Spotlight (18 page)

“Are you kidding?! Of course not, this is great!” Lily couldn’t keep the smile of her face. The thought of seeing Daniel sexing it up for the cameras excited her. But after all the photo shoots she’d organized and supervised for work, she was more than thrilled to see how one worked on this level and hoped to pick up some tips and tricks.

They chatted as Daniel drove toward a photo studio in Beverly Hills. She took the opportunity to express her gratitude again for the way he handled yesterday’s situation.

“I know I said it before, but I can’t thank you enough for looking out for me at the restaurant. That was very gentlemanly of you.”

Daniel removed his baseball hat in a chivalrous fashion before placing it back on his head. “Well, you’re quite welcome, ma’am.”

Lily laughed. “And thank you for handling Nate, too. That turned out . . . differently . . . than I thought it would.”

Daniel glanced toward her, his expression thoughtful. “You know, he’s overzealous and overprotective, but he’s not a bad guy. I hope you’ll keep that in mind.”

Time passed quickly once they reached the photo studio. A hair and makeup team perfected Daniel’s casual look. Lily fired questions at him as the photographer fired shot after shot. She fought the urge to style the shoot and give direction to the photographer like she was used to doing for her features.

Halfway through the session, Nate stopped by the studio. He said he was there to see how things were going, but it seemed he had an ulterior motive. Or Daniel did. Daniel had apparently asked Nate to give her a ride to LAX. She was suspicious but didn’t comment on it.

“Hey, man,” he said with a nod toward Daniel. “Good morning, Lily.”

Her cheeks heated with a quick blush. “Hi, Nate.”

“Are you ready to leave? I hope you don’t mind that Daniel asked me to take you to the airport.”

Lily hadn’t realized what time it was. “Not at all. I guess it is time to go.”

Daniel asked the photographer for a quick break and made his way over to Lily.

“This has been fun. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed an interview this much. Well, minus one thing.” He gathered her up in a fierce hug that she returned. “Take care, and keep in touch, okay?”

“I will. You, too. Now get back to work!” she said with a smile, swatting him on the shoulder.

After getting her suitcase from Daniel’s car, Lily and Nate headed toward the airport. It took most of the drive for them to fall into comfortable conversation. Lily knew something had passed between them with Nate’s impromptu invitation, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

When they pulled up beside the departure area a few minutes later, Nate helped Lily with her luggage. He shoved his hands in his pockets after closing his trunk.

“Lily, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I want you to know that I’m really glad we met.”

Her smile widened and seemed to erase some of the tension between them.

“I’m glad we met, too, Nate. And I’m already looking forward to seeing you again.” She leaned in to give him a quick kiss on his cheek. There was something she liked about keeping this guy on his toes. And she got the feeling that there was something he liked about the way she did just that.

Lily turned to look back at him once with a smile and small wave. He eagerly returned them with his own.

He was still on her mind when her flight landed in Nashville.

Lily had two weeks. It was both more than enough time and not enough. If she had that long to finish one article at the newspaper, she’d be ecstatic. She could triple-check the facts, talk to more people, and write and edit several drafts. But for Daniel’s article, there was so much riding on it. The personal and professional weight bore down on her.

Two weeks seemed like no time at all.

The day after Lily returned, Maggie and Colette demanded to be filled in on how her trip went over Mexican and margaritas at their favorite cantina.

“Seeing Daniel again was . . . fantastic,” Lily said, noticing Colette and Maggie’s matching “Well, duh” expressions. “It was different because we kind of know each other now—friendlier, I guess. I was worried things would change once I went into work mode. I figured he’d try to get away without answering my questions.” She’d interviewed enough people in her career to know that they sometimes weren’t exactly forthcoming with information. “But he was friendly the whole time, even when I threw question after question at him.”

A satisfied smile spread across her face. “I can’t wait for you guys to read it.” She’d already been plotting an outline in her head.

The conversation turned serious once the waiter brought their second round to the table.

Maggie raised her glass. “The pictures. Spill it.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “God, that was awful,” She took a deep gulp of her tart margarita and shuddered.

Colette snorted as she put her own glass down. “Oh, yeah. I bet it was just terrible being pressed up against Daniel Brighton, holding his hand.” She raised one perfectly arched eyebrow.

“Okay,
that
part of it wasn’t bad,” she said with a knowing grin and a light blush. “But the paparazzi? I was seriously scared. The lights and the yelling are . . . overwhelming.”

“So it really is that bad?” Maggie asked.

Lily nodded emphatically. “It felt that way to me. And I get the impression from Daniel—just because he knew how to handle the situation—that it happens like that all the time.” She thought for a moment before continuing. “The closest thing I can think of to compare it to would be running with the bulls in Pamplona. There’s that same sense of urgency because these big . . . things . . . are trying to chase you down.”

She sighed and swirled what was left in her margarita glass. “I honestly don’t know how they put up with that on a regular basis.”

Maggie caught Lily’s meaning right away. “
They
? So did you get to meet . . .”

