Chapter Thirteen
Noah
“So, tell me about this collaboration,” Noah said, trying to get Bree to talk to him as they got into the car and backed out of the driveway. He wanted to know anything she was willing to share about herself. Everything. Purely as a professional matter—it’s easier to protect people when you know their lives inside-out.
Bree sighed, a small frown overtaking her face. “It’s been on the calendar for a while, but I forgot to actually add it to the calendar because I talk to Steph so often there was no way I was going to forget it. Steph’s winter line is coming out this fall, and she needs some promo photos for it. The lodge over in White Mountain reached out to her because they’re opening up a high-end Italian restaurant. They offered to let Steph use their grounds in exchange for trying out the new restaurant so they could gain some traction. So we’ll photograph her fashion line with the models and then create content around the updated lodge and new restaurant, including a short live. The goal is to make it seem like people on the other end of the phone are getting an exclusive, insider sneak peek. It makes them feel important, but feels a little like emotional manipulation to me.” Bree muttered quietly.
“Sounds like marketing to me.” Noah chuckled lightly. “You seem sad about it, though. Are you anticipating trouble?”
“No, I love Steph. She’s my best friend. She’s engaging, smart, and super down-to-earth. Most importantly, she said there’d be Italian food, and it’s my favorite, so she didn’t have to ask me twice,” Bree said, a light laugh at the end of the statement brightening her overall countenance.
“So what’s got you down?” Noah asked.
“It is going to sound ungrateful.” Bree hedged, fidgeting with the coat in her lap. Noah wanted to reach over and place his hand on hers to still it. She didn’t need to be anxious. Not with him.
“Try me.” He said, not sure he’d met a less self-centered celebrity than Bree.
“It’s twofold. One…I’m doing some of the modeling.” Bree covered her face in mortification. It was kind of adorable.
“You’ll do a great job,” Noah said seriously. “What’s the second thing?”
“I never wanted to be famous or have a singing career.” She said softly.
Shock rippled through him. “You didn’t want to be a singer? Or famous?” He repeated kind of dumbly.
“Nope.” She said, popping her ‘p’ in the adorable way she did when she was confident about her answer. ”So doing things like this collaboration—even though I”m doing it strictly for Steph—is just so far out of my comfort zone. I don”t like to use my fame for personal gain, and imposter syndrome is real, even all these years later. I”m just a small-town girl from Kentucky.” She shrugged.
“So, how did you end up where you are?”
A heavy sigh from the passenger seat had him drifting his eyes over to her briefly before refocusing on the road in front of them.
“I was on social media just for me,” Bree said. “I had a lot of followers because I built a community that was fun. Silly dance routines, updates on the books I’d been reading. Booktok is a fun place to hang out—there are a lot of really fun people. I was just there to socialize since I couldn’t really do anything. I was lonely and desperate to connect with people. One day, I filmed myself while I was singing one of the songs I had written and posted it and it went viral. At first, it was fun singing the different songs people requested. My follower count went up, and more people started interacting with my posts so I started earning money from it. Then I was approached by the record label and offered a significant amount of money if I signed with them.”
Noah furrowed his brow in confusion. “You don’t seem like the type to take a job she’d hate for money.” He said slowly, hoping he didn’t inadvertently offend Bree with his comment.
She laughed lightly. “You’d be correct. I told them I’d think about it—just so I wouldn’t be considered rude. I wasn’t going to take it. I told my mom about it, and she and my dad got super emotional, telling me they’d run out of money and were not going to be able to pay Jessica’s medical bills and how this amount of money could be life-changing. Life-saving. We wouldn’t have to cut off life support from my sister because of our inability to pay. And that meant I couldn’t turn the record deal down. I would’ve been a monster. What kind of heartless woman lets her sister die because she didn’t want to take a well-paying job just because of a little introversion and anxiety?”
“So you have been trapped in a world you hate in order to help keep your sister’s care afloat,” Noah said, understanding dawning on him. It sounded like Bree had too much responsibility for far too long.
“Yep,” Bree said.
“That sounds awful,” Noah said honestly. “I can’t imagine staying in a job I hate—even if it was well paying.”
“So security is your dream job, then?” Bree asked, turning her head toward Noah and observing him quietly.
