Amanda Berry - L A Cinderella

Rachel hit Mute on the remote. “Okay, here’s what the entertainment news is saying. Some say you were a rebound and the real reason he’s going to Ontario is to see Madeline Stark, who recently dumped Andre Pratt.”

“Do you think that’s why he went?” The tears began to burn at the back of her throat again. Had she really just been a rebound?

“I don’t know, sweetie.” Rachel rubbed her hand on Natalie’s leg in a comforting way.

Natalie fought down the tears. “What are they saying about me?”

“Let’s see.” Rachel’s eyes roamed the page as her hand moved the mouse. “Here’s something. They suspect you are the woman in the picture, but no one will confirm it. A source, one of your stupid coworkers, claims that you and Chase worked late for the past two weeks and seemed very chummy in the office.”

Natalie picked at the threads coming out at the end of the blanket. She needed to know more. She needed to know why Chase had picked her. She needed to know why he’d been with her. “What else does it say?” she choked out around the held-back tears.

“Natalie, I don’t think you want to know.” Rachel shut the lid on the laptop. “It’s just the normal catty stuff.”

“The stuff you enjoy?”

Rachel brushed a stray piece of Natalie’s hair behind her ear. “Only when it’s about someone ridiculous, which you aren’t. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? I swear I won’t leak it to the press.” She smiled softly.

“I know you won’t.” Natalie tried to return her friend’s smile but wasn’t sure if it came across. “I just…I want to understand, is all.”

“Understand what?”

“Why me?” A tear slipped over the edge. The rest of the tears, seeing the escapee, pressed forward.

Rachel handed her a tissue. “Why not you, Natalie? You’re bright, intelligent, loving, pretty. You take care of anyone you care about. What’s not to love about you, Natalie?”

The tissues kept coming as Natalie’s vision blurred behind the tears. “He said he loved me.” She sniffled. “He said he loved me, and I said he didn’t.”

The week that followed was the hardest of Natalie’s life. From the guy digging around in her trash to the car that followed her to work, at first she wondered if she was just paranoid. When a camera flashed as she left the grocery store, she knew she wasn’t.

It was so subtle she barely noticed it at first. Rachel kept showing Natalie pictures of her when she hadn’t even known anyone was around. The receptionist held all calls to Natalie’s phone.

Robert had been especially nice to her and had even had a meeting with the staff informing them that the new CFO would start in two weeks. Natalie buried herself in the piles of paper. Eventually the strutting down the hall picked up again, and people didn’t stop talking when she came into the room.

Her heart ached every time she passed Chase’s empty office. It had to be easier than actually seeing him every day. Rachel stopped informing Natalie of Chase’s comings and goings when she continued to break down into tears and run from the room.

Natalie sighed with relief as the hour turned to four. One more hour and then she’d have the whole weekend to lock herself away with tubs of ice cream and her favorite mov-

Pushing aside the folder on her desk, she realized she couldn’t watch her favorite movie. The constant ache in her chest throbbed. Maybe she’d rent some horror flicks instead, or a good chick flick.

Her phone rang, and she didn’t think twice about picking it up. “This is Natalie.”

“Natalie, Jared Anderson. Before you hang up, give me a minute of your time.”

She held the phone to her ear instead of slamming it down. “I’m listening.”

“Good. Why don’t we meet somewhere? You could get your side of the relationship on record. It could launch your career. At least get you on a reality show.”

Her mind blanked. “Is that all you people think about? Do you really think I like having my name in headlines or my face in your papers? Well, I don’t. I don’t want to be any part of this industry. I’m an accountant, for Pete’s sake. Not someone waiting for her big break. I’ll thank you to never call me again.”

She slammed the phone down and felt better than she had all week.

“Nice job.” The voice stilled her heart.

She couldn’t look up. She wasn’t ready. She couldn’t see him. She couldn’t resist. Her gaze trailed up the jean-clad hips to his black T-shirt, the planes of his body as familiar as her own.

Her heart pounded within her chest. His lips were curved into a wary smile and his eyes… Why did they have to be so green? “Chase.” His name slipped out of her mouth on a sigh.

“I heard what you said.”

Had she been talking? His eyes appeared tired, and there was a strain around his lips.

