by Brenda Novak
When he smiled, she sensed that he found their deception amusing but wasn’t taking it seriously. “Thanks for pretending to be my girlfriend,” he said.
She grinned. “I owe you one. And since you can’t seem to get a girlfriend on your own...”
“Whoa! I haven’t even emailed those women you chose on Single Central.”
“True. So when are you going to do it?”
“Soon. Anyway, I’m still surprised by what you told Ed. I thought I was supposed to be protecting you.”
“You’ve never dealt with the press.”
He stared off at the tree they’d decorated. “How will Derrick react to our involvement when he hears? Because he will hear.”
“Of course. We can count on it. But I’m not sure how he’ll take the news. I’ve always been so loyal, so dedicated to him. It’ll come as a shock to think I’ve already moved on.”
“Will he believe it? I mean...you were with him last week.”
“I saw him last week, but I haven’t slept with him in over a month, as you know. He’ll assume you’re the reason, I guess.”
“I never called him back the other night when I was supposed to go by and check on you.”
“That’ll only make this more convincing.”
“He might tell Crystal to take a hike and come after you.”
“I suppose anything’s possible.”
Kyle leaned forward. “Is that what you’re hoping for?”
“No. I can’t go back to him now.” She lifted a hand so he wouldn’t interrupt. “It’s not just that he had sex with another woman, although that’s bad enough. It’s that he slept with my competition. We’ve had other problems—when I did the pop album, the way he looks at women sometimes, that sort of thing—but I feel we could’ve overcome those. No relationship is perfect. It’s that he let me down when I was at my most vulnerable. That tells me I can’t count on him when I need him, which leaves me no choice. I have to get over him. There’s no going back.”
“So we’re in the same boat.”
“Yes. You have to get over Olivia, and I have to get over Derrick.”
“I can’t wait until Noelle reads that article,” he said. “Normally, I don’t react to all the shit she does—not these days. It took me a while to learn that I was falling right into her trap when I let her lure me into an argument. I’d walk away feeling terrible about the whole thing, and she’d accuse me of being ‘just as bad’ as she is. But this... I have to admit, it feels good.”
“She asked for it.”
He got up. “I say we celebrate. Would you like a glass of wine?”
“No. One hangover a week is enough for me, thanks.”
“You won’t have even one glass?”
She picked up her guitar to keep her hands busy. “Not tonight.” She didn’t want anything to erode her self-control. Now that she was officially on the rebound, she needed to focus. With every day that passed, being with a man like Kyle looked more and more appealing.
16
Noelle probably wouldn’t have seen the paper if she hadn’t specifically asked to see it. And she did that only because, when she showed up at Sexy Sadie’s on Wednesday night to work her shift, everyone was talking about a particular article.
The bartender on duty wasn’t A.J. At least she was catching a break there. He’d been calling her quite often since he’d helped her put in and then take out the water heater, wanting to see her. She could tell he was interested in her, but with three different baby mamas and a rap sheet that included domestic violence, he didn’t have much to recommend him. If she was going to get with someone who lived in Whiskey Creek, it was going to be someone who was well respected, someone who could offer her more than she already had, not less. A.J. could barely cover his own rent. And he wasn’t particularly good-looking. Not nearly as good-looking as Kyle.
She’d been stupid to let Kyle get away. She’d been married to him—and she’d blown it. Yes, he’d made her sign that damn prenup. But even so, not many guys would’ve stepped up the way he did. Most of the men she’d dated since certainly wouldn’t have cared whether or not she was pregnant. The best she could’ve hoped for from any of them was a ride to the closest abortion clinic.
The fact that she’d taken that trip of her own accord five and a half years ago made her sick. If she’d handled the situation differently, she and Kyle might still be together. At the very least, she’d have his child, and that was something he never would’ve been able to change.
“Why do you want the paper?” the bartender who was on duty asked. She wasn’t sure what his first name was. No one ever used it. Everyone just called him Pope.
“Because I’d like to see it, that’s why!” she said.
He was busy wiping down the bar. “You never ask to see the paper. Can you even read?” he teased.
He’d lost a tooth in a fight that’d broken out in the bar a few weeks ago. Sexy Sadie’s didn’t have bouncers, so he’d gotten involved to break it up and taken an elbow to the mouth. But he was sort of cute. Too bad he was married and, more to the point, loyal to his wife. He often said things to Noelle that would’ve made her fighting mad had they come from anyone else. He had a way of softening everything with that crooked smile of his. He didn’t mean any harm. She’d come to view him like a brother.
“Hand it over before you lose another tooth,” she snapped. She liked to joke around with him. But at the moment, she wasn’t feeling too playful. As soon as she’d walked into the bar, Genevieve had taken great pleasure in saying something that had upset her. She was desperately hoping it wasn’t true, that Genevieve was just trying to get back at her because they’d had that little spat on Sunday.
Pope made a disbelieving sound. “Talking tough tonight, are we?”
“I mean it. I’m not in the mood.”
“I guess you’ve already heard that your ex has a new woman.”
