"Someday you're going to have to tell me the whole story, Jax."
"Someday," he echoed as he picked up the bill and put down some cash. They walked back to the car in silence, but as Kaia started the drive back to Oceanside, he decided to change the subject. "Why don't you tell me about Lexie's work and what I'm going to see at the gallery?"
"Well, I don't know how much you've gotten to know Lexie…"
"I know that she's Josie's niece and she does freelance photography work, sometimes for a magazine, and that she's involved with the owner of the building. That's about it."
"Well, Lexie has an interesting history. She used to be a lawyer. But she hated it so much, she finally quit. She threw her high-powered career away and came to Ocean Shores where she could find the support and encouragement that she was not getting at home. Her father is a lawyer, and he did not approve of her abrupt departure from the profession. But Lexie wanted to be creative. She started her own business, but then she got caught up in shooting weddings, baby showers, and taking corporate headshots, and she realized she'd traded one boring job for another."
"I can see how that could happen."
"She finally realized that she had to take a bigger risk if she wanted to have the career that she'd given up her previous life for. What she really wanted to do was travel and shoot exotic, but not well-known locations, find meaning in small things, and offer a different perspective on the world."
"Sounds ambitious."
"It is, but it's working out great. She freelances for a magazine, that pays her to travel to locations around the world. She also still works for herself. As soon as you see her work, you'll see how talented she is. Her pictures make me look at things differently."
"Sounds like you're a fan and not just a friend."
"I'm definitely both. I've always admired creative people. I wish I had a talent for something, but I haven't found one yet."
"You have a talent for getting people together," he said lightly, drawing a smile, which felt like just the reward he'd needed.
"We don't know yet if Walter and Reina will get together."
"I was thinking more about you getting me involved with your friends."
"Oh. Well, I am glad you came last night."
"It seemed like you were trying to avoid me."
"I just wanted you to meet people on your own without me hovering."
"Was that the reason? Or did you want to prevent them from seeing us together?"
She shot him a quick look. "It was the first, Jax. I don't care what people say about me. That's why I don't care about my photo being online. I'm fine with someone identifying you as a superstar and me as the unknown redhead."
"It might say unknown, but there would be other adjectives, like stunning, mysterious, unforgettable..."
"I do like those words," she said with a laugh.
He smiled back at her, thinking how unique she was. There had been plenty of women he'd dated, who had either been dying to get photographed with him or had hated every picture they were in. But no one had ever been completely unconcerned or totally uninterested. It was refreshing, and another reason he was starting to like her so much.
"You know," Kaia began, drawing his attention back to her. "Everyone around Ocean Shores calls you our mystery man."
"Someone mentioned that last night. I think they said you gave me the name."
Guilt flitted across her expression. "Maybe I did. Before I knew you. It's actually kind of fun that I can be the mystery woman on your side of things."
He sighed. "Trust me, the press is rarely kind and never fun."
"I'm a nobody. I'm sure if you were seen with an actress or a singer or some rich girl, they'd be far more interested. I bet you've dated a few of those. You're a celebrity; isn't that part of the gig?"
"Fame created a new social group. Not necessarily a better one."
"Did it bother you that Wren was the face of your music? Were you like Reina was to Anita, always in the background, while Wren stole the spotlight?"
"I never wanted the spotlight. That was never an issue between us."
