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"Why do you downplay everything?" he asked.
Katie immediately balked. "Me?The king of sarcastic comments and laughing it off, is lecturingmeon downplaying?"
Landon clenched his teeth, no doubt holding back what he really wanted to say, but he didn’t let the matter drop. "Did he ever hit you?"
Katie sighed. "Look, I left the first time he got even a little rough. I didn’t give him any sort of warning when I officially ended it, so I think that’s where this obsessiveness comes from. He lacks that…that…closure."
"I’ll give him some fucking closure. This is bullshit. You need to call the cops."
"You’re overthinking this. It’s not that serious."
"Bullshit! You’re jumpy as hell and you have a gun and a baseball bat by your front door."
"What the hell?! You went through my stuff?"
She was more humiliated than angry, but she couldn’t quite explain why his accusations embarrassed her so much, so it came out as the latter.
"I was looking for a pen to write you a note that day I left you my keys. Why do you have it? Because of Kyle?"
"Landon, no! Just stop it! This is none of your business. You’re not my dad, you’re not by brother, you’re not even my boyfriend. I’m a big girl and I can handle my life myself."
Her words reverberated around the car in the dead silence that followed. But she had to say it. Had to stop him from prying further. Landon’s knuckles were white from the grip he had on the steering wheel, jaw clenched, eyes narrowed on the road. Exactly what Katie didn’t want to happen.
"Look Landon, the truth is, I didn’t want to bring all this up because I don’t want Kyle to interfere with the life I’m building here. Even talking about him is ruining the small amount of time I get to spend with you."
Landon sniffed, found his cap, and positioned it on his head.
Katie couldn’t bear the silence. "How about this? The minute I get worried or he says something really scary, I’ll let you know right away."
The lies were flowing like a river now and she only felt a little guilty about this one because it seemed to do the trick of calming Landon down. He turned the radio up and kissed her hand again. A sweet gesture, but the mood had darkened, and the gray rain clouds hovering over the city ahead seemed appropriate. Katie knew the second Landon’s phone started ringing that it had all just come to a head.
"It’s the concierge manager at my apartment," he said before answering the call over the speakers. "Marvin, my man! What’s going on bro?"
"Hey Landon, just wanted to give you a heads up that we’ve got paparazzi staked out in front of the building."
"Shit! I was afraid that’s why you were calling. Alright, appreciate you letting me know."
"No prob. How we lookin’ for the game on Friday?"
Landon and Marvin talked baseball, but their voices faded into hazy background noise beneath the pounding in Katie’s ears. Fingers trembling, she picked up her phone, afraid to look, but more afraid not to. His name was already in her search engine, she only had to refresh the page for the latest headline to pop up:
Landon Ryan Spotted with Mystery Woman!
https://www.HotshotHollywood/sports
Landon Ryan Spotted With Mystery Woman!
Landon Ryan is back in action months after his rumored fling with Sonja Darnel. The Idaho Mavericks’ star shortstop took a day off from slugging homers to take an unidentified woman up to the Four Pines Mountain Resort. No big PDAs, but we’re told the two were spotted holding hands before riding the ski lift to the top of the mountain.
Ryan has been causing quite a stir lately in the baseball world with nineteen homers this season. Rumors are still swirling that Mavericks’ owner John Maverick is planning to bring back the captain role and the five-time All-Star is at the top of the contender list.
But even captains need days off, apparently. While the rest of his team is already in Arlington preparing to take on the Rangers, Ryan, who’s said to be battling a wrist injury, took some R&R up in the mountains with a mystery blonde. Eyewitnesses say she definitely did not want to be photographed and sat in the car while the shortstop signed autographs and posed for photos with fans. The two then left the resort in a hurry in a navy blue Jeep.
chapter 21
The word "mystery" was the only thing standing between Katie and a full on panic attack as she swiped through the pics. There were six: three of Landon signingautographs, one of him walking towards the car, and two of them strolling together. Katie appeared as a blurry outline in one and with her head dipped in another. Coupled with the hat and sunglasses, it could have literally been anybody. Her own mother wouldn’t recognize her. She sank back into her seat and dropped her head into her hands.
"Give me the phone," Landon demanded.
