“And?” She glared at me.

“He and someone named Cal are going to be joining us tonight.”

Tammy lurched onto the table, almost spilling her drink. “Cal? Cal Reynolds? You mean the actor Cal Reynolds who played Charles’ brother Randolph in Seaside?”

“Who’s Charles?” I asked.

“Charles! You don’t know who Charles is?” Tammy shrilled at me.

I slid back further in my seat and shook my head. She sort of scared me for a moment.

“Charles is the character that Ryan Christensen plays in Seaside!” Her expression made me feel stupid, like I was missing a big chunk of common knowledge.

“Okay, if you say so. He said Cal, so if that’s the same Cal, then yes,” I replied.

“NO freakin way!” Tammy yelled. “They are coming here?”

“Calm down, Tammy. They were here Saturday night. Well, Ryan was but I don’t think Cal was. Anyway, listen, it’s no big deal, okay? They’re just regular people.” I tried to get her to come down from the clouds.

“You all have to be cool about this. I don’t want to hear any of you gossiping about them being here either. You have to promise. PROMISE!” I shook my finger at them. “They just want to play poker with us so everyone just relax.”

Marie’s eyes were bulging in her head. She knew I was holding back.

“All right Taryn, spill it! What the hell is going on here? Ryan Christensen just showed up here randomly Saturday night and now like it’s no big deal that he’s going to be joining us for poker?”

“I met him the other day,” I reluctantly confessed with a sigh. “The boy that came in here Friday night had a message from Ryan. He sent him to ask for my cell number.”

“That makes sense now,” Pete replied.

“What?” I thought Marie’s head was going to dislodge from her body. “He asked for your number?”

“Yes, all right?” I said a bit defensively. “But I didn’t give it to him. I guess that’s why he showed up here on Saturday.”

Marie was shaking her head violently. “Ryan freakin’ Christensen asked for your phone number and you didn’t give it to him? Am I hearing this correctly?”

I just shrugged and rolled my eyes.

“Are you out of your mind?” Marie screamed at me while pulling on her own hair.

“I have my reasons.”

“What? What reasons could you possibly have? One of the hottest guys on the planet wants your phone number, but you have reasons? This shit better not be about Thomas, because I’ll kick your ass myself!”

“No, this has nothing to do with Thomas. Ryan is a celebrity for God’s sake! He’s only in town for a couple of weeks. What do you want me to do? Just lie down for him because he is famous?”

“I would,” she said, but the look Gary gave her made her back track her comment. “I mean if I was you, I would.”

“Well you should know me better than that. You of all people.” Her judgment of me hurt. “Look, he’s a nice person, and if he wants to be friends while he’s in town, I’m okay with that. But I’m not going to have my heart smashed again, by anyone. And I’m certainly not going to delude myself into thinking that he is going to pursue a relationship with me!”

My own words stung. I stood up from the table and hurried to the bathroom. I did not want to continue this conversation. Good enough for lust, but not good enough for love flashed through my mind like a scrolling electric sign.

Marie and Tammy followed me to the bathroom. The second Marie was through the door she pulled me into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in my ear. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s all right. I upset myself.” I stared over her shoulder at the tiled wall as she squeezed me.

“Ryan is really, really nice. He’s funny and kind and… he is the kind of guy I could easily fall for. But I can’t. I will not allow myself to get caught up like that. He’s a celebrity! He has girls standing in line for him.”

I had to look away. Once again I found myself becoming interested in a man who was unobtainable.

“Oh, Taryn,” Tammy said while rubbing my back, “he obviously likes you! Why else do you think he’s coming around? Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are a gorgeous, awesome woman. And you don’t know what the future holds.”

“I know why he’s coming around,” I muttered, knowing that he’s a man with needs. “If he wants to be friends - fine, and if he wants to play poker - that’s fine too. But please, please don’t make a big deal about this, and don’t pressure me about him either. You two are my best friends, and if you love me and care about me, then you will understand that I don’t want to get used or hurt again. And I’m not interested in a one-night stand.”

“Okay. We understand,” Marie said, letting me go. “Ryan freakin’ Christensen, huh?” She looked completely astonished. “Are you sure you don’t want to have him just for one night and then tell us all about it and maybe take pictures?”

I smirked. “No, absolutely not.”

“Hey, it was worth asking!” she teased.

Twenty minutes later I met Ryan and Cal at the back door to the pub. They arrived in an ordinary SUV, and as soon as the car stopped, the two men leapt from the vehicle and darted into my open doorway.

“Hey you!” Ryan greeted me with his crooked smile. “Taryn, this is Cal.”

“Hi Cal, it’s nice to meet you,” I said politely as I held out my hand. I had never seen him before so there was no celebrity association in my mind when meeting him. He was just another regular person to me.

“Hi Taryn! It’s really nice to meet you too.” Cal grinned widely at me then flashed his eyes and raised his eyebrows at Ryan. I spotted the guy head-nod acknowledgement. “Ryan tells me you have a nice place here.”

“Thank you!” I replied. “Please, come on in, we’re playing out in the pub.”

Ryan and Cal followed me out of the kitchen. Cal gave Ryan a teasing shove. I guess I passed the friend test.

Everyone introduced themselves and my friends were somewhat contained in their emotions, although I can’t deny they were star-struck. It’s not every day you have famous people hanging out with you. I poured a beer for Ryan and Cal and danced my way to the large circular table where we would play.