Chapter 3

Chapter Three

It was the peace and quiet that essentially woke her up the next morning.

Back home, there was always noise in the background. She slept with a fan on most nights to block some of it out, but it was almost impossible to cancel out all of it. Sure, she could sleep with earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, but that seemed excessive. Plus, she hated having anything in or over her ears while she slept.

But out here in the mountains, there was no noise.

None.

It was slightly unnerving.

Reaching over to the bedside table, Juliette picked up her phone and groaned when she saw it was only a little after six. Seven was her usual wake up time, but even then, she tended to doze off multiple times before getting out of the bed. That wasn't an option today. The room was bright—no room-darkening curtains—and it felt wrong to sleep in when they were supposed to officially start working today.

Last night, Nikki and her family had joined them for dinner, and it was an incredibly pleasant evening. Simon insisted that they not talk about work and that it just be a dinner with friends.

His considerate behavior was already getting on her nerves.

She was here to do a job and it was hard to do it when he was constantly making it feel like they were on a family vacation.

With all the talking they did last night, she learned that Simon was an early riser and always started his day with a jog or a long walk. He loved breakfast food and apparently made the best omelets. He also particularly enjoyed rainy days because he loved writing music to the sound of the rain falling.

"This can't be real," she murmured. "No one is really like this. It has to be an act. But…why?"

Unfortunately, it made her wonder about what his life was like growing up and if all of this had anything to do with his father. It was the one thing he didn't want to talk about, but she had a feeling if she pushed, he'd tell her.

And for some stupid reason, she really wanted to push.

"It would make my job so much easier if I knew exactly why the topic was off-limits for the documentary, but…do I really want to make him talk about it?"

Sadly, she did.

That wasn't an option though—at least not yet—but it did give her an idea.

Sitting up, she looked around the massive room and spotted the bag with her laptop in it. Getting up, she used the bathroom and brushed her teeth before scooping up the computer and climbing back into bed. Vanessa had given her a very thorough file on Simon that detailed his entire career and only mildly touched on his family. Maybe the key wasn't to doing a Google search on Simon, but maybe on Jax.

A twinge of guilt hit her, but she quickly reminded herself she was simply doing her job and making sure she found anything before the directors did and put Simon in an awkward position.

"Okay, Jax Wylder. Let's see what you've got," she murmured as she typed in "Jax Wylder childhood," and then promptly held her breath.

Several pictures popped up of Jax playing peewee football and then more as he got older. Juliette studied them and clicked on one where it looks like he was standing with his parents. There was no information, just a simple caption saying he was posing with his parents after scoring the winning touchdown in the state championship.

So maybe this was…good? Even though she continued to search, there was never any mention of Mr. Wylder. Not one to be deterred, she looked up Simon's older brother Noah. He apparently was a big shot in the world of finance and was marrying an heiress. She found an article on how Noah proposed to Lily Montgomery at one of Simon's concerts. There was a video of the whole thing and she couldn't help but click on it. Simon was on stage talking to the crowd and there was so much screaming coming from the audience, but it didn't seem to bother him.

"Family is important," Simon went on. "My brothers and I are very close, but we're all very different. I sing, Jax throws a ball, and Noah's the numbers guy." Pausing, he chuckled. "And we're all lucky to have him because he manages all my numbers and makes sure I'm being responsible!"

More cheering and laughter.

"Noah's the rock of our family. He stepped up when our dad took off and he's the most selfless guy I know. He rarely asks anyone for anything, so when he does? I take that very seriously." He smiled down at where his brother was seated and gave a curt nod. "So tonight, my big brother asked me for one thing…it was a rather large request…but I'm happy to do it. You ready, Noah?"

The camera then cut to Noah, and Juliette had to admire how attractive he was. All three brothers were almost ridiculously handsome. Then the camera zoomed out to capture Noah and—apparently—Lily.

"The day we met, I remember being totally blown away by how beautiful you were," he began. "I had no idea that you basically wanted to strangle me."

Everyone laughed, including Lily.

