Chapter Six

Aurora and Drew encounter one another at Evergreen Lodge

Chapter Six

"Totally.  My snowball skills have been unused for too long."

Drew's face suddenly looked serious.

"I almost forgot that you live in California now.  Do you have a boyfriend there?"

Aurora shook her head back and forth in the snow.  "No, but rumor has it I'm secretly married."

"I heard he's really handsome," Drew said.  Aurora shook with laughter.

Sassafras, realizing the game had come to a halt, trotted over to them.  She began licking Aurora's face, and Aurora shrieked.

"It's too cold for doggie slobber!" she said with a laugh.

    "Let's go to the lodge for some hot chocolate," Drew said.

They were walking towards the lodge when Aurora stopped suddenly.

"Seriously?  Could they be any more obvious?"

"What is it?"

"There's a TMZ van right in the lot over there.  That guy from Celebrity Eye is probably still lurking around too.  I do not feel like having people in my face right now.  I just want some hot chocolate."  Drew saw the distress in her face and wondered how much of her life was like this.

"Do you mind if we just go to my cabin and order room service?"

"Of course I don't mind."

Once they got to Aurora's cabin, she called room service and requested hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies.  Drew got a fire started in the fireplace.

"I had you pegged as one of those no carb people," Drew said.

Aurora rolled her eyes.  "I would be if I listened to my publicist and manager and agent and that stylist I fired who said she could get better samples from designers if I dropped a dress size or two."

"Wow.  First of all, your body is amazing and..." Drew looked embarrassed for a second at mentioning her body but he recovered.  "I don't even know what a sample size is and I definitely want to hear about you firing the stylist."

"Well,  a sample from a designer is exactly what it sounds like.  They give samples to stylists, fashion magazine editors, and anyone who they want to show off their stuff.  So, like, this stylist, Trixie, that my publicist insisted I hire, would get free clothes and put together outfits for me to wear to any publicized event or TV appearance.  But a lot of designers only make samples in really small sizes like zero or two.  That's why models in women's magazines are so thin.  They have to hire models who fit in the clothing samples they are given by designers."

Drew nodded.  "I never knew that.  So what happened with your stylist?"

"She was just driving me crazy, always wanting me to wear something I hated or harping on me about slimming down.  I gave her a good severance pay.  I'm  not one of those divas like you hear about.  That's probably part of the problem.  I come from Broadway, and all the Hollywood stuff you are supposed to do to stay popular gets to be a bit much sometimes.  My team is pushing me toward more leading roles in movies, but I'm thinking of getting into TV or even going back to stage acting."

"You are turning out to be very different from how I imagined," Drew said.  

There was a knock at the door, and Aurora checked the peephole for room service.  She paid for the hot chocolate and cookies and added a generous tip.  Drew took the lid off and saw that he had whipped cream on top.

Aurora took a sip.  "Perfect," she said.  There was whipped cream on her nose and Drew couldn't help grinning.

"What?" Aurora said.

Drew reached out and wiped the cream from her nose.  Then he leaned down and brushed her lips with a kiss.

"Let's go sit in front of the fire," he said.

  "Good idea," she murmured, thinking if they stood there any longer, her knees were going to buckle underneath her.

Drew and Aurora settled onto the spacious sofa.  Aurora felt as though tiny zaps of energy were sparking all over her skin.  Drew leaned in for another kiss and she felt as though she was going to melt right into the sofa.    Drew slipped his hands under her sweater.  His hands skimmed along her soft skin and set off more sparks.  Pretty soon her sweater was off and Drew was reaching around to unhook her bra.

Aurora ran her palms up Drew's abdomen and explored his chest with her fingers.  Every inch of him felt amazing.  Drew kissed a trail from her neck to the waist of her jeans.  He put a hand on her jeans button and looked at her questioningly.  Aurora nodded.  He undid the button and zipper and peeled the jeans off her.  She could feel his desire growing.  He teased her a bit and she arched her back, drunk with desire.

