Kara Lennox - Tame An Older Man

He knew he was acting nuts, but he couldn't help it. He ducked behind a row of cars so she wouldn't see him, then tucked and ran to his own car and jumped in. He started it up and backed out, waited until he saw which direction Phoebe headed, then followed.

He tailed her for twenty minutes. She was heading out of town, through the suburb of Tempe. His imagination ran wild. Maybe she had a secret double life: a husband and kids somewhere who thought she spent all her time visiting a sick grandmother in Phoenix. Maybe she was an exotic dancer in some out-of-the-way club. Maybe she was visiting a drug treatment center, kicking a coke habit.

Or maybe- His appalling speculations came to a screeching halt when Phoebe's car turned into the main entrance of the ArizonaStateUniversity campus. She was visiting a college? What on earth for? Was she selling Avon products to co-eds, maybe cutting and styling hair in the dorms for extra money? She'd said she didn't have another job, but maybe she was afraid Wyatt would want her to work exclusively for his show if he found out about her extracurricular activities.

He followed her, as she wove her way down this drive and that, finally parking in a hot that required a blue sticker, which her car seemed to have. So this was someplace she belonged.

Since he didn't have a parking permit, he pulled his Jag under a tree in a No Parking zone. He would only be here a minute, he reasoned. He watched as Phoebe climbed out of her car, lugging what looked like a heavy backpack, and headed for the entrance of the nearest building, which was the library.

A tall, thin young man with thick glasses greeted her on the library steps. She gave him a quick hug-more a shoulder squeeze, really-then they both sat down on the steps. He had a backpack, too-which seemed to be standard issue on this campus; every kid who walked past had one. He opened his pack and pulled out two paper-wrapped items, then handed one to her. It was a sandwich. The two of them chatted and ate lunch. Phoebe opened her pack, pulled out two bottles of something, and handed one to the kid.

So, Wyatt thought, supremely disappointed, his first instinct had been right. Phoebe had a boyfriend, some possibly underage kid she wanted to keep secret. From what he knew about Phoebe, her choice didn't make much sense. She was a TV star, a completely gorgeous woman who could probably attract any guy in the world just by crooking her little finger. He didn't even eliminate himself; if she even half tried, she could have him. She'd bent him completely out of shape with no effort at all.

So why was she involved with some zit-faced kid who hadn't even finished school?

"Wait a minute…" He leaned back between the seats until he found what he was looking for-the copy of 2001 Ways to Wed Phyllis had loaned him. He hadn't done much more than scan through it, but even so he'd been impressed with the common-sense, down-to-earth advice Ms. Jasmine gave her readers. She appeared to understand how men's thought processes worked. Although she wasn't above using a trick or two to meet men, she was against using any kind of subterfuge once a woman had a man's attention. Instead of advising women to trick men into marriage, she encouraged her readers to simply understand what men wanted.

He flipped through the book again, finally locating the chapter he thought he remembered seeing: "Lessons in Love: Get an Education." Most worthwhile men, Jane advised, liked a woman who could think. By pursuing educational avenues that interested her, whether it was history or computer science, a woman could double her chances of meeting the right man. First, she was improving herself, and second, she was expanding her base of friends and acquaintances.

Apparently Phoebe had taken Jane's advice to heart. He wondered what kind of class she might be taking. He didn't think ArizonaState offered cosmetology classes, but he could be wrong. MaybePE, he speculated. Something was keeping her body in unbelievable condition.

When he saw a campus police car headed his way, he put his Jag in gear and pulled away. He'd seen enough. If she was trolling college campuses for a husband, it was none of his business. He would simply put it out of his mind. He wouldn't think about Phoebe again until he saw her Monday morning.

But he found he couldn't dismiss her from his thoughts so easily. What was she thinking? If she was intent on robbing the cradle, at least she could pick a good-looking, studly student, one who would measure up to her in the looks department.

Obviously Phoebe needed some relationship advice. He was older and wiser than she; he'd been in relationships good and bad, he'd seen friends fall in love, get married, get divorced. He could give her some much-needed guidance, before she did something stupid like marry some totally inappropriate guy just because she craved a white picket fence.

Besides, it was in his best interest to keep her happy and well grounded. She was his employee. He depended on her to show up every day, focused and ready to work. So far she'd done that, but who knew what would happen next week if JoeCollege threw her over? He felt suddenly quite paternal toward Phoebe, very protective. Though it might not be pleasant, he was obligated to sit her down and talk sense into her. Tonight, if possible.

Phoebe had never been so happy to see the weekend. Three mid-term exams in one week was hellish; five straight days of working with Wyatt had been more than enough to fray her nerves.

Tonight, she thought as she pulled into the Mesa Blue parking lot, she would order a pizza, put on her jammies, climb into bed and watch old movies…

The sight of Wyatt's Jag in its spot distracted her for a moment, but then she chastised herself for letting such a little thing bother her. The man did live here, at least temporarily. He had a right to relax at home on the weekend. Anyway, what were the chances she would run into him? The whole first week he'd lived at Mesa Blue she'd hardly glimpsed him.

Her optimism was dashed as she stopped in the elegant lobby to collect her mail. She said hello to the security guard, put her key into her mailbox, then sensed a presence approaching from behind-the unmistakable aura of Wyatt Madison.

"Hey, Phoebe."

He sounded pretty cheerful. She guessed that meant he wasn't as hot and bothered around her as she was around him. She glanced over at him. He was still in his work clothes, apparently just getting home from the station. He had a plastic grocery sack, which he'd set down by his feet.

"Hello, Wyatt. How's your house-hunting going?"

"Haven't had much time for looking, but I'm supposed to go out with the real estate agent tomorrow."

He didn't sound too enthused. "Did you talk to Elise about buying her unit?" she asked, then wanted to bite her tongue. All she needed was for Wyatt to move into Mesa Blue permanently. Having him living next door for a few weeks was making her tense enough.

"I did, but she won't be ready to sell until the fall. My grandparents love me, but I don't think they'll want me underfoot for that long. Oh, look, here's a postcard from them. Greece."

"I have one, too!" Phoebe announced, holding up the colorful card of Athens. "How sweet of them to think of me." She turned it over and read aloud:

"'Dear Phoebe, we're having a wonderful time. I hope you and Wyatt are getting along. Please remind him to water the plants on the balcony and talk to the cactus. Love, Rolland and Helen.'" She turned to him. "Wyatt, water the plants on the balcony and talk to the cactus."

He laughed, then read his card. "Mine says, 'Dearest Wyatt, we're having a wonderful time. If you're having any problems settling in, please ask Phoebe. She knows everything. Don't forget to water the plants and talk to the cactus-'"