by Deanna Chase
“And you. It’s not right of them to put your story in the magazine. You’re not a public figure,” she said, her heart aching that he’d have to relive that awful night.
“I’m pissed as hell, but it won’t wreck me. I’m more worried about burying the story to protect both you and Kira.”
This time tears did start to fall, but not because she was worried about herself. She realized she was completely and utterly in love with the man sitting across from her. He really was the protector she knew him to be. She was proud of him but also sad that he was leaving, and she had no idea when he’d be back.
“What is it, love?” he said softly. “What can I do to help?”
“I’ll just miss you, that’s all.” She sniffed.
“Miss me?” he asked, confusion lining his face. “Oh. I guess I forgot to tell you. I got you a ticket, too. I’d like you to come with me.”
Her mouth dropped open in pure shock. “You’re serious?”
He nodded. “This affects you, too, right? No reason to stay behind unless you can’t get the time off work.”
“I can,” she said immediately. With her being on administrative duty, she wasn’t exactly essential. “When do we leave?”
He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Twenty-five minutes.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Chapter 24
Grayson held Amelia’s hand as they walked up to the gorgeous home on the bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. He had to admit that he wouldn’t have guessed that this would be a place Kira would’ve purchased. It was clearly a gorgeous house, but it was more traditional compared to the other places she’d purchased in the past. It had a much quieter elegance than the Cape Cod house or any of her homes in LA, New York, or Vail.
“This is amazing,” Amelia said, glancing around at the grounds.
Grayson guessed the place was on about an acre of land. It was secured by a locked gate, but most of it was covered in green foliage, giving it more of an Anne of Green Gables feel. “It is pretty. Not what I expected at all.”
“Me either to be honest,” Amelia said. “Your friend seems like she’d prefer something more modern and sleeker than this.”
“She usually does.” He shrugged and rang the doorbell.
The door was opened immediately by Kira’s longtime house manager, Lindsey Crane. “Grayson. Thank goodness you’re here.” She waved him in but paused when she spotted Amelia. After clearing her throat, she asked, “And who might this be?”
“Lindsey, this is Amelia Holiday, my girlfriend and the other person the article mentioned.”
“Nice to meet you,” Amelia said, holding her hand out.
The house manager seemed nonplussed, but eventually shook Amelia’s hand. “Yes. The pleasure is mine.” She turned to Grayson. “Does Katy know she’s coming?”
Grayson shrugged. “Does it matter?” Lindsey had known him for years. She knew damned well he’d never bring over anyone who was a threat to Kira.
“I suppose not. There’s a mess to fix, and I reckon you’re the only one who can get it done at this point.” She stepped aside, and Grayson and Amelia entered the newly remodeled home.
Grayson glanced around and wondered who’d decorated the place. For once, one of Kira’s homes was full of color, lots of tasteful art, and comfortable-looking furniture instead of the modern stuff she usually preferred that often made his back hurt just thinking about it. “Where is she?” he asked Lindsey.
“Upstairs, last bedroom on the right.”
“Thanks.” He nodded to her and then tugged Amelia along with him.
“Do you think I should stay down here while you talk to her?” Amelia asked when they reached the staircase.
“No. This involves all of us. Kira knows you’re coming.” He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Don’t worry. You belong here with me.”
She nodded, but he could tell she was a little bit uncomfortable. He didn’t blame her; so was he. Both of them were about to experience a major privacy invasion if he couldn’t figure out how to get them to bury the story.
“Look at those views,” Amelia said, staring out the wall of windows on the second-floor bonus room area.
“It’s really something. But to be honest, I prefer the redwood valley,” Grayson said.
She chuckled. “Seriously? I know it’s pretty there, but would you really choose the valley view over this ocean?”
He nodded. “It’s where you are.”
“Dammit, Grayson. You’re going to make me cry again. Do you know how hard it is for a pregnant woman to keep her emotions in check?”
He just chuckled. “You seem to do okay.”
Amelia wiped at her eyes and then smiled at him. “You’re a little cheesy. Romantic, sure, but cheesy.”
He winked. “I try.”
When they got to the door at the end of the hall, it was cracked open slightly. Grayson knocked. “Kira?”
“In here,” she called.
Grayson pushed the door open and the two of them walked into a room that was completely different from the rest of the house. He’d seen this room before. Only not in person. It was in a vision. There wasn’t a glimpse of color anywhere with its white furniture, other than the brilliant blue from the dramatic view of the coastline.
Kira was sprawled on a chaise lounge, wearing a short, white silk robe and nothing else. She held her hand out to him, “Welcome home, Grayson.”
He rolled his eyes. “You know this isn’t my home and never will be. It’s nice though.”
She just shrugged one shoulder. “You know my homes are your homes. It was just an expression.” Her voice was tired as if she hadn’t gotten much sleep. That wasn’t unusual. She barely slept when she was stressed about something. Though he was impressed with how normal she was behaving. At one time, finding out all of her business was going to drop in a magazine article would have sent her spiraling. He wondered what was different this time.
Grayson gestured toward the door where Amelia still stood. “Amelia’s here.”
