A/N: Thanks so much for reviewing, Max2013, Caranath, Guest, Paulina Ann, Cheryl, Erin, and Jackie! I appreciate all the fun comments! Thanks to everyone reading, too. And now...off to the Big Apple!

Chapter 26

Iola was enjoying her work on the morning show. Her new colleagues had been gracious and helpful during her initial days, and now she felt like she was really getting the hang of things. Not to mention that several people had told her she was a natural. Perhaps this really could be a viable career option for her.

She paused in the hallway before entering the set. The crew was bustling around, getting ready for the opening segment. Props were being checked, lighting was being adjusted, and the hosts were checking their microphones. It was all so exciting.

Iola could hardly believe that three weeks ago, she thought her life was about to end. In that short amount of time, things had turned around one hundred and eighty degrees. Now the world was her oyster, and she was going to make sure she took advantage of every opportunity presented to her. She had four long years to make up for.

"Excuse me," a deep male voice with a British accent said from behind her. "I think I need to be out there for the opening shot."

Iola turned and found herself face to face with one of the most handsome men she'd ever laid eyes on. "Um, sure, sorry," she stammered, stepping aside so he could pass.

Then she paused. Wait a minute. Was that…?

The man stopped next to her and smiled warmly as he extended his hand. "I'm Cooper Armstrong. And you must be Iola Morton. I recognize you from the news."

It was. Cooper Armstrong. The actor. The actor she had watched in the movie theater in Bayport not two weeks ago. The incredibly gorgeous actor, who apparently knew her name.

Iola swallowed hard. She had to think of something intelligent to say. And by that, she meant something more than a grunt or a sigh.

"Hi, yes, I'm Iola. Nice to meet you."

There, that wasn't so bad. Her voice wasn't even shaking. Feeling bolder, she took his hand. His warm, strong hand. She was touching Cooper Armstrong.

Iola had a quick flashback to an afternoon over four years ago with Callie, when they had drooled over his photo in a movie magazine in her family room. Chet and Joe had been playing video games, and Joe had made a snarky comment about the actor.

"I'm really happy to meet you, Iola," Cooper continued. "Your story is very compelling. I was relieved to hear you'd been released and were coming home."

Iola looked up into the man's piercing blue eyes, and he smiled at her. Good grief, it should be illegal to be so handsome. She was almost positive the bones in her legs were starting to melt as she stared at him.

"I, um, thank you. I was really happy to return home, too."

Well, of course she was. Wow, that was a stupid comment. But apparently her brain cells had all decided to swoon over Cooper and quit communicating with her mouth.

At that moment, a production assistant came over to them. "Mr. Armstrong, we need you on the set for a quick lighting check before we go live."

"Of course." Cooper released Iola's hand and flashed her another thousand watt smile. "I'm looking forward to our segments together."

"Me, too," Iola said, watching him walk onto the set. She swore she saw one of the female production assistants sway as he walked past her. Iola wasn't even sure her own legs were going to work right now.

Hold on a minute. Did he say they were doing segments together? On today's show? Where she would have to speak?

Iola flipped through her show notes. Oh, crap. She was doing a cooking segment and a travel segment with Cooper as her co-host. Damn that Janie and her maternity leave. Couldn't she just drag herself in and do the show? That baby had to be a good forty-eight hours old by now. Why did she have to deliver early anyway?

Iola paused and took a deep breath. And then another. She could do this. She would do this. She just couldn't look Cooper in the eyes for more than a second or two. Because if she did, she would faint. Right in front of America. Not that any red-blooded American woman would blame her, but still.

Iola stepped onto the set. She was going to be cool, calm and collected.

Cooper turned his head toward her and smiled again as she approached.

Iola's breath hitched. After this show, she was going to call Callie first thing, and have a giant, squeeing, fan girl moment.

But for now, she was going to be a complete professional.

Even if it killed her.

OOOoooOOO

Joe got out of his jeep, and walked around to open Vanessa's door. They were parked in front of the Main Street Diner, and had arrived just about a half hour before the commuter crowd poured in for breakfast.

The rest of the gang had been meeting here several mornings a week to watch Iola on Daybreak, but Vanessa hadn't seemed interested, and Joe felt something akin to guilt if he went without her. Even though telling her that he was only there for a large plate of the diner's blueberry pancakes would be a perfectly acceptable excuse. She knew they were his favorite breakfast food on the planet.

But this morning, Vanessa was eager to see the show. Her favorite British actor, Cooper Something or Other, was going to be on, and Vanessa wanted to watch him on the giant screen in the diner with the rest of her girlfriends. Whatever. Joe was just happy to be getting a huge breakfast full of carbs and bacon.

They stepped inside as the show was beginning, and as Joe glanced at the television, Iola appeared with a smile on her face. His heart gave a hard thump. She was beautiful, and he missed her. She'd only been home for such a short time, and it had been hard to see her leave again. He'd hoped that the time he'd spent trying to put her out of his mind would have helped.

