En route to L.A. in the first book, Anna meets the charming Ben Birnbaum on the plane and he invites her to be his date at Jackson Sharpe's wedding. Anna is enthralled by Ben and almost loses her virginity to him but Anna quickly believes Ben is only a player after he inexplicably abandons her after she told him she wanted to take things slow. Anna is still reluctant to trust Ben, especially when she finds about his romantic past, but she eventually forgives him after he explains the misunderstandings between them. Ben and Anna are often on and off throughout the series as Anna tries to decide what she really wants from her life.