Love Today Page 6

  He lightly laughed and shook his head. “Well, I guess I’m in between. Yes I’m greedy for your time, but no I’m not going to investigate your friendships.”

  That seemed fair enough, so I smiled and nodded my agreement. He kissed me once more and said, “And yes, I’m starving if you don’t mind feeding me.”

  “Of course I don’t mind,” I smiled. “Let me heat it up for you.”

  He wandered into the living room while I re-entered the kitchen, and I heard him say, “That turned out pretty cool.”

  I knew he was talking about the poster, so I agreed and added, “You feel like seeing the show that night? I think I’d like to.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Oh, wait…the 8th? I’m gonna be up in Canada that weekend, remember? I’m sorry.”

  I did recall the business trip to Whistler that he’d mentioned. He had invited me to go with him, but it was Maggie’s birthday on the 9th and I knew I’d pretty much be in charge of her party.

  Zack re-entered the kitchen and said, “It’s funny that guy’s name is Jared. I only saw him briefly, but he reminded me of the lead singer of Breaking Point.”

  “The band?” I asked. It was more for my benefit than his because that was the link that finally hit me between the eyes.

  “Yeah,” he chuckled. “I thought he looked like Jared Miller.”

  I froze where I was in the kitchen. Zack sat down at the table with Maggie—who was still working on the spoon trick—and I was still speechless. Apparently he noticed that and glanced back at my stunned silence.

  “No way,” he said. “Seriously?”

  “I, uh…”

  He got up as he chuckled at the same time. “Taryn, I barely got a look at the guy, but you’ve spent time with him. You mean to tell me you didn’t even know?”

  “Um… Well, he said he was in a band…”

  He laughed again and asked, “You don’t know much about Breaking Point? I thought you loved alternative rock. They’ve got so many songs that you’d recognize—”

  “Yes, I know how popular they are and I listen to their music all the time. I just don’t, like, have their poster hanging in my room or anything. I don’t remember what they look like.”

  With a smile he pointed outside where Jared had been and said, “They look like that.”

  I rolled my eyes and handed him the plate of food I’d heated up. “Well call me clueless then.”

  “Okay, clueless,” he teased.

  I smiled and he kissed me before he took the plate out of my hand, and then he sat down at the table next to Maggie.

  For some reason or other, Jared didn’t want me to know who he was. I guess that was understandable. His band was huge in the U.S. and they’d already been on two world tours and performed at the Grammys and other big events. Maybe the guy couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized. Maybe he just liked to blend in with everyone else.

  Maybe I was just the one idiot that could be fooled.

  I thought about my interactions with him so far; he seemed like such an ordinary guy. Yeah he was gorgeous and had eyes that seemed to bear his soul, but his status was secondary to me. It kind of made me laugh at myself because I really was a Breaking Point fan. It’s true that I’d seen what they looked like before, but it really was the music that I’d been so attached to over the last few years.

  And to actually be face to face with their front man and not even know it…just blew me away.

  It was almost bedtime for Maggie, so I corralled her toward the bathroom to take a bath. Zack was watching TV when I came out from reading her a bedtime story, so I sat on the couch to cuddle with him just as Rachel came through the door. She went through her usual “I’m so beat; what a long day” routine, and I just let her ramble on about how important her life was. Then she finally asked if Maggie went to bed okay just as she was heading for her own bedroom.

  She didn’t even wait for an answer as the door shut behind her.

  When Jared called me two days later, I didn’t know if I should admit that I had finally realized who he was. It really didn’t matter to me that he was a famous rock star, but I felt like it was dishonest to keep letting him believe I didn’t know. He asked if I’d commit to photographing his buddy’s show, so I casually said, “Sure, I’d love to do that.”

  “Awesome. It’s gonna be at the WaMu theatre in Seattle. You know where that is?”

  “Uh, is that down by the football stadium?”

  “Yeah, pretty much right under it.” Out of the blue he added, “You think about traveling much?”

  “What?”

  “Traveling. Do you have an interest in traveling for your job? Because if you do, I know you’d make a great tour photographer.”

  “You mean go along with a band on their entire tour?”

  “Yeah. I mean you’d get to see all kinds of places. And if the band goes overseas… Well, you get to experience different countries, too. Being with a group like that is comfortable and people make sure that you’re taken care of.”

  “And it helps when you’re mega famous,” I couldn’t help mentioning.

  He paused for a few beats, and I was sure that he was processing my tone. “So what’d you do, Google me?” he finally asked.

  “Actually no, I didn’t even think of doing that. Zack thought you looked familiar. He said you looked like Jared Miller of Breaking Point.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

  “Well, I guess I can understand the need for anonymity, so I’m not mad at you for lying to me.”

  “What? I never lied to you.”

  “You kept it from me. Same thing.”

  “No, not the same thing. At least not in this case.”

  “What makes it different?”

  “Uh…well, I really like you. I wanted you to like me, too. Without knowing that.”

  “I did like you. I mean I do like you. But you really think knowing your real identity would change how I am around you?”

  “I thought you said you understood the need for anonymity. If you really do understand, then you could answer your own question.”