     So much for not consummating, she thought as Drew peeled off his own jeans, positioned himself on top of her, and plunged in.

*****

Aurora heard a knocking sound, followed by Sassafras’s bark.  She didn’t know where she was for a moment, then felt Drew’s warm body next to hers.  

“Coming,” she said. She slipped on a robe and padded to the door.  She squinted through the peephole and saw Cassie standing outside.  She pulled the door open and Sassafras thumped her tail.

“Come on in,” she said.  “What's up?”

Cassie strode in and sat at the breakfast bar.  “Another client wants me to go to the New York office today.  There are no trains or commuter flights and there has to be at least twelve inches out there.”

“Is it still snowing?”

“Yes, and I haven’t driven in snow since I left Ohio, fifteen years ago . But try telling that to Quinn O'Leary.”  Quinn was an actor from Scotland known for getting in drunken brawls.

Aurora moved around the kitchenette, making coffee.  “I’d better stay put, too.  I’m not used to snow either.  I didn’t even drive when I lived in Pennsylvania.”

“You’re kidding,” Cassie said.

“Nope.  My parents didn’t teach me, and after high school I went to New York.  I took the subway.  When I was twenty-one and went to California, I finally learned.”

*****

Drew stirred in the bed and rolled over.  Aurora’s side of the bed was empty.  His heart sank, then lifted again when he heard voices in the kitchen.  He smelled coffee and could hear another female voice.  He flipped his legs over the side of the bed and stood.  He stretched, listening to the voices.  It was Aurora’s lawyer.  They sounded like they were discussing road conditions.  He put on one of the Evergreen Lodge robes and strolled out into the kitchenette.  The blonde attorney didn’t bat an eyelash when she saw him enter the room.

“Drew, do you want a cup of coffee?” Aurora asked him.  She was wearing a terry cloth white robe with a fir tree and Evergreen Lodge embroidered on it, just like Drew.

“Sure do,” he said.  He gave Aurora a devastating dimpled grin.

“How do you take it?”

“Black.”

“Whatever floats your boat,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

Cassie stood up.  “Well, if I’m not going to make it today then I’d better get some work done.  Thanks for the coffee, Aurora.”

“No trouble at all.  I’ll talk to you soon.”  Aurora got up and ushered Cassie to the door.  She locked it behind her attorney.  

Drew gave her a lazy smile.  “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

Aurora sashayed up to him and circled her arms around his neck.  “I don’t know.  I think I’m stranded here a little while longer.   Too bad.”

“Too bad,” Drew echoed.  He slipped his hand down to the tie on Aurora’s robe.  She ran her hands down around his slim waist and undid the button on his jeans.  She felt her robe slip down her body and land in a heap on the floor.  She undid the tie on Drew's robe and he scooped her up in his arms.  He carried her off to the bedroom. He set Aurora down on the bed and dropped the robe.  Then he climbed on the bed with her.

Later, Aurora was encased in Drew’s arms when she noticed the time on the digital clock.  It was nearly lunchtime.

“You know, I’d like to stay here forever but I’m thinking we might want to eat at some point.  I really don’t have much besides coffee and dog treats in that little kitchenette.”

“You’re right.  I need to find a signal and check my messages, too.”

“Speaking of outside, I’m surprised the dog isn’t ready to climb out the window by now.  I can walk her over to the main lodge and then grab some lunch.  Do you want to join me?”

“Most definitely.”

They both showered and dressed and got Sassafras hooked on her leash.  Once they were outside, Drew checked his voice mail.  There was a message from Kenny, his assistant.  His new client wanted to know when they could start on the project .  He called Kenny back and told him what to tell the client.

“Where are you?  I can barely hear you,” Kenny said.

“I decided to do some skiing while everything in town was shut down.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“You have no idea.”  Drew pressed the off button on his phone.  He looked ahead and saw Aurora and Sassafras.  The dog had her nose down on the path in the snow.  She brought her head up, flinging snow into the air.  Then she stepped gingerly on the bank of snow along the side of the path.  Her foot sank into it, and she turned and headed down the path.  Drew jogged to catch up with them.

