Anything but Love cl-3

by Beth Ciotta

  The in-room phone rang and Rae abandoned her breakfast to answer. “Yes?”

  “Ms. Deveraux? This is Len Jeffries, comanager of the Pine and Periwinkle. I thought you’d want to know that a couple of photographers and reporters are lingering in the lobby. I think they’re hoping to get a picture or a word with you. One of them asked about you at the front desk. We didn’t give out your room number or any personal information. But they seem tenacious. As they haven’t done anything wrong, I can’t ask them to leave. I just thought you should know.”

  “I appreciate that, Mr. Jeffries.”

  “If you’re planning to leave at some point today and don’t wish to interact with these gentlemen, I could come up and escort you out through a lesser known exit.”

  “That’s very kind.”

  “We at the Pine and Periwinkle appreciate your business and strive to respect the privacy of all our guests. I’ll give you my cell number. Call any time.”

  Rae jotted down the number and thanked the man. She hung up then contemplated switching on her laptop and the television. Was she in the news again today? What were they saying? Her curiosity almost got the best of her but then she decided she didn’t want to know. Not this minute. She’d had a roller-coaster morning with Luke. She was eager find an even keel. To get her thoughts together. What did she want most to accomplish and how much could she reasonably take on while allowing time to settle into a new home as well as building a relationship with Luke? Problem was there was so much she wanted to do, so many people she wanted to help and now that she had the finances to work wonders, she was like a flipping kid in a candy store.

  Anxious to get on with her day, Rae gobbled down two more forkfuls of eggs and bit off a hunk of toast before moving to the bureau. She rooted through her wardrobe, settling on dark blue jeans and a funky tunic sweater. She also pulled on a pair of flat-heeled sweater boots, a style she’d favored while posing as frumpy Rachel. Only these boots hugged her legs to the knees instead of scrunching to her ankles. She dragged some gel through her hair then, standing at the small vanity, used the blow dryer and her fingers to style her hair.

  She’d just finished lining her eyes and swiping on red-tinted lip balm when Luke emerged from the bathroom.

  “You look pretty,” he said.

  “You look sexy.” He’d pulled on a pair of jeans and zipped, but had yet to fasten the button. The waistband parted enough to tease Rae with thoughts of the delectable package just below. She dragged her hungry gaze up his bare torso, amazed yet again at all the glorious ridges. “I think your muscles have muscles.”

  “Are you ogling my body, Ms. Deveraux?”

  “I shudder to think what you have to do to look like that. How many hours do you spend at a gym?”

  “Home gym and not all that much. I’ve always been athletic.”

  “Not me. I’m a klutz when it comes to sports.”

  “Do you like sports?”

  She shrugged. “In school, I was one of those people who was always last to be picked on the team. So, no.”

  “What about something like pool? Or bowling?”

  “Not something I’ve been exposed to.”

  “We’ll have to do something about that.” He held up an incredibly wrinkled brown tee. “Would you be embarrassed to be seen with me wearing this?”

  “Would you like me to iron it for you?”

  “I guess that’s a yes. You iron?”

  “Don’t you?”

  “I toss wrinkled stuff in the dryer.”

  “No dryer here as you can see.” Rae moved to the closet and took out the ironing board.

  “Let me help. The least I can do since you’re ironing my shirt.”

  Rae grabbed the iron while Luke unfolded the board. “The comanager of the inn called while you were in the shower,” she said.

  “Len?”

  “Yes. Len Jeffries. Do you know everyone in town?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Anyway he said there are reporters and photographers waiting for me. He said he can sneak me out the back if I want.”

  “How do you feel about that?” Luke asked as he poured a cup of coffee from the carafe.

  “I don’t know what they’re going to ask me and I’m undecided on how I want to move forward with a couple of things.” Rae said as she ironed. “I think I’d like to avoid the press until I know more details about what’s happening with Sugar Tots and the CL recipe book. I also have to figure out how I’m going to handle all these requests for donations. Of course, I could always just answer their questions with “No comment.”

