by Lizzie Shane
Irreconcilable differences.
That was one way of putting it.
Ty had stopped working out. He sat on the floor now, looking up at her on the bed. He hesitated, as if unsure whether he had the right to continue this conversation, but they’d crossed every other boundary in the employer-employee relationship in the last few days, why not this one? “That must have been hard on you,” he murmured. “And your marriage.”
Andi wasn’t surprised his thoughts had turned to Mark and his fruitful, multiplying family. “I think the hardest part for me was how easy it seemed for him to walk away,” she admitted, startled by her own honesty. She didn’t talk about this, not even with her own family, but Ty was somehow safe. “I thought we’d adopt, but Mark wanted children of his own. So that was it.”
“He was an asshole.”
She snorted. “No argument here. But it was a shock to realize it. He was the boy next door. My high school sweetheart. Most popular, most likely to succeed, most everything. I half-worshipped him, and I had no idea how flimsy our relationship was because he said all the right things, did all the right things, but when push came to shove he dumped me, remarried within six months and started popping out kids.”
“Jesus.”
“So I moved to LA. Started over. And became the personal assistant to the great Ty Walker.”
He gave a mock grimace. “That guy. He’s not so great.”
“Eh. He’s not so bad.”
He stood and she did as well, getting ready to move around the bed to her side, but she paused, standing inches from him. “Ty…”
His gaze fell to hers, before dropping to her lips. “Yeah?”
She could feel his gaze like a touch and her own went helplessly to his mouth.
He was so good at making women feel special. She just wasn’t used to being the focus of it. That was all this was. The man was an incredible actor. She knew that better than most.
“You’d better not be acting,” she warned, her voice low. “With Jade. You can’t be pretending. Playing the part of the dad. She needs you to love her for real. You can’t bail when things start to get hard.”
Ty met her gaze steadily, his expression surprisingly unoffended considering what she’d said to him. “I know I don’t make a habit of going out of my way to do things the hard way when there’s an easy way available to me, but I don’t bail on people I care about. Ever. And I won’t bail on her.”
Andi’s heart thudded hard. They’d been talking about Jade, but she felt like there was something else thrumming beneath the words.
She’d said she was immune to his charm. She’d even believed it at the time, but she was starting to think maybe she wasn’t so immune after all. She’d been immune to him when she could dismiss him, but he wasn’t that caricature of a player anymore. He seemed like a real guy. A good guy. So earnest in his attempts to be better for Jade. So scared he was going to screw it up. And so much harder to resist.
He moved around her, stepping toward the bed, and the spell was broken.
Thank God.
Thank God he didn’t try to kiss her again because she would have made a huge mistake and let him.
She was relieved—or that’s what she told herself.
Because even if Ty did give up his playboy ways and decided he loved her this second—which she didn’t want. Really. Even then, he was still a man who had declared on national television that he wanted to have babies and that was the one thing her body would simply never do. And the sexiest man on television didn’t have to settle for some defective female any more than her ex-husband had.
The world was his oyster. And she was his personal assistant. Even if part of her might wonder what it would be like to be more than that.
Thank God he walked away, releasing her from his magical hold on her so she could round the bed and climb in on her side. Turning out the light. Pretending to sleep.
Thank God.
Her heart couldn’t take another break when she was just starting to get it back together again.
Chapter Fifteen
“Buy a dozen cookies get a selfie with bona fide movie star Ty Walker! Buy a hundred and he’ll mention you in his Oscar speech!”
Andi snorted at Kendall’s latest sales pitch and Ty bent his head close to hers to murmur, “Do you think we should tell them I’ve never been nominated for an Oscar and am not likely to be in this lifetime? Let alone win one and have to give a speech?”
“I doubt anyone really believes Kendall has power of inclusion for your awards speeches.”
Kendall and Jade had come up with the plan to exploit Ty’s fame for charity at the bake sale and while Andi was reasonably certain it had been Kendall’s idea—and certainly it was Kendall’s voice shouting over the crowds gathered in the Clement High gymnasium, demonstrating a promising future as a sideshow hawker or infomercial star—Jade had been the one to shyly ask her father if he was willing to be their show pony for the day. It was also Jade who calmly collected the money and doled out the cookies and the selfies with a businesslike poise.
Andi had to admire the duo’s entrepreneurial spirit. Especially when her cookies sold out in the first hour and they had to beg her mother for some of hers to sell.
The people of Clement and the surrounding areas had apparently developed a real sweet tooth.
“Ty! You’re on.”
“Duty calls.” Ty grinned and ducked back to the side of Andi’s booth where Jade had set up a backdrop.
That was another thing that had happened this morning. Jade had started calling Ty by his name. It hadn’t been until the first time she’d said it that Andi had realized how carefully Jade had been guarding her speech. She never called him Ty—because she never called him anything. She was careful to avoid saying his name or referring to him directly, so she didn’t have to get into the messy business of whether it was acceptable to call him Dad. But somewhere between the first selfie and selling out the first round of cookies, Jade had started calling him Ty—and he grinned every time she said it.
