Chapter 1

Chapter One

Some days it didn't pay to get out of bed.

Or answer the phone.

Or talk to people.

This was definitely one of those days.

Juliette Bellucci stood stiffly and stared out at the New York City skyline while she awaited her fate.

Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic, but essentially, she was waiting to find out if she still had a job.

The silence in the outer office was deafening, but she refused to sit or get comfortable or even glance at her phone. Being wildly uncomfortable seemed completely fitting right now. The sun was almost painfully bright, reflecting off of the buildings, and the more she looked around at the scenery, the more she wished she were anywhere but here.

"Jules? Vanessa will see you now."

Glancing over her shoulder, she gave a tight smile. "Thanks, Amy." Tugging gently on her skirt, Juliette held her head high and made her way into her boss's office.

"Good luck," Amy whispered before shutting the door behind her.

"Have a seat," Vanessa said curtly, without looking up. It was a power move. She was going to stay that way until Juliette was squirming in her chair, ready to explode with anxiety.

So she sat and willed herself not to squirm.

Vanessa Jenkins looked up sooner than she expected, her expression cool. "What am I going to do with you, Jules?" she asked, leaning back in her seat. "I mean…what were you thinking? Do you have any idea the number of people I've had to put on damage control because of this?"

"It wasn't…"

"It was," Vanessa firmly interrupted. "You are the publicist for a two-time Oscar-winning actress who is prone to posting inappropriate content on social media! You know what she does when her movies tank or someone breaks up with her!"

"Again, I didn't…"

"It took you four hours before you got that crap pulled down! Four hours where the entire world got a good view of your client in all her drunk and naked glory! And the things she did with the Oscar were just vulgar!" She shuddered dramatically. "The movie studio is furious, she's been fired from the movie she was going to start shooting next week, and we are the laughingstock of the PR world! Where the hell were you? How could you allow this to happen?"

Letting out a long breath, she met Vanessa's gaze head on. "I was asleep, Van. She put that first picture up at 3:45 in the morning. As soon as I woke up, I got it all taken down. I'm entitled to sleep, aren't I? Last I checked, no one else stays up 24/7." She paused to collect her thoughts. "Now, I'm sorry that this all went down the way it did, but the fact remains that I did get all the pictures taken down and put out a statement almost immediately."

"Too little, too late, Jules. The studio…"

"The studio's completely within their rights!" she argued. "Roxie needs to be in therapy, not another movie, and that's not my fault!"

For a moment, Vanessa simply stared at her before she sighed. "Jules, you and I have been friends since middle school. I brought you on when I joined Prestige because I knew you would be an amazing publicist. And for several years, you were. I don't know what's going on with you lately, but your last three clients all had very public…nightmares that could have been prevented. You're not doing your job and you're making me look bad."

Here it comes…

"My grandfather started this agency and with my promotion last year—a promotion that has me as the head of the agency—I can't keep covering for you. I value our friendship, but I value my position more."

And as much as she wanted to roll her eyes, Juliette completely understood. If the tables were turned, she'd feel the same way. The only genuine issue was that this really wasn't her fault. The person at fault was the diva actress and the BFF who actually took the pictures and videos that got posted—videos where said BFF was laughing and telling Roxie what she should do.

And encouraged her to do more!

"Van, you know I've been working on putting some distance between Roxie and Amber. We both know Amber's a huge part of the problem here."

Nodding, Vanessa straightened in her chair. "I'm aware of that. But this is just the last straw, Jules. It's not just the Roxie thing. It was the Theo Channing DUI…"

"I put him in an Uber myself," she stated. "He paid the driver to take him back to his car."

"You should have driven him home yourself!"

"He grabbed by boobs twice that night and tried to kiss me! He's lucky I didn't shove him in front of a moving vehicle!"

Vanessa frowned. "And Karla? Are you going to even try to defend yourself?"

"Um…"

"Because we have the video where you can clearly be heard talking about how she's a phony. She wasn't amused."

"She is a phony! That entire magazine article was nothing but a sham! Those weren't her dogs, that wasn't her kitchen, she doesn't cook, and that wasn't even her baby! She hired a baby because hers—and I'm quoting Karla herself—wasn't in her cute stage yet! I mean, who says that about their own baby?"