“She’s not his new woman. She’s a country music star. She won’t stay here. And he’ll never leave. No one knows that better than I do.”
Pope slapped the paper he kept behind the bar down in front of her. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, if I were you. She’s the one who gave the interview, not him.”
Noelle sank onto a bar stool as she read the title. Lourdes Bennett Finds Love in Whiskey Creek... “This is bullshit,” she said, scowling at Pope, who’d stopped washing the counter to observe her reaction.
“Don’t freak out too soon. That’s plain old sensationalism. The article doesn’t go nearly as far as the headline does. She only got here last week, so she can’t be too in love, and she doesn’t actually say she is. She’s just staying with him while she writes her next album.”
“What? I thought she was moving back to the farmhouse once the furnace was fixed. And what happened to her boyfriend? Weren’t they supposed to get married?”
“They’ve broken up. She does say that.” He pointed at a paragraph farther down the page.
Noelle hadn’t gotten there yet. And now she didn’t want to continue reading. She’d never dreamed someone famous would swoop in and take the man she’d always assumed she could fall back on. Kyle was hers, the person who could give her the most in Whiskey Creek.
This wouldn’t be happening if they were married, she told herself. And they’d still be married if she hadn’t made that one fateful error. It didn’t seem fair that one bad decision could destroy her entire future.
Why did she keep screwing up? And how was it that her perfect sister never made any mistakes? Olivia had seemed so hurt when Kyle defected—and yet she’d rallied almost immediately and married his stepbrother, only to end up happier than ever!
Olivia always got what she wanted. It was hard not to hate her for that. Although their parents tried to hide it, even they were partial to
Olivia...
“I need a drink,” she muttered as the words I wouldn’t limit it to friendship jumped out at her.
Pope tilted his head. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m totally serious. Pour me one.”
“You’ll get fired if I let you drink.”
“One sip won’t do anything.”
“You’ll have alcohol on your breath. Do you really want to risk your job? How will that help?”
It wouldn’t, but she didn’t care. Her last best option in life was Kyle, and now he was sleeping with Lourdes Bennett. Lourdes Freaking Bennett! How could Noelle ever compete with a country music star if she couldn’t even compete with her own sister?
“What’s wrong with me, Pope?” she asked as the old bitterness welled up. “Why can’t I find a guy who’ll love me?”
“There are men out there who’d be happy to be with you.” He tapped the bar for emphasis. “But you only want the ones you can’t have.”
She reared back. “Why should I settle? I should be able to get someone as good as my sister has.”
“Your values aren’t exactly what they should be,” he said and walked away.
Because she was spoiling for a fight, she almost called after him. But her manager appeared from the back office, so she closed her mouth and tossed the paper at Pope instead. When it fluttered harmlessly to the floor, he barely cast her a sideways glance before stacking the glasses that’d been washed last night.
What did he know about values?
“What’d I tell you?”
Genevieve had come up behind her while she was glaring at Pope’s back and keeping an eye on her manager at the same time. There were hardly any patrons in the bar this early, but old Crabtree wouldn’t like the fact that she was “lounging around” while she was supposed to be working. He said there was always something she could do to make herself useful—as if it was her job to help clean the place.
“Shut up,” she growled to Genevieve.
“You’re all talk,” Genevieve goaded, “telling me how you were going to get Kyle back. He doesn’t want you. I bet he never wanted you. Who would?”
“You’d better shut up and leave me alone,” Noelle warned.
“Or what?”
“You heard me.”
“There’s nothing you can do, and I think it’s high time you accept the truth—Kyle is way out of your league.”
“He married me, didn’t he? It’s not like he’d ever touch a fat pig like you.”
“Because you trapped him!” she yelled. “And then you were too stupid to see that the baby was the only reason he stayed with you and you aborted it!”
“No, I didn’t! I’ve never said that!”
“You’ve made jokes about it. I’ve heard you!”
“Liar!” Noelle’s anger flared so hot it wasn’t until she’d charged Genevieve and knocked her to the floor, and Pope had pulled her off, that she realized she’d hurt her hands punching Genevieve anywhere she could land a blow.
“She attacked me!” Genevieve cried as blood ran from her nose. “She’s crazy!”
“You asked for it,” Noelle said.
But that wasn’t how Crabtree saw it. He stalked over, took one look at Genevieve holding her hands over her face and scowled at Noelle. “You’re fired,” he said. “Get out right now! And I don’t ever want to see you in here again.”
“You can’t fire me!” she yelled. “You have to give me my two weeks.”
“Would you rather I called Chief Bennett to report this assault?”
“Yes,” Genevieve cried, her voice so nasal she was difficult to understand. “Call the cops. She should be thrown in jail.”
She meant it. Noelle could see that in Genevieve’s hateful glare. Noelle recognized something almost as hostile in her manager’s expression. Even Pope was shaking his head as if she filled him with disgust.
“I don’t care about you,” she snarled at her former friend. “I don’t care about any of you!” she screamed to the room at large. Then she ripped the name badge from her chest, threw it at her ex-boss and stomped out.
