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he just try to find another actress? He’d deliberately avoided local agencies for fear that on the off chance his grandfather would recognize the woman from some local something. Even as he exited the airport, crossed the walkway and entered the parking lot a few seconds later he still had no answer. Except that he’d been away from his grandfather’s side too long already.
    • • •
    As she collected the last of her items Amelia watched the retreating back of the man. She managed to get the bag partially zipped again and as she rose to her feet her eyes narrowed on the last of the gawkers. A woman who’d stuck around to see the end of the show.
    “Can I help you?!” She snapped almost hoping the woman would give her a reason to release all the frustration and anger caged in her heart at that moment.
    Instead the woman’s eyes widened like a guilty child before she scuttled away down the corridor.
    Amelia looked back toward the doors and caught one last glimpse of the man as he disappeared through the sliding doors leading out to the busy street.
    He was not at all what she had expected. Actually she hadn’t
expected
anyone. Terry never said a word about him being at the airport to pick her up. In all fairness there was the possibility that Terry hadn’t known since he’d just given her the address of the hospital and twenty dollars to take a cab. Amelia had obediently written the information down although she had no intention whatsoever of using it.
    Once her plane landed she’d planned to just head home and try to make things right with her family leaving Terry to deal with his disappointed client. After the stunt he pulled on her yesterday sending her to that so-called-audition this would make them even. At least that had been the plan.
    But now…those eyes…the pain and sadness reflected there…could he have been faking that? It had been too hard to look directly at him. He was so tragically beautiful it was breathtaking. His need for comfort was like a magnetic force, raw and terrifying. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him, pull his head down on her shoulder and just hold him. Instead she turned and ran.
    The security guard glanced at the sliding doors seeming reluctant to leave her side. “You want me to walk you outside?”
    Amelia tried to force a reassuring smile. “No. I should be fine from here. But thanks for your help.” With that the guard headed back in the direction he’d come from and Amelia dragged her raggedy bag to the escalator and down to the baggage carousel to collect her second bag. She was careful not to bump it and risk spilling her belonging all over the floor again and relive that humiliating experience.
    As she was standing there watching the neatly packed bags go around and around it suddenly occurred to her what the guy at the boarding house had meant with his
real man
crack. She covered her face with both hands wondering if there was any way this experience could get any more mortifying.
    An hour later she had an answer after watching every bag be removed from the carousel except hers—which was nowhere to be found.
    The suitcase she’d taken the time to pack correctly, the one with all of her newer clothing, her jewelry, personal papers and precious possessions was lost. While the bag containing a few personal hygiene items, some raggedy pajamas and her vibrator was sitting on the floor beside her.
    She sighed simply too tired and too hungry to do anything more. A short while later after filing a report with the airport she trudged out of the airport dragging her one suitcase with her.
    Once she was outside Amelia stood there wondering if the twenty dollars Terry had given her would be enough to get her to her family home. Probably not.
    She tried calling Byron but the number she had for him was disconnected. She thought about just walking the couple of blocks to the closest bus station but instead she just stood there staring at the long line of cabs