“It was. I really enjoyed working as a police officer after my time in the Corps, and going into private security was a logical next step. There wasn’t another security agency in our state, so I started the business and met some of my best friends.”
“Was?” Bree probed gently.
“I probably shouldn’t be sharing this since you’re a client.” He told her, laughing lightly, but sobering quickly. That was an incredibly true statement. His mental filters must’ve stayed behind in the living room along with his jaw which was probably still on the floor after seeing Aubrey.
“I won’t tell anyone. And I’ll even leave it out of my Yelp review.” She said with a wink, humor lacing her tone.
“Does anyone even use Yelp anymore?”
“Nope.” She said.
“Well, before this contract, I was starting to fall out of love with celebrity security. There was a level of entitlement and ungratefulness that grated on my nerves. Plus, there were no lines people wouldn’t cross. Whether that was our client trying to go against advice, or trying to come onto me after I said no, or someone trying to suck up to me so they could get in with the entourage, it was just never-ending. The lies, the deception, the self-centeredness, the entitled thinking that made people believe they were above the law or above other people. It wore on me. I was ready to take a break—maybe just handle the paperwork side of the business once my current contracts were complete.”
“And now…?” Bree asked quietly.
“Now I don’t think all celebrities are that way. You reminded me of why I started this business in the first place and challenged my thinking in the best way.”
That pretty blush stained her cheeks again and he reached his hand over and placed it over hers, giving a soft squeeze, lingering for just a moment before forcing himself to pull it away.
“I’ve met some really good people in the industry. Maybe you’ve just been stuck with the wrong ones.” She offered helpfully.
Bree was always looking for the silver lining—when did she think of herself? Of what she wanted? He just wanted her safe.
“Bree, why don’t you want cameras at your house? It really would add a helpful layer of security. Even though it is more reactive than proactive, it can help in the investigation.” Noah said, trying to get her to see reason.
Bree frowned, and Noah wanted to take back his question. But it was important. She was important. He waited and saw her shoulders drop out of the corner of his eye.
“When I got into the industry, I had a hard time making friends,” Bree said quietly. “As an introvert, it can be challenging to put yourself out there. Plus, I wasn’t interested in the party scene. One of the other singers at the label befriended me. I went over to her house, which had security like I did. A guard at the gate, cameras, the whole nine yards.” Bree said.
Noah felt his stomach sink. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like where this story was going.
“She had cameras everywhere. I was desperate for a friend—Steph hadn’t moved to California yet. She was still in Witsec, and we weren’t in contact. She invited me over for a movie night with some of the other women in the industry. Wine, popcorn, chocolates…I was excited and wanted to fit in. Then the men came over.” Bree said, a small shudder moving through her.
“What happened, Bree?” Noah asked, focusing on keeping his voice calm.
Bree took a deep breath as though she were steeling herself against the memories. “I was assaulted. I filed a report, but nothing was done. I was told that it was my own fault for being at the party, and I was intoxicated. That I didn’t really fight back.” She laughed humorlessly. “For the next year, I would periodically get a text from an unknown number with the video of my assault. I went back to the department, but the video came from burner numbers. No way to track who it was. It kept happening until I changed my number.”
“Bree…” Noah felt like he’d been punched in the gut. When Bree pushed back on cameras, it never occurred to him that the reason would be from something so…heinous. He wanted to go find the officers and court that dealt with her report. They should be fired—at minimum. He felt sick.
“So that’s why I don’t want cameras at my house. I don’t want to give anyone the ability to use footage of me—especially in my home—against me. Whether it’s for something serious—like being assaulted—or something silly like being clumsy. I know how the internet works.” She said seriously.
“I’m sorry, Bree. I didn’t know.”
“I know. But that’s why it’s important to make decisions as a team. I won’t put myself in that position again, Noah. Not unless the threat to my life outweighs the risk of a video being shared. It took years of therapy to come to terms with what happened to me, and it still keeps me up some nights.”
Noah nodded and let silence fill the car for several minutes. He wasn’t sure how to help her, but he could back off on the camera thing. She knew they were an option and, given the information she just shared, he would need to let her come to him. He still felt cameras were a good idea—but while he knew his team would treat the footage with the utmost care and confidentiality, the idea of anyone having footage of Bree—even if it was innocent footage—made him simultaneously want to hit something and vomit.
