by Deanna Chase
They all laughed. Then Georgia said, “Well, you can count on me. No kids here and no plans to make or acquire any.”
They both looked at Amelia.
She cleared her throat. “Can’t say the same.” She glanced down at the barely there baby bump. “My little one is due in July. But I’m good for girls’ night any time. One last hurrah, right?”
Georgia and Hanna both let out surprised cries and then congratulated her.
“It looks like you settled in the right town,” Hanna said. “There will be no shortage of playdates and other moms to bond with.”
Amelia swallowed hard. There was no doubt that she wanted her child with every fiber of her being, but the realities of actually being a mother hadn’t hit her until that very moment.
“Uh-oh,” Georgia said, reaching out and grabbing her hand. “Take a breath. Are you dizzy?”
Was she? Yes, she believed she was. Nodding, she pressed a hand to her spinning head, hoping to make it stop.
“Here. Eat this,” an unfamiliar woman said.
Amelia eyed the coffee cake and took it without question. After a few bites the spinning stopped, and she no longer felt as if she’d faint straight away. “Thank you,” she said, looking up at the platinum blonde standing near their table.
Hanna and Georgia were gaping at her, appearing to be speechless.
“You’re very welcome. You’re Amelia Holiday, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Amelia frowned, trying to place the woman. She looked so familiar, but Amelia had no recollection of who she was. “I’m sorry. Have we met before?”
The woman laughed. “No, we haven’t. But I’ve been looking forward to getting to know you. I’m Katy Carmichael, Grayson’s oldest and dearest friend.”
Amelia was stunned speechless as she stared up at pure perfection. No wonder she was familiar. The woman had been in three hit movies over the past couple years and had starred in a long-running television series that ended a few years before. “Katy Carmichael. I, um, you said you’re friends with Grayson?”
The woman smiled kindly down at her. “Best friends. I’m sorry to intrude. After Grayson and I talked last night, I just couldn’t wait to meet you.” She turned to Hanna and said, “Can you bring Amelia another coffee cake and something to drink? We don’t want her blood sugar to drop again.”
“Oh, gosh. Of course. I actually came over here to take her order and we got caught up chatting.” She turned to Amelia. “I’m so sorry about that. Coffee cake and a decaf mocha, extra whip?”
“Sure,” Amelia said, still trying to make sense of what Katy had said. They’d spoken last night? Katy was his oldest friend? Hadn’t he mentioned that Katy was acquainted with his friend Kira who’d lived next door to him? “Thanks, Hanna.”
“Of course.” Hanna hurried back to the counter while Georgia held her hand out to Katy and gushed over how much she’d loved her last movie. Katy was polite but steered the conversation back to Amelia quickly.
“Since it looks like we’re going to be spending a lot of time together, we should probably have dinner to get to know each other better,” Katy said to Amelia.
“We are?” Amelia asked, feeling stupid and about ten steps behind in the conversation. She’d been caught completely off guard and had no idea how a literal movie star had ended up sitting with her and Georgia in Incantation Café. Other than Silas, Keating Hollow wasn’t known for attracting celebrities.
“Of course. Since I’m living with Grayson, I assume we’ll see each other all the time.”
Hanna returned and placed the drink and coffee cake on the table. “Here you go.”
Amelia was too busy gaping at Katy to answer Hanna. “You’re… um, living with Grayson?”
Katy chuckled. “Yep. I needed a break from the industry, so I came here to Grayson’s. But don’t worry. We’ve lived with each other off and on for years. In fact, ever since he moved out a couple months ago, I’ve been missing waking up next to him. The man is a human furnace. But I’m guessing you already know that.”
Amelia’s stomach rolled. “You sleep in the same bed?”
“Sometimes. Usually after we’ve been drinking. You know how it is when alcohol is involved.” Katy stood. “Anyway, I need to get going. I’m meeting Grayson at the brewery. Are you free tomorrow for dinner? My treat.”
