Chapter 7: This Might Work

Hailey blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. Neither of us wants a relationship. You pretend to be my girlfriend," Noah said.

"This is nuts, Noah."

But then again, was it? She shook her head. No. No one would believe that she was Noah's girlfriend.

"What reservations are you having?" he asked.

"I don't even know where to begin. We don't even know each other."

"We can figure that part out," Noah said.

He looked at her with earnestness in his eyes. He reminded her of a puppy dog looking for a treat. He was more handsome than she'd originally thought. He had eyes that were ice blue with dark lashes fringing them. Women would kill for those lashes.

Women would kill to be in this position. This close to a celebrity and it was her job. "Noah. This is crazy."

"I know, but it's a crazy world and this could be the answer to many problems."

She wanted to believe him as she searched his face. Was he pranking her? No one would believe this. He seemed serious. "Are you kidding me?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm not kidding. I have women throwing themselves at me."

A snort came out of her and she rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that's a problem."

"Don't mock. It is. And some of them are tenacious."

She wasn't feeling sorry for him. Celebrities relied on fans and that was his job, to please fans. She crossed her arms, amused by him. She can work this to her advantage, but how could he? "Right."

"They invade my privacy. Some of them even jump on a plane with me."

"I'm not a fan."

That was a lie. His music touched her soul, but she wouldn't reveal that to him. She also had always thought he was adorable. He had a dimple that peeked out of his cheek when his smile was at his broadest.

He put a hand on his chest and gave her a mock hurt look. She knew it was fake. She had to laugh.

"I'm wounded, Hailey."

"You aren't, but nice try. I'm just not a fan of country music."

She had an ex who loved it and now she hated it. There was no reason to reveal that to Noah. He stared at her and she felt almost naked in his presence. She didn't like being vulnerable and she squirmed under his gaze.

"That's okay then," he said.

Why did he give in so easily?

"Back to my idea."

"You're crazy idea?"

"Yes, my crazy idea. Think about it. We don't have much time, but I want us to figure out a plan before the plane lands."

She sighed. He was persistent. "Why am I pretending to be your girlfriend?"

"That sounded like you were on board with the idea."

She waved a hand. "Semantics. Just tell me how you envision this working."

He took a deep breath. "We pretend to date. That keeps women away from me."

"It won't. Some women see a girlfriend as a challenge, nothing else," Hailey said.

"That may be true, but could you work with me? At least listen to my plan."

She motioned for him to continue. She doubted that he could convince her to along with this, but she might as well hear him out. "Go on."

"You pretend to be my girlfriend keeping women away from me," he said.

"Yeah, I got that even if I don't think it will work."

"We can cover that part later. What you get in return is access."

She straightened. "Access?"

This sounded more like it.

"You get access to celebrities that you wouldn't otherwise have access to," he said.

Wait a minute. She was beginning to like this plan more and more. "Keep going."

"I'm speaking your language now."

"Yes, you are. I could sell stories to the highest bidder."

His smile slipped a little. "You are a mercenary."

She shrugged. "I have my reasons."

"Paying off gambling debts?"

"No," she said.

What was going on in her life was none of his business. He didn't need to know about the medical bills. The ones that choked her every time she pulled the mail out of her box.

"Fine. We'll set that aside for now. I will have one stipulation if you agree to this."

"I haven't agreed to this," she said.

She was softening on the idea. How bad could it be to spend some time with Noah? He was handsome. He smelled amazing and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. She'd bet he would treat her better than any of her real boyfriends had.

She was beginning to see the benefits of his idea. "You would give me access. Celebrities would know what I do?"

"Yes. I'd be honest, of course. Do you have any reason to hide?"

She didn't have reason to hide, but there were parts of her life she didn't want under a microscope. That was what was holding her back. If she sold the stories to various magazines, she could make some serious cash. "Uh, no."

"That didn't sound convincing. You don't have some violent past?"

"No. My family is just private," she said.

"And you chase celebrities for a living? Ironic."

She wasn't going to explain herself to him.

The intercom came on. "We're going to land in ten minutes. I've called ahead, but there is no one there. No one figured out where we diverted to."

There would be no crowds, and that suited Hailey just fine.

"The offer is good until the plane stops moving. Then I rescind it and you're on your own," Noah said.

She had to make a decision quickly which she could do, but she didn't have all of the information. The offer sounded good since she'd get a lot of mileage out of the stories. A lot of cash also, which was more important. Her editor might not go for it, but she could sell her stories anywhere. If she brought her a juicy tidbit about Noah she might reconsider. "What's your one stipulation?"

He looked deeply into her eyes. "You can't write about me."