Colorado’s Most Eligible Bachelor Mason Jackson and What Looks To Be His New Love Interest.
My cheeks flamed as I read through the brief article. They had my full name and the fact I was from Iowa. She took me to another site, this one less flattering. The caption read:
New Love or New Fling?
And the last one I could handle reading:
Jackson Gets Close to Mystery Raven-Haired Beauty.
“Oh my god,” I groaned, putting my head in my hands.
“At least it’s all pretty complimentary,” she offered.
“Yeah, for now,” I grumbled.
“Cat’s out of the bag, babe.” She shrugged.
“Ya think?” I mumbled as my cellphone began to ring with Mason’s name flashing on the screen. I hit Ignore, unable to handle talking to him. I needed to get my thoughts together.
I knew Mason was a public figure, but being thrust into the spotlight, and so soon, wasn’t something I’d been prepared for. It also wasn’t the safest.
I closed the browser, determined to focus on work, and for a short time threw myself into responding to emails and planning for the client presentation we had the following week.
I’d been ignoring my phone, but when I happened to look and saw I’d missed a call from my landlord, I called him back.
“Hey, Steve,” I greeted.
“Hi, Ellie. I just wanted to assure you that all of the locks have been fixed,” he informed me.
“Thanks. That was fast,” I replied.
“Mr. Jackson was quite insistent.” He explained in amusement. “At first I didn’t believe it was really him, but he was quite convincing.”
“I have no doubt,” I muttered. After less than one week of dating, my entire life was being consumed by him. He was a force to be reckoned with.
“I also agreed to the security system,” he added.
“What security system?” I demanded as Heather’s manicured brow rose from her desk next to mine.
“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” he replied in surprise. “He asked for permission to install a security system in your place today. As I understand it, the work’s being done right now.”
“Good to know,” I muttered, my jaw tense as I tried to stifle my frustration.
“Anyway, nice guy you’ve got there. Give a shout if you need anything, anything at all,” he emphasized. Clearly Mason had gotten his point across.
“I will, thanks.”
I fought the urge, just barely, to crawl under my desk and hide from the world. Instead I threw myself into work, intent on leaving a bit early, away from prying eyes.
Just before five, I texted Mason, telling him I was going to leave early and that I’d call him later. I didn’t wait for a reply as I gathered my things, hopping in a Lyft a short time later.
After picking up Kodi, I was distracted as I made my way up the stairs, shrieking in fright at finding an unfamiliar man in my living room.
Kodi began barking wildly, and I could barely restrain him on the leash.
The large, bearded man held up his hands in a bid for calm. “Just wrapping up putting in your system.”
I’d forgotten all about the damn security system.
I held a hand over my heart before ordering Kodi to heel. “Right, sorry. I didn’t think you’d still be here.”
“Was waiting to show you how to use it. I thought Jackson told you that,” he replied gruffly.
“I haven’t talked to Mason, but my landlord explained you’d be here,” I replied. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’d be waiting around for me.”
“Not a problem,” he replied steadily. “Just glad that dog’s still on a leash,” he muttered, his eyes on Kodi, who, though calmer, was still clearly agitated at having a stranger in the house. “Let’s get you set up.” He shoved away from my couch he’d been leaning on and proceeded to start walking me through my new system. A system that, to me, defined overkill. If I decided to change careers and become some sort of government spy, I’d be all set.
“Does he make a habit of doing this?” I muttered, feeling exhausted and frustrated.
“Doing what?” The man, who I’d learned was named Brick, replied.
“Installing security systems in other people’s houses!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in despair.
“I’ve been a friend of the family for a long time. His pop and I have done business for years. I can assure you that this is a first,” he rumbled.
I had to admit I felt comforted to know this wasn’t a habit for him, though deep down I’d already known that.
It took over an hour for Brick to walk me through the system. There were sensors on the windows and on the fire escape. There were all kinds of different settings, and I had no doubt I’d trigger it accidently at least once a week.
Brick must have picked up on my frazzled state. “Mason’s a good man,” he assured me. “Be patient with him. I’ll let you in on a little secret: we don’t always know what the hell we’re doing,” he counseled.
“Don’t I know it,” I retorted before shooting him a friendly smile. Brick was no-nonsense but he had a warmth to him that I presumed was available to anyone that cared enough to tap into it. “Thank you for your help, and I’m sorry you had to wait for me,” I apologized again.
“Don’t worry about it. Take care,” he muttered, gathering up his stuff.
Once he was gone, I let Kodi off the leash and went directly to my fridge to open a bottle of wine. When my phone rang, I knew I was in deep with Lily for not returning her earlier calls.
“Oh, so you’re alive. Glad to hear it,” she groused when I answered.
“Sorry, today has been… weird.” I sighed at the massive understatement. “And yours aren’t the only calls I’m dodging,” I admitted.
“That poor man is probably losing his shit.” She sighed, exasperated with me.
“I’m going to call him,” I confirmed. “I’m just trying to get my head on straight first. I was just so naïve about his fame. You know how I am with that stuff. I didn’t realize he was such a big deal. We just met, and it’s already so intense. He installed a freaking security system in my loft! My name is all over the news. And I don’t even know a thing about football!” I exclaimed, slightly hysterically.
“Ellie,” she sighed, and I could tell she was trying to choose her words carefully. “He seems like a really good guy. And he’s clearly nuts about you. I’ve never seen you light up the way you do when he’s around. So it’s fast. I personally believe when it’s right, it’s right. Maybe you should too,” she coaxed. “Focus on the fun. On the butterflies and all that. All the other stuff is just—” She searched for the right words. "…distraction from what’s really important. And you can’t seriously tell me you’d walk away from him because you’re afraid of a little attention?” she demanded gently. “Because you don’t know football?”
I sighed. “It’s not just the attention,” I argued. “Though that’s certainly a big part of it. It’s how public his life is. I lost so much privacy by just hanging out with him a few times. It’s like putting a target on my forehead.” I swallowed, sharing the true reason for my hesitation.