No. Say no, Amelia told herself. She wasn’t sure she could survive a dinner alone with the actress if she had to hear about her sleeping in the same bed with Grayson. “I’m not sure I’m free,” Amelia hedged.
“Oh, come on. I’ll tell you all about the time Grayson and I nearly got arrested as we were leaving Amsterdam.” Katy flashed a million-dollar smile and added, “He’s such a good guy. I’m really thrilled that he found someone he cares so much about.”
“Yeah, okay,” Amelia found herself saying. There couldn’t be anything going on between them. Not after that last statement. It was clear Katy knew she and Grayson were seeing each other. Maybe she really did just want to make friends. But that didn’t explain why Katy was living with him or the fact that Grayson hadn’t mentioned it even once.
“Great! How about we meet at the Cozy Cave at six? There’s an ahi tuna dish on the menu that looks incredible,” Katy said. “Then we can both spill all the dirt on our favorite person.”
“Okay,” Amelia said again, feeling like she’d just been railroaded. Katy had swept in like a hurricane, dropped some concerning news, and managed to convince her it was a good idea to spend time together all in the span of about five minutes.
“It’s a date.” Katy stood, winked at Amelia, waved at Hanna and Georgia, and then disappeared as quickly as she’d arrived.
The three of them stared after her. When the door closed behind her, Georgia said, “Holy witch’s brew. Did that really just happen?”
“That was… crazy,” Hanna added.
Amelia blinked at both of them. Finally, she cleared her throat and asked, “Did you guys get the feeling that Katy Carmichael is major trouble with a capital T? And not in the good way?”
“Definitely,” Georgia said. “That sickeningly fake niceness combined with expert-level manipulation is perfect for the villain in my next book.”
“You need to be careful with that one,” Hanna said thoughtfully, still staring at the door where the other woman had disappeared. “If it’s true she and Grayson are longtime friends, it’s going to be hard to shake her if she is up to something shady. You don’t want him to have to take sides.”
“Especially if you don’t know which side he’d land on,” Georgia said.
Amelia groaned. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
They both gave her sympathetic looks. Georgia reached across the table and covered one of Amelia’s hands with hers. Hanna did the same. Georgia squeezed and said, “Just remember that we’re here if you need to talk. Heck, we’re here if you just want a margarita.” She grinned at Amelia. “And no matter what goes down, we’re on your side. Just try not to get us in a situation where we need to bury the body.”
Hanna laughed, her eyes twinkling with mirth. Georgia just shrugged one shoulder and cracked a smile. “Yeah, digging graves isn’t really my thing. So do your best, okay?” Hanna added.
Amelia shook her head, chuckling at them. But then she beamed and squeezed both of their hands as she said, “Thank you. When’s margarita night? I’ll bring the mocktails.”
“Shoot. Pregnant lady in the house,” Georgia said, lightly slapping her forehead with her palm. “Appetizers then.”
“I’m still having a margarita,” Hanna said, waving at someone who’d walked into the café.
“And I’ll be sipping the virgin kind.” Amelia picked up the coffee cake and took a big bite. Once she swallowed, she added, “Or I’ll just eat this. Damn, Hanna. What do you put in these?”
“You know. The usual,” Hanna said. “Let’s do margarita night Saturday. By then you’ll have a ton of good gossip for us. I mean, since you’ll be
hobnobbing with a literal movie star.”
“I’m in,” Georgia said.
“Saturday it is,” Amelia said with a sigh. “Let’s just hope I make it that long without killing anyone.”
Georgia stood and clasped a hand on Amelia’s shoulder. “I have faith.”
Hanna agreed.
Amelia just shook her head and said, “You two are enjoying this entirely too much.”
“That’s what friends are for,” Georgia said. “We’re there for the highs and lows and everything in between. I know we just met, but I can sense that we’re going to be great friends. Now go. Get out of here and get yourself some real food. Gotta keep that baby fed.”
With happy tears in her eyes, Amelia gave them both a quick hug, promised to let them know if anything really juicy happened, and then walked out of the café, already calling Grayson.
