CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The next day Carrie tried to shake off her argument with Max. She’d said a few things she regretted and he probably did as well. He was difficult to get to know and she wasn’t a woman that took much crap so it was a recipe for a rocky road.
She needed to apologize. The crack about his Oscar nomination had been completely uncalled for and more than that, it had been cruel. Winning that golden statue was probably his dream and she’d kicked him when he was down. Not a kind move.
She’d spent most of the morning pretending to work so when her phone rang and it was Tyler Gaylord of all people, she’d jumped at the chance to meet him for lunch. Anything that extricated her from these four walls was a godsend in her book. He’d chosen a back booth in a quiet cafe off the beaten path.
“You must know every place in this city to eat where you won’t be recognized,” she said as she sat down across from him. He was handsome as usual in a pair of faded denims, a simple blue t-shirt, and a brown leather jacket that was a nod to the cooler than normal temperatures.
“I know this one place in London and there’s no guarantee that we won’t end up on a fan’s Instagram. But I’ve had decent luck here slipping under the radar and the burgers are fantastic.” He leaned forward, his gaze heated. “Might I say you look very fetching today, Red.”
“I accept all compliments,” she laughed, looking down at her clothes. They were some of the new ones she’d purchased the day she met him. “And it’s just jeans and a blouse.”
“You make it look special.”
He was full of it but why not enjoy the ride? She’d had precious little flirting and compliments these last few months. They quickly ordered and she settled back into the booth.
“So how did you get my number?”
His brow quirked and he gave her a secretive smile. “I bet you can guess.”
Of course. “Paige.”
“Technically it was Nate but they’re sort of one and the same these days, aren’t they? In the matrimonial sense.”
“The matrimonial sense,” she repeated with a giggle. “Have you ever been married, Tyler?”
He shook his head. “Oh hell, no. I’m not the marrying kind.”
The waitress placed their drinks on the table and bustled back to the kitchen, appearing not to notice she had a real-live sex god movie star at her table.
Carrie stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “Did some mean woman do you wrong? Break your heart?”
He grinned, showing off all his dazzling white teeth. “Not at all. I’ve never had a broken heart. I just don’t see the allure of marriage.”
“I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t experienced at least some heartbreak. How old are you?”
Laughing, he shrugged out of his jacket. “Thirty-eight. And a half. You’ve met someone now and I don’t think I’ve missed anything. It looks awful and sad.”
That’s when it hit her. “You’ve never been in love.”
“I don’t think I’m the type. I’m too into my career. Maybe someday I’ll find the right woman and settle down.”
Tyler Gaylord didn’t look like the absence of love in his life bothered him all that much. If anything, he looked joyous, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“I should take a leaf out of your book,” she said, envious of his carefree attitude. “All love has ever brought me was pain and heartache. How do you do it?”
He shrugged. “It’s easy. I keep busy and concentrate on my work. I tend to date women who either feel the same way I do about love or that fulfill a need in my career.”
Ahhh. “A showmance?”
His eyes widened and then a grin broke out onto his face. “What do you know about the big bad world of Hollywood public relations, Red?”
It was her turn to shrug. “Not much but I’ve heard of it. Have you been in a lot of fake relationships?”
She wouldn’t mind some advice without actually revealing that she was in one herself. Or maybe she wasn’t. At this point it could go either way.
“About half a dozen or so. Sometimes the lines get blurred and it’s hard to tell.”
The number made Carrie gasp in surprise. She’d never have guessed so many.
“What do you mean by blurred?”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “Sometimes it just starts out as a friendship on the set and then we’ll decide to hang out together. For publicity, not because we’re into each other or anything. It’s casual and there’s no romance but the public and the tabloids don’t know that.”
Her finger traced a figure-eight on the table top as she avoided his eyes. “What if you didn’t get along with someone you were supposed to be pretending to be with? Has that ever happened?”
“Once. But it was only because what we really wanted to do was have sex with each other.”
No, no, no.
Her head popped up. “And did you?”
“Repeatedly,” he announced, his brows waggling wickedly. “Once the sexual tension was resolved we got along quite well. Ended the relationship as friends once the affair ran its course. We still hook up now and then when we’re both between significant others because the sex was so damn good.”
