Crowned (Girls of Wonder Lane Book 2)

by Christina Coryell

  “No, actually…” Glancing at the floor, Harley studied the lines in the wood. “Do you want to come over?”

  “I imagined a lot of things, honestly, but this never crossed my mind.” Annie stood in the middle of Harley’s living room, staring at the stark walls and the neglected fireplace.

  As though she wanted to protect herself from the harsh reality, Harley wrapped her arms across her abdomen.

  “So Ryan was angry with you? Not that I blame him. Girl, this house is the end all, for real. I cannot believe you live here. I mean, you could step out the front door all covered in velvety green drapes with your hair rag-curled, yelling at Miss Sue Ellen, and I’d be like, ‘Yep. She’s Scarlett O’Hara, alright.’ You can’t do this to your poor house.”

  “I know,” Harley muttered. “I should have never bought it, but I was just so…stubborn and insistent on proving a point, I guess. But I can’t fix it. I barely make enough to afford the payments.”

  Stepping up to the window, Annie threw back the drapes, letting the last remains of afternoon light shine against the wall.

  “How many bedrooms do you have again?”

  Biting her lip, Harley glanced up at the stained ceiling.

  “Five.”

  “Five!” Annie repeated. “And you’re not even using the good ones, sentencing yourself to the first two so you don’t have to make any effort. The master bedroom is a really cool room. What do the stairs at the end of the hall lead to up there?”

  “The sitting room and the library. Oh, and the door that leads to the hothouse.”

  “‘Hey, Annie, what sort of place do you have?’ I’m glad you asked. It’s a great studio with one bedroom and quite a roomy bath. You? ‘Oh, it’s a charming old plantation candidate with a library and a hothouse.’” Giving up the southern accent she had proffered for her little speech, Annie placed her hand on her hip. “You snooty, hoity-toity little twerp.”

  “Hey!”

  “The way I see it, there’s really only one solution to your problem.” Stepping across to the fireplace, Annie wiped her finger across the dust on the mantle and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

  “What is that, exactly?”

  “I’m moving in.”

  “Just put trash bags over the hangers in the closet, and we’ll take out whole stacks of them at once.”

  Harley stood in the corner of Annie’s bedroom feeling slightly shell-shocked. When Annie said she was moving in, she believed she was being sarcastic, or at least was referring to a future date.

  No—when Annie said she was moving in, she meant she was moving in. As in that very night.

  “You know…it might make more sense to wait until after the holidays, right? I mean, you probably have to give your landlord a month’s notice or something?”

  “Nah.” Annie dismissed her words with a wave of her hand, pulling open a drawer. “My landlord is my dad’s business colleague, so no worries. Besides, why wait when you are in desperate need of some Christmas spirit in that palace?”

  “But we can’t move your furniture. And where are you going to put it, anyway? As I’m sure you noticed, the place is a bit…unfinished.”

  “So we put it in an unfinished room and move it around when your handyman is working in there.”

  “My handyman?”

  “You know, the guy you were telling me about earlier? Studly dude working on your neighbor’s roof?”

  “Annie!” Stepping aside to avoid a shoe that Annie threw in her direction, Harley planted herself resolutely with her hands on her hips. “Number one, I can’t afford to start paying a handyman to redo all the rooms in the house. Number two, just because a guy happens to be slightly good looking doesn’t mean I’m just going to give him free roam of the place. I know nothing about him!”

  “He’s your neighbor’s kid’s dad, right?”

  “Yeah, but she didn’t seem too keen on him, you know what I mean? Almost hostile, in fact. So the knowledge that he is that kid’s sperm donor gives me no confidence in his uprightness.”

  “Make him give you references, then,” Annie said, tossing another pair of shoes. “And when I give you rent, you can spend the entire thing on the repairs. Then you can just do whatever repairs you can afford each month. That’s a simple solution and you can start bringing your house back up to livable conditions.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Unless you don’t want me living in your house,” Annie suggested quietly, lowering herself to the bed. Harley sat beside her and studied her friend for a few seconds, noting her smooth, creamy exotic skin and those purple curls held back by a black comb. How could she deny her request, when Annie had practically let her run roughshod over her at The Revolving Closet for as long as the two had known one another?

