Love Unscripted

  “We received a complaint about a crowd blocking the street traffic,” the policeman replied.

  “As you can see, we are holding a private affair for our visiting guests.” I looked at Ryan and Cal. Seaport was not a large community; I presumed that the dozen or so police officers we had on staff all knew that celebrities were in town.

  The policeman looked at Ryan and nodded his greeting. “Mr. Christensen.”

  “Good Evening, Officer,” Ryan replied. He was standing with his arms folded across his chest. “My apologies for the crowd. Unfortunately there isn’t much we can do about it.”

  “We will make sure that the street is clear. There are too many pedestrians on the sidewalk. We'll request that they disband, but they will surely regroup once we leave,” the officer informed.

  “We appreciate your help,” Ryan replied.

  “Yes, thank you,” Cal added.

  “Would you like me to call in a request for a police escort when you leave?” the officer asked.

  “I’m not sure. We have private security with us this evening,” Ryan answered.

  “Yes, we spoke to them outside,” the officer said. “They are trying their best to keep it orderly, but we understand there is only so much they can do.”

  “We should be fine. Thanks for the offer.” Ryan reached out to shake the officer's hand.

  My heart rate was accelerated from the nervousness that always accompanied police presence, but Ryan seemed to maintain his cool. Pete escorted the police out the door; hundreds of camera flashes lit up the darkness the moment the door opened.

  I noticed Ryan turned to walk away; I presumed he didn’t want to be seen when the front door opened. He sat down in his seat in front of the television and started rubbing his forehead. His body language confirmed my suspicions.

  I stood behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. I knew he was bothered by the mayhem outside and I wanted to take his mind off of it. How much pressure could one man take before he would crack?

  Ryan leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “That feels good,” he murmured.

  I was trying not to get angry with the crowd outside for ruining our evening. I kissed his forehead, trying to soothe him. I didn’t need to be able to read his mind to know the exact thoughts that tormented him.

  Our guests stayed until the football game was over, but soon after that everyone proceeded to gather their things. Gary reluctantly handed over twenty dollars to Ryan, and Ryan graciously accepted it.

  “I’m going to go back to the hotel with the rest of them,” Ryan informed. The sadness was evident in his eyes. “I really want to stay with you, but I think it’s best if I go.” His eyes flickered to my windows. “I have to be on set anyway early in the morning.”

  I wrapped my arms around his waist as he hugged me. “I don’t want you to go. But I understand why you feel you must.”

  “Tar, they know I’m in here. Suzanne told the crowd on her way out,” he whispered in my ear. “I want to make sure that all of our friends get out of here safely, and I’m not ready for the paparazzi to start stalking you too.”

  Ryan turned to Pete. “Pete, Tammy, what do I owe you? Do you have a bill for the catering?”

  Tammy looked sideways at Pete; she didn’t know what to say.

  “Ah, Ryan, Taryn paid us already,” Pete replied.

  “How much was the bill?” Ryan asked me.

  “It wasn’t that much. Don’t worry about it.” I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that he wasn’t staying.

  “That’s not what I asked.” He sort of laughed, but I could tell he was annoyed. “How much was it?”

  I just ignored him and started cleaning up.

  “Why won’t you tell me?”

  “You know, Ryan, I thought you were smarter than that,” Marie commented while piling up dirty glasses on the bar. “Taryn doesn’t want you for your money.”

  I turned to her and grimaced.

  “Besides…” she continued with a laugh, “she’s not hurting for cash, that’s for sure.”

  I knew she was trying to make a point to Ryan, but I still gave her a displeased look. My wealth was something I didn’t like to flaunt.

  Ryan pressed his body into my back. “Sooner or later you’re going to have to get used to letting me pay for things, you know that?” he whispered. “There’s no way I’m going to allow anyone to think I’m taking advantage of you – you included.”

  “There’s only one thing I need.” I placed my hand on his heart. “The rest is just details.”

