by Elks, Carrie
The door opened, the bell ringing out, and Jessica Martin walked in with two other made up women.
“Grab a table, I’ll bring some menus over,” Maddie called out.
“Actually, Maddie,” Jessica said, walking up to the counter. “I just came to make sure you were all right.”
Maddie’s brows pinched together. “I’m fine, thank you. How are you?” She wondered if Ashleigh had been talking to her.
“Well I’m not the one who’s gone viral, so I’m doing great.” Jessica smiled. “I’m glad you’re not letting it bother you. People are going to talk, right?”
So the news about her and Gray was out. She knew it would be. “You read the magazine article?”
Jessica shook her head. “What magazine article? I’m talking about that video of you and your… I don’t know. Was he a boyfriend? And the girl, was she your girlfriend? I’m a little sheltered living here in Hartson’s Creek. I don’t know how those threesomes work.” She laughed. “You’re a dark horse, you know that?”
Maddie’s chest felt tight. She tried to breathe in, but the air wouldn’t go down. The door opened again, and Gray walked in, and it felt like everybody in the room turned to look at him.
And then at her.
Their eyes met, and she could see her worry reflected back in his deep blue depths. “Maddie…” he said, swallowing hard.
“I know.” Her voice was croaky.
“Hi, Gray.” Jessica smiled at him. “Long time no see.”
He frowned. “Do I know you?” For a second, Maddie wanted to kiss him.
“I’m Jessica Martin. Formerly Jessica Chilton. You must remember me. I was a cheerleader.” She looked affronted.
He shook his head, a frown pinching the skin between his brows. “Maddie, I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, I heard you two had a thing going on. I guess it makes sense, right? She’s the kind of girl that attracts the bad boys.” Jessica shrugged. “I was just telling Maddie what a dark horse she is. I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who’s had a threesome before.”
“Judy, was it?” Gray asked. “Can you shut up and leave us alone?”
Her back straightened. “I’m a paying customer. I don’t expect to be talked to like that.”
“If you’ll go sit down and shut the hell up, maybe somebody will come and serve you,” Gray said.
Jessica opened her mouth and closed it again, shaking her head as though she was trying to work it out. Ignoring her silent protest, Gray took Maddie’s arm and steered her toward the kitchen door.
Murphy looked up from the dishwasher as they entered. “Hey, no customers back here.”
Maddie pulled her arm from Gray’s hold and pulled the phone from her coat pocket, quickly opening it with her thumb.
“You don’t need to look.” Gray’s voice was low. “It’ll make you feel worse.”
“I need to know how bad it is.” She pulled up Twitter, frowning as that damn bird seemed to freeze on the screen.
“It’s bad, Maddie,” he said softly. “Real bad. But I’m working on it, okay?”
Twitter finally opened up on her phone, and she found herself typing her own name in. When the results came up, she stared at the screen, trying not to cry.
Never in her worst nightmares had she imagined being splashed over social media like this. Bad didn’t even begin to cover it.
* * *
Gray watched as Maddie’s face paled and her lips parted, knowing exactly what she was seeing. He’d watched it himself and just the memory of it made him want to get on a plane to L.A. and drag Brad Rickson by his hair down Hollywood Boulevard.
That asshole had it coming.
“Oh god, everybody will see this.” Maddie’s voice was thin. “Jessica will tell a few people and they’ll tell others and everyone in town will know.”
“And when they see it, they’ll know that you were a victim.”
She shook her head. “No. They’ll see me as a laughing stock. I can’t do this. I can’t go back out there and serve customers who are watching this.” She squeezed her eyes shut and a tear escaped. “I just…” Her voice cracked.
Murphy walked over to Maddie, shooting Gray a strange look. “Maddie? You okay?”
She looked up at him, her eyes shining, and shook her head.
He glanced at the screen and frowned. “Is that you?”
Gray watched her hands shake as she passed him the phone. “You’ll probably want me to leave,” she said. “I understand.”
“You want to go home?” Murphy asked her.
“No, I mean you’ll want to fire me.”
His frown deepened. “Why would I fire my best worker?”
“Do you see what this is, Murph?” she asked him, showing him her phone again. “This is a sex tape. With me in it. And all your customers are going to know what I look like with my clothes off.”
