. I don't fucking like you, but I'm not gonna go tell some magazine your personal shit. Okay? And look, you didn't have to have me on this trip. You wanted me here 'cause you trust me." She gave him a challenging stare, her eyebrows slightly raised.

Haidin glared a moment longer, then turned back to the window. "Adelle tried to bomb my publishing company."

" _What?_ " Hilton said, her voice still low. She was absolutely shocked, but she knew if she let it show too much, he would be done talking.

"You fucking heard me."

"So it didn't...work? She didn't actually do it?"

"No, 'cause she's so fucking stupid she didn't even realize there's a fucking security system. So she set that off pretty fucking easy. There's a fucking alcoholic psycho bitch for you."

"So she got caught? Like arrested?"

"Yup. I wish she would've fucked up the bomb and died."

Hilton was once again taken aback by him saying he wished his own mom would die, even though she had supposedly tried to bomb his publishing company. The way he said it was just so...scarily intense. Like his eyes in the car.

"So is everybody at the publishing company okay?"

"Well I think they're probably pretty fucked up over it," he snapped. "Wouldn't you be?"

"Yeah." Hilton still couldn't believe it. Sure, his mom had been a crazy drunk bitch when she'd come to his house in Adelaide, but Hilton never would've pegged her as dangerous.

After they sat in silence for a minute, Hilton stood up to go back to her own seat. She wanted to ask him what the deal was with his mom, but he'd told her never to ask about his family again, and she didn't want to risk setting him off right now and ruining what little rapport they'd maybe just built. She _was_ positive Haidin trusted her and had made a conscious decision that he wanted her on this trip, but she also knew it had been major progress that he'd even just told her as much as he had. She felt bad for him. He was a total asshole, but he obviously had major family problems that she didn't know the full extent of, and she wondered if a lot of his attitude was defensiveness, or a blockade to keep people from wanting to get close...because if nobody ever got close, they'd never find out about all this shit.

### ***

Hilton put in her own headphones and drifted in and out of sleep for a couple hours. She tried to think more about Haidin's mom and figure out what might have happened between them, but her thoughts kept going back to Luke...and Tanner.

" _Well, I think it's good you did it, 'cause you're right, it's not good to just let it go. What kind of relationship is that?"_

" _I don't know. I mean, maybe it's one where you really do love each other, and even though you know it's not gonna work, you both still really want it to. I just don't think Rory and I had been together long enough to be at that point. It wasn't like we were each other's whole lives, or like we had planned this whole future together. It wasn't like trying to hold onto something that huge. So it was easier to let go."_

That was what kept running through her head. Every time she thought about their conversation at the top of the London Eye, that exchange...what she'd said and then his response...cut out whatever other part of the conversation she was trying to focus on and played loudly in her head in a movie fashion, as though she were an outside observer. She saw herself and Tanner in their car above London, looking intensely at each other; she heard them speaking those words. And she felt like Tanner might have perfectly described her and Luke.

Hilton had never doubted whether she and Luke would work. Even that night in his room, when she'd thought about whether she wanted to get engaged to him right then, she had never questioned their overall relationship. The question had been whether she wanted to get engaged right _then_ , not _at all_. Not whether she saw them _ever_ getting engaged, just whether that night was the right time.

But did she somehow subconsciously know it wasn't going to work? Had she been ignoring that instinct because she did still love him, because she was trying to hold onto something huge, because she and Luke had planned a whole future together, because to let go of him would be letting go of her life as she knew it? Tanner was right; he and Rory hadn't been at a point where breaking up had meant all that. But if she and Luke were to break up, it would mean that. It would be almost like getting divorced. That was how invested they were in each other and in their life together.

The longer she thought about it, the more she didn't know at all. Obviously Tanner's words had hit home hard, and part of her felt like they really did apply to her and Luke. Everything happened for a reason...so maybe the reason for Tanner saying that had been to wake her the fuck up, force her to open her eyes. But...another part of her told her that's what she _wanted_ to believe, because it gave her the answer she was looking for...that she should break up with Luke...which would mean something might be able to happen with Tanner. And she had gotten a little vibe that day in London that it could.

But even thinking that made her feel awful toward Luke. She didn't know what to think at all. She knew she was in love with Luke, but she was pretty sure she was in love with Tanner too. Okay...not pretty sure. Absolutely sure. And she didn't feel like it was fair to Luke to be with him and act as though nothing had changed when she was in love with somebody else too. It would feel like she was cheating on him. Stop it, Hilton! she told herself. You're just looking for the answer you want again.

And that was what made her feel the worst of all...that the answer she wanted might be to break up with Luke. _Break up with Luke?!_ It sounded crazy in her head. She could hardly even process it. How could she possibly want that?! They'd been together forever, and she'd never even thought about them breaking up before tonight.

She sighed and slouched down even farther in her seat, hoping she could fall back asleep. Maybe once she was in Adelaide, and especially once she was back home, she wouldn't even feel like she was in love with Tanner anymore. Maybe it would just be one of those things that she thought about and then got over really quickly.

### ***

When they landed in Adelaide after what felt like two or three days and Hilton turned on her cell phone, it informed her that the local time was 1:37 a.m. on Sunday, July 6.

What? That couldn't be right. Based on her iPod, which was still on London time, she knew it'd been nineteen hours since they left London. They'd left at ten p.m. on Friday night, and it was now just after five p.m. on Saturday afternoon. She did know from when she'd been to Adelaide in January that it was one of those cities where the time was half an hour off from most of the world. But before when she'd been here, Adelaide had been fifteen and a half hours ahead of home. And London was five hours ahead of home, which should make Adelaide ten and a half hours ahead of London. Which meant it should be 3:37 a.m., not 1:37. She felt an eerie shiver and glanced around the plane. Oscar was stretching and getting up from his bed-seat. Where the fuck were they?

They'd stopped once, about seven hours ago, and when Hilton had started to stand up and grab her purse, Haidin had turned and said, "We're not there yet. This is a fuel stop."

"Oh," Hilton had said. She'd wondered where they were, and she'd been surprised when they hadn't landed again for seven hours. But judging by the time on her phone, they should still be two time zones _west_ of Adelaide. So seriously, where the fuck were they?

Maybe it's just another fuel stop, she thought, and didn't make a move to get up.

But Haidin was tossing his iPod and headphones in his small Nike drawstring backpack, and Oscar was moving toward the door of the plane.

"Where are we?" Hilton asked Haidin.

"Adelaide," he snapped, as though she were the dumbest person he'd ever met.

And sure enough, when they were in a car leaving the airport, Hilton recognized everything from the first time she'd been here, even though it was dark this time. _What the fuck?_ she thought again. She spent the whole ride to Haidin's beach house playing with the world clocks on her cell phone and iPod, trying to figure out why the fuck Adelaide was now only thirteen and a half hours ahead of home.

And then, as soon as she stepped out of the car at his house, it hit her, right in the face as a blast of cold air. It was winter here. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. It felt like it was in the forties. And that was why the time difference had lessened by two hours. The US was on Daylight Savings Time, so Dale had moved forward an hour toward Adelaide's time, lessening the difference by an hour. And Adelaide was off Daylight Savings Time, so they had moved back an hour toward Dale time, lessening the difference by another hour. She laughed. She'd been all creeped out because she'd thought something weird was going on.

Then she turned as the stones in the driveway crunched. Another car was turning in. She looked at Haidin in surprise. Was it somehow Adelle?! Or someone she'd hired to follow Haidin?

But Haidin was moving rapidly toward the house.

"Hey!" she said, hurrying after him. "Who's that?" She turned back to see two huge burly guys getting out of the car.

Haidin turned back to her as he unlocked the door, and Hilton thought how his appearance hadn't even changed after that nineteen-hour flight. He looked as hot as he always did. And he'd played tennis right before that flight too. "They're our bodyguards," he said. "One's for you. There's still one in the car too. Don't go anywhere without one."

Hilton was somewhat alarmed. "Wait, is the house safe?" she asked as Haidin opened the door and stepped through.

"Yeah, a bomb squad already checked it out. And there's another guy on watch too, a security guy. He's been watching the house."

Hilton looked back at the driveway before stepping inside, feeling chills. "Where?"

"I don't know," Haidin said. "Close. I have a cell number for him. But it's better if I don't know where he is. Here. Put his number in your phone too." He dug his phone out of his shorts pocket and found the contact, then handed it over to Hilton.

The name of the contact was listed as simply _Y_. For some reason that gave Hilton even bigger chills. But she felt a slight rush of excitement too. This was crazy.

"Can I call anybody?" she asked, suddenly wondering if she wasn't going to be able to use her cell because of the possibility of someone tracing her location. She hadn't called on the way from the airport because she'd wanted to wait till she had privacy.

"Yeah," Haidin said. "I mean, if we were trying to hide, we obviously wouldn't be fucking staying here. We're just making sure we're safe."

"Okay," Hilton said, surprised by the way he was talking to her. Ever since they'd arrived at the house, his tone has lost its usual condescension and was almost...normal. Like any other person's might be. "What about the beach side?" she asked as another thought flashed through her mind. "What if somebody would come from there? Do you know if that guy can see that side from where he's hidden?"

"There was a third car with us just now, from the airport. That one's on the beach now." Haidin had been messing with his phone while he talked, and now he put it away and looked Hilton in the eyes. "You're not in danger. I wouldn't do that."

Hilton cracked a small smile. "I fucking hope not."

Haidin cracked a small smile back.

Hilton couldn't believe it. She barely kept her jaw from dropping and almost laughed out loud. She felt like she'd won some kind or crazy impossible contest. Haidin fucking Bayliss had just fucking _smiled_ at her.

### ***

For the next five days, Hilton sat in the house and basically did nothing. She read all the books she had with her, and of course Haidin didn't have any books in his house. She found some DVDs and watched all the good ones. It wasn't warm enough to lay out, and she wasn't sure she'd be allowed to go to the beach anyway. She really wished she had her scrapbooking stuff with her. Haidin was gone all day every day, and Hilton figured he was at the publishing company or the jail or meeting with lawyers or whatever. She and Luke talked on the phone every day, and they half jokingly said it was too bad Luke wasn't already done with the bar so he could come and work as one of Haidin's lawyers. Hilton thought Luke seemed somehow distant again, but she told herself it was probably just because he was disappointed she hadn't come home this week, like they'd both thought she was going to. He never wanted to talk for long either, but she didn't think anything of that; the bar was Saturday, so he was ridiculously stressed and felt like he had to study 24/7. Hilton talked to Jill more than Luke, and Jill told Hilton everything she'd learned in her hostage negotiations class. Hilton didn't really think anything like that would go down here, but it was fun to talk about.

Then Hilton told Jill how Luke was being kind of distant again, and Jill said, "He thinks you're in love with Tanner."

"What?!"

"The picture in this week's issue. From Middle Sunday? He like yelled at me to come to his room and then he threw it in my face and was like, 'Tell me what emotion that is!' "

"Oh my gosh, you're kidding." Hilton was stunned.

"No. I talked him out of thinking it though. I told him you were just laughing and having fun." A slight grin crept into Jill's voice. "But you _are_ totally in love with him!" she hissed.

A wild laugh escaped Hilton's lips. "Oh my gosh," she said, clamping her mouth shut. "Is that bad I laughed? I should feel bad. I do feel bad he thinks that."

"But it's true," Jill said.

"Oh my gosh, Jill, what's wrong with me?!"

Jill laughed. "Aagghhh! I'm so excited you finally figured it out. I've been able to tell forever."

### ***

Hilton had barely spoken two words to Haidin since they'd arrived, but on Friday night when he got home, she asked him if he had any idea how much longer they'd be here. The Indy tournament started Monday.

"Well, they're installing a new security system at Adelaide," Haidin said, referring to the publishing company. "It'll be done next week, so I'm staying till everything's kinda back to normal there. I can't let anything happen to that place."

Hilton wondered again what it was about Haidin's grandpa that had made Haidin respect him so much and care so much about the publishing company. "So you withdrew from Indy?" she asked.

"When is that? Monday? I'm sure Oscar did."

So, since they were apparently going to be here a few more days, the next afternoon Hilton asked the bodyguards if she could go into the city to buy some more books or magazines. One of the bodyguards drove her. She bought four books and the latest issues of _Us Weekly_ and _Game Set Match_. She'd watched the Wimbledon final on TV late Sunday night and seen Nadal beat Federer, but she still wanted to read the _GSM_ article. Reading about that, and about all the other stuff going on with players, she felt like she'd been gone a month or something. She felt so out of touch with everything.

When she read that Tanner had gone right from London to Oakville, Iowa, where he'd joined the Best Friends Rapid Response Team in helping rescue animals from the huge floods in the Midwest, her jaw dropped and she pressed a hand to her heart. The article said that the floods were so bad some people were comparing the damage to Hurricane Katrina. _GSM_ had interviewed another volunteer working with the Rapid Response Team who had said, "Tanner's great. He's one of the best volunteers out here. He's getting right out in the water, rowing the boats and swimming; he doesn't even hesitate. He's a natural leader. He's obviously here for the right reasons. You would never know he's a famous athlete. He's one hundred percent here for the animals." Tanner himself was quoted as saying, "There's so much to be done here. I feel like I can't do enough. But every time we find a lost pet, or save an animal...that's like nothing else you ever feel in your life. These floods are f—king horrible, and I feel so bad for the poor animals who are separated from their families and scared. I wanna do everything I can. I would encourage anybody out there who has the time to please come help."

Hilton smiled through the tears welling up in her eyes and throat. That was awesome. People would go, just because Tanner had asked them to. And even if they weren't really there for all the right reasons, they would still be there, getting more accomplished. She wished she could go. She tossed the magazine aside and got on her computer. At least she could donate some money to the rescue fund.

### ***

On the second Thursday night, their eleventh full day in Adelaide and Hilton's twenty-sixth birthday, Hilton was lying on her bed watching _Good Luck Chuck_ for the second time since she'd been here when she suddenly sensed someone in the doorway and looked over to see Haidin. She had no idea how long he'd been there. "What?" she asked him.

" _I_ wanted to watch this movie," he said. It came out only about half as cold and snappish as his normal tone.

"Well _my_ bad."

He waited a second. "I don't see you taking it out."

"Nope. You don't."

"I'll take that as an invitation then." He walked into the room and dropped onto the bed, leaning back against the pillows.

"What the fuck?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, who owns this room?"

Hilton widened her eyes at him and turned back toward the TV. Whatever, she thought to herself. He was so weird.

She was only about ten minutes into the movie, and they watched the rest without talking. Hilton laughed a lot; this was one of her favorite movies. Haidin was completely silent.

When it was over and Hilton grabbed the remote to hit Stop, Haidin said, "So do you still wanna know?"

"Yeah," she said without turning around. She knew exactly what he meant. She didn't think she should look at him; that would make it harder for him to tell her because he wasn't used to telling people personal stuff.

Haidin was silent for another long minute, during which Hilton watched the credits. She'd never pushed Stop.

"My mom was an alcoholic even when I was little," he said. Hilton was caught off guard by the "my mom," but she didn't say anything. "Her parents were already dead when I was born, but I heard her say they were alcoholics too. She said it like it was a bad thing. She hated them. She didn't see herself as an alcoholic. She was awful. She had fucking mood swings all the time, within the same day. My dad wasn't an alcoholic. He was just addicted to fucking beating the shit out of me."

Hilton pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, still facing away from Haidin.

"He would go to work every day and be this normal person everybody fucking liked, and then he'd come home and beat the shit out of his son. And my mom, she would help him sometimes. She fucking got off on watching him do it, or helping him. And then by the next morning when he left for work she'd be hungover and say how sorry she was, that he was such a fucking asshole and she would never let it happen again, and we were gonna leave him. And then she'd get wasted while I was at school, and when my dad got home from work it happened all over again."

He paused, and Hilton heard him take a deep breath. "I should've fucking run away, but I didn't do shit 'cause I thought I was a bad kid. He'd been doing it ever since I could remember, so I thought there was some reason he didn't like me. I hid it from everybody. I didn't have any friends 'cause I didn't want anybody to know. And I knew my mom was lying when she said we'd leave him, 'cause the way she was when she was hungover, that wasn't what I saw as the real her. _That_ was when she was out of it, didn't know what the fuck she was saying. The real her was the one fucking screaming for my dad to hit me harder. And he never touched her. He respected her, I think, 'cause they understood each other...they understood each other's addictions in some weird, fucking psycho way. And then one day I was home from school 'cause my face was fucked up from my dad the night before, and my mom had gone out and my dad was at work, and my grandpa came by. I didn't answer 'cause I didn't want him to see me, but he just came in. I tried to run in my room and hide, but he heard me and came to look 'cause he thought maybe somebody had broken in. So anyway, he saw my fucking face and asked me what happened, and I said a fight at school, but he knew that was a fucking lie. He knew no ten-year-old kid could do that shit to me. So he picked me up and carried me out to his truck, and I never saw my dad again. My grandpa got him arrested and he's been in jail ever fucking since. I guess there was a trial but I was never part of it. My grandpa didn't want me to have to go through that. I just had to meet with the police once and let them take pictures of my fucking face. I lived with my grandpa for a few months, but he couldn't get anything solid against Adelle, and he was afraid she would try to do something to me, so he sent me to Sydney to a tennis school. He kept in touch and came to visit and told me I had to stop being a scared fucking kid if my life was going to get better. He told me it was up to me now. He made me want it, that life he was talking about. So I started playing tennis hard. I wanted him to know I was strong, to see me make it. And then three years later he fucking died." Haidin paused again. When he spoke his previously cold and detached voice was shaking and fighting for control. "He never saw me play a professional match. He never knew I did it."

