“What are you doing?” Trent asked as he got out of the shower.
“I love the chunky highlights, but I’m making my hair totally blonde so I can fit in here better. I’m going full South Carolina girl,” Skye said as her hair was processed. The time was almost up as she slipped on a pair of cowboy boots and a cute white lace skirt.
“Pretty,” Trent told her as he toweled off.
Yes, she could do this everyday for the rest of her life. “Can you help me rinse my hair?”
“Sure,” Trent hung up his towel and walked nude over to her. “Bend over.”
Too bad he was talking about putting her head in the sink and not what they did earlier. She wouldn’t mind a repeat of that. Yup, she could definitely get used to this every day.
Skye held the towel around her shoulders together with one hand and bent over the sink. Trent turned on the water and only when it was warm did he start rinsing her hair. Her hairstylists certainly had never made her feel this way before. His fingers combed through her hair and seemed to caress her scalp in a way that sent tingles down to her toes.
“There you go,” he said, turning off the water way too soon. She’d been lost in the feeling of his strong hands gently massaging her scalp and never wanted it to end.
“Oh shoot, I have to hurry.” Skye saw the clock and realized she had fifteen minutes to meet Karri.
“For what?” Trent asked as he pulled on his boxer briefs.
“I’m meeting Karri at the diner.”
“That’s not a good idea,” he told her.
“It’s fine. I don’t look like me,” Skye bristled at the tone of voice he used.
“Skye, someone is supposed to be with you the entire time.”
“Then have Granger or Kord pick me up in ten minutes. I know you can’t take me because of your master plan.”
Skye knew Trent wasn’t happy, but he stalked off to make the call while she blasted her hair with the hairdryer. She used the diffuser and her hair had a relaxed, beachy vibe to it by the time she was done. She’d even tinted her eyebrows to make them a dark blonde and the effect was worth it.
Skye slipped on the navy blue, off-the-shoulder, bell-sleeved blouse with tiny white whales on it and checked herself out in the mirror. She picked up her black liquid liner and placed a small mole just above the corner of her mouth. That small mark in conjunction with the contouring makeup she’d done made her look completely different.
“Wow, you don’t look like you,” Trent admitted when he walked back into the bathroom, now fully dressed. “I’m going to drop you off at Gil’s Grub N’ Gas. You go inside and stay there until I leave and then five more minutes. Then you’ll walk out and you’ll see Granger across from the diner down the street. He’ll be on the courthouse steps watching to see if anyone is following either me or you.”
“Okay. Wait in Gil’s for five minutes, then walk to the diner. Got it.”
“I don’t like this.”
“It’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
There were so many things Skye wanted to talk to Karri about, she could barely contain her excitement. The drive to Gil’s and the wait inside was making her impatient. However, it gave her time to pull out her new College of Charleston cell phone case and replace the old one that she then tossed in the trash.
She also changed the lock on her phone and the settings on her texts so anyone looking couldn’t see them if they came in while the phone was locked. Then, as much as she hated it, she needed to change the lock screen image from a picture of her and Karri to something else. Her five-minute timer went off and Skye pulled the College of Charleston baseball cap from her purse and walked out of the store after giving Gil a wave. She turned so she was facing the marina with downtown behind her and snapped a selfie that was mostly downtown with her face bent and showing off her hat. She added a filter and then made the picture her home and lock screens.
There! She was a South Carolina girl through and through.
Skye looked up and saw Granger sitting at the other end of Main Street as she began walking toward him. The only warning she got that something was wrong was when Granger suddenly leapt to his feet.
A shadow appeared behind her as she passed an alley and a hand clasped her shoulder. Granger took off running toward her, but then she lost sight of him as she was spun around to face a wide muscled chest.
“Skye?”
Skye looked up into the face of a man she recognized as one of Star Power Private Security guards who had worked on the set of her last movie. “Sorry, darlin’, but my name is Emma Kate,” Skye said in her best Tinsley impersonation. She wanted to run. She also wanted to ramble, but she took her time so the words came out slow as honey. “But you can call me anything you’d like.” Skye smiled up at him from under her lashes and flirted with all she was worth.
