When in Rome: A Novel

The narrative point of view switches perspectives to that of Noah Walker, the man Amelia assumes is trying to kill her. After 20 minutes, he notices Amelia is still in her car and he fears for her safety. Noah calls Mabel, his grandmother’s best friend with whom he has been close his whole life and explains the situation with the woman in the car. He gets Mabel to talk on the phone with Amelia and convince her that Noah is not a serial killer.  Mabel also tries to convince Amelia that Noah is a catch. Amelia finally gets out of the car and lets Noah help her with her smoking engine, but she is still hesitant to give him her name and to sleep in the guest room he offers. Amelia eventually relents, knowing her car will never make it to the bed and breakfast where she had planned to stay. When Noah escorts her into his house, not only does he notice how beautiful she is, but he’s immediately sure that nothing romantic can happen between them because she is the pop star, Rae Rose.

Amelia, who was initially excited that Noah didn’t seem to recognize her, tries to deny being Rae Rose. When that doesn’t work, she offers Noah a VIP ticket to one of her shows as a thank you, but Noah doesn’t want one, and Amelia suspects he actually hates her. Noah ignores her and leads her to his guest room, where Amelia doesn’t know how to act around him. She reflects on all of the ad-lib meetings she’s had to do as a celebrity but finds Noah harder to read.

When Noah leaves for work early the next morning, he knows he will encounter the curiosity of everyone on Main Street as Mabel surely will have spread the gossip of his encounter with Amelia. Private and closed-off Noah has always felt uncomfortable with the gossipy nature of the small-town community of Rome, where everyone has known him all his life and knows all his business. He contemplates not opening the pie shop his grandmother left him for the day but knows he has deliveries coming. Noah thinks about how, three years ago, he moved to New York City with his ex-fiancée Merritt, and how much he surprisingly loves his life back in Rome after their breakup. Just after Noah makes it to the pie shop that has been in his family for years, his best friend James, who supplies Noah with ingredients from his farm, asks about the mysterious woman staying in his guest room that he heard about from Mabel. Noah’s initially evasive but eventually relents and tells James everything. James understands that Noah is grumpy because he’s attracted to the beautiful singer in his house but is too jaded to fall for someone from out of town again. After James makes Noah feel guilty about leaving Amelia alone, Noah leaves him in charge of the shop and returns to check on her.

Amelia thinks about how alone she is in Rome but also in her life. She reflects on becoming an internet sensation at 16 and getting signed to a record label shortly after. Her relationship with her mother fell apart almost immediately when she became famous and Amelia discovered her mother cared more about her stardom than about Amelia herself. She panics when she tries to call someone to tow her car, feeling bad about not having done anything for herself in 10 years. Noah comes home and helps her. Amelia tries to guess what Noah does for work as he makes pancakes, guessing many manually laborious jobs before she lands on a baker. Noah tells her that even though he owns a pie shop, he doesn’t like pie, but he loves what it means to him and his family, reminding Amelia of the love for Audrey Hepburn that she once shared with her mother. Amelia debates eating the pancakes, knowing her manager Susan would kill her for eating too many carbs and breaking her strict diet right before the tour, but she decides to eat them anyway.

The town mechanic tells Noah that he won’t be able to fix Amelia’s car for two weeks. Amelia panics, telling him that no one is supposed to know where she is so she can’t call anyone for help. When Amelia starts to explain how overwhelmed she feels, Noah suddenly cuts the conversation short and offers to drive her into town, not wanting to hear how bad her life is as a famous and wealthy celebrity. Before they leave, Amelia tells Noah to call her by her real name, not her stage name Rae, and he feels guilty for treating her harshly.

They arrive at the bed and breakfast owned by Mabel who tells them that she has no rooms available. Noah is suspicious as no one ever comes to town. Amelia can see that Mabel is lying too but unlike Noah, who sees Mabel is trying to set the two of them up by forcing Amelia to stay in his guest room, she doesn’t understand why. Back in his car, Noah admits he's being unkind. Amelia asks why he doesn’t like her, but he gives a noncommittal answer. She offers to leave but, knowing she wants time away from her life, Noah insists she stay through the weekend.

Amelia feels bad for not contacting Susan and asks Noah if he has internet service, which he doesn’t. The two banter, highlighting their opposite personalities, while Noah attempts to seem busy around the house. Amelia calls Susan, who immediately complains about Rae Rose missing an interview. When Amelia tells Susan she is taking a vacation, Susan berates her for ignoring her obligations and the people who work to accommodate her, making Amelia feel like a spoiled brat. Amelia misses how kind and caring Susan once was, just as she misses her old self who was eager to make music at the beginning of her career. When Susan demands Amelia send her the address of where she is staying so she can send her bodyguard to meet her, Amelia says she will not be reachable until Monday and hangs up, feeling powerful. Noah unplugs the phone when it starts ringing again.

People continue to bother Noah about Amelia’s stay at his house—after three days, only Mabel has seen her, and he hasn’t answered anyone’s questions. Community members flood the pie shop for a glimpse of the mystery girl, but Noah avoids them just as he has tried to avoid Amelia the past few days. He sees Amelia come to the pie shop, trying and failing to blend in as she gets groceries in town. Noah lets her look around his pie shop, sensing she just wants to get a glimpse of normal life before returning to her celebrity world. She startles him while he’s washing dishes in the kitchen, getting soap in his eyes. As Amelia tries to help him get it out, she and Noah move closer until they are kissing. Noah pulls away when he hears his shop door chime, and they both immediately agree that the kiss was a mistake that should be forgotten. Noah hears the familiar voices of his three sisters, who are supposed to be out of town until after Amelia leaves. He apologizes to Amelia in advance for what they are about to say to her. Emily, Madison, and Annie Walker accost their brother for keeping secrets from them before they see Amelia and start to fawn over her. Noah is surprised at how delighted Amelia seems to meet them. The sisters invite her out to drinks, and he wonders how Amelia has infiltrated his life so rapidly.