Page 15 of Her Supermodel Stalker
Susie rolls her eyes. “What’s wrong with that? You don’t only wear Calvin Klein underwear, do you?”
I gasp. She did not just say that!
Ryan’s face contorts in an effort to stifle a laugh, and I look down, afraid to see Devin’s reaction.
Susie realizes her blunder and apologizes right away. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just that I keep forgetting you’re my boss.”
Devin's lips curve up as he clears his throat. “No worries. You have a point there. Sure. I’ll join you. Where are we heading?”
It isn’t a place easy to give direction to, so Susie offers to drive Devin as an attempt to make up her earlier offense.
Wood Art Tavern is a place we hang out most of the time. Like its name says, there are wood carvings everywhere, on the walls and the counters, even on the ceilings. I like the rustic look. When I’m here, I temporarily forget my responsibilities of a mom and pretend I’m a carefree high school girl all over again.
At the tavern, Ryan rests his tattooed arm around my shoulders, as he sometimes does with me. I don’t mind it so much, but I see the smoke coming out of Devin’s eyes. He doesn’t speak so much at all, only answering some questions. Susie has tons of questions for him.
“So, how do you like California so far?”
“Fantastic. I love the weather.”
“Are you planning to move here for good?”
“I can’t say. But I don’t plan to leave anytime soon.”
The sound of the piano gets our attention, and we look in the music's direction. There’s an upright piano on the stage where sometimes bands play. I see Devin’s eyes brighten, and I recall from an article he used to play the piano.
“Do you still play the piano?” I ask.
“I do,” he says.
“You do?” Susie gasps. “Play something for us, please!”
Devin hesitates for a moment and then stands up.
I regret for a moment, sensing I made a mistake revealing something he would rather keep to himself.
But a minute later, my regret evaporates as a beautiful melody fills the tavern. I recognize it right away, Beetle’s Till There Was You. It’s my favorite song!
I silently hum the lyrics in my head.“There were bells on the hill / But I never heard them ringing / No, I never heard them at all/ ‘til there was you…”
In recent years, under my mom’s influence, I developed a taste for classic songs. As he plays, Devin glances my way frequently, his blue eyes twinkling on the dimly lit stage.
Susie leans closer to me and whispers into my ear. “Ohmygod, I think he has a thing for you, Lexi!”
I’m slightly annoyed because I really want to enjoy the music. “No, he doesn’t,” I say without looking at her.
A middle-aged couple sitting at a table close to the piano request an encore, and Devin graciously agrees. He plays another song, Somewhere in Time, another of my favorite song, before coming back to our table.
This is weird.I think as he sits down. What’s the chance that Devin Gamble likes the exact same songs that I like?
I’m about to ask him what other songs he likes when Ryan asks me, “Hey, Hot Stuff, I’m planning to go to Tahoe with some friends this weekend. Want to join us?”
I hesitate. I would love to go to Tahoe. I’ve been there before, back in high school, and with Jackson. But it means I’ll have to leave Jimmy to my mom.
“Mm, I don’t know. My mom needs a break from Jimmy over the weekends.”
Ryan doesn’t give up. “Come on, just one day. Ask Susie to watch him!”
Susie nods right away. “Yeah. Not a problem. He can play with my kids.”