"I felt a connection to you that I'd never felt before, but…it wasn't our time yet. Hell, I wasn't sure if it would ever be our time." He paused. "Some people say we should wait, but when you've found your forever person, you just know."

The smile she gave him was radiant and Juliette could honestly see the love there.

"I love you and…and every day, I think about the future. Our future. I'm a planner by nature and all I know is that no matter what lies ahead, I want you there with me." He dropped to one knee and carefully pulled the ring out of his pocket, the one he held up to her. "Be my forever, Lily. Be my light, my love, my laughter, my tears…my everything. Will you marry me?"

"Oh my God," she mouthed. "Yes!"

They kissed as someone took the mic, and the noise level in the arena was deafening. Whoever shot the video was screaming and shouted "Woo!" in a pitch that hurt her ears.

"Now that's how you do it, guys!" Simon called out. "And now, in honor of this momentous event, I'd like to end the night with a song my brother tells me is his favorite."

He paused and seemed to wait for Noah and Lily to stop kissing.

And waited.

And waited.

Clearing his voice loudly, he said, "Congratulations, Noah and Lily!" before launching into "Still of the Night."

"Aww…" Her hand immediately flew to her mouth because sappy stuff like that normally made her roll her eyes hard. But it was all so…real, so genuine. It wasn't possible that both Simon and Noah were too good to be true, was it?

And that's when her mind went back to the theory that this persona of Simon's was all an act. It was possible that he was a nice guy, but…most people had a side of themselves that they didn't want anyone to see, especially when you worked in the public eye. With Simon's level of success, he obviously couldn't have a bad day in front of anyone. That was a given. But if his childhood wasn't great—and clearly it wasn't because he didn't want to talk about it or have anyone ask about it during the documentary—then what the hell was he so cheery about all the damn time?

"It's an act. It's got to be," she whispered, clicking out of the video of Noah's proposal and seeing if anything came up for him with his parents.

Ten minutes later, she admitted defeat. If Mr. Wylder was still alive, she knew she'd have to pay to do a deep dive to get information. And as much as she was prepared to do it, it felt a little like a betrayal to Simon. So she'd hold off.

For now.

"Ugh…why am I being like this? I've never had a problem digging into a client's background so I could be better prepared for whatever the press and paparazzi throw our way. So why am I making this personal? And why would the thought of it being a betrayal even be a thing?"

But she already knew.

Because Simon had been so nice to her since the moment they met.

And it was a little unnerving.

Not only had he been nice to her since she first arrived here, he was nicer to her than any of her previous clients had been. In the past, if she traveled to meet up with a client for an extended period of time, she stayed at a hotel. Even if her client was at home or renting a vacation house, she was never invited to stay with them. There were parameters in place, distances to be maintained, and that's just the way it had always been. So the fact that Simon invited her into his home like this? Well…it made her want to be considerate and mindful of his privacy.

Her stomach growled, and when she looked at the time, she saw it was now after eight. She'd spent way more time messing around online trying to find information and had completely forgotten how much she needed her morning coffee.

Tossing her laptop aside, Juliette climbed from the bed and pulled on her robe. Surely that would be appropriate to go downstairs in, right? It wasn't like she was wearing anything revealing. Her pajamas were pretty modest—wide leg capris and matching t-shirt—and her robe matched them. So…

"Why am I being weird? I need coffee!" Strolling down the stairs, she listened for any signs that Simon was awake and anywhere on the main floor. She knew he liked to go out for a hike or jog or…whatever, and from the lack of any sound, she was alone in the house. Breathing a bit easier, she made her way into the kitchen and went directly to the Keurig. It was the elite model and there was an incredible variety of flavored coffee for her to choose from.

This is definitely like my dream vacation.

Grabbing a mug, she chose an extra dark roast, and sighed happily as the machine did its thing. Within minutes, Juliette made her way out onto the back deck, mug in hand. She already knew the view was beautiful, but the sun was shining, birds were singing, and it was the most peaceful morning she'd ever experienced. No sooner had she sat down on one of the cushioned deck chairs and taken her first sip, than she heard footsteps coming up the deck stairs.

