Finally, they were alone. Fin raised his wineglass and made a toast. “Here’s to good company.”
“Cheers,” Alex agreed as she clinked her glass against his and tasted the wine. “This is awfully swanky, Mr. McAlister. Much different from me taking you out to roll in the sand.”
His lips curved up in response. “May I say you look comfortable in either setting, Ms. Tanner?” His gaze took in the area around their table. “When I made the reservation, I requested a secluded table where we would be less visible to other patrons. This is lovely.”
They talked about the beautiful setting of the restaurant on the bayou. Alex told Fin about the terrible flooding that had occurred during Hurricane Harvey and how the people of Houston had come through like troopers helping one another.
When their meal came, they discussed foods they liked and didn’t like. He talked about his experiences in his travels and they compared favorite foreign cuisines. They laughed at the more notorious things they had eaten, like the dish in Singapore Alex swore looked like fried spiders.
About midway through their meal, Fin turned to Alex with a serious face and hesitated. “Alexis, I can’t tell you how refreshing it has been to spend time with you. It’s just the break I needed.”
Alex set her glass down. “After dinner at Eddie’s, you mentioned you had a crappy day at work on Saturday. We’ve never slowed down enough to talk about it. Was that related to you needing a break?”
Fin raised an eyebrow at her. “You are a perceptive one.” He took another drink of wine and stared into his glass. “I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but I hate being in the public eye. I lost someone long ago as a direct result of a reporter chasing a story.”
Alex held her breath, not sure what to say.
He pursed his lips and continued, “Saturday was a press junket for the new film. We do a series of interviews throughout the day. This same reporter snuck in. The moment was stressful, to say the least.”
Alex reached over and covered his hand with hers. “That sounds terrible. I don’t know much about it, but I can sympathize. Can’t you block them somehow?”
“Aye, she’s on my ‘no fly’ list, but somehow got in despite that fact. Anyway, that was the bad day I referred to on Sunday. But then my week got better.” He grinned that sexy grin women everywhere swooned over.
“Yeah, well, I’m not sure how you’ll feel when I tell you that your photo is all over Rally Up’s social media pages. Apparently, they took pictures Tuesday night. A friend called me to let me know.”
Fin shifted toward her, his brow furrowed in concern. “How do you feel about it?”
Before Alex could answer, their server came to refill their glasses and ask if they needed anything. She considered the question while waiting for him to finish. She hadn’t had a moment to think about it, but her initial reaction was shock at seeing her picture everywhere. Alex had seen photos on the Rally Up site before, but if she was in any of them, she’d been in the background or on the courts, never in one of the featured images. She was private about her personal life and utterly content to be in the background.
“It’s uncomfortable. I’m not one to chase the spotlight and I keep my private life private. When I was younger and living in a small town, I was in the local newspaper’s sports section every week. Strangers would come up and talk to me as if I knew them. I don’t remember it bothering me then. Other than feeling surprised and awkward. But as an adult, and as a female in particular, I’m more cautious and don’t share my personal life. Even my closest work colleagues don’t know much about me outside of work. I guess I feel… wary.” She shrugged and took another bite.
Fin grimaced. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and the fame starts to wear on you. It’s crossed my mind to drop out of sight and attempt a normal life, but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I love the work. I do. But the lack of privacy… and not knowing if the people around you are sincere about you or if they are there because of who you are… that gets to me sometimes.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Alex said. “Does she like me because I’m the ‘Hottest Man Ever?’ Or maybe because I have mad style skills? Or is it because I’m super smart and funny?”
He laughed, and she was glad he took the joke as she meant it.
“In all seriousness, though,” she continued, “I know what you’re saying. How do you know if someone is in your world because of you or because of what they think you can do for them? How do you find anyone to trust?”
Fin set his fork on the plate and pushed it away. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, then covered his plate with it and sat back. “Well, in my case, you have a select few in your inner circle, and you hold everyone else at arm’s length.”
“That sounds hard. And a little lonely. But I get it. Even in my not-a-movie-star life, I have many acquaintances and lots of ‘fun to hang with’ type friends, but very few who really know the whole me. I’m good at compartmentalizing the pieces of my life. I think that just makes me weird, but sounds like it’s a survival tactic in your world.”
“I never thought of it that way,” he said. “But hey, let’s not talk about depressing things. Do you want dessert?”
Before she could answer, a loud crash clanged close by and a bright flash struck her eyes. Fin muttered, “Damn it” as he captured her arm and guided her up out of her chair. He picked up her purse and handed it to her as he led her away from the table. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening at the crowd of people sporting cameras and climbing over the rail onto the patio.
Everything seemed to slow down. She watched Fin texting on his phone as he guided her along. He wrapped his arm around her waist and moved toward the hostess station, pulling a wad of cash from his coat pocket and shoving it at the woman. Alex assumed he was paying for their meal and apologizing for the abruptness of their departure. He whisked her outside, where a crowd mobbed them with microphones and more flashing lights.
She felt a tug on her arm and heard fabric ripping as someone yelled at her, “Over here, miss.” Yanking her arm away, she walked briskly as Fin continued to move her down the walkway toward the waiting car. Another voice shouted, “Finley, who’s the girl?” And yet another called “Is she your new lover?”
Blake held the car door open and blocked the crowd as she and Fin rushed into the backseat. The door thudded shut, muting the noise from outside. A brief cacophony of shouting assaulted her ears when Blake got into the driver’s seat before silence descended once again.
When her heart finally slowed down, Alex noticed Fin held her tight. She moved and he let her go at once.
“Are you okay, Alex?”
She looked at her sleeve where the lace was ripped beyond repair. Her wonderfully exquisite dress that made her feel so feminine was now ruined. Her fists clenched and she seethed in anger. Tears threatened, the loss of control infuriating her.
