Mia followed on her crutches. There was a photo of an old mercantile with a couple standing out front. A black-and-white beach shot from the forties. An old dance hall, its parking lot packed with cars from the sixties.
“Look,” Levi said from the adjacent wall. “I forgot these were here.”
Mia hobbled to him and peeked over his shoulder. She smiled as her gaze scanned a collage of photos of the historic inn over the course of time.
Levi pointed to a photo of a young couple on the porch. “That’s your grandparents, right there.”
Mia gasped, leaning in close. She wished the photo were larger. But even in black-and-white she could see that her mom bore a great resemblance to her grandmother. And her grandfather was quite the looker, with his dark hair and confident smile.
Mia placed her palm on her chest. “I’d never seen them before. What a handsome couple.”
“I think you resemble her. Your hair color and the shape of your eyes.”
She took out her phone and snapped a couple photos. A few moments later she moved on to peruse the other photos, standing close to Levi.
His masculine scent enveloped her. Just a hint of wood and leather. Nice. She leaned forward a bit, drawing in a deep breath, then she lost her balance and toppled forward. She grabbed Levi’s arm.
He whirled, steadying her. “Careful there.”
“Stupid crutches.” Was that her voice, all breathy? His arm was thick and muscular under her palm. She should let go. She really should.
Let go, Mia.
He was close. So close the brim of her hat only allowed her to see as high as his lips. They were nice. Dusky mauve. The top one bowed nicely in the middle. He hadn’t shaved this morning, and that was nice too. She could almost imagine the bristly scratch of his jaw against her bare cheek.
He hadn’t moved back, and neither had she. Tension crackled between them. Her skin tingled, and her palms grew damp. His arm beneath her hand was hard and warm and—
“Sorry it took so long!” A short, round woman barreled into the room.
Mia jumped back, wobbling, and Levi steadied her again. She shot him a grateful look even as her pulse raced at the moment they’d shared.
“Howdy-do. Oh dear, what happened to your foot?”
“I slipped and fell yesterday.”
“You poor thing.” Connie waddled over to the table and set a bulky binder on it. She had a kind smile and cheeks that bunched when she smiled. “You’d better have a seat, dear. I just hate using crutches. Got new knees in 2012, and getting around was such a bear.”
Levi pulled out a wooden library chair for Mia. “Connie, this is a guest from the inn . . . um, Mia. Mia, this is Connie Harmeyer, our town clerk.”
Mia smiled and tugged her brim down. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, honey. You in town doing some family research?”
“I’m just taking a little break from work.”
“Well, where better than the Blue Ridge Mountains? It’s so lovely here in the summer.” She pushed up her glasses. “So, I brought up the records from 1986–1989. Paul preceded Dorothy in death, and she passed in ’86, so I think it would’ve been out of probate by ’87.”
The phone rang in the office.
“Excuse me,” Connie said. “You can just look through those—they should be in alphabetical order.”
“Thanks, Connie.” Levi took a seat next to Mia while the clerk went to answer the phone. “Sounds like we should start with ’87.”
Mia opened the large binder, setting it between them. The musty smell of the basement clung to the hundreds of papers filed inside. They were organized by month, then alphabetical order.
“April,” Levi said after a few minutes of browsing. He pulled a file. “Here it is. Dorothy Livingston.”
Mia made room on the table. There were several documents in the file, but it only took a moment to locate the will.
“It’s pretty thick.” Levi began reading, and a moment later he said, “It doesn’t look like the legalese was any clearer back then than it is now.”
“Will she let us take it?”
“I can make you a copy.” Connie was already bustling back into the room. “Will that work?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Levi said. “Thank you.”
Ten minutes later they were walking out with a copy of the will.
“Bye, y’all,” Connie said. “Tell Molly it was great seeing her at book club.”
“Will do,” Levi said.
“And tell her to bring that boyfriend of hers next time.”
“I’ll tell her. Take care now.”
When they reached the car they got in, Levi storing the crutches in the back seat.
“I don’t think she recognized you,” Levi said a minute later as he pulled out onto the street.
“Me neither.” Traffic was light. The sun glistened brightly off the lake, and the marina’s slots were filled with boats of all shapes and sizes.
Mia looked at the papers sitting on the console. She was dying to get at that document. She reached for it.
Levi snatched it up, his eyes still on the road. “Oh no, you don’t. We’ll read it together once we get home.”
She huffed, half impatient, half amused. “You are bossy. I’m the one who brought this whole thing to your attention.”
“And I’m the one who tracked down the will.”
“Only because I asked you to.”
“Well, it’s my necklace—or might be.”
Mia chuckled at the stubborn set of his chin. “And I’m sure it’ll look very nice on you.”
He gave her a droll look, but his lips were trying to smile. “I know just the outfit I’ll wear it with.”
The thought of that necklace around his very masculine neck made her laugh. “You wouldn’t be caught dead in that thing.”
“Maybe not, but it wouldn’t hurt my pride to auction it off.”
“So you’re admitting it could be in your house somewhere.”
