by Robyn Carr
“Ted’s an author,” Gail explained, cutting into his thoughts.
Simon had lost the thread of the conversation. Sitting up, he cleared his throat and attempted to pretend otherwise. “What kind of books does he write?”
“Thrillers. Already has two out.”
With that enthusiastic lead-in, Simon expected Ted to ask for the usual favor. Hundreds of authors sent their work to his production company, hoping to gain interest in a movie adaption. But to Simon’s relief, the conversation moved on to another guy, someone by the name of Kyle Houseman, who wasn’t there. Kyle was going through a nasty divorce. It soon became apparent that everyone blamed his wife.
Simon guessed he was the only one in the group who felt sorry for the maligned soon-to-be ex. He knew how being “the problem” felt. He also knew that a divorce was never as clear-cut as it appeared.
After the talk of Kyle’s divorce, a woman with black hair and a widow’s peak—Eve Something—spoke up. “What would you guys think if I started a new marketing campaign for the B and B focusing on those scary stories we used to pass around as kids?”
“The ones where we claimed the inn was haunted?” This was Sophia. Simon had noticed that every time she tried to contribute, everyone else immediately stiffened.
“Last I heard, you wanted to keep a lid on the history of the place for fear of scaring off patrons,” she said.
Eve shrugged in response but wouldn’t quite meet her gaze. “That’s true, but...times have changed. I need to try a more aggressive approach.”
All of these people were attractive, Simon thought. Sophia, with her wide blue eyes, brown hair and porcelain skin, was probably the prettiest, but he wasn’t as taken with her looks as he would’ve expected to be. He returned his attention to Eve of the widow’s peak. “You own A Room with a View?”
She blushed as if she was surprised he’d get involved in the conversation. “No. The other B and B—the Gold Nugget Inn. It’s not quite as nice or as prominently situated.”
“It is nice,” Gail chimed in. “But Simon hasn’t seen it.” She turned to him. “Eve’s parents bought it just after they were married and fixed it up, so it’s been in her family for years. It’s around the bend, heading out of town to the north. Cheyenne—” she motioned to her other friend “—helps run it. I’ll show it to you later.”
Riley entered the conversation. Gail had introduced him as her contractor friend, so Simon had made a special note of his name. “Do you think that story we used to tell is true? About the young daughter of the couple who built the Gold Nugget being murdered in the basement?”
“It is.” Cheyenne contributed this remark. She’d been listening quietly, seemed to hang on every word, but she came across as the type who typically kept her thoughts to herself. “When we first moved to town my mother dragged me and my sister into the cemetery and said if we didn’t take good care of her while she was sick, the same evil that got little Mary Hatfield would come after us.”
“That’s so out of line.” This came from Callie, the only member of the group who seemed unwilling to accept Simon. She’d frowned when they were introduced and bristled whenever he looked at her. “But knowing her, it doesn’t surprise me,” she added.
“You were in high school when you moved here,” Gail said to Cheyenne. “I hope you knew better than to believe her.”
Cheyenne’s somber gray eyes focused on Gail. “I absolutely believed her. There was no telling what she might do.”
“That was so unnecessary,” Ted put in.
“Exactly,” Eve agreed. “They would’ve taken care of her. Look at them now that the cancer is back.”
“She’s my mother,” Cheyenne said. “What else can I do? Anyway, I don’t want to talk about Anita. We were talking about the inn.”
“Tell them what you found at the library, Chey,” Eve prompted.
“You tell them,” she responded, but Gail joined Eve in prodding her.
“What’d you find?”
Cheyenne stirred the whipped cream into whatever drink she’d ordered—hot chocolate?—as she began to speak. “When Eve first mentioned the idea, I went down to the county library and researched the story. I found an old newspaper article dated August 1, 1898, that said the girl’s father came upon her strangled in the basement.”
Ted nodded. “That’s the same story I heard. They never figured out who did it.”
“I used to be so afraid of seeing Mary’s ghost,” Eve said.
“And you want to use that tragedy for marketing purposes?” Callie looked horrified. “Don’t you think that’s kind of...morbid?”
Eve shrugged. “It is but, like I said, I’ve got to do something.”
“That’ll be taking things in a new direction, all right,” Riley said with a laugh.
It was obvious that Eve didn’t appreciate his attitude.
“Will you change the name, too?” Sophia wanted to know. “All Hallows Inn would be chilling.”
Slumping in her seat, Eve played with a sugar packet. “I’m willing to do anything. The place needs updating and repairs, and I don’t have the money. I don’t want to lose it to the bank. So I’ll have to get creative. If I make the wear-and-tear part of the theme, I might be able to limp along for another year or two until I can get on my feet.”
“Makes sense to me.” Gail reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “When you’re ready, I’ll help you put together a press packet so we can get the word out.”
Eve smiled her thanks.
“I don’t know....” Riley wasn’t convinced. “Might be too gimmicky, Eve.”
