The Lake House by Marci Nault Page B

laughed and joked with them, sometimes touching them on the arm or the back.
    She’d confronted him about his flirting and the way he looked at other women. He responded that every guy looked and at least he didn’t hide it from her. As for the flirting, it was part of his business to network.
    She looked at the woman with breast implants. More than once Charlie had suggested that Heather have augmentation to help her land a television show. Even her body was a product he could rearrange to better suit his marketing plan. For the past week he’d continued to ignore her insistence that they take a break. Time apart wasn’t part of his plan, so it didn’t exist.
    Charlie turned and smiled. In the past, butterflies had danced in her belly when Charlie looked at her in that special way; his smile had made her feel she was the only woman in the room, and she couldn’t believe that this handsome man loved her. But that feeling had left long ago.
    A blond man joined Charlie and they walked toward her. “This is Heather Bregman, the one and only Solo Female Traveler,” Charlie said. “Heather, this is Steven Radley. He works for the Travel Channel.”
    Heather extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Steven.”
    Steven kissed both her cheeks in greeting and held her chin in his hands. “You’re gorgeous. Why isn’t your face across billboards and magazine covers? You should be on television.”
    “I think Solo Female Traveler is exactly what your network needs,” Charlie said.
    Steven stepped back and let his eyes roam her body. Heather shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He looked like a golden boy who’d done everything right in life. He had a way to him, like one who had never had to work for his achievements, a slicknesscovered with flirtation that she found sexually attractive and unnerving at the same time.
    “So do you live in Los Angeles?” Heather asked.
    “No, I’m here in Boston. Most of our shows are shot on location, so I get to live in my favorite city and travel the globe. I guess you and I have that in common.”
    “Yes,” Heather said, “we’re very lucky people.”
    “Why don’t we set up a meeting next week to discuss my idea for a Solo Female Traveler show?” Charlie suggested.
    “Only if you let me dance with this beautiful woman first,” Steven said as he took Heather’s hand and moved her onto the dance floor.
    He pulled her close and led her in a waltz, lifting her arm with fluid movements and twirling her in circles, then brought her back to his chest and pulled her tight around her waist.
    “Impressive dancing skills,” she said as she leaned back to create distance between them.
    “I took lessons for four years,” he said. “A man who can lead always gets the woman.”
    Heather tilted her head back and laughed. “And I’m certain you’ve had terrible troubles in that department.”
    “I think you’re reading me wrong, Ms. Bregman,” he said with a flirtatious smile. “I’m actually quite shy and reserved.”
    She laughed again as he twirled her around the floor, making her feel as if her feet floated above the ground.
    “Now, as for you,” he said, “I sense intense shyness.”
    Heather blushed and let her hair fall over her face.
    “Exactly,” he said. “It’s incredibly charming to men, but for the camera you would need to overcome it. Could you?”
    The honest answer would be that she didn’t know. It terrified her to think of cameras picking up her every flaw and people across America watching her on television. As a writer, she could hide behind her computer screen and speak from her heart.
    But the key to long-term success was taking the next step. The Globe executives were pushing her to broaden her brand. They wanted a star, as Charlie had promised them six years ago, not just a local woman who traveled. She summoned her confidence and looked directly at Steven. “I’ve traveled the world solo. I’ve met people from every culture and experienced