Hilton rolled over and sat up to face him in a quick fluid motion. Tears were streaming down her face. If it were anybody else she would have thrown her arms around the person. Haidin didn't meet her eyes; he was looking at his lap. "Haidin..." she said. She understood everything now. His anger at the world, his reasons for never wanting anybody to get close, his dedication to Adelaide International, even the way he practiced rigorously twice a day while he was in New York. She'd been surprised by that before; she wouldn't have imagined him to be a hard worker or someone who gave it his all in practice. But now it made perfect sense. He was doing it for his grandpa, and for himself, because he felt like he had something to prove. And because it was his release; it was the way he'd made himself who he was today. It was how he'd gone from a scared fucking kid to a self-sufficient, fearless tennis star. Or it was at least how he gave off the impression he was fearless. "I wish I would've known."

He finally looked at her. "Why?" he sneered. "So you could feel sorry for me?"

"No. So I wouldn't have hated you. So I would've known you."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means I saw you as a cocky asshole who didn't give a shit about anything, except maybe money, and winning. And sex. But now I respect you."

Haidin lost his sneer, and he looked almost vulnerable. "Why?"

Suddenly his cell phone rang. He reached down and grabbed it out of his shorts pocket. "Yeah?" His voice and face were businesslike now, emotionless. "Got it, thanks." He flipped the phone shut.

Hilton looked at him, waiting.

It was silent for a long moment. Haidin glanced toward the open balcony door. Then he got up, walked calmly to the hallway door, and turned off the light.

"What are you doing?!"

"Move back against the pillows or lay down."

"What?"

"Just fucking do it." His voice was low and urgent, and he rejoined her on the bed, slouching down against the pillows.

Hilton felt a sudden rush of fear and fell flat on her back. "What was that phone call?" she asked hoarsely.

"The guy watching the house," Haidin said, his voice still low. "The one who's hidden somewhere. There's been a car parked down the road all day. It just moved closer to the house without turning its headlights on."

"Holy shit." _Please, God, keep us safe,_ she prayed silently. Without sitting up, she moved so she was lying with her head by the pillows instead of at the foot of the bed. Now she was no longer in front of the open balcony door. It was silent for several minutes.

"Aubrey's the only other person I've ever told," Haidin said into the darkness.

"What made you wanna tell her?" Hilton wondered how he would've picked Aubrey to tell, of all people, or what had made him want to get close to Aubrey. She wondered how long they'd been dating before he'd told her.

"I didn't have to. I met her through Nick and Vanessa when we all went out in New York one night. We hooked up that night, and I never planned to see her again, 'cause I never hooked up with a girl more than once. And then she got my number and called me three days later and left this message that said, 'I heard you don't ever get close to anybody. I used to be like that.' That's all she said, but somehow I just knew. I knew she'd been through it too, and she had seen it in me just in that one night. So I called her back, and then I went over to her place, and we just told each other everything. She had been..." He was choked up. "It was her mom and her mom's sister, who did it to her. It didn't end for her till she was sixteen. That's when she ran away and got on a train to New York." He was crying now.

So there it was. Haidin and Aubrey's bond, that real connection Hilton had seen between them, why they stuck together through all the cheating, why they never even seemed to be that mad about it. They had been through something traumatic, and even though they had gone through it separately, they shared it now. They shared their unspeakable, secret past, and no matter how they hurt each other in daily life, that bond trumped everything. Like a brother and sister who knew a horrible family secret, Haidin and Aubrey knew and understood a part of each other no one else ever truly could. And because of that, when it came down to it, they only had each other.

It was silent for several more minutes. Hilton had completely forgotten about the car outside. Then Haidin's phone rang again, scaring the shit out of her.

"Hello?...Are you fucking serious?! What the _fuck_?!" A moment later he slammed his phone shut. "It was fucking reporters."

" _What?_ "

"From _Game Set Match_."

### LA

### July 20, 2008

When they touched down at LAX around noon on Sunday, Haidin turned on his phone, listened to a message, then turned around to Hilton and said, "Do you have a dress or anything?"

"What?"

"Aubrey's flight's delayed. You're coming to the ESPYs with me."

"Um...okay..." Hilton hadn't even known the ESPYs were today. She'd never thought about them, or about the possibility Haidin would go to them. But of course he would...all the best athletes did. For all she knew he'd been nominated for best tennis player, even though he had no chance to actually win. Federer or Nadal were the only ones who did.

Haidin turned to Oscar, who had once again monopolized the bed-seat. "Hey, she needs a dress. Something designer."

Oscar jerked into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes roughly. "Who do you want?" He barked it out as though trying to hide the fact that he'd been asleep for at least six hours.

"Um, I don't know, can I pick one myself?" The idea of Oscar buying her a dress was terrifying.

### ***

Four hours later she was getting out of a limo with Haidin as cameras flashed in her face like crazy. Haidin leaned close to her.

"Don't answer anything about Adelaide."

Obviously, Hilton thought.

"Haidin! Haidin! Haidin, where's Aubrey?" people yelled everywhere.

"Haidin, how does it feel to be nominated for Best Male Tennis Player?" somebody with a _Sports Illustrated_ microphone asked.

"Like a joke."

The reporter half laughed. Surely by now everybody knew to expect answers like that from Haidin. Although...it could _possibly_ be interpreted as modest...if anyone else had said it. "So why are you here?"

"Because I respect all the other athletes here. I like to see them get honored."

Hilton almost passed out. _Please_ publish that quote, she thought. Where was Deidre when they needed her?

As if right on cue, Hilton heard her unmistakable voice farther down the red carpet.

"Haidin! Hilton!"

They made their way down to her. Hilton was actually kind of enjoying this...she never in a million years would've thought she'd be walking the red carpet at anything. And her dress was amazing. It was a light summery seafoam green color and had spaghetti straps that were a little wider in the front and went down into a sharp V-neck. In the back the straps went all the way down to the scoop at her waist, leaving her whole back bare. Her sun-kissed light brown hair was down and in loose waves.

"So the two big questions everyone's dying to know," Deidre said, holding her microphone out to Haidin. "Where's Aubrey, and why did you withdraw from Indy?"

"Aubrey's flight got delayed, and I withdrew to go home for a couple weeks."

"I thought you call New York your home now. Didn't you go to Adelaide?"

"Well, my former home, then."

"Any particular reason?"

"I just felt like I needed a week off. I haven't taken many weeks off this year." His tone was defiant, but Hilton was surprised he was answering these questions at all. But she figured he realized it was best not to be totally outrageous; that would just draw more attention to his surprise trip to Adelaide, and then the media would eventually find out about the attempted bombing. She was kind of surprised that hadn't leaked _any_ where. Haidin must have paid the right people a lot of money.

Deidre turned to Hilton. "You accompanied Haidin to Adelaide. What was the most fun thing you did there?"

Hilton pursed her lips. "Watched _Good Luck Chuck_."

Beside her, Haidin actually laughed. Hilton looked up at him and cracked a small grin. It was really freaking cool to see him smile. He was so hot already, and when he smiled, she was almost attracted to him.

"O... _kay_ ," Deidre said. "So, Hilton, who will win Best Male Tennis Player?"

"Nadal," Hilton said confidently. "I think he's got it this year. No one can beat him on clay. And he just got Wimby too."

"All right, thank you, Hilton." Deidre grinned at her.

"You're choosing Nadal over your man?" an eager-looking reporter next to Deidre asked, thrusting his microphone in Hilton's face. It had the logo of a local LA news channel.

"He's not my man. Just my boss," Hilton said, thinking, _where the hell have you been?_

### ***

The awards show was pretty cool, and the ESPN/ _Sports Illustrated_ after-party at the just-opened _SI_ LA was even better. Tanner, who'd also been nominated for Best Male Tennis Player, was there, and he was alone. Hilton was secretly thrilled.

"What, no date?!" she asked teasingly when she saw him. She'd searched for him at the ESPYs, but even when they'd shown him on the big screens, she hadn't been able to tell where he was sitting or find him in the crowd.

"Yeah, I brought my mom, actually." Tanner grinned at her. "But she's not one for after-parties."

"Really?" Hilton said, faking surprise. She thought of Tanner's mom, the elegant, champagne-sipping woman she'd met in Aspen. The idea of her at a crazy after-party in a club with blacklights and blaring music was pretty funny.

"Yeah, can you just see her here?" He grinned again. "So I heard you went to Australia with Hades? I missed you in Indy!"

"Don't call him that," Hilton said, her whole body stiffening.

"What?"

"Hades. Don't call him that anymore."

Tanner gave her a confused look, then lightly grabbed the arm of a passing server. "Hey, two rum and Cokes, please?" The guy nodded and kept walking.

"Thank you," Hilton said, relaxing.

"No prob. It's our drink."

"No, for not making a smart-ass comment when I said not to call him Hades." She smiled a little.

"Oh. Well I could tell you were serious. Hey, when do you fly to Toronto? I'm so fucking glad they made it so me and Haidin and Rafa and Rog don't have to play till Tuesday since we were nominated for this tonight."

Hilton wanted him more than ever. The desire flooded through her like a crushing wave, way more powerful than ten seconds ago, even though that seemed almost impossible. He was so sweet...the way he had read that she was serious and not asked about it and switched topics so easily and naturally and then called Haidin "Haidin" in the very next sentence. And the way they were standing close together and only hearing each other in a sea of people reminded her of how he'd ordered her a drink on New Year's, when they'd been standing talking by themselves at _SI_ NY. And then...he had kissed her.

The moment that thought crossed her mind, she could suddenly feel his lips on hers, as though the kiss had happened only a second ago. She could taste him again...he had tasted like rum and...Tanner. That was the only way she could describe it. He had tasted delicious.

"What?" Tanner asked, and Hilton realized her mouth was slightly open, like she was getting ready to kiss him again.

"Nothing." She laughed. "I'm going tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, me too. What airline? We can take over first class."

"United."

"Aww, Air Canada. Damn. Hey, so how's Luke? Are things still good?"

"I don't know," Hilton said honestly. He had seemed more and more distant on the phone every time she'd talked to him the last couple weeks, which had made sense as soon as Jill had told her about his freak-out over the picture of her and Tanner from Middle Sunday. She hadn't told Luke that Jill had told her; she knew he would be pissed. And if it had bothered him that much, he should bring it up to her himself. But he didn't, and now that the bar was over, he'd said he was going out every night with his school friends to celebrate, and they'd barely talked at all in the last week. "Do you remember what you said on the Eye? About how for you and Rory it wasn't as hard to let go as it would be for people who had built a whole life and planned a whole future together? 'Cause they'd be losing a lot more?"

"Yeah."

"It just kinda made me think about me and Luke. Before that day the idea that we might not work out had never even occurred to me. But when I thought about what you said, I kinda started to wonder if maybe neither of us thought of breaking up 'cause it's almost like we're _married_. And I guess you could say that's a good thing...that we'd try to work it out through anything and wouldn't just give up. But that's the thing. We're _not_ married, and we're not even engaged. So we _can_ just break up, if we want. I mean, it would still hurt like hell for both of us, and our lives would completely change, but we're _not_ _married_. And if he'd proposed to me when he wanted to, we would be engaged now. But that didn't happen. So maybe it didn't happen for a reason. Maybe we're not engaged 'cause it'll make the split easier. Maybe we're not meant to be together."

"He was gonna propose to you?!"

Hilton blinked. She'd half forgotten she was talking to Tanner. She'd been mostly talking to herself. "Yeah. On New Year's Eve. In New York. But his flight got cancelled."

"Fuck," Tanner said. "Wow."

"Yeah, sorry." Hilton laughed a little. "I wasn't really thinking how you didn't know any of that. I kinda just felt like I was talking to myself."

Their drinks arrived, and Tanner handed her hers. "Hey," he said, a grin in his eyes. "It's a sign of true friendship."

"What?" Hilton asked, automatically smiling back.

"When you feel like you're talking to yourself."

Hilton's heart melted and raced at the same time. That was _so true_. It was how she felt when she talked to Jill. "I love that," she said.

"Cheers?" Tanner held up his glass. " 'I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.' " He laughed. "I have no idea what that's from, but isn't it a line from something?"

" _Casablanca_ ," Hilton said with a laugh. "You're such a dork. But no cheers. Friends with beautiful friendships hug."

"You're so right," Tanner said, and he wrapped her in a bear hug, twisting her from side to side and making her drink splash all over as she shrieked with laughter.

### Dale

### July 24-25, 2008

The cover picture was of Hilton and Haidin on the red carpet at the ESPYs. They were turned towards each other. Haidin was laughing, and Hilton was wearing a small, mischievous smile.

### HAIDIN AND HILTON???

### Rumors fly as the pair hole up in his Adelaide beach house for 2 weeks and Aubrey misses the ESPYs

_What the fuck?_ Luke thought. He knew Hilton had gone to the ESPYs with Bayliss, but what the hell was that picture? Since when were they friends who freaking laughed together?! He flipped to the story, and then his breath caught in his throat.

### OR IS IT TANNER AND HILTON?

### Shocking never-before-seen photos and some strange coincidences make the friends look more like "Best Friends with Benefits"

BY DEIDRE FOX AND MYRA CATTON

Hilton Joliet. A year ago you might have recognized the name from GSM photo bylines. But now she has ripped onto the scene as tennis' latest It Girl...and she's not even a tennis player. Well, at least not professionally. She does regularly practice with Haidin Bayliss, 26, for whom she's worked as a personal assistant since January. The pair has often been photographed together, everywhere from airports to tournaments around the world to New York City, where Bayliss currently lives. However, when photos of the two first appeared and questions were raised as to whether anything romantic might be going on between them, the answer was a resounding no. Bayliss and NYC star Aubrey Gage, 24, were still going strong after a year, and Joliet, 26, had a boyfriend of over 6 years.

Well, that was in January. Now it's July, and a lot seems to have changed. Although GSM has not heard word of a breakup between either couple, Bayliss and Joliet jetted off to Adelaide, Australia, Bayliss' hometown, immediately following his quarterfinal loss to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. They were accompanied to Adelaide by Bayliss' agent/manager Oscar Turcell and stayed at Bayliss' multi-million-dollar house in Sellicks Beach. This in itself may not seem out of the ordinary, as they also stayed there for several days after the Australian Open in January, but what is odd is that the press was not allowed anywhere near the twosome. And while Bayliss may be known for his shocking and often hideously inappropriate comments, he has never shut himself completely off from media attention. So why would he do so now, unless he had something to hide?

And it appears that's exactly what Bayliss and Joliet wanted to do on their trip to Adelaide...hide out. Bodyguards surrounded Bayliss' house on a 24/7 basis for the entirety of his and Joliet's 14-day stay, and GSM was not allowed anywhere near the property. Bayliss and Joliet arrived back in LA just in time to walk the red carpet at the ESPYs on Sunday, which, interestingly, Gage did not attend because her "flight got delayed," according to Bayliss. A rep for Gage could not be reached. Sounds like a breakup kept under wraps...

Or, it may be that Bayliss and Joliet's sudden and highly secretive trip to Adelaide was actually a publicity stunt...to keep a relationship between Joliet and Tanner Bruin under wraps.

Bruin and Joliet are known to be good friends, and Bruin has even referred to Joliet as his best friend (see Jul. 5 issue). And although Joliet works for Bayliss, it is Bruin, 26, with whom she spends the most off-court time. They were first seen hanging out at 2007's Wimbledon and have since been spotted together in numerous off-court escapades at restaurants, bars, the beach, and the London Eye. Often they were accompanied by ex-Bruin-girlfriends Bryony Adams and Rory Bollier, both of whom Joliet appears to be friends with—the three of them, along with Joliet's best friend Jill Sherer, sat in Bruin's box together at this year's French Open and became known as "Bruin's Bombshells" (see May 31 issue)—and sometimes by Joliet's boyfriend Luke Windler. It never appeared as though Bruin and Joliet were anything more than friends.

Until recently, that is. In the July 5 issue, GSM published an article stating that Bruin and Joliet spent Wimbledon's Middle Sunday visiting two pubs and the London Eye, much like their Middle Sunday outing last year. The article included a photo of the pair laughing together, and a witness stated they appeared to be having a great time. Since then, GSM has talked to another witness who told (and showed—see photo p. 61) us exactly how great a time. "They were having some kind of deep conversation in their car on the ride," says the witness, who prefers to remain anonymous. "I was watching them 'cause I'd seen them in line ahead of me, and we ended up just one car behind them. They were staring into each other's eyes. It looked really intense. And then they leaned really close together, and he put his arm around her and she took a picture of them. It didn't even look like they were trying to get the city in the background. It looked like they just wanted it to be of them. They weren't even paying attention to the view either, which is the whole point of the ride. They were totally wrapped up in each other."

But then maybe they didn't need to see the view...after all, they saw it last year when they rode the Eye with Adams and Windler. So maybe this trip wasn't about the view at all...maybe it was about the two of them. Bruin was quoted in the July 12 GSM, the issue that broke the news of his breakup with Bollier, as saying, "It actually happened a couple weeks ago. We just wanted to keep it quiet for a little while out of respect for each other, to give each other time to deal with it on our own."

Now that statement takes on a much greater significance. Picture this: Bruin and Joliet have had feelings for each other for a while, but are torn because of Bollier and Windler. They go to the London Eye for sentimental reasons and end up realizing how much they want to be together. Bruin quietly breaks up with Bollier and Joliet quietly breaks up with Windler. (Note: GSM has no word of a Joliet/Windler split.) To spare Bollier's and Windler's feelings, and to keep their own new relationship hidden from the media, Bruin and Joliet concoct a plan to throw everyone way off base. Joliet flies off to Australia on a mysterious, security-guard-overloaded trip with Bayliss, while Bruin flies to New York and makes sure to be spotted out with NYC star and Gage friend Austin Delks, 24.