“I’m admitting I’d be a fool not to find out for sure. We have the will, and we’ll know soon enough.”
“Don’t you ever like to dream?” she asked playfully. “It’s fun. You should try it sometime.”
“Somebody has to be realistic.”
Truth be told, she found this practical side of him kind of sexy. It was a big change from the actors she worked with. Most of them were more like her, in need of a good director to keep them all on track.
Plus, he had that crinkly eye thing going for him. She found herself looking for opportunities to provoke it.
Levi slowed as they approached the inn. “Uh-oh.”
Mia’s eyes followed his. A handful of people stood out front, cameras around their necks.
Her stomach dropped like an anchor. “Oh no.”
“Get down.”
They were too close. No choice but to drive by. “Ugh! How did they find me?”
“Duck down.”
She bent in half, muttering, “Déjà vu.”
He drove on, keeping a steady pace, his hand on her back. “Stay there. We’re almost past. They’re watching, but they can’t see you.”
Mia’s heart rate had tripled. She clenched her fists. What was she going to do now? Her respite was over. She had to deal with reality now, and she wasn’t ready for it.
“Let me get around the corner.” The car slowed and swept in a wide arc that followed the lake’s shoreline. Levi checked the rearview mirror. “All right, I think we’re safe.”
Mia came upright as Levi pulled over to the side of the road, a turnout for tourists who wanted to take in the beautiful lake view.
“What do you want to do?” he asked. “We could hang out someplace else for a while. Maybe they’ll give up.”
“They’re not going away, Levi. They wouldn’t have come all this way unless they were sure I was here, and they’re going to camp there till I come home.” She felt trapped. Tears pressed the back of her eyes. She couldn’t b
reathe.
“I’ll call the police.” He was already taking out his phone.
“There’s nothing they can do. They’re not breaking any laws. They’re allowed to stand on the sidewalk and shoot pictures and ask anything they darn well want.”
“That doesn’t seem right.”
“Tell me about it.”
He set down his phone and put his hand over hers. “You don’t have to go back at all, Mia. I have that buddy of mine with the floatplane. He can whisk you right out of here. I can mail your things to you.”
She looked out at the vast lake and on to the blue skies beyond. What he offered was tempting. But where would she even go? The thought of going someplace new, starting over, was exhausting. And besides, what good would it do?
“They’ll only find me again,” she said softly.
If she went back to LA they’d be there all the time, everywhere she went. She knew how these feeding frenzies worked; she’d seen other actors go through them. At least here they were on a deadline. They’d have to get back home eventually.
She looked at Levi. His steady gaze was calming. His presence was soothing. The thought of leaving him made her feel a little hollow inside. She liked the Bluebell Inn. She liked being where her grandparents had lived. She liked the little family that lived there now. And yes, she liked Levi. It felt as if she’d found a little piece of home—the kind she’d never had. And she was loath to give that up just yet.
Besides . . . she hadn’t done anything wrong. In her efforts to evade the vultures she kept forgetting that. And really, that ought to matter most of all.
Her chin came up as she focused on Levi’s piercing eyes. “I’m not going to let them intimidate me. I didn’t do anything wrong. Let’s go home.”
Levi’s mouth tipped in a grin. “Thatta girl.”
She drank in the approval in his eyes. It felt good to make him proud. But her ankle chose that moment to let itself be known. It throbbed with each beat of her heart.
Her ankle. The crutches.
“Ugh. I don’t want to hobble past them. It’ll start a whole new thread to this stupid scandal.” Exactly the opposite of Nolan’s advice not to feed the beast.
Levi glanced in the back where the crutches lay. He gazed out the window thoughtfully for a moment.
“I have an idea,” he said. Then he put the car into Drive.
twenty
Levi was a genius. He drove them to Adam’s house, borrowed his boat, and brought Mia back to the inn by way of the lake.
Once they arrived at the inn, Molly ushered them inside. “If only you’d answered your phone an hour ago,” she said to Levi. “I tried to warn you.”
Molly had already pulled all the blinds. The phone had been ringing off the hook too. Levi was returning Adam’s boat now, which meant he’d have to come up that sidewalk. Mia hated that she was putting them all in this position.
She propped her foot on the coffee table and listened to Nolan’s monologue on the phone. He’d been surprised that the vultures had found her tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“It’s your call, Mia,” Nolan was saying. “You can come home now and face them here if you want. Either way I advise you to avoid answering their questions. We need to let this die a quiet death.”
She made herself at least consider leaving Bluebell. Levi’s buddy could fly her to the nearest airport, and she could literally go anywhere in the world. Maybe someplace in Europe: Paris, Barcelona, Rome. They wouldn’t find her over there, surely. She wasn’t well known globally. Parisians wouldn’t give a hoot about her.
But then everyone she knew would be halfway around the globe. Suddenly it sounded like a very lonely escape.
And going elsewhere meant leaving Bluebell behind. Leaving this inn behind. And then there was Levi. She really liked him. And even though she’d known him less than a week, she’d come to trust him—against her better judgment. But he’d proven himself trustworthy, hadn’t he?