  “Of course you can live with me, if that’s what you want. I just never gave the idea any thought before, and it’s taking a while to settle on me, so to speak.”

  Harley was surprised when Annie’s eyes filled with moisture, and she instinctively reached out for the other young woman’s hand.

  “Sorry,” Annie whispered, wiping at her eye. “It’s just…I’ve been having a rough time, and I could use somebody in my corner right now.”

  “I’m solid in your corner,” Harley assured her. “Solid.”

  “I know. The truth is, Daryl called me yesterday.”

  Daryl. This knowledge added nothing for Harley, because that name was totally unfamiliar.

  “And Daryl is?”

  “My ex.” Another tear escaped, and Annie brushed at it hurriedly. “We were a couple for a long time—most of college, and two years after. He played college football, and I loved being with him. He made me feel really special.”

  “So, why is it so bad that he called you?” It was only a gentle prod, but it sent Annie into a fit of tears. Moving over slightly, Harley wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulders.

  “Because he never wanted me to change,” Annie stated through shaky intakes of breath. “When we graduated, I cut six inches off my hair, and he dragged me down to the salon to get extensions to make it the way it was. He would inspect my refrigerator and cabinets constantly to make sure I was only eating things he approved, because he didn’t want me gaining or losing a pound.”

  “Sounds like a nice guy,” Harley added sarcastically.

  “When he asked me to marry him, I thought it was because he was finally convinced that I was good enough as I was. I should have known he wouldn’t follow through until he believed our lives were perfect. We moved in together, and that’s when things started going over the edge. The man controlled every aspect of my life—what I wore, how my makeup looked…even when and where I could see my friends or my parents. Finally, one day I had enough and called him on it. He slapped me so hard he left a handprint on my face.”

  “Oh, Annie…”

  “But I left. I left and I didn’t look back. Not until he called me, because the man can be very convincing. And I did love him.”

  “Sweetie, that’s not love.”

  “See?” she asked, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. “This is why I need you, okay? I need someone to knock some sense into me when I’m having a low moment.”

  “Get some sense, then,” Harley said quietly.

  Laughing in a hushed tone, Annie focused on Harley’s eyes. “I think that’s why I always do the crazy things to my hair, really. If I do run into Daryl, surely he won’t want me with purple hair.”

  “I’m surprised anybody wants you with purple hair.”

  “Harley!”

  “It’s a joke. I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

  “Thanks.” Rising to her feet, Annie shook her entire body as though she was trying to rid herself from her thoughts. “So, I guess I should slow down, huh? I’m being unreasonable.”

  “I don’t think so,” Harley insisted, picking up a shoe. “Get to work, lady, we have a lot of stuff to move. If we’re going to get that plantation ho
use back in shape, it’s going to take at least two Scarletts to make it happen.”

  “I’m looking for Jake…” Harley stated into the phone, glancing again at the little picture of River Rock Bed and Breakfast. Quaint and charming…a little like her own house, actually.

  “You got him. Who is this?”

  “This is Harley Laine, your…um, neighbor to Alexis.”

  “Right. I thought you were going to have your boyfriend call.”

  Ugh, why didn’t I? I should have let Ryan talk to him.

  “I just had a second, and dialed while I was thinking of it.” Harley looked down at the number again, wondering why the man had such an odd card in his possession. “Look, I’m very seriously considering using you to do some work in the house, but I was wondering if you had any references? Someone I could call, maybe?”

  “Oh,” he stammered, suddenly not sounding very sure of himself. Merely a guess, but Harley imagined that he didn’t find himself in that spot often. “Yeah, sure. I’m not really doing that kind of work at the moment here in Kentucky, but I did back in Tennessee. I could give you the names of a couple guys I worked with back there.”

  “That would be great.”

