by Darcy Burke
Calm down, she told herself. No one knows the screenplay is on the verge of becoming real. No, but they did know she was writing it thanks to whoever had eavesdropped on her at the library that day she’d talked to Kelsey about it. In the conversations she’d had with Jamie over the past two weeks, he’d said he still didn’t know who it was, nor had he heard anything else about it. Maybe the gossip had died a quick, satisfying death.
Yeah, right. Crystal knew small towns, and there was no such thing.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped over the threshold. Immediately, she saw Kelsey standing near the counter where she checked out books. A news crew was interviewing her. Crystal smiled. She deserved every bit of the spotlight tonight.
“Hey.” The familiar, deep voice landed next to her ear just before his lips caressed her cheek.
She turned, still smiling. “Hey. Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a bitch. I’m so glad you didn’t come get me.”
“I’m not. Think of all that time we could’ve spent together in the car.”
She laughed softly, feeling more at ease and appreciating him for making that happen. “You make a valid point. Duly noted for next time.”
He made a face. “Not thinking about next time yet. I have you here, and I’m not letting you go for a while.” He slid his arm around her waist and drew her close, kissing her cheek again.
“Can we go upstairs?” he asked. “I need to talk to you about something.”
She gave him a side-eye. “Seriously? I don’t buy that for a second. You just want to get me alone.”
His mouth curved into a sexy smile. “Well, yes. But I also need to talk to you.”
“Hey, Crystal!” Kelsey yelled and then gestured for her to come over.
Crystal gave Jamie an apologetic glance. “Sorry, give me a sec.” She went to Kelsey and gave her a quick hug. “Congratulations. You look fabulous.”
Kelsey’s long, dark hair was pulled back, and she wore a gorgeous formfitting knit dress in dark red with a chunky necklace. “So do you! The reporter here wanted to talk to you since you were so instrumental in helping with the research for the exhibit.”
“Just a little bit of it,” Crystal demurred.
The reporter smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Jenny St. John from KPTV. We’re recording some bits for the eleven o’clock and weekend news. I wanted to talk to you about your role in all this.”
“I don’t know that I had a role,” Crystal said, her neck suddenly pricking.
“I understand you’ve written a screenplay about the history of the town, and it includes a rather dark chapter involving the Ku Klux Klan. What can you tell us about that?”
Fuuuuuck.
Crystal glanced at Kelsey, who completely blanched. Clearly she hadn’t known they were going to ask about this.
What the hell was she supposed to say? Crystal blanked for a moment, tried to summon a smile, but ultimately just stood there staring at the reporter. Finally, she managed, “I can’t really comment on that right now.”
“Looks like it’s already getting a lot of buzz,” the reporter said with a sparkly grin, seeming oblivious to Crystal’s discomfort. “I read that it has a strong female lead. Will your boss Alaina Pierce be starring?”
She “read”? Crystal narrowed her eyes at the reporter. “How did you hear about this?”
“I saw it online on our way here.”
Son of a bitch. Kim had said the buzz was out there. So fast?
Of course, silly, this is the Internet Age, everything happens at lightning speed.
How many times had she had to troubleshoot stories gone rogue about Alaina? One such event was what had led Alaina to hide out in Ribbon Ridge. In a sense, everything had come back around again. Crystal suddenly felt detached from herself, as if she were watching a movie about someone else.
The hum of conversation seemed to dim as Angie Westcott made her way toward Crystal and the reporter. Jamie intercepted her, and Crystal heard Angie say, “I thought you were going to talk to her.”
Then the reporter turned her head toward the stairs. “Oh, there’s Alaina Pierce. Let’s get her take on this.” She and her cameraman pivoted.
Alaina’s gaze landed on Crystal. She looked pissed—it was subtle and no one else could probably tell but Crystal knew her friend. Alaina’s mouth was set in a particularly tight way, and her eyes held that fake shimmer when she was putting on a performance for the red carpet or the paparazzi.
