Chynna laughed, trusting Kenya to speak her mind. “Overall, it’s been good. I don’t regret the last month in Tucson with Noah and his family. And I wish I could figure out how to live in both worlds and maybe I will, but for now, we’ve got to clean up the mess I’ve made. Any suggestions?” She glanced in Deacon’s direction.
“Give me some time to come up with a strategy. Why don’t you two catch up, and I’ll be back in the morning,” Deacon said. “That’ll give me some time to sleep on it. I’ll also call Fiona.” He held up his hands when Chynna began to protest. “I know you may not always like Fiona’s strategy, but she knows how to handle scandal. And perhaps she can give us some ideas and then you can choose which one suits you.”
“Okay,” Chynna said, “fair enough.” She looked over at Kenya. “’Cause my sister and I have a lot to discuss.”
“See you tomorrow,” Deacon said as he left the front door.
“How about a smoothie?” Kenya asked and headed toward the kitchen.
“A smoothie?” Chynna was still rooted in the same spot. She couldn’t remember Kenya ever being health conscious.
Kenya glanced behind her and waved her forward. “Don’t act so surprised. I had to get used to them once your people put me on a diet.”
“They did what?” Chynna said, following Kenya into her modern kitchen. She sat on a barstool at the large granite island and watched Kenya remove a gadget from the cupboard. Then she went into her freezer to remove bags of frozen strawberries, peaches, mango, and a cup of ice and returned them to the island. Chynna was shocked at how comfortable Kenya was in her home. She’d rarely come into her own kitchen except to grab a yogurt or bottled water, and she certainly didn’t know where everything was.
“Yeah, they told me I was getting fat and had me working with a personal trainer.” Kenya dumped several handfuls of frozen strawberries, peaches and mango into the gadget along with the ice and protein powder and closed the top. It began churning the ingredients into a smooth, frothy concoction.
“Omigod!” Chynna’s hand went to her mouth. She was horrified, but not necessarily surprised. “I’m so sorry.”
Kenya shrugged and walked over to the cupboard to remove two glasses. “Doesn’t matter. Thanks to them, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.” She poured some of her concoction into each of the cups and then handed one to Chynna.
Chynna took a sip. “Yum, that tastes good. How’d you learn to make smoothies?”
“Trainer.”
“So,” Chynna said, sipping on her smoothie, “who do you think ratted us out?”
Kenya was quiet for several moments as she drank her smoothie. “If I had to guess, it would be Eli.”
“Eli. Why would you think it would be him? He would stand the most to lose by me having bad publicity.”
“I don’t know, Chynna. There’s something about that guy. He rubs me the wrong way.”
“I don’t know,” Chynna said, sipping her smoothie. “It’s hard for me to believe that Eli would try and sabotage me.”
“Well, he certainly didn’t like my attitude when I came back and my unwillingness to bend to his will.” Kenya swished her cup around to get the remainder of the smoothie that was stuck to the cup, and she gulped it down. “Do you know he actually called your ex, Lamar, to pay me a visit?”
“He did what?”
“He contacted Lamar to try to schmooze me. He thought having Lamar would distract me, and he could convince me to do as I’m told.”
“Wow! That bastard. Did he really think I was that gullible? I’ve been over Lamar a long time. He must think very little of me.”
“I’m telling you, I don’t trust him.”
Chynna nodded. “Okay, I hear you. And finding out who leaked my story to the press is high on my priority list, and if I find that’s Eli, there will be hell to pay. What else did I miss?”
Kenya shrugged and walked over to rinse her cup out in the stainless steel sink. “Not much. As you know, I filmed the new video for your third single, and performed concerts here in Anaheim and Vegas.”
“And the movie?” Chynna asked as she gulped the remainder of her smoothie from the cup.
Kenya smiled broadly. “Has been fantastic. Getting to work with the Carter Wright has been one of the crowning achievements of my career.”