  Harley grabbed a pen and waited patiently until he began rattling off the names and numbers. Artie Randolph…got it. And Cole Parker.

  Wait a second…Cole Parker? That name sounds familiar.

  “Thanks, Jake, and I’ll call you when I know exactly what we want to do.”

  He made his goodbyes and hung up the phone, and Harley barely hesitated before she went to the Internet to see why that name sounded so familiar.

  Cole Parker…found him. College baseball phenomenon… Huh, really adorable, with that smile. Husband to Camdyn…

  Camdyn Taylor, go figure. The writer she tried to ambush at that conference. No wonder his name sounded familiar.

  So much for checking the references. It looked like hiring the contractor would definitely be a job for her boyfriend, after all.

  C hapter Twenty-One

  The BMW knew precisely where it was going as it turned onto the unassuming road, heading toward the unremarkable house that contained the most remarkable person in Harley’s life. She almost smiled to herself at that thought, but held it in so Annie wouldn’t think she was a raving lunatic.

  Annie, who sat in the passenger seat, simply stared out the window and studied the scenery. When Harley told Ryan she would pick him up for church Sunday morning, she didn’t mention Annie. To be fair, that was before Annie had visited Harley’s house…before she had decided that crashing with her friend was the best option. It was before Annie’s things had been piled into Harley’s empty living room like a giant leaning tower of random junk.

  When she pulled into the driveway, Harley prepared herself to give Ryan the news gently as she knocked on the door, but Annie bounced out of the car and strolled up the sidewalk like she owned the place, robbing Harley of the opportunity. Resigned to a couple guilty grimaces and apologetic glances, Harley prepared to greet Ryan.

  One knock on the door was all it took, and the hinges squeaked as the thing was thrown open. Rather than Ryan standing at the door, though, the two young women were faced with a brightly beaming Kelsey.

  “Hi, Harley!” she belted, not bothering to soften her grin. “Ryan said I could come with you guys and we could take Mom’s car.”

  “Oh,” Harley mumbled, nearly laughing at her young friend’s level of exuberance over going to church. She thought it was ridiculous, really. “Great, because Annie wanted to come, too. I hope that’s okay. You remember Annie?”

  “Hi, Annie.”

  Kelsey’s demeanor took on a note of shyness, and Harley stepped inside to save the three of them from any awkwardness. Her concern for Kelsey diminished almost immediately, however, when she was grabbed from behind by two strong arms around her waist.

  “I’m getting used to seeing your face,” he whispered against her ear, not taking notice of Annie or Kelsey.

  Fighting the blush that she could feel creeping across her neck, Harley smiled and tried to act unaffected. “And here I thought you probably dreamed about me every night.”

  “I wish. I’d script those dreams.”

  “So…church?” Peeling herself away from Ryan, Harley turned to focus a pleading gaze on him. “Are we ready to go?”

  “I call shotgun!” Kelsey stated cheerfully.

  “Then Annie’s driving,” Ryan added, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

  “Aw, heck no,” Annie complained. “I am not driving around a make-out mobile, okay? My behind will be firmly planted in the back seat, thank you very much.”

  “Your friend obviously thinks very little of your self-control.” Ryan playfully nudged Harley, who poked him in the ribs and gave him a slight glare.

  “Annie and I can ride in the back,” she informed him. “It will be good for my self-control.”

  During the twenty-minute car ride to the church, Harley informed Ryan and Kelsey about Annie’s plans to move into her house, and it was quickly established that Ryan would be happy to help move the furniture across town that afternoon, if for no other reason than Harley would actually have something to sit on. This led to some disapproving descriptions of Harley’s living conditions by both Annie and Ryan that left Kelsey gasping in response.

  “No worries,” Annie assured the occupants of the sedan. “Harley is already lining up the studly guy down the street to do some repairs.”

  “What?” Ryan’s eyes popped up to the rear view mirror so quickly, Harley was afraid he might run off the road.

  “I did call him to get his references, but I’m out of my league in that department. I was kind of hoping you’d talk to him.”