  “Point taken, but I’m not really into all that celebrity crap. I couldn’t care less about who’s worth what and who’s dating who.”

  “Me neither, but even though that’s good to hear, it’s exactly why you intimidate me.”

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you actually think less of me because of who I am to the public.”

  “I do not think—”

  “Yes, you do. I could read you so easily at that brunch for my dad’s company. You were so appalled with people that have money and position.”

  “Not even true. It’s the attitudes that go along with it that I don’t approve of. Some of those people don’t care who they step on to get them somewhere.”

  “And you thought I was one of them.”

  “I did. But you proved that you weren’t. And I’m sorry for judging you like that, but I’m really glad you’re not a stuffy suit-wearing schmoozer. I kind of like the real you, which is just a laid-back, friendly guy that my niece won’t stop talking about.”

  There was silence for a few seconds before he said, “She has a crush on me, why can’t you?”

  I smiled at his humor but shook my head to myself. Was I really going to answer that truthfully? “Maybe I do have a crush on you, but it means nothing at this point. I have a boyfriend.”

  “ ‘At this point.’ Yeah, I’m only hearing ‘Yes Jared, you have a chance.’ ”

  With a laugh I said, “You can ask Zack and he’ll tell you that I’m really a bit commitment-phobic right now. I’m not ready for anything serious, and he agreed to take it easy on me.”

  “Does that mean seeing other people?”

  “No,” I scoffed. “I can’t even manage one at a time.”

  He chuckled and I wasn’t sure what it meant. But he did say, “Okay, fine. I understand. But just so you know…I’d
love to spend some time with you—even as friends, if that’s okay. If you change your mind let me know. And I hope you don’t turn down any future business propositions because of me since you’ve earned them on your own. I’ll leave it up to management to schedule you and I’ll stay out of it.”

  “Is that your wounded retreat?” I teased.

  “Yes, and I’m gonna cry as soon as we hang up.”

  “Aw, don’t do that.”

  “You’ve given me no choice.”

  “Just write a song.”

  “I think I will.”

  “Just don’t make me sound evil.”

  He laughed. “Okay, I won’t.”

  “And don’t use my real name.”

  “I can’t make any promises.”

  Chapter Nine

  “How can you like two guys the same?” Lexi scowled as she tied another balloon. “Why can’t you just pass one along to me? Besides, who is this Jared guy and how can he be cuter than hot soccer dad?”

  I smiled because she still kept calling Zack “hot soccer dad.” But I didn’t want to get into who Jared was because Lexi was the type of person that celebrities tried to avoid.

  “He’s the guy from my sister’s PR banquet, remember?”

  “A suit? Aw come on, Taryn. That’s not you.”

  “He’s not like that. He’s totally not like that,” I added, mostly to myself.

  She looked at me carefully and then shrugged. “Okay, fine. So what is it about him that you like?”

  I thought about that as I blew up another balloon. After letting the dizziness wear off I answered, “I just like how easygoing he is.”

  “You said that about Zack.”

  “I know.”

  “Okay, so what else?”

  “Uh, well, he just seems to like me for me.”

  “Zack does too.”

  I sighed. “See?”

  “Okay, I get it. So they’re a lot alike. Then it’s gotta come down to two things: looks and careers. Who’s better looking, and who’s got the best career.”

  “That’s not so easy either.”

  “Let me guess, they’re both equally hot, and they’re both happy with their jobs.”

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “Okay, then what else is important to you? What is something that you could use to find out who tips the scale? Oh I got it. Maggie,” she smiled. “Not all guys are comfortable around kids—”

  “They’re both great with her,” I replied almost sullenly. “And she adores both of them, too, even though she’s been only been around Jared one time.”

  “Well there you go. Zack is around and he’s committed to you. He sounds more consistent.”

  “Yeah, but that’s because I told Jared I had a boyfriend and I wasn’t interested in seeing anyone else.”

  She stared at me with an open mouth.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You’re honestly confused? You’re dating a great guy and you’re still thinking about the other one all the time? Doesn’t that tell you something, Taryn?”

  “That I’m stupid?”

  “That you’ve got to spend time with Jared,” she laughed. “Come on, you know it’s the only solution right now. What’s it going to hurt? You either realize that he’s not that great of a guy and you appreciate that you have Zack, or you find out that he’s better than Zack, and you’re glad you had the sense to find out. I mean you say that things with you and Zack are pretty casual—which is what you wanted. You owe it to yourself to find out, Taryn. Especially if you’re not really that invested in your current relationship.”

  I wanted to argue the last part, but I knew it was true. Zack and I were on pretty casual terms, and even though we spent time together like a couple, we both agreed to keep it simple by putting our other priorities first. If he had work to do, he did it. If I had work to do, I did it. If Maggie needed me, I always put her first. If getting together wasn’t an option, we didn’t make a big deal about it. I never regretted any time that I spent with Zack, and I believed he felt the same way, but I was so set on keeping my life trouble-free that I was really comfortable without the pressure.

  But now this thing with Jared… I was bothered with myself for letting it affect me. I guess it had been the same thing when Zack first started to pursue me, so obviously it was a pattern, right?

