Cory smiled smugly and flashed his eyes back to Francesca. “I’ll bring Ryan’s buddy back tomorrow.”

“Hey where are they going?” Ryan stopped dead in his tracks and wheeled around when he noticed Scott leaving. Scott didn’t even acknowledge Ryan; he was completely focused on other things.

Slowly the rest of our guests departed and it was almost three in the morning when I turned off the lights. I planned to clean up the bar in the morning. I had more important things to take care of.

Matt and Laura were stowed away comfortably in the guestroom. I closed our bedroom door and smiled in disbelief.

My birthday boy was sprawled out on our bed, wearing nothing but his birthday suit and a slightly drunken grin… waiting for his birthday present.

Chapter 24 - Sobering

“What the hell happened to Scott last night?” Matt asked, stuffing another piece of bacon in his mouth. Laura was taking her turn in the shower.

“He left with Suzanne,” Ryan answered. “Maybe she won’t be so bitchy now.” He chuckled to himself.

“Hopefully Cory gave Fran someone new to think about, too.” I winked.

Ryan smiled at me over his cup of coffee.

Once everyone was showered, dressed, and fed I went downstairs to clean up the pub. I was clearing off the tables when Ryan popped through the door. He started to gather the garbage.

“What can we do to help?” Laura asked. I was thankful that I had willing hands to help clean up the remains of Ryan’s birthday party.

“I still can’t believe you did this!” Ryan said, kissing me on one of his trips past. “How long have you been conspiring behind my back?” he asked.

“A couple of weeks. Your friends were more than willing to be in on the surprise.”

“Matt told me you made him look you up on the Internet,” Ryan teased.

“Yeah! He didn’t believe you had a girlfriend!” I poked him in the stomach and went to answer the doorbell.

“Hey! There they are!” Ryan’s voice boomed when he saw Cory and Scott walk through the front door.

“Man! What the hell is it with all the photographers and chicks out there?” Scott motioned with his thumb, pointing to the door. “Don’t they ever go home?”

“No. They live here now. They’re like zombies that don’t die when the sun comes up.” I laughed at my own comment.

“So how was your night, Scott?” Ryan gave him a teasing nudge in the arm.

Scott’s eyes narrowed. “What do you think? I made her fucking night… several times!” he boasted. “She’s a screamer, that girl!”

He held up a small, white plastic bag in his hand. “Good thing we stopped at the drug store on our way back. I’m planning on making her scream again tonight.”

Ryan’s face puckered up. He grabbed Scott’s arm and hauled him off into the poolroom. I didn’t care much for Suzanne, but she was Ryan’s costar and a celebrity - she had no privacy either. There were enough rumors and scandals floating around in the media about the Seaside cast already. Suzanne’s indiscretions didn’t need to be added to the pile. I was sure that Ryan was going to tell him the same thing.

“Francesca and Suzanne are planning on coming here tonight,” Cory quietly informed me. “I hope you don’t mind.”

I shrugged and shook my head. It didn’t bother me, as long as Fran wasn’t here to see Ryan. But I was wise enough to know things like this could have powerful ripple effects.

“Cory, I’m not going to tell you what you can and cannot do, but you do realize that Fran is a celebrity. I hope you keep your private activities with her private and discreet. Understand?”

“Yeah, I understand. I know what I’ve gotten myself into. Don’t worry, I’m not going to be like that guy and announce stuff to the world.” He nodded his head in Scott’s direction. “Francesca is sweet and I’d never do that to her. But I would like to see her again. And she wants to see me too, so…” Cory shrugged.

“Just keep it private. That’s all I ask. We’re all under the microscope now,” I stressed my point.

“I will. Hey, sorry I can’t stay to help clean up. I’ve got to get some sleep. I’ll see you at four,” Cory said, putting his sunglasses back on. “Oh, and before I forget, I already talked to my roommate. He’ll cover the door tonight.”

“Did Cory leave?” Ryan asked me a few moments later.

I nodded.

“Damn. I wanted to talk to him too.”

I whispered to Ryan. “I talked to him. I reminded him to keep his personal business private and discreet. You may want to talk with Matt and Laura about confidentiality as well.”

“I already did.” A tiny smile cracked on his lips.

The early afternoon flew by quickly. It took us several hours to clean up the mess and I mopped all the floors and even cleaned the bathrooms.

Ryan suggested several times that I hire a company to clean the bar every day but I was used to taking care of the grunt work on my own.

Scott passed out in the guestroom upstairs; guess he didn’t sleep much last night either. Ryan, Matt, and Laura were lounging in the living room, watching television. I logged on to the Internet.

“What are you doing, Honey?” Ryan’s tone indicated his disappointment.

“Checking up on things.”

“Why are you looking?” he groaned, concerned.

I flashed my eyes up to him and kept my reply quiet. “Because your public image is my concern too. Before I forget to tell you, Francesca and Suzanne are coming tonight. We’re going to need security in the bar. Do you want Mike here?”

Ryan didn’t answer. He just walked away.

I clicked a link and was directed to a gossip magazine’s website. The headline “Ryan Christensen’s Love Affairs” caught my attention. The site had side-by-side pictures of Ryan and Suzanne kissing, Ryan and I walking down the sidewalk, and the picture of him and that girl from the Manhattan dinner meeting. The story pretty much accused him of being a reckless playboy. The words “plays the field” were included in the article.

I clicked another link and was now viewing pictures of Ryan kissing, smiling, leaning on, and holding Suzanne. The caption stated that their love affair was still going strong.

I hit the back button and clicked on another link – this one described my new bodyguard, Kyle, being the new man in my life and how Ryan was furious and jealous. There was a picture of Kyle and me entering the back door of my pub together. The article posted a random picture of Ryan looking angry next to it. All meant to generate shock, I supposed. The story made it sound like I was cheating on Ryan.