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Lily waited until he met her gaze. When he did, there were tears swimming in her blue eyes. She gave him a small but sincere smile.

“I do know,” she said. “And I forgive you.”

He tentatively reached for her hand across the table, letting out a breath when his fingers found hers. “How can you be so understanding?”

She squeezed his hand and sighed. “I’m not even going to try to pretend that I’m not furious at you for jumping to conclusions. You should have had more faith in me.” He winced at the harsh truth of her words. “But . . . I should have trusted you, too, instead of trying to handle it on my own.”

“Honestly, I think that was the part that pushed me over the edge. I had been so certain that you would come to me in that kind of situation, and when you didn’t, I assumed the absolute worst.”

Lily nodded. “I wondered. I mean, I knew you wouldn’t like it . . . but I had no idea I would lose you because of a simple misunderstanding.”

Nate moved his hand to entwine their fingers. “You haven’t lost me.”

“Good,” Lily replied as another smile stretched across her face. “I agree that this isn’t the time or place, but we do have plenty to talk about. This isn’t going to work unless we can find a way to trust each other again.”

“That’s true. And I do want that opportunity to work through things.”

“Me, too.”

Nate smiled before noticing someone to his right. “I think we have to leave,” he said gently. The staff stood off to the side, waiting to clear their table.

Lily looked around, noticing them for the first time. “Oh. I guess so.”

Nate laughed. “We’ll talk soon. I promise.”

Lily felt comforted by that assurance and stood to gather her things. As Nate slipped her wrap across her shoulders, she subconsciously leaned in to his touch. She was thrilled when he took her hand once more as they exited the ballroom.

Neither of them seemed to want the night to end now that they’d reached a sort of compromise. They walked slowly to the valet booth, taking as much time as they could, and fidgeted as they waited. As Lily’s car approached, Nate suddenly took both her hands in his, turning her to face him.

“I know I’ll see you at the Pierce junket,” he said, gripping her hands more firmly in his own, “but come with me to the premiere, too. You know we make a good team. Work the press line with me again.”

Lily couldn’t hide her excitement. She laughed as she nodded, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. “I’d love to.”

Nate’s tension eased with her acceptance of his offer. “By the way, I meant what I said. We will talk soon.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Lily said, giving his hand one last squeeze before getting into her car.

“Bye for now,” Nate replied as he gently closed her door.

As she drove away, she raised one hand in a small wave and grinned when Nate returned her gesture.

By the time Lily walked into her apartment, she had a new text message.

Is it later yet?

She giggled as her fingers flew over the touchscreen.

Technically, yes. Someone’s eager!

A few seconds later, his response appeared.

To talk to you? Always. Thank you for tonight.

Just promise that it won’t be the last time.

You have my word.

That’s all I need. Sleep well, Nate.

You, too. Sweet dreams.

His last sentiment was unnecessary. Lily would have the sweetest dreams now that a future with Nate seemed possible.

Lily and Nate talked frequently after that night. Sometimes their conversations centered on business. Other times, they talked about whatever was on their minds. They took things very, very slowly—almost painfully so at times. And for a while, both felt the need to continue to apologize to the other, despite constant reassurance that apologies were no longer needed. Nate was the first to make a move, surprising Lily.

Coffee sometime this week? Would love to see you.

The screen eventually went black, stirring her out of her shock.

Sounds great! Would love to see you, too.

On Saturday morning, Lily checked her reflection in the visor mirror one last time. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. It wasn’t a date, but it was close enough for Lily to get her hopes up.

As she walked through the door at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, she spotted Nate smiling at her from a table in the back. Ever the gentleman, he stood as she approached, causing her own smile to widen.

“Hi, Lily,” he said, pulling her in for a quick hug.

Lily took her seat, still smiling at him. “Hi, Nate. It’s good to see you.”

“You, too. By the way, I got you an amaretto latte. I know that’s your favorite.”

That small gesture touched Lily. “Thank you.”

Nate cleared his throat. “So how are you?”

“I’m doing well. Busy, as always, at work. How about you?”

Nate scratched the back of his neck. “Oh, you know . . . same old, same old.”

The way things were going, Lily almost expected him to ask what she thought of the weather. After a moment of silence, she sighed and sat her coffee mug down. “Okay, why does this feel so awkward?”

Her honesty caused Nate to laugh, breaking the tension. “I have no idea.”

Lily leaned forward, resting her crossed arms on the table. “It’s you and me! This shouldn’t feel weird.”

“You’re right, it shouldn’t.” Nate took a deep breath. “So for the sake of honesty, I’m just going to throw this out there . . . I would very much like for us to try again.”

His eyes turned serious as he continued. “I don’t think I deserve a second chance, but I’m hoping you’ll give me one.”

