Page 106 of Hideaway Heart

And yet...here I was. Holding onto her like I was scared the world might end.

A celebrity. A fucking celebrity.

Served me right.

* * *

Around noon, I took Kelly’s car—a tiny little BMW convertible I barely fit in, the thing was like a toy—and went out to grab some lunch. Her driver had picked her up earlier for a meeting with someone about a possible film project, and then she was heading to a dress fitting.

I parked in a public lot downtown and walked around until I found a sandwich shop on a quiet side street off Broadway. I ordered a combo, debated taking it to go, but ended up grabbing a table by the window facing the street. When I was done with my sandwich and chips, I gave Austin a call.

“You back?” he asked.

“Not yet,” I said, fighting off guilt. “Soon. I booked a flight for Thursday morning.”

“Cutting it close.”

“I know, sorry. How are things there?”

“All good. Barstools finally arrived today.”

“Fuckingfinally.” Relief eased some of the tension in my neck and shoulders.

“They look great.”

“Good. Thank you for everything. I owe you guys.”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s what family is for. Veronica is there now if you want to call her.”

“I will. Speaking of Veronica.” I paused. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

Outside the window, a couple walked by, hand in hand. “If she’d gone back to New York, would you have tried to make it work?”

“Yes. But I’d have done everything in my power to convince her not to go.” He paused. “Is this about Kelly?”

“Yeah. I’m just—” I groped for words that would encapsulate how I felt about her. “Struggling with leaving her behind.”

“In Nashville? Or in life?”

“Both,” I admitted. “But I can’t see how it will work. Her career means everything to her. My bar is important to me. Our lives are so far apart.” I frowned. “This is stupid. It won’t work.”

“You haven’t even tried yet.”

“Because what’s the point? Would you want to date someone who lived twelve hours from you?”

“If that’s what it took.”

“It would drive me crazy, Austin, being so far away from her, not knowing what assholes are hanging around her, trying to get a piece of her. I’d worry about her all the time.”

“When you’re in love, fear comes with the territory.”

“I’m not in love with her,” I said quickly, but my heart knew it was a lie.

“You will be.”

Exhaling, I watched a woman with red hair walk past the window, and just the shade of her ponytail made my heart skip a beat. “I don’t like this feeling. I don’t like being afraid. I’ve worked so fucking hard not to be scared of anything. I’ve faced down every possible fear you can imagine—even death.”