“So what do you do with her while you’re in the lodge eating?” 

“They let me take her in the lodge with me.”

“Doesn’t anyone complain?”

Aurora shrugged.  “Not usually.”  They got to the lodge and went in.  They found a table in the restaurant and Sassafras settled under the table.  The waitress came and Drew ordered a Pittsburgh style sandwich, the kind with fries and cole slaw right on the sandwich, while Aurora ordered a hot turkey sandwich with fries and gravy.  They had just been brought their drinks when a couple walked by.

“Really,” the woman said loudly to her husband.  “I can’t believe she’d bring a dog in here.  I guess it’s true, famous people feel entitled to do whatever they want.”

Drew glared at the woman.  “That’s so not fair.  She doesn’t even know you.”   

“I’m used to it.  I chose this profession.  If I’m going to be in the public eye, people are going to say things about me.  They’ll say them about you too, you know.”

Drew nodded thoughtfully.  He had a simple life.  He couldn’t imagine what she had to deal with on a daily basis.

After lunch they went back outside.  They walked around awhile before going back to Aurora’s lodge.  All the while, Howie Dozer snapped photos with his zoom lens.  This was pay dirt.  He knew freezing in the cold all night long was going to pay off.  This was going to pay off, big time.  Not only did he have exclusive photos of Aurora Mendez’s secret husband, but he had a scoop.  They were supposed to be divorcing, but instead they were shacked up together in a cozy mountain retreat.  He was going to make a mint off these photos.

“I talked to my assistant a little while ago.  I need to get back to the office tomorrow.”

Aurora lifted her gaze to meet his.  She felt a pang that she hadn’t felt in a long time.  She saw genuine regret in his eyes.

“Are you going back to your house tonight?” she said finally.

“I probably should."  They continued along the path that had been dug through the snow.  

When they were back inside Aurora’s cabin, Drew gathered his snowboard and the rest of his belongings.  Aurora gave him the numbers to her cell phone and cabin.  She walked back outside with him and they stood in the snow, facing one another.

“This feels too much like the last time,” Drew said.

“I remembered a little.  But not much.  Tell me what happened.”

“We had gotten married and were going to go back to my room, but you needed to go to yours first.  I don’t even remember why.  I fell asleep on a bench, waiting for you to come back.  When you didn’t come back right away, I had this terrible feeling.  Like it was all just a dream, and I wasn‘t going to see you again.”

“Do you feel that way now?  Like things aren’t going to work out?  This is it, the last time we’ll see each other?  This is different, you know.”

“It’s not so different.  We live on opposite sides of the country.”

“One thing is different.  This time we…”  She walked towards Drew, leaving the rest unsaid.  He smiled down at her and swept her into another lingering kiss.  When they broke apart, Aurora sighed.

“You should go.  You have responsibilities.  And I probably need to rescue my lawyer so she doesn’t end up buried under a mound of Western Pennsylvania snow.”

“I’ll be in touch.”  They parted, Drew toting his things and Aurora trudging slowly back up the steps to her cabin door.

Aurora called Cassie’s cabin when she got back to her own.  Cassie had spent the day holed up, watching movies.  

“Do you have any we can watch together?  I don't have a single book to read,” Aurora told her.

“You didn’t look like you were bored this morning.  Where is he now?”

“He had to go.  So are you going to be my movie date, or what?”

“Okay.  I’ll finish this one and bring the rest over.”

“Do you have any food?”

“No, I was going to eat in the main lodge again for dinner.”

“I have a better idea.  I’ll go get some rations while you’re finishing that movie.”  She hung up from talking to Cassie and stopped at the desk on her way out to check her messages.  Sometime before hot chocolate the previous night, Aurora had called the desk and asked them to hold all her calls until further notice.  There were messages from her agent, her assistant, her mother, her publicist, and Melanie.

