“You want to take our picture?” I asked, totally confused by her frantic behavior. Why would she want our picture? We aren’t the ones who are famous. Ellen wrapped her arm around my waist and we both quickly smiled for the picture. It was over in a second.

Ellen handed my bankcard back to me and tapped me in the pocket to use the cash instead. I shook my head no but she tapped me harder in the leg. It was like Ryan had his own private watchdog monitoring me. Reluctantly I used the cash.

I held the door open for her when we left the store. “That was weird.”

“Was that your first time, Dear?”

“First time?” First time for what? Spending his money?

“To be recognized, without Ryan being with you?” Ellen said.

“By a stranger, yes.” I swallowed hard from the excitement.

She laughed softly. “I never deny it when people ask if he’s my son. But I’m sure you know that I never say anything beyond that! After a while you’ll get used to it, that and the cameras.”

“I wish you would have let me use my card to pay for the clothing. It bothers me to spend his money,” I grumbled.

Ellen smiled and slipped her hand around the inside of my elbow. “Do you know that you are the first girl he has introduced us to in over five years?”

“Really? I find that hard to believe,” I muttered, completely astonished. I thought maybe her memory was fading. “Surely you met the girl he was dating when the first Seaside movie started filming? Wasn’t she from Pittsburgh?”

“What girl from Pittsburgh?” Ellen asked.

“The girl he was dating from the amateur theater? He said she visited him in Maine when he was there filming.”

“Oh, yes, I remember now. That one… her name was Brooke. She was the girl who tried to use him to further her acting career. We did meet her once, but that was when he was in a stage play with her back in Pittsburgh. She ended up moving to California and she hunted him down. He told us about her but we never met her when they were together. She made quite a mess for him in the papers too with her lies,” she said, slipping her purse strap back over her shoulder.

“No, the last girl he introduced us to was the girl he was dating his second year in college. Her name was Mandy, but they broke up when he started performing with the theater troupe. Actually she broke up with him come to think of it. That’s right… she left him for someone else. Anyway, I hung up on her when she called the house after Seaside premiered. All of a sudden he was good enough for her again.”

“But I’m sure he’s dated a lot of women since then?” I stated the obvious.

“Oh well, yes, I suppose he’s dated quite a few. But that was all before he became well-known.” The expression on her face turned to sadness.

“He lived in California for a while and he met a lot of girls. I heard all about them – well at least the ones he told me about, but we never met any of them. All users and takers if you ask me. He was pretty serious with this one girl he met in Los Angeles, but that ended quickly when she forged one of his checks to pay for a boob job.”

She shook her head; the memory seemed to anger her. “But since Seaside premiered, it’s been tough for him. Ryan dated this actress a few months ago but she broke it off with him so she could date another actor. The papers sure had a field day with that one too.”

I wondered if she knew about Lauren or was she referring to someone else? She left me no time to ask.

“But you, my dear, he can’t stop talking about you! You have captured his heart! As his mother, I see he is at a different stage of his life now.

He’s finally growing up. I think he is realizing that his dreams of being a famous actor come along with a lot of pain and heartache.”

“He and I have had quite a few talks about that,” I admitted. “And honestly, I think things would be fine if the media just left him alone. I just wish I knew how to protect him without making things worse.”

“Well, maybe you won’t have to. He told me several times that he is not sure if this is what he wants to do for the rest of his life. I think other priorities are presenting themselves since he has met you. He just about gave up hope finding someone who would love him for him. Do you know what I’m trying to say? He’s already told me that you’re the one he wants to…”

“There they are!” We heard several young women shout, interrupting our conversation. The girls were walking fast down the sidewalk towards us with smiles on their faces.

“Is he here? Where is he?” one of the girls asked exuberantly. Her eyes were desperately searching in the store windows.

“That is her! And his mother!” Another girl was almost running down the walkway. She had a cell phone up to her ear.

“Ellen, let’s go.” I grabbed her arm and we dashed out into the parking lot.

What did he tell her? I’m the one he wants to what? So much for knowing; now his fans were chasing us.

Chapter 21 - Decisions

We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the cabin. I convinced his mom that it would be easier to cook than to go out and have his whereabouts known to the public. I wanted the cabin and surrounding area to be our safe haven, if such a place could exist for us. Having his mother and I recognized was bad enough.

While we were in the checkout line, I noticed that my face, along with Ryan’s, was now on the front cover of two gossip magazines. A large photo of us covered the entire front of one of them. I recognized that it was a photo of us taken on our way to Cal and Kelly’s. The large headline announced: “Gone Public! Ryan’s new love.”

There was my face and his, less than two feet away from where I stood. I slipped my sunglasses out of my purse and put them on. I nudged his mother; she had already noticed the pictures herself. She took a deep breath and sighed. I could tell she was disgusted.

I wanted to pick up the magazine and see what else it had to say but I fought off the urge. I knew it would upset me if they printed lies. Besides, I didn’t need to read a magazine to tell me what was happening in my life. I was living it.

Ryan and his father were still out on the lake fishing when we returned. I could see them from the back of the cabin. We waved to each other when he saw me on the embankment.

Ellen and I unloaded the car and spread the food out on the kitchen island. She was specific with the items we purchased at the store; she wanted to show me how she makes Ryan’s favorite meal.