“Did you use your phone today?” Marie questioned, giving me a stern look.

I frowned and slid a Captain and Coke to the girl waiting at the bar. I still hadn’t told Ryan about Kyle showing up.

“So what’s it like?” the girl asked as she handed me a five dollar bill to pay for her drink.

“What’s what like?” I asked, having no idea what she was referring to.

“Being with him! Ryan Christensen?” She giggled. Her girlfriend looked just as eager to hear my answer.

I pressed my lips tightly together, holding back the desire to tell her off. Her intrusive question and the complete disregard for our privacy instantly irritated me.

“Hey...” Marie waved to the girl to come closer. “Did you ever dream about being with Ryan Christensen?”

“Hell yeah! All the time!” the girl gushed.

“Just keep dreaming then!” Marie snapped back.

“Taryn, can I talk to you a sec?” Cory motioned. I followed him into the kitchen, grateful for the distraction.

“Hey, so what’s up with that Kyle guy? Is he supposed to be here?” Cory asked.

“No, not really,” I groaned, still completely irritated by the encounter with the female customer. “I don’t know why he keeps coming around either.”

Even though I said it, I knew why Kyle was here. I pondered for a moment how different my life would be right now if I had met Kyle first. Would some random girl be asking me what it was like to be with my boyfriend if it was Kyle in Ryan’s place?

That first day I met Ryan and he asked me if I was dating someone – what would have happened if I had said ‘yes, I am’ like I always did when any other man asked me that same question? That would have probably been the last time I ever saw Ryan Christensen.

“Does Ryan know?” Cory questioned.

“Know what?” I asked, distracted by my thoughts.

“About Kyle being here?” he reiterated.

“Oh, no. Not yet. But I’m going to tell him,” I admitted.

“Well there are enough guys around here. We can toss him out if you want?” Cory seemed to enjoy that idea a little too much. “I’d offer, but I don’t think I could take him on my own.”

I turned quickly when Pete came through the kitchen door.

“Taryn, I didn’t know what to do about that asshole Kyle,” Pete groaned. “I gave him shit about coming here but he said he’d be cool. Do you want him in here or not because you know Ryan won’t like this!”

Ryan certainly had enough watchdogs looking after me. I rested my hands on my hips, unsure of what to do about it. I didn’t want any of my friends to get hurt or worse; I didn’t do a weapons check tonight.

“I know Ryan will be angry; I haven’t told him yet that Kyle has been here. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to Ryan. Please let me tell him,” I urged.

Pete shot me an angry look.

“Pete, I don’t know what I can do about it. I own a public bar. I’m not going to call the police or anything like that. Besides, Kyle isn’t causing any problems – probably because he knows Ryan isn’t in town.”

Pete became irritated. “I thought you made it perfectly clear to this joker the last time that he wasn’t welcome around here, and yet he keeps showing up. Doesn’t the guy know when to quit?”

“Apparently not,” I muttered. “It’s getting a little obsessive, actually. I mean he knows I’m with Ryan. I don’t know why he keeps coming around.

Does he think I’m going to change my mind?”

I wondered for a minute why Kyle was still pursuing me. Why wasn’t I a lost cause in his book?

“Maybe he’s hoping,” Cory replied.

“Well you already have one PFA out on a whacko. You could always get one on him,” Pete suggested.

I thought about how much of a hassle it was to get a protection order and the irony of having to get one against a bodyguard whose job it was to protect people.

“Just leave him go,” I muttered. “I don’t want a scene in my pub tonight. If he shows up again, I’ll tell him to stop.” Even though I said it out loud, I knew I would have a difficult time saying that to Kyle’s face.

“Okay.” Pete nodded. “Your bar, your decision. But say the word and we’ll introduce him to the sidewalk.”

It was late Sunday afternoon when Ryan called. It was also time to tell him about Kyle, so I braced for an argument. Ryan was due to fly home in five days and I was hoping that the battle brewing between the two men could be avoided.

“Kyle has been showing up at the bar,” I informed Ryan. “I’ve been trying to ignore him but…”

Ryan, of course, went ballistic. “Why the hell didn’t you tell him to get lost, or do you like him coming around for you?” he accused, yelling at me in the process.

“No, I don’t like him coming around! But I also own a pub; it’s kind of hard to keep the public out,” I snapped back. “Honey, I got a threatening letter in the mail slot the other day. I’ve been a little scared.”

“I’m getting you a new bodyguard immediately,” Ryan informed.

“Honey,” I groaned.

“And I’m taking care of this Kyle bullshit once and for all,” he said angrily.

Despite Ryan’s attempts at warding off Kyle, two days later Kyle showed up at the bar.

“My company wants to send me to Dallas,” Kyle said somberly. “Some British diplomat needs coverage.”

I tried to look surprised even though I had expected something like this to happen soon. I studied the way his lips curled when he looked at me and I couldn’t help but feel guilty for being the secret cause of his latest assignment.

“Great! At least you’ll be a lot warmer there than here,” I attempted to joke. “It was only thirty six degrees out today.”

“I’m turning it down,” Kyle informed me, looking quite sure of his decision.

“You can’t do that! Can you do that?” Inside I started to panic, envisioning him staying in town and showing up to start something with Ryan again.

“I told you I wouldn’t take any out of town assignments, Taryn,” he reassured me. “I’m staying here to make sure you’re safe and protected.”

I gasped. His original charming personality suddenly turned scary. I asked one of the customers sitting at the bar if they needed a new drink, using it as an excuse to walk away for a moment.