Chapter 14
Grayson clutched the wheel of his Toyota as he navigated the winding mountain highway. His day had been spent on the northern most point of the California coast, talking to various restaurant owners and buyers. He was determined to help the Keating Hollow Brewery distribute their ciders up and down the 101 corridor. The ciders were popular, and this was the push they needed to expand production.
He’d risen early, did his best to dodge Kira, and then had taken off, determined to get the job done in time to make his appointment with Rhys, the man who was the genius behind the Keating Hollow Brewery ciders. He needed to nail down contracts so that the brewery knew just how much they needed to put into the expansion to meet demand. Normally he didn’t take such a big interest in their suppliers, but he’d connected with Rhys the first night he’d been in Keating Hollow and really believed in their product.
And if he was being honest with himself, it felt good using his talents of persuasion for something good instead of keeping spoiled stars out of trouble.
Once Grayson emerged from the mountain and took a right onto the highway that led back into Keating Hollow, his phone chimed with notifications of a mix of texts and phone calls. He groaned. Kira had been trying to get him on the phone for most of the day, but he’d let all the calls go to voicemail and sent her a text that he was busy with clients. It appeared her patience had run out.
Too bad, he thought, because he still had one more appointment to make before he called it a day.
His phone rang again, but this time it wasn’t Kira. Amelia’s name flashed on the screen mounted in his dash. He pressed the button to answer it and spoke over the Bluetooth system. “Amelia, how was your day?”
“I guess I’d describe it as interesting.” There was no mistaking the irritation in her tone.
“What happened?” he asked, pressing his foot on the accelerator. The sooner he got to town, the sooner he could run up to Amelia’s house and… do what? He wasn’t sure, but he ached to spend a quiet evening with her instead of dealing with whatever Kira wanted.
“I met your bestie today.”
“Huh?”
“Katy Carmichael? She said you’ve lived together off and on for years and that she misses waking up next to you,” Amelia said.
“What the hell?” Adrenaline shot through Grayson, and he had to force himself to not put the pedal to the floor. Getting into a car accident before he could ring Kira’s neck wasn’t acceptable. “Kira came to see you?”
“Kira? No. Katy. The actress. She said you two have been friends for years. She ambushed me at Incantation Café.”
“Dammit. I’m sorry, Amelia. Kira is Katy’s given name. She changed it for her acting career. I’d really rather talk to you about this in person. Where are you? Your house? I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
“No. I’m not home. And honestly, Grayson, I don’t really want to talk to you right now. I have some processing to do. Besides, I hear you have a date. Far be it from me to cause trouble. Just go have a good evening. I’ll talk to you in a day or two.”
“I don’t have a date. Where’d you get that idea?” he asked, though he could guess if Kira had been involved.
No response.
“Amelia?”
Silence.
“Dammit.” He hit the End button and told the car to call Amelia. It immediately went to voicemail. “Amelia, I just need to let you know that Kira showed up last night. I had no idea she was coming here, and I haven’t even talked to her since I left New York. I’m sorry she ambushed you. Please call me back.”
He ended the call and thumped the steering wheel with his palm in frustration. What was wrong with Kira? The night before she’d seemed vulnerable and ready to change. But what he’d just heard from Amelia told him that had all been a lie. She had to know that he wouldn’t like her tormenting Amelia. And what about the paparazzi? Surely they were bound to get wind of her. Their lives were about to be splattered on the front page of all the gossip rags.
Grayson gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the throbbing right above his left eye. This was the kind of shit he’d hoped to never have to deal with again. He should’ve known he’d never be free of it.
As he rolled into town, he contemplated heading straight for Amelia’s house but knew he needed to give her space. She’d said she didn’t want to talk, and since she hadn’t called him back, he had to honor that.
One thing he knew he wasn’t going to do was go home where Kira was surely waiting for him. No, he was going to keep his appointment with Rhys and hope that Amelia would be ready to talk soon. He needed to explain, and he desperately wanted to know what else Kira had told her.