It seems conceivable. Making the whole thing even more plausible are Bayliss and Bruin's newly developed friendship and Bayliss' connection to Delks. Bayliss and Bruin, never known friends before Joliet began working for Bayliss, stunned the tennis world by playing doubles together in Nottingham—and appearing to have fun—just weeks after Bayliss, who has never been seen supporting another player in action or even known to have any friends on tour, attended Bruin's semifinal match at Roland Garros after he himself had already been eliminated from the tournament (see Jun. 14 and 21 issues). And, presuming Bayliss is still with Gage and Gage was in on the whole ploy, it makes perfect sense it was Delks—Gage's NYC costar and good friend—whom Bruin was seen out with in New York.

But now it's back to reality, back to the tour, and back to each other. Bruin and Joliet seemed ecstatic to be reunited at the ESPYs after their two weeks apart. Joliet walked the red carpet with Bayliss, and Bruin brought his mom as his date, but once the ceremony was over and Bruin and Joliet arrived (separately) at the ESPN/Sports Illustrated after-party at SILA, they couldn't stay away from each other any longer. "They looked so happy to see each other," says another witness who prefers to remain anonymous. "It was obvious they were totally into each other. They were standing there talking and smiling at each other like there was no one else in the room, and then they hugged for a long time." The pair was not seen kissing or even holding hands at the party, so they may still be trying to keep things quiet. Bruin did the same thing when he first began dating Adams; they managed to hide their relationship for nearly two months. So, at this point all we can do is wait...and watch.

The only other possibility GSM can think of to explain the events and photos described here? Maybe Joliet is hooking up with both of them...Bayliss and Bruin. But that doesn't seem too likely, considering everything pointed out above. However, if that is the case, bet Bayliss didn't feel too good at the ESPYs when Joliet was asked why she picked Rafael Nadal to win Best Male Tennis Player over her "man" and her response was, "He's not my man. Just my boss." Ouch.

But back to the more likely theory of Bruin and Joliet...and the most shocking possibility of all...Bruin and Joliet have been hooking up for months. Don't believe it? Well, wouldn't it explain why they spent Valentine's Day together, at a 5-star French restaurant? Why they often go to dinner with just each other while in the same city, when Bruin used to be accompanied by his coach and/or trainer and/or friends every night? Still don't believe it? Just turn the page. There you will see a previously unpublished photo taken by GSM's own Deidre Fox at SINY...at precisely 12 a.m. on January 1, 2008. GSM

Luke's chest was so tight with anger his breaths were short and jerky. His hand felt like a dead weight as he lifted the page to turn it. And then, as he let the page fall and saw what was on it, the room suddenly began to spin.

### ***

Luke had no idea how long he sat on the couch, breathing hard and staring at nothing. Suddenly he snapped out of it, threw the magazine as hard as he could across the room, and stormed into his bedroom to take a shower. When he got out, he put on jeans and an Abercrombie T-shirt, shook out his hair and thought how Hilton always said she loved his hair because it was long and looked smooth even though he never combed it, and slid his feet into a pair of black flip-flops. He grabbed his keys and started for the door. Then, as a thought hit him, he paused for a split second, then turned back to his computer. Leaning over it, he logged into Facebook and changed his relationship status from "In a Relationship with Hilton Joliet" to "It's Complicated." He could leave her name or delete it. He paused for another split second, then shrugged and left it.

It's Complicated with Hilton Joliet. He couldn't have fucking said it better.

### ***

Luke went straight to the Turtle. By 10:00 he was well beyond wasted and sitting at the same corner table above the dance floor where he'd been all night, watching people who probably didn't even know each other's names grind on each other and make out. He felt a vague sense of disgust, but he was mostly just furious. He had been relieved when last week's _GSM_ had published the article and picture about Tanner going out with Austin Delks in New York City. And he had actually been glad Hilton had gone to Australia, because it had kept her from seeing Tanner at Indy. How fucking stupid had he been?! That article, as much as he didn't want to believe any of it, actually _could be_ true. It even explained that secretive little smile between Hilton and Bayliss on the fucking cover. They'd thought they were so fucking good with their little scheme. Every part of the article just made sense. Haidin and Tanner becoming friends, and Haidin then helping Tanner out...maybe Hilton had purposely tried to make the friendship happen with those exact hopes. And even _Aubrey_ was helping them out, supplying Tanner with his alibi date.... _Fuck you, Hilton!_ he thought. Just fucking start dating him and travel with him everywhere for the rest of your fucking life, and then you'll have everything you ever wanted.

"Luke?"

He turned, glaring, to see Laney and Natalie, Hilton's old roommates. "Oh. Hi." He made no effort to sound like he was in a good mood.

"What's up?" Laney asked, and Luke was irritated as hell when she and Natalie slid onto stools at his table.

"Not a whole fuckin' lot," he said bitterly.

"You okay?" Laney asked.

"No. You guys read _Game Set Match_?"

"Yeah," Laney said. "I subscribed to it last year after I heard about Hilton's job. Why?"

Luke realized they wouldn't have seen this week's issue yet. And even though he knew Laney probably just wanted a juicy story, he felt a sudden urge to tell them. Maybe it was because he used to know them pretty well, or maybe it was because he knew they'd had problems with Hilton too...but whatever it was, five minutes later he'd described the whole article and all the pictures, including the one of the New Year's kiss.

"Are you serious?!" Natalie said, her voice angry. "That is _so_ shitty! I can't believe she would do that to you! You guys were still together, weren't you? Like during all that?"

"As far as I know."

"Do you actually think it's _true_?" Laney asked, her green eyes narrowed.

"Probably," Natalie said, raising her eyebrows.

"Why do you say that?" Luke asked.

" 'Cause, I just think she'd do that."

"Whatever, Nat, she would not," Laney said in a tone that implied she thought Natalie was being stupid or immature. "You just don't like her." She turned back to Luke. "What does Jill think?"

"She thinks I'm fucking crazy. Well, that was before, when I said something about it. She hasn't seen this week's yet. Or at least she hadn't when I left."

"She wouldn't tell you anything anyway," Natalie said. "She and Hilton are so fucking protective of each other. It's just like when I started dating Todd and Hilton flipped the fuck out and barely talked to me again. It's the same thing Jill's doing right now."

Luke hadn't even thought of that. He felt sick.

"You mean like Jill would flip the fuck out right now if she knew you were ripping on Hilton to _Luke_?" Laney said pointedly to Natalie.

"Watch out, I'm serious," Natalie said to Luke, ignoring Laney. "You think you know her so well, or that you're closer to her than anybody. But you're not. And you think Jill's your good friend, one of your best friends. And she is. But she's better friends with Hilton. And so's Todd. They all grew up together. You're the fourth part of their circle now, but their loyalties are all more to each other than to you. If Hilton had a secret she asked Jill and Todd not to tell you, they wouldn't. 'Cause it was them, baby, way before us," she said, twisting around the lyrics to an  REO Speedwagon song. "And they're still together."

"Are you _done_?" Laney asked.

Natalie and Luke both ignored her. Luke couldn't look away from Natalie. He felt so stupid. Like everything he'd thought about his life had been wrong.

"I need another drink," Laney said in annoyance, standing up from the table. "Find me when you're done being a bitch, Nat."

### ***

When Laney came out of Mike's, the karaoke bar, awhile later, she made a loop of the tables and looked over the railing down onto the dance floor, but didn't see Nat anywhere. Awesome, she thought sarcastically. She just fucking left without telling me, probably with some random douchebag. What the fuck ever. She was still annoyed with Nat for the way she'd dissed Hilton earlier. So if Nat _was_ still here, she could take a cab home or something.

Sure enough, Natalie wasn't home when Laney got there, and she still wasn't the next morning when Laney got up around 7:15 for work. Laney was in the living room chair eating a bowl of cereal when Natalie walked in. Laney looked up at her expectantly and shoved another spoonful of cereal in her mouth. "Did you meet a guy?"

Natalie hesitated a moment, then a slow grin broke out across her face. "I got back at Hilton," she said in a tone Laney would've described as proud.

"What?" Laney's own voice was stunned and hard. She set her bowl on the coffee table and stared at Natalie, feeling like she was going to throw up the cereal she'd just swallowed.

"Yeah," Natalie said, her smile widening. "In her apartment. Our old apartment. In Luke's bed."

Laney looked down and shielded her eyes with her hand, as though she'd just stepped into bright sunlight.

"What's that?" Natalie asked, referring to Laney's gesture.

"I can't look at you." Laney shook her head fiercely. "I really can't." Her voice was shaking.

"What?"

"How much am I gonna get charged for breaking our lease for next year?"

"What?!"

"I'm moving out. I can't live with you." Laney was completely horrified. She literally couldn't look at Natalie. She had to get away from her as quickly as she could. She never wanted to see her again. She felt like Nat had done it to her, like Nat had slept with Del, her boyfriend.

"What the fuck, Lane?! Are you _serious_?! This is just like when I hooked up with Todd! You didn't think there was anything wrong with it then! You told Hilton she was being a bitch when she flipped out! And now you're on her fucking side?!"

Laney suddenly stood up and looked directly at Natalie, feeling like she needed desperately to shield her eyes again. In ten seconds, her whole image of Natalie had changed. She didn't know this girl. This wasn't her roommate, wasn't her friend. "What the _fuck_ were you thinking?!" she screamed. "I didn't think it was bad when you hooked up with Todd or dated him 'cause he was _single_! He _wasn't Jill's boyfriend_! And she was with somebody else! _Luke is Hilton's boyfriend!_ _They've been together almost seven years!_ How fucking desperate are you?! You _fucking bitch_!"

She went into her room and slammed the door as hard as she could, wondering if it might break or swing back open because it hit so hard. It didn't do either, and she stormed into the bathroom, turned the shower on, then went back out into her room, cranked the volume on her radio, grabbed her phone, and went back into the bathroom. She sat on the closed toilet seat and thumbed through her contacts, which was hard because she was shaking. Finally she found the right one and hit Send.

It rang four times, then, "Hello?"

"Jill? I have to fucking talk to you."

### Toronto

### July 25, 2008

Hilton hadn't been able to sleep for four days. Every night since Monday she'd tossed and turned, unable to escape her thoughts. She would think around and around in circles but never come to any conclusions.

Because on Monday, she'd gotten to Toronto and seen last week's _GSM_. The one with the huge picture on the cover of Tanner and Austin Delks at CenterStage at the W, sitting close together on a couch and laughing wildly, completely oblivious to the photographer right above them.

Then she'd read the article, about how Tanner had had a couple days off, so he'd decided to track down Austin's number, because, in his own words, he'd "always thought she was gorgeous and wanted to meet her." They had gone to dinner and then to CenterStage, and everyone who'd seen them had agreed they looked like they were, "having a blast," "having so much fun," and "definitely really into each other."

Hilton's first reaction had been shock, and she'd felt like somebody had reached inside her and twisted her stomach and her heart into knots. But then as she'd continued to look at the pictures and reread the article, and as she'd thought how amazing Tanner and Austin looked together—Austin had sparkling green eyes that matched his almost perfectly, and her long hair was the same shade of light brown—she'd realized what she really felt was...disappointment.

Not for herself, but just... _in Tanner_. He had said he loved Rory, and yet he hadn't wasted any time finding someone else. Just like he'd said he was sad when Bryony broke up with him, and then the same weekend he'd said that, he'd started things up with Rory. And Hilton had thought Rory might be The One for him. But that obviously hadn't worked out. And when she had met Bryony and seen Bryony and Tanner interact, she had loved them together. She'd thought they were an awesome couple. But that obviously hadn't worked out either. And now she could look at these pictures of Tanner and Austin and think they _looked_ perfect together. Austin was a party girl; Hilton had seen countless pictures of her out with Aubrey or the _NYC_ cast. Like Aubrey, Austin was an integral part of the New York party scene. Hilton saw her as probably being more similar to Bryony than Rory in that she was the crazy fun type, but different from Bryony too because Bryony wasn't always in the public eye or surrounded by an entourage. Hilton didn't think dating Austin would remind Tanner in any way of dating Bryony. If he and Austin even started dating. Who knew.

But what really got to her was how quickly Tanner had moved on, how he _was_ truly sad about his breakups, but always cast them aside so easily and moved right on to the next thing, while remaining friends with the last girl. _Yeah, I love her to death,_ he would say. _We had our fun_.

And that's when it hit her. That's what Tanner was all about.

Fun.

He wasn't very serious about anything. Tennis, somewhat, but he still didn't let his losses get to him that much. He just went out...for a night of _fun_. Just like he didn't let his breakups get to him that much. He just went out...with another girl he could have _fun_ with.

And yet it wasn't a bad thing. It wasn't like a guy who slept with girls once and never called them back. It wasn't hurtful or mean. It was just... _fun_. Fun for everybody involved. Tanner emanated fun. It was practically impossible to have a bad time in his presence. He had those warm eyes, and that ridiculously sexy smile, and he always meant well. He loved animals, he was generous, he was laid-back, he was genuinely interested in people.

So maybe she wasn't disappointed _in_ Tanner. She was disappointed _by_ Tanner. Or by their relationship, because while she knew he did see them as true friends, it was just another fun thing in his life. I'll go to dinner with Hilton, that'll be fun; I'll see if Hilton wants to go out like we did last year on Middle Sunday, that'll be fun. Just like he had told people Luke was his lawyer. It had been fun. Just like he had done a front handspring on court that one time, or asked Haidin to be his doubles partner. It had all been fun for him, a way to amuse himself or other people. He didn't take anything that seriously. Except helping animals. That was the only thing. Rescuing animals from those floods probably hadn't been _fun_ for him, maybe more like part rewarding and part heartbreaking. And yet, it had been more fun than anything else he would've been doing that week, because it was where he'd most wanted to be. That's what he did...he went wherever he most wanted to be that given week, that given day, that given night. He went where he most wanted to be and did what he most wanted to do.

And yet that didn't fully describe who he was, because it almost made him seem simple, or dumb, which he definitely wasn't. He was far from it. Hilton still thought, as she had ever since last September in New York, that he was _more_ than any guy she'd ever met...there was more to him; he had more aspects to his personality or more things that made up who he was. He was a boy next door, he was a famous athlete, he was sexy and stylish, he was urban and city-smart, he was well-traveled, he was one of the best in the world at his job, he did charity work for animals, he was sweet, he was goofy, he liked to think deeply about things, he was one of her best friends.

But somehow, she wasn't sure if she was in love with him anymore. Even though she still thought he was amazing, he wasn't exactly how she'd thought. She could see already that if she was still in love with him, she was going to experience this disappointment over and over. It was going to go in cycles, every time he started dating someone and then things seemed to be going so well for him and that girl, and then they broke up with no warning, and then he talked to Hilton about it and analyzed it with her, and then he immediately found a new girl he was interested in and began dating her.

Even though Hilton could see now how it would go, and she would be able to predict it as she hadn't before, it would still kill her to go through it with him, because each one of those girls would have something that made her and Tanner seem right together. Like Bryony's crazy fun personality that matched his, or Rory's and his childhood connection, or Austin's and his matching looks. So even though Hilton would know the relationship probably wasn't going to last too long, she would have to watch whatever it was he had with each girl. That would _suck_. If she was in love with him. Which she was thinking more and more that she wasn't. Maybe just because she could see how much it was going to hurt, and she didn't want to go through that.

And that's where her thoughts were when Luke called her at 7:20 Friday morning. She leaned over to grab her phone and looked at it in surprise, then answered and lay back down. "Hello?"

"Hilton," he said, and she had a sudden flashback to when she'd found out Landon had cheated on her. That's exactly what his voice had sounded like. Like he knew he had to do damage control, and he was begging her to please at least listen.

"What?" she said. She thought her voice sounded faraway and eerily calm.

"I have to tell you something."

"I saw that 'It's Complicated.' " She'd seen it right before she'd tried to go to sleep last night, but it hadn't even been what had occupied her thoughts all night.

"I put that when I saw _Game Set Match_." His voice sounded trite and remorseful. "But now it's even more so...or you might just break up with me."

She thought about just asking the question to make it easier for him, but she decided he should have to tell her. She waited silently.

"I...I saw _Game Set Match_ , and I was so upset, and I just changed my status and went to the Turtle..."

She was still silent. She stared at the wall a few feet from her bed, feeling almost no emotion.

"I hooked up with somebody." She heard him swallow. "Not somebody. Natalie."

A short, dry laugh escaped Hilton's throat. "Huh."

"Hilton..." Luke said when she didn't say anything else. "Say something."

"Why didn't you change your About Me section? It still says 'i love hilton.' "

" 'Cause that hasn't changed," he said simply. "Only our relationship status has."

"I still love you too," she said.

"You do? Even after...?"

"Do you want me not to? Do you want me to break up with you?"

"No! No! I just thought...I didn't expect you to react like..." She could tell her calm voice was freaking him out. He had expected her to yell, to scream, to break up with him right away.

"Maybe you do want me to break up with you. Maybe cheating on me and then telling me is your subconscious telling you you wanna break up."

"Hilton, it's not! I did it 'cause I thought you were cheating on _me_! After I read that article!"

Hilton laughed again, the same short, dry laugh. "Do you really think that?" She'd read the article last night when the magazine had been delivered to her hotel room.

"I don't want to..."

"Luke, you know me. Does that sound like me? Planning some huge cover-up trip to Australia and not telling you anything about any of it? I didn't even worry about that article making you mad 'cause it was so totally ridiculous."

"No," Luke said softly. And it didn't sound like her. It no longer sounded in any way plausible. Neither did the idea of Hilton, Jill, and Todd having some conspiracy and tons of secrets behind his back. What the hell had he been thinking? "But what about the New Year's kiss?"

"It wasn't even at midnight. That was a lie. It was before. He just did it so I'd have a New Year's kiss. It was a second long."

"Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"The same reason I'm not mad at you right now. 'Cause I was in love with him."

Now Luke was silent. "So I was fucking right," he finally said, his voice tight.

"Yeah. Of course you were. You know me. You can read me."

That actually made Luke feel slightly better. Natalie's words from last night were still tearing him apart. "Are you still in love with him?"

"I don't think so. At least I know I don't want anything to happen between me and him right now, even if I wasn't with you." She didn't...because she didn't want to be another girl who was just for fun. "Just so you know, I didn't even realize it at New Year's. I thought it was just a celebrity crush. But obviously it wasn't. 'Cause if it was really just a celebrity crush I would've told you. I guess I knew on some subconscious level. But I didn't actually know till Wimbledon."

"I'm sorry, Hilton," Luke said after a minute.

"I'm not," Hilton said honestly. "I couldn't help that I fell in love with him. And I'm not sorry for this year, or for taking the job with Haidin. It's been one of the best years of my life."

Luke was silent for a long time. "So what do we do?" he asked finally.

"I don't know." Hilton was still staring at the wall. For the first time, she felt something like sadness. But it was more like nostalgia. "You can't end a seven-year relationship over the phone. We love each other too much for that."

"Is it gonna end when we see each other?"

"I don't know."

"When are we gonna see each other?"

Hilton thought. There were three weeks in September that Haidin wasn't playing, but he wanted her in New York at least one and a half of them to practice, and she was kind of thinking she'd like to just go to New York for the whole time. "Hillary's wedding?" she said finally. It was on October 4, exactly eleven years from when Hillary and Dirk had gone to the freshman Homecoming dance together and officially started going out.

"You're not coming home in September?"

"I don't think so. No."

"You still want me to come to the wedding with you?"

"Yeah. Of course I do. You're part of that with me. You know Hillary and Dirk, and you've heard me and Jill and Todd talk about the wedding all the time."

"Okay. I'll be there." There was another short silence. "So 'It's Complicated' till then?"

"I think that says it pretty much perfectly."

### NYC

### August 30-September 25, 2008

The US Open had been going on since Monday. Hilton was staying in the same hotel in Flushing Meadows where she'd stayed last year, rather than the Midtown hotel she always stayed in when she was here with Haidin. _GSM_ was putting her up there, and she'd chosen that one because it was right next to the tournament and where the players were staying. Well, most of them, anyway. Haidin was staying at his condo, and he and Aubrey were being followed everywhere by photographers.

Tanner and Austin, who had been a hot item for over a month now, were being followed everywhere too. Austin had even gone to the Olympics in Beijing to watch Tanner play. He had won the silver. Haidin hadn't played in the Olympics because of his whole "I'm in tennis for myself, not for Australia," deal. Hilton had been disappointed to not be able to go. The tournament Haidin had played in that week in Washington DC had been boring because none of the big-name players were there, but Haidin had won it easily.

Hilton and Luke had talked only a few times since that morning in Toronto. The week after Toronto, Haidin had played in Cincinnati, and Jill and Todd had come, but Luke hadn't. The following weekend, Jill, Luke, Todd, Adria, Aspen, and Cookie Monster had moved to Indy. Luke had packed up all of Hilton's stuff and moved it into their new apartment. Hilton felt horrible about that, and she had wanted to have her parents go down to Dale and move her, but Luke insisted. So her stuff was all in boxes in their new apartment, which she hadn't even seen. But Jill, Todd, and Luke all loved it, and she trusted them. It was downtown with a view of the canal. It was huge too, since Hilton and Jill had both kind of struck it rich with their million apiece. And Luke would be making decent money; he'd gotten a job at a small law firm in Indy and said he liked it so far. Todd had found a job at a gym downtown as a personal trainer, the same thing he'd done at Dale, and Jill was working for Child Protective and Family Services. She psychologically assessed juveniles who'd been arrested by meeting with them a few times and talking to them or asking them questions about anything and everything. She loved the psychological assessment aspect and coming up with questions to ask the kids, but it was far from her dream job. The pay sucked, not that it really mattered, but she definitely wanted to get far away from the working-for-the-city side of things and over to the out-on-her-own-and-hired-by-private-attorneys side. But she knew it was basically impossible to get to that side without making a name for herself first and having some experience, so she was okay with this job for now.

They all three had told Hilton they loved Indy, except for the bars not being smoke-free. Dale had gone smoke-free two years ago, and they'd all gotten so used to it. But they liked going to bars that had more of a young-working-crowd feel, rather than a college feel. "We're so grown up," Todd had said on the phone, making a fake sobbing noise. Hilton was excited to see the new apartment, and she was glad to be gone from Dale, even though she felt a little sad that she hadn't really gotten to say goodbye to their old apartment; she'd lived there for six years. But...she was also glad not to have gone back there after Luke hooked up with Natalie. There was definitely no way she would've been able to sleep in Luke's bed again, or probably even set foot inside his room. She was glad that the next time she went "home," it would be to a new city and a new apartment. It would be like starting over. She had no idea what would happen with her and Luke, but she felt like they would be okay living together even if they broke up. It was so weird to think about them breaking up as a very real possibility now, when a couple months ago the thought had never even crossed her mind. Now she saw it as about a fifty-fifty possibility. She really just didn't even think about it that much at all though...she was going to just wait till she saw him.

Jill had called her shortly after Luke had that morning in Toronto and told her about Laney's call and how she'd hung up from Laney, woken Todd up and said, "Take Adria out for breakfast."

"What?" Todd had asked, still half asleep and totally confused.

"Luke cheated on Hilton with Natalie. Get her out of the apartment 'cause I don't want her to hear the shit that's gonna go down."

"What the _fuck_?" Todd had asked in disbelief, immediately awake. He'd climbed out of bed, dressed hurriedly, gotten Adria up, and left with her.

Jill had stormed over to Luke's room and banged on his door, screaming, "Luke! Get the fuck out here!"

He had opened the door, seen her face, and said, "I already told her."

"You told Hilton?"

"Yeah. I just got off the phone with her."

Jill had been surprised. "What'd she say?" she'd demanded. She'd told Hilton she could barely look at Luke.

"She told me she was in love with Tanner. But she's not sure she is anymore."

They had stood in silence for a minute.

"And so now?" Jill had finally asked, even though she knew she was going straight back into her room and calling Hilton.

" 'It's Complicated,' " Luke said, knowing Jill would know he was referring to the Facebook term. "Till Hillary's wedding."

Now it was Saturday, six days into the US Open, and tonight RiesWell was throwing Telan Gangley's birthday party at a bar in the Village. Hilton left the tournament right after Haidin's 1:00 match, which he won in straight sets, and she got ready at her hotel, then went over to Kelsey's apartment to go to dinner with her before the party. They had sushi in the Village near the bar, then headed over.

There was a red carpet outside, and photographers were everywhere.

"Are you gonna walk the red carpet?" Kelsey asked with a laugh.

Hilton laughed too. "Yeah right."

As they walked up to the entrance, Deidre suddenly turned from her spot by the rope and saw Hilton. "Hilton!"

"Hey," Hilton said with a smile, walking over.

"Hilton, I've been meaning to say something to you about that article. Everything was just so crazy getting ready for Beijing. You know. I hope that didn't cause any problems for you. I hope you didn't feel like I was selling you out, or that you weren't pissed I didn't tell you about the pictures from New Year's and the Eye. It's just...it was a story. We had to go after it." She shrugged.

"No," Hilton said. "I understand." And she did. She'd never been mad when _GSM_ had published stories like that about anybody else, so how could she be mad they'd done it to her?

"Good," Deidre said, looking relieved. "We didn't wanna lose you; you're one of our best photographers."

"Were you guys already following me on New Year's?" Hilton asked, curious. "Or did you just happen to get the picture?" Obviously it had been Eric and Myra following her at the London Eye. She was surprised she hadn't seen them. But she didn't have any doubt the "witness who preferred to remain anonymous" in that article had been Myra herself.

"No. I happened to get the picture, and after that was when I gave Eric and Myra the assignment to follow you. I really didn't know; I thought something might be going on. You and Tanner have always had some chemistry."

Hilton smiled. "Yeah."

"So _is_ anything going on?" Deidre grinned.

Hilton grinned back. "Off the record?"

"Sure." Deidre leaned forward eagerly.

"I don't talk about my personal life."

"Oh, _ple_ ase!" Deidre laughed, amused. "Stop now."

Hilton laughed too, flashing Deidre a wicked grin. "It explains why Myra was so weird on Valentine's Day when she told me they were supposed to follow me. She was trying to act like she thought it was a kinda weird assignment, but she knew you already had that picture from New Year's." Hilton suddenly remembered New Year's Day, when she'd apologized to Deidre for not getting anything spectacular. _"Oh, you did better than you think,"_ Deidre had said back to her. Hilton laughed again. Guess so, she thought.

"I really am glad you aren't mad." Deidre glanced over her shoulder as cheers rose from the crowd around the red carpet. "Shit, that's Telan! Gotta go."

### ***

Hilton barely even talked to Tanner that night. Because he was with Austin, he was sitting in a booth with Telan the whole time. Haidin and Aubrey sat there too, and Hilton, Kelsey, and Arden sat at a separate table and caught up with each other. The bar was tiny inside yet had a totally hip, Village-y feel to it. It was intimate and the hundred or so people here filled it probably a little over capacity. Hilton liked it a lot.

Tanner stopped by once on his way to the bathroom and said hi to all three of them. Hilton thought it was cute that he remembered Arden and Kelsey. "Hey, talked to Ablett lately?" he asked Kelsey with a grin, then he turned to Arden. "Great party. You guys throw all the best ones."

"I know," Arden said in a bored tone, flashing a blasé smile at him. They both laughed.

He squeezed Hilton's shoulders as he passed behind her, and she watched him walk away with a sense of sadness.

### ***

An hour or so later, Hilton was heading to the bathroom when she ran into Haidin and Aubrey coming out of the back hallway. She wondered if they'd been back there hooking up.

Aubrey's eyes narrowed into a nasty glare when she saw Hilton. "Ew, what the fuck are you doing here?!"

"Hanging out with friends, getting wasted," Hilton said. "Pretty much the same as you."

"Listen, bitch!" Aubrey left Haidin's side and moved forward so she and Hilton were only inches apart. When she spoke her voice was a malicious hiss. "Don't think just 'cause you're Haidin's assistant or whatever the fuck that I like you. I bet you liked that little article in that trash-fuck magazine last month, didn't you?! Your little fifteen minutes of fame? But it should be obvious to anybody who read it that Haidin would never date you."

"Did _you_ read it?" Hilton asked with a laugh. "It wasn't really about me dating Haidin."

Aubrey stepped even closer. "Stay away from Tanner too! Austin is one of my best friends, and if you even try to get in the fucking middle like you did with his last girlfriend I will get you fucking fired." She stepped back and smiled smugly. "But you obviously didn't have much luck getting in the middle with his last girlfriend, 'cause he went right to Austin. What, did he fuck you once and get bored with you?"

"Aubrey, listen to yourself," Hilton said, half laughing. "How old are you, twelve?" She looked around, feigning surprise. "Is this my junior high school?" She giggled to herself. She was actually kind of having fun.

"Aubrey, stop it," Haidin said, his voice low and angry. "Leave her the fuck alone."

Hilton and Aubrey both looked to Haidin in surprise. Aubrey was floored. "What the fuck?!" she snapped.

"You won't get her fucking fired," he said. "I don't care what the fuck she does to you or Austin or any of your other fucking friends. _She's_ _my_ friend, and she's my assistant till December, so get the fuck used to it."

Hilton was amazed, and touched. She met Haidin's eyes and smiled a little mischievously. He gave the smallest hint of a smile back.

Aubrey saw, and she was even more furious. She turned and headed back toward her booth. "You can fucking leave!" she shouted back. "Both of you, 'cause I'm the only reason you got in in the first place! Have a fucking kickass night!"

"Actually I'm here with my friend Arden?" Hilton called. "The one throwing the party?"

Aubrey flipped her off, then stormed away.

"She's fucking Telan tonight," Haidin said bitterly.

"Sorry," Hilton said. "You didn't have to say anything. I can handle her."

"She deserved it."

"So," Hilton said, smiling at him again, "we're friends, huh?"

Haidin couldn't help grinning back a little. "Fuck off," he said, and Hilton laughed out loud.

"So, as your friend, I'm curious what you thought of Shayna," she said, batting her eyelashes suggestively. Shayna was the woman who'd paid $100,000 for Haidin in the players' date auction at Tanner's charity weekend in Aspen. She'd gotten to sit in Haidin's box at his first-round match on Tuesday and go to dinner with him that night at Nobu, the restaurant she'd chosen. _GSM_ had done a feature this week on all those winners, and the magazine had been filled with pictures of the "dates." Rory was the only winner who hadn't used her box seat or gone on her "date." Shayna, Haidin's date, had spent the whole match on Tuesday taking pictures of Haidin and fanning herself with a program while chirping to Hilton about how "fine" Haidin was. She had reminded Hilton of a yippy little dog. She'd been wearing way too much jewelry and a way-too-low V-neck top. Hilton had barely been able to look at her, and she'd practically run out of the court when the match was over, not even staying long enough to take any pictures.

"Good _God_ , what a fucking _night_ mare," Haidin said now in complete seriousness, and Hilton burst out laughing again.

### ***

Tanner played in the US Open final the next Sunday. Hilton sat in his box with Austin, Aubrey, and Haidin. Haidin had lost in the semis Friday to Juan Martin Del Potro, an up-and-coming Argentine and Tanner's opponent in the final. Oscar had insisted Haidin and Aubrey attend today and sit with Austin. Tanner had called Hilton in her hotel room yesterday and asked her to sit in his box too, and she had been practically ecstatic, even though she still wasn't sure she was in love with him anymore. She _was_ ...kind of...but she just knew nothing could happen between them, because, like she'd realized in Toronto, she didn't want to be just another fun thing for him.

Hilton had felt the charge of today and all its possibility from the very moment she entered Arthur Ashe Stadium and took her seat next to Haidin and behind Tanner's coach and trainer. She couldn't believe she was sitting in Tanner's box on the day he might win his first Grand Slam. And the US Open...it could hardly be better. Wimbledon was the title most players, including Tanner, named as the one they most wanted to win, but Tanner had always said "Wimbledon _and_ the US Open." Hilton understood why, because the energy in the New York crowd was incomparable. When Andy Roddick had won in 2003, Hilton had been able to feel it even though she hadn't been here. She had cried just watching the whole thing on TV. It was indescribable.

And when Tanner did win, 11-9 in a fifth-set tiebreaker—about the best possible match any true tennis fan could've asked for at the US Open, which was the only Grand Slam to have tiebreakers in the fifth set—it was freaking amazing. It was one of the best sports victories Hilton had ever experienced. She absolutely couldn't believe she was sitting in his box, just like she'd imagined countless times. She had _never_ thought it would actually happen. And even though she hadn't imagined she'd be sitting with Austin Delks—and _especially_ not with Haidin and Aubrey—it was still by far her best moment on the tour ever. It topped all the other great matches she'd seen, all the times she'd hung out with Tanner, everything. She hoped she could remember the way today felt forever.

When Del Potro hit the last shot out, Tanner froze in his tracks, his mouth falling open. Hilton had her camera zoomed in on him and snapped pictures as fast as she could. Tanner sank to his knees, hugging his tennis racquet as tears flowed down his face. Hilton was suddenly crying too, and laughing at the same time. Her shoulders shook and she couldn't stop grinning. Tanner was up now and running to the net, where he leapt over it and hugged Del Potro. Then he took off in a dead sprint right for his box. People screamed and applauded for him as he rushed up into the stands and hugged his coach. Hilton felt her heart clench in an amazing way as she snapped more pictures from less than ten feet away. Then Tanner moved one step up and locked his arms around Austin. He was standing so close to Hilton now, and he was crying even harder. His shoulders were shaking as he and Austin hugged. Austin was crying too. Hilton's heart clenched in a different way now.

Then, to Hilton's surprise, Tanner turned from Austin and headed right to her, squeezing past Haidin and Aubrey. She met his eyes and grinned through her tears, and Tanner threw his arms around her neck and shoulders, pulling her up against him in a bear hug. He was incredibly sweaty, and his tears soaked her hair, but Hilton couldn't have cared less. She wrapped her arms around his waist as tightly as she could and squeezed. He hugged her even tighter, if possible, then whispered into her hair, "Thank you for coming. It wouldn't be the same without one of my best friends."

### ***

That night the five of them—Tanner, Austin, Haidin, Aubrey, and Hilton—went out to celebrate, and Kelsey came too. Everybody was in high spirits, including Haidin, who in a way had been a totally different person ever since he'd told Hilton about his family. She knew it had to be a relief to him that he'd been able to tell someone else, someone who hadn't been through the same thing. It had shown him he could bond with and trust other people; Aubrey wasn't the only one he had, and it seemed to have helped him open up in general. He and Tanner were actually kind of friends now. Tanner had whispered to Hilton one night last week when they were all out for dinner together, "You were right. About not calling him Hades anymore. He's really not. You got to him." He'd grinned at her, his green eyes sparkling like always.

They stayed out till six a.m., and then Tanner went directly to the set of the _Today Show_ to be interviewed. He was completely trashed; he'd taken his trophy—an enormous gold cup—out with him and had actually drunk straight out of it all night. He'd never had to buy a single drink, of course, because people went crazy when they saw him and fell all over themselves to buy him a drink and then take a picture with him and his cup. Hilton got tons of pictures to sell to _GSM_ , and it was an awesome night. The only thing that made her a little sad, a little uneasy, was that Austin was the girlfriend who got to share this night with Tanner.

