All of Me (The Bridesmaids Club Book 1)

by Leeanna Morgan

  If Tess thought today was a nightmare, Monday could be worse. “The Chronicle’s publishing the story Jilly wrote in Monday’s paper.”

  “Wasn’t she your friend, too?”

  Logan attacked his steak with his knife. “I didn’t steal her story. I’d already been investigating the Senator and I’d spoken to his ex-wife. Jilly had no idea what would have happened if she’d gone in half prepared to fight the Senator.”

  “And you enlightened her?”

  “Has anyone ever told you you’re a pain in the ass?”

  Dylan smirked. “All the time, that’s why I’m your friend. You make me look good.”

  With how he felt at the moment, Logan would make anyone look good.

  Dylan opened another deck chair and sat down. “I don’t imagine Jilly took the news of your story very well?”

  Logan sighed. “She screamed down the phone at me, then came into the office and tried the same thing. Security evicted her.”

  Dylan, the man who never showed any emotion, burst out laughing.

  “It’s not funny. She won’t tell me what’s in her story. If she says anything about Tess things could get bad around here. I’m going to be in so much trouble with Tess that she’ll never speak to me again.”

  “Here’s a news flash for you. You’re in trouble now. Tess, on the other hand, doesn’t deserve any of this. You’d better hope Jilly has some kind of conscience tucked up her sleeve.”

  “I’m not counting on it.” Logan didn’t know what Jilly might or might not say in her story. He was planning for the worst, and that involved suggesting Tess go back to Seattle with his mom. Tess wouldn’t listen to him, but she might listen to her friends.

  “Have you seen Molly and Annie since you got back?”

  Dylan narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

  “I want Tess to go home with mom for a few days. She won’t go if she thinks it’s my idea. I thought Molly and Annie might be able to help.”

  “You sure you’re not taking your neurotic tendencies too far?”

  Logan knew he wasn’t. Dylan would do the same thing if he knew what Tess had gone through three years ago. “If Jilly’s story isn’t as bad as I think it’s going to be, Tess should be okay. Otherwise, the easiest thing for her to do would be to leave town for a while.”

  “Tess doesn’t strike me as wanting to take too many easy options.”

  “That’s why I need Molly and Annie to help.”

  Dylan shook his head. “If you want my opinion, I think you’re underestimating Tess. She’ll be okay.”

  Logan went back to eating his dinner.

  “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  Dylan picked up his cup of coffee. “Sounds like you’ve got some fast talking to do. You’d better hope Molly and Annie are in a receptive mood.”

  Logan hoped more than that. He hoped Tess actually listened to them and his mom didn’t mind a house guest. That was a lot of people to convince, but he’d been up against worst odds before.

  ***

  Tess looked at the stubborn frown on Logan’s face. “I’m not going anywhere,” she growled. “And I don’t appreciate you going behind my back and organizing what you think is best for me.”

  “I know what I’m talking about.”

  “So do I. It’s my life, so butt out.” Tess was so angry she couldn’t sit still. She paced backward and forward across Logan’s living room, wondering what she’d ever seen in him. Molly and Annie had woken her out of a perfect Sunday sleep-in to ask her what she thought about going to Seattle. They had everything planned out, too planned out.

  “You could be in danger. I don’t know who supplied Senator Gibson with drugs. They might not like one of their high profile clients being investigated.”

  “I don’t care about any of that. I’m not running away to Seattle with your mom.”

  She could see Logan reining in his temper, trying to plaster an understanding expression on his face. “I know you don’t want to go with mom, but it makes more sense than staying in Bozeman.”

  Tess threw her hands in the air. “Only to you. You’ve got no right to tell me what to do. You knew what would happen before you wrote your story. Now you tell me your friend is publishing another story tomorrow. You’re ruining my life and you want to tell we what I should do? Forget it. I’m not listening.” She turned to stomp out of the door. If she stayed a minute more, she’d say something she’d really regret.

