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“Great morning, huh?” I hear someone say, interrupting my fantasies.

I turn my head to the left and see that my neighbor is on the deck. The girl is leaning against the railing, also cradling a cup of coffee.

“It sure is,” I tell her.

“Are you staying for a long time?” she asks before taking a sip.

I shake my head. “I think I’ll be gone in a few hours. Do you live here, or is it a vacation rental as well?”

She smiles and lets out a soft sigh. “I live here. Born and raised in Bearclaw Ridge. I was lucky this cabin went up for sale when it did. It still needs a lot of work, but who would say no to living in such an idyllic spot?”

I nod. “I would want to live here. The mountains are majestic. They have something… magical and healing about them. I miss it like crazy.”

“You don’t live in a nice place yourself?”

“I live in a busy city. It’s easier for work.”

“I get that.” She takes another sip of coffee. “I’m Casey, by the way.”

“Maddox,” I reply.

She tilts her head and studies my face. “You seem oddly familiar…” Her voice trails off when she realizes who I am.

“Would you mind keeping me being here on the down low for now?” I ask her.

“Of course.” She makes a closing zipper motion with her hand.

In a way, it’s not a bad thing that Casey has seen me here. If the story about Rosie and me dating gets out, she’ll be able to confirm I was in Bearclaw Ridge.

I get up and smile at her. “Well, I’ve got to go and pack. Maybe I’ll see you around, Casey.”

“It was nice meeting you, Maddox.”

I head inside, letting the screen door fall closed behind me. Bill arranged a flight for Rosie and me, but I still have to talk to her. It’s only seven-thirty, so she’s probably still asleep. I head to the bedroom to pack my stuff. It’s not much. I only brought a small suitcase with nothing but the essentials, so the packing takes me fifteen minutes tops.

An hour and a half later, I’m scared that Rosie has bailed and will never call me. I can’t blame her if she backs out. Asking her to be my fake girlfriend and step into the spotlight with me isn’t a small feat. But last night, she looked convinced that she wanted to do this. Was I misreading the signs?

I decide to head back to the diner. Even if she’s changed her mind and still says no after I talk to her, I need to know what happened. I can’t leave without seeing her one more time.

I punch the address for Hiker’s Haven into the navigational system of my rental car and head for the diner. It sure is busy here for a Friday morning. I circle the parking lot of Hiker’s Haven twice before an empty parking spot becomes available.

Even though it’s cloudy, I put a pair of sunglasses on and pull my hockey cap down, hoping no one will recognize me. I don’t mind meeting fans, but I’m only focused on Rosie right now. The rest of the world will have to wait.

I spot Rosie right away. She’s behind the counter laughing at something a customer says, and holy shit, if it isn’t the most beautiful laugh in the world.

Her eyes grow wide as she sees me, and a mixture of hurt and relief swirls in her eyes, which punches me in the gut. Why is she feeling bad?

“Hey, Rosie.”

“You’re here,” she replies, looking surprised.

The woman she was talking and laughing with eyes me curiously. Her gaze flits from me to Rosie and back to me.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“I am, but what the hell happened to you? Why did you ghost me?”

“Ghost you?” I frown. “Could we pop outside to talk?”

“I guess. Hey, June,” she tells the woman sitting at the counter. “If anyone asks, I’m on my break and back in five minutes, tops.”

“Of course, go ahead. And nice to meet you, Maddox,” June says with a smile.

“Likewise,” I say, even though we haven’t so much as talked to each other yet. But I figure a friend of Rosie’s is a friend of mine.

I follow Rosie through the kitchen, then a door that leads outside to the back of the building housing the diner.

She crosses her arms over her chest, a sense of caution in her eyes. “I’m confused, Maddox. You gave me your number, and I tried calling it, but it connected to an Italian restaurant. Trust me, after finding out you gave me the wrong number, pasta was the last thing on my mind. Did you fool me into believing you wanted me to be your fake date? Is that fun for you in some perverse way?”

I shake my head. “What? No. I would never do that to you, Rosie.”

She hands me the paper I scribbled my number on. “Then how do you explain this?”

I scrutinize the number and realize I fucked up. “Shit. This six is supposed to be a nine. I wrote the wrong digit down.”

I can’t believe I almost lost Rosie over a stupid fuck-up like this. I should be more careful in the future. Not when giving women my number. That’s in the past. Standing here, talking to Rosie, I realize I only want her. It’s like an invisible magnet pulls me to her.

“Oh,” she says, her shoulders relaxing. “So this was an honest mistake. You’re telling me the truth, right?”

“I am. In fact, there’s a plane ticket and a first-class seat on a flight to L.A. waiting for you. I hope you already packed because we don’t have much time left.”

“We’re leaving today?” she says in a surprised voice.

I grin. “This afternoon, actually.”

“Wow. Okay. Um, give me one hour to try to convince my boss to let me bail.” Concern etches her forehead. “I hope he won’t fire me over this.”

I gently take her hand in mine and give it a squeeze. “I’ll talk to him.”

“I can’t let you do that, Maddox,” she says. “I mean, I appreciate it, but I can do this.”

She’s silent for a moment, and I can practically see the cogs turning in her head. “You know what, I bet he’ll be more than happy to give me a few days off if I tell him that Hiker’s Haven will be painted in a great light in the media. If that’s something you can pull off, of course.”

I nod. “I love that idea. And yes, that totally works.”

“Then I guess I’ll see you in a bit,” she says with a goofy smile.

Man, she’s so cute. I want to pick her up in my arms, take her home with me, and protect her forever.

“Great. I’ll be waiting for you in the parking lot.”

Rosie heads back inside, and I get my phone out of my pocket. I dial Bill’s number. He picks up right away, which doesn’t come as a surprise. The guy’s practically glued to his phone.

“Hey, Bill. I have a favor to ask,” I start. “It’s about arranging an article about the diner Rosie works.”

“Shoot.”

My manager won’t say no to my requests. He knows how stubborn I can be and how important it is to show up at the premiere. He’ll do everything he can to make that happen. The world is at my feet.

If only I could get Rosie to be a part of that world too, not just for a weekend, then I’d really be the king of my world. With her as my queen.