  “Me?” Although only his eyes were visible in the rear view mirror, there was definitely a smile evident in the upturn of the lines around them. “Actually, I know a few guys myself. Homely fellas.”

  “Hey, I’m living in the house now, too!” Annie protested, lifting one corner of her mouth. “Don’t deny me a little fun.”

  Ryan cleared his throat. “I’m already second-guessing this arrangement. Maybe you should get a different roommate, Harley. I’m thinking a nun, maybe? Or my grandma?”

  Kelsey erupted in a burst of giggles. “Grandma would do nothing but complain about the dust in the house. And she would probably walk around calling the repair guy a cutie-patootie.”

  Glad for the slight change of subject, Harley tugged against her seatbelt as she leaned forward. “Cutie-patootie?”

  “Grandma always says that to Ryan. She’ll pinch his cheek first, of course. He hates that. ‘Ryan, you’re such a cutie-patootie. When are you going to get a proper haircut, dear?’”

  “Kels!”

  “She would love you, Harley. She thinks Audrey Hepburn is the most beautiful woman to ever live, and you have a Hepburn-esque vibe about you.”

  “Is she for real?” Harley asked doubtfully, jerking her thumb toward Kelsey. “What seventeen year old says that people are Hepburn-esque?”

  “She is very Eliza Doolittle when she comes into my shop,” Annie interjected. “Sometimes she disrobes in the middle of the store.”

  “What?!” Ryan let a laugh escape before he managed to bring it under control.

  “Really, Annie, if you’re going to insist on disparaging me, I might be rethinking this whole living arrangement myself.”

  “Please don’t kick me out the plantation, Miss Scahlett,” Annie pleaded. “I be’s good, I promise!”

  Ryan turned the car into the church parking lot, and Harley let her breath out in a huff.

  “Thank goodness we’re at church,” Harley said. “You bunch of heathens need to repent.”

  The afternoon was proving to be unseasonably warm, which Harley believed was to their favor since they were having an impromptu moving day. When church was over, Ryan drove them to Wonder Lane so Kelsey could see Harley’s house for herself, after which she asked to be
taken home since she was tired. Annie stayed behind to begin unpacking her things while Ryan took Kelsey and Harley back to his parents’ house.

  Kelsey seemed to visibly weaken as the day went on, and by the time she was back in her own home, all she wanted to do was take a nap. Harley could see the worry etched on Ryan’s face, and she quietly asked him if he’d like to stay with Kelsey. He begrudgingly told her there was nothing he could do, so he climbed into Harley’s BMW and they headed back to Wonder Lane.

  After parking in the driveway, Harley stepped out of the car and tossed a joke at Ryan as a red truck pulled up behind them. With a questioning glance, Ryan turned his attention to the man stepping away from the driver’s side of the truck.

  “You’re the boyfriend, I take it?” Jake asked, stepping towards Ryan. “I was in the neighborhood dropping off my daughter, and I happened to see you guys pull up.” Pausing to adjust his baseball cap, he extended his hand. “Sorry—Jake McAuliffe. Harley asked me about doing some repairs.”

  Ryan took his hand cautiously and gave Harley a wary glance. “Ryan Temple. Nice to meet you, man.”

  “Is now a good time to take a look? If not, I could come back later.”

  Ryan grimaced as he turned to look at the house. “Actually, Harley’s friend just moved in, and we were going to pick up some of her furniture this afternoon.”

  “In a BMW and a Jeep?” Jake wondered, glancing from Harley’s car to Annie’s Jeep.

  “Yeah, obviously we haven’t really thought it through,” Ryan told him with a slight laugh, reaching up to scratch the back of his head.

  “Need a hand? I’ve got the truck, and nothing to do this afternoon.”

  “Seriously? That’s really cool of you to offer. You sure?”

  “Might as well,” Jake stated, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Want me to follow you over there?”

  “Just let me get Annie,” Harley interrupted, heading toward the house. She didn’t need to look far, because Annie suddenly burst through the front door, practically bouncing down the steps.