  “I’m only doing this because I care about you.”

  “Care? You care about me?” Tess turned around and glared at Logan. “I can’t believe you even mentioned that word. You pushed yourself into my life, made out you were a nice person. All the time you were digging into my past, putting together a story that would put you on the front page of every newspaper in the country. I bet you even took notes after you left the café. I was stupid to think you were different to any other reporter.”

  “I am different,” he bellowed. “I wrote the story because I wanted to stop the Senator doing the same thing to someone else.”

  “As if I really believe that. You wrote the story because Jilly was going to beat you to the front page.”

  “I had to print the story before she made a mess of everything.”

  Tess planted her hands on her hips. “How do you think that made her feel? She’s your friend and you still wrote your story. What kind of person does that make you?”

  “A person who cares about you.” Logan turned his back on her and stared out of the window. “I couldn’t let her write the first story.”

  Tess took a deep breath. She knew better than to trust anything Logan said. He was a low-life reporter who’d stumbled onto a story. A front page story that could win him another award. “I don’t believe you. You could have gone straight to the police, but you chose to write your story. You’re no better than Jilly. You just had more facts to back your story up.”

  She picked up her jacket and keys.

  Logan turned around. “Where are you going?”

  “Home.”

  “You can’t go. We haven’t finished discussing this.”

  “Yes, we have. I’m not going to Seattle and I’m not talking to you again.” She walked out of the living room and headed toward the front door.

  “Tess, wait.”

  She wasn’t waiting for anything Logan Allen might or might not say. She closed the front door and walked out of his life. Forever.

  ***

  “What are you doing?” Annie stood beside Tess, staring down the same stretch of sidewalk Tess had been looking at.

  “I’m waiting for the newspaper to be delivered.”

  Annie looked at her watch. “Isn’t it usually here by now?”

  “That’s what I thought. Did Logan tell you to hide it again?”

  “Not this morning. Why are you so annoyed with him? He’s only trying to help.”

  Tess stalked back into the kitchen. “He’s not helping. He’s created a huge mess, all because he wanted his story on the front page of the newspaper. He doesn’t care about who he steps on to get there.”

  “That’s not true. He wouldn’t have sent you to Yellowstone with his mom and Dylan if he was like that. He didn’t even mention your name in Saturday’s story.”

  “I don’t care, not anymore. I just want today to be over so that we can go back to everything being normal.”

  Annie washed her hands in the sink. “Depending on what’s in today’s newspaper, I don’t think your life will ever go back to what it used to be.”

  Tess looked at the bowl in front of her. “I thought I’d left all of this behind three years ago.”

  “Life has a funny way of catching up with you.” Annie glanced at her watch again. “Why don’t you ask Becky or Emily if their newspapers have arrived?”

  “I’ll go and see Becky in a few minutes. I don’t think Emily will be at work yet.”

  Annie tied her apron around
her waist and frowned at the list on the wall. “What time did you arrive this morning?”

  A column of green smiley faces sat beside most of their usual Monday morning dishes. “I put the ovens on at four-thirty. I couldn’t sleep.”

  “No kidding. Did Logan call in on his way past?”

  “I told him I didn’t want to see him again.”

  Annie shook her head. “I love you lots, Tess, but sometimes you’re so stubborn that you can’t see what’s in front of your nose.”

  “I see plenty.” Tess added another cup of flour to the scone mixture on the counter.

  “Only when you want to.”

  Tess reached for the sugar, then changed her mind. “I never used to stand up for myself. I didn’t want to hurt people’s feelings or make them feel bad. Maybe I have been overcompensating. But I’m so angry with Logan that I don’t know what else to do.”

  “What are you so angry about?” Annie asked softly.

  “He used me. All this time I thought he liked spending time with me, but all he wanted was a story.”

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  “I’ll tell you after today.” Tess’ head shot up when someone knocked on the front door of the café. She looked at Annie and started moving quickly out of the kitchen.

