Love Unscripted
Page 16
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I peeked out the back door; the alley was empty. Where the heck would he go from here though? My eyes searched the alley to be sure that there was no danger and then I had a brilliant idea.
“Can someone pick you up?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He nodded assuredly.
I reached for my cell phone.
“Maggie? Hi, it’s Taryn. I need to ask you a favor. Well, you see, I have a very special guest inside my pub and he is in need of a safe exit. I mean, he’s very well-known and, um, there are cameras and crazy women outside my bar. Yes, he’s one of the boys from the movie.”
My eyes shot up to him and I gave him my best crooked sorry-smile. “Can I send him through your shop… through your back door? No, he just needs to get to the street - safely. Okay, thanks Maggie. You’re the best!
“Tell your driver to park directly in front of Maggie’s Bakery on 5 th Street, between Elm and Mulberry Streets, and to call you when he is in position.” Why did I all of a sudden feel like I was masterminding some great caper in a really bad thriller?
“You’ll be safe. Maggie is a nice, older lady. She won’t even know who you are. She’ll leave you alone.”
I looked up to see him beaming at me – like I was a lifesaver.
“The things we take for granted,” he muttered.
“Hmm? What do you mean?” I wished he would explain.
“Nothing,” he whispered, shaking his head as a twinge of a smile touched his lips. He pulled his phone from his pocket to call his driver.
Ten minutes later he said his goodbyes.
“Thank you, Taryn, for everything. I’m very sorry for putting you through this today.”
“It’s okay, Ryan. You don’t need to apologize. It was nice to meet you.”
“It was very nice to meet you, too. Huh, I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed. It was nice feeling normal for once, even if it was only for a couple of hours. I had a really great time!”
“I’m glad to hear that. I had a really great time too.”
“Taryn, I hope I can trust you to keep our time together just between us – our secret.” His eyes were pleading, and I knew that no one could ever be told about our encounter.
“Don’t worry Ryan,” I assured him. I purposely looked him directly in the eyes so he’d know I was telling the truth. “Please know that you can trust me. It’s as much my secret as it is yours. I swear I will never say a word about it to anyone. Never - I promise.”
He held his hand out to shake mine, so I reflexively responded. I was all prepared for a friendly handshake, but instead he twisted my hand in his and ever so gently he kissed the back of my hand.
“See you,” he said softly, still holding my fingers in his hand.
I felt my heart skip another beat as it flopped in my chest.
“See you,” I managed to breathe out.
I walked him to the gray steel door in the kitchen and watched him intently as he made it to the opposing door across the alleyway, completely unnoticed. Ryan paused in the open doorway and smiled at me one last time before disappearing into the bakery.
Chapter 3 - Encounters
“Did I miss something?” Marie asked, her eyes looked me up and down like I had the word ‘guilty’ written all over my body.
“What do you mean?” I tried to sound oblivious to her accusation. I was not going to volunteer anything – I promised him.
She tilted her head over towards the window where two photographers stood on guard outside. I wanted so badly to run upstairs and dump a few buckets of water out of my second story window to shoo them away.
“I have no idea. Maybe some of the famous wandered off the reservation,” I replied flatly. “Did you cut up any limes yet?” I was searching for a new topic while keeping my fluttering heart in check; there was no way I was going to discuss the past few hours.
“Yeah, but we’re almost out,” she grumbled.
Eventually the paparazzi disappeared, obviously disappointed that they were not going to get the million dollar shot of Ryan Christensen in my pub. The rest of the night my mind lingered over the memories of the day. Ryan had been so charming, so kind, and funny. I felt such remorse for saying out loud that he was full of himself. I could not have been more wrong about a person.
His speckled blue eyes were so mesmerizing when he looked at me while kissing my hand. How strange I felt from this chance meeting. I allowed myself a brief smile before forcing my mind back on running my pub. I knew I’d never see him again; we came from two different worlds that weren’t meant to exist together.
“Can someone pick you up?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He nodded assuredly.
I reached for my cell phone.
“Maggie? Hi, it’s Taryn. I need to ask you a favor. Well, you see, I have a very special guest inside my pub and he is in need of a safe exit. I mean, he’s very well-known and, um, there are cameras and crazy women outside my bar. Yes, he’s one of the boys from the movie.”
My eyes shot up to him and I gave him my best crooked sorry-smile. “Can I send him through your shop… through your back door? No, he just needs to get to the street - safely. Okay, thanks Maggie. You’re the best!
“Tell your driver to park directly in front of Maggie’s Bakery on 5 th Street, between Elm and Mulberry Streets, and to call you when he is in position.” Why did I all of a sudden feel like I was masterminding some great caper in a really bad thriller?
“You’ll be safe. Maggie is a nice, older lady. She won’t even know who you are. She’ll leave you alone.”
I looked up to see him beaming at me – like I was a lifesaver.
“The things we take for granted,” he muttered.
“Hmm? What do you mean?” I wished he would explain.
“Nothing,” he whispered, shaking his head as a twinge of a smile touched his lips. He pulled his phone from his pocket to call his driver.
Ten minutes later he said his goodbyes.
“Thank you, Taryn, for everything. I’m very sorry for putting you through this today.”
“It’s okay, Ryan. You don’t need to apologize. It was nice to meet you.”
“It was very nice to meet you, too. Huh, I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed. It was nice feeling normal for once, even if it was only for a couple of hours. I had a really great time!”
“I’m glad to hear that. I had a really great time too.”
“Taryn, I hope I can trust you to keep our time together just between us – our secret.” His eyes were pleading, and I knew that no one could ever be told about our encounter.
“Don’t worry Ryan,” I assured him. I purposely looked him directly in the eyes so he’d know I was telling the truth. “Please know that you can trust me. It’s as much my secret as it is yours. I swear I will never say a word about it to anyone. Never - I promise.”
He held his hand out to shake mine, so I reflexively responded. I was all prepared for a friendly handshake, but instead he twisted my hand in his and ever so gently he kissed the back of my hand.
“See you,” he said softly, still holding my fingers in his hand.
I felt my heart skip another beat as it flopped in my chest.
“See you,” I managed to breathe out.
I walked him to the gray steel door in the kitchen and watched him intently as he made it to the opposing door across the alleyway, completely unnoticed. Ryan paused in the open doorway and smiled at me one last time before disappearing into the bakery.
Chapter 3 - Encounters
“Did I miss something?” Marie asked, her eyes looked me up and down like I had the word ‘guilty’ written all over my body.
“What do you mean?” I tried to sound oblivious to her accusation. I was not going to volunteer anything – I promised him.
She tilted her head over towards the window where two photographers stood on guard outside. I wanted so badly to run upstairs and dump a few buckets of water out of my second story window to shoo them away.
“I have no idea. Maybe some of the famous wandered off the reservation,” I replied flatly. “Did you cut up any limes yet?” I was searching for a new topic while keeping my fluttering heart in check; there was no way I was going to discuss the past few hours.
“Yeah, but we’re almost out,” she grumbled.
Eventually the paparazzi disappeared, obviously disappointed that they were not going to get the million dollar shot of Ryan Christensen in my pub. The rest of the night my mind lingered over the memories of the day. Ryan had been so charming, so kind, and funny. I felt such remorse for saying out loud that he was full of himself. I could not have been more wrong about a person.
His speckled blue eyes were so mesmerizing when he looked at me while kissing my hand. How strange I felt from this chance meeting. I allowed myself a brief smile before forcing my mind back on running my pub. I knew I’d never see him again; we came from two different worlds that weren’t meant to exist together.