Her cheeks felt hot. Sleeping with Max would be a gigantic blunder. He was gorgeous. And sexy, that was no doubt, but sex? No way. She didn’t sleep with people she didn’t like and respect. She wasn’t about to start now. Their issues weren’t sexual tension but Max being an asshole. They didn’t have to get naked to have it resolved.
“Friends with benefits, huh?” she said, wanting to act casual. “I bet you have one of those in every major city all over the world.”
His blue eyes twinkled. “You’re absolutely right.”
Tyler Gaylord was fun, outrageous, and he made her laugh. She was glad she’d accepted his invitation to lunch. Which then brought up the question…
“So why did you invite me today?”
His middle finger rubbed against his full lower lip, an affectation Carrie was sure he’d learned as an actor. It was probably quite effective with the ladies, reminding them of what that mouth might be able to do.
“Maybe I have an opening in London.”
At first she didn’t know what he was talking about and then his meaning seeped into her muddled brain. Friends with benefits. London. She was getting slow on the uptake.
“I’m afraid to ask about the application process.”
His hand over his mouth, Tyler laughed quietly, trying not to garner any extra attention.
“Carrie, I really like you.”
This entire conversation was strange. A hot movie star was flirting with her. Was this something Paige and Nate had asked him to do? Like when they’d asked Max to take her to dinner. Everyone felt sorry for poor loser Carrie.
“I’m a lovely person,” she replied lightly as the waitress slid their burgers in front of them. Carrie had ordered a classic cheeseburger and Tyler had ordered cheese and mushrooms. They ate in silence for awhile but eventually came back to the conversation.
“Carrie, can I ask you a question?”
It was polite to say yes but there was a part of her that wanted to say no based solely on the expression on Tyler’s face.
“Depends on what you’re asking.”
He set his burger back on the plate and wiped his hands with the paper napkin. “How long have you been dating Maxwell Hayes?”
She and Max had never actually discussed the details of their dating relationship should others ask questions. She would have to go it alone, assuming that they had any sort of relationship after their falling out.
“I met him last fall at Thanksgiving dinner at Paige’s. We sort of became friends then. I’m not sure I’d characterize what we’re doing as dating. I’d say that we spend time together.”
I could be a politician. I just gave a great non-answer answer.
“I’m sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong, but I think you’re a nice person. Just be careful, okay? Max is a great guy and one of my best friends but he has a terrible track record with women.”
She took a drink of her soda before answering. “The obvious reply to that statement is that you do too.”
Chuckling, he nodded in agreement. “That’s true but the difference is that I know I’m a lousy boyfriend but Max thinks he’s a good one. The truth is he’s not much better than I am. He has major trust issues and they’ve only gotten worse since he broke up with Alana.”
Something she’d experienced up close and personal but it was kind of nice to know it wasn’t her. This was just how he was. “Perhaps he has good reason not to trust women.”
Tyler appeared to be struggling for the right words. “There is some truth to that. In this crazy business and with our level of fame, it’s hard to know who you can trust, but this goes deeper than that. Max always wonders what people want from him, whether man or woman, and everyone is guilty until proven innocent. He was like this even before he became super famous.”
“And yet he married a woman that wanted him for his money and connections,” she found herself saying. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“That’s another of Max’s issues. He lets his…male anatomy do a lot of the thinking for him.”
That’s basically what Max had said to her that first day at the pub. He’d been attracted to Alana because of the great sex.
But this was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. She barely knew Tyler although he seemed like a nice man, and she didn’t like talking about Max behind his back.
“I appreciate your concern and I’ll take what you said under advisement.”
“In other words, you’re going to ignore every word that came out of my mouth.”
He had no idea how much he’d confirmed all of what she’d been thinking.
“Not at all, I simply do not feel comfortable discussing Max when he’s not here. It doesn’t feel fair to him.”
Tyler signaled to the waitress, seeming to take her rebuke well. “The world has been more than fair to our buddy Max but I get what you’re saying. I just ask one thing. Please think about what I’ve said here today. Max is a complicated guy. If you get involved with him, it won’t be easy. He’ll fight you all the way.”
Then it was better that he’d ended things. If Tyler was right, she and Max would have ended up right where they were now at some point no matter what. If Max couldn’t be honest with her, she didn’t see how any relationship between them was going to work out. She wouldn’t be walking any red carpets with Maxwell Hayes.