Lost Without You Read Online Free PDF Page A

out of the tent. He followed quickly, not wanting to let her walk away while thinking badly of him. Not that he should care so much what she thought about him, but he did. And knowing she thought he’d acted like a jerk on not one, but many occasions apparently, really bothered him.
    They came out into the sunlight just as a cluster of sound people were walking in. One of them stopped and stared. “Zoe Oliver?” she asked.
    Zoe smiled as if she was completely comfortable meeting her adoring “fans.” Maybe she was. She had been in the spotlight a lot over the last year or so thanks to his shows. And she always seemed to like being the center of attention. This was probably fun for her, having a fan at base camp.
    â€œHi,” Zoe said, offering her hand to the girl. Her voice was sweet and charming. “It’s nice to meet you.”
    â€œOh my God, I can’t believe it’s really you,” the girl said, rushing up to Zoe and throwing her arms around her. “I’ve loved you since you were on
The One
!”
    Zoe visibly blanched, all the color draining from her face as the girl hugged her tight. She pulled at the girl’s arms, forcing her to let go, and took a quick step back toward Chip, distancing herself from the sound girl.
    â€œThat’s great. But how about next time you love me from a distance instead of invading my personal space, okay? If you’ll excuse me, it’s been a long day and I need to prepare for my hosting spot in front of the camera. Some of us actually need to look good and rested each day.”
    Zoe strode off toward her tent leaving the girl looking like she’d just been kicked in the gut.
    â€œI think she’s still in shock from being host and forced to sleep in a tent with no electricity,” Chip said to the sound girl. “You know how these princess-types are. Try not to take it personally.”
    The girl wandered on into the kitchen tent not looking very convinced and Chip sprinted to catch up with Zoe. He fell into step beside her.
    â€œSo what was that thing you said earlier about catching flies with honey?” he teased, trying to lighten her mood. He didn’t want her to have a bad first day on the show. That could set a bad standard for the rest of filming.
    He didn’t want to see her upset either.
    â€œShut it, Chip. You were rude to an employee who was just trying to do the right work for you. That girl assaulted me. She needed to be put in her place.”
    â€œAssaulted you? From where I stood, it looked like a hug.”
    â€œWell it felt like an invasion of privacy and I’m not interested in having it happen again. So, how about you do me a favor and tell your staff to keep their grabby hands to themselves?”
    â€œDoesn’t it seem to you that you’re overreacting just a tad to the whole situation?”
    They got to her tent and she paused after unzipping the door. She turned to face him. Her entire demeanor had changed from what it had been earlier. First she’d been playful and funny, then rude and hostile, and now … now she looked as if she might cry. Had Zoe always been such a whirlwind of emotions?
    â€œI just don’t want people to touch me, okay? Is that so terrible? I’m not one of those touchy-feely girls who likes to be hugged by people. So I’d really appreciate it if you’d tell your staff how I feel or else I’m afraid we may have more incidents like this last one. Got it?”
    She disappeared into her tent and he fought the urge to go after her and comfort her. There was more to this situation then some stupid, harmless hug, but following her when she was upset and forcing her to talk would be like convincing the Great Wall of China to scoot over an inch. It just wasn’t going to happen.
    â€¢ • •
    Chip clenched his jaw while contestant Rick flirted with Zoe. Again. If he’d known Rick would take such a liking to