Free Love Unscripted by Tina Reber Page B

for the pretzels, pretty please?”
    “ So we’re not playing for quarters?” Pete’s face fell.
    Tammy nudged him in the arm. “I’m pretty sure Taryn is joking.”
    Marie was digging in one of the cabinets behind the bar when the telephone rang. “Good evening, Mitchell’s Pub.”
    I looked over at her, confused by her actions. “Don’t answer that. We’re closed, remember?”
    “ No, I’m sorry. We aren’t open tonight. The pub will be open tomorrow at one o’clock. Sure, hold on a minute.” Marie held the phone to her shoulder. “Taryn, phone call.”
    “ Who is it?” I whispered at her.
    She shrugged her shoulders, not bothering to ask. ”I dunno.”
    “ Hello?” I answered.
    “ Taryn? Hi, it’s Ryan. How are you?”
    “ Good! And you?” Why is he calling me?
    “ I’m good. I was just wondering if you were open. Cal and I were looking for something to do and I thought about shooting pool,” Ryan rambled.
    “ Well, actually I’m closed on Mondays,” I said regrettably.
    “ Oh, what are you up to then?” he asked.
    “ I’m just hanging out with a few friends. On Mondays we play poker.”
    “ Did you say poker?” It sounded like he didn’t believe me.
    “ Yeah,” I laughed nervously. “We play every Monday.”
    “ That sounds like fun!” Ryan stated.
    I could hear another male voice in the background asking Ryan to explain.
    “ Playing poker,” Ryan spoke to someone else.
    “ Oh hell yeah!” the voice in the background replied loudly and enthusiastically.
    “ So I guess this is the part where I ask if you want to join us?” I snickered.
    “ I don’t know. Are there a lot of people there?” he asked worriedly.
    “ No, just four of my friends. That’s it.”
    “ Just four? Do you mind if we come over?” He sounded hopeful. “We’d love to play; we need to get out of the hotel.”
    “ No, I don’t mind. That is as long as you don’t bring your psycho fans with you. By the way, we play for money.”
    Ryan laughed in my ear. “You’ll have to sneak us in then. We can come through the alley.”
    “ Hmm, sounds like you thought about this already,” I accused him.
    “ Maybe,” he shot back. “We’ll be there in a half hour.”
    “ Who was that?” Marie asked. Her eyes narrowed in on my face.
    I sat back down at the big table and ran my finger around the rim of my beer glass.
    “ That was…” I took a deep breath. “Ryan.”
    “ What? You mean like Ryan Christensen ?” Marie just about shot out of her chair.
    “ Yep.” I was fighting back a smile.
    “ 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