“Alright, pop quiz time,” Noah said, attempting to bring Bree out of her thoughts. Though this was a non-negotiable—Bree had to have his number memorized.
Bree looked over at him, surprised. “Why do I have to do this again? You’re in my contacts.”
“Because, as Peter would tell you, ‘only forty-nine percent of people in the U.S. have somewhere between two to five phone numbers memorized.’ What if there’s an emergency? What if you don’t have access to your phone or contacts and need to get in touch with me?”
“I don’t see that happening,” Bree grumbled before rattling off his phone number, a smile teasing the corners of her mouth.
“A-plus! Now keep that information stored in that beautiful brain of yours so you always have it.” He said seriously.
“For tonight, though, do you have a schedule of what we’ll be doing at this collab?” Noah asked her.
She laughed, and he suddenly found himself wondering what exactly he’d gotten himself into.
***
Aubrey
Noah’s words flitted through her mind on the drive up the mountain. From his thoughts on her own accidental trip into stardom to his own cynicism toward working celebrity details. She imagined it was grueling, and adding people who didn’t listen to you after pulling long days and putting your own life and reputation on the line for them would be doubly difficult. Guilt swarmed through her as she thought about how difficult she’d initially been with Noah when he’d been trying to keep her safe. It had to have been frustrating for a man like him, who was used to giving orders and having them obeyed.
Noah’s eyes were firmly fixed straight ahead as they turned around the last bend of the tree-lined road leading to the resort. They rounded the corner, and the large lodge with pretty lights took her breath away. While there wouldn’t be any snow for a while, the owners wanted to get their lodge in the front of people’s minds before snow season arrived. In this business, you had to be ahead of the curve, not behind it. Being behind it could mean the difference between a successful launch and failure. Bree really loved the family who owned the lodge—she’d stayed there on one of her trips through this part of the country—so hopefully, the marketing campaign was successful.
They pulled up under the eve and left the car with the valet. Noah walked over and opened the door for her, his warm hand resting on her lower back. Bree smiled up at him, and he smiled down back down at her. They stayed like that for just a moment before the doors opened, drawing their attention inside.
“Aubrey!” An excited voice rang out, and a pair of long arms wrapped around Bree.
“Steph!” Bree said joyfully. “How are you? We haven”t talked in forever!”
“It’s been like a week,” Steph argued playfully.
“That’s forever when it comes to you.” Bree joked back, warmth flowing through her.
“I couldn’t answer the phone and talk to you without spoiling it,” Steph replied seriously.
“Spoiling what?” Bree asked, linking her arm through Steph’s.
“Want to guess?” Steph whispered conspiratorially as they walked into the lodge.
“You are moving to Rhodes and are going to be my neighbor?” Bree asked, dutifully playing along.
Steph chuckled. “I wish. That town is gorgeous. But nope!” Steph pulled her arm out of Bree’s and held out her left hand to show off the shiny diamond resting on her finger. “I’m getting married! Adam proposed to me last weekend.” She sighed dreamily.
A large grin took over Bree’s face. “I’m so happy for you! Congratulations!! Your ring is beautiful,” Bree said excitedly, holding Steph’s hand up and examining it from every angle.
“Who’s the babe traveling with you?” Steph asked, giving a quick side glance at Noah before returning her attention to me.
“You don’t recognize him?” Bree asked, tilting her head slightly.
Steph shook her head. “Should I?”
“He’s my bodyguard,” Bree admitted quietly, though she would’ve loved to be able to dish something a little more fun.
“That’s Noah?” Steph asked, light shining through her eyes. “Are you going to introduce us?”
“Nope. You’ve got your matchmaker face on, and I don’t need a man. Especially right now.”
“Are those internet creeps still giving you trouble? Because I told you, you can always come stay with us.”
“Steph, your house is practically Fort Knox.”
She shrugged. “But the paparazzi can’t get in. And neither can just about anyone else.” She said, laughing. She caught sight of her fiancé across the room and squeezed Bree’s elbow.