She called her mother and told her she had not, in fact, died under a mound of snow.  Her publicist wanted to know why he was getting calls, asking for comments on whether she was reconciling with her husband.

“Why would they ask that?” he wanted to know.  

“He’s dropping the lawsuit.  But talk to Cassie before you comment on it.”

“Of course I know to talk to Cassie first.  He’s dropping the suit?  Are you serious?  What happened?”

“An attack of conscience, apparently.”

“Are you people inhaling too much snow in Pennsylvania, or what?  He’s married to you, without a prenup no less, and he’s just going to drop it?  Are you kidding me?  Wait, there is something going on, isn’t there? You’d be back in California by now if there wasn’t.”

“I can’t say anything right now.  I’ll keep you posted.”

Aurora called her agent, who informed her that she had to get back, pronto.  The studio needed to retape a scene she was in.  Her assistant said the same, and that she was going to book her for on a flight to LAX the next day.

The next call she made was to Melanie.  She spoke with Melanie a few minutes, making plans.  Then she purchased everything she wanted from the local store, and went back to the lodge to wait.

*****

Cassie arrived with several  movies in hand.  Aurora began preparing food and Melanie arrived.  Aurora introduced the two women.

      "How on earth did you get here in this weather?  I've driven in snow before, but that was in Ohio where it's flat," Cassie said.

Melanie grinned.  "Four wheel drive and snow tires.  I'm used to this.  Plus the snow is letting up and road crews are starting to plow and salt the roads."

“It’s been so long since we’ve done this that I just couldn’t resist,” Melanie said to Aurora.

“Did you two have sleepovers a lot growing up?” Cassie asked.

“Aurora’s sleepovers were infamous,” Melanie said.  “One time we went to the corner store in our pajamas at six in the morning.”

“What did the people at the store say?”

“They weren’t even open.”

“They also teased my hair out until it was huge.  It stuck straight up in the air, like the Bride of Frankenstein.”

“So, since we’re dishing,” Cassie said, “care to explain why the man you’re supposedly divorcing was in your cabin this morning, half naked?”

“What!” Melanie exclaimed.  “Drew was here?  You’d better start talking.”

“We met purely by accident.  I was having dinner in the main lodge last night, with Cassie.  And Drew had come up here to do some skiing.  We ran into one another, and started to talk.  He wanted to know if I really didn’t remember what on the trip.  I guess he was having second thoughts about suing me and all that.”

“And the roads were bad, so you just had to invite him to spend the night?  I wasn’t born yesterday.  What happened?”

“I don’t know.  Seeing him again brought back all the attraction I once felt.  We kissed, and things got a little heated.”

“How heated?  Come on, spill!”

Aurora looked sheepish, but she told them what happened with Drew.

 She took the pizza out of the oven.  She dumped some tortilla chips into a bowl and spooned dip into a small dish.

“We’re missing one thing,” Melanie said.

“You think I’d forget?”  Aurora looked indignantly at her oldest friend.  She dug through a bag and produced a package of Oreo cookies.  “Can’t go back on tradition, can we?”

"I'm not going to fit into my jeans tomorrow," Melanie groaned.

"They're going to have to add a yard of material to my Golden Globes gown," Aurora said.

"I forgot about the Golden Globes," Cassie said.  "I have to squeeze into a gown too."

"New ladies night rule," Aurora said.  "No food shaming.  Carpe diem.  We'll all hit the gym when the snow lets up."  

The three women seated themselves in the living room area with the food and started a movie.   When it was over, Melanie looked around.  “I kept expecting to hear a kid start crying.  I really needed this,” she said.

“Me too,” Aurora said.  “I kept waiting for the phone to ring.  I have to go back tomorrow, as it is.”

“I kept thinking a client was going to call, needing to be bailed out of jail or something,” Cassie said.