Lily’s brows furrowed. “Why don’t you think you deserve a second chance?”

Nate sighed. “Because not only did I behave like an ass, but I also broke your faith in me. I wouldn’t blame you for not taking another chance on me.”

“Well, it takes two to tango. I know that I broke your faith in me, too. But you’re willing to give me a second chance. And I think you deserve one, too.”

Nate’s eyes flew to Lily’s and a tentative smile tugged at his lips. “Do you mean that?”

Lily reached across the table, and Nate automatically took her hand in his. “Yes, I do.” Nate brought her hand to his lips and kissed it as she continued. “But I think we need to go slow—keep doing what we’re doing. It’s going to take time for us both to rebuild our trust in each other.”

He nodded. “I agree. And I think this is a good start.”

Lily and Nate managed to see each other a handful of times before the press for the last Grady Pierce movie ramped up. They had another coffee date. They spent an afternoon at Santa Monica Pier. Lily even cooked dinner for Nate at her apartment.

As difficult as it was for them both, they kept their agreement to go slow. But that didn’t mean they had to give up everything. They still teased each other, and there were more than a few innocent good-night kisses. But Nate always managed to behave himself—sometimes to Lily’s chagrin.

Before Lily knew it, the day of the junket arrived. As she drove to the Four Seasons, she reflected on how much had changed since the first time she covered this particular franchise. She also contemplated how much had stayed the same. The thought of interviewing Daniel Brighton still caused her nerves to jump like live wires.

The check-in process went smoothly, especially since she was more than half an hour early. Because she had a few minutes to spare, she grabbed a cup of coffee from the hospitality suite and made her way to the garden area outside the ballroom.

The sight of hydrangeas in bloom made her smile. She spotted a bench and sat in one corner. Then, allowing the serene space to calm her anxiety, she did one last check of her notes.

A few minutes later, a shadow fell across her notebook, and she glanced up to see Nate.

“Fancy meeting you here” he said, a wry grin dancing on his lips. He sat beside her on the wrought iron fixture, close enough for their thighs to touch.

“I could say the same. Everything ready in there?” she asked.

“I certainly hope so. I should go double-check with them, though.”

Lily nodded, looking solemn. “There you go, ditching me for work again,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Well, you know what they say about all work and no play.” He leaned over and kissed her temple. “I’ll have time to play later. For now, duty calls. I just wanted to say hello before things got crazy.”

Lily laughed. “Okay, okay. Go. Before I lock you away in one of these fancy rooms and have my wicked way with you.”

Lily was sure he tried to keep it quiet, but she heard a distinct groan. “You have absolutely no idea how tempting that sounds.”

“Of course I do,” she responded, not the least bit contrite as she watched his eyes darken.

“You definitely know how to distract me.” His fiery gaze remained on hers.

Lily grinned, resting her forehead against his. “Go. I’ll see you in a little while.”

Nate sighed before standing and walking toward the ballroom, his hands buried in the pockets of his slacks.

Lily followed a few minutes later. As she entered the room, she noticed Nate standing near the platform, talking with two men in suits holding walkie-talkies. He glanced up at her with a quick wink, which she returned as she scouted out the perfect place to sit.

The morning progressed efficiently. She greeted the familiar faces in the ballroom as she’d been in Los Angeles long enough to become friendly with reporters from other media outlets. And she got in the questions she wanted to ask during the press conferences and saved the follow-ups for her scheduled one-on-ones.

After the press conferences ended, those with scheduled interviews rode the elevator back to the hospitality suite to wait for their designated time. The staff had already set out a buffet of sandwiches, pasta salad, and various desserts. Lily made herself a plate and found a seat between two colleagues from websites similar to FilmInsanity.com.

Nate intermittently passed through the area, and she observed him at work, his self-confidence apparent in the way he carried himself. She loved that he took his job as seriously as she did.

By the time the staff called her name for her interview with Daniel, she’d already spoken with the director and screenwriter. She felt at ease as she walked down the hall to where Daniel waited.

When she’d reached the right room, she saw Nate leaning against the wall beside the door with his head back and eyes closed, one foot propped in front of the other.

“Long day?” she asked.

He stood up and nodded with a tired smile.

“I wish there was something I could do to help.”

“Well, just seeing you makes my day a little better,” he said, making Lily grin. “Not to mention that I can’t even look at these rooms without thinking about what you said earlier. That definitely helped.”

Lily giggled. Her own imagination had run a little wild throughout the day. “I’m glad . . . because I’m still tempted.”

Nate hummed lowly. “Me, too, sweet girl. Me, too.” He leaned down and quickly kissed her lips, catching her by surprise. It didn’t take her long to melt into the kiss. Much sooner than Lily would have liked, Nate ended it, stopping to whisper a soft goodbye in her ear.