Considering that she’d shown up to every single other social event of her high school career without one, being without a date for one more did not phase her in the least. She gave him a once over. However, showing up with someone as hot as him on her arm, might just be a fun change. And would make her look so much less pathetic if she still couldn’t manage to attract Teddy Craig’s attention.
“You’re going to be a pain in the ass until I agree, aren’t you?”
He grinned and nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Suit yourself,” Tam agreed while pretending to be more unconcerned than she actually felt. The radio silence that had been between them after she’d left location felt like a strange aberration in light of his current offer. Still, she needed to get to the bottom of it. She didn’t like being jerked around and wouldn’t stand for it. Either they were friends or they weren’t.
She smiled at him. He thought he was getting a captive audience. Well, that street went two ways. She opened her online itinerary. “So. Here’s our travel information.”
chapter thirteen
Evan breezed into the office and flopped on the couch with a dramatic flair. He flung a hand over his eyes with a heavy sigh and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Denise never even glanced his way, much less acknowledged his presence. He peeked at her through his fingers then sat up.
“I’m in trouble over here and you completely ignore my pain.”
“Lara! Please get your shotgun and put my brother out of his misery.” Denise’s assistant, Lara, twittered in the star-struck manner with which he’d become accustomed since she’d been hired. After all this time, he would’ve thought she’d be used to his popping in every now and again. It bordered on annoying, but did have its advantages. He never had to work very hard to catch up with Denise. Nope. Lara was his all access pass.
He clasped a hand to his chest. “You wound me.”
Denise cut her eyes at him over her gold wire-rimmed glasses with a look he’d learned to fear years before. “Not as much as I’d like to.” She spun her monitor around for him to see. “I’ve got an extra two hundred thousand here and I’m fairly sure you’re responsible. I just can’t see…” She pinched the bridge of her nose. He took pity on her and scanned the spreadsheet.
“Move over.” Evan got up and took control of the mouse when she scooted out of the way. “You’re missing almost a week of transactions.” A few clicks and the balance was brought down to a nice tidy zero.
Denise leaned in to check the sheet. Frowned at him. “How do you fricking do that? I’ve been staring at this sheet for hours.”
“I believe the phrase you’re looking for is ‘thank you.’”
“I’d have figured it out eventually.”
“After you let go of the idea that my deposit was early, you mean.” He gave her an affectionate smile even as she grumbled in confirmation and reclaimed his spot on the couch. “Since I just saved you the trouble, you’re now free to do me a favor.”
Denise set her glasses on the desk and gave him a wary look. “I’m not driving back out to Riverside to pick up another baseball card for you.”
“I’m going out of town for a few days and need you to meet the contractor that’s coming by on Friday.”
“Where are you going?”
“He’ll be there between eight and ten that morning.”
“Why are you avoiding my question?”
“I’m not. I’m just giving you all the information. I’ve been trying to get on this guy’s schedule for months.”
“So postpone your trip.” Denise was giving him the searching look he hated. He suspected the CIA was missing out on a natural interrogator.
“I can’t. It came up kind of suddenly. I gotta be on a plane tomorrow at the butt crack of dawn.” He hoped his complaint would derail her questions because he wasn’t sure he was ready to put his actual agenda into words. On the other hand, he was dying to confide in somebody.
Denise never took her eyes off his face while she stood and closed the door. “Let’s see. You’re not scheduled to shoot anything…” She smirked at him. “Who’s the girl?”
“What girl? There’s no…” He clamped his mouth shut. Who was he kidding? Certainly not Denise judging by the grin blossoming on her face. “Her name is Tam. Well…Tamara. Tamara Kel— Oh no. You’re not looking her up on Facebook.”
Denise kicked his legs off the couch and sat next to him. “Would I do that?”
“The moment I leave, you’re going to try and friend her aren’t you?”
She grabbed her phone from the edge of the desk. “No need to wait.”
Evan plucked the smart phone from his sister’s hand. There’d been a time when she could’ve easily overpowered him. To say he’d enjoyed his growth spurt was putting it mildly. “Do not mess this up for me.”
“How would friending your girlfriend mess things up?”
“She’s not my girlfriend. And you contacting her out of the blue will freak her out.”
A slow smile spread across Denise’s face. “Oh, my God. You have it bad for this woman.” She popped up from the couch without warning and raced around the desk. It took him a moment to realize her intent which was why she was already searching through his Friends list by the time he’d made it around the desk, too.
“Stop it!” Even wrested the mouse away from her, but it was too late. “How are you logged in as me?”
Denise cut her eyes at him. “You may be a genius with numbers. Security? Not so much.” Even though he had control of the mouse, she still managed to navigate to Tam’s profile with the keyboard. Seeing that the cat was out of the bag, Evan gave up the mouse. Resigned, he pulled up a chair.
“She’s cute,” Denise remarked. She turned to look at him with a frown when her tone became accusing. “She’s cute.”