Kira immediately sat up and glanced over at her. “Amelia, I’m so sorry you’ve gotten caught up in this mess. You don’t deserve any of this.”
“I’m sorry it’s happening to you, too,” Amelia said, stepping into the room. “It’s awful for them to run this story.”
Kira turned to Grayson. “You told her everything? The miscarriage and my mom?”
“Not your mom.” He grimaced. “I only filled her in on the stuff the reporter asked her for comments on out of respect for your privacy.”
Kira gave him a soft smile. “You’re a kind man and the best friend I’ve ever had. But it’s too late. The story already leaked online. My lawyers are all over them to post a retraction about the parts that are wrong, but it won’t matter now. People will believe what they want to believe.”
“It’s already leaked?” Grayson asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket. It didn’t take long for his eyes to widen in surprise and then narrow in anger.
“It happened about ten minutes ago. I can’t apologize enough. Especially to you, Amelia.” She rose from her chaise lounge and walked over to her. “I was terrible to you while I was in Keating Hollow. Some of the things I implied were awful. I have no excuse. I guess my only defense is that I was hurting and wanted Grayson to make it all better. Instead, he was focused on you, and I didn’t handle it well.”
Grayson nearly cried watching Kira apologize to Amelia. The humble woman speaking from her heart was the friend he’d grown up with. The one he’d stood by all these years even when she acted like an entitled actress and appeared to care about no one but herself. He’d known she was still in there. He’d witnessed glimpses of her fairly often, but never in this raw form without any filters or masks.
“I understand, and thank you for the apology. It means a lot,” Amelia said, giving her a kind smile.
“You do?” Kira asked, sounding completely taken aback. “But why? I was su
ch a bitch.”
Amelia chuckled. “Yeah. You were. But I understand that Grayson is your person, and you see me as a threat to that relationship. It makes sense that in a weak moment you’d lash out.”
Grayson moved closer to Amelia and wrapped an arm around her waist. After kissing her temple, he whispered, “You’re amazing.”
She smiled up at him, her face full of love and understanding. “So are you.”
“Ugh. Gag. You two are making me sick,” Kira teased. Her eyes were sad, but there was a small smile on her lips.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked her.
“I will be now that you two are here.”
He raised an eyebrow that she pointedly ignored. Grayson was surprised she’d included Amelia in that statement, but he wasn’t going to push it. She was trying, and he appreciated it more than she could know. “If you two don’t mind, I’m going to step out and see if I can do anything about that story. I don’t know how successful I’ll be if a giant lawsuit hasn’t stopped them, but I can try.”
“I’m fine here,” Amelia said. Then she glanced at Kira. “If that’s okay with you of course. I can go to another room if you want your privacy.”
“No. You’re welcome here,” Kira said and gestured to the couch in the sitting area of her oversized master bedroom. “Take a seat. I’ll get you something to drink.”
Kira slipped her arm through Grayson’s and walked him out of the room into the hallway.
“You’re going to get drinks?” he asked her, amused.
“Yes. Me. Is that so impossible to believe?” she asked indignantly.
“No. I’ve known you since before you were Katy Carmichael, remember? I’m the only one who knows that you can make a mean chocolate cake from scratch and that you always end up overcooking the pasta.”
She snorted, and he knew it was because both of those things were true.
Grayson took a moment to really study her before adding, “But look at you. You look like one of those reality TV stars who has staff to handle everything. And to be fair, you usually do these days. What’s up with just Lindsey hanging around?”
“I told you. I’m making changes. I just needed some time away from that life, and as incredible as it seems, the simpler things are, the happier I am.” She shrugged and then smirked. “It turns out I actually can get my own sparkling water. Who knew?”
“I did.” He hugged her and then wondered if he should stop doing that as he glanced at the bedroom where Amelia waited for him. Just as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it. She wouldn’t want him withholding affection from his best friend because of her. Amelia had a bigger heart than that. When he let Kira go, he said, “Let me see what I can do. Be nice to Amelia, okay?”
“I have been being nice,” she said defensively.
“You have. I just want to make sure you keep at it, all right?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad.” Kira turned and started walking back toward her room.
“Kira?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s good to see you. These changes you’ve made? They’re already noticeable.”
That tiny smile was back, only this time it actually reached her eyes. “Thanks.”
Chapter 25
Amelia stood near the window, staring out at the vast ocean. She wondered what it must be like to have so much money that one could buy a home with such beauty without even batting an eye. Grayson had told her that Katy had multiple homes. It was inconceivable to Amelia, a woman who worked for the firehouse, to comprehend owning even one place like the gorgeous beach house, much less multiples.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Katy said from behind her.
“It’s breathtaking. I don’t mind admitting that I’m a bit jealous,” Amelia said.
Katy let out a huff of laughter. “That makes two of us then.”
Amelia turned to eye the actress. She’d managed to change into jeans and a wrap-around shirt that showed off her narrow waist without Amelia noticing. Maybe that was because there was a completely separate dressing room that no doubt had a closet the size of Amelia’s house. “Uh, why in the world would you be jealous of me? I work at the firehouse.”
