Next to Me (Triplets book 3)

Chapter 7

Sawyer knocked on his friend's office door. He was still livid from his little prank the night before and wanted to let him know.  Jake threw open the door and grinned when he saw his friend standing before him.  He wasn't put off in the least by Sawyer's scowl.

"Come in, friend!" he greeted as he made way for Sawyer to enter the little office.

"Some friend you are! I've had to spend the entire morning squirreled away in my cabin for fear of being recognized." Sayer threw himself down in the guest chair in the small office. If he had room to pace, he probably would have.

"I think you're being a bit dramatic.  No one has recognized you yet, have they?" Jake leaned back in his chair.

"Not yet, but with my face larger than life on the screen in front of them and my voice reverberating across the deck, it's more likely to happen now. If I get recognized, I'll have to leave the ship." Sawyer thought of Mary and how he wanted more time with her, not less.

Their kiss last night had been sweet and gentle, like none other he had ever experienced. He wanted more. But instead of tracking her down and spending the morning with her, he had to hide away until last night's movie faded from everyone's memory.

"And you don't want to leave the ship because you want to spend more time with Mary." Jake nodded. "I remember what it's like to know that the cruise will be over, and you and the girls you're falling for will have to go your separate ways."

Sawyer leaned forward. "Then, if you know that, how come you played one of my movies?"

"A bet is a bet, and I want everyone on this ship to remember you when we announce you were vacationing with them.  They may talk more about it if they have just seen one of your major blockbuster hits."

"So, it was a marketing tool?" Sawyer leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face in frustration. He couldn't be mad at his friend. He got why he did it.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the cruise line, and I can't waste it.  I would never ask you to do this as a friend. I have never wanted to cash in on your fame, but a bet-"

"Is a bet," Sawyer finished nodding.

They looked at each other across the tiny office and silently came to a mutual understanding.

"If it helps, you got applause when the movie ended." Jake grinned, knowing how best to soothe his friend.

"That's nice to hear but expected." Sawyer nodded, returning his grin.

Jake picked up a pen and threw it at his friend. "Tell me about your Mary, Gene. What does she do? Is it serious?"

"I don't know, and maybe. We are playing a little game where we are keeping our identities from each other. She made up my name, and I made up hers. She thinks I'm a mad scientist, and I think she's an elementary school teacher."

"Aren't you worried that it might bite you in the butt?"

"I wasn't when it started, but now, when she finds out who I am, I'm not sure how she'll take it." Sawyer frowned as he thought about all the ways it could go.  "She told me I should narrate audiobooks last night, and I about lost it.  I thought she had figured it out and had been playing me."

"But she hasn't, and you made an ass of yourself, as usual."  Jake watched his friend closely.

"I did, but she took it well. She shares my kooky sense of humor." Sawyer thought about how well she would fit in with his family, but he was nervous that she would disappear after the cruise. "That's why I want to ask a favor of you."