Page 15 of Lexi Lets Go

"Come in," he called. In came Jacinda carrying a breakfast tray.

"Are you room service?" he asked.

"No. I just don't trust these people," she said with a sense of disgust.

"I think they are perfectly trustworthy," he said.

"Well, nonetheless, here is your breakfast." She sat it down at the table in the corner of the room. Taking the lid off he saw an omelet that looked good. Taking a bite, holy crap. It was really good.

"This is really good. The food here has been great."

Jacinda just stood there shaking her head.

"Okay, Liam. What is the agenda for the day? I know you wanted to do some location scouting. I can find out if we can get a tour guide to show us around. I think that would be the most efficient use of our time. Then maybe we can get out of here tomorrow, back to civilization. There isn't even a Starbucks in this town."

"I don't need a tour guide. I can look around just fine, and I grew up in a town just a little larger than this. I think it's charming."

"It's something alright," she said under her breath.

"Did we get anything set up for the fans who are missing the concert tonight?"

"Yes, they were all sent a code to enter, you just have to log in and stream it. It should be pretty straightforward."

"Perfect. I’ll work up a small acoustic set for the night and find the best place to film."

"I thought we could just do it in the meeting room here. Set up the lighting and a stool and you can do your thing."

He nodded thinking about logistics. "That could work. I’ll let you know later."

He finished up his breakfast ignoring his manager. He was looking forward to getting out there, and he knew where he was headed first. As he sat eating his breakfast, he looked out his window at the falls in the distance. It was a beautiful sunny day out there and he was going to go and find those falls. That was at the top of the list.

Jacinda finally left his room, and he was happy for the reprieve. If he was being honest with himself, he could really use a break from her too. He could use a break from all of this. He would go live tonight for his fans, but then he had a couple days of nothing. He was supposed to be spending those in the city, but that wouldn’t be relaxing. This town would be a place he could actually relax, and he was excited for that. There was something about this town that already felt like home. And while that shouldn’t be possible, Liam wanted to trust his instincts, and they were telling him there was something special here. He was a little out of practice at trusting himself, but the pull to this place… and to Lexi, if he was honest, was more intense than anything he had felt in recent history.

After Jacinda left, Liam decided to sneak out. She normally insisted on knowing his whereabouts, but she could get over it. He needed some peace. Slipping on his shoes, he grabbed his room key and phone and headed out the door. Yesterday Lexi had told him there was a trail at the back of the inn that would lead to those falls, and he was going to find it.

As he walked along the back of the property, he found the trail and started down it. It was beautiful. The trees turned into a canopy above him, and all the noise faded away except for the birds overhead. The trail right now was a well-manicured path covered in wood chips. Yesterday's rain had made things muddy, but manageable. He wondered what the trail might be like further down.

As he walked down the path, the river came into view, he was on the bluff above. It was beautiful to look at. He continued to walk until he saw a bench in the distance. On the bench was a familiar figure. He was almost certain it was Lexi.

Something inside him lit up at the prospect of another meeting with her. He had come close to kissing her last night, and it had been a while since he had kissed anyone. He'd been having a hard time getting close to people recently, which wasn't like him. He was a people person. He made connections easily. It was part of his charm. Maybe it was just fame, but it all felt a bit much these days.

But there she was on the bench. Something in his heart stirred, and he wanted to be close to her. He needed to be close to her. He wasn't sure why, but he did. This was probably a bad idea. It couldn’t be anything but a good time. Being Liam James was an all-encompassing job, and sometimes he lost track of who he was. He couldn’t be a good partner to anyone like that.

But that didn’t seem to stop him because here he was, making his way over to the bench. He kept waiting for her to hear him coming, not wanting to surprise her or scare her, but he was getting really close now. In another step, he would be able to reach out and touch her. He cleared his throat to announce his presence and she jumped. Then as she turned, her hands were wiping at her eyes which were glassy and red. She was crying. Why was she crying? He needed to make it right. Right now.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Smiling up at him with a smile he would recognize as fake from a mile away, she wiped away another tear. "I'm great. I should probably head back in."

"Don't leave on my account. I've been told I’m a pretty good listener if you want to talk."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. He would be a little offended if he weren't concerned about her.

"Can I sit?" He asked tentatively, waiting for her answer.

"Sure, I mean, why sign one NDA when I can sign two?" She said dryly, but still scooted over, offering him a seat.

An NDA? What was she talking about?

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