Lost and Found (books 1-3): Small-Town Romantic Comedy

by Elizabeth Lynx

  Austen nodded. “The lawyers around here have tiny offices. They usually ask to use our conference room for legal signings. But I had never met the lawyers for that property—I assumed they came from out of town. Every so often we get a lawyer from Bangor or Portland.”

  Garrison nodded and scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Do you have any information on that lawyer? Did he leave a business card or paperwork behind?”

  Austen shook his head. “No, sorry. Nothing that I can . . . Wait.” He held up his finger. “Jane, one of the tellers, told me how the lawyer was flirting with her after the deal. Gave her his phone number. She said he seemed sleazy so she might have thrown it out, but I can ask her if she still has it.”

  Garrison stood. I followed, as did Austen. It seemed the thing to do.

  “Great. I’ll need it. Even if you can only get a name, anything would be helpful. Here’s my card. Call me with anything.” As if out of thin air, he held out a small card for Austen.

  Was the man a magician, too? What couldn’t he do?

  “I’ll take you back, Tyler, for questions about the movers. It was nice meeting you, Austen.”

  Austen said his goodbyes and Garrison led me out of his office and down a hall. We came to a small room with a large mirror, table, and four chairs. I thought it would look different than what I had seen in the movies, but it didn’t.

  “I wanted to mention Babette Gotti, Iona’s agent.”

  Garrison held up a finger as he fiddled with the recording device. I wanted to explain what she told me about her masseuse. I’m sure that would be something he’d need to know about the property.

  “I’ve already met with her. Give me a minute while I get this going.”

  He pushed some buttons and said, “Tyler, you aren’t being arrested and you have the right to leave at any time. If you wish to have your lawyer present, we can reschedule for that.”

  I thought about it for a moment. What do I have to hide? Nothing. What could the sheriff ask me that would lead me to lying? I never met those movers. It was a service I found on the Internet that was close by.

  “Ask away. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

  He nodded and waved his hand in the air. Within seconds, a woman walked into the room. She introduced herself as Officer Lewiston.

  The sheriff started the recording and read off the time and date and other facts.

  “Now, Tyler, remember two years ago when you egged Mayor Bailey’s float?”

  Shit.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Iona

  “The last time I saw him, he tripped me and then laughed,” I said as I shook my head. It’s weird how after all these years I was still irritated by the actions of kids who bullied people.

  “He’s the mayor now.” Cara lowered her voice as if speaking it too loud would cause the mayor’s assistant to pale at the fact. Or, maybe she didn’t want Jake to hear. He was doing his worst impression of an office plant, in a black suit standing against a white wall on the other end of the room.

  “He probably bullied his way to that position, too. The guy’s a jackass.”

  Cara came into town earlier this week.

  Over a month ago, she had requested a two-week vacation. Naturally, I thought the movie I was filming would have wrapped by then and agreed to the request. Little had I known, the movie would be canceled and my life would turn into chaos.

  Before that, she was arranging my move here and rearranging my schedule. When she flew here three days ago and Jake picked her up at the airport, I hadn’t seen her for over three weeks. I missed her and it was nice to have a friendly face who knew the West Coast me. The adult me and not the young, naïve Iona.

  “I met him several days ago when I first came here, and he seemed nice to me.”

  Poor, innocent Cara. She had no idea how some people in this town wouldn’t stop until they found your weakness and then poked at it until you broke down. Cara’s weakness was that she’s too nice. I’d seen people walk all over her, and I knew she wouldn’t make it in Hollywood if she kept letting that happen. Instead, I took her under my wing, inspired and encouraged her to not accept no for an answer.

  Except from me, of course. I was her boss after all, and I wasn’t about to do dog food commercials or anything like that. Not that there was anything wrong with national commercials. They paid really well, but I had a goal in mind and made sure my résumé reflected it.

