by Darcy Burke
“I know.”
“Hey, one other idea,” Dylan said. “What about talking to your uncle? He’s pretty cool. Maybe he can help. It’s his family too.”
“That’s a great idea. Thanks.” Jamie lifted his bottle in silent toast. “See, you are good at this.”
Dylan snorted. “I’m going to turn the Blazer game on.” He went in search of the remote as Jamie turned on the stool.
“Hey, there’s Alaina,” Jamie said, gesturing toward the TV.
Dylan stopped and looked up. “Oh yeah. Some movie premier last night. I forgot that Sara’s recording this. She usually hates these entertainment shows, but she always looks for Alaina.”
“Evan’s not with her?” Jamie asked.
“Not on the red carpet. He hardly ever does that—only important awards shows.”
Jamie wasn’t surprised. Evan Archer was on the autism spectrum, and he hated the spotlight. His marriage to one of the highest-profile celebrities in the world was the height of irony.
Standing off to the side of Alaina was Crystal. Jamie rose from the stool and took a few steps toward the TV, pausing behind the couch. She wore a formfitting bright blue gown that plunged well past her breasts, showing just enough flesh to make his mouth water. It was sleeveless and displayed her sculpted arms to perfection. Her blonde hair was pulled back into some sort of fancy ponytail. Long diamond earrings sparkled from her ears, and a matching pendant nestled between her breasts. Damn, she was gorgeous.
Suddenly, she wasn’t alone. An actor whose name totally escaped Jamie slipped his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear. She laughed, her eyes crinkling in that way he loved. She splayed her palm against his chest. Her nails were impeccably manicured, and a jeweled ring curled around most of her middle finger. He couldn’t stop staring at her hand and the way it touched the man’s chest. It smacked of intimacy.
Especially when the actor’s hand didn’t leave her waist.
They moved along the carpet, and then the channel turned.
Dylan looked at him. “You weren’t watching that, were you?”
It took Jamie a second to answer. He blinked, wishing he could unsee what he’d seen. “No.”
The basketball game filled the screen, and Dylan tossed the remote onto the coffee table. He whipped his phone out of his back pocket. “Sara needs a hand real quick. Be right back.”
As soon as he left the room, Jamie pulled out his own phone and did a Google search for the actor whose name had just come back to him. He looked at images and saw him in various states of undress. Great.
He added Crystal’s name and got a handful of hits. All were red carpet scenarios like the one on the TV except one. That one was definitely them canoodling in a restaurant booth. He clicked on it and found the date—November. Before they’d hooked up on New Year’s, but that premiere on the TV was last night.
What the hell? They hadn’t made any commitments, but he’d at least thought they were monogamous. And yet they hadn’t said that either so what did he know?
Nothing, apparently.
His mood went from bad to foul. Thankfully, he’d be able to focus on a couple of proud parents and an adorable baby for the rest of the night.
And then what?
It was time to call things off with her. What things exactly? They flirted, they had great sex, they lived completely separate lives. Add in the secrets that both of them were keeping, and it was clear there was nothing to call off.
10
“Crystal!” Darryl grinned as he came into the conference room with a file folder. “I’ve got a lot of good info here.”
“Yay!” She could hardly wait to see what it was. He’d texted her yesterday saying he’d found some great stuff. She’d come here straight from the airport.
They sat at the table where Crystal had already dumped her coat and purse in one of the chairs.
Darryl set the folder down. “I found a lot of newspaper articles about KKK activity in the 1920s, including here in Yamhill County. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Hoyt Stowe—he’s Redmond’s oldest son—was the Grand Cyclops. Looks like he followed in Daddy’s footsteps, and not just as mayor.”
“He was mayor when the Bird’s Nest Ranch burned down, right?”
Darryl nodded. “Yep. He’s one of the people I focused in on. He died in 1923 from multiple stab wounds.” He paused as Crystal gasped. “He was out with his crew one night and was killed in some sort of altercation. His killer was never identified.”
