Page 15 of And I Love Her

“Thankfully, yes.” Eleanor’s eyes softened with sadness. “Their father passed away about a year and a half ago. Car accident.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. It was a very dark time.” She rose and ran her hands over her apron. “But life goes on. Rory will be getting back to her IT work soon, and when Aria moved back a few months ago, she opened up a new place on Mariposa Street. Callie teaches Classics over at Skyline.”

“I ran into her at the library the other day,” Jake admitted without thinking. “She looked—”incredible“—the same.”

“Did she recognize you?”

“No. We were in a…situation, so we didn’t have much chance to talk.”

“Well, you should get together with her.” Eleanor pointed to a photograph of Callie on the wall. She was decked out in college graduation robes and holding a diploma. “She’s always been so academically ambitious, and she still spends all her time working. She could use a night out with an old friend.”

Jake pushed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He could sense a matchmaker a hundred miles away. Women matchmaking for themselves, their daughters, their sisters. Hell, their mothers. Even agrandmother once or twice in his career. The last thing he needed was for Eleanor to try and set him up with Callie the Classics Professor, no matter how much she’d intrigued him yesterday.

“We were more acquaintances than friends in high school,” he hedged. “Besides, I don’t have time to go out.”

Eleanor’s mouth dipped into a slight frown. “Are you working on a movie?”

“No.” He indicated his camera. “Just doing some hobby photography.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that you shoulddateCallie. I know you have a girlfriend.”

“Uh…no, I don’t, actually.” Jake shuffled his feet, suddenly feeling as if he were a five-year-old being questioned. He couldn’t lie to Eleanor any more than he could lie to his own mother.

“What about the eye candy you brought to the Glitter Awards last month?” she asked. “I saw your pictures all over the entertainment magazines.”

He scratched his ear. He was no stranger to eye candy, and he was the first to admit that he’d enjoyed the female adulation that was a major perk of being an action-movie hero.

But over the past few years, he’d learned the meaning oftoo much candy. Much as he enjoyed women and treated them well, he was weary of clingy young starlets with their painful desire to “make it big.” He’d been feeling increasingly paternal toward them, which might also have had something to do with hitting thirty-two last year and realizing he’d never had the kind of relationship that his sister Pam had with her husband.

Not that Jake wanted to get married. But he was definitely over eye candy, and for whatever reason he felt compelled to convince Eleanor Prescott that he wasn’t a player.

“I took Jessica Barnett to the awards ceremony as a favor to a director friend.” He spread his hands out. “She’s a relatively new actress and she has a movie coming out this summer. The Glitter Awards gave her some needed exposure. But she’s not my girlfriend.”

Eleanor leaned forward to put her hand on his arm. “Even if she were, Jake, it would be lovely if you got together with Callie. I honestly can’t remember the last time she went out, even with her sisters.”

Discomfort rustled in his chest. “Because of work?”

“She’s busy all the time.” Eleanor shook her head, concern darkening her eyes. “And she takes on a lot of stuff that she doesn’t have to. That’s part of the reason why she’s so successful, of course. She’s up for tenure in her department and she’s writing a book proposal, so she doesn’t have time for dating or going out. That’s what she says, anyway.”

Much as he wished hecouldgo out with Callie, Jake forced himself to shake his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t have the time to spare.”

Disappointment and something resembling hurt flashed on Eleanor’s face. Breaking his gaze from hers, Jake fiddled with the strap of his camera.

Based on Eleanor’s description, Callie hadn’t changed since high school. As a major overachiever, she’d also had a reputation in high school for being a control freak. And a cold fish, according to several of the jocks who’d tried to ask her on a date.

But Jake hadn’t thought of her ascold. She’d been out of his league—too brilliant and academically driven—but she’d been…interesting. He’d been kind of fascinated by her, like she was an exotic species of animal that he could only admire from afar.

She hadn’t seemed exotic or cold yesterday, though. She sure as hell hadn’tfeltcold. Just the opposite. Everything about her, from her brown eyes to her flushed cheeks and smooth skin, had been warm. Even hot.

His phone buzzed, breaking his thoughts. He glanced at the screen. It was the head of his security detail, likely calling for his daily check-in and debriefing.

Ignoring the call, Jake put his phone back in his pocket. But a sudden unease sparked in him. The security expert would be pissed that Jake had revealed his location to anyone, even a bakery owner he’d known in high school.

Hell, the whole security team would go ballistic if they knew Eleanor had even recognized him. She wasn’t a threat, but just one offhanded comment or click of the mouse about “Jake Ryan,” and the paparazzi would be on him like the slime they were.

He’d let his guard down. Whether from the Chaos Cookie or thoughts of Callie Prescott, he didn’t know. But now he had to slam his guard back into place.

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