  Cara’s a quick learner and that’s why she had been my assistant for the last five years. We met at an audition, both of us were trying out for the same role. I got it and she didn’t, and that’s when she made the decision to quit acting. We went out for coffee after, and I listened as she ranted about the superficiality of Hollywood. She was right, but it’s a battle no one was going to win.

  I’d love to give up my trainer and not have to put on makeup before I walk outside every day, but it’s bigger than Hollywood now. With social media and the Internet, everyone’s a critic especially when it comes to your appearance.

  “Perhaps I can speak with the mayor about that idea you had for a web series. The one about loving your body and loving your mind.” I elbowed Cara and knew that would make her smile.

  Her eyes widened. “What? Are you serious?”

  I nodded. “Of course. You could scout out people we could feature, and I would interview them.”

  It was a great idea and I remember being impressed when Cara came to me with it. But it was right before I left for the shoot of Hell Fire. Most things were put on hold for the shoot.

  “You interview them. Right. Of, course.” She clenched her teeth and I wondered why she wasn’t more excited about this opportunity.

  Before I could ask her about it, the door opened and out stepped Keaghan Bailey. He had changed. A lot.

  I had spoken with him when I first came to town but that was over the phone. This was the first time seeing him in eleven years.

  Both of us stood as I took in my nemesis from school.

  While he never had been tall, he was fit in high school. Quarterback of the football team and prom king—the typical asshole who always got what he wanted because he thought he deserved it, not because he earned it.

  Keaghan had let himself go. A lot. Like, several beers a day with cheese fries, a lot. Maybe with his relaxed body, he was now a more humbled man. Someone who understood what it was like not to have everything handed to him on a silver platter.

  Perhaps Cara was right about him . . .

  “Well, if it isn’t Iona Dell. You ever get that shit smell off you?” He laughed so hard his face turned red. I thought he’d have a heart attack the way he was wheezing.

  “Yes, so funny to have flaming bags of poop left on my doorstep at night. It wasn’t at all difficult for my mom to find the money for a new pair of shoes and get down on her hands and knees to scrub the poop off our porch for days.” There wasn’t even a hint of a smile on my lips, but he nodded as if I thought it was hilarious, too.

  He walked over trying to recover from the laughing attack and threw his arm over my shoulder. I heard Jake clear his throat from the other side of the room. Keaghan’s eyes widened when he saw him and quickly removed his arm from me.

  “That’s what I liked about you. You were always good for a joke or three. Am I right?” He laughed again and pushed Cara’s shoulder a little too hard. She stumbled back but caught herself before she fell.

  I wanted to punch him, but I could hear Babette’s words in my head like some overbearing ghost, “Make nice and your career could take off.”

  “As much as I love reliving the worst moments of my life, I believe you have other things to discuss, Mayor.” I couldn’t even say his name. I was afraid I’d projectile vomit if I had.

  “Right. Come this way, ladies.” He moved his hand to the small of my back and I stiffened.

  No one, and I mean no one, touched me like that without my consent. It’s one thing to have a douche-canoe throw his arm on my shoulder like a
drunken idiot at a kegger, but it’s another thing to have the same person move toward more intimate locations on my body.

  I turned and faced the loser. “Do you mind removing your hands from my body. And no, that wasn’t a question.”

  He coughed as I caught him off guard. Keaghan stepped back and held up his hands. “I never realized Hollywood types were so sensitive. It’s not like we didn’t know each other back when we were young.”

  Then he did something that had me biting the inside of my cheek so hard I could taste blood. He winked at his assistant, a woman about my age named Sophie, right after he spoke. As if we were an item in school.

  “I think I made a mistake coming here.” I stopped in the doorway. “Sorry, Cara, I know you worked hard setting this meeting up, but I’ve had meetings with notorious leeches in Hollywood that felt less creepy than this.”

  As I turned, a hand reached out to grab my arm. I thought it was Keaghan’s and was about to pull out an old kung-fu move my trainer taught me, but it was Cara.

  “Stop. Iona, can I speak with you for a minute?”