  “I’m not going to argue with you tonight, but this conversation is far from over.” He lightly smiled and kissed me.

  Several of their security team came inside the bar. Ryan had collected his things from upstairs and he walked me over to the steps to my apartment so we could have a private moment in my stairwell.

  “Thank you for doing all of this. You were a lovely hostess! Everyone had a great time.” He leaned and gave me a very passionate goodbye kiss. “I’ll call you tomorrow. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it for poker, it all depends on when we finish.”

  I nodded and kissed him again. I didn’t want him to leave.

  We all said our goodbyes at the front door; I hugged everyone before they left and they warmly hugged me back. I made some very good new friends today.

  Pete and Tammy were staying behind to pack up the leftover food while Marie and Gary helped me clean up.

  Two security men walked out the door first; Cal and Kelly led the pack, Kat and Ben were behind them, and Ryan and Shane were sandwiched between three other bodyguards.

  The screams from the awaiting crowd were ear-piercing and quite frightening. I took a few steps back, ducking behind Pete while we all watched the camera flashes light up the night sky.

  Chapter 13 - Windows

  It was close to one thirty in the morning when I crawled into bed. The memories of the last few days swirled in my mind in segmented but vivid pictures. I thought about the most important memory - Ryan’s admission that he was falling in love with me, and how I admitted that I was falling in love with him. It was a huge relief to know that our feelings were mutual and I could now let my feelings for him run free.

  I could see that it might be difficult to maintain a healthy relationship with him, but would it really be so different than having a relationship with any other man? No matter who I would get involved with, it would take patience and understanding for love to survive; two qualities that I knew Ryan possessed.

  Being in his world, the world of public fame, would take some getting use to. But I was more than willing, after today, to get going on that next part of my life. I could easily see myself by his side, supporting him in his adventures. But on the same token, I did not want to repeat past mistakes; those mistakes, in particular, when I gave up who I was to be with a man.

  I thought of what I might have to give up in order to be with Ryan. Would I have to sell the bar? Maybe I could keep it and have someone else run it for me. I would still want to maintain control to ensure that the Mitchell’s name remained untarnished.

  Maybe Ryan would want to live in California like Cal and Kelly? He said that my rooftop was his new favorite place in the world, but would it be his favorite place forever? Would I want to stay in this same apartment forever too?

  When I was engaged to Thomas, it was expected that we would stay in my apartment above the bar. That was the plan, considering Thomas wasn’t coming into the relationship with much else to offer. But I had always hoped for more; perhaps a nice farmhouse on a secluded piece of property with mature trees large enough to hold a tree house. A place where my children could run free and play with the family dog. Somewhere I could grow a garden and plant flowers.

  What about my friends? Would I have to say goodbye or see you later to the friends I had for most of my life? My parents were gone; I had no siblings, no real ties to Seaport other than the fact that this was where I called “home.” I
t was my safe haven in a world of uncertainty.

  Ryan’s presence in my life had generated a whole new list of questions for me to ponder. I wanted a life with a partner in it and Ryan was appearing to be as close to perfect for me as one man could ever be. He was a guy’s guy, rugged and manly, but he was also loving and tender. He wasn’t selfish like Tim, and he wasn’t opposed to love, like Dean. And most importantly, one lady seemed to be more than enough.

  I loved the way he took charge of situations too. The way he spoke to the police this evening - in some bizarre way it actually turned me on to see him take the lead. He wasn’t the type to take a back seat to anyone. He was strong and could handle himself, and he had demonstrated on more than one occasion that he wanted to take care of me. His actions were natural - as instinctual as breathing.

  The more I thought about it, the more I decided that whatever path life would take me on it would be worth it, as long as Ryan was by my side.

  I nestled under my covers; a smile crossed my lips when Ryan’s voice uttering the words “I’m falling in love with you” echoed in my mind. I let sleep take me under with that being my last thought.

