Love in the Spotlight

by Olivia Jaymes

Rubbing his now throbbing temples, Sam shook his head. “Are you sure you didn’t just describe yourself? Because Riley made a well-thought out argument yesterday and so far, all I’ve heard from you is that you don’t like these people. That sounds emotional to me.”

  Paula’s eye sparkled with unshed tears. “Okay, fine. You win, son. Are you happy now? I’m a sentimental fool of an old woman and I want Riley to be happy. You didn’t see her like I did. It wasn’t so much that she was heartbroken over that cad, it was that she was so hurt that one of her best friends could betray her like that. She trusted Monica. Frankly, we all did. I know that Riley had her doubts about her relationship with Chad so I think she felt it was all for the best, but I know that she was deeply hurt by what her friend did. I think she finds it hard to trust now and I don’t blame her. I’m having a tough time, too.”

  Clearly this was as much about his mother’s hurt as Riley’s.

  “You’re not a sentimental old fool, Mom. You’re just incredibly softhearted. But you didn’t think this all the way through. Riley doesn’t want any part of this. Ultimately, it’s her decision.”

  “Leave her to me. I’ll talk to her.”

  Heaven help Riley Bridges. When his mother was determined to do something it almost always happened. The poor kindergarten teacher didn’t stand a chance.

  He might as well capitulate gracefully.

  “Then I’m going to need a tux.”

  Paula patted his hand and smiled. “Son, I already called your assistant. I’m way ahead of you.”

  That wasn’t anything new.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Riley couldn’t possibly be hearing what she thought she was hearing. It sounded like Paula had said that she’d told Chad and Monica that Sam was taking her to the engagement party. That they were dating. Like a real couple. The words still rang in her ears like a song she couldn’t get out of her head.

  “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

  Sam was leaning against her kitchen counter, a long-suffering look on his face. “You heard her. My mother decided that you were wrong and she was right. Welcome to the not-very-exclusive club.”

  Paula shot him a nasty look over her shoulder. “I can do this on my own. In fact, I’m not sure why you’re even here.”

  “I’m here for the show. And since I’m involved in this up to my neck I figured I’d better be here in case you make any more unilateral decisions on Riley’s or my behalf.”

  Riley didn’t want to get between mother and son, but she had questions. So many questions.

  “Let me get this straight… You saw Monica and Chad in a cafe and things sort of snowballed from there. Is that about right?”

  Paula slapped her palms down on her thighs and then hopped up from the chair she’d been sitting in having a cup of tea just a few moments ago. “It just makes me so mad the way they’ve treated us…I mean you, of course. They’ve treated you terribly and they need to learn a lesson they won’t forget in a hurry. The words just seemed to tumble out of my mouth but once I said them I knew it was the right thing to do.”

  Heaven help us all, this was really happening.

  “So she doubled down,” Sam said with a grim smile. “The only way I could have denied it was to say that she hadn’t taken her medication yet that day.”

  Riley was a cautious person but even she’d had times in her life that her mouth worked faster than her brain. Words had spilled out that couldn’t be taken back.

  Then there was Paula’s little Freudian slip. It hadn’t just been Riley that had been hurt by Monica’s betrayal. They all had in their own ways. They’d all been close, a little group of friends that liked to spend time together whenever they could.

  Then Monica had blown up their cozy little bunch. Riley couldn’t really say that Monica had stolen Chad because he was a human being and belonged to himself. It had been his fault, too. If he hadn’t wanted to be “stolen”, he wouldn’t have been. Full stop. But that didn’t change the fact that the friendship was torn beyond repair and everyone had been shocked by what had happened. People had picked sides and the whole situation had been ugly.

  “I do understand,” Riley finally said, realizing that both Paula and Sam were waiting for her to reply. “I know that emotions are still running high about this even four months later and that you were angry. But I do have to say that you’ve put me in a really precarious position here. If I don’t go to the party with Sam, you’re going to look like a liar. If I do go, I have to pretend that he and I are in some kind of a relationship when we barely know one another. And then he leaves and I have to make up some story about a long-distance relationship gone wrong. That’s a lot of lies to pile one on top of the other. I’m not sure I’m capable of it.”

  Paula looked like she was going to cry, and Sam looked like he wanted to yell. Loudly.

  “Are you mad at me? I just…”

  Now Paula really was crying, and Sam strode over to his mother and wrapped her in his arms. “Now Mom, calm down. It’s all going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. Three smart people can find an answer to this.”

  Helpless and not knowing what to do, Riley wanted to throw up her hands and walk away. Try and forget this ever happened, but she couldn’t. Paula was her friend even if she had done something kind of dumb. Sam was right. They could figure out a solution somehow.

  “I’m not mad.” Was that the truth? Yes, it was. Paula hadn’t done this with any malice. But… “I am frustrated because I don’t know what to do. And I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this, Sam. You came home for a vacation.”

  He patted Paula on the back as she buried her face in his shirt. “I have to admit it’s been a long time since I had to work this hard to get a date with a woman.”

  He’d injected some much-needed levity into the room and Riley found herself smiling and laughing. “Well, I’m picky when it comes to my social life, especially after Chad.”

