CHAPTER ONE

KATE

And the award for most likely to scare a creepy-looking holy man goes to me, I mused, as I browsed the shelves of Rachel's Market for cough syrup. Usually, I had the creepers coming after me, but it seemed that my pajamas and four-days-unwashed blonde hair had finally done the trick. Every time I noticed the guy wearing baggy holy-man clothes, he immediately turned down another aisle as if he couldn't bear to look at me. 

Apparently, he wasn't interested in girls who looked like death to join his cult.

My gaze swept across the shelf until it landed on the glorious dark blue liquid that would finally allow me to get some sleep. I was tempted to open the bottle right there and take a swig so its magical powers could start working and allow my stupid cold to disappear for the night. But I decided against it. 

Someone would probably report me for stealing it, even if the store was almost empty at eleven-thirty at night.

The man peeked his head around the corner, his frizzy long hair hiding half his face. I looked away, not wanting to scare him with my wretched appearance again.

I dropped the cough syrup into my basket, atop a pile of cough drops, then walked to the end of the aisle to grab a gallon of chocolate milk. Chocolate milk always made things better. 

When I made it to the refrigerator section, Frizzy Guy was looking at the almond milk. Should I risk having him bolt away again? Did I really need my chocolate fix this late at night?

Yes. Chocolate would definitely solve all my problems.

So I waited for the holy man to make his selection. Hopefully, he wouldn't get too scared when he discovered I'd crept up right behind him. Though scaring him might actually be fun. 

I was just about to call out "Boo!" when he reached into the fridge. He brought out a carton of unsweetened almond milk—of course he was above having sugar—and stepped back, knocking into my basket.

"Oh, sorry," he quickly said, turning to face me. 

And when he looked at my face, his posture immediately stiffened.

Wow, I must look even worse than I thought. I’d startled him so badly that he was now frozen to his spot.

It was then that I took a moment to really study him. 

He looked much taller and younger up close. And were those baggy clothes hiding a muscular physique? His tanned cheekbones were smooth, not wrinkly like I'd imagined they'd be. 

And part of his beard was falling off?

What the—?

This may be L.A., but what in the world was going on with this guy? Was he some sort of psycho method actor?

My eyes met the man's deep blue ones. And recognition slowly washed over me. I could never forget those eyes; I'd lost myself in them so many times growing up. This holy man was not a stranger at all. It was my older brother Aiden's best friend. 

His extremely good-looking best friend whom I hadn't seen in person since Aiden's funeral seven years ago.

"Drew?" I asked. "Is that you?" How had I not recognized him before?

A finger flew to his mouth. "Shhh. Don't say my name out loud." He glanced around to make sure no one had heard.

"What's going on? Why are you dressed like that?"

"It's my disguise," he whispered. "I didn't want anyone to know who I was."

"Well, it worked," I said.

Drew shrugged, lifting the part of his beard that was falling off and pushing it back against his chin. "I've been dodging a group of girls for the last ten minutes. I thought I might have seen you, but I wasn't quite sure. I mean, it's been a while, and I've never seen you so…um…so…"

"You've never seen me so gross?" I finished for him. Why did I have to run into him when I looked like death?

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Sure."

Drew's eyes wandered to the basket hanging on my arm. "Got a cold, I'm guessing."

I quickly covered my left hand with my right when I realized I’d forgotten to wear my fake wedding ring to the store. Even though we hadn't seen each other in years, I was pretty sure my mom had sent Drew a wedding announcement. 

"No…I'm undercover, too." I laughed awkwardly but had to stop because I felt another coughing fit coming on. Once it passed, I said, "Okay, so maybe I have a cold."

"I thought so." He glanced around, and I couldn't tell if he was looking for his stalkers, or if he really just wanted to get away from me. But I needed to try to fix what happened between us. I hated the way we'd left things all those years ago. Aiden would want us to make things better.

"What's with the get-up anyway?" I asked. The Drew I knew from years ago would never dream of leaving the house without making sure each hair was in its perfect spot. Plus, didn’t he have a housekeeper or personal assistant to run his errands for him?

"It's the only way I can go out in public these days. Ever since I signed on to be the bachelor for Finding Your Soulmate, I haven't been able to go anywhere without having at least one girl freaking out on me. I really just wanted to grab a carton of milk without being mobbed."

Of course, I realized. Drew was the Billionaire Bachelor; it was a given that he'd have flocks of girls stampeding after him everywhere he went.

"Did you just get back from filming then?" I asked, hoping he'd continue our conversation. "Here, let's go down that way. Sorority girls are probably less likely to be searching for you in there." I nodded toward the feminine hygiene aisle.

Drew made a face like it was the last place he wanted to go, but when a chorus of high-pitched squeals sounded from nearby, he rushed forward.

"We got back last month. Right before Thanksgiving," he said, answering my question.

"We? As in you and your fiancée?" I prodded.

