Stars Over Alaska (Wild River #4) - Jennifer Snow Page 0,105

the tension between you both was full of sexual chemistry even in the beginning. You were different with him.”

“Okay, fine... I love him.” It was the first time she’d even admitted it to herself and she knew it was true. “But you know why it’s complicated.”

Selena shot her a look. “You want complicated? Try dating your on-set intimacy coordinator.”

Leslie almost laughed. Leave it to Selena to find the most awkward situation to put herself in. “Well, so you get it.” She hadn’t been able to erase thoughts of Levi from her mind in weeks; she really didn’t want to talk about him. It hurt too much.

But the star was adamant. “No, I don’t get it. He loves you. You love him. As much as you adore me, I’m not enough to keep you in LA. Neither is this job. You want to make a real difference in the world, maybe start by making a difference in Levi’s.”

Leslie studied her. “I don’t remember that line from any of your movies.”

Selena slapped her arm. “That’s because it’s not. It’s from the heart. Look, I know I can be a pain in the ass and out of touch with reality, but what I saw between you and Levi? That shit’s real. The pain you both went through connects you.”

“Right. We’re connected by my fiancé’s death.” How could they both move forward together with Dawson’s ghost overshadowing their future? And if Levi was continuing with the foundation, then obviously he and Mrs. Powell were okay again and Leslie didn’t want to come between them or cause unnecessary conflict.

“No. You both knew Dawson. You both loved Dawson. But you both lost Dawson. And as hard as that was and no matter how much you both still miss him and want to respect his memory, no one would fault either of you for moving on. And I truly believe that Dawson would be happier knowing you’d found one another in a true connection, than for both of you to blame him for not taking the chance on what you both want most. More than that—what you both deserve.”

“I don’t know. It’s been a long time.” Really only a few weeks, but the longer the silence grew between them, the harder it seemed to get back to any kind of progress they may have made during their time together.

“You have to stop running when faced with conflict,” Selena said.

“What are you talking about? I face conflict all the time. It’s my life. My career.”

“Right. When you’re protecting other people. But when it comes to your own personal conflicts—your fears—you run. You ran when you and your mom couldn’t see eye to eye, you ran after Dawson died...now you’re running from this. Running from Levi.”

It was so true. But how did she stop running when it was her way of self-preservation all these years?

It would be so easy to listen to Selena. To use her friend’s words as permission to go for it with Levi. But she still wasn’t sure she could do it. “I don’t know. I need more time to think about everything that happened... With some distance comes perspective, right?”

Selena nodded. “I thought you’d say that, so...” Reaching into her purse, she took out an envelope and handed it to Leslie.

A plane ticket for Anchorage. Leslie’s eyes widened as she saw the date and time on the ticket. “This leaves in two hours.”

Selena nodded. “In my experience, impulsive decisions are always the right ones.”

Leslie raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“When it comes to matters of the heart—absolutely. Stop overthinking this. Remember how you felt when you were with him.”

She did. It was all she could think about.

“Hold on to that feeling and go get him, before you throw yourself back into work and once again try to hide who you are and what you really want. You don’t want to keep living this shell of an existence, Leslie.”

She hesitated.

“That line was from a movie,” Selena said, getting up and easing Leslie up from her chair. “My driver’s waiting for you.”

Her heart raced. Oh God. Could she actually do this? “What about you? I can’t just leave you. I’m your security detail.”

“I called an agency already. They are sending a guy over right away.”

“So, you fight to get me my job back, and now you’re firing me?”

Selena hugged her. “I just wanted more time to turn you into a friend. Some people say, I’m an acquired taste.”

Leslie laughed, then sobered, staring at the plane