Katy’s gaze dropped to Amelia’s growing belly. Pain flashed over her pretty features before she glanced away.
“Oh, shit.” Amelia wished for the floor to open up and swallow her whole. How could she be so careless with her words. “I’m sorry. That was really insensitive of me. I wasn’t thinking.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Katy said as she wiped a single tear away. “I know you weren’t trying to hurt me.”
“I wasn’t. Not at all.”
Katy didn’t respond. She just moved to the couch, curled up in the corner, and covered her legs with a big white fuzzy blanket.
Amelia didn’t know what else to say, so she blurted, “That’s a really cute top. I like it.”
“Thanks. I do, too. Turns out not everything has to be designer in order for it to look good.” She made a face, indicating that she was making fun of herself. “Take a seat. If history is any indication, Grayson is going to be a while.”
“Sure.” Even though she would’ve preferred to stay where she was and keep studying the dramatic view, she retreated and sat at the other end of the couch.
“There’s another blanket here if you need it.” Katy pointed to another white throw laying on the back of the couch.
“Thanks. But I’m fine. I’m a fire witch, so I normally run a little warm.”
“That must come in handy. I could use that skill,” Katy said. “Instead, I’m stuck with a strange spirit talent that seems only to be good for knowing when it’s going to snow.”
“Really?” Amelia asked, intrigued. “That is strange. Can you tell when it’s going to rain?”
“Not unless I look at the weather app. Told ya. It’s weird.”
“Well, who needs magic when you can act as well as you do, right? That’s a far greater talent than most people,” Amelia said. “I can’t wait for your next movie to come out. It must’ve been wild working with Maverick Miles. He’s gorgeous.”
Katy pressed her lips together into a thin line before abruptly changing the subject. “Do you and your mom get along?”
“Um, I guess so,” Amelia said. “I wouldn’t say we’re close, but she loves me, and I love her. She’s a good person.”
Katy nodded. “If you called her right now, would she pick up the phone?”
“If she was available, sure.” Amelia frowned, confused by the line of questioning and the fact that the actress had made a complete U-turn in their conversation. “Kira, I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong when I mentioned Maverick? If so, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just trying to make conversation. I’m not trying to wrangle a meet-and-greet or anything.”
She waved an unconcerned hand. “Of course not.” Then she chuckled. “It never crossed my mind that you’d be trying to use me to meet more celebrities, so don’t worry about that. It’s just me. I don’t want to talk about acting right now. I’m taking a break, trying to recharge and figure out what I want to do next with my life. Talking about ex… costars just makes that harder. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“I see,” Amelia said, not missing her pause when she’d said ‘ex.’ Had she dated Maverick? If so, it made sense that she didn’t want to talk about him, but she took the actress at her word that she just didn’t want to discuss her job. “Sorry about that. Okay, back to mothers. Do you get along with yours?”
“My adopted mom, yeah. We get along mostly. It’s sort of the same. She loves me, and I love her, but we’re not super close. She doesn’t really get me, and I don’t really get her.”
“You’re adopted?” Amelia said, unable to hide the surprise in her tone. That wasn’t something she’d seen coming.
Katy tilted her head to the side. “Grayson didn’t tell you?”
Amelia shook her head. “Why wo
uld he?”
“The article, it’s all in there… oh, wait. He did say he wanted to respect my privacy, didn’t he?”
“He did.” Amelia agreed. “He’s good at that kind of thing.”
She let out a sigh and pressed two fingers to her temple, rubbing it. “You’re right. He’s the best. I’m lucky to have him as a friend.”
Amelia opened her mouth to say that she was sure Grayson felt the same way, but Katy started talking again, cutting her off.
“But my birth mom? No. She’s not interested in meeting me. Apparently being a successful actress who is offered role after role after role in a business that is more fickle than a tomcat isn’t good enough for the great Jeanette Brooks.”
Amelia had to force herself not to gasp. Jeanette Brooks? She was like the greatest actress of all time. She’d played every role from Jackie O to Audrey Hepburn and had gotten Oscars for a majority of them. “Wow. That’s…”
“Crazy? Insane? Messed up?” Katy said.
“Yeah, all of that,” Amelia said. “When did you find out that she’s your mother?”
“Not long ago. Less than a month. In fact, it was when I was in Keating Hollow that my lawyer told me she didn’t want to meet. I was a complete mess. I’m afraid I took some of it out on you. I’m sorry for that by the way.”
“You’ve already apologized, and it’s already forgotten.” That was a lie. She’d really caused Amelia a lot of anxiety, but Amelia wasn’t going to dwell on it, and she was determined to make friends with Grayson’s bestie if it was the last thing she did. She could tell the other woman was hurting, and it was obvious she needed someone to talk to. So despite her instinct not to pry, Amelia asked, “How do you know she doesn’t want to meet you? Did you manage to make contact with her?”
“My lawyer spoke to her lawyer. It didn’t go well. Now this damned story is out there, and I think Jeanette is going to think I did it on purpose so people would start snooping around and figure out who she is.”
“I think I need to read this story,” Amelia said. “Because I don’t understand why she’d think that.”