  I sighed but nodded. We moved to the corner of the waiting area, away from the mayor’s office.

  “It wasn’t easy setting up this meeting. The reason it took me so long to fly out here from the West Coast was because I was doing a lot of damage control.”

  That was a surprise. I knew the movie shut down, and I was one of the reasons for that, but I’d been doing everything according to Babette’s plan. Hell, I was even having sex with my fake-fiancé/roommate/first love. The only lie in this whole thing was we weren’t going to get married at the end. I was doing everything right for once.

  And since we started having sex on a regular basis like any sane people who were crazy attracted to each other should, it had been mind-blowingly perfect. I never realized that having sex with the same person for this long—almost two weeks straight—could be amazing.

  The sex had actually gotten better since we first did it on the picnic table a month ago.

  If love was a real thing, I might be in danger of falling for Tyler. But, it’s fake, just like our engagement.

  “It’s that bad? But I figured the engagement to my first love would win over the public.”

  That was the idea behind Babette’s plan. Who didn’t fall for a rekindled first love story?

  “That’s the problem. Somehow word got out about your fiancé.” Her eyes lowered as she bit her lip. That wasn’t a good sign. I was witnessing Cara’s worried face.

  “Of course, word got out that I had a fiancé. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Tyler was perfect social media bait—he was handsome and a small-town vet. The man was every woman’s wet dream and I had him.

  Suck it, ladies, he’s mine!

  Whoa. Where did that come from? Doesn’t matter, the Internet should be eating it up.

  “No, what he did. Making you get an abortion.” Cara pointed to my stomach.

  “He didn’t make me get an abortion?” I said a little too loud and heard a gasp from Sophie behind us.

  We both huddled closer together. “I had a miscarriage. Tyler never even knew I was pregnant until several weeks ago when I told him.”

  “I know that. Babette knows that. Tyler knows that. But no one else does.”

  “That’s true.”

  The damn reporters. Who was spreading these lies?

  “About this meeting with the mayor, maybe you’re right—”

  “Everything all right, ladies?” The mayor stepped forward, cutting off Cara.

  “Fine, Mayor.” Still couldn’t say his name. Too afraid I’d bring forth the four riders of the apocalypse if I did.

  “We were discussing the meeting for today, and I double-checked Ms. Dell’s schedule and it seems she’s busy for—”

  “I hope not too busy to be the star of the Fire Lake Apple Festival in two weeks?” Keaghan glared at Cara with thin lips as he spoke. “I’d hate for her to miss the chance to enjoy herself. And what about you, Cara? I know when I spoke personally on the phone with you the past few weeks you assured me that she would be free. I don’t think Ms. Dell is the type of woman to have someone helping her that lies.”

  Once a bully, always a bully.

  I was about to tell him where he could put his apple festival when Cara spoke up.

  “He’s right.” She turned to me. “It’s one festival and I’m sorry, Iona, but I did promise. And I know Babette wanted you to do some local activities to win the heart of the public after the accident.”

  I stared at Cara and my heart broke a bit. Why did she have to be so sweet? I couldn’t say no to her. I’d even tolerate Mayor Asshole for a few weeks if it meant she would be happy. And she was right—the public would eat it up.

  Taking a deep breath, I plastered on my most Hollywood smile. “Yes, I’d love to do the festival. Now, if I remember correctly, there’s a parade? Would I get to sit on a float?”

  The mayor began to swing his arm around to put on my shoulder but stopped midway and dropped it as we walked toward his office. “Yes, you get the prize spot—next to me on the mayoral float. My hardware store is donating the wood and screws for the float.”

  “How generous of you.” I gritted my teeth.

  “Now, don’t go getting drunk and trying to drive the float. Don’t want you to kill anyone like you did your mom.” He chuckled and slapped me on the back.

  He was the worst person on the planet, and I hated that I had to be stuck on a float with him.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Tyler

  “Don’t you ever change.” I heard Iona’s voice come from the kitchen along with some kissing noises.

