Sunday was the Golden Globes. Alexis, like so many others, struggled to get ahead in a business where publicity was key. He’d liked Alexis and they had a great time together. He’d been a stopping point on her climb to fame, and when she decided it was time to move on, he hadn’t wanted to stop her.

She knew how the business worked and hadn’t minded the persistence of the cameras. In fact, she’d relished the attention. It had helped her land a starring role, but she wasn’t the kind of woman he wanted to come home to.

When they broke up, he found himself wanting more. He wanted a woman who could be with him for who he was and not for the fame he could bring her. He wanted something simple for once in his life. He wanted someone who made him feel alive. And let him be just Chase Booker.

His attraction to Natalie was something new and unexpected. She tantalized his senses and pretended not to be interested. It intrigued him and made him want to explore further, but he had no right to bring her into his life and into the sharp focus of the camera lens.

By Friday, Natalie was ready to pull her hair out. The numbers swirled in front of her eyes even while she slept. Her contacts hadn’t arrived, and she was tempted to duct-tape her glasses onto her head to keep them from falling down.

The government could come in and declare her desk a disaster zone. Precarious stacks of papers covered every available surface and spread out along the floor. She’d been over the numbers a hundred times, but still couldn’t get to that final number. Something was missing.

“How’s it coming along?” Martin shut his door and turned the key in the lock. Even though she was staying late, he left every day at five o’clock on the dot.

“I’ve got a few more accounts to go over and the expenses that just came in. I also have the actors’ expense reports.” She moved a paper from one pile to the next.

“Very good. Here’s a list of all the actors who worked on Night Blooming.” The list was three pages, each filled with double columns of names. “Some of our extras had expenses, too.”