  “I’m not sure that’s the best tactic. Sounds like you’re hiding something that will only make them snoop or hound you more.”

  “True.” Rae glanced up. “Why are you smiling?”

  “I like watching you iron.”

  Her stomach fluttered. “That’s just weird.”

  Still smiling, he finished off his coffee.

  Rae tossed him his shirt and unplugged the iron. “To be honest, I usually throw wrinkled stuff in the dryer, too. This suite is spacious and lovely, but I’m missing the conveniences of a house or apartment. The place you want to show me. Does it come with appliances?”

  “It does,” Luke said as he pulled on the tee and then a green and brown long-sleeved flannel.

  “Where is it?” Rae asked as she stuffed her own real estate booklet into her purse.

  “Opposite end of town, about five miles from city limits. Nothing fancy, but it has a great view of the mountains.”

  “I love the mountains,” Rae said. She unplugged her phone from the charger and tossed it in her purse. No doubt there were several messages. From her lawyer. That anchorwoman at Vermont Today.

  Just then Luke’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, then glanced at Rae with a raised brow while answering. “Hey, Sam.”

  Rae reached for her coat, hoping Sam had called to make peace.

  “No,” Luke said. “Flew back last night. Yeah. Me, too. Dad’s had some tough knocks.” He nodded, cleared his throat. “I appreciate that, Sam. Thanks. Rae? She’s right here. Ah. That’s because she turned off her phone last night and I’m guessing has yet to turn it back on. No. Why?”

  Rae looked over and caught Luke’s gaze as she slowly zipped her coat. He didn’t look happy.

  “Huh.” He looked away and snatched up his own jacket. “That’s fucked. No. I … What’s Harper’s advice? Yeah. Okay. I’ll let you know. Thanks, Sam.” He signed off, brushed a kiss over Rae’s mouth, then passed his phone. “Call Len and tell him we’d like to be escorted out the back.”

  THIRTY

  Luke asked Len to wait with Rae while he jogged to the side parking lot and drove his car around to pick her up. He didn’t want to risk walking her a good distance in plain view. Aside from the yahoos waiting in the lobby, who knew how many lurked outside? Luke didn’t have any personal experience with the paparazzi, but he’d seen enough in the news to know they were aggressive and upon occasion dangerous.

  He didn’t want to risk an ambush and he sure as hell didn’t want one of them asking for a response to her mother’s attack before Luke had a chance to give her a heads-up. Maybe he should’ve told Rae in the hotel room, but his gut said to get her the hell out of Dodge and away from the media first.

  Luke pulled up to the back door of the inn and Len hustled Rae into his car. Two seconds later, he peeled out and away from the Pine and Periwinkle like a thief in the night. “I guess this would be considered a standard getaway in Hollywood.”

  “Except we’re not in Hollywood and I’m not a celebrity.”

  “You are, however, a person of interest.”

  “What did Sam say?”

  Rae’s tone was as fierce as her expression. In light of what he was about to tell her, Luke welcomed this side of the woman who torched his senses. The lion as opposed to the lamb. Her duality was perplexing and fascinating at the same time. Not just hormones, he thought. Rae w
as still finding herself. He thought back to when he was twenty-five. She was juggling a lot more responsibility than he had at that age. Not to mention her life was more complicated. Impending parenthood alone was a bitch.

  “Harper called Sam because she got a tip from a colleague,” Luke said. “Unfortunately the tip came five minutes before the story broke.”

  “What tip?”

  Luke consciously split his mind. Half dealing with the icy road. Half dealing with Rae. It wasn’t easy, but he focused on both dicey slopes. “Olivia released a statement basically pegging you as a troubled soul. A warped child of a Hollywood star. A needy, pathological liar desperate for attention.”

  When Rae didn’t respond, Luke glanced over. She was sitting ramrod straight in her seat. Staring out at the on-coming salt-and-snow covered cars, no expression. “Go on,” she said.

  “Olivia focused on the fact that you told her you’d spent the last year struggling in a remote and repressed area in China, working with underprivileged children when in fact you’d been hiding in a quaint, thriving town in America.”