"She's allowed to because she's the mom! You can think whatever you want as the publicist or whatever, but you never bad-mouth a client when the press is around!" With a huff of annoyance, she went on. "You are seriously the most brilliant and clueless publicist we have! But you are also the most negative." She fell back against the chair again. "I don't know what to do with you, Jules! I honestly planned on firing you today."

As much as she wanted to argue—or beg—she wouldn't. Juliette hated people who didn't take responsibility for their actions or who always had excuses. She refused to be like that.

"If that's what you need to do, then…I'll accept it," she said quietly.

"I don't want to do this," Vanessa said after a moment. "I'm just not sure what else I can do. Roxie's demanding that I fire you."

"Roxie's a spoiled diva who should be in rehab."

Luckily, Vanessa smirked. "The only reason I'm not correcting you is because there's no press here, but that's the exact thing you need to control, Jules."

"I don't make a habit of saying stuff like that out loud and you know it."

"Not with your words, but your face speaks volumes. Trust me."

Letting out a long breath, she felt like she had to defend herself at least a little. "Look, this is who I am, Van. I openly admit to being pessimistic. I have worked very hard to overcome some really shitty circumstances, and having to kiss spoiled and pampered people's asses for a living is hard. They don't appreciate anything and sometimes…" Another sigh. "Sometimes it gets the better of me. I'm sorry."

For a solid minute, neither spoke and Juliette figured it was the dramatic pause before Vanessa gave her a few perfunctory compliments and then apologized that she had to let her go. So she sat there and braced herself for it. She had a good savings built up and she would realistically be okay for about three months. Unfortunately, her reputation was going to be tarnished in the entertainment world, so she was going to have to consider a different field.

Or at least a different clientele.

"I really should be sending your paperwork to human resources and asking you to clean out your desk…"

She didn't have a desk there; she worked from home. But she understood it was a metaphorical desk and nodded.

"But I'm willing to give you one more chance."

Juliette looked at her in total confusion. "Seriously?"

Nodding solemnly, Vanessa explained as she picked up a folder. "This client is possibly the nicest person in the entire entertainment industry. He's the poster boy for good behavior and being a great guy."

Ugh…she'd believe that when she saw it.

"I never wanted you to work with him because you're too jaded, and I was always worried that your head would completely explode if you had to be around him for too long. He's that upbeat and cheerful."

"O-kay…then why now? If you're looking for me to dig myself a hole too deep to get out of, then I'll have to say thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather you fire me now than be the person who damages some little ray of sunshine's reputation."

Vanessa groaned. "Seriously, why are you like this? I'm offering you a chance at redemption, Jules. This is a lifeline, and I strongly suggest you take a good long look at yourself and take it."

"Um…"

"Take the next week to get your head on straight and perhaps pull it out of your ass. This is your last chance. Prestige can't afford to cover for you and your attitude anymore."

"Hey!"

"We've known each other far too long for me to have to sugarcoat this for you. Stop being a downer, a brat, and…for lack of a better word, a bitch. Find something to be happy about. Put on your big girl panties, put a smile on your face, and play nice with the client."

"Fine. Who is it and what does it entail?"

Smiling, Vanessa typed something on her laptop and then turned the screen toward her. "Simon Bennett. Singer, songwriter, and quite possibly the nicest guy in America."

"Okay, but what does he need us for?"

"Simon's going to be the focus of a documentary. His label wants it done. After the success of Taylor Swift's tour film and Beyoncé's, his label wants to do something similar. Obviously he's not as big of a name—yet—but they're hoping this film is going to be the thing to get him to the next level."

Nodding, she kept staring at his picture. He was definitely good-looking and you could tell by his smile that he's having a great time, but if he's such a wonderful person, Juliette didn't understand why he needed her—which is what she asked Vanessa.

"It seems like Simon's not as eager to do this as everyone naturally thought he'd be. He's doing it, but…he needs someone to sort of keep him on task and hold his hand."

"Sounds like he needs an assistant."

"No, he needs someone who knows the business and will oversee everything to make sure he's being portrayed the way he wants to be. Someone who can make sure his brand isn't negatively affected, while helping him see how great this opportunity is."

The bark of laugher was out before she could stop it. "And you honestly think that person is me?" Another laugh. "Van, come on! Now I know you're setting me up to fail!"

"I'm really not," she countered. "I think someone like you—someone who can be firm but respectful—might be exactly what Simon needs. And now that you know what's on the line for you, I think you'll work extra hard to make this happen."