  Molly stood in the doorway waving a newspaper in the air. “I’d normally say good morning, but I know you’re looking forward to reading this as much as I like going to the dentist. It was sitting beside your front door.” She handed Tess the Monday edition of the Bozeman Chronicle.

  Annie joined them at the front door. “I’ve got two questions for you. What are you doing up so early and do you want a cup of coffee?”

  “I’d love a cup of coffee and I’m up early because my sister needs help. The Hillcrest Community have planned some special events this week. They want a dozen flower arrangements delivered by ten o’clock this morning.”

  “I didn’t know you knew how to arrange flowers?”

  Molly grinned at Annie. “When we were teenagers, Becky and I helped our nan in her florist store. We made bouquets and boutonnieres by the dozen each weekend.”

  A horn tooted from the street and Molly turned around. “I have to go. Harry’s arrived with the flower delivery. I hope the article’s not too bad.”

  Annie looked at the newspaper in Tess’ hands. “So do we. I’ll bring a couple of cups of coffee across for you and Becky in a few minutes.”

  “That would be grand. I’ll see you soon.” Molly left the café and met Harry, the delivery man, at the back of his truck.

  Tess carried the newspaper to the front counter and carefully laid it flat.

  Annie watched her. “Are you going to turn it over and look at the lead story, or read the sports section for the rest of the morning?”

  Tess straightened the paper, glancing at a picture of the Bobcats rodeo team. “Do I have a choice?”

  “Of course you have a choice. If you don’t want to read the article you don’t have to. But don’t ask me to give you clues about what Logan’s friend wrote.”

  “You’re no fun,” Tess muttered.

  Annie glanced up and frowned at something on the street. “What do you think they’re doing here?” She pointed to a group of four adults crossing Main Street. Two of them had what looked like cameras slung over their shoulders.

  “They could be tourists?”

  Annie shook her head. “It’s too early in the morning for tourists. These people know where they’re going. Tourists usually wander around a bit, stare at the scenery.”

  Annie had a point. These people looked determined, and it didn’t look as though they were after an early breakfast. “You don’t think…”

  “We haven’t got time to think.” Annie grabbed hold of Tess’ arm. “Your choices have boiled down to one. Get in the kitchen, fast.”

  Tess glanced back at the street. She felt her blood pressure drop as Annie pulled her through the kitchen door. The group of people were about to knock on their front door. “Who do you think they are?”

  “I don’t know, and to be honest, I don’t care. Where did you put Dylan’s business card?”

  “By the phone.”

  Annie walked quickly across the room and took Dylan’s card off a clip on their message board. She dialed the phone number and waited. “Hi, Dylan. It’s Annie. Can you get to the café quickly?”

  Annie nodded once, then looked at Tess. “Four people are knocking on our front door. They don’t look like tourists or locals.” She listened to Dylan say something. “Okay, bye.”

  She turned back to Tess. “Dylan said to stay in the kitchen and don’t answer the door. He’ll be here soon.”

  Tess tried to ignore the tapping on her glass windows. “They would have seen us.”

  “If you want to mess with Dylan, go ahead and answer the door.”

  Tess listened to the knocking get louder. “I don’t think they got the hint.”

  “Dylan will set them straight.”

  Annie seemed so sure of Dylan’s ability to vanquish the unwanted people that Tess decided to listen to her. Instead of thinking about what was happening outside, she flipped the newspaper to the front page. The headline was enough to give her a headache for the rest of the day. And then there was the photo.

  “Are you all right?” Annie asked.

  Tess slid the newspaper across the counter.

  Annie ran her finger along the headline. “Beauty and the Beast - how one supermodel stood up to Senator Gibson. What was Logan’s friend thinking?” She kept reading, shaking her head every now and then.

  Tess couldn’t stand the suspense. “Am I better not reading it?”

