The River Valley Series

by Tess Thompson

  “This here crowd’s getting their buzz on like it’s Friday, not Thursday,” said Cindi during a momentary lull, sipping on a glass of water. “Never saw the place filled with so many strangers. We’re not used to that, you know.”

  Bella smiled, lifting her drink in a mock toast. “Hollywood’s invaded.”

  “Damn straight. Hey, they’re a strange lot, that’s for sure, but we’re happy for their money.” Cindi’s base makeup was too dark for her skin and the mascara was applied too heavily and looked clumpy. The blue eye shadow? It had to go. If only there was an anonymous way to give people makeup tips.

  Bella glanced toward the end of the bar. Was that Amanda? It was. Bella would know her bland Barbie-replica face anywhere. Who was she with? Fred. The town cop? They were huddled together, obviously talking intimately, her long blond hair like a curtain over their faces. Then they kissed. Just a light kiss but a kiss just the same. Bella leaned back slightly to see under the bar. Fred’s hand was on Amanda’s thigh.

  Just then Amanda looked over and waved. She and Fred slipped off their stools and came over. “Bella Webber, right?” said Amanda.

  “Yes, nice to see you again, Amanda. And Fred, right?”

  “That’s right. Welcome back.” Fred Hughes was unsophisticated and earnest, with skin the color of a baby pig and a receding hairline unfair for someone in his early twenties. Hapless, Drake called him, which Annie chastised him for. Annie didn’t like any of her local friends mocked, especially by her new husband, who could be sarcastic and wry. According to Annie, Fred was fresh from the police academy and had the potential to be a great cop despite the fact he’d been worthless to help Annie when her abusive ex-boyfriend had threatened her life. “Never mind that,” Annie had said to Drake. “Fred came through in the end.”

  “Annie told me you’re working on the movie. That’s so cool.” Amanda smiled, her eyes blank. The girl was guileless, sweet, Bella thought. Don’t be such a meanie. But, still, there was just nothing much between this girl’s ears. “Did Annie tell you I’m opening a café?”

  “A café?”

  “Yeah, well, more like a diner. Just breakfast and lunch. My grandmother and Lee and Tommy are investing.”

  Amanda was opening a business? How was it possible a twelve-year-old was opening a business? But the town needed a good breakfast place, no question. “Will you have blueberry pancakes?” asked Bella.

  “I guess.” Amanda paused, wrinkling her brow. “Should I?”

  “It’s a must.”

  “Do you hear that, baby? Blueberry pancakes are a must.”

  Baby? Fred had more game than she thought.

  “Anyway, we’re on our way out,” said Amanda, flushing as she put her arm through Fred’s. “Just wanted to say hello.”

  They were headed out to have sex. Because that’s what people in love did. Well, at least there was a chance Bella might get some blueberry pancakes while she was here. This was a consolation, at least. There was always cake, in its various forms.

  A few minutes later Mike plopped on the bar stool next to her. “Bella, good to see you. How you been?” He sounded subdued, almost defeated. This wasn’t like him. Mike looked like the Marlboro man and had the soul of Ghandi. When it came to River Valley and its residents, the town’s honorary mayor would die trying to save it.

  “I’m good,” she answered. “Just got into town. Great to be here.”

  “You bring a little extra light to the place, that’s for certain.” He tapped the bar. “Cindi, I need a beer and a shot of whiskey.”

  Cindi looked at him with surprise. “Whiskey? Hard day?”

  Mike rubbed his eyes. “One of the worst of my life.”

  Cindi poured him a shot from one of the whiskeys lining the shelf behind the bar and set it in front of him. “What happened? Is Sharon all right?” She tilted a pint glass under a draft, stopping the flow of the amber liquid just as it reached the top.

  “Yeah, she’s fine. On her way over here now, as a matter of fact. I told her she’ll need to drive me home.” He threw back the shot, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I have to close the sawmill.”

  “What?” Cindi’s face looked like he’d just told her someone close to them had died. “The sawmill?”