Instantly on the defensive, Evan glared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Since when do you do ‘cute’?” She began scrolling through Tam’s pictures.
“You know what? There’s more to life than cute. She’s fun. Once you get her out of her shell. She’s insanely talented. She gets me and well… she’s just awesome.”
Denise stared at him with a massively disbelieving look on her face. “Wow. And how does she describe you?”
Evan dropped his sister’s penetrating gaze. He stood up to pace as if the distance would help. “Most recently? As a pain in her ass.” Denise burst out laughing.
“You’re right. She does get you.”
“Funny.”
“No. What’s funny is that you’ve decided to fall in love with the one girl who isn’t affected by all that charisma you ooze from every pore.”
He held up his hands and backed away. “Whoa, there. It’s a little early to be tossing the ‘L’ word about all haphazard and such. I like her is all.”
Denise leveled a disbelieving look his way. Turned the monitor so he could see the picture she clicked on. It was the group shot from the wrap party. In it, everyone was making funny faces at the camera. Except him. Instead, he was smiling at Tam in a way that could be construed as adoring to those who weren’t there. That was his story and he was sticking to it.
“Yeah. You like her alright.” Denise returned the monitor to its original position and continued studying the photo. “So, her reaction to your obvious interest is to invite you on some mysterious trip?”
He bit his lip. “Not exactly. I invited myself.”
“Excuse me?”
“She doesn’t actually know.” He shrugged sheepishly. “That I’m, you know. Interested.”
Denise gestured toward the photo. “Umm. You’ve made things painfully clear.”
“That’s part of what intrigues me about her. She has no concept of when guys are flirting with her.”
“Or maybe she’s not interested.”
Evan shook his head. Clicked through more photos. He pointed out Drake who’d spent the entire night trying to get Tam’s at
tention.
“This guy tried. And tried hard. For hours. She was oblivious. The whole time I’ve never seen anything like it.” He shook his head. “No. Flirting is never going to catch her attention.”
Denise leaned back in her chair. The slow, evil smile he hated spread across her face. “Well, well, well. So you, the King of flirting, has fallen for a girl who’s immune to the two things you have going for you? This just gets better and better.”
“I’m not the King…” Evan stopped himself. “Okay, I’m pretty good, but you’re failing to see the upside here.”
“What upside is that?”
“If she doesn’t notice me flirting with her, she’s not going to notice anybody else either.”
The mirth left Denise’s eyes. “Gwendolyn was a long time ago.”
“This has nothing to do with Gwendolyn. It’s just a nice bonus that I won’t have to worry about Tam pulling any stunts like that.”
“Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse here?”
Evan sat back to seriously consider his sister’s question. Too much about his relationship with Tam to this point was ass backward. Part of it was because of how they’d met. The rest was because he hadn’t fully realized how focused on work she was. He’d thought it strange that they never talked about anything too personal the entire time they’d been in Atlanta. It hadn’t been until the wrap party that he’d understood that her personal life was pretty nonexistent.
That night was also when he’d stopped being so butt hurt about the fact that her farewell to him had been not that different from Marc’s, or anyone else’s for that matter, when she’d left the location after they’d finished shooting. It was like she didn’t know how to function without having a professional purpose. Watching her work the room at the wrap party with more handshakes than hugs made him reconsider his bruised ego. It also made him regret that he’d not contacted her at all since they’d parted in Atlanta. Other than a few comments or likes on Facebook, they’d become strangers.
Still, the more he stayed away from her, the more he wanted to be around her. Get to know her better. Given Schenecki’s decision to hire her on, he wasn’t sure how she’d react to what amounted to an office romance. Except, working with her would give him the propinquity he needed to see if his feelings might be reciprocated. He didn’t want to wait months until the show started up again, so he’d gone out and found an indie project that he hoped would bring them close together again.
“Earth to Evan.” Denise waved a hand in front of his face causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He smiled at her and stood.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m in strictly reconnaissance mode at the moment.” He dug a set of keys from his pocket and dropped them on her desk. “Had to have the locks changed again. Here’s your new set.” He kissed the top of her head and fled for the door. He wasn’t prepared to answer her questions when he had so many of his own.
“Evan—”
“Love you, sis.” He gave her a final wave then escaped.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tam closed her eyes and tried to reconcile her anger at Evan with her seat in First Class. She wanted to say that their trip together was off to a horrible start, but if that were true, she’d have to be a totally ungrateful jerk.
First off, the shared van shuttle to the airport never arrived. When she’d called to find out what had happened, she learned that her reservation had been canceled. After being rudely informed that there would be no refund because the cancellation had happened less than six hours before pick up, Tam frantically started searching for other options. Sure, she had a little money in the bank now, but that didn’t mean she was going to go off spending it all willy-nilly.
Painfully aware of the clock ticking down before her flight left, she hopped online to figure out if it were cheaper to call a cab or to just park at LAX. She was just about to book a parking spot when a knock on her door startled her.
“Your chariot awaits,” Evan said through the screen door.