Hilton didn't doubt Austin would only be in his life for a few months, no longer than Bryony or Rory. She could see how much fun Tanner and Austin had together, but she didn't see anything serious; she didn't see love. It was kind of like his relationship with Bryony...although for some reason, it wasn't. Bryony had been her favorite of Tanner's girlfriends, and she knew Bryony being here today wouldn't upset her like Austin being here did. It just kind of sucked in the overall picture that someone who wouldn't even be his girlfriend for that long had gotten to be the one to share the winning of his first Grand Slam with him. Hilton had gotten to share it with him too, which was basically too incredible to even believe, but she hadn't gotten to share it in the same way Austin had. Not as his girlfriend. And it just made her a little sad.

The next day Hilton left her hotel in Queens and settled into the one in Manhattan, excited to spend the next three weeks in the city that had become her absolute favorite in the world. She might not call it the most beautiful, because it wasn't tropical or exotic, but it was beautiful in another way, and of all the places she'd been, it was where she would most want to live; it was the city in which she felt most comfortable. She loved its energy and its character more than any other city she'd visited.

_GSM_ that week detailed Tanner's win over a twenty-page spread, complete with pictures from the final and the night out afterward. There was a picture of Hilton, Haidin, Aubrey, and Austin in his box at the match, as well as one of all of them plus Tanner and Kelsey at one of the bars they'd gone to. They were all holding his cup up above their heads and grinning hugely.

Hilton's favorite was the one of Tanner hugging her after the match. It took up a whole page, and it was on the page right next to the one of him hugging Austin. The only writing was across the bottom of both pages and said:

Hugs & Tears: Tanner celebrates his first Grand Slam title by immediately running up to his box and embracing girlfriend Austin Delks (left) and longtime friend Hilton Joliet.

The week after the big story about "Haidin and Hilton" or "Tanner and Hilton," the cover story had puzzled over Austin being in Toronto and Cincinnati with Tanner, because that didn't fit with _GSM_ 's theory that Tanner had gone out with her to throw the press off of him and Hilton. Their new twist had been that maybe Tanner and Hilton had been hooking up since New Year's or before, and Tanner had been devastated when Hilton jetted off to Adelaide with Haidin on a romantic two-week vacation, so he had hooked up with Austin as a rebound and was now flaunting her in Hilton's face.

TANNER AND AUSTIN KEEP UP APPEARANCES

had been the cover headline, while the inside one had read:

### DID HILTON BREAK TANNER'S HEART?

Since then, with all the pictures of the five of them together, including Haidin and Aubrey, _GSM_ claimed it didn't know what to think. It appeared Hilton was close to both guys, the article said, _and_ to their girlfriends. It theorized maybe she really _was_ a "Best Friend with Benefits" and that the girlfriends knew and didn't care...after all, Aubrey and Haidin _had_ unquestionably cheated on each other in the past...maybe both couples had open relationships.

Hilton had laughed. The whole thing was ridiculous, but to anyone who didn't know her, or the rest of them, it probably sounded totally believable. It was very Hollywood. She had to hand it to Deidre; she really was making the most of the story.

But Hilton's favorite picture of all was one from that night out after Tanner's win, one she'd kept for herself, of just her and Tanner. They were holding the cup above their heads and their cheeks were pressed together as they grinned at the camera, their eyes sparkling happily.

### ***

Two Saturdays later, Hilton was standing in the street at 47th and Broadway getting ready to cross to Jamba Juice for breakfast and thinking how easy it was to recognize tourists because they waited on the sidewalk for the walk sign and then rushed across if it started blinking, while the New Yorkers stepped into the street to wait and never increased their speed to beat the light.

The stoplight turned red and the walk sign came on, and she walked across in the horde of people surrounding her, feeling totally content and like she had something in common with all these people; they were all out on a gorgeous September Saturday morning, going about their business in the electric center of Manhattan. Then, as she turned toward Jamba Juice, she suddenly heard, "Hilton Joliet!"

She whirled around toward 7th Avenue, thinking it didn't sound like Kelsey or Arden. She didn't see anyone at first, but then when the crowd parted, her mouth dropped open in shock.

" _Ms. Kirkwood?!_ "

Ms. Kirkwood laughed and ran forward to hug her. Hilton hugged her back excitedly.

"Oh my gosh!"

Ms. Kirkwood laughed. "You can call me Mandy now," she said. "Since you've been out of high school for like, eight years?"

Hilton laughed too. "Only seven. I think. Yeah, seven." She couldn't believe it! Ms. Kirkwood had been her and Jill's favorite teacher in high school. She had created a special class for the two of them and Lorylyn, Hillary, Todd, Dirk, and Landon that wasn't even really a class just so they could spend their study hall in her room instead of getting randomly assigned to other teachers. She had been someone they felt comfortable around, someone they could tell their boy problems to. She was awesome at giving advice. She had probably been about twenty-five to twenty-seven when they'd had her...Hilton and Jill had had her every year from when they were sophomores till they were seniors. Wow, Hilton thought. I can't believe _we're_ that age now...the age she was when we had her. Ms. Kirkwood had gotten married to a guy from New York City the summer after their senior year and had moved here. Hilton and Jill had emailed her occasionally their first couple years of college, but had since fallen out of touch. "So you still live here, I take it?! Are you still teaching in New Jersey?"

"No, I'm actually teaching on Long Island now. But yeah, we still live here in the city. What are you doing right now? Do you wanna get breakfast and catch up? I was so proud to hear one of my best former students is dating Tanner Bruin _and_ Haidin Bayliss." Ms. Kirkwood grinned.

"Aahhh!" Hilton cried as she burst out laughing. "Well, I actually have to go practice right now, with Haidin..." She grinned again. "I was just going to Jamba Juice for breakfast. Do you wanna do lunch or something? We usually practice till 11:00 or 11:30."

"Sure! Is around here better for you? Or would you wanna go down to Bleecker? We could eat outside."

"Yeah, let's go down there! I could be down there by 12:00 or 12:15."

"Okay!" Ms. Kirkwood named a restaurant near Washington Square Park and told Hilton the intersection.

"Sounds good! See ya in a few hours!"

### ***

Hilton called Jill on her way downtown after practice, but Jill didn't answer, so Hilton left a message. "You're never gonna freaking believe who I'm having lunch with! Ms. Kirkwood! I randomly ran into her this morning; I'm so excited! I'll call you later and let you know how she is!"

At lunch Ms. Kirkwood told Hilton all about her job, which she loved, and about how she and her husband were trying to have kids. She'd stayed at the school in Jersey for only two years, and she'd been at her current school on Long Island ever since. Her husband was still teaching at the same boarding school in Connecticut he'd been teaching at when she met him. He'd said at the time he was sick of spoiled rich kids and only wanted to stay there a couple more years, but he and Ms. Kirkwood—or Mandy Caplan now, but it was impossible to think of her by that name—just couldn't give up living in the city, and his job paid well, and he had said multiple times it didn't bother him near as much anymore because he was just happier in general ever since he'd met her.

"Aww," Hilton said with a grin. "That's so cute. And I can totally see why you guys wouldn't wanna leave the city. I love it here."

"Yeah, I've been seeing that you spend a lot of time here," Ms. Kirkwood said. "I was hoping I'd run into you, but it seemed sort of unlikely. So tell me all about everything!"

Hilton laughed, and then she did tell her everything. She told her about how she'd gotten the job with _Game Set Match_ and then with Haidin, and how she'd had a crush on Tanner all along and then realized while they were up in the London Eye on Middle Sunday of Wimbledon that she was really, truly in love with him. She told about going to Adelaide with Haidin and how he'd told her some horrible stuff about his past, and Hilton had realized he really wasn't a terrible person, he had just lived through some terrible events and circumstances. She didn't say specifically what, and she knew Ms. Kirkwood didn't feel the need to know and would never ask; she wasn't nosy in any way. Then Hilton told about coming back from Australia to find out Tanner was dating Austin and how she'd felt disappointed and realized that nothing could happen between her and Tanner right now, even if they were both single, because he wasn't necessarily looking for anything long-term; he was just in it for the fun and would go with the flow till it wore itself out, and she didn't want to be another one of those girls to him; she would want to be something more. And then she told Ms. Kirkwood about Luke and how things had fallen apart, then seemed to come back together, and now had possibly fallen apart again, but how she didn't feel any real urgency to try to fix them and had chosen to spend these three weeks in New York instead of going home for ten days or so. But, she felt like she was going to have to make some kind of decision when she saw him at Hillary and Dirk's wedding in a couple weeks.

"Oh, Hillary and Dirk are getting married?! Awww." Ms. Kirkwood grinned.

"Oh yeah!" Hilton said, laughing at how she'd mentioned it accidentally. She'd been holding the best surprise for Ms. Kirkwood this whole time, but she hadn't thought to update her on Hill and Dirk. "And...guess what!" she said, no longer able to wait. "Jill and Todd are together, and they're engaged, and they have a daughter!"

Ms. Kirkwood's mouth opened wide in delight, and her eyes lit up. " _Yes!_ " she screamed, and Hilton burst out laughing. " _Fi_ nally! I've been hoping this whole time. I always thought if they didn't get together it would be such a waste."

"I know!" Hilton cried. "But yeah..." and she proceeded to tell Ms. Kirkwood the whole story while Ms. Kirkwood listened intently, dropping her mouth open at points and bursting out laughing at others.

"Wow," Ms. Kirkwood said when Hilton was finally done. "That's so great. Tell them both I'm so happy for them. And Hillary and Dirk too. What about Lorylyn?"

Hilton grinned, knowing Ms. Kirkwood was going to be stunned yet again. She told about Brady moving to Texas to play baseball and how he was playing for the Rockies now and about Lorylyn's marriage.

"Holy shit," Ms. Kirkwood said with an incredulous laugh. "Wow, you girls have really all done well for yourselves. And Todd and Dirk too. And Brady. I knew he was playing for the Rockies; Darrin's a huge baseball fan, and we went to a Rockies/Mets game this summer. I couldn't believe it when I saw him, 'cause I hadn't heard. I was bragging to Darrin how that was one of my former student's boyfriends. But I never knew what happened with him and Lorylyn. Wow. I'm so happy for all you guys."

Just then Hilton's phone rang. It was Jill. She grinned excitedly as she pushed Send. "Jill? Here!" She handed the phone over to Ms. Kirkwood, who laughed and took it.

"Hey, Jill!"

Ms. Kirkwood and Jill talked for a while, and Hilton sat back in her chair and enjoyed the sun on her face and arms. She laughed at some of Ms. Kirkwood's reactions to what Jill was saying, because she could tell what they were talking about. She suddenly felt blissfully happy. Running into Ms. Kirkwood had totally made her day, or her whole stay in New York. Well, running into Ms. Kirkwood and Tanner winning the US Open had made her stay in New York.

By the time Ms. Kirkwood and Jill hung up, it was almost time for Hilton to go. She had asked Haidin if they could have their afternoon practice at three instead of two to give her a little extra time at lunch, and he had said that was no problem. She still couldn't believe the change in him since Adelaide, and yet she could, because it made perfect sense that telling someone else would have helped him tremendously.

She and Ms. Kirkwood asked for the bill and exchanged email addresses. Hilton was excited they were going to be in touch again. She gave Ms. Kirkwood Jill's email too.

"Well, good luck figuring things out with Luke, and Tanner," Ms. Kirkwood said with a grin as they stood to go. "You'll make the right decision, if it comes down to that. You and Jill, more than anybody else I know, always followed your instincts. And it sounds like you both still do." She grinned. "And that's the only thing you _can_ do. Whatever happens, I'm so happy for you. When I first read that you were a _Game Set Match_ photographer, I just thought, that's perfect. She loves tennis, she loves to travel, and the last time I had talked to you, you had just changed your major to photography. I just thought, she must be so happy. I subscribed to _Game Set Match_ right away, and I ordered all the back issues so I could see your pictures. And they are _so good_ , Hilton. So good. You're brilliant. I can always feel something when I look at them. Some emotion, like I was there when you took it and saw it happen too, or like I actually know something about tennis and care about those players on a personal level. I think that's a mark of a great photographer, when you can make people feel like that, especially when the picture's of someone they don't even know, or a sport they've never followed. I can't wait for your book. It's going to be amazing. I'll tell everybody I know. And when they started having pictures _of_ you in _Game Set Match_ , I would just look at them and think, that fits. This fits her so well. The awesome job, the little bit of fame, being friends with gorgeous guys...all of it. When you were in high school I didn't actually sit down and think about where I imagined you would be seven years later, but when I saw those magazine issues, it struck me as basically what I would have imagined for you if I would've thought about it. I would've seen you doing something exactly like this. And I can tell you're happy. It shows in the pictures, and it shows in person."

### ***

The following Wednesday night, Hilton got back to her hotel room around eleven from going to dinner with Kelsey and then stopping by a RiesWell event Arden was working. Hilton and Kelsey had left early because Kelsey was tired and neither of them had really liked the band. Hilton was excited to relax for the rest of the night. Maybe she would take a bath. She hadn't done that in a long time.

Just as she was picking up the phone to call the front desk and see if they had bubble bath, her cell phone rang. She was surprised when she saw it was Haidin. He never called her when they were both in New York; they met for practice every day and otherwise lived separate lives. The only time he had called was when she was late for practice once, to demand where she was. "Hello?"

"Where are you?"

She almost laughed; that was exactly what he'd barked at her when she'd been late for practice. But this time his voice was less harsh. She grinned into the phone, loving how different he was now. "Um, at my hotel, is there someplace I'm supposed to be?"

"No. Do you have plans?"

"No, I just got home." Surely he wasn't going to invite her to come out with him and Aubrey or anything; Aubrey would never go for that.

"Could I maybe...come over?"

"Um, I guess, why?" Was he seriously that bored? Hilton knew Aubrey was doing re-shoots for her next movie; maybe she was stuck on set...but still.

"Well, Aub broke up with me."

"What?" Hilton asked with a smirk. So what? she was thinking. You'll be back together with her in two days.

"Yeah. I told her that I told you."

Hilton's eyes went wide. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah, it was actually a couple days ago, but I just need to get out of my fucking building, 'cause she has like forty fucking people at her place and I know she's trying to make me jealous, or make me wonder who she's fucking or some shit. Not like I didn't have to wonder that while we were going out."

Hilton laughed, but she rolled her eyes at Aubrey too. She could just see it—Aub having some huge party to try to make him jealous. "Okay, yeah, come over."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be here."

### ***

When Haidin arrived fifteen minutes later he looked somewhat pissed and somewhat just tired. He came in and sat down immediately on Hilton's king bed. Hilton rolled her eyes a little, but she didn't really care.

"So...what happened?" she asked, joining him on the bed and sitting back against the pillows.

"Well, it pretty much boils down to her being insecure. She didn't like how I called you my friend at Telan's fucking birthday, 'cause she knows me and she knows I don't have a lot of friends. But I knew she wouldn't say anything, and she didn't; she just fucking hooked up with Telan and then went out every night for a week after that without inviting me so it'd be very obvious she was fucking other guys. And then all of a sudden she was completely fucking normal again. So once she cooled down, I told her why I called you my friend. I said that I had told you everything, and how it wasn't that easy to do it but it wasn't that hard either 'cause I trust you. I had wanted to tell her for so long, 'cause I was really proud of myself. It's taken me how many fucking years to do that...to tell anyone besides her? So anyway, I expected her to be so happy for me, 'cause it's like this major milestone and she's the one who helped me get there. But instead she broke up with me."

"What? That's ridiculous." Hilton shook her head. "You're right, she's insecure."

"She wasn't even happy for me at all. Even though she's the one who fucking understood everything from the first day she met me. I thought she would know how huge it was for me to be able to open up to somebody else. But no, she was worried for herself. 'Cause now that I was able to tell somebody else, I don't _need_ her anymore. That's what I realized. That's why she broke up with me. 'Cause it scared the fucking shit out of her that I don't need her anymore. I thought all along that she was the strong one, the one who had all the answers of how to move on from something like what happened to us and still live life. I _did_ think I needed her. That she was the only one who could ever understand. But now I know _that's_ obviously not true, and after seeing her reaction, I realized I'm actually stronger than she is. I just always looked at her as strong 'cause she's not afraid to open up to people, to make friends. But I was wrong about the opening up part. She makes friends without really opening up. She opens up about some stuff, like the surface stuff, but I know she's never told anybody besides me about...you know. So I found somebody else I could trust, and she hasn't. I feel almost sorry for her, you know?" His voice was still hard, but Hilton could tell he meant it.

"Yeah." Hilton did know, because she felt a little sorry for Aubrey too.

"So I'm glad she did it. Broke up with me, I mean. Maybe she was holding me back and I didn't even know it. But if she couldn't even care about one of the hardest things I've ever done in my fucking life, and one of the best, if she only cares about her side of it, then it _should_ be over."

"So you don't think there's any chance of you guys getting back together?"

"Not the slightest chance in hell. I don't want to now, and I know she doesn't either. I know 'cause even through all of our fights and the cheating and everything, we never broke up. We never even talked about it, and I don't think either of us thought about it. So for her to break up with me, we both knew that was pretty final."

"Huh," Hilton said, nodding. "Well, I think it's for the best then too. I mean, I know you guys had a connection; that was obvious. But you shouldn't go through all those fights and never consider breaking up just 'cause that person understands you and you're afraid no one else will. It shouldn't have to be like that. And now you know it _doesn't_ , for you at least. You know you can talk to other people."

"Yeah, you're right, I do." Haidin was silent for a moment. "You know, it's like complete freedom," he said finally. "Being free of her, plus just having told somebody else and knowing it went okay."

"Good," Hilton said, and she meant it. "Hey, and you even have friends now," she added teasingly. "Me...and Tanner..."