He looked past her and she knew he saw Granger running toward him. “Who’s he?”
Skye tossed a glance over her shoulder and as she looked back at the man she rolled her eyes. “Whoops, that’s my boyfriend. He’s the sheriff and a tad overprotective.”
The hired man looked down at Skye and back to Granger. “Sorry to bother you.”
“Any time, darlin’,” Skye said with a wink as the man jumped into a car she hadn’t noticed parked in the alley.
“Stop!” Granger yelled, pulling his gun.
“Baby!” Skye shrieked suddenly. “Nothing happened, I swear. He was just lost.”
She saw the confusion on Granger’s face as she rushed toward him and threw her arms around his neck. “Get his plates,” she told him before she kissed his cheek.
“Dammit!” Granger cursed as he shoved her back. Skye would have been insulted, but she knew Granger had no idea what was going on. “You made me lose him.”
“Look, you were about to blow my cover. He had no idea it was me,” Skye said in her new Southern accent.
Granger cringed. “Why are you talking like that?”
“I told him I was Emma Kate and you were my boyfriend. I was doing my best Tinsley impersonation. He bought it. I promise.”
“That’s a horrible Southern accent. Why do actors always think they can do Southern accents?” Granger looked disgusted as he put his gun away and called in the license plate number.
Ouch. That hurt. Skye had been so proud of her performance.
Granger tossed his arm over her shoulder and pulled her against him. “Come on, Emma Kate. Let your boyfriend escort you to breakfast and teach you how to speak with a real Southern accent.”
Skye looked up at Granger with surprise. “Why Granger Fox, you do have a sense of humor.”
Granger winked down at her. “That’s our little secret . . . darlin’.” Somehow when he said it, it did sound completely different from her accent. When he said darlin, it sounded like pure sex.
“I see what you mean about my accent. And don’t tell Trent I’m cheating on him.”
Granger smiled slowly, “I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t do that.”
“Impossible. You made the word ma’am sexy. You have no idea how much Hollywood would love you. Can I be your agent?”
“Not in a million years.” Granger opened the diner door for her and Skye immediately saw Karri.
Her hair was longer and had dark purple and pink stripes in it, and when she turned to wave Skye over, her eyes were blue. It looked as if someone had a makeover last night.
Granger nodded to the table near the window. “I’ll be right there if you need me. Castle is already on his way from Charleston and will be here soon, plus Kord will be over soon with the plate trace. Sorry, darlin’, you’re on lockdown.”
“Holy smokes,” Skye heard Karri say under her breath. Granger had dropped his voice to give her the full Southern gentleman effect and it was a panty-melter. “What did I miss?” Karri asked as soon as Skye sat down.
“A Star Power goon just stopped me, but I convinced him I’m a local named Emma Kate. Granger saw it all. He was watching me and I told the goon
Granger was my boyfriend and that explained why the sheriff was suddenly running after him.”
Karri looked nervously around. “This is not good.”
“I know. It also means any taste of normalcy has been yanked from me. But we have it for this brief time so tell me about your dream.”
Karri took a deep breath. “It was the most bizarre dream I’ve ever had, yet it all made complete sense. I dreamt I was on a pirate ship. The moon was full overhead and a woman was at the helm. I’m pretty sure it was Anne Bonny and she was the captain. Anyway, I’m on this ship, but no one else is on it so I walk up to Anne and ask her where we are. She tells me we are home.
“When I look out, there’s land now. Not just any land, but in the moonlight, there’s the present-day Shadows Landing. I’m confused and tell Anne that this isn’t my home. She turns and looks at me and says that my wolf disagrees. Then I hear a wolf howl and look back out over the town. I see Main Street now and there’s my wolf in front of that empty storefront between Harper’s bar and Bless Your Scarf. Only this time it’s not empty. It’s a restaurant and it’s mine. You’re inside and so are Trent and the rest of the town. The wolf howls again and I see darkness creeping along the street straight for my restaurant.”