“I knew you would be fantastic,” Chynna said. “Acting just isn’t my thing, and the more I tried, the worse I seemed to get. Carter is lucky to have you. So is filming nearly over?” She’d hoped she’d bypassed the whole thing and could move on to the next chapter of her career.
Kenya’s hand flew to her mouth. “No, there’s a few more scenes. And I, no, I mean you,” she pointed to Chynna, “have to film them.”
“Oh, Lord!” Fear coursed through Chynna’s veins. “There’s no way right now I can go to that filming. Not with all the heat we have on us.”
“Carter is going to be furious,” Kenya stated.
“Carter?” Chynna chuckled. “He’s the least of our troubles. Eli and Lucas must have hit the roof when they heard the news. Have you spoken to Lucas?”
The mention of Lucas’s name sent butterflies swarming in Kenya’s belly, but not in the way it once did. This time, it was fear. She hadn’t seen Lucas since earlier that morning, when he’d left her room and all had been right with the world.
“Kenya, did you hear me?” Chynna asked, snapping her fingers in front of her sister.
Kenya moved away. “Yes, yes, I heard you. And no, I have not spoken with him. Have you spoken to Noah?”
“Don’t go trying to change the subject. We’re talking about you and Lucas right now.”
“There is no more me and Lucas,” Kenya said. “In case you’ve forgotten, unlike Noah who knew your true identity, Lucas thought I was you. He has no idea who Kenya James is.”
“Bullshit. He’s been sleeping with you, hasn’t he?” Chynna asked boldly. “Then he knows you.”
“Yes, in the physical sense, but ...”
“But what?” Chynna asked. “He must have sensed a change in you, I mean in me, and saw something he liked. Well, that’s the real Kenya. He fell in love with Kenya, not me.”
“Love?” Kenya responded. “I never said anything about love.” Though she may have felt those emotions, she’d never shared them with Chynna. She’d kept those feelings private, because she was too afraid to think them, much less say them aloud.
Chynna frowned. “Didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t. I doubt Lucas has those sort of feelings for me. Our relationship was mostly physical, though there were moments that we shared more.”
“Wait a sec,” Chynna said, coming around to face Kenya. “You just said you doubt Lucas feels that way, but what about you?”
Kenya spun away from Chynna’s prying eyes, grabbed Chynna’s cup that she’d left on the island and began to wash it in the sink.
“Don’t turn away from me, Kenya.” Chynna grabbed her arm and forced Kenya to look at her. She stared into Kenya’s hazel eyes that mirrored her own and knew the answer. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
“Chynna, please,” Kenya said, turning away. “Please let this be.”
“I can’t, not when I see you hurting over this. The only reason you didn’t tell him the truth was because you were trying to protect me and keep my secret, give me more time. And it cost you.”
When Kenya turned around, tears were in her eyes and Chynna felt terrible seeing her twin in so much pain. “I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t. And there’s no coming back from that, Chynna.”
“You won’t know unless you try.”
“He won’t want to see me.”
“You wanna bet?” Lucas asked from behind both women.
Blood drained from Kenya’s face, and she turned white when she saw Lucas standing beh
ind Chynna. His hair was unkempt, and his clothes were disshelved. In the short time she’d known him, she’d never seen him look so distraught. How in God’s green earth did he get here? Deacon had given strict instructions to the guards that no one, no one, was allowed entry. This was not going to be good.
Lucas stood glaring at both women. As he entered the kitchen, he only caught the end of their conversation in which Kenya had lied to her sister and told her she’d wanted to tell him the truth. It was lies. All lies and he was here to confront her. And lucky for him, Chynna had returned, so he would get the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
“So here’s the dynamic duo,” Lucas said, coming further into the kitchen. “Let me give you a hand.” He clapped his hands, and the sound of his applause echoed throughout the large kitchen. “The two of you,” he said, pointing to Chynna and Kenya, “may have singlehandedly brought down R&K Records, and I must commend you for your efforts.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Lucas,” Chynna began, but he cut her short.