* * *
On Thursday morning, when Morgan came to find him in the warehouse to tell him he had a visitor waiting in his office, Kyle was more than a little surprised to learn it was Olivia. He had no idea why she was there. Was it because of the newspaper article that’d come out yesterday? Did she have something to say about that?
If so, she wouldn’t be the only one he’d heard from. So many people had called him or brought it up if they happened to see him. He’d never been slapped on the back so many times. “Lucky son of a bitch,” Old Man Murphy had muttered and jabbed him in the ribs while he was waiting in line to buy a pack of gum at the Gas-N-Go this morning. He’d never gotten that kind of reaction from Old Man Murphy.
And no one had been more excited about his supposed new love interest than Morgan. She’d been positively pumping him for information. Lourdes is living with you? She’s not going back to the farmhouse? But it has heat... I paid the delivery charge for the part like you asked me to... Is that why you had the locks changed at your place on Monday? To protect her privacy against She Who Won’t Be Named?... So you’re finally moving on. That’s hard to believe. Can I meet Lourdes sometime?... I could drop some papers by your house. I wouldn’t make it obvious...
It’d taken him over an hour to get Morgan to give up on devising a way to see her.
Afraid he’d only get his assistant talking again, he kept his mouth shut and didn’t ask if she knew what Olivia wanted. Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with the article. Maybe Brandon hadn’t mentioned that he’d already told Kyle about the pregnancy and she’d come to tell him herself.
Or maybe she’d come to apologize. He still couldn’t believe she’d bought into Noelle’s claims that he was demanding sex as payment for the favors he did her. Yes, he’d allowed Noelle to seduce him the weekend that’d started everything, but that was years ago. He would’ve thought he’d managed to rebuild some of his credibility by now.
“Your life is getting interesting,” Morgan said.
He didn’t respond. He was too busy wondering when news of that article would reach Derrick—and what Derrick might do when he learned that Lourdes wasn’t alone in some remote farmhouse, crying over their breakup. Would he try to contact her again? Attempt another reconciliation?
Kyle hoped not. It’d been only a few days, but already Lourdes seemed to be getting over him. At times, Kyle got the feeling she was as relieved about being out of that relationship as she was about being out of the spotlight. She’d told him that leaving Nashville had been necessary for her to feel human and real again. He believed separating from Derrick was part of that. One less burden to carry. He felt she’d been trying to make something work that’d been doomed from the outset. What she and Derrick had in common was a love of music and similar professional goals, and that was it.
Last night, he’d convinced her they should sneak into a hot tub. After thirty minutes or so, they got caught and had to run for it. They were laughing so hard by the time they reached his truck, which he’d parked well down the street, they could hardly climb in. He didn’t tell her that the people who owned the hot tub were some of his best friends and wouldn’t mind in the least. He didn’t want to make her feel she had to be polite and meet them. Besides, the daring nature of slipping in and out of Ted Dixon’s backyard was half the fun.
“There you are,” Olivia said.
Kyle waited until Morgan started back to her own desk. The way his assistant was dragging her feet, he knew she was hoping to catch part of their conversation. He motioned to suggest she should move a little faster. Then, when she was far enough away not to hear, he closed the door. “What can I do for you?” he asked.
Obviously realiz
ing that his smile wasn’t entirely sincere, Olivia stiffened. “You can get over our tiff at Sunday dinner, for one,” she said.
“I am over it.” He shrugged. “In case Mom didn’t tell you, I apologized to her. And now I’m apologizing to you. I’m sorry for causing a scene.”
She stared at him as if she wasn’t sure whether his apology was any more sincere than his greeting.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said.
“My turn?”
“To apologize.”
“For...”
“Believing that shit your sister told you.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time exes have...remained intimate.”
“The sex in exchange for money or favors element—that’s what really bothered me, and you know it. For one thing, I’m not so desperate that I need some sort of leverage to get a woman in my bed. For another, she’s the last person I’m interested in.”
“I admit it didn’t sound like you,” she said. “But she’s my sister. And sometimes she’s so insistent.” She shook her head. “Anyway, what’s gotten into you lately?”
“What’s gotten into me?” Normally, he wouldn’t grumble about Noelle to her. He felt it was his fault Noelle was in his life, and he had to stand up and carry that cross without complaining, especially to Olivia, the person he’d wronged by getting involved with Noelle in the first place.
But perhaps it was time for Olivia to understand the situation from his perspective. “Your sister is driving me nuts, that’s what,” he said. “We’ve been divorced for five years, and she still won’t leave me alone. She calls me for money constantly. Asks me over to fix something when it’s not really broken—or she broke it on purpose. Shows up uninvited at my place, sometimes at odd hours, like when she’s getting off work late at night. Stops if she sees my truck in town so I can’t visit a restaurant in peace. Calls to tell me a certain show is on. Hints that I should take her to romantic places—or just to dinner. Offers me sex, even though I don’t want to be with her in that way and haven’t been since before the divorce. Tell me, what does a guy have to do to get rid of her?”