“Wow. I suppose I should feel bad, but I don’t.”
“I don’t think you have to feel anything you don’t want to.” He slid the open folder over to her. Inside were a bunch of copies of articles. “I looked into all the Stowe kids, but he’s the only one that shows up with the KKK. In fact, Turner Stowe—he was the youngest—turns up in San Francisco around 1907. He was a lawyer. Did pretty well for himself.”
“He probably wanted to get away from his family.” Crystal understood that. Well, not her family per se, but where she’d come from. Escaping Blueville had been the best thing she’d ever done.
“This is all great. Thanks Darryl. Anything on Dorinda?”
“Not much. Her family was definitely from Syracuse, and I’m just about done tracing them to the present day. There are a few branches so it’s taking some time. Looks like one branch relocated to Minnesota and another to Vermont. Some stayed in Syracuse. If you want to try to talk to someone to see if they have records, it’s going to take some phone calling or emailing.”
Crystal’s job relied upon her to be fearless in making contacts. “I can do that, no problem.”
Darryl smiled. “I figured as much. Congratulations in person about the movie deal.”
She’d told him about it over the phone last week, and he’d been thrilled for her. “It isn’t a movie deal.”
“Yet. But it will be. This is a good story, and you’re going to tell the hell out of it.”
“Thanks, Darryl.” With so many people on her side, how could she not sense at least the possibility? Alaina had encouraged her to write something. Darryl had been a massive help and a huge cheerleader. Kim was eagerly awaiting her proposal. And Jamie had been thrilled with her news.
Why had they only texted a handful of times since FaceTiming a week and a half ago? In fact, she hadn’t heard from him at all in a few days, despite sending him a couple of texts.
She refused to worry about it. She’d see him soon anyway.
After finishing up with Darryl, she headed to the guesthouse at Alaina’s to drop her stuff off. She walked the seventy or so yards to Alaina’s house and let herself in with a “Helloooo!”
Alaina dashed into the entry and waved her hands as if she were directing air traffic. “Shhhh! Alexa just went down for a nap finally.”
Crystal flinched. “Ack, sorry. I should’ve known.” It was afternoon and naptime after all.
Alaina gestured for her to follow her into the kitchen. “Iced tea?”
“Sure.” Crystal leaned against the counter as Alaina opened the fridge and reached into the back for a bottle of Crystal’s favorite.
She handed the tea to Crystal. “I need to put some more in the fridge. I think there’s still a few bottles in the pantry.”
“No worries. I have some at the guesthouse. You overstock everything.”
Alaina grabbed a sparkling water for herself and flashed a smile. “I’m a good host. I suppose we should get to work?” They had some contracts to discuss as well as a few scripts that Alaina had reviewed.
“We should. First let me tell you what I just learned from Darryl.”
When she finished relaying the new information about the Stowes, Alaina looked at her intently. “Are you working on the story yet?”
Crystal hadn’t told her about meeting with Kim. She knew Alaina was interested in producing it, which would be a slam dunk, obviously. Crystal could be an executive producer, and she’d have full creative control. B
ut it was too easy, like it was being handed to her.
Like her entire career had been.
At eighteen, she’d barely graduated high school. School had always been a struggle, but halfway through her senior year, she’d started going out with Tommy and things had gone downhill. She’d started doing drugs with him and having sex. Lots of sex.
Alaina had taken off for Hollywood two days after graduation—she’d been saving for years. Crystal had been saving too, but she’d blown through most of it with Tommy. So she’d stayed behind while Alaina had escaped.
“I haven’t started it,” Crystal answered. “I’m still trying to fill some holes. I’d really like to know why the KKK burned the brothel down.”
“You may just have to write something. Maybe one of the women was black.”
That made the most sense. “I haven’t decided what to do yet.” But she’d been thinking about it. She was excited to write the proposal. On her own—she didn’t want help.
“I’d be happy to brainstorm with you.”
