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She slept more soundly than she had in weeks.

To Lily’s surprise it was less than a week later that Nate’s e-mail address once again appeared in her in-box. This time she didn’t panic, having gotten past the hurdle of that first contact. Instead, seeing his name caused a tiny grin to briefly float across her lips. She opened it eagerly, still not sure what to expect.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: PRESS RELEASE: Claire Stevenson welcomes baby boy

Lily,

Please see the attached press release regarding the birth of Claire Stevenson’s son, Emerson Charles.

Her biography/filmography also has been attached for your convenience.

If you need more information or have additional questions, please feel free to ask.

Regards,

Nate Brennan

Lily’s grin widened as she read the message and accompanying press release. She’d thought of Claire often during the past few months, wondering how her pregnancy was progressing. After Nate had told her about it, she frequently sent up prayers for Claire to have a happy, healthy baby. She was so excited about the news of the baby’s safe arrival that she also almost missed the additional note at the end of the message.

L—

Claire’s happy news made me think of you. I knew you’d want to know.

I hope all is well with you.

—N

Lily’s breath caught momentarily as she read it, and she reached up to touch the diamond that still hung around her neck. Her heart hammered loudly in her chest as she reread it—just to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. She quickly hit reply and typed out her response.

It was then that she noticed she was the only recipient of the e-mail. Normally, Nate sent press releases to his own e-mail address, with the rest of the appropriate media contacts blind copied on it. But this time, it came directly to her—and only her.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Nate paid close attention to all his clients, but something about Claire triggered his protective side. He’d seen how she struggled to have a child, and that protectiveness had gone into overdrive when she’d called to tell him about her pregnancy. He’d wanted to do what he could to make it as easy as possible for her.

With that in mind, they’d agreed early on that any announcement would not be made until she and the baby came home from the hospital. He’d hoped it would allow her to have the baby and recover without prying eyes.

Their plan worked, and Claire had congratulated Nate on a job well done when he’d gone to meet Emerson and let Claire look over the press release to make sure all the details were correct. As Claire had placed the baby in his arms, his thoughts immediately turned to Lily. He’d known she would have been ecstatic to hear about Emerson’s arrival, and part of him had wished she could have been there with him.

Back at his office, he quickly typed out his standard e-mail but excluded one important name from the BCC list. As soon as that message was sent, he opened a new e-mail, copying and pasting the original message. He then added a note to the bottom and sent the message to Lily before he had a chance to overthink what he was doing.

To his relief, her response didn’t take long. He could picture the excitement in her blue eyes making them even more electric than usual.

N—

Thank you for letting me know. And thank you for thinking of me.

I’m so happy for Claire, and I’m sure she’s beyond thrilled. Please give the proud new parents and Emerson my best.

I’m . . . okay. I hope you are, too.

—L

Nate closed his laptop with a small smile on his face.

They still had a long way to go, but at least the door was open. And, for the first time in weeks, Nate felt like he could breathe again.

Nate met with Daniel and his manager several times to discuss potential projects as he wrapped up filming on the third Grady Pierce film.

Daniel’s manager had presented him with several options—a couple of pilots for cable networks, a stint in a well-reviewed play in London’s West End, and a supporting (but memorable) role in a romantic comedy.

All the scripts were well written with well-developed characters, but Nate noticed that Daniel kept coming back to one particular project—a period piece set in the decadent lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties. Glamorous people drinking glamorous drinks at glamorous parties held on glamorous estates. The film examined what happens when the fantasy doesn’t match reality. The small, independent film was scheduled to begin production in about a month, and Daniel would spend approximately ten weeks filming in upstate New York.

Nate was honestly excited when Daniel chose this project. The Brennan family owned an estate near where the movie was set to film, and Nate offered to let Daniel stay there while it was in production. His parents would be abroad for several weeks, so the house would be empty. Nate hadn’t visited the estate in years and even suggested coming out for a week or so for a working vacation and floated the possibility of Anthony visiting for a few days, too.

Nate’s thoughts bounced around as he wrote the press release, attached the biography and filmography, and sent it to his media contacts. A small smile tugged at his lips at the thought of getting away for a few days with his friends.

The message he sent out was the same one he’d send for any client who accepted a new role, but he knew this one would make entertainment headlines, so he got it out as quickly as possible.

Nate had been working on material for a new client when his phone rang.

“Nate Brennan,” he answered with a slight bit of curiosity. The phone number didn’t appear in his contacts but still looked vaguely familiar.