“Sorry?” Her brain had flown out the window when she’d heard his voice again.

“The reporter? I couldn’t have said it better myself.” He pointed toward the phone and her gaze followed, completely dumbfounded.

Heat rushed into her cheeks as his words sunk in. “Oh.”

“I’ve got to…” He gestured down the hall with his thumb.

“I hope you had a good trip.”

He nodded and disappeared down the hall. She dropped her head down to the desk. So much for being intelligent. What was he doing back? What had he been doing? Did he hook up with that actress up there?

She lifted her head and grabbed her cell phone. If any one person knew all the goings-on in Hollywood, it would be Rachel.

Chase closed the door behind him and leaned his forehead against it. It had to be the best performance of his life. Pretending he wasn’t falling apart without Natalie. If he could convince her, he could convince everyone else.

Her eyes had been wide and tired. Good. He hoped she wasn’t getting any sleep, because he wasn’t. When he would finally drift off, he’d reach out to pull her close, and she wasn’t there.

He dropped his briefcase inside the door and collapsed into his chair. His head in his hands, he ignored the knocking on his door.

The door opened. “Why did you come in at all?”

“Leave me alone, Robert.”

The door shut. “The director called to say you left earlier than expected.” Robert was trying to lead Chase, but Chase didn’t feel like discussing the real reason he’d left early. He’d been drawn back like a moth to a flame.

He wanted to see her before the weekend. When he’d walked in and seen her behind the mountain of paper, his heart had lifted. Then he’d heard her on the phone with the reporter, and he remembered.

She didn’t want to be in the public eye. She had no intention of ever being in the public eye. There was no future for them. But he’d managed to stand there and act as if his chest weren’t ready to explode.

“So you aren’t going to say anything?” Robert sank into the chair. “Are you going to ask about the new CFO?”

Chase leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes on Robert. “You sent me the résumé. We did the interview via conference call. Is there something I missed? You called every day.”

“No, Chase, you called every day. You avoided talking about Natalie every time, as well. You look like hell, man.”

“I just got off a plane-”

“And you rushed over here to-what? Sit in your office and rest your weary head? Give me a break. I saw you stop at Natalie’s desk-”

“I just was checking up-”

“You stood there like a man presented with water after crossing the desert. Why not talk to her? Her eyes are red and puffy every morning. You both are hurting, so why not end the games and just get together already.”

Chase stared at his partner with astonishment. “She doesn’t want any part of the fame or this industry.”

“We’re not talking about the industry. We’re talking about you, Chase.”

“The industry and me are the same. It’s always been a part of who I am. A part I can’t escape, and I don’t want to escape it. I may hate being followed sometimes, but it’s part of my life and she doesn’t want any of that.”

“Have you asked her?”

Chase could feel the rage rising within him. “Why would she? That part of my life is never going away. Even if I had never gone into acting, I would still be the son of Matt Booker and Madeline Caine. If she doesn’t want that life, we can’t be together.”

Natalie was having difficulty breathing. When someone moved down the hall, she’d hold her breath and not release it until she knew it wasn’t Chase. This had to be the longest hour of her life.

Since it was Friday a lot of the staff took off early. People were constantly going past her desk. Rachel had at least eased her fears that Chase hadn’t already moved on. Not that she cared, but it had made her feel better to know he hadn’t dived right back into the dating pool. Of course, that could also mean that he really did love her, which made her feel even worse.

Life shouldn’t be so hard. He’d gone out of his way to keep their relationship discreet, which was what she wanted. Wasn’t it? Someone started down the hall.

Hold it, hold it. Just another model. Release. This was ridiculous. She glanced at the clock. Close enough. She bent and got her purse, and when she came back up she screamed. Not a bloodcurdling scream, but that oh-my-God-you-scared-the-last-year-off-my-life scream. Chase stood in front of her desk.

Her hand covered her racing heart, and she took several deep breaths.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” His smooth voice awakened the desire that was always on simmer just for him.

Her face flushed as hot flashes of him making love to her burst within her mind. “Not a problem,” she said hurriedly. She clutched her purse to her like a shield as she stood up. “I was just leaving.” Did he know she was picturing him naked?