“Excuse me. I’m going to talk to Adam for a minute, and then we can get started. I’m so happy you agreed to do this with me!”
“I’ll be here when you get back,” Bree reassured her, smiling as Steph walked quickly across the room and flung herself into her fiancé’s arm as though it had been weeks since they’d last seen each other rather than minutes.
“Everything good?” A deep, soothing voice whispered in Bree’s ear, the scent of coffee and caramel drifting toward her, a warm body close to her back. Her pulse raced, and heat flooded her cheeks. A warm hand came to rest on the small of her back when she failed to answer, and Bree could imagine a small furrow on Noah’s brow as he worried.
“It’s all good,” Bree told Noah seriously. “Steph just wanted to tell me that she got engaged.”
Noah watched me quietly. “How does that make you feel?” He asked.
“I’m happy for her. She’s my best friend. We don’t get to see each other much—our schedules are usually opposite—but we try to get together for coffee or a bookstore trip whenever we’re both in the area, and we try to vacation together at least once a year.”
“I haven’t had a chance to meet Steph. Have you met Adam?” He asked, his voice still close to Bree’s ear, causing a hot shiver to run down her spine.
“Yeah—we met last year when we all went on vacation together. He has always been super nice and attentive. They met while she was under his protection when he worked for the feds.”
“Really? When he worked for Witsec?”
“Yep.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that. I knew they met on the job, but I didn’t realize she’d been a client. Should she really be an influencer, then? I mean putting her face out there could be dangerous.” The disapproval rang clearly in his voice.
Bree shrugged. “Aside from the fact their home is a slightly smaller version of Fort Knox, you’d have to be at least a little crazy to cross Adam because he’s got a reputation in the more…undesirable circles of the world. If the term ‘morally gray’ had a picture next to it in the dictionary, it would be a photograph of Adam’s face. Besides, the people she had testified against died in prison. So there’s no one looking for her. Adam would never endanger Steph.”
“I know—I just…”
“Worry?” Bree asked.
“Yeah.”
“I know. You don’t have to worry about Adam and Steph, though. They’re good. And between Adam and his team, she is well cared for.” Bree looked up into Noah’s eyes, and he looked down into hers as her breath caught in her chest.
“Bree…you don’t have to worry either. I’ll keep you safe.” His eyes drifted down to her lips, and she cursed the zookeeper in her stomach, who let out the entire butterfly population. They moved infinitesimally closer to each other, Noah’s head leaning slightly toward hers. Her heart leaped, and the butterflies went wild.
“Bree!” Steph’s voice shouted from across the room. Bree jerked her head back and Noah cleared his throat, taking a small step back and dropping his hand from Bree’s lower back. Bree glanced at him before turning her attention over to Steph.
Steph smiled at Bree knowingly across the room. “Time to get started.” She said, giving a small eyebrow wiggle.
Bree laughed, trying to ignore her racing pulse, tap-dancing butterflies, and the heat staining her cheeks.
“I’m ready!” Bree called back.
“I bet you are.” She said cheekily. The blush in Bree’s cheeks burned hotter. Bree walked quickly across the room, hyperaware of Noah’s presence. He was like her very own book boyfriend come to life. There to provide comfort because he was always close by, but also capable of violence if the situation called for it. Minus the whole being her boyfriend part.
“Steph, this is Noah. Noah, Stephanie.”
“Nice to meet you,” Noah said as he reached out to shake Steph”s hand, his body still close enough for Bree to soak in some of his warmth.
“Nice to meet you too! Thanks for taking care of our girl.” Steph said seriously.
Bree mentally facepalmed. “Anyway,” She said, drawing out the word in hopes of changing the topic of conversation. “What are we going to attempt to finish tonight? And most importantly, is word of your engagement out?”
“We want to do some shots of us in my new fashion line just casually around the lodge, showcasing the different amenities. We’re trying to give best friends night out vibes. Then you and some of the other models will do some photographs around the lodge. Then we’ll set the other models free, and the four of us will have dinner in the new restaurant and film some of that. I can’t wait! And no, we haven’t made our engagement public yet. Why?”
“Might want to hand over the jewels to Adam then,” Bree said with a smile. “And sounds good. I’m all over girls” night out.”