“Hi, Nate. It’s Lily.” Nate stilled as he heard her voice for the first time in nearly two months.

With those four little words, all his concentration was focused on the woman at the other end of the line. He scratched his forehead in an attempt to gather his thoughts. “Hi, Lily. What can I do for you?”

“Well . . . I had a question about the press release you just sent.”

Nate’s eyes closed in relief. After hearing her voice, he knew he wouldn’t be strong enough to resist her if she mentioned anything about getting back together. “Oh, sure. What was your question?”

“The press release didn’t say anything about when the movie goes into production. When will filming start?”

Nate chuckled. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re the first one to pick up on that.”

“It’s the journalist in me,” Lily replied with a laugh of her own. “I can’t help slipping into reporter mode now and then.”

“Well, no official date has been set, as of right now. That’s why I left it out. Unofficially, though, filming should start in about six weeks. That’s off the record, right?”

Lily chuckled. “Sure. We’ll just say that production begins soon. So I’m guessing Daniel will have some time off in between the movies?”

“That’s the plan. I think he’s looking forward to doing something a little more low-key. Or at least something that doesn’t require stuntmen.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fantastic in it. It sounds like the kind of movie I’ll love.”

“I think you will. I got to read a small part of the script, and it’s well written.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to hearing more about it. You’ll be sending out any updates until it gets a distributor?”

“For now, yes. Any updates will come from me.”

“Good to know.” Lily paused before continuing. “Hey, Nate?”

“Yeah?” For some reason, his heart started to race.

“Thank you again for your note about Claire’s baby. It meant a lot that you thought of me.”

“You’re welcome, Lily. Like I said, I knew you’d want to know. Emerson’s a beautiful baby.”

“I’m so glad everything worked out for them.”

“Me, too. And I promise to give them your best the next time I talk to them.”

“Thanks, Nate. I . . . um . . . I have no idea if I should be saying this, but it’s good to talk to you.” Lily sounded both hesitant and confident all at once.

“It’s good to talk to you, too, Lily,” he said, his voice sincere. A slow smile spread across his face as he realized the truth behind his words.

Lily hesitated for just a moment before speaking. “Well . . . I don’t want to keep you. Take care, Nate.”

Nate paused, too, sneaking a quick glance at the photo of the two of them that still sat on his desk. “And you as well. Bye, Lily.”

The following week, Nate met a potential client for a lunch meeting at the same bistro he took Lily to the first time she came to visit. His focus should have been on his would-be client, but his thoughts frequently drifted to Lily.

The meeting went well despite his distraction. Although he was reluctant to take on too many clients, he thought he might be able to help the young director. They shook on it before his new client had to leave for a shoot, so Nate stayed to settle the bill.

As he waited for the check, he was surprised to see another diner—who had looked Nate’s way more than once during his meeting—excuse himself from his table and make his way over.

“Excuse me, you’re Nate Brennan, right?”

Nate nodded before responding. “Yes. Can I help you?”

“I’m Devon Blakely,” he said as he extended his hand. “I own FilmInsanity.com.”

Nate found it ironic that his thoughts had been on Lily, only to have her boss appear. He took Devon’s hand and smiled. “Oh, of course. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Devon. I’ve heard a lot about you from Lily.”

Devon chuckled. “Well, I hope it’s all good. Do you mind if I sit down?”

Nate gestured toward the vacant seat. “Of course not. I’m just waiting for my check. So what brings you here?”

“I’m actually working on a documentary with some friends of mine. I’m in California for a few days to help them get things started.”

“That sounds exciting. And I assume you’re working out of your West Coast office? I’m sure Lily was happy see you.”

“Actually, yes. And I’m glad I ran into you,” Devon continued. “I wanted to talk to you about those photos my site published. I assume you know the ones I’m referring to?”

Nate’s eyes instantly darkened. “Yes.”

“I know those pictures turned into a big mess for your client and his friend, but I want you to know it wasn’t Lily’s fault. She was quite upset about the situation.”

Nate sat back in his chair, gazing at Devon warily. “So what exactly happened?”

“The New York office posted the photos. And I take full responsibility for that. The photos that had nothing to do with the movie shouldn’t have been posted. I didn’t know the New York office had them.”

Nate simply nodded.

“Look, Nate . . . you should know that Lily was right. That’s not the kind of site I want to run. We’ve already changed our policies by adding to the editorial review section, which puts our offices in better communication. And that’s all thanks to Lily.”

Nate tapped his fingers on the table to the beat of the thoughts running through his mind. “Can I ask you a question, Devon?”