Page 135 of See You There

“Please?I don’t want to pursue this. It will just lead to more problems.”

Luke nodded. “Fine.”

“Is that a realfine? Or, is it like when you told me ‘fine’ after I told you not to look into Scott, and you did it anyway?”The angry words exploded out of her, and James looked like he wished he could escape from the elevator.

Luke held her gaze. “I’ve made that mistake once. I won’t do it again. If you don’t want me to pursue the issue with Chandler, I won’t.”

Dahlia could see in his face what the admission cost him. “Good.”

“Can I give you a ride home?” he asked.

James looked between them before pacing to the second set of elevators that would take them to the parking garage.

Dahlia’s heart clenched. She wanted to say yes. Part of her knew Luke had meant no harm in what he did, but their time apart had given her time to think. No matter which way she twisted the argument in her head, the two of them together made little sense.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

His mouth immediately opened to argue.

“At the cabin, things were different.” Dahlia’s chest ached. “We were removed from the world, and it gave us a false sense of… We got carried away.”

“I know you’re still angry. I’m sorry. You were right. It wasn’t my choice to make. What can I do?”

Dahlia felt as if her chest were cracking open. “Iamstill mad. But that’s not why we wouldn’t work together. Nothing about our lives is compatible. You’re established in a career you love here in Atlanta. You hated when the reporter fromEntertainment Now!turned the camera on you. You don’t want to live life in the public eye, and I understand your reasons.

“But my dreams mean my life will always be under some scrutiny, and that would mean you, too.” Her lips twisted in a crooked smile. “Ilikethe spotlight.”

“We could come to a compromise,” Luke insisted, his eyes pleading with her.

“One of us would always feel like they were dimming their own light for the other. Particularly right now. With the press release about my family, there will be even more scrutiny on me. Add in Hank and the premiere. Your family has their own stuff going on.” Dahlia smiled sadly. “Ever heard the phrase, ‘right person, wrong time?’ I think that’s us.”

“I don’t accept that! We’ll make it work.”

Dahlia recognized the stubborn look on his face. As much as she wanted to fold—andoh god, her heart was begging her to agree with him—following her heart had led her astray too many times. Shehadto listen to her head… No matter how much it hurt. It would be worse to be with Luke and then have it end with him resenting her.

“Are you going to give up your practice so that you can be with me wherever I’m filming? Sometimes for months at a time?You’d be happy to walk the red carpets with me? Cameras and reporters speculating, asking questions about you? Your family? Your mother?”

Luke’s eyes flickered with doubt, and his jaw clenched. It was all she needed to see. Dahlia’s lungs were so tight she could barely breathe, and the dull ache in her chest had graduated to sharp pain behind her breastbone. She had to get the words out. “I love you too much to let you do that.” Luke’s face slacked, but Dahlia didn’t regret saying it.

Item #1 Be Honest

“I can never thank you enough for what you’ve done for me. You gave me the courage to be Dahlia again.” Her voice broke, and she had to bite hard on the inside of her cheek to hold the sob in.

“Please don’t do this,” Luke whispered, his own eyes glistening. “I love you. We can make it work.”

The pain in his face broke the tight control she was exerting, and tears slid down her cheeks. “Love isn’t always enough,” she whispered on a broken breath, before she turned and walked away.

“Let me get this straight,”her sister said over the phone. “He’s in love with you, and you’re in love with him, but you’re not even going to try to see if you guys can make it work?”

“You don’t understand.” Dahlia sniffed, spooning another bite of double chocolate chip in her mouth. “It’s not that simple. His family is already kind of famous, and he hates it. He even told me he hated people talking about him because of his last name. How would he feel being talked about because of who he is dating? You should have seen the look on his face the one timea reporter tried to film him—that’s my life! Or at least I hope it will be. I can’t do that to him, and I will not give up my dreams for him.”

“Did he ask you to?”

“No,” Dahlia admitted. “Luke really is the nicest guy. He was so sweet.” She coughed, trying to hide the catch in her voice.

“Oh, Dahlia,” Hannah sighed. “Why are you as so insistent on making yourself miserable?”

“I’m not!”