He shook his head with a smile that said he knew I was trying to get him to slip up on his secret. "I meant, we as in me and the rest of production."

"They trained you well." I grinned. "Did you have to practice that with the producers before they allowed you back in public again?"

"That, and the fact that they could sue me if I spoiled the ending is helping me keep tight-lipped."

"Which would set you back so far," I joked. Even though we hadn't seen each other in person for years, it was hard to miss seeing him in the media. He had done very well for himself. What was a hundred-thousand-dollar lawsuit when you had billions of dollars to your name?

He shook his head and gave me a humble smile. 

Maybe all the fame and money hadn't gone to his head like I'd assumed when I saw the promo for this show’s season. "I guess I'm still not used to that. And even if I didn't mind being sued, I'd hate to spoil the show for you. I remember how much you used to love watching it."

"How thoughtful of you." I smiled. "Can you say anything about your time as the bachelor?"

Drew pursed his lips as he was thinking…which looked ridiculous what with his fake shaggy mustache poking out on the sides.

"I'll just say this, it was a lot harder to be the bachelor than I thought."

“Yeah.” I almost snorted. "Dating twenty-five beautiful women is so hard. I bet all the guys who watch the show feel so bad for you."

"Yeah, yeah," he said dismissively, tucking some loose strands from his frizzy wig behind his ears. At least it better be a wig. "Anyway, what have you been up to? I got your announcement. Sorry I wasn't able to make it to your wedding last summer."

I tightened my grip on my left hand and gave him the answer I'd given all of my old friends over the past few months. 

"Things are great!" I pumped enthusiasm into my voice. "I'm working part-time for a newspaper and still working on my screenplays when I get the chance."

He didn't seem to notice I'd left out anything regarding Nolan. 

Which was good. 

I really didn't want to go into the fact that I'd been blind enough not to see the warning signs before jumping into a marriage that only lasted a couple of months. 

"Good for you." Drew's grin broadened. "That's awesome you're still writing screenplays. Have you tried getting one of them out there yet?"

I shrugged. I’d probably sound like such a failure in his eyes. While he'd found more success than anyone ever dreamed of, I'd never even gotten anyone to take a look at my work. "I tried shopping one really hard last year, but I didn't have any bites. I guess it helps if you actually have a connection in the business." Yet another thing I'd failed at.

My old roommate, Ivy Evans, had been friends with the famous actor, Justin Banks, in high school. But since Ivy hated him after he’d stood her up on prom night, I didn’t exactly feel comfortable trying to get Ivy to pass my screenplays along to Justin.

"I'm sure you'll sell one soon. I quite enjoyed those short films you used to drag me and Aiden into making with you."

My cheeks flushed when I thought about the things I used to talk Drew and Aiden into doing. I’d been such a nerd. "You're just being nice."

Drew grinned. "I totally liked being the sultan of the universe and having Aiden as my servant."

A somber smile lifted my lips at the memory of my older brother. Oh, how I missed him. "He really did hate that he was always the servant and you were the king, boss, or whatever."

"He always told me how he was going to help you get your big break someday, so he could watch someone else be the servant for a change." Drew's eyes met mine, the heartache behind the blue mirroring my own. "Aiden always bragged about how his sister won first place in the Coventry Film Festival her senior year. He couldn't wait to see it."

If only he'd had the chance.

"So how is married life treating you anyway?" Drew asked, changing the subject. "I still can't believe you're old enough to be married."

"DREW BURROWS!" 

We turned our heads to see a group of college girls in matching pink shirts marching toward us.

Drew sighed. "Looks like I need a better disguise." 

"Or a better housekeeper to save you the trip in the first place." I smiled. 

This was my first time talking to an actual billionaire, but they all had housekeepers, right?

"Carmella has been sick, so sadly I have to be a big boy and stock the fridge for myself tonight." He smirked, which let me know he knew how ridiculous that sounded. His eyes darted to the girls waiting for him. "It was really good to see you again. I hope you get over your cold soon. Tell Nolan I said hi." 

He didn't come to our wedding, yet he knew Nolan's name?

I shook my head.

Of course he did. 

Nolan's family was rich. Rich people always knew other rich people.

I swallowed, not having it in me to tell him that Nolan was living with his college girlfriend now. "Yeah, I'll tell him."

I watched as Drew approached the group of girls. And since I was already in the aisle and had no shame left, I grabbed myself a box of tampons off the shelf. Having all my supplies in the basket now, I turned to escape out the aisle the opposite way just as Drew was asking the girls who the detective was and how he thought for sure no one would recognize him. Which was followed by a chorus of giggles.

Yeah, I thought, being "The Billionaire Bachelor" is so hard.

I drove home to the apartment Nolan and I had moved into when we'd gotten married—the apartment I wouldn't be able to afford once the year he'd pre-paid on was up.

I downed a dose of cough syrup and climbed in my empty bed, wishing, not for the first time, things had gone differently that spring night seven years before.