  “I’ll have to dig out my resume,” he teased right back. “I think I have some fairly recent head shots, too.”

  Paula had lifted her head, her gaze darting back and forth between her son and Riley.

  “This is no laughing matter. We have to make a decision here.”

  “No, Mom.” Sam eased back a few steps so he was looking down at her tearstained face. “Riley and I have to make a decision. You need to go into the living room with your tea and watch some television.”

  “But–”

  Shaking his head, Sam interrupted. “No, this involves the two of us. You’ve done enough for one day. We’ll take it from here.”

  Riley thought Paula might argue but she seemed to sense her son’s resolve and did as he asked, taking her tea and disappearing into the living room.

  “I’m shocked,” Riley said, still staring at the door that separated the two rooms. She could hear the sounds from the television. “How did you do that?”

  Sam came to sit down at her kitchen table, the chair legs scraping against the tile and grating on her already raw nerves. This was not what she’d had planned for her Saturday afternoon.

  “You mean get Mom to actually listen? She knows when she’s screwed up. Now it’s up to you and me to fix it, and I’m afraid we don’t have too many options.”

  Leaning forward, her elbows on the table, Riley let her head fall into her hands. He was right, of course. They’d only been pretending that there were multiple resolutions to this messed-up situation.

  “What do you think we should do, Sam?”

  Rubbing his chin, he gave her a rueful smile. “Let’s just say I already have a tux being sent here from my home in New York.”

  The stiffness went out of her shoulders along with her pent-up breath. It’s what she’d known all along. They’d been pretending otherwise. “That’s what I figured. We can’t really get out of this without making Paula look bad and I don’t want to do that.”

  “I think—” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “I think that my mother wa
s more hurt by Monica than she lets on. She says this is about helping you. I hate to say it, but I also think a good chunk of this is about her as well. She keeps saying that she wants them to learn a lesson and I guess you and I are going to deliver it.”

  She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. He’d been dragged into this by Paula and he was being gracious and nice about it. So much for the stereotype of an arrogant Hollywood star.

  “I’ll be honest with you, Sam, because you’re being honest with me. I should actually be thanking Monica. I had a lot of doubts about Chad and her actions showed that they were well-founded. As I think I said yesterday, I’m not upset that they’re together. I’m upset that they can’t seem to leave me out of their relationship. Personally, I’m happy to forget they even exist on the planet but they keep dragging me back in, so the last thing I want to do is get involved enough to teach them anything. But it looks like that’s exactly what I’m going to be doing.”

  His lips twisted, and she noticed that he had a small scar near the corner of his mouth. She had to resist the urge to reach over and trace it with her fingers or ask him where it came from. It wasn’t any of her business.

  “Listen, how about we forget about teaching any lessons and just have some fun. You were right when you said that I’m here for a little vacation. I just want to relax and enjoy myself. How about we ignore everyone else and do as we please?”

  She could do that. She would do that. Being squired around town by a kind, handsome man wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to her.

  Although I’m sure there’s something wrong with him, too. There always is.

  “That sounds like something I can handle.”

  Smiling, he held out his hand for her to shake. “Then it’s a deal? We spend a little time together. Just as friends. I’ll escort you to the party and we’ll be a happy, loving couple for the masses.”

  Extending her arm to shake his hand, she paused for a moment. “Are you sure about this? There’s still time to back out.”

  “I’m not backing out. We can do this. Just friends. No monkey business.”

  She moved the rest of the distance and they clasped hands, hers cold and clammy, his warm and reassuring. He was a hell of a lot more confident about this than she was, but then he acted for a living.

  “So what do we do first?”

  His brows shot up and his chuckle was pure glee. “That’s easy, my dear Riley. We go out and be seen. We can’t teach them a lesson if we’re not the hottest couple in town.”

  She was going to be one half of the hottest couple in town. That would be…new.

  She was going to regret agreeing to this. She just had that feeling she couldn’t shake off. Somehow, some way she was going to wish she’d said no. Anything built on a lie was like constructing a house on shifting sand.

  “Then I’ll follow your lead.”

  But not too closely. They were only going to be friends, and she better remember that.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  To be seen together by the town, they had to hang out in public. It was Saturday night and they were both hungry, so it was only natural to head to a local restaurant for dinner. They were both dressed casually, having decided to hit a popular place on the beach that Riley assured him served great food. He was wearing khaki slacks and a cotton button-down, the sleeves rolled up and out of the way. She was wearing a light blue sundress that showed off the tanned golden skin of her arms and legs. Tonight she’d left her hair down around her shoulders and the light behind her seemed to create a halo around her head, the strands like spun gold. If she was wearing makeup, it was undetectable to his expert eye. She had a natural, fresh beauty that would capture any male attention easily.

  Whoa there, tiger. This is only business. The last thing you need is an emotional entanglement. Leave the poor girl alone.

  The restaurant was open to the water, and if you stepped out of the back door you’d be walking in the sugar white sand of the Gulf beaches. Sam could smell the salt in the air and the slight tang of rum and coconut from the bar where tropical drinks were whirring in the blenders. The aroma mixed with the wafting fragrance of charred meat and fried fish, drawing a growl from his empty stomach.