“I disagree,” Cheyenne piped up. “I think we should do it.”
Everyone seemed surprised that she would argue with him.
“There’s so much interest in the supernatural,” she went on. “We should hire some good fortune-tellers and offer free tarot readings on check-in, really go with the theme.”
Eve turned her attention to Simon. “What do you think?”
Simon hadn’t expected to be singled out when he was the least likely to have an opinion. He searched his mind for some useful idea. “Well, if you want to go in a darker direction... I could come up with some interesting props from various films that might add an Alfred Hitchcock air to the place.”
She perked up. “That’s a great suggestion! But...won’t real movie props be expensive?”
“They don’t have to be,” he said. “I happen to know some people in the industry.” He heard a few chuckles at the understatement. “I’ll see what I can arrange.”
“That’s so nice.” Eve looked at Gail as if to say she liked him, and Gail smiled, but the atmosphere grew tense as soon as someone mentioned a guy named Matt.
“Have you seen him yet?” Ted asked Gail.
Everyone fell silent. Clearly, they’d all been dying to ask the same question.
Gail poured more cream into her coffee even though she didn’t usually take very much. “No, not yet. We just got in last night.”
“He’s been here a couple days already,” Sophia said. “I saw him at Just Like Mom’s last night.”
“How does he look?” someone else wondered.
Eve answered. “Better than ever.”
“What about his knee?” Gail asked.
“He’s wearing a brace, but he’s walking on it,” Ted told her.
Gail added even more cream to her coffee. “Will he ever get to play again?”
“Hard to say,” Riley replied. “No one knows.”
Simon’s gaze circled the group. Normally he would’ve let this go, as he had the talk about Kyle Houseman. But there was a definite undercurrent here, and it seemed to be swirling around Gail. “Matt is...”
Gail seemed eager to answer before anyone else could. “Just an
other friend.”
“He plays football for the Packers, when he’s not injured,” Eve said.
“He’s part of the group?” Simon asked, trying to clarify.
“Not really.” This came from Eve again. “I mean...he’s not one of the original members. We all graduated the same year. Matt’s three years older.”
“He’s a great guy.” When Callie said this as if he was the perfect contrast to Simon, Gail made a point of checking the time.
“Whoa, don’t some of you need to be at work?”
“Yeah, Chey and I are already late,” Eve agreed. “Jane’s there cooking breakfast, but she’ll need us to help serve.”
Everyone stood. As they cleared the table of plates and cups, Callie pulled Gail aside, but Simon could hear what she said.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Gail met Simon’s eyes over her friend’s head. “Nothing, why?”
“I can’t believe you married him. Already! Didn’t you think we’d want to know you were that serious before seeing it on TV?”
“I told you we were dating.”
“Dating’s a little different, Gail.”
“We didn’t plan it, Callie. We just...decided to do it. It happened very quickly.”
“I’m sure it did. Let’s hope you don’t end up brokenhearted and divorced just as quickly.” Callie whirled around to glare at Simon. “Nice of you to come and meet the family, even if it is too late for us to talk her out of ruining her life.”
“I didn’t realize we needed to get your approval,” he responded dryly.
Callie turned back to Gail and said something else that sounded harsh, but Simon missed it because Riley had approached him. “Hey, sorry about your injury.” He gestured at the bandage still protecting Simon’s stitches. “That sucks.”
“I certainly have a new appreciation for how often I use my right hand.” Simon glanced over to see if he could catch another snippet of the Callie/Gail exchange, but Callie had left. It was Sophia who was talking to Gail now.
“What do you two have planned for today?” Riley asked, maintaining a separate conversation with him.
“We’re hoping to meet up with someone named Kathy and take a look at some rental property.”
“You’re planning to stay here?” Riley spoke loudly enough that everyone still there turned toward them. “What about your acting career?”
Simon held up his injured hand. “I’m taking a couple months off.”
When he saw that he also had Gail’s attention, Riley directed his next question to her. “You’re leaving Big Hit in the hands of someone else?”
“I am. My assistant is going to be running the show for a bit. We were actually hoping to hire you to help Simon build us a house.”
“I’d be happy to do that,” he said. “You know my number. Give me a call.”
“Sounds like we’ll get to see more of you,” Sophia said to Simon as Riley moved toward the exit. “That’s great! I was just going to say I’d love to have the two of you over for dinner sometime, if you’re interested.”
Sophia’s enthusiasm created a stark contrast with Callie’s anger. Simon couldn’t help responding to it. “Sure. We’ll come to dinner. When?”
She seemed surprised and relieved at the same time, as if she hadn’t expected an acceptance. “Day after tomorrow? I mean, I don’t know if my husband will be home. Skip travels a lot on business. But Alexa will be there.”
“Alexa is...”
“My daughter.”
Dinner sounded fine to Simon. At least he’d met someone who was eager to offer him friendship. “Fine. We’ll see you then.”
