An Unforeseen Turn of Events

Chapter Twenty

More than anything else in the world right now, besides finding out he is not the father of those twins, Ryan wanted to get his shit together.

Wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, he sat down at his favorite local restaurant, A Taste of Home. Megan had to work late tonight and couldn't meet with him. He regretted his feeling of relief, but he had so much on his mind he knew he wouldn't have been a pleasant date. Ryan found his appetite came back when he saw the steaming pepper steaks. Remembering once again that the world is a stage, Ryan contained his overwrought emotions by pretending he never saw Buddy and finding out he is likely a father. Instead, he thought about the plans he and Megan had once talked about doing in the near future: making love in a steam bath surrounded by glowing candles and a garden of Shenzhen Nongke Orchids.

Ryan frowned when he remembered that he would be leaving soon to get ready for his next movie project.

Oh well, he thought, I'll fly her to my location on the weekend and we'll have a romantic rendezvous.

"Ryan! Is that you, buddy?" Bill Scott stood in front of him, extending his hand. "You looked like you were in a trance eating those steaks. It's that good, huh? I'll have to order it."

"Good to see you, Bill! Have a seat," Ryan said, shaking his hand. "Yeah, you know what great food does for me. It's the next best thing."

"I'll have what he's having," Bill told the waitress who came over. Bill winked at her, "I bet you don't know what movie that line came from. It was in the feminine 'I'll have what she's having?"

"When Harry Met Sally, of course," the young waitress responded, laughing.

Bill smiled as he shook his head. "You know you're in Hollywood when everyone knows the movie lines."

"So how's the family?" Ryan asked as he sat back and pretended to be relaxed.

"They're doing great! My oldest is starting up his own tech business and the middle is getting ready to go to college on a fencing scholarship. I'm so proud of them," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "He's interested in scriptwriting just like his old man. My youngest is going camping with me next weekend."

Ryan matched Bill's grin. He noticed that having kids made his friend's life complete in a way he himself had never contemplated.

"So tell me, what's the swinging bachelor up to? No responsibilities for you while you're busy seeing the world and dating the beautiful women. Enjoying life. Are you still with Megan or have you moved on already?"

Ryan tried to ignore the nervous sensation traveling through his body.

Pretend you're in front of the cameras, damnit! he admonished himself.

Ryan faced him with his twinkling blue eyes and a wide smile that melt the hearts of women the world over. "I'm still with Megan, but I have a movie project coming up. I've got to go on location and do some serious preparation."

"But knowing you, I'm sure you're gonna nail the role," Bill said with a flash of a grimace on his face.

Recognizing that familiar twinge of jealousy of friends and co-stars of his stellar career, he patted Bill on the back and said, "As long as guys like you keep coming up with great scripts, I have movies I work my butt off to perfect so I can deliver to you guys. A big chunk of the success of the films lies in the writing."

Bill sat back with a satisfied grin upon hearing his words. He shook his head and chuckled when he said, "I can stare at a computer screen for hours and nothing comes into my head, but in the middle of the night, boom! I get an inspiration and have to turn on the light and write it all down. My wife sure appreciates that."

Ryan laughed. "I bet. When I'm preparing for a role, I've got to work so hard that I only get three or four hours of sleep a night...and that's when my relationships usually go south."

His good humor disappeared and he glanced at the window wistfully.

"I can imagine. Usually, I have to take my wife to a fancy restaurant so she'll forgive me for keeping her up on those nights of inspiration. She actually gets worried she's going to lose her job when she feels like falling asleep at her desk the day after. Man, it's not easy."

Ryan's cell phone rang. It was his agent.

While Bill whistled and kept glancing around to give Ryan some privacy, Ryan and Phil discussed their shared enthusiasm for this upcoming role when his agent asked, "Ryan, you have three options to work on your role for this upcoming movie. It has to be in a major city in the East, so the choices are New York City, Toronto, or Boston?"

Ryan squeezed his eyes shut. He remembered his vow to keep Christine as far from his mind as possible. He was going to forget all about her and the twins.

I am going to forget about them. Forget about them...

"Boston," Ryan blurted out.

When he hung up, he felt like punching himself. Bill stared at him with raised eyebrows.