Page 7 of Dreaming About Forever

“I’ll arrange for a video conference. How soon do you think you could manage that?” Lillian asked.

Bless her soul. Lillian could see Alicia crumbling on the inside. “Tomorrow.”

“Perfect. I think we’re finished here,” Lillian said in dismissal.

The other members of her team rose and left the conference room, where Alicia remained alone with her manager. Lillian opened her arms, offering the hug she desperately needed.

Alicia gave herself permission to cry. It was warranted. But the tears wouldn’t come. They were held behind a strong wall, building and waiting for their moment to burst forth.

Maybe she just forgot how to do it. Was that even possible?

Lillian’s hand rubbed circles over Alicia’s back, and she allowed Ashton to enter her thoughts. Maybe the shock was numbing every part of her life because she couldn’t conjure up a memory of any loving feelings for the man. Had the last four years been a dream?

Ashton Warner was the golden boy. Everyone loved him. Women wanted him, and men wanted to be him.

Millions of people obsessed about her relationship with Ashton. The two child stars finding lasting love amidst the chaos of show business was the stuff of fairy tales, and the fans ate it up.

But he’d left her in her moment of need–when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

Now, those same people who’d loved them had gotten out their pitchforks, and they were ready to pick sides and draw blood.

Whoever said words can’t hurt you had never been slashed apart by an enraged fan.

After a few minutes, Lillian whispered, “Are you okay?”

Alicia shook her head. “Not even a little bit.”

3

JORDAN

Jordan walked into the office fifteen minutes before his shift. He liked to be a solid half hour early, but traffic was a nightmare.

Field Inc. had three offices, and he’d been stationed at the Cleveland location for two years. While it wasn’t his ideal home base, he’d take it over the LA or New York locations any day.

Brent leaned against the wall in the hallway with his phone pressed to his ear. The guy chatted on the phone more than he worked, and the lack of productivity grated on Jordan’s nerves.

It wasn’t as if they had a job where slacking was even possible. Businesses came to them for protection, and in order to provide it, the job required one hundred percent.

“Hold on a sec,” Brent said before pulling the phone from his ear. “Hey, man. You want to hit the Monsters game tomorrow night?”

Brent’s work habits might annoy him, but Jordan couldn’t turn down a hockey game. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

Brent nodded before returning his attention to his phone call.

The guy had no self-motivation. It wasn’t a secret Brent got the job because of his programming background, but would it kill him to take the work seriously?

Jordan stepped into his office and rolled his neck before sitting behind the desk. This was the part he dreaded. He’d joined the Marines for the physical perks, and he’d managed to get politely escorted out of his preferred career within his first eight years.

Losing part of a leg kinda made him a liability. He understood the reasons why he couldn’t keep his job, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

His boss, Nathan, strode past the open office door before quickly backtracking to step inside. The guy was brushing against six foot six and clocking in at a solid two-twenty pounds of muscle. “Glad you’re here. I need you in a video conference in ten minutes.”

Jordan threw his hands out to his sides. “That’s the notice I get? Do we even have a file on them yet?”

“Her. Not them,” Nathan corrected.

Message received loud and clear. It was a celebrity, and probably a pampered movie star needing extra eyes and ears for a certain event. “Fine. I’ll be there.” He grabbed his laptop and started for the door.

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