“I appreciate the offer, really. But I’m not quite ready yet.” Crystal’s stomach twisted. She ought to tell Alaina the truth, that this was something she needed to own. But she didn’t want to get into a heavy discussion right now. They had work to do. She’d talk to her about it soon. “Let’s get busy, shall we?”
Alaina exhaled. “Fine. You’re such a task master.”
“And you love me for it.”
“I do. I really, really do.” She blew Crystal a kiss and led the way to her office.
Once inside, Alaina deposited herself in her favorite chair and propped up her feet on the footstool. “Before we get started, I wanted to ask you about something. And please don’t be mad at me.”
Uh-oh. “Why would I get mad at you?”
Alaina shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s clear you’ve been keeping a secret, so maybe you’ll be mad that I’m asking you about it.”
Crystal sat on the sofa, exhaling. “Spit it out.”
Alaina stroked her hand over her expanding belly. “Thanks to junior here, I’m not sleeping great. When you were here at the beginning of the month, I noticed you came home in the middle of the night a couple of times. Anything you want to share?”
Suddenly, Crystal wondered why she hadn’t. She’d told Brooke and Kelsey. Wasn’t Alaina her best friend? “It’s not a huge deal. I got a little cozy with Jamie.”
“‘Cozy’?” Alaina looked a bit surprised. “Is this a good thing? I can’t tell if you’re happy about it.”
Crystal thought of the time she spent with Jamie, how she’d missed him while she’d been in LA—and yeah, she’d missed him—and how she couldn’t wait to see him. “It’s a good thing. It’s also a very casual thing. Which is why I didn’t say anything.” It had simply come up in conversation with Brooke and Kelsey, just like it had now with Alaina.
Crystal pushed her hair back and gave Alaina an apologetic look. “Although, I did sort of lie about New Year’s Eve. That was the first time we, uh, hooked up.”
Alaina laughed, her gaze alight with teasing admonishment. “You stinker. Now you have to dish. Then we’ll get to work.”
“Okay.” Crystal grinned and proceeded to give her the PG-13 version.
Later, Alaina invited her to stay for dinner, but Crystal was anxious to see Jamie. She drove into town and parked outside his loft. She hesitated, thinking she ought to have texted him, but a surprise was better, wasn’t it? Her blood heated when she thought of the welcome he’d give her…
She got out of the car, taking just her key fob and phone with her as she went to the door. Luck was on her side as someone else was just coming out. The woman, nearly old enough to be Crystal’s mother, held the door open, asking, “Visiting?”
Crystal nodded. “Jamie Westcott.”
“He’s a nice boy.” She smiled and let go of the door after Crystal moved inside. Boy. As if Crystal needed a reminder that she was kind of robbing the cradle here.
Oh come on, five years is not that bad!
Anticipation thrumming through her veins, she went up the elevator to his floor and quickly strode to his loft. She knocked, and a moment later, he opened the door.
Seeing him in person was so much better than FaceTime. He wore slouchy gray sweatpants and a long-sleeved Manchester United shirt. And he had some seriously sexy stubble going on.
“Hey,” she said, leaning against the doorframe. “You growing a beard?”
He ran his hand over his jaw. “Nah, just lazy. You want to come in?”
“Duh, I’m here, aren’t I?” She looked at him quizzically. This was not the flirty guy she knew.
He opened the door wider and walked down the hallway.
She frowned. What had she expected? Him to sweep her up in a hug and kiss her senseless? Yeah, that would’ve been nice.
She closed the door and followed him into the kitchen. The TV was on in the other room, but he stood at the counter, his hand curled around a beer.
“You just get back today?” he asked.
“Earlier this afternoon. I met with Darryl and then had some work to do with Alaina. Then I came straight here.”
He nodded, somewhat distractedly, and sipped his beer. She noticed he didn’t offer her one.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, setting her phone and key fob on the counter.
“Yep. Just tired. I’ve been working a lot.”