As the reporter made her way toward Alaina, Angie came forward. “How could you ruin this event with this screenplay nonsense?”
Crystal blinked at her. “I didn’t.” She shook her head. “I had no idea.”
Angie scoffed as she looked to Jamie. “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.”
The library had gone practically silent. The only thing Crystal could hear was the reporter loudly asking Alaina what she thought of the screenplay and would she be starring in it.
Crystal’s lungs squeezed, and she fought to take a breath. She looked from Alaina’s expression of distaste to Angie’s look of condemnation to Jamie. He stared at her, his eyes blank.
She ran from the library as fast as she could.
* * *
Jamie was frozen as he watched Crystal run out. He started after her, but his mother grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?” she asked.
He pressed his lips together and pulled his arm free. “To find Crystal.”
“Yes, you go do that. Tell her what a mistake she’s made. Why didn’t she listen to you?”
He pushed out a frustrated breath. “Because I hadn’t spoken to her yet. You saw for yourself—she just got here. Never mind,” he muttered, taking off through the open doorway.
He looked up and down the street and saw her rounding the corner a couple of blocks down. Breaking into a sprint, he tore after her, catching up before she could reach her car.
“Hey!” He reached for her, but she sidestepped his hand.
“Don’t touch me,” she said.
“Is what that reporter said true? Is your screenplay a done deal?”
“Not quite. I gave the treatment to my agent yesterday. She sent it around, and it’s, uh, gotten some traction.” She looked down at the ground and kept herself angled away from him.
He circled around to stand in front of her. “That’s really great. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to when I got here. It all happened really fast. I had no idea it would do that, or that it would cause a stir. Believe me, that’s the last thing I wanted, especially today.” She looked up at him, her eyes dark and unfathomable. “When you said you wanted to talk to me before, was that what your mom was referring to?”
“Yeah. She wanted me to talk to you about not doing it—which I’m sure is no surprise.”
“Actually, I am surprised.” She hesitated, but only for a moment. “Surprised you would even ask.”
“Crystal!”
They both turned at the sound of Alaina’s voice. She stalked around the corner quite quickly for a pregnant woman.
Alaina faced Crystal, her eyes blazing. “What the hell was all that about? There’s a screenplay out there already?”
“Just a treatment.”
Sean also rounded the corner, his phone in his hand as he joined Alaina. “Found it.” He handed her the phone.
Alaina glanced at the screen and then back to Crystal, her gaze going from mad to hurt. “You didn’t even tell me you were writing one. Who shopped this for you?”
Crystal’s entire frame was tense—from her clenched jaw to her fisted hands. “Kim.”
“She didn’t pitch it to us.” Alaina exchanged a look with Sean.
“I’m sorry,” Crystal said. “I wanted to see if anyone else was interested first.”
“First?” Alaina asked. “So maybe you’d come to us if no one else wanted it?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” She turned slightly, as if she were about to flee again. But then s
he pivoted back, her eyes sparking. “This is my project.” She shot an angry look at Jamie. “Not your mom’s.” She glared at Alaina. “Not yours.” She lifted her arms in exasperation. “Not anyone’s in this godforsaken town! I don’t owe any of you anything.” She laser-focused on Alaina. “You don’t manage my life—if anything, I manage yours.” She spun on Jamie. “And I’m not your girlfriend to be managed, contrary to what your mother might think.”
Jamie stared at her, unable to move. She lifted her hand to her mouth and shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I have to go.”
She jumped in the car and sped away. And Jamie still couldn’t even blink. Or speak. Or do anything but watch the car disappear around the corner and into the cold night.
Yes, it was cold. A shiver tripped across his frame, but he didn’t care. He welcomed the cool air to quell the storm churning inside him.
“I really fucked that up.”
Jamie finally blinked, his eyes tearing after such a long time. He turned to look at Alaina, who’d just spoken. “What?”
