I leaned my head back on his shoulder and nodded reluctantly in defeat. I had to agree with him; after all, he did volley my own words back at

me.

“Your parents took care of each other. My parents take care of each other. You’ve been taking care of me – just let me try to take care of you.”

He trailed the tip of his nose up and down my neck, knowing how much it makes my will crumble. “Please?”

His lips brushed my skin. “Go have fun with my mom. Buy yourself some new clothes or shoes or some fruity-soapy stuff. Whatever makes you

happy,” he uttered persuasively in my ear. He released me, confidently knowing that he had just reduced me to a pile of rubble.

I drove to the outlet mall first; there were enough stores there to keep us busy for an entire day. The money Ryan shoved in my pocket felt like it

weighed eighty pounds; maybe it was my guilt for accepting it that weighed that much.

I instantly felt better about spending his money when the first thing I bought was three new pairs of jeans for him. After seeing all the items that

constituted his wardrobe, he needed some new pants. His mother shook her head at me when I pulled some of the cash out of my pocket.

She waited until we were out of the store to reprimand me.

“I know Ryan wanted you to spend that money on yourself, not on him.” Her expression was tender and disapproving all at the same time.

“He desperately needs new jeans. Believe it or not, he only has a few pair. A lot of his clothing was stolen from the hotel.” I quickly justified my

actions.

“You truly are as selfless as he said you are.” She pulled me by the elbow into a trendy clothing store.

I found a few articles of clothing that I liked. His mother was pleased that I had finally selected things for myself.

I didn’t think I had enough cash left in my pocket, so I grabbed my bankcard out of my wallet. The young girl behind the counter was looking at

me strangely as she examined my card for a signature.

“Taryn!” His mother’s reproachful tone caught me by surprise.

“Holy cow!” the young girl behind the counter blurted. “You’re Taryn! Taryn Mitchell!”

“Do I know you?”

“You’re dating Ryan Christensen, right?”

I looked at his mother. I didn’t know where else to look.

“It is you! Oh my God! Is he here too?” Her eyes wielded around the store.

“No dear, he’s not.” His mother answered her question. “May I have that card please? We’re going to pay with cash instead.”

The cashier was smiling frantically at me. “You are so freaking lucky! He is so hot! I saw Seaside like thirty times already. Oh my God! Wait until

I tell my friends that I met you!” She jumped around like someone was electrocuting her.

“Wait, are you Ryan Christensen’s mom? Oh my God, Oh my God! Do you both mind if I take your picture? Please?” She was already pulling

her cell phone out of her pocket.

“You want to take our picture?” I asked, totally confused by her frantic behavior. Why would she want our picture? We aren’t the ones who are

famous. Ellen wrapped her arm around my waist and we both quickly smiled for the picture. It was over in a second.

Ellen handed my bankcard back to me and tapped me in the pocket to use the cash instead. I shook my head no but she tapped me harder in

the leg. It was like Ryan had his own private watchdog monitoring me. Reluctantly I used the cash.

I held the door open for her when we left the store. “That was weird.”

“Was that your first time, Dear?”

“First time?” First time for what? Spending his money?

“To be recognized, without Ryan being with you?” Ellen said.

“By a stranger, yes.” I swallowed hard from the excitement.

She laughed softly. “I never deny it when people ask if he’s my son. But I’m sure you know that I never say anything beyond that! After a while

you’ll get used to it, that and the cameras.”

“I wish you would have let me use my card to pay for the clothing. It bothers me to spend his money,” I grumbled.

Ellen smiled and slipped her hand around the inside of my elbow. “Do you know that you are the first girl he has introduced us to in over five

years?”

“Really? I find that hard to believe,” I muttered, completely astonished. I thought maybe her memory was fading. “Surely you met the girl he was

dating when the first Seaside movie started filming? Wasn’t she from Pittsburgh?”

“What girl from Pittsburgh?” Ellen asked.

“The girl he was dating from the amateur theater? He said she visited him in Maine when he was there filming.”

“Oh, yes, I remember now. That one… her name was Brooke. She was the girl who tried to use him to further her acting career. We did meet

her once, but that was when he was in a stage play with her back in Pittsburgh. She ended up moving to California and she hunted him down. He

told us about her but we never met her when they were together. She made quite a mess for him in the papers too with her lies,” she said, slipping

her purse strap back over her shoulder.

“No, the last girl he introduced us to was the girl he was dating his second year in college. Her name was Mandy, but they broke up when he

started performing with the theater troupe. Actually she broke up with him come to think of it. That’s right… she left him for someone else. Anyway, I

hung up on her when she called the house after Seaside premiered. All of a sudden he was good enough for her again.”

“But I’m sure he’s dated a lot of women since then?” I stated the obvious.

“Oh well, yes, I suppose he’s dated quite a few. But that was all before he became well-known.” The expression on her face turned to sadness.

“He lived in California for a while and he met a lot of girls. I heard all about them – well at least the ones he told me about, but we never met any

of them. All users and takers if you ask me. He was pretty serious with this one girl he met in Los Angeles, but that ended quickly when she forged

one of his checks to pay for a boob job.”

She shook her head; the memory seemed to anger her. “But since Seaside premiered, it’s been tough for him. Ryan dated this actress a few

months ago but she broke it off with him so she could date another actor. The papers sure had a field day with that one too.”

I wondered if she knew about Lauren or was she referring to someone else? She left me no time to ask.

“But you, my dear, he can’t stop talking about you! You have captured his heart! As his mother, I see he is at a different stage of his life now.

He’s finally growing up. I think he is realizing that his dreams of being a famous actor come along with a lot of pain and heartache.”

“He and I have had quite a few talks about that,” I admitted. “And honestly, I think things would be fine if the media just left him alone. I just wish I

knew how to protect him without making things worse.”

“Well, maybe you won’t have to. He told me several times that he is not sure if this is what he wants to do for the rest of his life. I think other

priorities are presenting themselves since he has met you. He just about gave up hope finding someone who would love him for him. Do you know

what I’m trying to say? He’s already told me that you’re the one he wants to…”

“There they are!” We heard several young women shout, interrupting our conversation. The girls were walking fast down the sidewalk towards

us with smiles on their faces.

“Is he here? Where is he?” one of the girls asked exuberantly. Her eyes were desperately searching in the store windows.

“That is her! And his mother!” Another girl was almost running down the walkway. She had a cell phone up to her ear.

“Ellen, let’s go.” I grabbed her arm and we dashed out into the parking lot.