"Hey, you're up! Good morning!" Simon greeted her wearing a pair of black running shorts, a gray t-shirt, and a grin. He was sweaty and a little breathless, but it all looked good on him.

Although Juliette had a feeling everything looked good on him.

Instead of focusing on that inappropriate thought, she focused on her next sip of coffee before replying. "Good morning. Did you have a good run?"

He plopped down on the chair beside her, raking a hand through his damp hair. "I did! The air up here is amazing! I'd never vacationed in the mountains before. I never saw what the big deal was. But now that I have, I definitely plan on coming back. Maybe in the fall or winter next time. Can you imagine how cool this place would look covered in snow?"

That made her laugh softly. "Can you imagine how hard it would be to drive up here in the snow?"

He laughed with her. "Okay, so maybe it would be best to get here before it snows, stock up on a month's worth of groceries, and then just sit back and enjoy the view." Leaning back, he turned his head to look at her. "There would definitely be something mildly therapeutic about disconnecting from pretty much everything by getting snowed in, don't you think?"

Honestly, she had to think about that for a moment. "I don't know if I'd be able to handle it. Living in a big city, I can't remember any storm allowing me to disconnect. Roads get cleared, power stays on…" She shrugged. "I have a feeling I'd freak out being away from work or people for too long."

Nodding, he countered with, "Maybe, but you're going to be here for two weeks. Are you going to freak out?"

"But I'm not here alone. You're here, Nikki's here with Celia and Alex…and I'm working. There's no way I can disconnect while I'm working, so the question is moot."

He seemed to consider that, but rather than argue or continue the discussion, he stood and stretched.

Now that's a spectacular view…

No sooner had that thought hit, than she inwardly groaned. This so wasn't the time to notice how hot Simon Bennett was.

"I'm going to go and grab a shower," he said when he faced her. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Juliette held up her mug. "I'm having it now."

Frowning, he shook his head. "That's not a proper breakfast. Nikki will be over at nine, and we all have breakfast together. It's a great way to start the day and it's a time that we sit and discuss what we have on the agenda and need to get accomplished today."

"That's great, but…"

"I hope you like French toast!" he said over his shoulder as he headed into the house. "See you at nine!"

She already knew Nikki was going to be joining them at nine, but the whole breakfast thing was brand new information.

"I guess it's a good thing I enjoy French toast," she murmured, before taking another sip of her coffee. As much as she was enjoying the view, she supposed it would be smart to go and take her own shower and get dressed. It would be awkward if she were the only one at the table in her pajamas.

Getting used to this new routine wasn't going to be difficult; she just hoped she could get used to Simon and maintain her professionalism.

Simon was exhausted.

Juliette had been in the house for three days and he felt like it was draining every ounce of creative energy out of him.

Something that had never happened before.

He was spending so much time trying to draw her out and get her to just relax and be…well…happy, and it was consuming him. And the weirdest thing was that she was a perfectly nice person.

But a bit…closed off and robotic.

Granted, considering what happened with her last client, he was sure she was on her guard, but he also felt like she was studying him and just waiting for him to screw up and do something that was going to put her job at risk.

So yeah, exhausted.

Right now she was up in her room doing…something, and he was down on the lower level trying to find his muse.

That's where Nikki found him.

"Okay, we need to talk," she said with a huff before collapsing on the sofa beside him.

"Um…sure." Putting his guitar aside, he twisted to get comfortable. "What's up?"

"That's what I want to know!" she demanded. Nikki was one of the few people who ever got frustrated around him and let it show. They'd been working together for the last five years, and she was seriously his best friend. So when she got that scrunched up look on her face and got huffy with him, there was almost always a reason.

"You're going to need to be more specific than that, Nik."

