The only good thing was that it got the media focus off of Nick. She’d called him the minute the story hit, to assure him it wasn’t remotely true. He’d seemed to understand, but he also was a bit distant lately as if something had shifted. She’d never had trouble reaching him before—now her calls often went to voice mail and he called her back hours later. Each time, he said he’d been out with friends or family at a bar or restaurant where it was too loud to talk on the phone and he didn’t want to be rude to his friends, either. She understood that, but she’d also gotten used to being his first priority, so it didn’t feel so good to be shifted down the list. But, at the same time, she was glad he was getting out and having fun. She just wished she was there with him.

She still had another whole month of filming ahead of her. They were on a six day a week schedule to wrap as soon as possible, which was good, but it didn’t leave enough time for even a quick trip to Nantucket. Once they wrapped, she planned to fly there immediately. She couldn’t wait to see Nick. And in the meantime, she was trying to come up with a way to stay there longer. She had something in the works and was crossing her fingers and hoping that everything would fall the way it needed to. Then she could share her good news with Nick. And hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late for them.

Chapter 39

Bella was being all mysterious and Nick was intrigued. Her plane was due in at a quarter to four and Nick was at the Nantucket airport at three thirty. She’d been hinting for a few weeks that she had something big brewing but didn’t want to say anything until it was certain. She was afraid she’d jinx herself. He tried to get her to spill but she just told him to be patient and when she saw him, she’d explain everything and hopefully have some very good news to share. She was still waiting on a final phone call, which hadn’t come before she left L.A.

He parked, went into the airport and got a cup of coffee while he waited. It was a Friday afternoon so there was a steady stream of private jets flying in and taking off. Right on time, he saw a Jet Blue plane landing and walked outside to wait for Bella.

His heart jumped when he saw her walk off the plane. She scanned the area and then smiled and waved when she saw him. She ran over to him and he pulled her into a bear hug before kissing her hello and then finally speaking. “I can’t believe you’re finally here,” he said.