***
Tess sat on a wooden seat in Bogert Park. A group of children were kicking a ball, yelling and rolling around on the grass as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
“They look like they’re enjoying themselves.”
Tess looked up at Molly and smiled. “Thanks for coming.”
Molly sat down beside her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it sooner. I was in the middle of a photo shoot when you called.”
“What were you taking photos of?”
“Cowboys.”
The wistful note in Molly’s voice made Tess stare a little closer at her. “Is everything all right?”
“I used to think it was. My sister told me Montana would be good for me. The big blue sky and wide open spaces would give me a place to heal. But some days I feel so alone that I want to cry.”
“Have you told Becky how you feel?”
“Becky has her own life,” Molly said. “Being a florist keeps her busy. When she’s not buying flowers at auction or putting together bouquets, she’s working on her accounts.”
“What can I do to help?”
“There’s nothing anyone can do,” Molly sighed. “What’s happening is coming from inside me. I need to do something, but I don’t know what.” She looked across the park, then smiled at Tess. “But that’s enough about my worries. What do you want to talk about?”
“Logan brought a friend into the café today.”
“From the look on your face I’d say the friend was female and not male.”
Tess nodded. “She’s a reporter with the Seattle Times.”
“Oh, dear.” Molly squeezed her hand. “Do you think she knows?”
“I don’t think so. But what if she finds out? I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a drug dealer or a murderer.”
“Anyone who knows you won’t think that. It was a long time ago. People forget things.”
Tess stared miserably across the park. “They don’t when the man at the center of the story is a senator and it’s an election year.”
“I don’t know what you can do. Have you spoken to Logan about what happened?”
“He’s a reporter. I told him a little bit, but not who was involved.”
Molly sighed. “Do you trust him?”
Two months ago that would have been an easy question for Tess to answer. Now she felt as though an honest answer would betray everything she’d been so angry about.
“Tess?”
She dropped her head to her chest. “I trust him.”
“Talk to him. Tell him what happened. If his friend finds out about your past, he might be able to stop her from publishing a story.”
“It won’t help. Evie’s death hit the headlines around the world. People who didn’t have an opinion about anything suddenly wanted to know who killed the supermodel.”
Molly passed Tess a tissue. “You don’t have a choice. Logan’s the only person that might be able to help.”
“I don’t think he even realizes I was a supermodel. He sees my baggy T-shirts and worn jeans and doesn’t look any further.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? He likes you, not some photo-shopped woman with silicone breasts and no wrinkles.”
Tess smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t say boobs.”
Molly laughed. “I’m making an effort to be more articulate. I’ve been hanging around cowboys for too long.”
“How’s the book going?” Molly was writing an illustrated book about cowboys. Tess had been with her on a few of the photo shoots, except they weren’t your normal studio portraits. They were real shots of real men and women who lived their life on the land.
“I finished taking the last images today. I’ve formatted some of the photos and they look grand. I just hope I find a publisher who’s interested in buying the book.”
Molly’s last book had been a huge success. It had raised thousands of dollars for an eight-year-old girl’s bone marrow transplant.
Tess was worried about the frown on her friend’s face. “You could always try self-publishing.”
“That’s true. There’s always another way to reach your end goal. Now, what are we going to do about you? What would your end goal be?”
Tess looked up at the sky and remembered a time, not so long ago, when she’d asked herself the same question. Her end goal then had been to turn a run-down ice cream parlor into an amazing café. But beneath her noble end goal there’d been something far bigger than anyone had known.
She’d bought herself time, hidden herself away where she didn’t think anyone would find her. From the moment they started The Bridesmaids Club, Tess’ time had been running out. And she didn’t have anywhere else to hide.
“My end goal is to stay in Bozeman.” Tess sat taller in her seat as she watched more children running around. “I did nothing wrong. Evie’s life ended because she made bad choices and I won’t do the same thing. I’ll do everything I can to keep the story out of the papers. If Mr. Big Shot Senator wants to pick a fight, he’d better be prepared to lose.”
“Good for you,” Molly said. “Let’s go back to the café and work out how we’re going to win your battle.”
Tess held Molly’s arm as they marched across the park. If there was one thing she was good at, it was making plans and sticking to them. And this time, she’d make sure she had an alternative plan for everything that could go wrong.
All of Me Page 27