It hadn't.

"Have you seen Cooper yet?" Vanessa asked, as she slid into the booth next to Callie.

"Not yet, but I think he's going to be on soon." Callie bounced up and down excitedly. "I hope Iola gets to interview him. We both had a huge crush on him in high school."

"Me, too," Liz Webling chimed in. "Remember when we all had to read Jane Eyre in tenth grade, and then the movie came out with him as Mr. Rochester?"

"He was very swoony in that," Callie said, a dreamy look on her face.

Joe rolled his eyes and sat at the other booth with Frank and Chet. He looked up at the waiter who was bringing water to the table. "I'll take the mile high stack of blueberry pancakes, with a side of bacon and home-fried potatoes."

"Light breakfast?" Frank asked.

"I don't think I'll be able to eat much with all the giggling and squealing going on," Joe said. "Who is this guy, anyway?"

"He was the lead actor in the movie we saw two weeks ago," Frank said, dryly.

Joe waved his hand. "I don't pay attention to stuff like that."

"What? Don't you remember how 'swoony' he was in Jane Eyre, Joe?" Chet asked with a grin.

"I don't remember Jane Eyre at all," Joe said. "Pretty sure I tried to avoid reading it. Too girly."

"Well, Iola had a huge crush on him." Chet dug into the large omelet in front of him. "I'm sure she's freaking out right now."

Frank glanced up at the screen. "She looks fine. Maybe she's over him."

Chet snorted and gestured with his fork to the girls. "Do they look over him?"

Joe looked up at the girls again. They all had simpering smiles on their faces and were giggling. "What a double standard. If we'd been acting like that over some Victoria's Secret model, we'd be called sexist pigs. But with girls, it's somehow okay."

"One of the harsh realities of life," Chet said, taking another bite of his omelet.

At that moment, a collective gasp arose from the girls' table, and Joe's eyes moved to the giant TV screen. A tall, dark, and handsome man…didn't that just figure…was approaching Iola and the male co-host. He bent down and kissed Iola on the cheek, and a sigh arose from the girls.

"How is she still conscious?" Liz asked.

"I don't know," Frank teased. "I would have fainted the moment he got within five feet of me."

The girls all shushed him. Callie made a face at Frank, then blew him a kiss.

"He is good looking," Frank admitted to the guys.

"Not as good looking as me," Chet said.

"No, but then he doesn't have a giant glob of cheese hanging off his chin like you do," Joe pointed out.

Chet hurriedly reached for a napkin, while Joe's attention focused on the television again.

Iola was asking the actor a question. He was amazed at how professional she looked, and how quickly she seemed to take to hosting a morning show. She was really good.

The actor smiled back at Iola, answered the question, then asked her something in response. Joe didn't hear what he said, as the diner was rapidly filling with customers, but the looks on the girls' faces indicated that it must have been something important.

"Holy crap, he's flirting with her!" Liz nudged Callie. "Am I right? Wasn't that flirty?"

"Oh, that was definitely flirty," Callie said.

Liz grabbed Callie's arm. "And look at that! She's flirting right back."

What? Joe wasn't seeing that. "How is she flirting?"

"She touched his arm," Vanessa said, as if pointing out the obvious. Then she turned back to the girls. "Oh my gosh, she touched his arm!"

Joe watched the rest of the interview in silence. Cooper did seem to be putting the moves on Iola. He was subtle, but Joe could tell what he was doing. The guy was good. The interview segment moved into a cooking segment, which Cooper apparently decided to stick around for. That annoyed Joe. But what annoyed him even more was when Cooper fed Iola the Thai food they'd just made off his fork.

Joe leaned back in the booth. Even though he'd made the decision to stay with Vanessa, the thought of Iola and any other man about killed him.

As hard as he'd been trying, he couldn't shake the gut-churning feeling that accompanied watching that jackass actor flirt with her. It was tearing him up inside. And he didn't know how to deal with it.

OOOoooOOO

The crown prince of Rei Ta Viti stared angrily at the television, mounted on the wall in front of his hospital bed.

Iola Morton was now working as a TV host.

The prince wasn't surprised. In a country that celebrated debauchery and immorality, he should have expected it.

But it still grated.

She was dressed like a whore. Her skirt was above her knees, and the neckline on her sweater was cut entirely too low.

And she was flirting with a man.

It wasn't bad enough that she tried to deceive his father and countrymen by passing herself off as a virgin when she'd already given herself to a man, but now she was flaunting their humiliation in front of the entire world.

The prince stared down at the tube sticking out of his abdomen and cursed under his breath.

His own personal physician was arriving from Rei Ta Viti this afternoon. Then maybe something could be done about this medical bullshit, and he could get out of this hospital.

And the first thing he was going to do when he did was kill Iola Morton.