  “It’s been coming for a long time now. Just can’t afford to keep it going with so many of the restrictions on timber. You know I’ve wondered for years how I’d keep it going and if it was possible to make it work, but it’s just not. I only employ thirty people out there now, but still, that’s thirty about to lose their jobs.”

  They spoke for a time about the logistics of stopping production and what he would do about telling the employees. Bella was listening absently because her mind was whirring. Could her makeup line be manufactured here? Could they turn Mike’s mill into a factory that made cosmetics instead of lumber? She’d need at least thirty employees if not more if she were to do what she wanted to do.

  “Mike,” she said, without thinking first. “I have an idea for a business. I’ve been too scared to actually do it but I don’t know, maybe the mill closing is a sign or something.”

  Mike’s face went from defeated to interested. “I believe in signs. The vision for River Valley’s resurrection came to me in a dream in the form of a talking fish.”

  “A talking fish?”

  “Yep. You heard me. Never mind. I’ll tell you later. Tell me your idea.”

  “I’ve wanted to start my own makeup line for years. I have a company that can put together the formulas for the products. I have funding. We could manufacture it here if we built a lab.”

  “Like where my mill is now?”

  “Exactly. It could employ a lot of people.”

  “Holy shit, girl. Why haven’t you done this before?”

  “Too chicken.”

  He motioned for Cindi to pour him another shot. “Pour me another. A shot to toast the future, not mourn the past.”

  “Well, I’m still not sure.” Amanda was starting a business. Dumb little Amanda. Surely she could do as much.

  He looked her straight in the eyes. “Fear is the opposite of love, my dear. Just keep that in mind.” He downed the shot and then tapped the surface of the bar with the tip of his finger. “Speaking of love, Ben Fleck was talking about you today. I left him a message about the mill closing to see if maybe he had work for any of my people. Instead of calling me back, he came by my office personally to see how he could help. So nice of him.”

  Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She pulled on her earring, trying to appear nonchalant. “He was asking about me?”

  “Yep.” Mike’s eyes twinkled at her. “You heard me.”

  She sipped her martini, wanting to ask what he’d said but her pride kept her from it.

  Mike lowered his voice. “Don’t you tell him I said this but don’t give up on him. He’s been hurt and has some scar tissue but he fell for you hard. He’ll be back. You mark my words on that.”

  Just then Gennie entered through the front door. Bella stood and motioned for her to come over. “Mike, you want to meet Gennie?”

  “Oh, shoot, she won’t want to meet me.”

  “Don’t be silly. She’s a regular girl.”

  “I want to meet her,” said Cindi.

  Mike’s face was flushed, probably from the whiskey. “I’m starting to feel a hell of a lot better.”

  Genevieve was making her way toward them. The locals, interspersed with the movie folks who seemed not to notice her at all, stopped whatever they were doing and stared. Bella was used to this. Whenever the two of them went out in Los Angeles the same thing happened. When Genevieve reached them, Mike immediately jumped from his stool as Bella introduced them.

  “Mike’s kinda the honorary mayor in town here,” said Bella. “He and Tommy,” she said, pointing toward the band, “have transformed this town from a dying meth factory to a tourist destination.”

  Cindi, grinning, reached her hand across the
bar. “I’m Cindi. That’s Cindi with an i.”

  Gennie returned Cindi’s vigorous handshake. “So nice to meet you. Bella’s told me so much about you. I hear you’re quite the sharp shooter.”

  “Well, God don’t care for a bragger but yeah, it’s true,” said Cindi. “Now do you want a cof a cuppa? I hear you actresses don’t eat or drink.”

  “Miss Banks, please, take my seat,” said Mike.

  “Thank you so much.” She smiled at him, revealing perfectly straight white teeth behind her full lips: the smile that made millions of fans, both men and women, swoon. “Actually, Cindi, I’m dying for a glass of wine.” Before she slid onto the stool, Genevieve leaned over and kissed Bella on the cheek. “Sorry I’m so late. Richard had a bunch of notes for me.” Genevieve’s long brown hair was loose, falling glossy down her back. She wore only a touch of foundation, blush, mascara, and lip gloss and was dressed in loose jeans and a light blue cashmere sweater. This was one woman who needed no makeover. She turned back to Mike.