Skye felt her heart rate speed up as she bent across the table and took Karri’s hand. “What then?”
Karri took a deep breath and continued. “My wolf turned to attack the darkness, but I wasn’t alone anymore. A big black bear and an alligator came and together we fought the darkness. When I thought it would defeat me, the bear saved me. Then the doors to the restaurant opened and everyone from town came out to fight alongside my wolf, the bear, and the alligator. We beat back the darkness, but only because we were together. When it was over, I turned and Anne Bonny looked at me with a smile. She said, ‘This is your home, fight for it. And fight for the moon.’ Then I woke up.”
“Wow.” Skye let out a deep breath and waited as coffee was poured and they placed their orders before continuing. “You said you know what it means?”
Karri nodded and leaned forward again. She dropped her voice so Skye had to lean close to hear her. “I’m the wolf, the gator is the town. Remember Bubba and Bertha?” Skye nodded. “And Peter is the bear. He’s part of the bear clan.”
“So he’s going to save you?” Skye asked.
“More than that. Anne told me to fight for the moon. My mother always said to tell my wishes to the moon. No one knows that, but Anne did. Last night, before I fell asleep, I looked out at the moon and wished for love and direction in my life. Then I dreamt of Peter and the restaurant and this town.”
The door opened and Karri’s gasp caused Skye to turn around. Peter Castle stood there in a black suit with a black shirt underneath it looking for all the world like a black bear.
17
Trent rarely had the television on while he worked, but today he thought the noise would indicate he was home, especially since he wasn’t using a loud saw. Instead, he was sanding a piece as he thought about last night. Skye was moving to Shadows Landing. Could his dream really be coming true?
“Hey.” Trent looked up as Harper walked inside, a white paper bag in her hand.
“Are those my favorite muffins?”
“They are,” she said, setting down the bag and opening it.
“What do you want?” Trent asked suspiciously, making Harper laugh.
“Nothing. I just wanted to see if you wanted to talk.”
Trent bit into the muffin and rolled his eyes at Harper. “What do you want?” he asked through a mouthful.
“Fine.” Harper grabbed her own muffin. “I wanted to talk about Skye. I know I’ve been wrapped up in married life and we haven’t hung out as much. When I heard about Skye, I thought it was ridiculous. I thought she was ridiculous. However, I was wrong. I like her. I see how she’s good for you. She balances you and you balance her. It’s like Dare and me. Anyway, I know you don’t need my approval, but I wanted you to know you had it if you were trying to decide if she fits in here. She does.”
“She’s moving here.”
“What?” Harper almost screamed.
“She told me last night she’s going to move here. She said she’s made her mark in Hollywood so she doesn’t need to be out there all the time now. She wants the privacy Shadows Landing gives her, plus, a lot of her filming is done in Georgia.”
“That’s great. Why don’t you look excited?” Harper asked, zeroing right in on the heart of the matter.
Trent put down his muffin. He and Harper understood each other. They were more than cousins. They were best friends. However, that still didn’t mean he liked talking about his feelings.
“I think I love her,” Trent admitted.
“Think?” Harper raised an eyebrow in challenge.
Trent felt like tossing the muffin in her face. “No, I know I do. I have since I met her. It’s stupid, right? Who falls in love the first day they know someone? I’m embarrassed to even admit it.”
“It’s not embarrassing, Trent. I admit I fell for Dare fast and hard. Great Aunt Marcy always tells us everyone in the family falls fast and hard. ‘When we know, we know,’” Harper said in her best Great Aunt Marcy impersonation.
“True.” Trent had to admit his aunt had been telling him the same thing recently. A lot. Like, every time they talked and it was written on every note she mailed with her monthly apple pies.
“So, are you going to tell her?” Harper asked before she popped a pinch of muffin into her mouth.
“I will. I don’t know when, but I will when the time is right.” Trent had wanted to tell her last night, but it just seemed as if too much was going on. She was busy restructuring her whole life. Plus, she’d been through enough recently. When he told her, he wanted it to be private, romantic, and something they’d share with their grandkids someday.