"Simon, we've been here for four days and you haven't written anything," she explained calmly. "I mean…I know you've said that you're playing around with some stuff, and…I realize this was really supposed to be more of a vacation, but you were the one who made the fuss about needing to write and how this was going to be the perfect time for you to crank out some new songs that would get tweaked when we went back on the road with your band."

Letting out a long breath, Simon raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know…I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm feeling a bit…"

"Distracted?" she finished for him.

Wow. Am I that transparent?

Nodding, he agreed with her. "Exactly. I can't seem to find my focus because I'm spending way too much time…"

"It's this documentary," Nikki said with a hint of disgust. "I swear, I wish we could just go back in time and tell everyone that we're not doing it! Nothing good has come from it and it hasn't even started!" Reaching over, she took one of his hands in hers. "Simon, we're committed to this, and I know how much you don't want the deep dive into your childhood. I get it. We all do. But you have to stop obsessing about it. It's not worth it. That's why Juliette's here. She's going to make sure none of the stuff about your dad comes up, okay? So can you please just…you know…relax? Unclench. Push all that negative crap aside and focus on the music again!"

For a moment, he looked at her like she were crazy. "You think it's the documentary that's distracting me?"

"Well…yeah. Isn't it?"

"Um…"

And because she knew him so well, her eyes went wide. "Oh my God! Is it Juliette?"

"Shh! Jeez, Nik, keep it down," he hissed.

But she immediately waved him off. "Oh, stop. This house is enormous and she's two floors up and on the opposite side. We're fine." Then she got comfortable. "Sooo…is Juliette distracting you because of work and why she's here, or is she distracting you because she's hot?"

All Simon could do was groan.

"You do think she's hot, don't you? I mean…come on! I can tell she's trying really hard to tiptoe around you, and I am dying to see her cut loose and let some of that fiery Italian passion come out in her!"

"Why would you think she's fiery? She's been almost…I don't know…bland. Reserved," he reasoned. "And that's a little racist, don't you think? Automatically assuming she's fiery just because she's Italian?"

"Dude, most of my best friends growing up were Italian and let me tell you, they were all fiery and passionate. And not only that, they would do anything for a friend and weren't afraid to let their emotions fly! I'll bet you good money that Juliette's like that." A slow smile crossed her face. "And I think I know the perfect way to get her to break out of her publicist mode and relax."

"This I've got to hear…"

"I'm going to announce that I'm making lasagna for dinner, or maybe some fettucine Alfredo. I want to see if she'll offer to help or if she'll just politely smile and eat it. Food. It's a universal love language, and people who know good food aren't afraid to critique it when something isn't done right."

"I think you're forgetting one thing."

Nikki was already shaking her head. "Not possible."

"You are the worst cook!" he said with a laugh. "Are you planning on doing the cooking or is Celia doing it? Because I can get on board with Celia's pasta dishes. Those are amazing. The last time you made lasagna, it came frozen in a box. And it was still partially frozen when you served it. I may not know Juliette well, but I doubt she'd be able to hold her tongue if you served that."

"Yes, we all remember the frozen lasagna debacle of 2022," she murmured. "Obviously we'd have to go shopping because I don't think we have anything on hand to make a big Italian feast."

"Now it's a feast?" he asked with another laugh. "I think we need to scrap this idea. It feels like you're setting her up and any reaction wouldn't be genuine. And that's what I want—a genuine reaction or feeling from her!" Another groan. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate her professionalism and her commitment to her job, but…would it kill her to just talk to us about something else? Or to let us get a glimpse into who she is outside the job?"

"I don't think Juliette has a life outside of her job, and that makes me sad." She paused. "And that's why we need to do more things that aren't work related."

"Weren't you the one who was just nagging me that I needed to be writing and doing my job?"

"Yes, but that was before I discovered the reason you weren't writing! If we can get Jules to just be…you know…Jules, then you'll get out of your head and be able to write. It's a win-win, Simon. Think about it."

Sadly, she was right.

