“I don’t have any plans,” I willingly admitted. “Monday night is poker, but you already know that.”

“Yeah, speaking of which, I’d like an opportunity to win some of my money back.”

“Sure. I’d be happy to take all of your chips this time!” I snickered.

A few moments of silence passed. I just stared at the scuff on my shoe, trying to calm myself and banish the confusion he was reaping in my mind. Ryan appeared deep in thought.

“Huh,” he sighed. His eyes glanced up the stairs.

“What?” I looked over my shoulder to see what he was looking at.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “I was just thinking about the last time I was in this stairwell. I was in a lot worse shape than you were a few minutes ago.”

He made me laugh. “Perfect place for panic attacks then, huh?”

“I was actually thinking that it’s more of a gateway to peace. Insanity out there…” He motioned to the door. “Respite in here,” he stated firmly.

“Are you ready for more insanity yet?” He reached out his hand and pulled me up from my step. “You can’t hide in here forever.”

I groaned. “No, I like respite better.” A big sigh escaped my lungs. “I’m glad you came tonight.”

“Me too,” he said gently, looking me in my eyes. His fingers stroked my cheek. “Just think, I could have missed your stellar performance and your private panic attack all in one night!”

“Don’t be an ass!” I attempted to poke him in the rib with my finger but he caught my hand in his. The touch of his hand on mine did strange things to my heart.

“Come on, sweetheart.” He motioned with his head, leading me to the door. “Insanity is waiting.”

I slipped out the door first. Ryan stayed behind for a few minutes so we wouldn’t cause too much of a stir appearing from the same place together.

One of his security team was standing guard right outside the stairwell door, doing a good job earning his keep.

I resumed my spot behind the bar and was greeted by Marie and Tammy, who were grinning from ear to ear at me.

“So am I fired or am I getting a raise?” Marie kidded.

“You were spectacular up there!” Tammy gushed. She gave me a quick hug.

I rolled my eyes, smiled at them both, and went back to business tending bar.

It was almost one thirty in the morning when my cell phone vibrated in my pocket; Ryan was texting me from the booth.

“too many eyes watching I will call u tomorrow”

“ok ru filming?” He was watching me type back to him.

“yeah all day n night too maybe til 1am?” He typed with a frown on his lips.

“I will b here” I typed.

“think about where to go Sunday please”

“I will”

“Promise?” He was staring at me now.

I looked over at him, smiled, and crossed my heart.

Ryan shoved his phone back into his coat.

I watched him head for the door; his security had him flanked. The second he stepped out into his personal rendition of insanity, I could hear women screaming and see the flash of cameras illuminating the dark street.

I spent a good portion of Saturday morning trying to come up with ideas of where to go on Sunday. It wasn’t like I could take him anywhere in public without causing a scene. I wondered what other celebrities did for fun. I’d seen plenty of pictures of famous stars out and about doing normal things like trying to get a lousy cup of coffee or having lunch. The simple fact that I saw pictures of them doing those ordinary things made me realize that there are few things they could do without being followed.

I remembered the words that Ryan had muttered under his breath that first day I met him: “the things we take for granted.” I knew now what he meant. No longer could he simply walk out of a store or restaurant without being hounded for pictures or autographs.

Do celebrities ever get used to the insanity or do they just develop a way of tuning it out? Ryan’s fame was still fresh and I knew that he didn’t like all the attention.

I wanted to take him somewhere that he could just be himself. I laughed at myself, thinking that the only idea I had so far was for us to hide in my stairwell.

Hmm… someplace away from people; someplace where he could move around and yet remain unnoticed. Private… secluded… fun… safe. Then the idea struck me.

“Hi Uncle Al, it’s Taryn. How are you?” After a few moments of pleasantries, I got down to business. “Is anyone using Pappy’s shack this weekend? I have a friend visiting me from out of town and I thought it would be a nice place to go for a day trip.”

With my newfound brilliance, it was time to put the rest of the plan into action. There were supplies I would need to get and things to pack in the car. I made a list so I wouldn’t forget anything and headed to the store.

Two hours later, I had all the items on my list and the trunk of my car packed with essentials. I was trying to get to the closet in the third bedroom when Ryan called.

“Hey, how are you?” I asked, groaning as I pushed a few heavy boxes out of my way.

“What are you up to?” He started laughing at the grunting noises I was making in the phone.

“Digging out my cooler. It’s buried under some boxes.”

“Cooler? What do you need that for?”

“I need it for tomorrow. Shoot…” I yelled as the phone slipped out from under my ear. It landed on the floor. “Hello?” I asked in a hurry. I hoped I didn’t hang up on him and I was relieved when I heard him laugh.

“Sorry, phone slipped. Okay, you can stop laughing at me now!”

“So where are you going tomorrow?” he asked. I loved his sarcastic sense of humor.

“Oh, that’s a secret. You’ll see when we get there,” I teased.

“Secret? You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope. It’s a surprise. I’m pretty sure you’ll like it though.” I laughed. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

“Uh oh. Now I’m worried!”

“Worried?” I tsked. “No worries. You’ll be well hidden from the public. The place we are going to is… private. But we’ll have to drive a few hours to get there.”

“Now I’m intrigued!” The excitement in his voice was noticeable.

“Oh, and you’ll need warm, comfy clothes because we’ll be spending some time outside. Pack some extra clothes too, just in case.” Visions of one of us falling in the lake crossed my mind.