  “I can’t argue that,” she said. “I misled her. But in my defense I wanted to retreat to somewhere unreachable. I needed to get away. Far away. I only made it as far as Sugar Creek. But I didn’t want to be accessible, so I lied. I said I was in a remote region of China. Olivia wouldn’t go to the trouble of trying to contact me, especially since I said there was little to no cell or Internet service. She wouldn’t have any interest in visiting a place like that or any interest in what I was doing. I know it was extreme, but the situation warranted it.”

  “How so?” Luke said. “That’s what those reporters will want to know. How are you going to defend such an extravagant lie, Rae?”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose as if warding off a headache. “I wanted to disappear. I was tired of dealing with Olivia’s BS. She looked down her nose at my career aspirations. Why would I want to waste my youth and beauty working long hours in what she perceived as a thankless job? Why did I want to work at all when I was financially set for life? I got tired of her trying to match me up with men I had nothing in common with. And I resented the way she and Geoffrey kept harping on my upcoming inheritance and trying to influence how I should manage those funds.

  “I felt hounded and manipulated in every way possible,” she went on. “The pressure mounted on my twenty-fourth birthday and I knew it wouldn’t let up. Maybe I flipped a little, some sort of life crisis, but I suddenly wanted to be anyone other than me. One year clear of my name and ties. One year to prove that I could make it on my own, living by my wits and doing what I love—working with children. I don’t understand why that’s so horrible!”

  “It’s not.” Luke flexed his fingers on the wheel, rolled tension from his shoulders. He couldn’t remember ever disliking anyone as much as he disliked Olivia and Geoffrey. “Why did you stay in those circumstances for so long to begin with? Why subject yourself to Olivia’s company at all? Hell, I would have flown the coop and severed the cord once I turned eighteen.”

  “I just kept hoping things would change. I don’t have a big family like you, Luke. I have, had Olivia. It’s hard not to want to be adored or at least loved by your only parent. It took a long time, but I’m over it. I know now we’ll never have the relationship I always craved. If she thinks I’m going to allow her to taint the life I’m working toward.…”

  Luke looked over and saw Rae turning on her phone. “What are you doing?”

  “Surfing the Net. I want to see what she put out there.”

  “I told you.”

  “I need to see it for myself.”

  Luke blew out a breath. He was no stranger to drama—between patron mishaps at the Shack, occasional flare-ups with former girlfriends, and assorted sagas within his only family—but this took the cake. Publicly trashing someone, a family member no less, via the media? “Why would Olivia want to hurt you like this?”

  “I’m not sure. She’s always been insensitive, but never spiteful. Nothing like this.”

  “What are you seeing?”

  “Pretty much what you told me. Her tone … It suggests she feels sorry for me. But she spins it in a way that puts the spotlight on her. The suffering mother of the rich-kid-gone-wrong.” Rae made a disgusted sound. “The attention. She did it for the attention.”

  “It can’t be as simple as that,” Luke said.

  “There’s mention of her potentially starring in a new reality show. I’m telling you, Luke. She took advantage of the media’s interest in me, added fuel to the fire by introducing something scandalous, and then spun the attention on to her. I haven’t commented on anything. I haven’t given any interviews. She will!”

  “Sam said Harper’s advice was not to respond in anger, so whatever you’re thinking—”

  “I’m thinking I want to hire Harper.”

  “What?”

  “Olivia will milk this for all it’s worth. I’m out of my league. I can’t sit by and let her ruin my reputation. It will reflect badly on the Cupcake Lovers and how will the parents of Sugar Creek feel about their children being taught by a pathological liar?”

  “Good point.”

  “Sam gave me Harper’s number,” she said. “Just in case. I’m going to see if she can meet with me this evening. And I’m going to invite the Cupcake Lovers. I don’t want anyone blindsided by anything. I’ll call Rocky. See if she can arrange an emergency meeting. That way we can make sure we’re all on the same page regarding the self-publishing issue. They might want to bail on that idea now that I’ve been outted as ‘a troubled soul.’”