“I screwed up. I was mad.” She let out a disgusted breath. “I was pissed. And hurt, I guess. I just assumed Crystal would have us produce her screenplay. That’s where I messed up—I shouldn’t have assumed anything.”
“She won’t stay angry with you,” Sean said, his brow creased with concern but his eyes warm with support. “I’ve known her a long time, and this isn’t typical.”
“No,” Alaina agreed quietly. “Which is why I think it’s so important. She tends to just go with the flow. But this time she wanted to do things her way. Can you blame her?” She looked toward Jamie. “What’s the deal with your mom?”
Jamie twitched his shoulders. “She’s just being a pain in the ass. She hates that our ancestors were members of the KKK. Sorry, not just members, leaders.”
Sean winced. “Can’t blame her there, mate.”
“No, but she wants to bury history, and that’s not okay, especially not when Crystal’s worked so hard on this.”
Alaina fixed him with a questioning stare. “You care about her.”
“Of course I do.”
“Ignore what she said—she didn’t mean it.”
“It was the truth. She isn’t my girlfriend.” No matter how much he might’ve thought she was.
Alaina exhaled, then nodded. “Sorry.”
“What are you going to do?” Sean asked.
Alaina ran her hands through her hair, tousling the dark-blonde locks. “I don’t know, give her some space. I’ll check on her later tonight. I guess we should go inside and try to do some damage control. Whatever that would be.”
Sean arched a brow and looked toward Jamie. “Actually, I was talking to Jamie.”
“Oh, shit. Of course you were.” Alaina went to Jamie and touched his arm. “How can I help?”
He appreciated both of their concern, but there wasn’t anything anyone could do. “Nothing. If she wants to get in touch, she knows where to find me. Like you said, she needs some space, so I’ll give her plenty.”
“I think she’ll want to hear from you,” Alaina said. “When she’s had time to process. I’m sure that scene freaked her out.”
It had freaked him out too. “I’ve got damage control to manage too.” He was pissed as hell at his mother, but she was his family, which was more than he could say for Crystal. And damn if that didn’t sting.
“Come on, then,” Sean said, waiting for Alaina to precede him.
The trio trudged back to the library and were accosted as soon as they walked inside. Kelsey and Brooke went to Alaina and the three of them stepped to the side, their heads bent together.
Meanwhile, Luke and Cam descended upon Jamie. Sean clapped him on the arm. “You okay, mate?”
Jamie nodded. “Sure, thanks. I appreciate your support.”
“Anytime.” He nodded once before heading off to his wife who stood with her parents looking concerned. Hell, after a quick scan of the room, it seemed everyone looked concerned.
Except the reporter who loitered in the corner with her cameraman, her head tipped down as she read on an iPad.
Jamie turned his back to her and allowed his brothers to usher him to a back area of the library.
“Where’s Crystal?” Cam asked.
“Dunno. She took off.” Jamie’s gut clenched anew.
Cam put his hands on his hips. “Damn, that was intense.”
“Kelsey and Brooke are really worried about Crystal,” Luke said.
Jamie shrugged. “They should text her, then.”
Luke narrowed his eyes at Jamie. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing. She’s upset and needs to be alone. I’m respecting her space.” Wow, that was a nice way of putting it. But it was exactly what he was doing. She’d been clear—he wasn’t her boyfriend. Going after her or texting her wouldn’t help. “Where’s Mom?”
“Upstairs with a bunch of other people. They’re pretty pissed about all this. They’re talking about whether they can get an injunction against Crystal.” Cam snorted. “Which is ridiculous. Aubrey Archer is up there telling them they’re nuts.”
“She’s explaining the legal realities,” Luke clarified.
Aubrey was a local attorney married to one of the Archers—Liam, the real estate magnate whose company owned half of Ribbon Ridge. If anyone could calm them down, it would be her. When the Archers spoke, everyone listened.
He hoped that would be the case this time. He really didn’t want Crystal to face an angry mob. Shit, he would’ve run off too.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go after her. He did. Desperately. But he would respect her space. For now. In the meantime, he wanted a drink and not from the bar set up out in the main area.