"While I get what you're saying, the whole food thing just feels wrong. There's got to be another way. I feel like we're putting her into this stereotype and I'm not comfortable with it."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Ugh…sometimes you're overly cautious and way too nice. Just let me handle this." She stood and looked down at him. "And now that you know it's being…you know…handled, can you please at least come up with a song by dinnertime?"

The bark of laughter was out before he could stop it. "That's overly optimistic, don't you think? I mean, I have some things that were really coming along before…"

"Yeah, before Juliette got here. Sure."

"So…maybe I just need to work on something different instead of trying to force what I started." Sighing, he shook his head. "I don't think I've ever had such a hard time writing before. Normally the words and melodies are just there."

Bracing himself for some sort of snarky comeback, Simon was surprised when Nikki leaned in and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You've got this." When she straightened, she smiled. "In the meantime, I've got a call with our web designer to go over some updates to the site, and I'll take care of dinner."

"Nikki…"

"Not me personally," she said with a laugh. "Relax. What I meant is dinner is under control. We'll be over around six, is that okay?"

"Absolutely. Thanks."

As soon as she was gone, Simon picked up his guitar and let out a long breath. This really was the first time that words and music escaped him. Ever since he was a kid, there was always a song in his head, so this felt incredibly unnerving.

Music had been his savior. Growing up, he'd been a really quiet and shy kid who found refuge in music to escape his crappy home life. His parents were always fighting, money was always tight, and it seemed like everyone in town knew they were basically trash. Listening to music had been a way to tune out the rest of the world, but then it morphed into so much more.

Simon realized very early on that he could sing. Getting the solos in elementary school chorus had been the biggest thrill of his young life. Once he hit middle school and then high school, performing not only in the chorus but in musicals allowed him to be someone other than Simon Wylder, the middle child of that Wylder family. He loved being able to disassociate with that label, even if it was only for a little while. Hearing the applause after a performance left him feeling on top of the world.

Then he'd be yanked back down to earth with a crash by his father, who just didn't get why he was so into music and the arts. The old man had been into sports and played football well into college. It was his dream to go pro, but unfortunately, when Simon's mother got pregnant, all his father's big plans got crushed.

And that obviously meant it was his job to crush his sons' dreams too.

Well, all of them except for Jax's. Because he took after their father and played football, Jax had been spared a lot of the harsh verbal abuse Simon and Noah were subjected to. He never held it against his brother; after all, he genuinely had talent and they were all proud of him.

But his father? His father was his worst nightmare and still is. For the most part, they had zero contact with each other. Every once in a while he'd come sniffing around, but the people around him—people like Nikki and Mick and pretty much everyone who was part of his management team—knew to keep Greg Wylder away.

It still amazed him that his father would even want to have anything to do with him. Of course the obvious reason was Simon's fame and the wealth that came with it. Most of the time, he simply went away without a fuss and went on to go and see Jax. It boggled his mind that his brother would want anything to do with their father, but, again, they had a different relationship.

It didn't take long for him to realize he was spiraling down a dark hole and needed to quickly switch gears.

So, he aggressively began strumming the guitar. It was nonsense and almost painful to his own ears—and fingers—but it blocked out the negative noise in his head for several minutes. His heart was racing and he was starting to sweat, but little by little, he began to calm down. The music became a little softer and more purposeful. His heart rate slowed, and his body temperature began to cool. All around, he was feeling more like himself.

"Okay," he murmured. "Here we go…"

Closing his eyes, Simon was able to visualize things that gave him joy—the beauty of the mountains around him, a sunny day, his brothers, his mom…

And Juliette.

Wait…what?

He instantly tensed and the almost-angry strumming was back. Growling with frustration, he opened his eyes and tossed the guitar aside. "This is like a vicious cycle." And as soon as that thought was out, he got to his feet. Feeling annoyed like this was not something he enjoyed, and considering his issues and feelings toward Juliette were what started this whole thing, he had no idea how to break free.

All he knew was that what he was doing wasn't working.

So instead of sitting here obsessing about it, he grabbed his sneakers and decided that maybe a lunchtime hike was what he needed.

And silently prayed that he was right.