  “Now, tell me more about how you transformed River Valley. I’m from a little town very similar to this and I can’t imagine how you did it.”

  Mike grinned. “Well, now, it’s not entirely true that it was just Tommy and me. It started with this restaurant when Lee took it over, then her friend Linus opened the inn next door, and then the resort was built, and then Ben Fleck brought Hylink into town and now, Miss Banks, you and your beautiful people have come. And, as they say, the rest is history. But more importantly, Miss Banks, red or white?”

  “White. Less calories and it won’t stain my teeth.” She rolled her large brown eyes. “Cindi’s right. I can’t eat or drink much, especially during filming. My trainer’s been texting me to stay away from the craft table.”

  “Craft table?” asked Mike.

  “The food table. My favorite place on set,” said Bella. “Gennie’s trainer is this forty-pound waif with the heart of a Nazi. I think it’s because she’s so hungry.”

  Genevieve’s eyes went wide before she burst out laughing. “You know she gets results. But yes, she’s a nasty little thing.” She turned her attention to Mike, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her during the entire conversation. “Bella’s very protective of me. You should see how she acts before an awards show—like a little hummingbird, touching up my face every five minutes. She’s Hollywood’s most talented woman with paint and a brush.”

  Bella, flushing, shook her head dismissively. “That’s my job, Mike. Don’t listen to her.”

  “Well, Miss Banks, Bella didn’t lie about you. No doubt about it.” Mike’s handsome, rugged face was soft with admiration.

  Genevieve raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side. “Oh, really? What did she say? That I look like hell in the mornings before she fixes me up?”

  “Miss Banks, I doubt you could ever look bad even on your worst day.”

  Genevieve smiled again, putting her hand on Mike’s shoulder for a moment. “How kind of you to say.”

  Mike motioned to Cindi, who was talking with several of the cameramen at the other end of the bar. “Now, let me get you a glass of wine.”

  “Mike just got married,” said Bella to Gennie.

  “Yeah, old codgers like me can get a second chance. Never would’ve predicted it in a hundred years.”

  Gennie’s face darkened for a moment, and she met Bella’s eyes. “We’re looking for a second chance, aren’t we, Bella?”

  “This is the place for them. Something in the water.” Mike motioned for another shot.

  Sharon had come in and was walking towards them. Mike stood, motioning to his wife to join them. “Oh, Miss Banks, my wife is your biggest fan. I’m warning you, she may gush.”

  Sharon made her way through the crowd and stared at Genevieve with an expression somewhere between seeing a ghost and Jesus. Or maybe the ghost of Jesus. As Bella introduced the women, the normally refined and unflappable Sharon flushed pink.

  “Sorry, my hands are damp,” said Sharon, shaking Genevieve’s outstretched hand.

  “We’re just talking about second chances,” said Genevieve.

  “Ours in particular,” said Mike, kissing his wife on the cheek.

  Sharon, as if she were outside her body, began to stammer and babble. “Yes, right, we’re second chanced. I mean, we had a second chance. Me widowed. Mike divorced. Both of us so lonely. And then, boom, there he was, all manly in his cowboy boots and jeans.” She stopped, bringing her hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I don’t normally talk this much.”

  Genevieve, her brown eyes warm, took a sip of wine. “No worries. It’s nice to see two people so obviously in love.”

  Bella darted a quick glance at both Mike and Sharon. Did they know about Genevieve’s recent divorce? Of course they did. It was impossible not to.

  “Oh, Bella, Stefan just came in.” Genevieve pointed at the front door. “He said he couldn’t come out, that he had to study his lines for tomorrow.”

  Bella looked at her friend closely. Was there something in her voice that had changed with the mention of Stefan’s name?

  “I think I might faint,” said Sharon. She put a hand up to her collar. “This is too much all in one night.” She looked over at Genevieve. “I’m just such a fan of both of you.”