“Don’t you dare condescend to me, Chynna James.” Lucas’s voice was cold and the look he gave her was murderous. “You’re nothing but a spoiled, self-absorbed, narcissistic twit. So you couldn’t bare your life anymore as a pop star, huh?”
“Lucas, please,” Kenya implored him, but she could see he only saw red and was going to say what he’d come there for.
“Your glamorous world, full of money, cars, clothes, jewels and adoration was just so harsh, was it?” Lucas circled around Chynna. “So you call in your desperate, jealous sister for reinforcement instead?”
Kenya felt the blow as if Lucas had physically hit her. She didn’t think she could ever feel pain like that in her life or that Lucas would be the reason why she did, but she felt it all the same. Is that really what he thought of her—as a wannabe?
She needn’t have worried though, because Chynna jumped to her defense. “How dare you talk about my sister like that! Kenya is a beautiful, talented, amazing woman, and you were damn fortunate to have the privilege of knowing her, let alone going to bed with her.”
Lucas turned to Kenya with an angry look, as if surprised that Kenya had shared their intimate moments with Chynna.
Chynna nodded. “Yes, I know you went to bed with my sister, because what? You thought she was me, some spoiled, narcissistic twit that you didn’t mind taking to bed, but would never have a real relationship with? Oh, yes, Lucas, I know your type. Men like you want to use me for your own selfish gain, but it hurts like a son of a bitch when the shoe is on the other foot, doesn’t it?”
Kenya was surprised by Chynna’s defense of her, but happy all the same. Normally, she was not at a loss for words or speaking her mind, but she hadn’t been prepared for Lucas to unleash his fury on the two of them.
“I didn’t use Kenya,” Lucas finally said, looking directly at Kenya and then at Chynna.
His voice had softened, and Kenya was thankful for that much, but she was still speechless and rooted to the spot.
“I thought I had misjudged you and that you’d changed. I thought you’d had some type of realization at that spa and decided to change your life. I had no idea that you weren’t you.” He turned his gaze to Kenya. “I had no idea that you’d sent Kenya back in your place.”
“I had my reasons,” Chynna said. “Reasons you may not understand.”
“And we’re all living with the fallout,” Lucas replied.
Kenya found her voice and finally spoke up. “I know what I did—what we did,” she said, “was wrong. I should have never lied to you.” She watched Chynna slowly back away and out of the room as if sensing the conversation was about to change to something more personal, more imitate.
Lucas turned the full force of his dark eyes on Kenya and glowered at her. She nearly recoiled from the thunder in those depths. “But you did.”
Kenya’s face flushed with humiliation and anger at herself. “I know. And I can’t take it back.”
“You made a fool of me, Kenya.”
She gulped hard as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“What do you want from me?”
Lucas’s heart ached, but he had to know why she’d thrown everything they’d shared away for this lie. In two seconds flat, he reached her and gripped her upper arms. “Why didn’t you tell me, Kenya? You and I both know that Chynna is wrong. Although the sex was phenomenal.” His body could attest to that because even now as much as he was angry with her, his body longed for her. “There was more than just sex between us.”
Kenya’s pulse pounded, and she nodded her head in agreement. Lucas was right. There had been genuine emotion there. For her, it had been love, of that she was sure. She’d fallen in love with Lucas, and her whole world had changed. For him, she wasn’t sure exactly, but she did know he cared for her.
Lucas’s eyes probed hers, desperate to know the answer. “So why didn’t you trust what we had to tell me the truth?”
“I–I ...” Kenya didn’t know why she hadn’t confided in Lucas. She’d told herself it had been to protect Chynna, but was that really the reason? What more could there be?
When she couldn’t give him an answer, Lucas slowly eased his grip and released her, stepping away. “My God, Kenya. If you had just believed in us, maybe, just maybe we could have endured this storm, but now ...,” he said, shaking his head, “you’ve ruined everything. So you’re right. There’s no coming back from this.”
He turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.
“Lucas,” Kenya whispered his name as the pain of heartache clutched her stomach and she doubled over.