“Oh crap!”
“Are you okay?” Trent asked Harper as he stood up from where he was leaning on a worktable.
“No, look!”
Trent turned to look at the television. There was a picture of Skye with the word MISSING under it. He lunged for the remote and turned it up as a police officer stepped to the microphone.
“Let me first say the involved parties wished for this to remain a private matter for the police to handle. However, the public statement released yesterday has pushed this case forward and into the public eye. Yesterday afternoon, Skye Jessamine’s agent, Jim Hexter, and her manager, Lenny Daniels, reported her missing after receiving a ransom note,” the police spokesperson said, nodding to the two solemn men standing slightly behind him and to the side. “The major crimes division is in charge of the investigation and is combing through the threatening letters Mr. Daniels has provided to them.
“We believe the break-in at Miss Jessamine’s property and the leaked photos were committed by this same perpetrator the other week, which caused Miss Jessamine to receive mental treatment from a private doctor. Mr. Daniels said he hasn’t talked to the actress since shortly after the break-in. Mr. Daniels believes firing half her staff was an attempt to get his attention about the abduction. Both Mr. Hexter and Mr. Daniels have been in touch with Miss Jessamine’s supposed new legal and PR teams. However, they claim the signed contracts are not signed by Miss Jessamine. Our investigators are currently meeting with them. Due to threats from the paparazzi, we were left with no choice but to come forward with this story. We are asking the public not to approach Miss Jessamine if you see her, but to contact us immediately.”
A phone number appeared on the bottom of the screen, but Trent was already running for his car. Harper was only a half step behind him.
Trent was sure he didn’t breathe until he flung open the door to the diner and had Skye in his arms. It was only then that he heard Peter Castle yelling into the phone, saw Granger and Kord take off out of the diner, and saw the tears in Karri’s eyes.
“What’s happened?”
“Peter’s on the p
hone with Agent Shaw. After you dropped me off, one of Star Power’s goons stopped me. I played it off as being a local named Emma Kate and the angry sheriff running at him was my boyfriend. I don’t think he knew it was me.” Trent crushed her to him. He needed to feel her in his arms to know she was safe.
“I’m so sorry.” Trent heard Skye’s muffled apology from where she’d pressed her face against his chest.
“For what?”
“For bringing this trouble to you and to Shadows Landing.”
“We need to get you out of here,” Peter said as soon as he hung up his phone. “There are tourists in town and the last thing we want to happen is for one of them to snap a picture of you.”
“Is hiding really the only option I have?”
“Yes. For now. My friend Ryan Parker and a local attorney are racing over to Morgan’s office to make sure she’s safe and not being questioned without representation. Granger called Olivia, but then they got a hit on the car the Star Power man was in just outside of town. While they distract him, we need to get you to Ryker’s house. Let’s go.”
“Here you go, hon.” Mary Jane shoved a plastic bag the size of a shopping cart into her hand. “You need some comfort food. As soon as I saw the news, I told them to whip you up some biscuits and gravy for breakfast and some shrimp and grits for lunch. I also put in a whole pineapple upside down cake for you, bless your sweet little heart. If you need anything, you just call and we’ll find someone to run it out to you, you hear?”
Skye hugged the waitress without any hesitation. “Thank you. You’re all so kind. I’m sorry for any trouble this causes y’all.”
Mary Jane cringed as did most of the people in the diner. “Bless your heart. Y’know some people just can’t do the accent and that’s okay.”
Skye tossed up her hands as Trent took the bag from her. “Is it really that bad?”
“Yes!” came the resounding reply.
“If you can’t be born a Southerner,” Miss Ruby said as she reached out and patted her hand, “you can marry one.”
Everyone sent her smiles and winks. Trent scowled at Harper who shrugged as if saying she had no idea what they were talking about. Not that Trent had mentioned marriage—yet.
Broken Shadows: Shadows Landing #5 Page 14