“What the hell is with everyone?” I demanded when Heather made her way to my desk, a tight smile on her face.
“Been online much today?” she asked, getting right to the point.
“Not yet; I just got in. Why?” I asked apprehensively.
“Shit,” she muttered, coming around to my side of the desk. “Brace, El,” she warned, pulling up a gossip site that I knew Lily liked. And there, in grainy photos, were several pictures of Mason and me at the show the night before. In one he was kissing my cheek. The last one showed us holding hands on the way to his car. The caption read:
Colorado’s Most Eligible Bachelor Mason Jackson and What Looks To Be His New Love Interest.
My cheeks flamed as I read through the brief article. They had my full name and the fact I was from Iowa. She took me to another site, this one less flattering. The caption read:
New Love or New Fling?
And the last one I could handle reading:
Jackson Gets Close to Mystery Raven-Haired Beauty.
“Oh my god,” I groaned, putting my head in my hands.
“At least it’s all pretty complimentary,” she offered.
“Yeah, for now,” I grumbled.
“Cat’s out of the bag, babe.” She shrugged.
“Ya think?” I mumbled as my cellphone began to ring with Mason’s name flashing on the screen. I hit Ignore, unable to handle talking to him. I needed to get my thoughts together.
I knew Mason was a public figure, but being thrust into the spotlight, and so soon, wasn’t something I’d been prepared for. It also wasn’t the safest.
I closed the browser, determined to focus on work, and for a short time threw myself into responding to emails and planning for the client presentation we had the following week.
I’d been ignoring my phone, but when I happened to look and saw I’d missed a call from my landlord, I called him back.
“Hey, Steve,” I greeted.
“Hi, Ellie. I just wanted to assure you that all of the locks have been fixed,” he informed me.
“Thanks. That was fast,” I replied.
“Mr. Jackson was quite insistent.” He explained in amusement. “At first I didn’t believe it was really him, but he was quite convincing.”
“I have no doubt,” I muttered. After less than one week of dating, my entire life was being consumed by him. He was a force to be reckoned with.
“I also agreed to the security system,” he added.
“What security system?” I demanded as Heather’s manicured brow rose from her desk next to mine.
“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” he replied in surprise. “He asked for permission to install a security system in your place today. As I understand it, the work’s being done right now.”
“Good to know,” I muttered, my jaw tense as I tried to stifle my frustration.
“Anyway, nice guy you’ve got there. Give a shout if you need anything, anything at all,” he emphasized. Clearly Mason had gotten his point across.
“I will, thanks.”
I fought the urge, just barely, to crawl under my desk and hide from the world. Instead I threw myself into work, intent on leaving a bit early, away from prying eyes.
Just before five, I texted Mason, telling him I was going to leave early and that I’d call him later. I didn’t wait for a reply as I gathered my things, hopping in a Lyft a short time later.