He looked at Luke. “Will you apologize to Kelsey for me? I’m going to take off.”
Luke gripped his shoulder. “She’ll understand. Anyway, I think the evening’s about over, unfortunately.”
“I feel bad for Kelsey,” Cam said.
Luke’s shoulders dropped slightly. “Yeah, me too.”
What a clusterfuck.
15
As she stepped into Hogwild, Crystal decided going from one small town disaster to another small town potential disaster was perhaps not her best play. And yet here she was, home in Blueville, for her big brother’s fortieth birthday party.
Hogwild, Blueville’s nicest restaurant and famous for its pulled pork, was crammed to the gills with what seemed to be the entire town. Not the entire town. Crystal would know just about everyone here, and they were all safe. Meaning they weren’t people who still called her Crazy Crystal.
“Is that my baby sister?” Trent’s voice thundered through the restaurant as he stalked toward the door.
Trent was massive—six-three with a barrel chest and arms as big as tree trunks. His light brown hair had a few gray streaks here and there, but he still looked incredibly young and robust despite the efforts of his four children to make him otherwise.
She smiled as he approached, bracing herself for the inevitable bear hug. “Happy birthday, Trent.”
He swept her up against his chest and squeezed her until she couldn’t breathe. Then he set her down and grinned. “This is a surprise.”
“I like to surprise.” She handed him the bag with the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue. “Brought your favorite.”
He peered inside, and his face lit with rapture. “You shouldn’t have. I mean, of course you should have. Thank you.” He gave her another quick hug and then she was assaulted by the rest of her family—her parents, Trent’s wife Delia, Crystal’s other brothers and their wives, and a passel of nieces and nephews.
After a few minutes, her mother ushered her to the table where the family was sitting. “I’m so glad you came. Surprised, but glad.” Mom smiled as she gave her a side hug. “So what changed that you could come?”
Changed? “Nothing really.” Her life was just a major disaster.
&nbs
p; She’d driven back to the guesthouse knowing that Alaina would show up at some point. But Crystal hadn’t wanted to face her, so she’d repacked the few things she’d unpacked and called a car to go back to the airport. She hadn’t been able to get a flight out until the next morning and when one of her options was flying to North Carolina instead of LA, she’d decided that celebrating her brother’s birthday was probably the best thing she could do.
So here she was.
She’d texted Alaina to tell her where she’d gone, and Alaina had responded with a simple “Okay. I love you.” Tears had clogged Crystal’s throat, and even thinking about it now threatened to send her into an emotional spiral. She glanced around for a drink or a bottle of beer.
“Is something wrong, dear?” Mom asked. “You look a little pale.”
“Just a long day of travel. And I’m thirsty.”
Mom waved a hand at one of the servers and ordered Crystal a Long Island iced tea. Hogwild was famous for them; they were truly one of the best things about coming home.
It felt good to be taken care of. Maybe that was why Crystal had come. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Of course. Will this be another short trip?”
Crystal hadn’t booked a return flight to LA. “I don’t know actually.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“You don’t have to look so shocked.”
“Are you going to try to tell me this isn’t shocking?” She waved her hand. “Pshaw. I just wish I’d known so I’d made your bed up. Not to worry, I’ll take care of that when we get home.” She patted Crystal’s knee.
Again, Crystal basked in her mother’s care. “Thanks.”
Mom had converted the boys’ rooms into a guest room, an office, and a sewing room, but Crystal’s was still frozen in her teenage years. Mom’s policy was to keep their rooms intact until they were married—in case they needed a landing pad. After they got married, they were on their own.
She looked at her brothers, sitting around the table, and their wives and children. She realized she took it all for granted—that her family was so close-knit and supportive. She missed most of it living across the country. Her oldest nephew, Trent’s son Ryan, was fourteen. He looked like he’d shot up a couple of inches since she’d seen him last. Geez, that had just been at Christmas.