  “Oh my gosh, I understand,” said Genevieve. “I’ve wanted to work with Stefan for a long time. Well, that and I loved the book. Have you read it?”

  Sharon nodded. “Of course. You know the writer’s from Oregon, right?”

  “Yes, from a town just like this one, is my understanding,” said Genevieve. “There’s something so romantic about it.”

  Mike chuckled. “You know what Lee Tucker always says about small towns in Oregon?”

  “What’s that?” asked Bella.

  “They all have Dairy Queens.”

  Genevieve laughed. “This is true. I wish I could have a Blizzard right this minute.”

  Bella nodded, stabbing an olive with a toothpick and pointing it at Genevieve. “Too bad it’s not open this late or I would run and get one. I’m thinking cookie dough.”

  “Stop,” said Genevieve. “My stomach’s growling.” She stood, waving to Stefan.

  “Nicest guy in the business,” said Bella to Sharon, eating her olive. “Easy on the eyes too.”

  “So true,” said Sharon, her eyes following Stefan as he made his way across the room.

  “Hey now, don’t forget about how handsome I am in my cowboy boots,” said Mike, his hand on Sharon’s leg.

  “Of course not, honey,” said Sharon. “What’s your name again?”

  Stefan was stopped twice to sign autographs on beer-soaked napkins before he finally arrived at the bar. Cindi, as if he were no different than any of her local patrons, slapped a napkin on the counter. “What’s your poison?”

  “Draft beer? Something bitter?” he said before kissing his costar on the cheek. “Hi, Gennie. Hey Bellalicious.” He tousled her curls.

  “I thought you weren’t coming out?” Genevieve was staring into her glass. Had her neck flushed when he said her name?

  “I’ve got the lines nailed. Felt like spending some time with you might be good for our work tomorrow,” said Stefan.

  Genevieve went pale. Tomorrow was the filming of their steamy scene. Bella knew she dreaded them. But Stefan was sweet and thoughtful. Surely that would make it easier?

  After a small break, Tommy and his band were back on stage. He greeted the crowd, who cheered and clapped, especially the locals. “Something slow to get this set started?”

  A couple of the women whistled. “Hell yeah, Tommy.”

  “Who’s this?” asked Stefan.

  “Tommy. Local. Songwriter for Nashville,” said Mike with pride in his voice. “And nicest guy you’ll ever know.”

  “And an EMT,” said Bella. “Hot, hot, hot EMT.”

  “You like him, Bellalicious?” asked Stefan, popping several peanuts into his mouth from the dish on the bar.
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  “God no,” said Bella. “He’s married to my sister-in-law’s best friend, Lee.” She made brief eye contact with Genevieve.

  “We take care of our own here,” said Mike to Gennie and Stefan. “You two let us know anything you need. And we’ll keep those idiot photographers away from you if we have to.”

  Cindi, pouring another draft beer for Mike, said, “I have ways of getting people to cooperate. Oregon ways.”

  Sharon whispered to Gennie and Stefan, looking somewhat alarmed. “She’s talking about a gun.”

  “I love this town,” said Genevieve, smiling wide and taking another sip of her wine.

  “I love the people in this town,” said Bella.

  “Couldn’t be happier we’re filming here,” said Stefan. “Makes me miss my home in B.C. Maybe I’ll buy a place here. What do you think, Bellalicious? Think I could meet a nice girl here, settle down?”

  “And break every single woman’s heart across the country?” teased Bella. “That’s just cruel.”

  Tommy began to sing one of his originals, currently a hit on country radio for one of the biggest stars in Nashville. “He’s fantastic,” said Stefan. “Reminds me of some of the Canadian folk singers I grew up listening to.”

  Mike put his arm around Sharon. “Great to meet you folks but we should get on home. Big day tomorrow.”

  “Yes, right. So nice to meet you,” said Sharon.

  Both Bella and Genevieve slid from their barstools. There were hugs all around. This is how they did it in River Valley, thought Bella. Always hugging.

  After they were gone, Bella was about to order a glass of red wine when she spotted Ben Fleck coming in the doorway.

  “I don’t believe it,” she muttered.