“Later, ’gator,” I say.

He smiles. “See you, my favourite Australian barista.”

“You might just have inched in as my favourite Canadian again.”

After a peck to my lips, he turns and walks toward the plane. I let out a sigh and watch until he reaches the foot of the stairs.

Jessie stands in the door to the plane, and I can feel her evil eye from where I’m standing.

It doesn’t deter Josh.

I turn, and start my long walk across the airstrip back to the car.

“Delaney!” he yells.

I look back over my shoulder. Josh is halfway up the stairs.

“What?”

“Send nudes.”

I flip him off.

He just grins at me.

“I love you!” I yell.

“Bye, beautiful.”

I get one last glimpse before he disappears inside and I run back to the car, so I can watch the plane take off.

As it does, my heart goes with it.

This time, it’s not torn apart. But it’s far from whole.

Thirty

Delaney

It’s been six weeks since Josh left.

Despite his vow to call me every day, he’s been filming in a jungle in the Philippines for the past week and unable to call.

He knew going in it’d be difficult, so at least he warned me, but it’s been tough. Especially when some gossip site has photos of him on set with his new co-star.

Another romance for Josh Carter the headline screams at me. We don’t get a lot of reporters hanging around our town that I know of. The fact these photos leaked out of the jungle tells me there’s someone on the cast or crew who did it.

I know better, but it hurts.

He looks happy, and it doesn’t help that the actress he’s working with is a former model and stunningly gorgeous. Jessie Lane is a good-looking woman, but Gabby Reynolds puts all us mere mortals in the shade. It’s like she was created by Zeus himself.

The photos show them laughing and joking, and then there’s the icing on the cake: her heading into Josh’s trailer right behind him.

I know he loves me. I know there’s an explanation.

But right now, I’m lying in bed watching Grey’s Anatomy and cramming a bag of potato chips into my mouth as fast as possible while trying not to think about it.

When my phone buzzes beside me, I pick it up and look at the screen.

Josh.

“Hey, baby,” he says.

“Hi.”

“I’ve missed talking to you. We were in this damn jungle, and the reception really was non-existent. I tried to get a satellite phone, but that proved to be too hard. I’ll make sure we have one when we go back.”

I swallow. “You’re going back?”