The parking lot at the Keating Hollow Brewery was still full for the evening when he pulled into the last available spot. Glancing at the clock, he frowned. It was getting close to eight, kind of late for a full house. He decided that they were likely holding an event and hoped Rhys wouldn’t be too busy to meet with him.
There was a lot of chatter when he tugged the door open, but there wasn’t any live entertainment, nor did there appear to be an organized event. Grayson nodded to the hostess and pointed to the bar.
She smiled at him and returned his nod as she leaned down to talk to another customer she’d just seated.
The bar was crowded, but he found a seat at the very end where Lin Townsend usually sat and hopped up on the stool. Both Rhys and Clay, the manager, were behind the counter pouring beers and ciders from the taps.
Rhys spotted him and raised a finger, indicating he’d be with him in a moment.
Grayson called, “Take your time.” Then he turned around and scanned the brewery. It took only a few seconds for him to realize why there was such a large crowd.
Katy Carmichael was holding court at a table in the back that wasn’t visible from the entrance. She was sitting on the table itself, signing autographs and preening for selfies.
Holy freakin’ attention whore. What had gotten into her? Had she lost her mind? She was going to be all over the front page of every gossip rag from Hollywood to London.
“Grayson!” she called, waving at him, her smile so bright he thought it might blind him.
He was careful not to scowl at her. No doubt someone would snap that picture and then there’d be an even bigger PR nightmare. Grayson had been wary to never make the story about him when they were spotted in public together. Just once, right after they’d broken up, one of the photographers had heard them arguing. And the very next day, Grayson’s picture, along with his life story, had been up for public consumption. It had been one of the worst weeks of his life, seeing the pictures in a few of the magazines of the car crash that had taken his parents from him.
Thankfully, Grayson was no one in the entertainment industry, and his part in the story had faded away quickly when Kira started seeing an actor whose star was on the rise.
“What took you so long?” Kira asked, slipping her arm around his waist and peering up at him with adoring eyes. He knew that look. It was the one that meant she was playing this up for the audience, even if that audience only included the resid
ents of Keating Hollow. “I was starting to think you’d stood me up.”
Grayson leaned down and whispered in her ear, “It’s hard to stand someone up when you haven’t made a date.”
She blinked up at him, her blue eyes wide. “I disagree. This morning I asked where we were having dinner tonight. You said the Keating Hollow Brewery, and I said, ‘Great. I’ll meet you there.’”
He frowned, recalling that the conversation had been very different. She’d asked when he’d be back, and he’d said he didn’t know because he had an appointment at the brewery. She’d said something about picking up burgers, and he’d nodded. That was not a plan to eat out together. “I have a business meeting, Kira,” he said through clenched teeth, annoyed he had to deal with this at all.
“Of course. You go ahead. I’ll be right here when you’re done.” She gave him a brilliant smile and floated back to the table and her adoring fans.
Grayson took a deep breath and turned away from her, willing himself to put her out of his mind. He had business to attend to. If Kira wanted to blow up her quiet existence in Keating Hollow that was on her. She knew better. He didn’t need to babysit her anymore.
“Grayson, hey, man,” Rhys said, holding his hand out. “It’s kind of crazy in here tonight.” He nodded toward Katy Carmichael and chuckled. “I swear, who would’ve thought Keating Hollow would become the go-to spot for some of today’s hottest celebs?”
“It does seem surreal, doesn’t it?” Grayson said, forcing a smile. “Good for business though.”
“Definitely. Come on back to the office so we can talk shop.” Rhys waved him behind the counter, and Grayson was relieved to leave the celebrity spectacle behind him.
“I have good news,” Grayson said when he sat across from Rhys in the orderly office. “I’ve secured another half dozen accounts between here and Smith River. They aren’t huge, but there are a couple in Crescent City that are popular places for the locals that should prove promising. I have the initial orders here.” He pulled out his laptop and opened a spreadsheet. “I think these, along with the contracts I’ve already secured, should be sufficient for my company to win exclusive distribution of the territory as well as to guarantee enough orders that you should be able to expand production.”
