Typecast (25 page)

Ryder unloaded the basket onto the conveyor belt.

“I forgot something. Come on, Ivy.” Logan pulled her.

She tripped, her heel hit the ground, and she moaned. “You want me to walk more?” Men should have to wear heels.

“Dude, what is going to happen? I can watch her for one second.” Ryder nearly dropped the eggs, but managed to set them down.

“Don’t break anything. I know how many hairs she has on her head, and I expect them all there when I return.” Logan walked away, turning back twice.

“You don’t think he actually knows that, do you?” She watched Ryder complete his everyday task of unloading the grocery cart.

“He may. You never know. He takes his role as rescuer very seriously.” Ryder finished and grabbed one of the entertainment magazines off the rack. “Look, they are making a sequel to that sci-fi flick all the teen girls went crazy for. I guess when something makes mega bucks they will recycle any plot.”

Ryder handed her the perfect lead-in to the questions she needed answered. The pain from her biting her tongue outweighed the pain in her feet.

“With our sequel, Logan actually had a clause added to his contract that he would be allowed to approve the final script. He didn’t want a crappy sequel.” Ryder shook his head. “He always protected us, even when Erin and I wanted out.”

She froze. Erin and Ryder wanted out? Only a little while ago she lay in bed with Logan while he told her they all wanted to do the sequel except Drew and Logan got blamed for the cancellation. Something didn’t add up. She wanted to ask questions, needed to, but instead searched the store for Logan, exhaling when she spied him walking toward them.

He headed for her, leaned over as if inspecting her head, and nodded. “I suppose she’s no worse for the wear.”

“Who would have thought I could keep a woman alive for five minutes?” Ryder slid down while the checker scanned their order.

“Not me.” Logan tossed a pack of cigarettes in with the rest of the groceries.

She picked it up and put it off to one side with the gum and mints.

“Is that your way of telling me you want me to quit?” He retrieved the pack.

“No.” Before he put it back with their order, she caught his arm. “It’s my way of telling you I know you don’t smoke.”

“I think the cigarettes would say otherwise.” He tilted his head, and his eyes sparkled in amusement.

“I have never seen you light one up, and you never taste like an ashtray.” She straightened up.

“Are you trying to take care of me?”

“Dude, she has you pegged.” Ryder laughed.

“Be quiet or there will be no pancakes for you.” Logan flipped off Ryder and returned his attention to her.

The banter between the two men was first class, born over years of knowing each other and keeping in contact. Hell, Ryder even knew Logan’s condom brand. If Logan had told the truth and Erin and Ryder had wanted to do the sequel, how could they have remained even acquaintances if and when Logan managed to ruin the movie?

But what if Ryder had told the truth, and he and Erin had wanted out? Along the way, did Logan try to rescue them? For her and for Logan, she had to find out. Maybe she could be the one who cleared him and maybe he could have the career he seemed to want.

She looked him in the eyes. “Someone needs to take care of you.”

Logan set the cigarettes aside. “You’ve got the job.”

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. MOTEL – AMARILLO, TX – DAY

WILLIAM and CHARLES are in the room sleeping while STEVEN sits beside the half-filled pool staring out at nothing. ROXY joins him.

ROXY

Can’t sleep?

STEVEN doesn’t glance her way.

STEVEN

With my side of the bed empty, it was the perfect time to sneak in with your man.

ROXY takes the chair next to him.

ROXY

Who said he was my man?

STEVEN

Some things don’t need to be said.

ROXY

Whatever, I just came out here to check on you.

STEVEN

Why do I need checking on?

ROXY

I just woke up and you weren’t there.

ROXY stands.

ROXY

Never mind.

STEVEN gets up and takes her by the shoulders.

STEVEN

If you’re with William, why worry about where I am?

ROXY looks up at him. STEVEN bends down and kisses her. ROXY wraps her arms around his neck. Suddenly, STEVEN pulls back. ROXY gasps and puts her hand to her lips.

STEVEN

Maybe a better question is why are you kissing me?

STEVEN walks away.

STEVEN

I feel a scandal coming on.

Chapter Fifteen

Logan’s cell phone rang.

In all the time they had been together, Ivy rarely if ever heard it ring. Actually, she had only heard him talk on the phone one time and he texted only once in a while.

Even Logan seemed surprised by the noise, first turning his head and then wrinkling his nose before lifting his phone to his ear. “This is Logan.”

She tried not to appear as if she wanted to eavesdrop and continued to look through her closet for an outfit. They had stayed at Ryder’s, and true to his word, Logan had made the most scrumptious pancakes. Afterward, they had tried out their new and, as both she and Logan would call it, much improved birth control method. The way they weren’t interrupted with condom etiquette and the way Logan held her tight while they slept would stay in her heart forever.

Unfortunately, morning reality had set in, and after Logan had bribed one of Ryder’s production crew to drive her car home, they’d traveled back down the mountain together. As Ryder had told her, a man liked to take care of things, be the protector. In the course of their travels, he’d arranged for Wilson to deliver some of his clothes to her place and had decreed that once they got cleaned up and changed, they should go into her office.

“What is that?” Still on the phone, and in nothing but his towel from their shower, Logan turned his back to her. “Oh, I see.”

Still in her bra and panties, she put her hands on her hips. His one-sided conversation gave her no information, and it seemed to her as if he purposely metered his words.

“Can you please e-mail me the information? Thank you for calling.”

All the outfits in her closet blurred together. Maybe she needed to go shopping, since clearly she had nothing to wear. Or maybe she needed to find out who was on the phone.

