Matt reread the clue and thought back to high school science class. The answer only contained four letters, and the last one was a T. The answer had to be rust, which meant seventeen down started with an R. What were some male names that contained six letters and started with an R?
As he went through common male names, he grabbed the last roll. Both Richard and Raymond were too long. Ryan contained only four letters. Maybe Liv could help him when she returned.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t the one who brought out his meal.
“Liv needed to make a phone call,” the woman standing next to the table said as she placed his meal down.
“Thank you,” he said, looking up from his phone. He didn’t recognize her, but judging by her expression, she recognized him because her eyes doubled in size.
“Are you Matt Sherbrooke from Eclipse?”
Matt considered his options. He could lie and tell Maggie, according to her name tag, that he wished he were and that he got asked that all the time. Over the past few years, he’d done that whenever he wanted to be left alone, and oddly, people usually believed him. Or he could be honest and pose for any pictures she wanted.
This afternoon, he went with option number two and nodded.
“Oh my God!” Maggie’s voice went up several octaves. “My sister is going to be so jealous when I tell her you were here. We’re both huge fans. We saw your concert last year.”
“I hope you enjoyed it.” He’d had this same conversation countless times.
“We loved it. Next time you perform in the area, we’ll be there.”
Maggie and her sister might have to wait a long time for that.
“Would you mind if we took a picture together?” She pulled her phone out before she finished the question.
He’d known the request was coming. Regardless of his mood, he never said no when a fan asked for a photo. Without fans like Maggie and her sister, he wouldn’t have a career.
“Sure thing.”
Liv appeared at the table as Maggie took her second picture. “Maggie, your order for table 6 is ready.”
“On it.” Maggie stuffed the phone back into her pocket. “Thanks so much for the pictures. My sister is going to be super jealous when she sees them.”
“Sorry about that.” Liv gestured toward the other woman once she was out of hearing. “I needed to call my dad.”
“Don’t worry about it. Is everything okay?” He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about her tone was off.
“Oh, yeah, just some work stuff.”
Matt didn’t know Liv well, but he’d bet his Ferrari that she was lying. But if she didn’t want to share, he wouldn’t push the matter.
“Do you need anything else?” she asked.
“I’m all set for now.”
“Then I’ll let you enjoy your lunch. I’ll be back to check on you in a little while.”
Picking up his fork, he looked at the crossword puzzle still open and realized he’d forgotten to ask Liv if she knew any names that started with an R and contained six letters.
* * *
Several hours later, Matt stood in the same spot he’d started the day, only instead of holding a cup of coffee, he had a can of ginger ale in his hand. Although the sun was setting, there was enough daylight left to make out the cruise ship at sea. While he wouldn’t want to be stuck on a ship with so many strangers, he was a little envious of the individuals out there tonight. It would be another two weeks before his new boat arrived and was ready for him to use.
Settling into a chair, Matt stretched his legs out and opened the paperback he’d picked up after lunch. Like most people, he owned an e-reader, but there was something about holding a paperback in his hands that he enjoyed. When he’d gone into the Book Nook after lunch, he’d browsed the shelves for a good half hour before purchasing the newest release from Curt Hilton, as well as books from two authors he was unfamiliar with.
He read the first page and stopped when the name “Liv” appeared. Immediately, an image of Liv from this afternoon popped up. Whether something was wrong or not shouldn’t matter to him. She was someone he saw a few times a year, if that, when he went into the Ocean View Grill. That barely made them acquaintances. Regardless, he’d thought of her several times since he left the restaurant this afternoon. Something had happened to trigger the slight change in her. Whatever it had been, Liv’s brother might know. But since they weren’t friends, she might not appreciate him sticking his nose into her business. He sure as hell hated it when people did it to him. However, in his case, people often felt they were entitled to know everything about him because he’d picked a career that cast him in the spotlight. And while he gave them some leeway, it didn’t mean he approved of the paparazzi trying to get onto his property or standing outside a restaurant, waiting for him to exit with his mom on her birthday.
Yeah, as curious as Matt was, he wouldn’t text Owen and ask about Liv. However, he might stop by the restaurant again this weekend and see how she was. A man had to eat, after all, and Ocean View Grill was his favorite restaurant in town.