  Luke didn’t think that would be the case, but he held silent since he hadn’t seen or heard Olivia’s rant for himself. While Rae made her phone calls, Luke concentrated on the slow moving traffic as he neared the edge of town. Given the heavy snowfall of late, Sugar Creek was more congested than normal with an influx of tourists. The surrounding fields and mountains were a haven for any sports lover with a snowmobile, sled, or a pair of skis. Hell, if it weren’t for Rae he’d be taking to the slopes himself with Adam and Kane.

  “It’s settled,” Rae said. “Harper agreed to act on my behalf. She said this is nothing compared to what she’s been handling lately and that she’d put a Band-Aid on it until we decided on a course of action. Rocky’s calling all of the CL members, but since she won’t be back in Sugar Creek until after four, and since some people need to close up shop, the meeting’s at five thirty. Harper advised I lay low until then. I’m thinking we can still scope out some houses. If you’re still game, that is.”

  “I’m game.” Luke spared Rae a surprised glance. “Considering how private you are, I thought you’d be more upset about being slammed in the media.”

  “(A) What’s being said isn’t true. (B) Instead of being upset, I’m taking control.” She looked at him then, her heart in her eyes. “I just want this to be over, Luke. Olivia’s a negative force, and I’m itching to do a lot of good.”

  In that moment, Luke put a name to the tender feelings he’d developed for Rae. It wasn’t like any love he’d experienced before. It was the big one. The real deal.

  Luke loved Rae good and true.

  * * *

  Rae couldn’t believe how calm she felt in the face of Olivia’s betrayal. Taking control of the situation had been key. She was actually looking forward to the meeting this evening with Harper and the Cupcake Lovers. She was especially keen on setting everyone’s mind at ease regarding her mother’s exaggerated accusations.

  Daisy had texted Rae asking if she’d seen the news. Rae had texted back: YES. NOT TRUE. WILL EXPLAIN 2NITE

  Chloe had called right after, also voicing concern. Rae had asked her to please spread the word to rest of the club that she could and would explain at the meeting. After that, Rae had lowered the volume on her ringer, determined to enjoy the rest of her morning with Luke.

  The roadways were slushy and slick, but he was an excellent driver. Before
long the quaint snow-covered businesses had given way to snow-covered trees and houses and then, after crossing over Sugar Creek—the river, not the town—glistening slopes and valleys. She recognized the area. “Don’t you live out this way?”

  “I do,” Luke said.

  Rae smiled. He’d located a rental not far from his own home, which meant he wanted her and the baby near. How wonderful to be wanted after so many years of being pushed away.

  A few minutes later they turned off the main road onto a side road and then into the next long driveway.

  Rae leaned forward, peering closer at the two-story house ahead. “It’s bigger than I expected.”

  “Not all that big. Nothing close to Olivia’s house in Bel Air.”

  “You mean her mausoleum?”

  “One large master bedroom with a bathroom and walk-in closets. Two smaller bedrooms. Living room with a fireplace and vaulted ceilings, decent-sized kitchen, den, laundry room. Sits on ten acres of land,” he said as he drove up to a two-car garage.

  The rentals Rae had ticked off in her real estate booklet had been on the fringes of town, small saltbox houses on small lots of land. This house was lovely and the mountainous scenery breathtaking, but it seemed like a lot of living space and property for her and the baby. As Luke escorted her up a shoveled pathway, she noted his confidence and ease. He hadn’t mentioned meeting a real estate agent here, and when he slipped a key into the front door, she instantly knew. “This is your house.”

  “Bought it a couple of years ago.”

  “I thought you had a place in mind for me.”

  “I do.” Hand at the small of her back, he urged her over the threshold. “This is it.”

  Heart pounding, Rae slowly turned. Surely, he didn’t mean … “You want me to live with you?”

  Luke held her gaze while unzipping his jacket. “If we’re going to do this, us, why not?”

  “Because it’s a huge commitment. What if we’re not compatible? What if we drive each other crazy after a week or four?”

  “Then we’ll reevaluate and if need be, find you a place of your own.”