"Fuck you," Haidin said with a laugh. Then a minute later he said, "Thanks for letting me come over."

"No problem," Hilton said. She smiled at him. He smiled back, and it was the most genuine smile Hilton had ever seen from him.

They decided to break open the mini bar, and they polished off most of its contents within the next half hour. Then Hilton called room service and asked for champagne. When it came, she poured glasses for both of them and raised her flute to Haidin's. "To you being free of Aubrey, and to finding somebody better," she said.

Haidin gave her a weird little smile as they clinked glasses.

"What?" she asked.

"It's just really weird," he said. "That somebody wants to celebrate something with me."

Hilton's heart broke a little bit. "Well I do," she said. "And the next time you win a tournament we're going out to celebrate that too."

"What if I don't win another one this year?"

"Well whenever the next one is, you better call me if I'm not there, and we'll meet in New York to celebrate or something. It's not like we'll never talk again."

"Really?" Haidin seemed genuinely surprised.

"Well _yeah_. Friends don't exactly fall out of touch just because they quit working together. And I'll probably have to talk to you anyway, about my book and stuff."

"Not really," Haidin said. "The people who work at Adelaide take care of everything. My grandpa hired the best. And I've only hired the best since him."

"Well _will_ you talk to me about it?" Hilton asked in a jokingly sarcastic tone.

"I guess...damn, I wish I would've known you were actually gonna wanna be _friends_. I never would've told you shit."

Hilton laughed out loud and threw a pillow at him.

He grabbed it and acted like he was going to hit her back, and she laughed again and ducked out of the way.

They drank the whole bottle of champagne and sat back against the pillows with their shoulders close together and talked for a couple hours. Hilton told him some stuff about her childhood and Jill and her other friends, and then, because she felt close to him and because he asked, she told him about Landon and Luke. Then she told him how he'd been right about Tanner; Tanner had disappointed her. That's what Haidin had said a long time ago, "He'll disappoint you if you really get to know him." Hilton tried to explain exactly what she meant; it wasn't like she was disappointed _in_ Tanner or thought any less of him or like he had done anything to hurt her. She was just disappointed because she'd realized nothing could happen between them since it wouldn't be anything serious to him.

"Sorry," Haidin said. "That it's like that."

"Don't be." She turned a little to face him. "Why'd you hire me?"

He grinned at her a little. "To make you miserable."

Hilton laughed and hit him.

"It's partly true. I hated you for those pictures you took in Rome, 'cause Oscar wouldn't fucking get off me about it. And you were a solution to the bad press thing. I thought by finding out what you wanted and giving it to you, I could force you to do what I wanted. I was pissed when you didn't take the first offer though. In Aspen. I saw you come back in and tell your whole table and then laugh about it, and I hated you even more. So that's when I really wanted to make you miserable. But I also thought you were hot. And so I wouldn't mind having you around all the time. And I knew Aub would be jealous of you. Even though at that point I didn't know she already hated you. I wanted someone to make her jealous 'cause of Telan. I hated how she got all those pictures with him all the time and made me look like such a fucking loser."

"Hmm. Pretty much what I would've guessed. All those reasons." She grinned at him again. "So you think I'm hot, huh?"

A faraway voice in her head asked her what she was doing, but she pushed it away. She suddenly wanted to flirt with him. She'd been enjoying how close they'd been sitting, almost touching, and she'd wished they were touching. And when he had given her that amazing smile earlier...he had looked hotter than she'd ever seen him.

He gave her a challenging look. "Actually? I think you're one of the most naturally beautiful girls I've ever seen."

Hilton breathed in sharply, her eyes locked with his. Then all of a sudden they were kissing crazily. Hilton's whole body was on fire. She felt an incredible rush and she wanted more of him as fast as she could get it. He ripped her wife beater over her head and fell on top of her, still kissing her. His mouth and tongue were hot and his skin under his plain white T-shirt was unbelievably smooth. Hilton tore the T-shirt off of him and breathed in sharply again when his bare skin touched hers. Doing this with Haidin was so different from doing it with Luke because it was new. And totally unexpected, which made it way more thrilling. He pulled her cheer shorts and underwear off roughly, and she helped him pull his gym shorts and boxers off. He was inside her almost immediately, and Hilton moaned. He felt amazing.

Then all of a sudden he pulled almost out so that just the tip was there, like a tease. It tickled, and Hilton laughed.

"I'm not wearing a condom," Haidin said.

"Shit." Even though she was on the pill, who knew who all he had slept with....She laughed. "I can't believe we both didn't think of it."

"I wanted you so fucking bad." Haidin kissed her hard with his mouth open, then pulled all the way out and stood up. "What are we gonna do?"

Hilton sat up and leaned over, grabbing the phone off the nightstand and pushing zero. "Hello? Do you have condoms?" Haidin burst out laughing, and Hilton grinned at him. "Could I have some, please? Um, several."

Haidin fell back on top of her when she hung up, still laughing.

"I love seeing you laugh," Hilton whispered.

Haidin's expression grew serious and they looked at each other for a long moment. Then he kissed her and pushed back in a little bit. "Fuck, I can't wait," he moaned. They kissed some more. Even though Hilton could hardly wait either, it felt so sexy having him right on top of her like this and having to wait.

"It's just gonna make it even better," she whispered.

Someone knocked on the door.

Haidin jumped up and went to answer it. Hilton peered around the corner and laughed in delight when he opened it without bothering to cover himself in any way. She saw the shock on the face of the boy outside.

"Um...here you go, sir." He handed Haidin two boxes of condoms and practically ran away. Haidin came back into the room, ripping a box open and yanking a condom out of the wrapper. He let the rest fall to the floor as he hastily pulled it on. Hilton rolled to her side to face him as he fell back on the bed and wrapped one of her legs around him. He was inside her again right away and they moved together, out of breath and their hands all over each other.

### ***

They had sex four times that night, drifting in and out of sleep between rounds. One time after, as they lay on their backs, Hilton grinned and said, "You know that kid went and told everybody he knows, and there's gonna be photographers when you leave here in the morning."

Haidin rolled his head toward hers. "Do you care?" It was obvious from his tone he didn't.

She rolled her head toward his too. "No."

They stared at each other for a moment, then Haidin rolled his whole body toward hers and slid back inside her, and they started all over again.

### Brinkley & Caldwell

### September 26-October 4, 2008

Twenty-six hours after Haidin left Hilton's room Thursday morning at nine, she left her hotel to meet Kelsey and fly home. Hillary's bridal shower was Saturday, and then Hilton would be staying with her parents all week to hang out with Hillary, Jill, and Lorylyn. She was so excited to have this girls' week before the wedding; it was going to be so much fun. Todd was going home too, to spend the week with Dirk. Next Friday night was the rehearsal, followed by Hillary's bachelorette party and Dirk's bachelor party, and then on Saturday was the wedding. Kelsey was flying home for the bridal shower this weekend, then going back to New York to work, then taking the day off Friday so she could fly back home for the bachelorette party and wedding.

Oscar had never mentioned the week off to Hilton after that night on the plane to Adelaide when she'd first told him she needed it, and she hadn't mentioned it again either; she'd just bought her ticket home. There was no way she was missing one of her oldest friend's weddings or her bridal shower or the girls' week before the wedding. She hadn't mentioned any of it to Haidin either, so she had no idea if Oscar had told him, or if Oscar even remembered this was the week she was taking off. "Tomorrow's the last day I can practice," she'd told Haidin on Wednesday. "Since I'm going home for my friend's wedding next week."

"Yeah," was all Haidin had said, so Hilton had shrugged and left it at that. They hadn't talked about it at all Wednesday night or Thursday morning. He had left her room at nine Thursday morning, right after they had sex for the fifth time. Hilton had lain in bed for a little while, grinning at the ceiling and reliving the night, then she'd finally gotten up and quickly gotten ready for practice. She'd gotten her Jamba Juice and met Haidin at the tennis club.

"I didn't know if you'd come," he'd said.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well I mean obviously you can quit if you want. If you feel awkward or anything. I totally understand. I won't back down on the book deal."

"Haidin, of course I'm not quitting! I'm serious, we're friends now, and the next time you win a tournament, I'm gonna be there, and we're gonna celebrate. I don't regret last night...or this morning..." she'd added with a grin, "and I don't feel awkward. Do you?"

He'd smiled back at her. "No. Oh, and there was a photographer. One. That weird dude from _Game Set Trash_."

"Oh my gosh, who knows what they'll come up with this time. Do they know about the breakup?"

"Not from me. But probably from Aub. I hate to think what she told them."

"You don't think she would tell them...?" Hilton had asked, suddenly horrified. What if she had told them about Haidin's family?!

"No." Haidin had shaken his head assuredly. "She would never tell them about that."

After their morning practice, Haidin and Hilton had gotten lunch together. Later that afternoon, when they finished their second practice, Haidin had said, "So, today was your last day, right?"

"Yeah. Well, just for a week and a half. Then I'll see you in Stockholm."

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Going out with my friends. One of them has the night off work, which like never happens, and it's my last night here for a while, so, you know."

"Yeah. Well...I'll see you in a week and a half or so then."

"Yeah." Hilton had smiled and hugged him.

He'd hugged her back tightly, and minutes later they were having sex in the shower in the men's locker room.

That night Hilton hadn't said anything to Kelsey or Arden, because she wanted to tell Jill first. The three of them had stayed out till almost five in the morning. Hilton had gotten a cab back to her hotel and called Haidin on the way.

"Hello?" he'd said, his voice sounding sleepy and sexy.

"I'm on my way back to my hotel. I kinda wanna see you again before I leave." She'd grinned into the phone.

"I'll be there."

He'd been waiting already when her cab pulled up, and they'd rushed up to her room and done it three more times before she'd had to leave for the airport at eleven. They'd left her hotel together, and this time there hadn't been any photographers waiting. So on the street outside her hotel, Haidin had kissed her quickly on the lips, which had sent shivers and tingles through her whole body.

"See you soon," he'd said.

"See ya soon."

### ***

Hilton told Jill everything as soon as she got over to Jill's house Friday night. They locked themselves in Jill's basement just like they used to do in high school and stayed up all night talking. Jill was shocked by the Haidin thing, but she loved it. Hilton told her a lot of the details, and they talked and giggled about it for an hour. Then Hilton told Jill how she was nervous about seeing Luke and how she felt like she was going to have to make some kind of decision about him, or about the two of them as a couple.

"Well," Jill said. "I don't know. He's pretty quiet at home, but he seems like he's in a better place than he was last spring, when he was really bad. He doesn't talk about you near as much anymore. It's just like, we all know nothing's gonna be resolved till next weekend, so there hasn't really been much for him to say, and I think he knew me and Todd were sick of hearing him whine and be moody all the time. But I don't think you should have to make a decision right now. If you're not ready, it'll just feel forced. That's not how you want your relationship to start back up, or end. I think you're right though; I feel like he thinks some conclusion is gonna be reached at the wedding."

Hilton sighed. "I don't know if I'm ready or not. I don't think I am, but I feel like it's not fair to him to just keep leaving him hanging."

"Okay," Jill said, crossing her legs under her on the couch and looking at Hilton. "Imagine you just decided you were gonna stay with Luke." She waited a second. "Now tell me what that looks like, or feels like." They both laughed a little at Jill using her counselor talk she'd picked up in grad school. Then Hilton grew serious and thought for a minute.

"It feels unfulfilling," she said finally. "I see myself having to possibly give up the _GSM_ job next year to make him happy. And that just feels like...shit. I feel like I'll always be wondering what it would've been like or how long I would've kept traveling with them. And I _hate_ the question 'what if.' And I see myself being unhappy with Luke because of it, unhappy in our relationship and feeling like I sold out, because I _put_ myself in a 'what if' situation. And I don't like that he might give me an ultimatum of 'quit the job/stay here with me, or break up.' And I know I would wonder what could've happened with Haidin. You know, I've never been single and had the chance to meet guys and hook up with whoever I want? Isn't that weird? I was with Landon for most of high school, then senior year there was no way I was ready to date anybody, and then I met Luke as soon as I got to Dale almost. I kinda want that. That rush of hooking up with somebody you didn't expect to. It was so freaking awesome how it happened with me and Haidin, like totally unexpected and so freaking hot. Uuuhhh," she sighed, closing her eyes for a second as she replayed moments from that night...the way her skin had burned and tingled, how intense it had felt between them, what a rush it had been to suddenly want him and then have it happen....And then her thoughts suddenly changed to Tanner. She felt his lips on hers at _SI_ NY, and felt his arms around her when they'd hugged at the ESPYs and the US Open, and saw his sparkling eyes and his irresistible grin... "And I can't totally give up the idea of Tanner yet either. I know I said nothing could happen now, and it couldn't, but eventually...I don't know. It'd be another 'what if' if I quit traveling with the tour." She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and sighed.

"But...the idea of not being with Luke anymore...I hate it. It's still so weird to me. We thought for so long that we were gonna get married, and then it all unraveled pretty fast. And I think we could get it back, if we wanted to. It would be different, but it wouldn't too. You know what I mean? It'd be different 'cause we couldn't ignore what's happened, but it'd be the same 'cause we still love each other. But... _uuggghhh_." She shuddered. "Every time I think about how much I want things to be good between us again and for us to be back together for good, I just think about _GSM_. And I feel like if I keep traveling with them, I'll lose Luke again. The same thing will happen that happened this year. And it's scary too, 'cause I know I can't ask him to wait for me. I can't ask him for another year or two or whatever to travel. If we end things now, I have to know we might not ever get back together. I can't go have my single fun and travel around the world and think he's gonna still be in love with me when I get back. I just have to believe everything's gonna work out how it's meant to be. I just hate the thought of losing him, Jill." Hilton laid her head on Jill's shoulder, wiping tears away from her eyes. She didn't even know when she'd started crying.

Jill put her arm around Hilton and laid her head against Hilton's.

"You know, it's weird, I had this dream the other night that me and Luke were having our first kid. And her name was Aspyn, and we still had Aspen the cat too, and she kept sitting there on some rafter looking down at the baby and telling me it wasn't ours. It wasn't mine and Luke's. And then I woke up and I was thinking, like, how fucking weird is it that we went to get a cat and found one with the name I loved the most for a baby? When we found Aspen that first day I thought, oh my gosh, I have to get her, and I thought it was such a sign that she was meant for me and Luke, 'cause of her name. 'Cause Luke would've never really wanted to name our kid Aspyn, so we could have a cat named that instead. But maybe it was actually a sign Luke and I aren't supposed to _have_ kids together. We found a cat named Aspen 'cause we're never gonna have a kid."

Both girls were silent for a long time, thinking.

"That dream's really weird," Jill said finally. "But I don't know, it could be right. And I don't know what to tell you, 'cause everything else you're saying is right too. If you guys break up now, you _might_ _not_ get back together. And that really is so crazy to think about. You guys have been together forever. None of us ever thought you would break up. But you can't just take an option 'cause you're afraid it'll be gone later. It's like you said; you can't live your life asking 'what if.' And you're right, I think it totally sucks if you have to make a decision now, but if you do, and staying with him would make you unfulfilled...then I think that means you're still searching. I don't know for what, but there's something out there you want that you haven't gotten, something you're still looking for. You'd know if there wasn't. I know like, without a doubt that Todd's what I want, and that I'll never be looking for anything else. Being with him is the best of the best—it couldn't get any better, so I have nothing to look for. I know I won't ever feel unfulfilled with him, and I'll never wonder what could happen with some other guy. He's the one I can be with and never care that I'm not with someone else. You know? He's my dream guy, and he always will be. I can just tell. And if you can't tell that with Luke, or if you're not absolutely one hundred percent sure you can be with him and be totally happy even though being with him means you can't be with whatever other guy, Haidin or Tanner or whoever, then it means you're still searching. It doesn't mean Luke isn't the answer, that you won't come back to each other in the end, it just means you're not completely sure yet, you're not ready. Maybe what you're searching for isn't even about another guy, maybe it's just that you won't feel fulfilled settling down until you've gotten your fill of traveling and working for _GSM_ and going to all the tennis. So maybe once you get all that you and Luke will come back together. Who knows. Or...maybe it does have to do with another guy, or not even any specific guy, but maybe you just don't know if Luke's 'The One.' Maybe you just need to know what else is out there first."

Hilton nodded slowly. "You're exactly right. That's exactly how I feel. If I had to make a decision right now, I think that's the one I'd have to make. But I can't make one for sure till I see him. I won't know for sure."

"I know. It's gonna be okay, whatever decision you make. It'll be the right one. Just like Ms. Kirkwood said." Jill smiled at Hilton and hugged her. But even though she knew what she'd just said was true, she also knew she had a definite preference about which decision she hoped Hilton would make.

"Hey, guess what?!" Hilton said as they pulled back. "I kinda have an idea for my book."

"Really?! What is it?"

"Well, do you remember when we were in Capri and we said we felt like we were in a postcard?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I really liked how that sounded, and it's stuck with me ever since. And finally I had the idea of doing a book about a year on the tennis tour. It would have tennis shots from all the tournaments, but also scenic shots, you know. Whatever city I'm in, I'll do the touristy stuff and go to all the beautiful spots, and then I'll intermix those pictures. So it'll follow the tour but also be like photograph collections of those cities, and it'll also kinda be like a photo diary of my life that year. And I'm gonna call it _Living in a Postcard_."

"Oh my gosh," Jill said, her eyes wide. "I love it. I freaking love it." Suddenly that phrase that sometimes played in her mind when she was with Todd popped into her head. _Living in a moment I would die for..._ "Oh my gosh," she said. "It reminds me of that that song, 'Living in a Moment.' By Ty Herndon?"

"Oh my gosh, yeah, the one that reminds you of Todd?!" Hilton grinned.