“We all lead such hectic lives,” Aurora said.  “I used to fantasize about acting in TV or movies and being famous.  Now I fantasize about this.  Just being with friends, like when I was a teenager.  I see a group of teens hanging out, and it makes me sad, remembering what it was like to have my girlfriends close by.  We talked at school, then again when we got home.  We  did something together every weekend.  We took that for granted.  At least, I did.”  Tears formed in Aurora’s eyes.  

“Ror, I have to ask you something serious.  Are you really happy?  I mean, really?  And if you are unhappy, is this thing with Drew some attempt to relive the past?”

“Oh, Melanie.  Sometimes I miss you so much.  I know things can never be the way they were.  But I want to make some changes in my life.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Okay, well this is the thing.  I’m tired of going all over the globe, filming on location.  Then I go to my house in California.  There’s no one to come home to but Sassafras.  I go to parties, but it’s all just a big schmooze fest.”  Aurora told Melanie about her idea for a TV show.  “I don’t know if it will work,” she continued.  “But I was thinking of buying a place around here anyway.  At least if I were working in New York, I’d be closer.”

“You were planning all this before things happened with Drew?”

“Yes.  I don’t know what’s going to happen with him.  It may not work out at all.  But I can’t keep living the way I am.  I’m tired of being all alone in L.A.”

*****

Drew took a meatloaf out of the oven.  He set it on a trivet and took the hand mixer out of the cupboard and began whipping up mashed potatoes.  He heard a knock on the door and went to answer it.  He was expecting another reporter, but it was Stacy.

Stacy strolled into the kitchen.  She wore a winter coat with a fur collar and a cashmere hat and mittens.  When did she get that? He wondered.  What else don’t I know about her?  She eyed the meatloaf and turned to Drew.

“So what’s going on?  Were you actually serious about not suing your ex?”  Stacy slouched into a kitchen chair and eyed Drew.  He set the dinner on his kitchen table and walked to the refrigerator.  

“Would you like anything to drink?” Drew said, his back to her.

“Just some water,”  she said.  "I'm meeting Wayne for dinner in awhile.

Drew set an ice water on the table.  He sat down across from Stacy.  He put some food on his plate, then looked squarely at her.  

“Here’s the deal.  It’s not valid.  I might be able to convince a jury that the marriage is valid, but it isn’t.  She had too much to drink that night and didn’t even remember it the next day.”

“So she says.  You actually believe that?”

“Yes, I believe her.  And there are witnesses.  It was a mistake.  We were twenty-one years old.  She shouldn’t have to pay for that.  It wouldn’t be ethical for me to continue with the lawsuit.”

“You can’t be serious!  Do you know how much she’s worth?  She’s not going to miss the money.  Imagine what we could do with a few million dollars.”

“Like have a lavish wedding at the country club and a designer wedding gown?”  Drew said.

"What are you talking about?” Stacy said, but Drew could see the alarm flicker in her eyes.

“Stacy, be honest with me for once.  You knew all about Aurora.  You had me checked out.  Why?"

Stacy averted her eye and sighed.  "I just wanted to be careful, that's all.  I got burned in the past."

“Fine.  If you wanted a fancy wedding, why didn't you just tell me?"

"I figured it was a matter of time before you got money from your divorce.  I didn't want to admit I had you checked out.  I needed to start putting down deposits though.  I paid for all those deposits on credit.  Now how am I supposed to pay it off?" she looked at Drew and frowned.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you started planning a whole wedding without consulting me."

"Drew, this is serious.  I'm really in a bind now."

"Then why don't you ask Wayne to help you?"

"How am I going to explain all this to Wayne?  I'm sorry I hurt you, but this is between you and me."

"You and me ended when you cheated," Drew said.

Suddenly Stacy's phone beeped and she glanced down at the screen.

"You're back with her?  No wonder you aren't suing her.  Why settle for half when you can get it all?"

"It's not like that, Stacy.  I'm not like that.  I'm not like you."

Stacy stood up.  “Whatever you need to tell yourself.  I need to leave now.”  She gathered her coat and things and swept out the door.