  “It’s not too bad. She’s blown your cover. Even though she uses your modeling name, anyone with half a brain can tell it’s you in the photo. If you look past the fact that she shouldn’t have written anything, it’s not too bad a story. Oh, no.”

  Tess looked at Annie. “What’s wrong?”

  “She’s told everyone about The Bridesmaids Club. We’re going to get buried under hundreds of bridesmaids’ dresses.” Annie turned to the next page and froze. “I don’t believe it. How did she get those photos?”

  Tess leaned across the counter. “What photos?” She glanced down at the newspaper, then looked again, just in case she was hallucinating. The photos had been taken on the night they’d worn the bridesmaids’ dresses for the catalog.

  There was a photo of Annie and Sally together, laughing at something going on behind the camera. There was a photo of Molly, just before they’d finished taking photos for the night. And then there were the last two. The ones that made Tess drop her head in her hands and groan. They were of her. There was no way anyone could miss the resemblance between Theresa Daniels, supermodel, and Tess Williams, café owner.

  Annie took a closer look at the photos. “At least none of us have lettuce stuck in our teeth.”

  That wasn’t much of a consolation to Tess. She was still trying to figure out how Logan’s friend had gotten hold of the photos. “Where did the paper get the photos from? Molly wouldn’t have given them to the reporter. She promised she’d edit my photos so no one recognized me.”

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Annie picked up Tess’ phone and dialed a number. “Hi, Molly. It’s me. We’ve just looked at the newspaper article. Do you know how the reporter got copies of the photos you took in Tess’ apartment?”

  Annie waited for a few minutes, then replied to the one-sided conversation Tess could hear.

  “Okay. See you soon.” Annie hung up and stared at the picture in the newspaper. “Molly’s coming across. She hasn’t seen the paper yet.”

  A few minutes later a loud bang sounded on the back door and Tess went to answer it.

  Annie ran in front of her. “Wait a minute. It could be someone else.”

  “Who would it be?”

  Annie looked over her shoulder. “It could be one of the people that were
standing in front of the café.”

  “How do we know they weren’t potential customers?”

  “They didn’t look hungry.”

  Tess didn’t know how someone was supposed to look if they were hungry. The same loud knock filled the kitchen.

  “This is stupid,” Tess hissed. “I’m answering the door.”

  “Ask who it is first,” Annie squeaked.

  Tess dropped her hand off the lock. “Who is it?”

  “Me,” Molly yelled. “What are you doing in there?”

  Tess opened the door and pulled Molly inside. “Preparing for war if you listen to Annie.”

  “I’m only following the instructions Dylan gave us. You know what he’s like.”

  Molly smiled. “Brooding good looks and enough charm to soften the hardest of women?”

  Annie snorted. “I was thinking more like over the top stubborn, bossy and dangerous. Have you ever seen him smile?”

  “A man like Dylan doesn’t need to smile. Now show me those photos…”

  Tess grabbed the newspaper and pointed to the images. “How would the newspaper have gotten these?”

  Molly shook her head. “I haven’t given anyone copies of the photos I took.”

  “No one else was in the room except us and…Logan.” Tess looked at Annie and Molly. “He took the photos and gave them to his friend.”

  Molly frowned. “He wouldn’t have done that.”

  “Someone took the photos. It wasn’t you, and it wasn’t us, so it has to be Logan. He must have used his cell phone and snapped the photos when we weren’t looking.”

  Annie didn’t look so sure. “That’s a pretty big accusation. Why would he take the photos then give them to his friend?”

  “Guilt,” Tess said. “It makes perfect sense. He felt bad for beating her to the papers with his story, so he gave her these photos as payback.”

  “I still don’t believe it.” Molly walked across to the coffee pot and poured herself a drink. “He’s a fine man.”

  “You’ve been sucked in by his charm.” Tess closed the paper. “Remember what happened last time that happened.”

  “I’m not marrying him. Besides, he’s got more integrity in his little finger than my ex-husband had in his entire body.”