“Do you need some help?” After hanging up, he sauntered over to her side, riffled through her wardrobe, and pulled out a late forties fitted jacket and a flared skirt.

“Is there something you need to work on?” Unsure how he managed to pick the perfect attire, but not really caring, she slipped on the outfit he chose. “The call sounded official.”

He chuckled and opened up the suitcase Wilson had left for him. “Last I recall, someone promised me she would ask me if she had a question.”

Biding her time to conjure a question that didn’t make her sound like a nutcase, she licked her lips and took a breath. “Do you have a job?”

“A job?” With slow, thoughtful movements, he laid his clothes out on her bed.

Rather than looking at him, she glanced at the contents of his luggage, the copious contents. Suddenly, her bed was filled with shirts and pants, all on hangers, a ton of underwear and socks, as well as several pairs of shoes and a bag of what she assumed to be toiletries.

“Why do you ask?” He grabbed a handful of hangers.

“Well . . .” Before she had the chance to ask her question, she watched him walk over to the closet, carefully move some of her clothes aside, and place his hangers on her rod.

“I’ll save you the trouble and tell you.” He gathered up his shoes and took his time lining them up with hers at the bottom of the closet. “I invest, and sometimes I dabble at Wilson’s, and in case you forgot, I work with you.”

“Oh.” She wanted more information, but didn’t really know what or how to ask.

“But that’s not what you wanted to know anyway.” With a handful of boxer briefs, he approached her dresser.

She rushed over, opened one of the drawers, and moved her underwear over.

“You wanted to know who called.” He placed his underwear next to hers and then added his socks to her sock drawer.

She peered inside the drawer. When he dubbed them a couple, he obviously meant coupling up in her drawers as well.

“Brian called to give me the heads-up on something he read today.”

At finding out the answer she had wanted, she turned to find him standing buck-naked in her bedroom. Why the hell was she dressed?

Rather than do the guy thing of showing off his package, or the Logan thing of making love to her or at least giving her a naughty look, he retraced his steps through her room and put his clothes on.

While fascinating to watch, something was wrong. “Logan.” Her chest tightened.

Fully clothed, he sat on her bed—or was it their bed? “Come here.” He opened his arms.

She crossed her arms. “Just tell me.”

He rubbed his chin. “You know, with the anniversary of the movie and of course the project we are working on, I’ve been in the media a little more than I’m used to the last few weeks.”

A numbness took over her body, one where she could only stand in the middle of her room, stare at Logan, and listen to her own heartbeat throb through her ears. The man never prefaced anything he needed to say.

He stood, went to her, and stared straight into her eyes. “The
National Reporter
ran a story about the two of us and our love affair today.”

They were in a tabloid magazine? The world’s most disgusting tabloid? Though she wanted to speak, she had no words, and her throat dried to such a point she couldn’t talk if she tried.

“We are not going to be upset.” He gave her a smile.

Maybe he wasn’t going to be upset, but she was definitely traveling down that path. “What did it say?” she managed to squeak out.

“Let me take a look.” He picked up his phone and wrapped his arm around her. With one finger, he navigated around his screen until the e-mail from Brian popped up.

“All right.” With her in his grasp, he sidestepped over to the bed and sat, placing her next to him.

Not sure if she wanted to throw up or cry, she put her head on his shoulder and awaited the verdict. Across the room, she spied her own phone light up. “Logan, hurry.” No doubt any phone call, text, or e-mail had to be about the story.

“Stop shaking, I can’t read.” He rubbed her arm.

After what seemed like the longest pause in modern human history, he put his phone down.

“Logan.” She turned to him.

He stared straight ahead, and she watched his Adam’s apple travel up and down his throat twice as he swallowed.

She dug her nails into his jeans.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “Well, it seems as if you and I are popular enough to have people following us full time, not simply taking a well-timed photo.”

“Just tell me.”

“The
National Reporter
took it upon themselves to chronicle our time in the mountains together, including our argument, our makeup in the woods, me carrying you to the cabin and being unavailable for quite some time, and lastly standing in the condom aisle of the market kissing. But the upside is they now have a poll on what birth control we are using on their website.”

“Upside?” She found it hard to catch her breath.

“They are giving away a
Hollywood Stardust
prize package to the winner.”

“Logan!” The numbness left to be followed by a burst of angry energy, and she grabbed his collar, pulling him down. “What happens now? People are going to be watching us! What if I’m alone and someone comes here?”

“Impossible.” He shook his head. “In case you didn’t realize, I moved in with you this morning.”

Well, her first clue was the fact they now shared an underwear drawer.

“At least I planned it before we knew about the tabloid.” He lifted his eyebrows. “I want to be with you, and we end up together every night anyway.”

At least his point had logic behind it, but she wouldn’t allow him to make it better with a suitcase and a smile. “Logan.” She lowered her voice. “We’re in a tabloid known for smut. Right about now my mother and my boss are catching wind of this story.”

“Then they will also be able to read a rehash of the infamous night at the hotel room, including a photo of me being taken away in handcuffs and a retrospective of Drew Fulton’s career with another poll asking if he’s living or dead.” The calm, joking demeanor he put on for her sake melted away. His eyes darkened, filled with shadows of the past. The smile he tried to maintain vanished. “The first time this happened to me, the director of
Stardust
told me to be flattered I was tabloid worthy.”

“I’d rather them talk about our birth control.” One tear escaped her eye, and she ground her teeth together.

“I’m not going to allow them to make you cry.” He captured her tear with his fingertip.

“I can’t believe they dug up that old garbage. Anyone can look that up online.” The words left her mouth, and they looked at each other.