  I was just not good at dealing with the stress of dating.

  By noon the house looked pretty festive. Maggie was with her mom for the morning (thank goodness Rachel actually took that Saturday off), and while they were shopping and doing girl stuff, I agreed to get the house ready for the party that afternoon.

  Zack had called that morning from Canada to wish her a happy birthday, but Maggie had already left. I spent thirty minutes talking to him while I finished up the cake, and that’s when Lexi had arrived to help me decorate the house. When we’d been hanging up streamers, my phone rang again, and I was shocked that it was Jared. Apparently he’d seen his dad earlier that day and somehow it came up that it was Maggie’s birthday.

  “I won’t invite myself to the party,” he said, “but I did get her a gift. It’s not every day that I get to shop for a little girl.” I felt obligated to invite him after that, but he said he couldn’t make it anyways. “It’s okay, I can just have it sent over.”

  I didn’t argue the matter. For one I didn’t want that kind of stress on me by having him there, and another, I really didn’t want to subject him to anyone that might recognize who he was. Rachel was aware of it—and to her he was just John’s son—but other than that I chose to keep things simple.

  Maggie loved her birthday party and I was glad. I took lots of photos in between trying to organize games for her and her little friends. I actually had to ask Rachel to do this or that—like it wasn’t her job to begin with—but I was glad that she was at least there.

  But I guess that didn’t last long when an important client was in town and wanted Rachel to entertain her that night. My sister spent an hour of Maggie’s party getting ready to go out to dinner, and then cut out before the presents were even opened. Lexi took over the party for a few minutes while I argued with Rachel in the bedroom, but it didn’t do any good when she decided to leave anyways.

  I was furious.

  I guess the only good thing was that Maggie wasn’t really affected by her mom’s departure. She had presents to keep her happy when her friends left, and while I cleaned up the house, she was content dressing up in her new dress up clothes.

  Around seven there was a knock at the door. I guess I was surprised that it was Jared, but in a way I wasn’t. At the same time, just seeing him bothered me. Besides earlier that morning, I’d only talked to him one time since he ate dinner with us, and that was when he called to compliment me on the concert photos from the WaMu theatre. I’ll admit that I was glad he’d called that day, and it really did make me reconsider him all over again.

  Now I was face to face with him. Now I couldn’t help but stare at him while my pulse picked up speed. I thought that he looked pretty hot in a pair of worn jeans, a button-up shirt, and a slim-fitting jacket. His hair was spiked into a little fauxhawk—that was trademark Jared Miller, and for some reason made him more recognizable. Had he looked like that when I first met him, maybe I would have had a clue.

  “I just wanted to drop off Maggie’s present,” he said with a partial smile. He handed the small gift to me and asked, “How’d the party go?”

  “Uh, pretty good,” I nodded. “I think she had fun.”

  I glanced back at her and she looked up; then she saw it was Jared at the door and she hopped up from the floor. Jared didn’t notice from the porch, and I could tell he was just about to say departing words, but Maggie was at the door saying hello just as I said, “You can come in.”

  “Hey Maggie,” he said, acknowledging her first. Then he quietly said to me, “You don’t have to invite me in…”

  But it was kind of pointless since Maggie was dr
agging him into the house to show him her new stuff, and I was still trying to recover my nerves from having him near me again. I could barely smell him as he walked by me and it made my stomach feel all tingly.

  Maggie went through every gift that she could, and Jared attentively acknowledged each one. But I couldn’t help but notice that he’d look at me every so often, and even though I was one of three people in the room and it was expected, I just seemed to read into it a little more. Especially when Maggie wasn’t looking at him while she was yammering away. He was staring at me with that smug look on his face, like he knew how much he was killing me with those eyes.

  Since that was making me uncomfortable, I finally said, “Maggie, Jared brought you a gift.”

  I’d been holding it for a few minutes, waiting for the chance to present it to her. I actually handed it to Jared so he could give it to her, and she climbed up on the couch to sit by him.

  “It’s not very big,” she stated.

  There wasn’t really any meaning to it since it was just an observation coming from a five-year-old. But Jared only smiled and watched her open it.

  It was a spoon.

  “Huh?” Maggie asked, looking it over.

  Even though she didn’t get it at first, I did, and I was amused. Who would have thought of a stupid spoon for a birthday present?

  Jared only took the spoon from her—which by the way was a very artsy looking thing, and it even had Maggie’s name on it—and he hung it on her nose.

  “It sticks!” she exclaimed, but her movement made it drop. She stuck it back on by herself and smiled bigger than life. She came to me so I could get a closer look, and when the spoon fell again from her excitement, I couldn’t help but look it over for a second when I picked it up. Yep, it was made especially for nose hanging—lightweight and shaped to stick.

  “What do you tell Jared?” I asked her quietly.

  She turned around and said a very happy, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Maggie frowned and said, “I wanna show Abigail.”

  “Oh. Well, we’ll have Abby over again.”

  “Okay,” she nodded, and then she hung the spoon back on her nose and went back to her other toys.