Andi’s heart had leapt up into her throat the first time she heard it, but Ty had smiled—a big, slightly startled smile—and jumped to do the girl’s bidding.
He mugged for the camera, charming everyone in sight—and for the first time Andi could remember, the charismatic playacting didn’t bother her. It was sort of… well… endearing.
She liked him. And she was starting to worry she might more than like him.
She couldn’t fall for Ty Walker. If ever there was a man she needed to keep her emotional distance from, it was Ty.
He could have anyone he wanted and there was no way he would pick her. Even if she were spontaneous and fun like his dream girl—which she wasn’t. She was a planner. Every detail was taken care of, meticulously considered. The baking, the decorating, she made sure they had what they needed to pull off Christmas. She considered every detail to make the holidays seamless for those around her. She did the work.
But Ty made it fun. She didn’t know how he did it, but she knew she would never be the life of the party like that.
“What are you so grumpy about?” Her grandmother appeared at her side, patting her slightly mussed helmet of white curls into place. “We’re making a fortune for the town charities and I just got my picture taken with a stud. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
“I’m not grumpy,” Andi said, trying to smooth the frown off her face. “I have a lot on my mind.”
“Uh-huh.” Her grandmother followed her gaze toward Ty and only then did Andi realize she’d been staring at him. “Would you like some advice from a sweet little old lady?”
“Who said you were sweet? From the way I hear it, you were a handful from the day you were born.”
“All the more reason to listen to me. I know things.” She wagged her eyebrows extravagantly. “And my advice when it comes to matters of the heart is to get your mind out of the equation. Th
ink less. Feel more.”
Andi grimaced. “That’s nice in theory—”
“Theory, practice. It’s good advice. Especially when you’re going to think yourself right out of a good thing with that nice young man.”
“That nice young man is a player who’s slept with half of Hollywood.”
Her grandmother arched a white brow. “You think your grandfather didn’t have some mileage on him before we met?”
“Oh dear God. I do not want to hear this.”
Gran smiled cheerfully. “James was a slut and no two ways about it, but after he married me he was loyal for fifty-seven beautiful years, God rest his skirt-chasing soul.”
“That’s beautiful. You should needlepoint it on a pillow.”
“Don’t be smart. My point is some men just need to decide they’re ready to commit and then it’s forever. And the ones who get around a bit before they do are the best kissers.” She wagged her eyebrows lecherously—and then her eyes lit on the display at the next table. “Oh! Lemon curd!”
Andi watched her grandmother go, feeling a little dazed by the ambush romantic advice.
“I think I like your grandmother.”
Andi cringed as she turned to face Ty. “You heard that, did you?”
“Some of it. Apparently I’m a good kisser.”
She couldn’t argue with that. The one kiss they’d shared refused to leave her thoughts.
Andi surveyed the gymnasium. “Looks like things are winding down here. We should have plenty of time to head out to the cabin to change and still make it back in time for the rehearsal dinner.”
Her parents had combined their annual Christmas Eve-Eve feast with the rehearsal dinner for the wedding.
“I’ll go collect our shakedown artist.” He nodded toward Jade with a grin. “At least I know if my career as an actor dries up, she can support me in my old age.”
Andi watched as he went to gather up Jade and send Kendall back to her mother’s booth. He may say he wasn’t sure whether Jade was staying with him or not, but he kept casually referring to her in his life in the future, as if he didn’t even realize he was doing it. And maybe he didn’t. Maybe he had no idea how much the girl had already snuck into his heart.
Now if only there was a snowball’s chance in hell of Andi sneaking in there as well.
She began grumpily packing away her empty containers.
* * * * *
“You doing all right?” Ty pitched his voice for Andi’s ears as she climbed out of the SUV.
It was trying to snow, tiny wispy flakes fluttering on the breeze, seeming to float up as much as they fell down in a real life winter wonderland, but Andi seemed blind to the beauty of the snowy evening, looking neither left nor right as she took his arm.
“I’m fine,” she insisted, her tone shutting down any further questions. Jade hopped out of the SUV and the three of them started up the walk toward the event hall that had been decked out for the Christmas Party/Rehearsal Dinner while eddies of lightweight snow swirled around their feet.
Andi had been quiet as they changed for the rehearsal dinner party and silent in the car, turning on the Christmas carols but not singing along. He might not have noticed if she hadn’t already been distant all day. He felt like he’d spent the entire afternoon fishing—casting out lines and carefully reeling them back in only to realize nothing he did was luring her any closer.
Things had been good, really good, he’d thought. So why was his assistant—who was so much more than an assistant—so subdued?
Was it the wedding? Her ex? Something else?
Andi had worked for him for years, but he’d never given a thought to her life before LA until last night. Never given a thought to her life in LA if he was honest with himself. She was a flawless employee, but they’d never been friendly, let alone friends. She’d never been impressed with him and he’d been happy to keep her at a distance, but last night she’d become real to him in a way she hadn’t been before. And now that he’d seen her, he couldn’t stop seeing her. Or admiring her.