  The building was weathered with graying planks on the floors and walls, along with beaten-up metal tables and chairs that looked like they’d seen their best days back in the 1950s. This wasn’t a place that tourists hung out. This was a place for locals.

  They were shown to a table by a wide-eyed waitress that quickly took their drink orders before disappearing back behind the bar. Sangria for Riley and a beer for him.

  “This is very…authentic,” Sam said, taking in the decor around them. They’d only been inside for a few minutes, but he already liked it. It had a good vibe and kind of reminded him of some of his favorite places in New York City where no one bothered him. He could just go and be himself. “Very Florida. Do you come here a lot?”

  Riley smiled and for the first time he noticed that she had dimples in her cheeks. Was this the first true smile he was getting from her? Her blue eyes even sparkled when she was really happy.

  “Believe it or not, this is your mother’s favorite restaurant. She loves their homemade Sangria. We come here on Sundays as often as we can. They make a great brunch.”

  “I should have known. Mom loves a good Sangria, almost as much as her Cabernet.” He opened the menu and perused its contents. “Looks like they specialize in burgers and seafood. I haven’t had a good cheeseburger in awhile.”

  Because he was always getting ready for a role. It was a luxury right now that he didn’t have to worry about his weight. The next movie he was going to work on wasn’t action-packed. A few pounds would be acceptable.

  “They do make a great burger,” Riley agreed with a nod, closing her own menu. “But you might want to try the smothered chicken, if you like cheese and mushrooms. I highly recommend it.”

  The description of the dish sounded right up his alley. Anything that was smothered in melted cheese just had to be delicious.

  “I think I will.”

  The waitress, much calmer the second time, came with their drinks and took their order before disappearing into the crowd. The tinkling of plates and silverware along with the din of conversation made the room rather loud and boisterous. There was a television on over the bar in the far corner and a group of young men were watching a basketball game and cheering every now and then. Was it the NBA playoffs? Or maybe the NCAA? He never had much time to follow teams anymore, so he couldn’t be sure.

  He was aware however that they were being watched. Closely. The other diners often turned their heads and stared for a few moments and then looked quickly away as if not to get caught. Passersby headed for the bathroom or the exit weren’t that sly, slowing down and gawking before eventually walking away. Sam was used to it, but he was also hyper-aware of the attention and he noticed it before Riley did. Eventually, however, she was shifting uncomfortably in her chair, her gaze darting around the restaurant and then back to him.

  “I kind of feel like we’re on display.”

  “That’s an excellent way of describing this particular phenomenon. We do seem to be capturing the interest of the citizens of this town. The news should get back to Chad and Monica by morning.”

  Being seen was the whole point, though. This wasn’t a real date.

  “Does this happen to you all the time?”

  “It depends.” He shrugged casually, pushing the basket of rolls the waitress had dropped off closer to Riley. Cheese was one thing, but bread was a bridge too far. He’d already had garlic bread since he’d arrived, and he needed to use some common sense while on vacation. “In places like Los Angeles and New York they are far too cool – or at least think they are – to notice a celebrity, but yes, sometimes it’s like this. I just try not to dribble the soup all over my chin. Otherwise I just ignore them and live my life.”

  Her glass paused halfway to her mout
h, her gaze following a couple who weren’t making much effort to disguise the fact that he and Riley were the topic of their conversation. They’d stopped in the middle of the restaurant and were huddled together whispering. They even went as far as taking out their phones and snapping a few photos.

  Those were going to end up on social media. No doubt about it.

  This. This right here was what his mother hadn’t thought through. He could squire Riley around town for a few days, take her to the party, and then exit at the end of the week with a story about long distance relationships. But that didn’t mean that she would be insulated from what it meant to be in his orbit. Luckily there were no paparazzi here, but there were people with camera phones. That usually meant Twitter or Facebook or Instagram or some other media platform. He didn’t comment on his relationships and he wasn’t going to start now, but her picture was going to end up on the internet.

  He should have warned her, but dammit, sometimes he just forgot about it. He’d been doing this so long half the time he didn’t even register the attention. He’d long ago learned to tune most of it out.

  “I’m sorry about this. When I said we should be seen I meant by the people in town, not the world on Twitter. Do you want to leave?”

  Her eyes widened and she took a gulp of her drink. “We’re going to be on Twitter?”

  “I don’t know that for sure, but when people take a photo they often post it online. I’m serious, we can leave if you want to.”

  She paused for a moment but then shook her head. “No, it’s not a big deal, I guess. If strangers see it they won’t know who I am, will they? So it doesn’t really matter.” She frowned and signaled the waitress for a drink refill. “We’re not going to end up on the cover of a tabloid, are we?”

  Sam chuckled at her naïveté. “Doubtful. I hate to burst your bubble on Hollywood hype, but most of the people you see on the covers of magazines and supermarket tabloids are on there because their publicist made a deal with the editors. They tipped off the paparazzi that they were going to be coming out of such and such restaurant at a certain time with a certain person. Sure, there have been occasions when I’ve been hounded by the press, but you’d be shocked at how much is all staged to look spontaneous.”