Juliette instantly sobered. "I don't know. I realize I need to put on my poker face and be more hands-on. And maybe not sleep as much," she mumbled. "This guy sounds like my biggest nightmare. I can handle divas. I can handle jerks who get too handsy. But someone who's all…you know…everything is great and everyone's super? I'm not sure I can fake it that much, Van." Pausing, she sighed. "Look, I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I swear I'm willing to put in the work to repair the damage I've done. It's just that…"

Thought you weren't going to beg, dummy.

"There has to be someone else, Van. I don't want to be the person who brings down America's sweetheart."

Vanessa closed the computer and smiled serenely. "Then don't. You're due in Asheville, North Carolina, one week from today. I'll email you the itinerary."

"But…"

"And don't pack like a diva. You'll be on the road for at least the next six to eight weeks. Make sure you bring your passport, just in case. I've heard that Simon sometimes gets impulsive and likes to jet off to Europe."

"Vanessa…" she whined.

"You and I both know you can do this. It's time to stop being negative and start realizing how freaking awesome you are! You're not that kid anymore, Jules. You proved them all wrong. Now go out there and show the world that I made the right decision with you. Don't let me down."

Dammit.

Rising, she smoothed a hand over her skirt. "Fine," she grumbled. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

"That's the spirit!" They both laughed, but Juliette's was more mirthless than anything else. And if her history was anything to go by, she'd be looking for a new job by the end of the month.

The sun was shining, the weather was glorious, and it was honestly a fabulous day to be alive.

There were only a few weeks left before his tour resumed, and Simon Bennett vowed to make the most of every second. The house he was renting up in the Blue Ridge Mountains had a spectacular view and was more peaceful than he could have imagined. When his brother Noah had recommended this as the spot to get away from it all, he'd been doubtful. But now that he was here? It was going to be hard to leave.

Of course, it wasn't exactly a relaxing vacation. He'd come here to get some writing done for the next album and it was the perfect opportunity to take a break from the tour and not hear about the documentary that was going to start filming once they got back on the road.

Normally, he was the most agreeable guy in the world. If there was a chance something was going to bring his fans joy or help his career, he was fully on board. But this film was just…it wasn't something he wanted to do. This wasn't just a fluff piece where it was just him up on stage singing—like he originally thought it was—now they wanted a deep dive into his life.

And there were certain things, and specifically certain people, he preferred to keep out of the equation.

Like everything before he went on the reality show that launched him into superstardom.

Being the third runner-up on America's Next Singing Sensation had opened doors for him he never thought he'd walk through. And up until now, that was where his story began. In every interview he'd ever done, they all asked about auditioning for the show and everything that followed. Now, that was going to change, and he wasn't happy about it.

And Simon was always happy.

Always.

Every day was a gift, and he knew that from experience. So he'd made it his mission to live with appreciation for everything he had and gratitude for the musical talent he'd been blessed with. And if he could spread joy to the people around him on a daily basis, then even better.

"Knock, knock! Simon? Are you up?"

The house he was renting had a guest house where his assistant, Nikki, was staying with her partner and their son. Originally, he had planned to go away by himself and take the time to write and regroup, but when Nikki found the house for him, she had gushed about how she had always wanted to see the mountains. So naturally, he made that happen for her.

"In the kitchen!" he called out, knowing his peaceful morning was over.

"Good morning," she said as she strolled into the room with a sense of purpose. "Celia and I are taking Alex to the aquarium today. He's so excited about it."

"Sounds like fun!" Taking a spoonful of his cereal, he waited for her to say more.

"Your new publicist will be arriving today too. Her name is Juliette Bellucci. I emailed you the information about her. I hope you had the chance to read it."

He had.

Sort of.

"Um…refresh my memory…?"

"Ugh, Simon, seriously? I put a lot of work into that bio, just like I do whenever someone comes to work for you! The least you could have done is read it. Especially since she's going to be staying here with us. Well…you," she corrected.

That was brand new information. "With me? Why? That wasn't what we talked about, Nik." And even though he was seriously annoyed, he did his best to sound neutral and unfazed.

"Mick and I talked about it and we decided that she needed to get fully immersed in the world of Simon Bennett before we hit the road. She's already committed to traveling with you for the next eight weeks, so we thought it was best if some of it wasn't spent living out of a suitcase in a hotel. Besides, this house is big enough to sleep twelve people, not including the guest house. She'll hardly be in the way."