“What are you doing here?” Tam was totally confused. “I thought we were meeting at the airport.”
He frowned and let himself in. “You didn’t get my text?” He checked his phone. “Crap. It’s caught in draft. Anyway, I said I’d pick you up since you were on the way.”
“You canceled the shuttle, didn’t you?”
“Of course. Both of us didn’t need to pick you up.”
Tam breathed a relieved sigh even though she was still annoyed that he’d changed her plans without talking to her first. She packed up her computer and followed him out to the Town Car he’d hired. Having a dedicated ride to the airport beat running all over the Westside to pick up other passengers and did quite a bit to improve her mood.
It took another downward turn when they’d arrived at the ticket counter to check their bags. Tam had figured that they would just try to change her seat so they could sit together. Once again, Evan had other plans.
He bought a seat in first class and upgraded her ticket so she’d be beside him. She nearly had a heart attack when she heard the total amount they were going to be charged given the last minute purchase. Still, she’d bravely pulled out her debit card to cover the change. For the first time, she regretted quitting her day job so soon.
Evan frowned at her. “What are you doing?”
“Paying for my upgrade.”
He turned his attention back to the ticket agent and handed her his black American Express card. “She’s so cute.”
Tam knew he meant it as a compliment, but bristled anyway. “I can pay my own way, you know.”
“I do. However, this is a business expense and it’s easier accounting if I keep them all together.”
Tam couldn’t argue with that logic so she shut up and just got on the plane.
She shifted in her seat and enjoyed the extra room. When she looked at him, Evan appeared to be napping. He had his fedora pulled low over his face and was hardly moving. Not even when other passengers brushed by him in the aisle with their oversized carryons on their way to their seats.
Talk about shutting out the world. She wished she could do the same. Instead, she found herself eyeing every person who passed by and wondering which one would call her out as a fraud who didn’t belong in First Class. Totally irrational, she knew, but she’d spent far too many years in Economy. She turned her attention out the window instead.
She paid no attention to the baggage handlers scurrying to and fro on the ground or the other assorted activity surrounding the plane. Her thoughts were swirling around the improbable reality that she was bringing a date to her class reunion. A seriously hot date at that. Tam refused to let her eyes stray from the tarmac to check out said date resting in the seat next to her.
She didn’t need to. Her memory happily supplied all the details for her. From the way his long sleeved v neck shirt clung to his chiseled torso down to the well-worn denim that encased his powerful thighs. She smacked herself in the forehead. His thighs were not something she should ever dwell on. Sure, he might be her date for the this one occasion, but it was all about business for him. She needed to keep that in mind.
“You okay?” He asked. He tipped the hat up just enough to look at her. “Did you forget something?”
“Like what? My sanity?” She settled back in her seat beside him and nodded. “Actually, wait. I think you’re the one who left sanity at home. It’s crazy for you to just pick up and go on this trip with me.”
He gave a one shouldered shrug. “Not really. When I figure out what I want, I go after it. No mystery there.”
And he wanted her. Or more specifically, her writing. She sighed. Too bad. What would it be like if he’d wanted her? Would she even know how to handle that? She’d probably just screw it up. Better to keep things professional. That she could do.
“And you want to direct?”
He dropped the hat back over his eyes before answering. She couldn’t help, but feel shut out. “More than anything.
” He peeked at her again. “Almost.”
What the heck did that mean? She was tempted to snatch the hat from his grasp to force him to look at her. A large group of giggling teenage girls boarded the aircraft and made their way up the aisle. They were totally Evan’s fan base, but he kept his face covered and hunkered down in the seat.
Tam looked from him, to the girls, back to him. On the surface, he seemed relaxed, but she sensed a bit of tension from him. It finally dawned on her. He wasn’t shutting her out. He was trying to remain invisible to the girls.
Once they realized who he was, Tam could only imagine the screamfest that would follow. Not a great idea in such a confined space as an airplane. Sure, Tam and Evan were seated in First Class, but that invisible border would be no match for a teenage girl on a mission. Add nineteen more to that equation and there would be bedlam.
She sat back in her seat and watched the girls walk by, clueless. When the final one had disappeared into the main cabin, she said, “They’re gone.”
Evan lifted his hat to take a peek around the cabin. The only passengers still boarding were a few burly men. It was possible they could be fans as well, but she doubted it.
He smiled at her. “It’s official. Whenever I have to fly anywhere, you’re coming with. I always feel like such an antisocial idiot with my hat pulled low like that. The sooner it’s over, the better.”
Feeling that long missed camaraderie with him again was like a drug. She grinned. “And that’s why you should’ve been a writer. All the perks, but none of the hassle that a famous face brings.”
“I don’t know. A famous face can have an advantage or two.” He shifted in his seat so she was looking dead at said face. And enjoying the view.
“It’s not too late. Want me to run back there and clue in your fan club?” She moved to stand. He blocked her path with his legs and covered her hand with his on the armrest between them.
Blurred Boundaries Page 14
