“Love, patience, understanding, friendship. We could all use more of those things, regardless of age. She’s not overly intrusive. She’ll just check on you now and then. See how you’re doing. And she might try to get you to come over to the house—especially if you’re going to be alone for Christmas.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “Won’t the rest of your family be there on Christmas?”

“Yes.”

“Then, I’ll pass. But... I guess I wouldn’t mind meeting her.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll bring her over later tonight and save her the trouble of trying to figure out another way to make contact with you.”

Nine

Tia couldn’t believe she’d agreed to allow Seth to bring his mother over to the guesthouse. The more people she associated with, the greater the chances of the press finding out where she was. Two different tabloids had already offered her a sizable amount of money to provide them with an exclusive interview and pictures. But they were crazy if they thought she could tolerate a photo shoot.

Even if the press didn’t become a problem, there could be local fans who would resort to extreme measures to invade her privacy. And she was too fragile for that. The panic that welled up at the thought that it wasn’t safe to open her door nearly paralyzed her.

On the flip side, remaining inside the guesthouse alone all day, every day, with nothing constructive to do, wasn’t healthy, either. She was drifting further and further from the person she’d once been, after she’d adjusted and found herself in LA, and all the people she loved. That was never more apparent than when she checked her phone and saw all the texts of concern she couldn’t bring herself to read from friends she’d met in acting school or while making the movie.

Focusing on the fact that the last two encounters she’d had with Seth had been positive, she refused to allow herself to call him and cancel. To ensure she didn’t, she plugged her phone into the charger in the bedroom before curling up on the couch and turning on the TV.

She intended to take only a short nap so she’d have the energy to clean up the place. But the next thing she knew, someone was knocking on her door.

“Tia? Hello?”

It was Seth. Groggy and discombobulated, she reached for her phone, patting the blanket she’d used to cover herself until she remembered leaving it on the charger. She couldn’t check the time, but it was obvious she’d overslept. The light that crept around the edges of the blinds during the day was gone.

How long had it been?