  I just about leapt out of my skin when my alarm system went off. A surge of adrenaline coursed into my veins from the shrill of the alarms. I ran to my bedroom door and locked it. I looked at the clock; it was almost five. Not more than thirty seconds passed before the alarm company called my cell phone.

  “Hello, this is Taryn Mitchell,” I breathed into the phone.

  “Ms. Mitchell, this is Jeff from Shield Security, we have indications of a breach in your building. Are you in the building?”

  “Yes,” I stammered.

  “Are you secured?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’ve locked myself in my bedroom.” My heart was pounding; the alarms were blaring.

  “Sensors are indicating a window on your first floor. We have alerted local authorities. The police have been dispatched; their ETA is four minutes. I will stay on the line with you until authorities arrive. Are you in need of medical assistance?”

  “No. I’m fine. Scared, but fine.” I was trembling as I put some clothing on.

  “Ms. Mitchell, the police have arrived. They are unable to get inside.”

  I unlocked my door and crept out into the hallway. I could hear the police banging on the front door.

  “I’m going downstairs to let them in,” I informed him.

  As soon as I opened the front door the police quickly escorted me out of my building so they could do a sweep for an intruder. I was shaking like a leaf when they sat me inside a patrol car.

  Another patrol car came speeding down Fourth Street, red and blue lights blazing. I believe every cop on duty in Seaport was there. After what seemed like an eternity, an officer came to the car. I recognized that he was the same officer who came into my pub when Ryan and our guests were here.

  “Miss, my name is Officer Carlton,” he introduced himself.

  “Yes, officer. You were here earlier.”

  “Yes ma’am. We’ve searched your facility for intruders. No one is inside. It appears that a large rock has been thrown through your front window. There are no other signs of forced entry.”

  I just nodded. I was freezing and scared shitless.

  “Is there someone you can contact to help you? You will need to board up your window. We are going to take pictures of the scene first and I’ll need to take a statement from you.”

  I still had my cell phone in my hand.

  “Pete?” my voice cracked.

  Pete and Tammy arrived about thirty minutes after I called.

  “Tammy!” Relief washed over me as I hugged her.

  “Taryn, are you okay? What happened?” she asked.

  I repeated my story again. Shattered glass was all over the table and booth and the impact took down one of my neon bar signs.

  “In all the years we’ve had this pub, this is the first time we’ve ever had any vandalism. I don’t understand.” I shook my head. I tried to imagine why someone would hurl a rock through my window. For a brief moment, I wondered if it was some obsessed fan that did it.

  Tammy and I held the sheets of plywood in place while Pete boarded up the window. The sun was starting to rise; in another hour or so I’d be able to call a contractor to come fix the glass. I also needed to get the insurance company involved. All this hassle for what? I hoped that whoever threw the rock got whatever was bugging them out of their system.

  Tammy stayed with me while Pete went to work. I felt horrible for getting him out of bed so early. He only had four hours of sleep, if that.

  “What would be the motivation for someone to do this?” I asked, pouring shattered glass into the plastic garbage can.

  “I don’t know. It’s so senseless and juvenile,” Tammy muttered.

  “Do you think I was targeted?” I wondered.

  “I hope not. Are you thinking it was a fan or something like that?” Tammy asked.

  Apparently I wasn’t the only one to have that thought. I nodded my head in agreement.

  Ryan’s fans were obsessed; I wouldn’t put it past one of them to do something like this. After all, the first day I met him, one of his fans had gone beyond admiration and moved towards assault.

  “Well, at least I know that the security system is working. The security company called me within seconds of the alarm going off.”

  After we finished cleaning up, I gave Tammy a ride home. We made it four feet outside my building before the paparazzi descended on us and the cameras started to click. There were eight or nine of them and they already knew my name.

  I concentrated on the keys in my hand and the cracks in the sidewalk as we hurried to my car. Just like Ryan had warned, they started prompting me with questions.

