Xander nodded. It wasn’t like he could miss learning about Sasha’s life. Not the way she was constantly splashed across tabloids, social media, and the news. He’d wondered if she’d grown up, changed, and found other priorities, but Dash was right.

Every photo showed her hanging out with her male co-stars, every article and caption insinuating she had a tendency to relationship hop, and eventually Xander stopped paying attention.

Dash placed a hand on Xander’s shoulder before dropping it. “I just wouldn’t want her to hurt you again.”

“She’d have to get close to me for that to happen.” But he appreciated Dash’s concern. “I need that run.” He slid his phone into the armband he kept on his counter and velcroed it to his bicep. His Bose earbuds came next.

“You’ll feel better after you pound out that frustration on the pavement.” Dash slapped him on the back. “Hey, if you want to make Sasha jealous, I could introduce you to someone you can bring with you on set.”

“A groupie?” Xander frowned, the idea holding no appeal. His brother’s rock-star lifestyle was not for him, and someday it was going to catch up to his brother. “Thanks but no thanks,” he said, though Dash had raised an eyebrow as if he’d really expected Xander to say yes.

Dash shrugged. “Your choice. Okay, I’m out of here, too. Yell if you need me.”

“Will do,” Xander said and walked out with his brother, Bella trotting alongside them.

***

Sasha Keaton folded her favorite sleep shirt and placed it in her suitcase, followed by item after item on her bed. Beside her, Cassidy Forrester, her best friend and personal assistant, sat on the chair by Sasha’s vanity area, her iPad open as they discussed travel arrangements for their trip to New York.

Sasha zipped her piece of luggage closed, ignoring the twisting in her stomach every time she thought about the man whose movie she’d accepted a part in.

“So, we leave tomorrow at nine twenty a.m. and land around six New York time,” Cassidy said, reading off the itinerary. “We’re staying at the Gansevoort, with you in a one-bedroom suite with an outdoor terrace, and I have an adjoining king room next door.”

“Excellent. You’ll have your own space to sleep, and we can hang out in the suite.”

Sasha met Cassidy when she’d answered an ad for a room in a two-bedroom apartment after she’d wrapped a movie in France. She’d returned to LA coming off a breakup she didn’t want to think about now but would have to deal with soon. In Cassidy, Sasha had found both a roommate and a best friend at a low point in her life.