As much as she wanted to escape the press, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Not yet.
“I think . . .” Mia said. “I want to finish out my week here. Maybe the press will get bored with me and leave soon.”
Plus, she was dying to figure out what had happened to that necklace.
* * *
Levi pushed back the lobby drapes and grimaced. Darkness pressed in on the front yard, but he could see the shadows skulking near the curb. Those hounds were still out there. When he’d returned home they’d crowded him, shoving microphones in his face.
“Is Mia Emerson staying here?”
“What’s your name?”
“Do you know Mia Emerson?”
“Is she in contact with Jax Jordan?”
“What can you tell us about their relationship?”
Levi had pushed through the crowd, not making eye contact, not responding, but by the time he closed and locked the door, his blood was boiling. He didn’t want Mia or his sisters facing this every time they left the house.
He called Chief Dalton and asked him to stop by. Maybe he couldn’t do anything, but his presence would at least alert the group that one violation of their so-called rights, and Levi would gladly have them hauled away.
Please. Cross the line.
The phone had been ringing continuously, but they’d stopped answering it hours ago. He hoped they weren’t missing many actual customers. He’d changed the voicemail, directing potential guests to their website. Still, not answering the phone was never good for business.
Molly had ridden back to Adam’s with Levi, and she’d stayed there. Grace was upstairs, hopefully working on college apps. Please, God. Mia had been on her phone all afternoon, doing damage control. She’d gone upstairs before he returned from Adam’s.
Levi felt keyed up, like he’d had too much caffeine, when he hadn’t had any at all. What if Mia took him up on his offer to get her out of town? She could fly off into the great blue yonder, and he’d never hear from her again.
That shouldn’t bother him. Guests came and went all the time. It was part of the business. But this wasn’t his first clue that she’d come to mean more to him than she should. She’d gotten under his skin. Maybe it was best that she did leave.
His chest tightened at the thought. What was happening to him?
He needed to find something productive to do. He took a seat behind the front desk and called Skeeter to see if he was available for a flight tonight if that became necessary.
Next he replied to his former boss at FC. He’d put it off too long, reluctant to turn down the job offer. He hoped it wouldn’t ruin future opportunities at the company. He’d loved his job. He’d even loved the city. So much to see and do.
Success there hadn’t come easily. The firm hired him fresh out of college, and his youth and Southern accent didn’t exactly charm the subcontractors. He worked hard to prove himself, and they came around eventually. By the time he’d left they’d been coming to him for advice.
Levi leaned back and sighed. No use dredging up all that. He needed to focus on making the inn profitable. A buyout would give his sisters a nice start in life. Get Molly closer to her dream of owning an inn in Tuscany. Pay for Grace’s college. He had to take care of his sisters before he could even think of going back to his old life.
Thumping on the steps—the slow, deliberate thumps of a person on crutches—diverted his attention.
“Need some help?” he called.
“I’ve got it.” Mia turned the corner on the landing, and he caught sight of her for the first time since he’d gotten her home safely. Weariness lined the planes of her face, and hopelessness shadowed her eyes.
“What did your agent say? Do you need to leave?” His lungs seized in his constricted chest as he awaited her reply.
“He left that up to me. But no, I’m staying put for now—if you guys will still have me.”
And just like that the tightening in his chest gave way. He breathed. “Of course. You’re w
elcome to stay as long as you want. But you should probably get your foot up. What else do you need?”
She gave him a wry look as she negotiated a step. “I need a new life, is what I need.”
He guessed being famous wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. There was a great discrepancy between fantasy and reality.
“This too shall pass,” he said gently.
“That’s what I hear.” She tilted her head and gave him a sheepish look. “I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, Levi. First you had to lock your doors, and now you have to pull all the blinds, and everyone’s going to get ambushed every time they walk out the door. I know this is really disruptive to your business.”
As if to prove her point the phone pealed again.
Levi grinned. “What’s a few extra phone calls?”
“And a few vultures on your doorstep? I hope they didn’t harass you too badly.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself.” He steadied her as she reached the bottom.
She looked up at him, an enigmatic smile hovering around her lips. “I’ll just bet you can. You’re kind of good in an emergency, you know. That’s a handy skill to have.”
He gave her a wry grin. “You wouldn’t believe the situations that can arise around here. Experience is a good teacher.”
“I don’t doubt it. Still, the ability to think on your feet isn’t necessarily a learned one. If it were, I’d be Wonder Woman by now.”
He grinned. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m fine. Grace made me a salad earlier. I actually came down to ask what the will said. I’ve been dying to know.”
“No idea. Haven’t read it yet.”
Her eyebrows jumped even as her face softened, and a look of gratitude danced over her features. “You waited for me?”
That she could be so grateful for such a small thing was a wonder. Not exactly the spoiled princess he’d expected. “We were supposed to read it together. Do you want to do that now?”
“Um, yes, I want to read it now,” she said in a duh tone that reminded him of Grace.
He laughed, stepping behind the front desk and reaching under it. “Well, I just happen to have it handy.”
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