country? Where are you going?”
“Costa Rica,” Annalise said.
“You’re ditching school to go to Costa Rica with Chris Sellers?”
“He’s not Chris Sellers, Maggie.”
“What difference does that make? He looks like Chris Sellers. Oh, you lucky woman. I can’t believe you. How long will you be away?”
“Only three days,” Annalise said. “I’m only taking Thursday and Friday off of school. You know I can’t stand to leave the kids for too long.”
“No, this is a situation when you leave the kids,” Maggie said firmly. “Do you want to go for longer? I have a sub list too, you know, if you need help finding someone to cover the class.”
“I’m fine,” Annalise said, laughing. “What are you getting so worked up about? It’s just a few days’ vacation.”
“Annalise, when was the last time you went on a few days’ vacation?”
Annalise bit her lip. “I took time off when my sister got married.”
“To go to her wedding. Before that?”
“I don’t know.”
“And when was the last time you had a date?”
“I date!”
“You date goofballs the gym teachers hook you up with. This is something real, right?”
“I think so,” Annalise said quietly. “It feels like the real thing.”
It’s closer to the real thing than anything I’ve ever had before.
“Then take it seriously,” Maggie said. “Don’t feel guilty about taking a few days off school. Every teacher does it, and the kids will be fine. You deserve to do something nice for yourself.”
“You think so?” Annalise couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
“Definitely,” Maggie said. “And make sure you bring me back something nice from Costa Rica, okay? I like coffee.”
Three days later, still feeling as if the whole thing was a bit surreal, Annalise found herself stepping off an airplane onto the bright, sunlit tarmac at the Costa Rican airport.
Curt had paid for a first-class ticket for her. She had been reluctant to allow him to pay at all—just because he was rich, that didn’t mean he ought to pay for everything—but when he had pointed out that he could fly her out first class, she’d caved. She had never flown first class before, and she knew she’d probably never have the opportunity for that kind of luxury again. She wanted to take advantage of it.
As a result of the accommodations on the flight down, she was a little tipsy. She’d allowed the flight attendant to refill her champagne glass a few times, since it was free. Now she stood beside the plane, blinking, uncertain what she was looking for.
“Ms. Hope?”
She turned. A smartly dressed man stood before her.
“I beg your pardon,” he said politely. “You’re Annalise Hope, aren’t you?”
“I am,” she said, feeling bemused.
“Mr. Slade gave me your picture,” the man said, holding up a printout of a photo the two of them had taken one night in her apartment. The picture showed Annalise snuggled in Curt’s arms smiling up at the camera. Curt had sent that photo to Annalise after he had taken it—she had it on her phone as well. It was a little disorienting to see it here, in the hands of this stranger.
“I’m supposed to take you back to the resort,” the man said.
“Okay,” Annalise said.
The man gestured to the luggage that was being unloaded from the plane. “Do you have a bag?”
Annalise found her suitcase and went to pick it up, but the man got there first.
“Allow me,” he said, smiling. “My name is James, by the way. I’m Mr. Slade’s personal assistant.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Annalise murmured.
This was all so strange. She had known, of course, that Curt was famous. And yet, stepping into his life like this—first the first-class flight, now the personal assistant—made it real to her in a way it hadn’t been before. He wasn’t just a famous actor, he was a celebrity. He lived a life that was completely different from hers.
How could she have imagined that he would be there to pick her up at the airport? Of course he wouldn’t. No one could know he was seeing her.
James dropped her off at the front door of a resort and handed her a key.
“You’re staying in Bungalow Three,” he said. “Would you like me to come along and help you get set up?”
“No, thank you,” Annalise said. “If you could just point me in the right direction, that would be great.”
“Of course,” James said. “That’s it, right there. Your key will get you in, and the resort staff knows you’re arriving today, so if you need anything, call down to the front desk.”
Annalise