He’d wanted to hold her when she was telling him about her asshole ex. She’d spoken dispassionately, but he knew Andi well enough now to see the divorce had shattered her. He wanted to beat the shit out of her ex. What kind of asshole couldn’t see that Andi was beyond incredible—with or without her reproductive system?
But just like with Jade, he didn’t have the first freaking idea what to say to make things better for her. He sucked at the real stuff.
Christmas music bled through the doors before they even opened, the bouncy strains of Jingle Bell Rock luring them inside. They weren’t late, but the party was already in full swing. A trio of Christmas trees stood in one corner and every inch had been decorated with swaths of garland and ribbon. The effect was festive, but elegant.
“Darling! There you are.” Andi’s mother charged over to them, beaming and herding them toward the coat check. “We’d started to wonder if you’d slid into a ditch.”
Andi frowned. “It’s seven-ten. We’re barely late.”
Her mother flapped a hand. “The rehearsal finished early, so the party started early. At least for those directly involved in the wedding. Just wait until you see the ceremony, Andrea. It’s just lovely. And so much less stressful than when we were planning yours! It’s definitely easier being mother of the groom. All we had to do was throw the rehearsal dinner and we always have the Christmas-Eve-Eve party anyway.”
Ty studied Andi, but if she was upset by the comparison to her wedding, it didn’t show on her face.
“Not that I wouldn’t love to help you plan another one,” her mother babbled on with a wink at him. “I just love a wedding, don’t you, Ty?”
“Mom.”
“Jade!” Ty was distracted from the innocent act Andi’s mother was putting on by the arrival of Jade’s new best friend, who bounded over and grabbed her arm. “Come see the dessert bar! There’s a chocolate fountain!”
Jade looked up, chocolate greed bright in her eyes. “Can I go with Kendall?”
After a momentary delay, Ty realized Jade was asking him, not Andi, for permission. Like he actually deserved a say. Something tightened in his throat. “Sure. Have fun.”
He couldn’t be more grateful for Andi’s cousin. The two girls had immediately clicked and Kendall had certainly made things better for Jade these last few days. He tried not to think about the separation when they went back to LA. Would she make new friends easily?
The PI still hadn’t found Jade’s aunt. Schools would be starting up again in a couple weeks. He’d need to get her into one. Transfer her records. Andi would know what to do. Provided they could figure out where the records were. They really needed to locate her aunt… and then maybe he could start the legal process of getting custody. The idea wasn’t nearly as terrifying to him as it had been a few days ago. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t screw this up.
Jade darted off with Kendall and Andi’s mother rushed away to see to some hostess crisis, leaving Ty alone with Andi—who still looked more subdued than he’d ever seen her. Wedding flashbacks?
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked gently.
Andi jerked as if startled to find him still standing next to her. “I’m great.” She tugged at her sleeves—a nervous gesture that reminded him of when she’d first started working for him—and he missed the jingling of the charm bracelet she’d taken off for the night. “I’m gonna go get some eggnog. Do you want some?”
The word “sure” had barely left his mouth before she was charging toward a buffet table on the opposite side of the room, leaving him to his own devices.
Ty moved to the fringes of the dance floor, watching the activity there. The bridal party were certainly enjoying themselves and even though they gestured him over eagerly, he waved them off, too preoccupied for dancing.
It was a universal truth in Hollywood that celebrities were almost never alone. Especially at p
arties. Everyone wanted to be close to them, to bask in their glow.
Apparently parties in Clement, Minnesota were no different.
Ty was only alone for a matter of seconds before someone appeared at his elbow.
“Ty Walker.” The voice reverberated with cheerful bonhomie, like they were old friends, but when he turned his head, he saw Andi’s ex standing at his side. Mark held up an extra glass he held in one hand. “Scotch?”
Chapter Sixteen
Ty wasn’t much of a drinker and he’d always been more of a beer man on the rare occasions he did indulge, but he resisted the urge to deck the man and accepted the drink, driven by curiosity. What was Mark up to? “Thanks.”
Mark nodded, clinking their glasses together, and turned to survey the party so they stood shoulder to shoulder. Andi had been waylaid by an older couple on her way back from the eggnog table and Ty studied her for some sign that she wanted to be rescued.
“Don’t worry,” Mark said when he followed Ty’s gaze. “Those are my parents. Andi and they go way back.”
He said it as if socializing with her former in-laws would be a treat for her. Ty frowned. He knew there were two sides to every divorce—he’d seen too many Hollywood marriages break up not to realize that the post-mortem stories often varied wildly—but he was having a hard time imagining any scenario where being cornered by the parents of the man who’d dumped you would be fun. Or where her ex would actually believe the bullshit he was shoveling.
Ty started toward Andi. “I should probably—”
Mark stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Just a second. I wanted to say how glad I am that you and Andi found each other.”
Ty didn’t respond—but he stopped trying to move away. One of the best acting teachers he’d ever had had been fond of saying that the best actors were the best listeners. They were able to really cue into what their scene partner was giving them and take the scene to the next level—not with the words they spoke, but with the way they listened.
So Ty studied his scene partner and tried to figure out what the hell Mark was trying to give him.