“I see.” She’d never felt awkward around him before—except for after New Year’s Eve, which had been entirely her fault. He made her feel comfortable and good. “Is this a bad time? Maybe I should go.”
“Actually, that’s probably good. I have an early day tomorrow.”
It wasn’t even seven o’clock. Clearly something was wrong. Was he mad at her? “I’m getting the sense that you’re ticked at me or something.”
He sipped his beer, his gaze flicking from her to the TV. “Nope. I’m good.”
She frowned. “You don’t seem good.”
“Look, Crystal, I don’t owe you any explanations. I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, starting to feel annoyed. More than annoyed. “You invited me in. Do I need to set a date? I thought we weren’t dating.”
“We aren’t, which is exactly why this conversation is stupid. I’m tired. I want to zone out in front of the TV with a beer. I don’t want to stand here and explain myself to you. Nor do I expect you to explain your behavior to me.”
She unfolded her arms and narrowed her eyes briefly. “What behavior?”
He took a few steps away from the counter into the living room before turning back to face her. “I saw you on TV the other night with that actor. Looks like you’ve been seeing him awhile. I know our thing—whatever you want to call it—was casual, but I don’t do…that with more than one person at a time. My bad for not discussing that with you up front.”
He thought she’d been cheating on him? But wait, she couldn’t cheat on a guy she wasn’t having a relationship with.
“He’s not my boyfriend. We dated a few years ago. We’re just friends.”
“You didn’t look like you were just friends. I saw a picture of you snuggling at a restaurant like two months ago.”
She exhaled, but the tension in her shoulders remained. “From time to time, I go places with him if he wants to throw people off—the paparazzi, I mean. It’s a stupid game.”
He looked a bit bewildered, then closed his eyes and briefly shook his head. “I don’t want to play games. And like I said, you don’t have to explain anything to me.”
No, she didn’t. The apology she’d been forming died on her tongue. “You’re right.” She reached for her key fob, but her hands were shaking and she knocked it to the floor. Bending down, she plucked it up and turned toward the door in one fluid motion. “See you around, Jamie.”
She let herself out and hurried to the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator. He didn’t
come after her.
The fact that she noticed didn’t bother her nearly as much as the fact that she cared.
A lot.
* * *
He was a dick.
Jamie slammed the rest of his beer and set the empty on the counter amidst the usual detritus. He moved some of it aside and heard a thwack as something hit the floor. Classic.
He went around the counter to see what had fallen. It was Crystal’s phone.
Hell.
He dashed out the door to catch her, but she was long gone from the hallway. Maybe if he ran down the stairs, he’d find her in the lobby.
Empty.
He looked outside and saw her car disappearing down the street. Damn.
He retraced his steps thinking he’d just text her. He laughed out loud, filling the stairwell. “Genius idea, asshole.” If he wasn’t careful, he might have to forfeit his Mensa card.
Because he’d been a colossal moron. He should’ve asked her about the actor. Only he’d been trying to play it cool. Except there was nothing cool about behaving like a petulant teen whose girlfriend had hung out with a guy friend and done him a favor to make another girl jealous.
Well, there was only one thing to do.
He went back to his loft, grabbed his key fob—and put on a pair of shoes, geez, he really was an idiot—and his coat and went down to the parking garage. He drove out to Alaina and Evan’s sprawling property, which he’d only been to a couple of times. His familiarity was enough for him to find the guesthouse where Crystal “lived” when she was here.
The property was a few miles south of town, and the lack of light was never more evident than on a cold winter night in which a thick cloud cover completely masked the sky. The porch light at the guesthouse offered a tiny beacon to guide him. He drove up and parked in the driveway, hoping that her car was in the garage and that she was actually here.
He strode up to the door and stood for a second before knocking. What was he waiting for?
He lifted his hand and rapped his knuckles loudly. A moment later, the door opened. Crystal’s gaze flickered with surprise. “You aren’t Alaina or Evan.”