Lily nodded. “Yeah. At his house. She’s cool. Like . . . laid-back, friendly. And very understanding.”

Clearly neither Maggie nor Colette thought meeting Daniel’s rumored girlfriend was the most important part of what Lily said. They looked at each other and then back at Lily before slamming down their glasses in perfect unison.

“You went to his house!?”

Lily had never been more grateful for ambient noise.

“Shh,” she said, ducking her head. She couldn’t help but laugh at her overenthusiastic friends. “
That’s
what you picked up from this conversation?”

Maggie slowly shook her head from side to side. “If I didn’t love you, I’d hate you.”

Lily toyed with her straw as she explained. “Yes, I went to his house. When the paparazzi followed us to his car, he just started driving. I don’t think he had a destination in mind until we were almost there.”

She ignored the identical smirks Maggie and Colette wore.

“Good Lord. It wasn’t like that. I was practically in tears! Anyway, she was there already when we got there. We talked, which helped me calm down, and ended up cooking dinner.”

Colette laughed. “Just promise us you won’t forget about the little people while you’re hobnobbing with the rich and famous.”

“Oh, come on, you guys. It
really
wasn’t like that!” Lily glanced down at her quesadilla before making her next confession. “But, um, I am going to the
Life Saver
premiere.”

Maggie and Colette sniggered.

“Of course you are,” Maggie said.

“How did you swing that?” Colette asked.

“Actually, his publicist invited me.”

“His publicist? The same guy who was a total jerk to you about the exclusive Daniel gave you?” Colette wondered.

“Yeah, that’s him. Nate Brennan.” Lost in thought, Lily drummed her fingers against her margarita glass.

“What’s with the long sigh?” Maggie asked.

“Honestly? I can’t decide if this guy is a jerk or . . . not. I don’t know what to make of him.”

She told her friends about Nate barging into Daniel’s house and hurling accusations her way. She told them about his heartfelt apology and her own apology for the inconvenience she’d caused. She told them about the way he softened toward her during dinner. And she told them about the small spark that seemed to flash between the two of them at the end of the night.

“It’s strange,” Lily confided. “It’s like I
want
to push every single button he has. I want to keep him guessing. Challenging him is like a new game to me, and I
have
to win.”

“Maybe that’s because
he
challenges
you
,” Maggie observed.

Lily hadn’t thought of it that way. She’d always liked puzzles, and she had a feeling that Nate was made up of thousands of pieces.

She leaned closer and dropped her voice. “I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Colette, ever the practical one, snorted. “Of course you can’t. You just got back. He’s just on your mind right now.” She wasn’t dismissing her friends concerns. She simply pointed out the obvious.

“Okay, good point,” Lily said.

“Besides, you haven’t answered the important question,” Maggie said with a serious tone. “Is he hot?”

Lily’s reddened cheeks answered the question even before she pulled out her iPhone and looked up Nate via Google. She turned her phone toward them with a photo of Nate and Daniel lit up on the screen.

“Wow,” Maggie responded. “He
is
hot.”

“Yeah, I know.” It slipped out before Lily realized it.

Well, crap
, she thought.
That can’t be good
.

Luckily, her story on Daniel occupied most of her time over the next few days. There was no time for overanalyzing her tumbling thoughts about Nate Brennan.

It wasn’t that she wanted to forget him, but she didn’t want to think about him either. As far as Lily was concerned, they had called a truce when they made their apologies. Except it wasn’t quite that simple. Lily questioned the motivation behind Nate’s impromptu invitation. She planned on taking him up on his offer, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she speculated about ulterior motives.

Was this his way of keeping an eye on her? Or was it . . . something else?

Could he be interested in me?

She didn’t give in to her temptation to scrutinize those questions but had a hard time putting Nate and his emerald green eyes to the back of her mind.

For his part, Nate wasn’t helping. A week after she returned from California, Lily was working when her laptop pinged with the arrival of a new e-mail.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Vanity Fair

Lily,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to make sure you have everything you need for your story. I know the deadline’s coming up and wanted to offer my help if you need it.

I also wanted to make sure you’re all right from “the lunch incident.” (Yes, in case you’re wondering, that’s how Daniel and I refer to it. He keeps joking that it makes us sound like ladies who lunch. I, on the other hand, still don’t find it funny, but I’m glad it’s something he can laugh about. I hope the same is true for you.) The commotion has died down here, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t being hounded.

Thank you again for saying you’d come out for the premiere. For once, I’m actually looking forward to it.

Nate Brennan

His sincerity was touching, so Lily couldn’t be mad at him for pulling her out of her writing zone. She pictured him sitting in traffic, brows furrowed as he pecked away at his iPhone. The image brought a small smile to her face.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: Vanity Fair

Nate,

I am doing well; thank you for asking. And you?

The story is coming along well. I think both you and Daniel will be pleased. At least I hope so! Please believe me when I tell you that this is very important to me. It isn’t something I take lightly, so you have no need to worry. Not only is it about someone I now consider a friend, but it could also mean a lot to my career. I think I have all I need right now, but thank you for your offer. If something comes up, I’ll let you know.