"That's not the point," he reasoned. "I don't know anything about her and it's going to be weird having a stranger lurking around the house."

Leaning against the counter, Nikki smiled sweetly at him. "Are we just meeting for the first time? Don't try to use that logic on me, Simon. You and I both know the entire world is your friend and you've never met a stranger you didn't love. Take this time with Juliette—who prefers to be called Jules—and let her know how you feel about this whole documentary project. For all you know, she's going to be the one to make it tolerable for you."

But he was already shaking his head. "That's never going to happen. It's a terrible idea and everyone's wasting their time."

Her smile faded slightly and she twisted to fully lean against the granite. "You and I have been through a lot together, and I know why this whole situation is freaking you out. Personally, I don't think it's going to be as bad as you've convinced yourself it's going to be. You have a team of people around you who love and respect you and we'd never let anything happen to you or your reputation." She paused. "Stop waiting for the other shoe to drop and think about how excited your fans are going to be."

This wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation, and it certainly wasn't going to be the last. So for now, he'd simply agree and do his best to sit back and watch it all crash and burn around him.

However…

"And what happened to Kevin? I thought he was going to be the PR person traveling with us."

"He's getting married and couldn't commit to traveling with the tour," she explained. "But between you and me, I don't think he was the right fit. He was getting a little too cocky about networking with your celebrity friends." Her smile was back. "Last I heard, he tried to convince your brother and his teammates – you know, Travis and Declan? – to be groomsmen at his wedding."

Simon choked on his cereal for a moment before looking at Nikki in disbelief. "Are you serious? Why on earth would he think Jax or any of the players would do something like that? He's only met my brother twice!"

She nodded. "This is what I'm talking about. His ego was getting a little inflated and Mick made sure he got…you know…reassigned."

Mick Tyler was like a Svengali, but in the best possible way. He used his power and influence for good, and Simon was incredibly thankful his manager was on his side. "I swear, I don't know how Mick does it. I've yet to encounter a problem he hasn't fixed." Then he frowned. "Except this documentary."

"That's because you're the only one seeing it as a problem."

"Well, considering it's a documentary about me and my life, if I'm saying it's an issue, maybe people should listen," he murmured.

"I'm not doing this with you again," she said wearily. "I've got an aquarium to get to, you've got music to write, and we're all going to meet back here for dinner to welcome Juliette. I mean Jules." Walking around the kitchen, she asked, "Is there anything you need? Anything you want me to bring back with me?"

The kitchen was fully stocked with all his favorite foods, the lyrics he'd been working on were coming along slowly, and basically, he was just going to sit and enjoy the mountain view and create music.

"I'm good, Nik. Thanks. Go and enjoy the aquarium."

She smiled. "We're grilling tonight. Nothing fancy, just some burgers, but we're picking up all kinds of salads to go with them. Alex is on a pasta salad kick, so just know there will be an almost obscene amount of it."

That made him laugh. "Got it, and it all sounds delicious. I'll see you later."

She started to walk away, but paused. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? I feel bad leaving you alone. Maybe I'll send Celia and Alex and I'll stay here and work with you."

"Absolutely not. This is our vacation," he told her. "You wanted to see the mountains, and that's why you're here. I'm supposed to be relaxing, but I also need to be working on new music. You know how hard it is to do that when we're on the road." He shrugged. "There is nothing for you here that you have to do. I'm a grown man and I can take care of myself. I swear."

Chuckling, she shook her head. "I can't help but worry about you. You work too much and never take time for yourself. You should be on a tropical island right now with people bringing you drinks and no guitars or pianos in sight."

"I wouldn't even know what to do with myself. That sounds more like torture." Motioning to the space around them, he said, "This makes me happy. Just like taking your son to the aquarium is going to make you happy. So please go and I'll see you at dinner."

With a dramatic sigh, she agreed. "Juliette will be here sometime after lunch. She came highly recommended from Prestige PR, and I'm sure the two of you are going to hit it off." And with a wave, she was gone.

Simon waited until he heard the front door close before he let out a long breath. Of course he was going to hit it off with Juliette—or Jules, as she apparently liked to be called—he made sure he hit it off with everyone. And while he wasn't thrilled with her essentially moving into the house for the next two weeks, he supposed Nikki had a point. Maybe he'd be able to get her to talk some sense into the producers of the documentary and make them see that some aspects of his life deserved to stay private.