“I’ll take them over to him. I haven’t seen O’Shea in forever.” Noah offered, holding his hand out for Steph’s ring. Steph smiled at him gratefully and placed the ring in his palm. Noah looked at Bree for a moment before walking over to where Adam was standing. Bree watched as he slapped Adam on the back and handed over the rings, both men smiling and chatting as they watched their women. Well, Adam was watching his woman. Noah was watching his client. Not the same thing. Though sometimes it felt like Noah looked at Bree the way Adam looked at Steph. Like she was the sun.
The next three hours were an interesting mix of fun and grueling as they traipsed around the lodge changing into several different outfits—all equally comfortable and stunning—and filmed in various areas. The food shots were Bree’s favorite because the food was to die for. Ten out of ten would recommend. Bree and Steph chatted for a few minutes before Noah walked over to Bree and placed his hand lightly on her lower back.
“Ready to go?” He asked softly. Bree nodded, gratefully—her social battery had run out ages ago but she so rarely got to see Steph in person that she forged through.
“I’ll see you later, Steph! I can’t wait to see the footage.” Bree said, smiling and waving as they walked out the door, and the valet opened her car door.
“Thanks,” Bree told him with a soft smile. He looked into Bree’s eyes a beat longer than she expected—as though he were waiting for something—before smiling back at her. A painful-looking scar dissected his right eyebrow.
“You’re welcome,” he said as he shut her door.
As soon as the car door shut, Bree slumped back in her seat and let out a deep breath.
“You good?” Noah asked, pulling out of the lot slowly.
“Yeah, just tired.” She replied, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.
“Why don’t you sleep on the trip back?”
“I’m not that tired,” Bree argued weakly, another yawn working its way out of her mouth.
Noah laughed. “Alright, Bree. Whatever you say.”
She watched the trees fly by in the moonlight as her eyelids got heavier and heavier, the stillness of the night and the quiet hum of the car lulling her into a daze. She closed her eyes for a moment and woke up abruptly when a hand shook her knee.
“Bree.” Noah’s voice said.
She tried to peel her eyes open but found they were rather opposed to that idea.
“Bree, you gotta wake up. We’re home.” Noah said, a small smile clearly evident in his voice.
Her eyes shot open at that. They still had over an hour and a half to go. She was sure she didn’t…
“How was your nap?” Noah asked.
Fall asleep…She groaned.
“I was just resting my eyes,” Bree said cheekily, clearing the sleep from her eyes and hopping out of the car.
Noah’s rich laugh vibrated through the space and coursed through her. She could listen to him laugh every day for the rest of her life and never tire of it. She waited for him to get out of the car and clear the house before walking in and dropping her purse and jacket in the closet by the front door.
“Still on for 8 am Monday?” Noah asked, leaning against the front door.
Bree groaned. “Unfortunately. We just need to be at the TV studio by 9:30 to film the commercial. So that should work.”
“Sounds good, Bree. I’ll see you then. Lock the door behind me.” Noah said, his lips drawing in a thin line, his brow furrowed slightly.
“You okay?” Bree asked softly.
Noah sighed. “I’m worried about the people who commented on your posts earlier, Bree. Several of them mentioned trying to get to you while you’re at home, and I’m not here around the clock to keep you safe. What if something happens while I’m gone? How did they even know you hired security?” An agonized look tore through his eyes as he ran a hand down his face tiredly.
“It was probably someone who saw us together—like Kyle,” Bree joked. Her smile fell, and she rested a hand reassuringly on Noah”s arm. ”I’ll be okay, Noah. No one seems to know where I live, and my tech guy has scoured the internet to be as sure as possible.”
“Promise you’ll call me if something happens. Even if it ends up being a raccoon or something in your yard. I’d rather be called for a hundred false alarms than take a chance and have something happen to you.”
“I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry—”
“Promise me, Bree. Please.”
“I promise. I’ll call you if anything weird happens—raccoon or otherwise.”
“I’ll see you Monday.”
“Eight sharp.”
“Eight sharp.” He smiled. “Lock up.” He reminded her once again before stepping outside into the night. Bree closed the door behind him and engaged the locks, watching through the peephole until Noah made it safely into his car and drove away.