“They’re on the table. But before you go, take these.” She handed me some business cards, both hers and mine. “Just in case.”
It wasn’t worth arguing about. “Thanks. I need to get on the road. Wish me luck!”
“I wish you kisses and a new boyfriend!” she said as I walked out our door.
Ha. Fat chance of either one of those things happening.
It took me a bit longer to get to Noah’s house than I’d anticipated. He lived in a gated community, but the guard was expecting me and just waved me through. Then it was dark and the roads were winding and Google Maps was being strangely coy about where I should be going.
I eventually found it, and he had a long driveway with no lights. I turned on my brights and inched my way up the incline. I was surprised when I reached the top and found a tiny little bungalow that was well lit both inside and out. I’d expected a mansion, to be honest.
There was a strange lump in my throat as I turned off the van, climbed down from the driver’s seat, and made my way to the front door. I heard a dog barking loudly as I stood on his porch, and for some reason that sound made me feel better. I rang the doorbell and braced myself for impact.
But to my surprise, it wasn’t Noah who answered the door.
It was Lily Ramsey. His Duel of the Fae costar. She was holding a small white terrier that was yipping away with all his might, wriggling to get free of her arms.
“You must be Juliet!” she yelled over her dog. “Come in!”
While I adored her as Aliana Morningsong, she didn’t have the same effect on me that Noah had. I was not bewildered and shocked like I’d been with him. I wondered what she was doing there and how she knew who I was, but my brain stayed fully engaged, and I was pretty sure I’d be able to have a conversation with her.
I followed her into the house and was even more surprised. This house was dark and small, with wood paneling and avocado-colored carpeting. I wasn’t sure what he’d been going for, but the decor was log cabin meets 1970s shagadelic. The kind of place where after he’d been arrested for murder the neighbors would tell the media, “He was quiet and kept to himself.”
Shelby would wail and gnash her teeth when I told her about this.
Lily led me into a living room that had a couch and nothing else in it. Not even any pictures. She sat down on one end of the sole piece of furniture, and I sat on the other.
“I’m going to let him go. He’s harmless,” she assured me in her lilting British accent. She and Noah had insane chemistry on-screen. Lots of online fans stanned them in real life and wanted them to be together, despite the fact that she was married. They would probably freak out if they knew they were friends who had playdates with their dogs.
I was a little in awe of how stunningly pretty she was, even without any makeup on and her long blonde hair up in a bun. Her features were delicate and her frame slight. She didn’t seem so tiny on the big screen. She possessed one of those infectious smiles that made you smile in response, and I found myself feeling even more at ease.
I nodded, and she released him. He finally stopped barking and immediately ran over to me to sniff my hands. “And who is this adorable little fella?”
“This is Blueberry. I would scold him for the barking, but he’s quite deaf. It was the reason I adopted him. I figured if anyone needed a home, it was him.”
This made me like her even more. “That’s really neat.”
“He’s been one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I adopted him right before the Fae trilogy started and would bring him to set with me, and he and Magnus became the best of friends. So whenever I’m in the same city as Noah, I tend to drop in unannounced so they can have a doggy playdate. And speaking of Noah, Magnus managed to get outside again and he’s trying to coax him back in. He’s quite the escape artist. Noah asked me to entertain you until he returns.”
“Should we go help?” I asked.
“There’s no one quite so capable as Noah. He’ll wrangle him back in. He always does. It helps that the man is enormous and strong and could probably drag a polar bear inside if he had to. So how long have you known Noah?”
“We met last week. We only spoke for a few minutes.”
Lily’s eyes sparkled at me. “Really? How fun.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s the kind of man who will exchange pleasantries with you and then two minutes later he’ll ask about your relationship with your father. He loves to go deep and ferret out your emotional baggage and uncover your deepest secrets.”
My heart lurched to one side. That wasn’t good. I couldn’t let that happen. I would remember that this was strictly business.
I was going to be strong when I saw him again. I wouldn’t think of him as a gorgeous, delicious beast of a man. He was just a dog owner and he had hired me, nothing more. I would not melt like an icicle in the desert. I wouldn’t.
Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up. If her smile was infectious before, it was downright dazzling now. “That’s Todd, my husband. He’s wondering if I’ve left already. I should get going. Will you be all right?”
She was just going to leave me here? “Of course.”
“Great. I’m in and out of LA, and if you don’t mind, I’d love to use your services in the future. I could always use a good dog groomer that I can rely on. And if Noah’s letting you come to his home, well, it says a lot about your trustworthiness.”
It did? “I’d love that.”
“Brilliant.”
It was then that I remembered the business cards Shelby had put in my back pocket. She was like some kind of seer. “I have a card, if you like.”
“Oh no, it won’t do you any good to give it to me, because I’ll lose it. So I’ll just get your number from Noah. Toodles!” She picked up Blueberry and made her way to the front door. I heard the door close and sat on the couch in silence. I was tempted to get up and explore but figured that would be rude and probably the worst way to start out our professional relationship.
I did look around, and from where I was sitting, I could see part of the kitchen with its orange cabinets and mustard-yellow appliances. It hurt my eyes to look at it.
I heard a sliding glass door opening and a dog barking and a man grunting. Something large hit a wall. It sounded like he needed help. I followed the noise and found them in a massive library that was filled with hundreds of books.
My breath caught when I saw him. Noah had on a black T-shirt and jeans and was covered in as much dirt as Magnus was, like they’d been wrestling around outside. He was every bit as overwhelming as the last time I’d seen him and somehow sexier as he held his very large and heavy dog in his strong arms with ease.
Every single bit of my resolve to be strong fled.
I was in trouble.
CHAPTER FIVE
“You made it!” he said, his deep voice tinged with exhaustion and amusement.
“I did. Hi. Um, Lily Ramsey let me in and we talked and she introduced me to Blueberry and then she explained about Magnus and then I heard you come in and it sounded like you needed some assistance, so I came in here . . .” I let my voice trail off. I sounded like I was having a stroke. “Is there anything I can do to help?”