“Or you could always help out at the restaurant, since you know so much,” I said, laughing.
In all seriousness, he nodded. “If you ever needed me, you know I would. I just hope me needing a new job doesn’t happen for a very long time.”
“Same here.” Drinking the last of my hot chocolate, I finally took a glance around the room and noticed all the stares. “Evan,” I whispered, “why is everyone looking at us?”
About that time, a little girl with golden braids and missing front teeth walked up to our table, carrying a newspaper and pen. A lady with the same blond hair and eyes watched curiously, with a big smile on her face. She waved at me and I waved back.
“Can I have your autograph, please?” she asked Evan sweetly.
He beamed and gently took the pen from her grasp. “Of course, sweetheart. What’s your name?”
“Abbey.”
Evan wrote an inscription to her and handed her the paper, smiling. “Well, Abbey, thank you for coming to visit me. Is your mom about to take you to school?”
She nodded excitedly. “Yes, and now I can tell all my friends that I met you.” Abbey then turned to me. “Do you mind signing this, too?”
“Me?” I asked incredulously. “Why on earth would you want my autograph?” When she set the paper down in front of me, I noticed it wasn’t just Evan on the front page of the sports section. It was a picture taken at the football game when he’d picked me up and swung me around in his arms. I stared at it, at the smile on both of our faces. It was perfect. The title of the article was COUGARS ON THEIR WAY TO SUPER BOWL? “Oh my God.”
“Please,” the little girl begged. “You’re Evan’s girlfriend. That makes you famous.”
With shaking hands, I took her pen and signed my name with a couple of hearts and a smiley face. I had no clue what to write. After I handed it back to her, she giggled and skipped over to her mother. “I wasn’t expecting to see us in the paper like that.”
Evan chuckled and reached for my hand. “I was waiting on you to mention it. I saw it this morning before coming here. It’s a good picture of us.”
“It is,” I agreed. “I actually look happy. But how did they find out my name? I don’t even know what the article says.”
He squeezed my hand. “It doesn’t say anything about your past, if that’s what you’re worried about. And it’s the media, Summer. It’s not that hard to figure out who you are.”
“I understand that, but what does it say? And why did they choose that picture to print?”
“Hell, I don’t know, maybe because it was a good picture. They did the same thing to Cooper and Kate. It’s just the price you pay for being with me.” His lips tilted up in a grin. “And besides, now that everyone knows who you are, they’ll be checking out the tavern. I think it’s a win-win.”
“I’m not here with you in hopes you’ll get the restaurant more business, Evan. I’ve handled that on my own.”
“Yes, you have. But I’m here to help you in any way I can. That’s what you do when you care about someone.” He quickly glanced down at his phone and groaned. “All right, sunshine, I have to go before I’m late.”
We both stood, and he grabbed my trash and threw it away while I carried the bag with Philip’s bagel. Once outside, he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. “I’ll come by tonight after practice so I can see you.”
I kissed him again and nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you then.” He winked at me before taking off across the street and disappearing around the corner. I pulled out my phone, curious to see if anyone had texted about the article. It just so happened I had a gazillion from Lara, and a couple from Kate and Grayson. I could already imagine Lara’s with the overly dramatic exclamation points and shouts of happiness. Kate’s was probably the same way, since she and Lara were just alike. Grayson’s, however, had me worried. Instead of looking at them, I pocketed my phone and walked the block to Philip’s office.
Once at his building, I climbed the stairs to his suite and opened the door. His secretary, Anita Crabtree, welcomed me with a smile. Her brown hair was in the usual bun, and she had on the type of sweater vest you’d see older teachers wear. I think maybe she was one before she retired and started working for Philip.
“Summer, how are you this morning?” she greeted me warmly.
“Good and you?”
“Peachy, my dear. Dr. Parker’s expecting you, so you can go right on in.”
“Thank you, Anita.” His door was just across the hall, so I took a deep breath and entered. He had his back to me, holding the newspaper picture up in front of him. “I see you got the paper as well,” I said.
“Every morning,” he replied, swiveling in his chair to face me. His hair was shorter than it had been last week, and he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue-and-white-striped button-down shirt. More casual than I’d ever seen him. He even had more stubble on his face, a more rugged appearance.
I set the bag in front of him and took a seat. “I brought you breakfast.”