Chapter 9
Chynna was worried about Kenya as she sipped her coffee the next morning. When she’d found her sister on the kitchen floor after Lucas had left last night, she’d been a wreck. Her eyes were puffy, and her face was contorted as if she were in physical pain. She’d never seen Kenya this way. She was used to Kenya being the strong one, used to Kenya making everything okay. Except this time, it was up to Chynna to make the situation better because she was the cause of it.
Chynna had been the one to ask Kenya to imitate her. She’d been the one who’d asked Kenya for more time at Golden Oaks. And for what? Since she’d left, she hadn’t so much as heard a peep from Noah Hart. She was still processing the reality that what she’d shared with Noah had been a flight of fantasy, because clearly, she had only been a salve to help Noah heal the wounds of losing Maya. And now that she’d done that, he was free to move on with his life. How else to explain that she’d heard nothing from him since she’d left yesterday? Wasn’t he worried about how she’d fared with those reporters chasing after her?
Those questions were going to be left unanswered because Deacon, Fiona, Penelope and Eli came walking through her kitchen with an entourage of assistants behind them.
Chynna glanced at the stove clock. It read eight a.m. “It’s a little early, isn’t it?”
“It’s never too early to do damage control,” Fiona said, the first to reply.
“And Eli, why are you here?” Chynna asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Eli said tersely as he walked toward the table. “You’ve made a mockery of R&K Records. Hell, of all of us, especially Lucas, with your charade, and I for one want to know how you plan to fix it.”
“Easy, Eli,” Deacon said, jumping to her defense, but Chynna stood up from the table and touched Deacon’s chest.
“Thank you, Deacon, but you don’t need to defend me.”
“Well someone sure does,” Eli replied. “Have you seen the papers?” He threw down several newspapers on the table, most of which had her as either the headline or a sideline. “The press is having a field day with this, not to mention your fans who are blowing up your Facebook and Twitter pages.”
Chynna
didn’t bother glancing down. “I don’t need to see them. I know what they are going to say: Chynna has a mental breakdown. Chynna James’s career goes up in flames, same as before with the Blake fiasco.”
“And it appears you learned nothing from your past mistakes,” Eli said, “because you’re still as reckless as ever with your brand, a brand I helped you create.”
“Listen up, Eli,” Chynna said, pointing her finger at him, “you may have given me my start, but you are not the one out there every night on stage singing and dancing. I am the reason R&K Records is a success.”
Eli stepped back and looked Chynna up at down, glaring at her. Clearly, her bad circumstances hadn’t changed Chynna’s disposition. In fact, she seemed more obstinate than ever, kind of like her sister, Kenya, whom he’d neutralized by sicking the press after her at the Bellagio.
Deacon rushed over and stood between Chynna and Eli before World War III could break out. “Both of you need to calm down,” he said. “We all need to work together to figure out the best plan of action.”
“I have a plan,” Fiona said from behind the trio.
“And what’s that?” Chynna asked.
“You need to have a press conference,” Fiona replied. “Come clean about everything.”
Eli nodded. “I agree. You can tell them that you’ve had a nervous breakdown and needed some time away, but you’re back, better than ever and ready to get back on the stage.”
“But that’s a lie, Eli,” Chynna replied, “and I’m not going to say it. I need to tell them that I was burnt out and took a break, and switching places with my sister may have been ill- conceived, but it was necessary.”
“But it sounds like you don’t regret it,” Eli said, “and the press is going to want their pound of flesh. They don’t appreciate being gypped.” And for that matter, neither did he.
“I’m going to have to agree with Eli on this one,” Fiona said. “You have to show remorse.”
Chynna shook her head adamantly. “I will apologize to my fans for deceiving them, even though I heard that Kenya’s shows were fantastic. But I won’t say I regret my time at the ranch.” Even though she hadn’t heard from Noah, she would never regret her time there. Not only had she met him, but she’d found a great friend in Rylee—heck, the entire Hart family. She’d discovered herself again.
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