  “How’s Ryan? Are you his girlfriend? Taryn, to your left – look to your left. What was the occasion for the party? What happened to your window? Are you and Ryan Christensen dating? Taryn, look over here. You’re beautiful – I can see why he likes you.”

  I unlocked the car doors and Tammy and I jumped in as fast as we could. The photographers were still taking pictures as I backed out of my parking space.

  “Oh my God, Taryn! I’m freaking shaking!” Tammy stuttered as I drove down Mulberry Street. Her hands were trembling.

  I was slightly shaken as well, but not as bad as I thought I would be. Maybe because I had mentally prepared myself for this that it didn’t affect me as severely as I had imagined? The thought of Ryan being proud of how I just handled myself with the paparazzi flashed through my thoughts.

  I dropped Tammy off at home and returned to my parking spot a block away from my pub. The paparazzi had mostly disbanded, but there were still three of them lingering by my door. I didn’t smile at them or acknowledge their presence; they were blood-sucking leeches in my book.

  I locked myself inside and waited for the insurance adjuster to arrive. I thought about calling Ryan but resisted. It didn’t matter; he still called me anyway. I refrained from telling him about the window while he was still on set filming. He needed to focus and I certainly didn’t want to add another piece of stress to his life. I decided to wait to tell him about the window until he was back at his hotel.

  After a few phone calls, poker night was cancelled. Everyone seemed fine with staying home, although Tammy and Marie both offered to come stay with me. I thanked them but declined. I was fine playing my guitar by myself.

  “Are you still playing poker?” Ryan asked when he called at eight o’clock. I was surprised that he was in a good mood, considering he was on set for almost thirteen hours.

  “No, we’re not. Everyone decided to stay home.”

  “Everyone still tired?” Ryan asked, slightly chuckling.

  “Well, sort of. I didn’t want to tell you earlier while you were filming, but someone hurled a rock through my front window at five o’clock this morning.”

  “What?” he bellowed. “Which window – upstairs or d
ownstairs?”

  “Downstairs. It was the middle window with the Mitchell’s logo. The whole window shattered into pieces.”

  “Are you okay?” I could hear his concern.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I was scared to death when my alarms went off, but the security company called the police right away. So I had the cops here… again,” I sighed. “The officer who came earlier was the same one who took my statement.”

  “I should have stayed,” he said.

  “It’s okay. I called Pete. He and Tammy came right over. Pete boarded up the window with a couple of sheets of plywood and Tammy helped me sweep up the glass.” I rubbed my eyes and yawned. “I called my insurance company and a glass contractor. The glass will get replaced on Wednesday.”

  “Tar, I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  “Nothing for you to be sorry about,” I quickly replied.

  “If I would have been there, I could have boarded the window myself,” he said with authority.

  As much as I wanted to believe he sincerely meant what he said, I still couldn’t picture him out there at six in the morning boarding up my smashed window. The paparazzi would have had a field day with that scenario. I knew he meant well.

  “I still would have had to call Pete. I don’t have any plywood lying around. Pete is working on his house - I knew he had a few sheets on hand.”

  “I’ve got to call Pete and thank him. He’s a good man and a good friend.”

  I was pleased that Ryan said that. It made me happy that he considered Pete his friend too.

  “Did you pay him for the plywood?” Ryan asked.

  “No. Shoot. I didn’t even think to offer. Now I feel bad. It was so early when it happened and I wasn’t thinking. But I will, now that you mentioned it.”

  “No. I’ll take care of it. I’ll call him tomorrow.”

  “Why would you do that? It was my window that was smashed.”

  “Taryn, just let me do this. I’m a little mad that you didn’t tell me earlier.”

  I sighed. “I didn’t tell you because you need to stay focused while you’re working. Besides, I figured you had enough on your plate dealing with Suzanne. I could just tell in your voice when you called earlier that she was giving you a hard time.”