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Heat flared in him, and he walked to the window and picked up his dog. She was perceptive. He knew this from the start. But now what was he to say? He swallowed, a lump forming in his throat.
Last night he’d been willing to take off his mask. In the heat of the kiss, he’d wanted to show her his true self. But today, in the harsh sunlight, it was the last thing he wanted to do. He stared at the door connecting the two rooms together. “Oh? I didn’t notice.”
She observed him for a moment before breaking into a smile and taking his dog from him. “Come on, Sir Barks. Let’s go. I’m sure you’re excited about the beach today.”
He unlocked the sliding glass door and opened it for her, moving the blinds out of the way. “Thanks for taking him out.”
Her smile widened, although it looked a bit forced. “No problem.”
Jalen exhaled and flopped onto the couch after shutting the door behind Riley. She suspected something. That had to be it. Why else would she be asking about the door? And why would she be staring at him like that?
Was she really suspecting he was Jalen? She did ask about the phone. If she figured it out on her own, maybe that would take the pressure off him to unmask in front of her. Maybe it was okay that she was suspecting the truth.
Nerves shot through him, and he paced the floor. No, it wasn’t okay. She couldn’t figure it out. Not right now. He wasn’t ready. He wanted more time with her. They’d just started to connect. He didn’t want to scare her away yet.
How could he convince her he wasn’t Jalen? He chewed his lower lip while he tried to think. There had been a time when he’d scheduled a text to come from a dummy number so it looked like Shadow was texting him. Maybe he could do something similar. He opened his laptop and clicked on the keys, logging into the website he’d used last time.
What to send? He pondered for a moment before setting up a few texts to come in about fifty minutes. The first was a simple message telling her he had a new number, and asking a yes and no question. The second apologized for being busy and not having time to answer texts, but told her to ask Shadow if she had any more questions. His heart pounded as he shut his laptop. That should convince her, right?
As he waited for Riley to get done walking Sir Barks, he pulled out his notebook. He was supposed to be working on his new album. Right. Like he could write song lyrics right now. He was too keyed up.
He read through the lyrics to his latest song. The one Riley said needed a sad ending. But as he read over the words, he knew he wanted to change them. Riley had changed him, and now he wanted to reflect this in the lyrics.
He went through the song, adding in more wanting and longing, and made it more about himself…and Riley. As he worked, he felt that excitement, that rush, he always felt when he was working on a hit. He was improving the song. Making it into his next billboard topper.
The glass door slid open, and Riley stepped inside with Sir Barks, his happy welcome dance making her laugh. “Settle down, let me get the leash off.”
Jalen closed his notebook. “He looks like he had fun.”
“He discovered seagulls.” She crouched down and rubbed his fur.
“That sounds exciting.”
“He figured out a fun game to play. If he ran and barked at them, they would just fly away. But if he snuck up on them, he could bark and startle them, making them flap their wings uselessly for a moment before they came to their senses.”
He chuckled. “So mean, Sir Barks.”
“The children liked watching him. You probably heard them screaming in delight.”
Jalen shook his head and pointed to his notebook. “I was working, and I kind of got into the zone. I’m afraid I didn’t hear anything.”
Her phone made a muffled noise, and she stood, digging it out of her bag.
He glanced at the clock. It was the text he’d sent from “Jalen.” He froze, waiting to see what she would say.
“Oh,” she said, staring down at the screen. “It’s from your manager.” Her gaze lifted to him and then bounced to his phone sitting on the desk.
“What does he want?”
“He got a new number. He wanted me to know. And he asked if I have taken your laundry in yet, because you have a gig after this one and won’t have time to get it done in between.”
She sent a text back.
His second text would be coming in a couple of minutes. He held his breath, hoping he could pull this off. “Ah. Yes, he’s right. I’ll put the laundry in a bag for you.”
Riley sat on the other chair. “The resort has a laundry room, doesn’t it?”
He tapped his pen against his chin. “Uh, yeah. I think it’s down the hall.”
