Chapter 10: She Has to Tell Someone

Hailey had no idea how she was going to do that with her promise to Noah, but she didn't say anything to her boss. They hung up and Hailey frowned.

"Problem?" Noah asked.

Hailey shook herself. "No, I don't think so."

"Is your boss happy?" he asked.

He leaned on a wall inside the hangar, his legs crossed at his ankles.

"Happy might be an understatement," Hailey said.

The woman wouldn't stay happy if Hailey didn't deliver a scoop on Noah. She'd figure that out later. She couldn't betray him right off. She looked him over. The man could have shoved her out of the plane at any time. Instead, he protected her and then made the situation even better when he found out who she was.

She couldn't betray him that easily.

Her mind searched for a solution, but she knew she'd come up with one at some point. Not right now that the man in question was staring at her with a bemused smile on his face. He was known for that look and it probably charmed the pants off many women.

Not Hailey. She was immune, but then again she didn't want him to stop smiling at her. Maybe she wasn't so immune. Shaking herself, she gave herself an internal pep talk. Falling for Noah Magellan would be the last thing on earth she should do.

"What are you arguing with yourself about?" he asked, pushing off the wall.

"How do you know I'm doing that?"

He shrugged. "Women do it. I haven't met one who doesn't."

She laughed. "Okay. Maybe I was, but I'm not sharing it with you. They are my internal thoughts."

"Fair enough. I have a car coming to get us in a few minutes. I can get someone to bring your car to where we'll be staying."

"Staying?"

"It would be odd if my girlfriend wasn't with me."

She put up her hand. "I don't think we can live together."

"It won't be real."

"No, Noah. I can't up-end my life that much."

He seemed to be pondering her answer. "Okay. I'll take you home."

Her phone buzzed and Jana's face appeared on the screen. She held the phone in the air. "I need to take this. Outside."

She left Noah in the hangar, glancing back once to make sure he hadn't followed her. "Jana?"

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Long story, but I'm at another airport. What happened when I left?"

"We were all herded out of here."

"You weren't arrested were you?" Hailey asked.

Jana was the closest person Hailey had to a friend. She didn't want anything happening to her. Hailey would never forgive herself and she'd lose a valuable source.

"No, I didn't get arrested. I returned the uniform to the locker. What happened? The door closed and the plane took off."

Hailey looked around, but Noah hadn't followed her at all. He was being a good guy and giving her space. "Long story."

"That picture blew up the Internet," Jana said.

That picture again. How much could she tell Jana? She might be the only person that Hailey could trust. "Well, we made an arrangement."

"What sort of arrangement?"

"You cannot tell anyone, Jana. I'm swearing you to secrecy."

That wasn't Jana's strong point, but Hailey could hope.

"Okay. Like, not anyone?" Jana asked.

"Not anyone, Jana. Not even if you go to confession."

She sighed at the phone. "I'll do my best."

"I mean it, Jana."

Hailey wondered if she should rethink revealing things to Jana. She needed to say it to someone. "Noah and I are pretending to be dating."

A gasp came out of the phone. "Why?"

"He has his reasons and I have mine."

"What are yours?" Jana asked.

"I need the money he'll pay me. Plus, I'll get access to other celebrities and I can sell those stories. You know about the medical bills."

"Right. How is your father doing?"

Hailey bit her lip. "About the same. He might need more operations, but I can't think about that now."

The bills were piling up even as she stood here.

"So it's the money? It couldn't be that Noah is the hottest thing walking?" Jana asked.

The fact that Noah was handsomely made it all easier for sure, but Jana didn't need to know that. Hailey refused to be attracted to this situation. That would complicate things. "Nothing to do with it. You know what my priority is."

Her father. She's shared a little bit of what was going on which she didn't do with just anyone. It was personal and embarrassing in a way that she couldn't keep on top of things. She'd contemplated getting a second job. Now she had one.

"Sounds like a good deal then. You're taking advantage of the picture," Jana said.

"Exactly. My editor is happy."

She wouldn't be happy when Hailey didn't deliver any juicy stories about Noah. She'd worry about that later.

"Do you still have the spare key to my car?" Hailey asked.

"Yeah. You need me to drive it to your apartment?"

"Yes. Thanks. I don't want to leave it at the airport in case someone gets curious or it gets towed."

"On it, girlfriend," Jana said.

It warmed Hailey's heart that she had at least one friend in this world. "You're the best, Jana."

"Thanks for trusting me," Jana said.

A throat cleared behind her and Hailey turned to see Noah standing a few feet from her. She hoped he hadn't overheard anything of what she'd said about her father. It was none of his business why she needed the money. "I need to go, Jana. Thanks."

"Everything okay?" Noah asked when she hung up.

"Yeah. Good. I have a friend getting my car," Hailey said.

"My lawyer is faxing a contract to a friend of his here in the area."

She eyed him. "You work quickly."

He shrugged. "I've spent more time convincing him this is what I want."

"Okay. We can do this now."

"Our ride is here, too."

Noah led Hailey through the hanger and then she paused her mouth dropping open. Their ride wasn't what she'd expected at all and she wasn't sure she liked it.

Sitting outside the hangar was the longest limousine that Hailey had ever seen.