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how isolated and fabricated LA was, but decided against it. H e turned to what he thought would be a safer topic.
    “ D o your parent s come out to LA very often?”
    Something that looked like pain flashed in her eyes, but she lowered her gaze to focus on her plate. She pushed her tuna c a sserole around with her fork. “They don’ t come out to LA.”
    From the way she said the words, he got the feeling she didn’t want to talk about it . He should have let it go, but for some reason he couldn’t understand, he didn’t like seeing her upset. The spoiled actress he’d seen last night had been replaced with a vulnerable woman he suddenly wanted to protect.
    “You don’t get along with your family , then?”
    She pushed her food around some more, her brow knitting. “ It’s complicated.”
    “I’m a good listener. Or so my sister tells me.” He grinned. “ Then again, that could have something to do with the fact that she talks so much I can’t get a word in.”
    Raine laughed .
    “My offer to listen still stands. If you want to talk about whatever it is.”
    She played with her food some more, then took a bite . “My mom and dad didn’ t approve of me moving to Hollywood to become an actress. They saved every penny they made to send me to college, but I didn’t want to go. And when I told them? Well, let’s just say we had a huge fight that ended with me taking out all the money I had in the bank, packing all my stuff in my old Camry and driving to LA the day after my high school graduation. ”
    “That was ballsy.”
    “And when I look back on it now, pretty damn stupid.” She ate another forkful of food. “A lot of bad things could have happened to me , but I was eighteen and I wasn’ t going to let anyone or anything stop me from getting what I wanted.”
    “It obviously worked out for you.” He helped himself to more tuna casserole. “You’re famous, right?”
    “I just didn’t realize what that fame was going to cost me.” She said it almost to herself . As if suddenly comprehending she hadn’t, she gave him an embarrassed smile, color tinting her cheeks. “I can’t believe I told you all that stuff. I didn’t mean to unload on you like that. ”
    He returned her smile with a grin. “What can I say? I’m a good listener.”
    She laughed. “Yes, you are. But now it’s my turn. Tell me about yourself. W hy do you come up here to paint when you have a place in Seatt le?”
    He ’d rather hear more about her—and what fame had cost her—but he didn’t think she’d tell him if he asked. “I come down here to think more than anything else, I guess . This place is kind of a retreat for me when I want to get away from the craziness of it all .”
    Her lips curved. “ I hear that. There’s this diner in LA called Joe ’s Place that I go to when I need some time to myself . ”
    Logan couldn’t picture her in a greasy spoon. “A diner doesn’t seem like the kind of place you go to be alone.”
    “Okay, well maybe not alone then. B ut I feel comfortable there. Joe and his wife Emily gave me a job waiting tables when I first got to LA. They knew me before I made it big, and don’t treat me differently now that I’m famous . It’s the one place in LA where I can be a regular person . N o one bothers me or hounds me for autographs. ” She grinned. “Plus, it’s the only restaurant I know of that serves pumpk in pie all year round. It’s my favorite and Emily’s tastes just like my mom’s. ”
    “Why don’t you get your personal chef to make it for you?”
    Raine rolled her eyes. “The first time I asked, he said something in French and made me his version of it, which was more like a puff pastry filled with apples and pumpkin. It tasted k ind of like those fruit pies you get at a fast food restaurant. Don’t tell him I said that, though.” She laughed. “And we’re talking about me again, aren’ t we?”
    Logan laughed . “Fine by me.”
    She waved her fork. “No,