Chapter 59
Lana had lived in the city her whole life, so she knew the good local spots.
The barbecue place she'd chosen wasn't big or fancy, but it had been around for years and had a reputation for being consistently good. It was the kind of place locals recommended and visitors sometimes went out of their way to try.
On summer nights like this, small tables spilled onto the sidewalk, almost every one of them occupied.
Emma came out to meet Julian.
The moment she stepped outside, she spotted the familiar black Mercedes van parked nearby and headed toward it.
The windows were dark enough that she couldn't see inside.
Julian, however, could see her perfectly.
He'd been watching the entrance ever since they arrived. The moment Emma appeared, his attention locked onto her.
She was still wearing the black tank top and red cargo pants from the Verve event. The night breeze caught her long hair as she walked, and under the streetlights she looked completely different from the cheerful fan he remembered.
Julian had seen Emma excited, playful, even dramatic.
He'd never seen her quite like this.
His heartbeat stumbled.
Emma, completely unaware that he was staring, reached the van and knocked twice on the door.
Knock, knock.
Julian's breath caught.
His assistant opened the sliding door.
Their eyes met without warning.
Something like panic flashed across Julian's face, and he instinctively tugged the brim of his cap lower.
Then Emma smiled.
"Julian!"
Emma Carter, professional admirer, was officially back on the clock.
Money was money. Big payments, small payments—she respected them all.
Five hundred dollars wasn't nothing, especially from someone she'd worked with for years. There was every chance the fan organizer would ask Julian later how Emma had behaved tonight, and Emma wasn't about to disappoint a reliable client.
That cheerful greeting left Julian staring at her for a good three seconds.
He knew it was perfectly normal for a fan to sound excited when greeting a singer she liked.
Still, something about hearing it from her in private felt different.
She'd greeted him like this before, but usually with other fans around. Tonight it was just the two of them at the van door, and her voice sounded bright and sweet in the warm summer air.
Julian's smile returned.
"Emma."
There.
He'd known it.
Nothing had changed. Whatever happened that afternoon had been some kind of special circumstance.
He stepped out of the van.
"Your friend isn't upset that I'm joining you, right?"
Emma shook her head.
"No. She's actually really excited."
Julian relaxed.
So the friend probably wasn't a boyfriend.
A boyfriend would've been considerably less enthusiastic about another man joining them for dinner.
"Good. I didn't want to interrupt your plans."
For someone normally cheerful and outgoing, Julian seemed oddly shy tonight. He kept stealing glances at Emma as they walked, with none of the distance or self-importance she might have expected from someone as famous as he was.
Emma found that mildly surprising.
Celebrities were surrounded by people flattering them all day. A little arrogance would've been understandable.
Julian didn't seem to have much.
The fan organizer had good taste.
"You're not interrupting anything. Lana listens to your music all the time."
They walked toward the restaurant together, naturally drawing attention.
Julian's cap and mask hid most of his face, but they couldn't hide his height or lean build. Even without knowing who he was, people looked twice.
Emma was considerably harder to ignore.
A few people discreetly lifted their phones. From the curious looks following them, more than one person had apparently decided they made a very good-looking couple.
Several men who had noticed Emma earlier and considered approaching her quietly abandoned the idea once Julian appeared beside her.
Lana was waiting at the table, suddenly much more nervous than she'd expected.
This was the closest she'd ever been to an actual celebrity.
According to everything she'd read online, Emma was Julian's fan.
But Julian had left a brand dinner halfway through to come eat barbecue with one particular fan.
Was that normal?
It didn't feel normal.
Lana narrowed her eyes slightly.
She would observe.
Carefully.
The future of her favorite workplace romance might depend on it.
"This is my friend, Lana Young," Emma said when they reached the table.
Julian smiled.
"Hi."
Lana immediately stood.
"Hi. It's really nice to meet you."
She had no idea what else people were supposed to say to celebrities in real life, but that seemed safe enough.
The table was small, with bench seating on either side.
Emma gestured toward the inside seat.
"Julian, sit over there. It'll be harder for people to recognize you."
She'd already noticed several customers trying to get a better look at him.
Ironically, the baseball cap and mask almost made him look more like a celebrity.
At least he'd removed the distinctive chain he often wore on his pants.
Julian slid onto the inner side of the bench.
Emma sat beside him and handed him the menu.
"See what you want."
She and Lana had deliberately slowed down once they knew he was coming. Otherwise they'd be finished by now, leaving Julian to eat alone while the two of them watched.
Julian really was hungry. He'd barely eaten at the other restaurant.
After adding several things to the order, he looked up.
"Barbecue needs beer. You guys drinking?"
"Sure," Emma said.
Lana nodded. "I'm in."
Julian ordered a pitcher for the table.
Emma normally wouldn't have added it herself, especially at a casual barbecue place.
Tonight was different.
Someone else had offered to cover the bill.
Wonderful concept.
While they waited for the new food, there were still a few skewers left from Emma and Lana's earlier order.
Julian pulled down his mask, picked one up, and took a bite.
"I'm starving."
Emma and Lana both looked at him.
For a major celebrity, he was surprisingly easygoing.
He didn't seem bothered that the food had already been sitting on their table. A small tabletop warmer had kept everything hot anyway.
The beer arrived first.
Emma poured Julian a glass, then filled one for herself and Lana.
She lifted hers.
"To Julian being in town."
Julian picked up his glass, visibly pleased.
"Thanks for letting me crash your dinner."
They clinked glasses.
Emma and Lana each took a sip.
Julian finished his.
Emma's eyebrows rose.
"Wow. You can drink."
Lana glanced at Emma.
For one brief second, she recognized that expression.
She'd seen it before.
At the office.
Back when Emma had still been following Adrian around, praising everything he did like he'd personally invented oxygen.
Lana slowly lowered her beer.
Wait.
Had Emma switched targets?
Her eyes moved from Emma to Julian.
Oh, no.
Adrian might actually be in trouble.