Jill grinned back, excited as her thoughts raced. "Yeah. And it's like, this book is that for you. Like Todd is the moment I'm living in that I would die for, and traveling and taking pictures and being on the tour is that for you. You're living in a moment you would die for."

"Oh my gosh," Hilton said. "You're right. It is." She _was_ living in a moment she would die for. Traveling, having her photos published, starting to work on a book, hanging out with Tanner Bruin and Haidin Bayliss, seeing great tennis every day and sitting in players' boxes...it was pretty much the best thing she could imagine and something that a year and a half ago, she never _would've_ imagined. If someone would've described it to her, it would've sounded like a dream. A fantasy. Her perfect job. Just like Ms. Kirkwood had said. And now she was _living_ it.

That postcard, that moment she would die for...it was hers.

### ***

Hilton, Jill, Lorylyn, and Hillary hung out every day that week. Hilton hadn't talked to Haidin since last Friday morning when she'd left her hotel for Kelsey's apartment, but she hadn't expected to talk to him, and she didn't really want to. Not here, while she was with all her friends and getting ready for Hill's wedding.

They shopped with Hillary for her honeymoon and helped her pack, they called places to double-check final details for the wedding, they went out to dinner, they got manicures and pedicures, they stayed up all night watching girly movies about weddings and laughing and talking for hours and hours.

On Thursday at four, with exactly forty-eight hours to go till the wedding, they went to the DBU campus in Brinkley where the wedding was going to be and set up a makeshift altar for Hilton to do a test shoot. She was the wedding photographer. They did a mock rehearsal, giggling as the four of them played the parts of everyone in the wedding party. At five, with exactly forty-seven hours to go till the wedding and forty-eight till pictures, Hilton snapped several shots of everybody to check the lighting and determine the best angles. Being in the actual spot where the wedding would be held made the whole thing seem way more real.

"This is so weird," Hillary said, and everyone murmured their agreement.

On Friday the temperature was around eighty—somewhat warm for early October—and they laid out at Jill's pool all day, talking about how they couldn't believe it was Hillary's last day of being single and thinking about what they'd be doing tomorrow at exactly this time. At five was the rehearsal, and Hilton snapped some more practice shots just to make sure, then they all went to the rehearsal dinner at The Brinkley House.

Bennett was home now, and he'd brought his girlfriend from Chicago with him. It was the first time any of them had met her. She was pretty and seemed nice. But Hilton wished he hadn't brought her so he and Kelsey could've been each other's dates to the wedding. It just would've been cool because it would've been kind of like high school, when Kelsey and Bennett had been together. And this wedding reminded her of high school, with her whole group of friends back together again. Kelsey had arrived today too, as had all the other bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Cade had come to be Lorylyn's date for the weekend, but she swore nothing was going on between them and hadn't been for a long time. "I'm so nervous to see Brady," she'd told the girls earlier in the week. The Rockies had played the Cubs in Chicago in July, and Lorylyn had gone to one of the games and gone to dinner with Brady afterward. She said it had been a lot of fun, but they hadn't talked about their relationships—with each other or with other people—at all, just about lighthearted stuff. They had only talked a couple times since, just briefly on the phone or through Facebook. As far as Lorylyn knew he was still with Holly, and Hillary had warned Lorylyn a while ago that Brady was probably bringing Holly with him to the wedding.

"I am gonna _kill_ Dirk!" she'd cried. "He put 'Brady and Guest' on the freaking invitation! I didn't even know, so when I got the RSVP card for two I was like, 'What the fuck were you _do_ ing?!' And he said he's really sorry and he just didn't even think about it. But I'm so sorry, Lor. I don't wanna ruin the wedding for you."

"It's fine," Lorylyn had said. "I invited Cade to come with me a long time ago anyway. It's not like I thought something might happen between me and Brady." But Hilton knew Lorylyn must have been going crazy all week and especially today, knowing she would see him tomorrow and have to spend the weekend around Holly. Lor and Holly had met twice before, in Omaha in 2003 and again in 2004 at the College World Series when Brady was playing college baseball, but they hadn't seen each other in over four years.

And Luke was here too. Hilton hadn't talked to him much at all; she'd been getting ready for the rehearsal with the girls when he'd gotten into town, and he'd gone to Todd's. She knew even if things were totally normal between them he still would've gone to Todd's, since he would be with the boys for the bachelor party tonight, but it was just weird to have him come to her hometown but not be staying at her house. She'd been setting up her camera equipment when Todd and Luke arrived at the rehearsal. She'd seen him and completely stopped what she was doing; she couldn't tear her eyes away. He'd felt her gaze and turned toward her, stopping in his tracks when he saw her. They'd stood there staring at each other like that for what seemed like about an hour, then Hilton had run and thrown her arms around his neck. "Hi," she'd whispered, grinning. She was so glad to see him.

"Hi." Luke had grinned back, and they'd hugged again.

At the rehearsal, Luke sat in one of the folding chairs that had been brought out from Hillary's house to simulate the location of the chairs tomorrow. And at the rehearsal dinner, all the bridesmaids sat with Hillary, while all the groomsmen sat with Dirk. The families had two other tables, and the friends and/or dates of the wedding party had their own table as well.

The guys left the dinner first to head to Logan, a bigger town about forty-five minutes away, for Dirk's bachelor party. Todd and Bennett, as co-best men, had planned it, and Todd wouldn't even tell Jill what they were doing, but the girls were sure it involved a strip club of some kind. For Hillary's bachelorette party, Jill had been sure she'd want something similar...go out to a bar, wear a Bachelorette sash, get a male stripper. But Hillary had told Jill and Jade she just wanted one last night with all the girls. So Hillary, Jill, Hilton, Lorylyn, Lindy, Kelsey, Jade, Hillary's sister Nicole, and Dirk's twin sisters Kate and Hannah, who were twenty-three, all went to Hillary's house for one final sleepover.

They got drunk and talked nonstop about tomorrow and how excited they all were.

"So do you feel ready?" Lorylyn asked Hillary.

Hillary looked at Lorylyn, a huge smile breaking across her face. Her bright green eyes sparkled with happiness. "Yeah. Totally."

"Did you ever have any doubts?" Hilton asked curiously, knowing Hillary, Jill, Lorylyn, Kelsey, and Lindy would know exactly what she meant. She'd told all of them at least briefly about Luke and how they had sort of put things on hold till they saw each other this weekend. But Jill, Lor, and Hill were the only ones who knew about Haidin. "Were you ever not sure?"

"Yeah," Hillary said. "I mean, I've been sure since junior year—after I cheated on him, you know—that he's the only one for me. I've never even wanted to cheat on him again or hook up with another guy. But I wasn't sure for _him_. I wasn't sure I was the right one for him. 'Cause I had tried somebody else, and it just made me realize how much I was in love with Dirk. But he had never tried anybody else. _Never_. I mean, we were basically each other's first everything, and I was his only everything. And I just didn't feel right about that, you know; I still felt guilty for cheating on him or something, plus I wanted him to be sure I was really the girl he wanted. So...I never told any of you guys this...but while I was in Paris we had an open relationship."

" _What?!_ " all the girls gasped.

"Yeah. I didn't even do anything, 'cause I didn't want to. I had some good guy friends, but that's it. And I don't even know what Dirk did, 'cause I told him ahead of time I wasn't gonna ask and I didn't wanna know. But I know he at least hooked up with some girls, 'cause Robbie let it slip one time by accident; he just saw some girl on TV and made some comment about how that girl reminded him of...and then he just stopped and looked at Dirk like, Oops! Shit! And they both just laughed. So you know, I still don't wanna know, but I'm glad it happened. 'Cause even though he was attracted to other girls, he still wanted me when I came back, and I still wanted him. I lived in another country—in the most romantic city in the world—for four months, and I didn't even meet anybody. And we're both where we wanna be now, and we both know it, 'cause we tried other people out to make sure. We didn't just hang on to each other out of fear or whatever; we let our relationship go a little bit to see what would happen, and we came back to each other. So that makes it pretty obvious, I think, that we're meant for each other. Even though it was obvious to me before." She grinned happily again.

"It was obvious to him too," Jill said.

"Thanks," Hillary said, reaching out to hug Jill. She suddenly had tears in her eyes. "Thanks, all you guys. I love you so much. I can't believe I'm getting married!" She was bawling now. The last sentence came out in a burst of laughter and tears, and all the girls broke out laughing.

### ***

The girls stayed up till six. At seven Hilton woke up and left Hillary's to run home and change. She and the girls were going around eight to check on the Banquet Hall and DBU to make sure everything was getting set up right, and then they were going to get ready at Hillary's house, which was right next to the campus.

When Hilton ran up her porch steps to her front door, _Game Set Match_ was waiting for her. She stopped and bent to pick it up. She knew immediately that Luke had brought it from their apartment and left it here last night. The picture on the cover was of Haidin and Aubrey on the red carpet at last year's ESPYs. Their arms were around each other and they looked happily and solidly together. Down the center of the photo was a huge jagged split.

LOVE MEANS ZERO

There was no subheading.

Hilton went inside and up to her room. The house was dead quiet; her parents weren't up yet. She settled down on her bed and immediately flipped to the story. Unlike most _GSM_ cover stories, the headline from the cover was repeated, and there was once again no subheading.

### LOVE MEANS ZERO

BY JAMES DYER

"We really did love each other. But it just didn't work out. Sometimes even though you love the person, you just realize you have differences that you tried to ignore or that you actually thought were similarities, but then those differences become so prominent you just can't hold the relationship together anymore," says Haidin Bayliss in an uncharacteristic display of thoughtful word choice. And so ends the most high-profile relationship in tennis.

Yep, that's right. Haidin and Aubrey are over. Finished, broken up, split, dunzo. And both Bayliss and Gage assure GSM it's for good. But what's ironic is that while many of us have expected this ever since they started dating, now that it's actually happened, it seems almost baffling, because it suddenly appears they really did love each other.

"Haidin and I...there are no words for what we had," Gage said in a press release Monday. "We understood each other in a way no one else did. At least for a while. But that changed, and that's when I knew it was over. One thing I definitely learned from dating a tennis player was that love doesn't mean s—t. It means absolutely nothing. I used to think love outweighed everything, like the cheating, because it did outweigh that, and I thought we would make it through everything. I thought Haidin and I would be together forever. But then all of a sudden, I realized we'd grown apart, and our love meant nothing to me anymore. I guess I should've read a little more into the tennis, and maybe I would've seen it coming. Whoever created that scoring was pretty f—king smart."

But the most baffling question is...what caused the breakup? What are the "differences you actually thought were similarities" that Bayliss referred to, or how did they grow apart, and when? Nobody knows, except, apparently, the two of them. Both refused to give any more specific details. And as sudden and weirdly surprising as the breakup is, it looks to be permanent. Both sides have given the absolute on that, although Gage seems a little more bitter than Bayliss...did anyone else catch the sarcastic undertone of her press release?

GSM was able to find out, however, that is was Gage, as implied in her press release, who ended things with Bayliss. "Aubrey realized Haidin was not quite the Haidin she knew anymore, or the one she fell in love with," Gage's rep Julia Hollack tells GSM. "And when she realized that, she knew she had no choice but to end things." Bayliss' rep Oscar Turcell doesn't deny the story, saying only, "Aubrey decided it was best to end things, and Haidin agreed."

So let's piece it all together: Bayliss, 26, and Gage, 24, realize something they thought they had in common is actually a difference between them, Aubrey no longer sees Haidin as the man she knew and loved, they quickly grow apart, and Gage dumps him. Hmm...well...there has been a noticeable change in Bayliss over the last several months...he's become almost...likable. Normal. Nice. Okay, maybe the last one is a stretch, but it does make sense Gage wouldn't appreciate the change. She's not exactly known as Hollywood's most friendly or pleasant celeb. Maybe their meanness and bad attitude was something Gage thought they shared, and when Bayliss started to change...see ya! Fitting that her press release has a bit of a biting undertone, while Bayliss', like his new self, is somewhat more gracious.

But back to the theme that has pervaded the relationships of tennis' most popular players this year. "Love means zero" seems to have been a factor in Tanner Bruin's breakup with Rory Bollier, and possibly in his breakup with Bryony Adams as well. GSM reported last December that Adams broke up with Bruin because she wanted to focus more on her work in Paris and wouldn't have as much time to travel with him. Even though the pair seemed to be doing great at the time, had only good things to say about each other during their breakup, and still remain friends, love wasn't enough to keep them together. And when Bruin and Bollier broke up in June, Bruin was quoted as saying, "Rory and I did love each other, but we both just kind of realized it wasn't working. I guess just because you love each other doesn't always mean it's gonna work, or that you should stay together" (Jul. 12 issue). And although GSM speculated that Bruin and Hilton Joliet may also have been in love, it doesn't appear to have worked out between them either. Bruin is still dating NYC star Austin Delks, and Joliet...well, it may have been GSM's theory in the Aug. 2 cover story that was right: Joliet broke Bruin's heart by running off to Adelaide with Bayliss.

And now she may have chosen Bayliss for good. Last Thursday morning at 9:00, three days after Bayliss and Gage reportedly broke up, Bayliss was photographed leaving the NYC hotel where Joliet regularly stays while she is in the city. She is believed to have been staying there since the end of the US Open; she and Bayliss have been seen practicing together many times in the past 3 weeks at the exclusive New York Midtown Racquet Club. Just 3 hours after Bayliss left Joliet's hotel last Thursday, the two were seen having lunch together near Times Square. And although the 52nd Street Hotel refuses to release guest information or confirm that Joliet is staying there, a hotel worker who prefers to remain anonymous says that around 3 a.m. on Thursday, he received a call from Joliet's room. "It was a girl, and she asked if we had condoms. Then she said to bring a bunch. So I took a couple boxes up there, and Haidin f—king Bayliss answered the door. Naked."

So there you have it...not a lot of ambiguity remains! Bayliss and Joliet are hooking up now, if they weren't before, and if Gage was in on some sort of open relationship, she's now out. So how will this affect the dynamics of the Gage/Bayliss/Joliet/Bruin/Delks "friendship"? We'll have to wait and see.

But just remember...it's not Valentine's Day anymore, people! Figure it out...on every day except February 14, LOVE MEANS ZERO in the world of tennis. GSM

### ***

The wedding was beautiful. The bridesmaids had spent the whole day helping Hillary get ready, and then half an hour before the wedding they had to help her touch up her makeup because they all started crying. They giggled and sniffled as they helped her reapply eyeliner and mascara, then they hugged in a big group, then each girl hugged Hillary individually as they all got ready to leave Hill's house.

Hillary's favorite color had always been pink, so all the flowers were pink and white, and the bridesmaids' dresses were pink. Hilton personally wasn't a big fan of pink, but these dresses were gorgeous. They were strapless and tight in the bodice, and they had somewhat full princess skirts. They were light pink at the top and got darker, almost purplish, near the bottom, and they sparkled in the light and when the girls turned. Hilton thought everybody looked amazing. They'd all taken tons of pictures as they got ready at Hillary's house, and they'd talked about what the boys would be doing at Dirk's. They'd been going to play golf this morning, then they were getting ready at Dirk's house.

Jill had said Todd was halfway drunk when he called her on their way back to Dirk's, but he'd promised he'd be sober by the wedding. "Bennett's way drunker than me," he'd said, and all the girls had giggled when Jill told them. Hilton thought it'd be kind of funny if all the guys were drunk at the wedding, as long as Dirk wasn't. And he had been the driver this morning. Hilton was sure he wouldn't drink on the day of his wedding; he wouldn't do that to Hillary.

Hillary looked absolutely gorgeous. Her dress was simple and stunning, strapless with a slight V-neck and a huge full skirt. She was wearing her long blonde hair down in loose waves, and her veil was full and hung past her waist. It was perfect for an outdoor wedding.

And the wedding itself was almost like something out of a movie. The white wooden chairs were set up in a large open area in front of DBU's bell tower, which only the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and a few others knew was the spot where Hillary and Dirk had lost their virginity together when they were fifteen. The end of each row had pink gauzy bows marking the aisle. The aisle was a stretch of grass covered by a long pale pink carpet. The carpet went up the steps onto the small white wooden stage where the altar was and made an upside-down Y so that it covered the area where the bridesmaids and groomsmen would stand. The altar had a huge gauzy white heart hanging on the front and several pink and white candles. The unity candle Hill and Dirk would light was in the middle. They were doing the thing where they each had their own sand that they poured into a jar together too. Hillary's sand was pink, and Dirk's was white, and the containers sat on either side of the unity candle and the empty jar where the sand would later be poured.

Adria was the flower girl, and she looked adorable walking down the aisle in her little white dress with a pink bow around the waist. She had pink and white bows in her hair too.

When Hillary walked down the aisle with her dad, Hilton saw tears in Dirk's eyes, and she had to wipe away her own tears. Dirk didn't try to wipe his away, and Hilton thought that was so cute. Hillary took his hand and briefly wiped away a tear of her own, then laughed. She and Dirk shared a joyous smile, then they walked up the steps together.

They read their own vows to each other. They were short but incredibly sweet, and Hilton had tears streaming down her face from the moment Dirk started.

"Hillary, I love you so much. I can't believe this day is finally here. I can't wait until we're married, and it seems crazy that it's only a few minutes away. We've already weathered a lot of storms together, and I know we'll survive all the rest too. You're the love of my life, and I'm so happy we're spending the rest of ours together."

Hillary sniffled again, then laughed through her tears. "Eleven years ago on October 4 at 4:15, I was at Jill's house getting ready for the Homecoming dance. My first date with you. I was so excited 'cause I'd liked you since first period the first day of school when I saw you in art class. If someone would've told me I was about to go on my first date with the guy I was gonna marry, I probably would've said, 'Well, um, _duh_!' " Everybody laughed. " 'Cause I was a dork who talked like that, and because I'd already thought about marrying you probably a hundred times by then." Everybody laughed again. "You're the love of my life too. Always and forever. I love you."