Gail took his arm. “Actually, we don’t know our plans yet. Can we call you?”
Sophia’s smile briefly wobbled but she managed to keep it in place. “Of course.”
The other woman’s disappointment nearly made Gail relent. She paused as if she was tempted, then seemed to think better of it. “Ready to go?” she asked, turning to him instead.
“Whenever you are.” They said goodbye to those who remained. Then Simon led Gail from the shop and out into a sunny fall day. While they were within earshot of the others, they talked about the weather, their search for a rental, how nice her friends were.
But as soon as they got in the car he said, “Who’s Matt?”
Eighteen
“You just met six of my friends. And you want to talk about one who wasn’t even there?” she said as she put on her seat belt.
This was clearly a deflection. But Simon allowed it. For the moment. “Okay, let’s talk about Sophia.” He buckled his own belt. “Why did you refuse her invitation to dinner?”
“I didn’t refuse it. I said I’d call.”
He started the car. “Will you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why?” he asked as he shifted into Reverse.
She blew out a sigh. “I’m having a hard time forgiving her.”
“For?”
Facing the window as he backed out of the parking space, she waved at Ted, who was climbing into his SUV. “A lot of reasons.”
“We’re here for three months. I think you’ve got time to explain.”
“It’s old gossip,” she said as if it didn’t matter, but obviously it did, or she wouldn’t be holding a grudge.
They reached the exit, where he waited for an opening in traffic. “Everyone else knows, right?”
“Of course. There are no secrets in Whiskey Creek.”
“Then you might as well fill me in.”
“Fine.” She turned off the radio. “Back when we were in high school, her father was the mayor. She was an only child and very spoiled. She was also the most popular girl in school and dated Scott Harris, the best basketball player Eureka High has ever seen.” Her voice softened. “Scott was Joe’s best friend. And he was like another brother to me.”
Simon merged onto Main Street: Speed Limit 25. Just as well he hadn’t brought the Ferrari. “This story doesn’t feel like it’s going in a good direction.”
“No. He lost his life in a drunk-driving accident, and most people here blame Sophia.”
He winced. “Including you.”
“Maybe. To a point,” she said, obviously not wanting to commit herself. “It’s hard not to blame her.”
A bicyclist swerved around the corner. Simon swung wide to make room. “What happened?”
“He was expecting her to join him at a party one night, but she didn’t come. When someone mentioned that she’d been seen with another guy earlier in the day, he took off to find her, even though he was far too drunk to get behind the wheel.”
“No one tried to stop him?”
“Of course. He pretended to change his mind, then slipped out when the rest of us relaxed and stopped paying attention.”
Simon could guess what happened next. “He crashed?”
“Wound up in a ditch. It was too late by the time the paramedics arrived.”
“I’m sorry.”
She seemed lost in the memory. “He would’ve made a wonderful husband and father, had he been given the chance.”
“Was she with someone else?” he asked as they came to a red light. He couldn’t help wondering.
“She claims she wasn’t and no one’s stepped up to say, ‘I’m the other guy.’ There have been rumors, though.”
“Of course. It’s a small town. But blaming her for his drinking and driving is like blaming Bella for my bad behavior. Last I checked I don’t get to do that.”
She studied him. “You haven’t even tried.”
Because it felt too much like cheating. He had his faults but blaming others for his actions wasn’t one of them.
“Come to think of it,
you should be commended for that,” she added.
Surprised by her concession, he glanced over to make sure she was serious. When he saw that she was, he shrugged. “So I have one redeeming feature.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “You’ve got a few others.”
A dose of sexual awareness warmed his blood. “Feel free to elaborate,” he said, tempting her to flirt a little more, but she backed off.
“I think you know what they are.”
The light turned green. “If you’re talking about my looks, I’m not particularly flattered. I had no control over the face I was given.”
“You’ve worked hard for that body.”
“All part of the job. But I’m glad you noticed.”
She scowled. “I’ve also noticed how easy it is for you to light up a room, how fast you neutralized all the people who should’ve been defensive of me. They fell for your charm almost immediately.”
He got stuck behind someone in an SUV who was waiting for a parking spot on the street. “Really? Because Callie seemed completely immune.”
“She’ll come around.”
Maybe. Maybe not. She’d seemed pretty unhappy. “What was that bit about Cheyenne and her mother?”
“Anita’s a piece of work. You wouldn’t believe what Cheyenne has been through. When she and her sister were little, her mother dragged them from one town to the next. They lived out of cars or in cheap motels. She didn’t even go to school until she moved here, and by then she was fourteen!”
The people who owned the Jetta in the parking space the SUV wanted began the process of loading up, but they had a baby and a toddler to strap in, and a stroller to contend with. “How did she fare?”
“Not as badly as you’d think. She’d taught herself a lot by then, is naturally very smart. But it took most of high school for her to catch up. And, of course, she didn’t get the chance to go to college, like the rest of us.”