*****

After the second movie, Cassie poured them all some coffee.  She sat in a chair and turned to look at Aurora, seated on the couch.

“So, you’re reunited with your first love.  What’s it like?”

“What makes you think Drew is my first love?”

“I can’t say I remember another guy before him.  At least not one that you were in love with,” Melanie said.

“My first love,” Aurora said thoughtfully.  “I think it was acting.  Either that or New York City.  Do you remember that trip we took when we were sixteen?”  She looked at Melanie.

“How could I ever forget?”  She looked at Cassie.  “It was our sophomore year at Western Penn.  Melanie and I talked about going on a bus trip, but my parents were having a fit.  It was November, and we told our parents we were going Christmas shopping for a few hours.  We went to New York City in Melanie's car instead.”

Melanie nodded her agreement.  “I’ll never forget that as long as I live.  I still remember the song that was playing on the radio when we stopped for gas."  

"I fell in love with the city that weekend.  It was then that I decided I was going to live there someday and pursue Broadway.”  Aurora could still picture it in her mind.  She could see the skyscrapers rising all around her, and feel the thrill of being in a place she’d only seen on television.  

“What did you do there?” Cassie interrupted Aurora’s thoughts.  

“Everything,” Melanie said with a laugh.  “We saw the sights, went to the stores, even flirted with some older guys in a coffee shop.  We got a cheap hotel for the night and drove back the next day.”

“It all makes me sound like such a wild child.  But really I wasn't.  Sure, I went to New York without an adult and lied to my parents.  And I got married on an intoxicated whim.  But I was pretty tame otherwise.  Didn't drink, smoke, or have sex.”

“But you were drinking the night you got married,” Cassie pointed out.

“True.  I think it was my lack of exposure to alcohol that led to that.  Here I was, on my first trip without parents.  And that fruit punch.  You can hardly tell it has alcohol in it.  A bad combo for a naïve girl.  But if it hadn't ever happened like it did, I doubt I’d have been reunited with Drew.”

“So, what is going on with you two.  Come on, dish.”

“I guess we’ll have to see what happens.  He’s this guy I knew in college and secretly liked.  The fact that I married him seems somewhat irrelevant.  I mean, I barely remember getting married.  I barely know him.  He was my fantasy.  I've thought about him so much over the years.  He was the one that got away.  The one I couldn't get out of my head.”

“You have to go back to California tomorrow?”

“Sure do.  I have to refilm a scene.”

“Do you think you’ll see him again?”

“I sure hope so.”

*****

Sassafras whimpered to go outside the next morning.  The three women, asleep in various positions in Aurora’s cabin, all jolted awake.  Aurora jumped up and checked the clock.

“I have to be at the airport.  I have to get ready.”

Melanie went to the door and began throwing on a coat and boots.  “I’ll take the dog out, you get ready to go.”

Cassie started whizzing around, picking up her own belongings.  “I have go back to my cabin.  What time does your plane leave?”

“I have a commuter flight at ten-thirty.”

“Mine’s at ten.  We both have rental cars to drop off, so I’ll just call you if I don’t see you.”

“Okay.”  Aurora ran to the bathroom.  

An hour later, she was ready to go.  She handed Melanie some cash, and Melanie promised to ship the boxes Aurora had found at her mother’s house.  She and Melanie hugged good-bye after they’d loaded her luggage and Sassafras into the rental car.

Melanie watched her drive off, then go into her own car to drive home.  She needed to get back to her husband and children.  She loved them all dearly, but she missed Aurora, too.  There were times when she just needed her best friend.  And she couldn't always just pick up the phone and call.  Aurora led a busy life, and if she was filming she was often working long hours and couldn't just chat on the phone.  

“I guess it’s just you and me, Sass.” Aurora gripped the steering wheel and sped the car in the direction of the airport.  She wanted to call Drew, but she hadn't charged her cell phone all night and the battery was dead.  