Hilton glanced at Luke, who was sitting on the aisle several rows back. He felt her looking and glanced over. Somewhat to her surprise, he smiled.

A smile lit up her face naturally, and they held the look for a few seconds before Hilton turned back to Hillary and Dirk.

### ***

At the reception the wedding party sat at a big table at the front of the room facing the rest of the crowd. Hilton saw Luke sitting at a table with Kelsey, Lorylyn's date Cade, Cade and Lorylyn's friends Zibby and DJ who'd met Hillary and Dirk several times, Bennett's new girlfriend, Nicole's date, and Jade's boyfriend. She saw Brady and Holly a few tables away. She'd never actually met Holly, but Lorylyn had shown her pictures on Facebook. Hilton glanced over at Lorylyn and saw her watching them too.

For the bride and groom's first dance the DJ played  "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," which had been Hill and Dirk's song since high school. Hilton smiled as she sat and watched them dance. That could've been me and Luke soon, she thought. Well...maybe it still could be....She looked over toward his table. He was watching Hillary and Dirk.

Lorylyn won the bouquet toss, and all the girls yelled and cheered loudly. "Ooohh, Lor!" they teased. "Are you renewing your vows soon or something?!"

"Shut up," Lorylyn said, giggling.

Brady won the garter toss. Lorylyn, Hilton, Jill, and Hillary immediately all made eye contact.

" _Weird_ ," Hillary mouthed with a grin.

Lorylyn's eyes were wide, then she shook her head rapidly. "Stop it!" she mouthed to all three of them, and they all laughed.

### ***

Shortly after that, the girls and Todd wandered over to the table where everyone else was sitting to get everybody to come dance with them. Hilton noticed that Bennett had joined that table and was sitting between Kelsey and his new girlfriend, and she laughed to herself a little, wondering if that was awkward. Just as Hilton's group reached the table, Hilton saw Brady and Holly approaching too.

"Hey!" Brady said, walking up to hug Lorylyn. They hugged for long enough that Hilton was a little surprised, considering Holly was standing right there watching and she had to have heard countless stories about Lorylyn over the years. She had to know how significant Lorylyn was in Brady's life.

"Hey," Lorylyn said back with a huge grin as they pulled away from each other.

"Hey," Brady said to everyone else. "How are you guys? It's been a long time." Everyone said their hellos and congratulated Brady on his baseball success.

"I saw you on TV, dude," Todd said, nodding as he and Brady shook hands.

Brady laughed. "That's still weird."

"I saw Hilton and Jill on TV too," Todd said, giving the girls a chin-up nod and grin.

Hilton and Jill laughed and made faces at each Todd.

When Brady had greeted everybody, he turned to Holly, who was still standing beside him, and took her hand. "Hey, this is Holly, my fiancée."

Hilton felt herself breathe in sharply. _What?_ Everything around her went into a blur, and she didn't hear anything else that was said. She turned to Lorylyn but couldn't even focus on her face. Oh fuck oh fuck oh _fuck_.

### ***

Hilton and Luke finally got a chance to talk a little while later when the DJ played a slow song. They'd already been out on the floor dancing, and when the slow song came on, Luke grabbed Hilton's waist and pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up into his eyes.

"Natalie's pregnant," Luke said.

Hilton recoiled. "What?!"

Luke laughed. "Not. I lied. But I did owe you for _Haidin_!"

Hilton laughed back in disbelief and hit him lightly in the shoulder. "Oh my gosh, Luke!" She laughed again. "You asshole!" She grinned up at him.

"Thanks." He grinned back down at her. "Really though, Haidin? Seriously? I thought it'd be Tanner," he said in a teasing tone.

"Yeah, I was a little surprised myself. It was unexpected."

"You know what's weird? I wasn't even that jealous."

"I know. I knew you wouldn't be. I never thought you left the magazine at my house to be shitty." Maybe it could work, she thought suddenly. If he's gonna be like this...not all bitter and depressed like last spring, but easygoing and fun...like he always used to be...

"I don't consider it cheating," Luke said. "Not that you asked. But it happened during our 'trial separation.' So that's when you're supposed to be trying out different stuff."

"You're right, I didn't ask," Hilton said, smiling up at him. She viewed it pretty much exactly the way he'd just said. "So what's going on with our 'trial separation' now?"

"I don't know," Luke said more seriously. He was silent for a moment. "It actually doesn't seem to be going that badly for either of us. Or for 'us' together. This is the most comfortable I've felt around you since about New Year's."

"You're right," Hilton said as it hit her. "Me too." She did feel totally comfortable with him right at this moment. She'd been nervous about seeing him, and all last night and today she'd been nervous about talking to him, but now that she was in his arms, it just felt natural, and her nerves had vanished.

"I like it," Luke said. "I don't wanna ruin it." He was silent for a moment as they continued to dance. "What are your plans for when your job with Haidin's over?"

Hilton knew exactly what he really meant. If she was going to keep traveling and she and Luke tried to be together, it would ruin it. He was saying he would get upset and depressed again, and it would go right back to how it had been. So in order to keep this easiness and naturalness they had going on right now...she either had to give up working for _GSM_ , or she had to give up Luke...as her boyfriend at least. "What do you think's holding our relationship together right now?" she asked curiously.

Luke thought for a moment. "Our past. The future we planned. Not seeing each other and not wanting to break up over the phone. Love. But I think we both know by now that love means shit." He laughed a little.

Tanner's voice flashed into Hilton's head, those words he'd said on the London Eye that she'd already played over so many times. "... _even though you know it's not gonna work, you both still really want it to. I just don't think Rory and I had been together long enough to be at that point. It wasn't like we were each other's whole lives, or like we had planned this whole future together. It wasn't like trying to hold onto something that huge. So it was easier to let go."_

"I don't really think love means zero," she said slowly. "But I understand the concept. It's not always enough. Sometimes it is. There are some situations where love is the _only_ thing that gets people through. But I don't think ours is one of them. You're right, about what's holding us together. It's our past, and the future we planned, and how much it would rock our lives to let it go. And love."

"It might not rock our lives that much anymore. That's why I wasn't jealous of you and Haidin; it's sunk in now, you know? And you've been traveling with _GSM_ for over a year now all together, and for a couple months since we basically stopped things. And I moved to Indy and I've been working and living my life."

"You're right," Hilton said again, and he was. It would still rock her mind and her heart, but it wouldn't change her daily life that much at this point.

"Would you want me to wait for you?" Luke asked. Hilton caught the subtle difference between "would you" and "do you," and knew he'd said it that way for a reason.

"I don't know," she said honestly, because she couldn't say for sure whether she would want him back in a year or two. Who knew what would happen between now and then? "Would you wait?"

"I don't know."

"So the off-season's coming up. I'll be in Indy finally."

"Roomies." Luke grinned.

Hilton grinned back. "I think that's gonna be good."

"I think so too."

"Hey," Luke said. "So what are you gonna put on your Facebook status? I'll let you decide this time, since I took over last time."

Hilton laughed again and thought about it. "Nothing," she said decisively, knowing it was the right answer. "I'm not gonna have anything. I'm gonna blank out the relationship field so it just doesn't even show it on my profile."

Luke nodded. "Sounds good to me." A minute later he said, "You know what I've been thinking?"

"What?"

"Well, I almost proposed to you the night before you left for Australia too. It hadn't worked out on New Year's, and then we were laying in bed that night, and I was like, _I could do it right now. I have the ring..._ But then I didn't do it. 'Cause that's when I had the idea of surprising you someplace else, you know, someplace with a cool name that we could name our first kid after. And I was thinking maybe it was for a reason that it didn't happen in New York, 'cause this would be even better. But maybe...maybe the reason it didn't happen in New York was 'cause..."

"...we weren't ready," Hilton said.

"Yeah," Luke said. "It wasn't meant to be yet. Where do you think we'd be right now, if I'd proposed that night?"

Hilton looked into his eyes. "I have no idea."

They held the look, a rollercoaster of emotions swerving through both of them. Suddenly Luke looked up and around. "Hey. This song reminds me of us."

Hilton listened. The song had switched, and it was now  "Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale. "Yeah." She tightened her arms around his neck. "I've thought that for a long time. It's your ringtone."

Luke tightened his arms around her waist. They danced like that for the rest of the song, barely even moving their feet, Hilton's head on Luke's shoulder and both their eyes closed. The song was about love not changing even when everything else did. It had an achingly sad tone that twisted and tore at Hilton's heart. And yet she loved it.

"Will you be my date to Jill and Todd's wedding next summer?" Hilton asked as they walked back to Luke's table after the song was over. They were holding hands and Hilton felt extremely close to him, but close in a different way from being a couple. It was the way close friends who wouldn't hold hands in any other situation _would_ hold hands when they were about to say goodbye and didn't want to leave each other. "It could never be anybody else. It has to be you."

"Obviously." Luke grinned down at her again and winked, then squeezed her hand, and she laughed. She really wouldn't ever want to take any other date to Jill and Todd's wedding, because she, Luke, Jill, and Todd were basically a family.

Just then the DJ finished making some kind of announcement and the next song started. It was  "Cotton-Eyed Joe," one of Hilton, Jill, Lorylyn, and Hillary's favorites from high school dances.

"Aahhh!" Hilton cried excitedly, turning toward Luke.

He laughed, his brown eyes sparkling as he looked at her. They were still holding hands.

"Go dance," Luke said, and Hilton read all the meaning in his eyes.

She felt shivers. He wasn't just telling her to go dance with her friends...he was telling her to go. To do what she wanted, to follow her heart.

They were back at Luke's table, and Hilton grabbed two flutes of champagne off a passing tray. She handed one to Luke and held hers up to his. "Drink," she said, referring to the song they'd just danced to.

"To all we've lost," Luke said, knowing exactly what she'd meant. It was like a bittersweet but perfect toast.

"To _not_ making any mistakes," she said.

"To being done pretending."

Hilton smiled, and they both downed their glasses.

Hilton grinned now and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Luke."

Luke hugged her back and they kissed quickly on the lips. "I love you too, Hilton."

### Love Means Zero

questions to make you think!

Just for fun! Think about them on your own or discuss them with friends or your book club!

Who was your favorite character? Least fav? Why?

If you have read previous books, who was your favorite of all the new characters in this book? Why?

What was your favorite scene? What was your least favorite scene or thing that happened?

What event surprised or shocked you the most?

What was your opinion of Hilton and Luke's relationship at the beginning of the book?

Why are the sections broken down by and named after the places Hilton is traveling?

What did you think of Hilton's job with _GSM_? What is your dream job?

If you were Hilton, would you have taken the job with Haidin? Why or why not?

How did you feel about Luke wishing Hilton wouldn't have taken the job and his subsequent moodiness? Did he have a right to feel that way, or was he being unfair to and/or unsupportive of Hilton?

In London the first summer, Hilton tells Luke that where he is is where she will always most want to be. When does that stop being the case?

Who is responsible for the downward spiral of Hilton and Luke's relationship? Are they equally responsible, or is it more one person than the other?

Did you want Hilton and Luke to get engaged on New Year's? What was your reaction when Luke got snowed in and it didn't happen?

Do you think there was a reason Luke didn't make it to New York for New Year's Eve or Delray Beach for Valentine's Day (as in "everything happens for a reason")? What happened on each occasion because of his not being there?

When Luke's flight to Delray Beach gets cancelled, why is it so much bigger of a blow for him than it is for Hilton?

Do you think Hilton's "celebrity crush" on Tanner was okay? At what point, if any, did it become not okay? Do you think she ever crossed a line with him?

When Hilton realizes she misses Jill more than Luke while she's traveling, because she can tell Jill all about Tanner and she can't tell Luke, she feels guilty towards Luke. Should she? Has she done anything wrong?

What did you think about Hilton and Luke's fight/conversation the night in May when they talked everything out at Dale? Who did you side with during that fight? Whose points were more valid? What did you want to happen as a result of that conversation? Hilton and Luke both feel a lot better about their relationship afterward. Do you think they really fixed anything? Are they more solid after that night?

Hilton doesn't realize she is in love with Tanner till the second time they ride the Eye together. At what point do you think she actually fell in love with him? What kept her from realizing it sooner?

How do you think Hilton and Luke's relationship would have played out if Luke had made it to New York on New Year's Eve and they'd gotten engaged?

Had Hilton known taking the job with Haidin would lead to the at-least-temporary end of her and Luke, do you think she still would have taken it? _Should_ she have taken it if she'd known that?

Had Hilton never worked for _GSM_ or Haidin, but instead come back from her trip to Italy with Jill and continued in her everyday life with her job at Nick's, would she and Luke have lasted?

Hilton keeps thinking back to what Tanner says about his breakup with Rory: _"... you really do love each other, and even though you know it's not gonna work, you both still really want it to. I just don't think Rory and I had been together long enough to be at that point. It wasn't like we were each other's whole lives, or like we had planned this whole future together. It wasn't like trying to hold onto something that huge. So it was easier to let go."_ Do you think this does describe Hilton and Luke's relationship? Do you think the reason they didn't think of breaking up sooner was that it would, in a way, be like a divorce and have that much impact on their lives?

What did you think of Jill and Todd? What was your favorite scene with them? What do you hope to see happen for them in the future?

If you read _Everything Happens for a Reason..._ , how do you feel about Jill and Todd's relationship overall and how it has progressed since then?

What did you think of Bryony? Rory? Austin? Who was your favorite out of those 3?

How is Tanner's bond different with each girl? What does he share/have in common with each of them? Who do you think Tanner had the best relationship with? Why?

What do you think will happen with Tanner and Austin's relationship? What do you want to happen?

Did you/do you still want something to happen between Tanner and Hilton? How do you feel about their friendship at the end?

Do you agree with Hilton that it's better if nothing happens with Tanner right now because he's just looking for fun? If something had happened between Tanner and Hilton, how do you think things would be between them now?

How did you feel when you found out Deidre had been having Myra and Eric trail Hilton to build up the story of her and Tanner? Do you feel like _GSM_ betrayed Hilton by publishing the story? Should she have been mad at them?

What did you think of Haidin? How did your opinion change from the beginning of the book to the end, if at all?

Once you learned his story, do you think what happened to him growing up excuses the way he acts in the media? Is it okay that he said he wished his mom would die?

What did you think of Aubrey? How did your opinion change throughout the book, if at all?

How did you feel about Haidin and Aubrey as a couple? Did they have a legit relationship?

What was your reaction to Luke hooking up with Natalie? What'd you think about Laney's reaction to the whole thing?

Do you agree with what Natalie said, that "it was them, baby, way before us," in reference to Hilton, Jill, and Todd, and that Jill and Todd would keep a secret from Luke if Hilton asked them to? What evidence is there in the book?

If you read _Everything Happens for a Reason..._ , what was your opinion of Laney at the end of that book? Would you have described her as a true friend? What would you say now?

Why do you think Hilton reacted so calmly when Luke told her he cheated with Natalie?

What did you think of Hilton and Haidin hooking up? What do you think will happen with them? What do you want to happen?

How did you feel about Hilton and Luke's relationship at the end and the way they left things? What are their feelings for each other now?

What do you think will happen with Hilton and Luke in the future? What do you want to happen?

How does the song  "Love Remains the Same" fit Hilton and Luke's relationship?

How does Tanner see Hilton? How is their relationship different from Tanner's relationships with his various girlfriends?

Who do you want Hilton to be with _right now_ in her life? Luke? Tanner? Haidin? Someone else?

Who do you want her to be with in the end?

What would you like to see happen with Hilton's career?

Ms. Kirkwood says if she would've thought about it, this is exactly what she would have pictured for Hilton—this job, the little bit of fame, the gorgeous guy friends, etc. Do you agree? Do you think Hilton's current life fits her?

What kind of girl do you picture Tanner eventually ending up with? What kind of girl will Haidin date next?

How is Hillary's story about her open relationship with Dirk while she lived in Paris reflective of Hilton's relationship with Luke?

If you have read previous books, were you surprised Hillary and Dirk were engaged? Reading _Game Over_ and _All That Sparkles Isn't Real Sapphire_ , did you think they would make it to marriage? What do you think of them having an open relationship while she was in Paris?

What did you think of Kelsey and Arden's life in NYC? Would you be interested in a book about them? What would you like to see happen with either of them?

What did you think of the updates/small tidbits on Lorylyn's life (whether you have previously read a book about her or not)? Her next book is going to start the night of Hillary and Dirk's wedding, when she finds out Brady and Holly are engaged. What do you think will happen in that book? What do you hope happens?

Why is this book called _Love Means Zero_?

### thanks for reading! :)

### ###
Check out Daisy Jordan's _Love Means Zero_ website for to see the characters' individual webpages, the _GSM_ page, and more info about the book!

### http://daisyjordan.com/lovemeanszero

Follow Daisy Jordan on Twitter!

### http://twitter.com/DaisyJordan06

Like Daisy Jordan on Facebook!

### http://facebook.com/AuthorDaisyJordan

About the Author: Daisy Jordan is an obsessive tennis fan and wrote this book so she could live out her dream-job fantasy through Hilton. Before deciding to write a book about the tennis tour, she wrote six other books, including _Everything Happens for a Reason..._ , the _Spin the Bottle_ series, and _All That Sparkles Isn't Real Sapphire_. Even before that, she grew up in Indiana watching tennis all summer every summer on TV, and even attended a few pro tournaments. She now lives in Denver and religiously fills out brackets for every Grand Slam with her brother Josh. Find her other Smashwords titles at the link below:

### http://smashwords.com/profile/view/daisyjordan

