Sasha tipped her head against the back of the chair. God, she was lucky to have Cassidy in her life. The best friend a girl could want and an amazing assistant who didn’t have an ounce of jealousy inside her. She was truly happy for Sasha’s seemingly overnight success.

When Sasha had moved into the small apartment with Cassidy, her new roommate had been working for an ad agency, and after Sasha’s sudden rise, Cassidy had been thrilled to become her personal assistant. And when Sasha bought a house in LA, she’d had Cassidy move in. There were plenty of rooms and enough privacy to go around.

“All set! Let’s go eat.”

A little while later, they were sitting inside at the Chester on the ground floor of the hotel. Cassidy had known to ask for indoor seating, skipping the outside biergarten that wrapped around the exterior. Sasha wanted privacy and she hoped she’d skip any autograph requests, but if someone asked, she rarely said no. The fans bought tickets to see her in her movies, after all.

She’d finished her grilled chicken sandwich with a tasty aioli sauce and an iced tea. Not wanting to discuss Xander, Sasha turned the subject to Cassidy’s boyfriend.

“Is Adam still giving you a hard time about being in New York?” Cassidy and Adam had been together since before Sasha had moved in. He’d been used to her having nine-to-five hours, and that wasn’t the case anymore.

Cassidy, who was stirring her soda, looked up and sighed. “He doesn’t understand the job. Or he doesn’t want to understand. I get that he feels neglected. I just don’t know what to tell him.”

Sasha leaned forward in her seat. “Do you want to go back? You can work from there, and I can always hire someone for when I travel.” She’d hate it but she would make it work for her friend.

“No.” Cassidy spoke immediately. “I love what I do and I love working with you. And traveling. This isn’t something I’d get to do otherwise, see foreign countries and stay at an upscale hotel. I was hoping he’d understand and wait. It’s not like we’re a married couple with a family. This is the time for me to do this.”

Sasha relaxed. “Okay. I just don’t want to be responsible for messing up your relationship.”

“And you aren’t.”

That settled, they gestured for a check and signed the bill with a generous tip to Sasha’s room.

As she stood up, Sasha felt an eerie prickle wash over her and glanced around.

Cassidy, who had started walking out, turned and headed back to where Sasha still stood. “What’s wrong?”