Aurora checked her baggage and dog at the airport, returned the car, and got on the small plane.  It took thirty minutes to fly to Pittsburgh airport, and from there she boarded a plane to LAX.  She and Melanie and Cassie had stayed up late, so she slept nearly the entire flight.     

When she landed, there was someone from the studio waiting to immediately shuttle her off.  She sat in the back of the car, saying very little to the driver.  Someone else had taken the dog and her bags back to her house.  She took deep breaths and willed herself not to cry.  

The rest of the day, she lost herself in work.  If she had a few minutes to think, she was afraid she’d just starting crying and not be able to stop.  At the end of the day, a driver took her home.  She put her key in the lock and walked into the empty house.  It was fresh and clean thanks to the housekeeper.  Sassafras dashed to greet her.  She bent down to receive dog kisses.  She took the dog outside and then went into the kitchen to make some tea.  She sat at the table in silence, thinking about the past few days.

*****

Drew tried to call Aurora on his way to work.  He got the voice mail on her cell phone, so he tried Evergreen Lodge.

“I’m sorry, sir.  She’s checked out.”

“No, that’s impossible.  I just saw her yesterday.  She was there.”

“She checked out this morning.”

“Look, I’m not some crazed fan.  I’m her husband, Drew Macpherson.  Did she leave me any messages?”

“Just a moment.”  There was a pause and Drew gripped his steering wheel anxiously while he waited.  “Yes.  She had to fly back to Los Angeles unexpectedly, but she’ll call you as soon as she can.”

Back to Los Angeles?  Drew thanked the person on the phone and clicked his phone off.  He had been hoping to see her that night, maybe take her to his house.  He had tossed and turned all night, missing her body next to his.  He had known from that first kiss that he wanted more of her.  Over the years he’d convinced himself that what he’d felt wasn’t as good as he remembered.  He was just young and impressionable, he told himself.  He’d idealized Aurora in his mind.  Being with her couldn’t possibly be as all-consuming as it seemed in his memories.

And then Drew had a second chance.  He wanted to be with her for real this time.  He was determined not to lose her.  And yet she’d gone to L.A.  She had told him she was going to stay in Evergreen Gap for awhile.  He couldn’t stand the feeling.  It was just like coming back from Las Vegas and realizing she had gone to New York without him.  

He wondered if it would always be this way.  No other woman would do for him.  He knew that now.  Would he spend his life, waiting while she jetted around, devoting time to her acting career instead of him?  

Drew had spent nearly ten years of his life secretly waiting for her to come back into his life.  He wasn’t going to let it happen again.  He wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life waiting for Aurora Mendez.

Drew met with his new client and discussed the preliminary work they wanted.  He added more details to the estimate he‘d given them.  He took notes on their specifications.  All  morning he willed himself to focus on his new job and not thinking about what Aurora was doing in Los Angeles.  When it got closer to noon, they invited him to have lunch with them.

Drew sensed that something was up the moment they entered the restaurant.  People were either staring openly or giving him surreptitious glances.

“So, Mr. Macpherson, what was it like, being with a movie star?” one woman said when she got near his table.  One of her co-workers shot her a warning look, but she continued to look at him expectantly.

“She wasn’t a movie star when I knew her.”

“Oh, no,” the woman said.  “I guess I had an entirely different impression.  You see, you’re in Celebrity Eye today and they are telling an entirely different story.”

“ Betty, really,”  broke in a co-worker.  But  was already digging in her briefcase.

“I think it’s quite relevant,” she said.  She produced a copy of the magazine and placed it on the oak paneled conference table.  “According to this, he’s still involved with her.”  

“Can I see that?”  Drew reached a hand across the table and the woman slid the magazine over to him.  He looked down at the front cover and felt color immediately rise to his face.  There, in a triad of enlarged color photos, was he and Aurora at Evergreen Lodge.  The top photo was one of him straddling her near the pond.  There was also one of him kissing her good-bye, and of the two of them dining at Evergreen Lodge.