Although his baby brother was a professional football player, no one was harassing Jax about his childhood.

"Okay, I need to stop obsessing about this," he said, taking the last spoonful of his breakfast. It was getting him nowhere, and it seemed like he had something new to worry about.

His new publicist.

Maybe he should have taken Nikki up on her offer to stay. It might have been nice to have someone else here to help Juliette get settled.

He instantly waved that thought off. Simon was a people person. Basically, he didn't believe in asking anyone to do anything he wouldn't do. They had just arrived at the house a few days ago, so all the beds were made, the linens were fresh, and all Juliette needed to do was come inside and pick out which room she wanted. There were four of them to choose from—three on the upper level and one on the lower level. His bedroom was here on the main floor, so they were each guaranteed to have their privacy. It wasn't the way he would have chosen to do things, but if this is what Mick wanted, this was what they were going to do.

Putting his dishes in the dishwasher, Simon washed his hands before heading down to the lower level. There was a piano set up down there along with his guitars and so far it had been a great space for him to work in.

Sitting down on the large sectional, he picked up his Gibson acoustic, and messed around for a few minutes until his mind was clear of everything except what he was playing. It was something he'd been doing for a while now, simply allowing himself the time to goof around with musical nonsense before he got serious and tried to create. Every once in a while he'd play something by another artist. He was particularly fond of playing Elton John's music or Ed Sheeran or Coldplay; it all depended on his mood. But right now, he found himself easing into his own rendition of Ed Sheeran's "Galway Girl."

His mood lightened as he sang, and suddenly he could clearly hear a melody that was new to him. Transitioning into it, he let his hands take the lead and play, but as the music became clearer, he knew he needed to be recording it.

With the guitar in his hand, he stood and walked across the room to the table he'd put the recorder down on last night. He hated to stop playing for even a minute, but it was necessary. And while he was up, he opened the doors to let the fresh air in. The one door was close to where the driveway wrapped around to the back of the house, and if nothing else, he knew he'd be able to hear when Juliette arrived.

For now, however, he was content to work on this new song. Sometimes the lyrics came first—others, the melody. Right now, it was the melody.

At some point, he went and grabbed himself a bottle of water. The lyrics weren't being as cooperative as he'd hoped, but he tried not to let it get him down. He had notebooks full of lyrics, and if he wanted to, he could try to match this music up to some of them.

"But I'm not giving up yet," he murmured as he got comfortable on the sofa and picked up the guitar.

No sooner had he hit record again than he heard a car door slam in the distance.

"Or maybe I can take a break and come back to it later." Putting the guitar aside, he stood and stretched before walking to the back door, prepared to go out and greet Juliette and see if she needed help with her bags.

Stepping outside, he couldn't see her car—or her—but he certainly heard her.

"Who does that?" she said with exasperation. "He's a freaking millionaire! He couldn't find somewhere a little more habitable?"

The huff of irritation was loud, and she may have growled.

"Who would choose to come up to the mountains on that death trap of a road? I could have died!" She slammed a door or possibly the trunk, he couldn't be sure. "I should have just let Vanessa fire me. Hell, I should have insisted on it! Now I'm going to be stuck up here on this stupid mountain because I'm too terrified to drive back down! This is it. This is how my life is going to end. Stranded on a mountaintop with some overly perky musician." She groaned. "Why couldn't it be a heavy metal singer or something? At least my last days would have been interesting."

Several things occurred to him at that point. First, she clearly wasn't a fan of his. Second, this wasn't her choice of assignments. And third, she was possibly the most negative and dramatic person he'd ever met.

Well…technically he hadn't met her yet, but that was about to change.

Strolling around to the side of the house with a smile on his face, Simon waited until she noticed him.

"You must be Juliette," he said cheerily.

She was wearing a large pair of sunglasses so he couldn't see her eyes, but he had to imagine they'd gone wide at the sight of him.

"And while I will admit to being a fairly upbeat person—and I've heard that I'm far from boring—I'm not sure I'd be up to par with your heavy metal standards."

Juliette didn't move a muscle and Simon had to fight the urge not to laugh.

Instead, he walked right up to her and held out his hand. "Simon Bennett."

"Um…"

"Why don't you come inside and get settled? I'm sure we're going to have a lot to talk about and possibly become new best friends!" Grabbing one of her suitcases, he simply turned and walked away. And as soon as he was out of earshot, he snickered.

This was going to be fun.