  “That is super gross. Seriously, I can’t be in the same room as you while you eat that.” Another female voice floated out. It was Cara, Iona’s assistant.

  She got here about a week ago and was staying at the Fire Inn on Main Street, but she was always here. She’s nice and all, but I never get alone time with Iona anymore.

  “What’s gross?” I asked as I stepped inside.

  I decided to take the day off of work—gave Olivia a chance to help with the animals and get some on-the-job training. She’s assisted me for several months, but I think doing it herself would build her confidence.

  That and it’s a slow day. In fact, the past two weeks had been slow. Our busiest day was Tuesday with three appointments. One was our regular, Mrs. Fiorello with her Shih-Tzu, Boris. She came in every week with a new worry that her dog had a new ailment.

  The other appointments were from a new client who was new to the area and the other was a stray found by animal control. We went from having a line out the door last month to barely having a customer.

  And I knew the reason why. It all changed the moment Iona strolled back into town. I loved her but it was hard to get used to the dramatic change she brought with her.

  “What’s gross . . . uh, you’re eating that?” I said as I stumbled back and grasped the wall.

  Iona sat at the kitchen counter dipping raisins in pickle juice. Maybe this was a prank and it wasn’t actually pickle juice.

  “That’s not real.” I walked over and then the smell hit me. The briny scent burned my nostrils and bile crept up my throat.

  “Oh, dear Lord, I think I’m going to hurl,” Iona and I both said at the same time.

  She jumped from the stool and ran toward the bathroom. Once I heard the sounds of her yakking, I ran to the sink just in time to dry heave. Since I had yet to have breakfast, there was nothing for me to throw up.

  “I don’t know how you do it. Are you sure you want to marry her?” Cara said from behind me.

  I turned and leaned against the counter with sweat rolling down my brow. “You’re the one who’s been her assistant for the past five years. Is this some new Hollywood diet? If so, there may be an ultimatum. Either the diet goes, or I do.”

  “I never heard of this diet before, but new ones crop up weekly. She once tr
ied the all mayo diet. Now, that was disgusting.”

  Perhaps marrying a Hollywood actress was more challenging than I had thought. I knew the engagement was fake, but I was reconsidering that idea. Maybe it didn’t have to be fake . . . I loved Iona more each day, and I knew by the end of the month she’d be heading back to the West Coast.

  I couldn’t lose her, not again.

  “I think I upchucked a small country.” Iona’s voice was hoarse and even with her damp brow and messy hair pulled back in a ponytail, she was beautiful.

  In sickness and in health, I’d love this woman until the day I died. That was a promise I made to myself, but I hoped to stand next to her one day and announce it to the world.

  “No more diets. Most of them are trash anyway. If you just eat healthy and exercise, then you should have no trouble with your weight. Your body dictates what’s a healthy weight for you, not society,” I said as I moved toward the counter and put the pickle jar away before I dry heaved again.

  “But it’s not—”

  I waved my hands, effectively cutting her off. “No excuses.” I wrapped her in my arms despite the pickle and bile smell emanating from her hair. “You’re so beautiful and sexy and so much more than just your body. Don’t hurt yourself because others have a sick sense of what’s attractive.”

  She was quiet for a moment and began to tremble in my arms. Sometimes it’s hard to hear the truth, but I wanted her to know that I loved her, body and soul. No diet or weight gain or any change to her body would disrupt my heart.

  “I’m going to be sick again.” She pushed me so hard I hit the edge of the counter. Then she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.

  “What is that smell?” I heard my brother behind me. Turning, I saw the behemoth cover his nose. “Did something die?”

  “Other than the nerve endings in my nose, no. It’s a celebrity diet Iona tried, but I put a stop to it.”

  He shook his head but didn’t lower his hand from his nose. “Good luck with that.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? She’s in there throwing up right now. I don’t think she’s going to want to eat that stuff again. I can’t even call it food because what I witnessed was an abomination.”