“Maddie…”
She gasped in some air, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “I can’t deal with this. I can’t. I need to go…”
“I’ll take you home,” Gray said. “Becca’s waiting outside.”
“I can’t go home. Mom doesn’t know about this.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh god, Mom’s going to find out.”
She was starting to hyperventilate, her breath coming and going in shallow, ragged breaths. Gray reached out for her, but she recoiled as though his palm would burn her.
He felt helpless. And guilty. Because this was his fault. She’d been living with this secret for years. Nobody in town had known the real reason she’d left Ansell. But now, thanks to him, her name would be on everybody’s lips.
“I’ll shut the diner,” Murphy said, his voice quiet. “You go home, Maddie. Where you belong.” He glanced at Gray, then looked back at her. “You want me to drive you?”
“My car’s outside. I’ll drive myself.”
“I’ll come with you,” Gray said quickly. “We can talk about what to do next. Let me tell Becca, okay?”
Maddie’s voice was firm, in spite of her tears. “No. I need to be alone.” Her arms were wrapped around her torso, as though she was protecting herself. It felt like she was warding him off.
Christ, he felt useless. He wanted to do something. Anything to take away the hurt expression on her face. Wanted to pull her into his arms and protect her from everything.
“You shouldn’t be alone,” Murphy said quietly. Gray was warming to him by the minute.
She pulled her jacket on and grabbed her keys from her pocket. “I can’t be around people right now. I just need some time to think.” She pressed her lips together in a grim smile. “I’ll speak to you both later.”
“Are you sure?” Gray asked her.
She nodded, and it felt like a stab to his heart. “Yeah, I’m sure.” Then she walked out of the door that led to the paved back lot, pulling it softly closed behind her.
“Well, shit,” Murphy said when she was gone. “And she was only telling me a few minutes ago how happy she was.” He shrugged. “I guess we best go and close up.”
* * *
The first thing Gray noticed when they walked out of the kitchen was how many people had entered the diner in the last few minutes. The second was the fiery-eyed blonde standing at the counter, shooting flaming daggers in his direction.
“Ashleigh.” He nodded at her.
“Where’s Maddie?” she asked, her voice low. “Does she know about the video?”
“Yeah, she knows,” he whispered back. Just about everybody in the diner was staring at them.
“Is she in the kitchen? I need to talk to her.”
“She just left.”
“Where to?”
“Home, I guess.” Gray swallowed.
“And you let her go?” Ashleigh’s voice rose. The few people who hadn’t been looking at them raised their heads to stare. “Jesus, Gray. She must be a complete mess.”
“She wouldn’t let me come with her. She wanted to be alone.”
“Dear god, you’re an idiot.” She shook her head. “This is all your fault, you know that?”
“Yeah, I do.” He curled his good hand into a fist.
“If you hadn’t come sauntering back into town and made her fall in love with you, this would never have happened.” She sighed heavily. “I promised her nobody would ever find out.” Her eyes flashed. “You made me a liar.”
“I didn’t make you anything,” he pointed out. “And does it matter if I did?”
Maddie was in love with him? He put that thought away to think about later.
“No, I guess not.”
“Ashleigh. I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you and Maddie weren’t talking.” Jessica was still in here? Gray put his hands behind his back, because it really wasn’t polite to hit a woman.
“She’s my sister, Jessica.”
“Not much of one. Not after she started sleeping with your ex. I’d kill my sister if she did that.” Jessica leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. “Have you seen the video? Is that why Gray likes her?”
“You know what, Jess?” Ashleigh said, exasperation in her voice. “Why don’t you fuck off?”
The whole diner silenced. Enough for Murphy to be heard as he shouted out to tell them he was closing early.
“What did you say?” Jessica blinked.
“You heard me.” Ashleigh squared up to her. For a moment, it was like being back in high school, watching the cheerleaders bitch at each other for some imagined slight.
“I’m on your side,” Jessica hissed. “Your sister hurt you.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t need your kind of support. And neither does Maddie.” Ashleigh turned to Gray. “I’m going to find my sister. Are you coming?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m coming.”
She grabbed his arm. “Then let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Nice car,” he said as he climbed into Ashleigh’s silver Mercedes. The interior was pristine, with tan leather seats polished to a shine.
“Thanks.” She switched on the ignition. “What kind of car do you have?”
“In L.A? A Prius.”
She pulled out of the parking space. “I never knew you cared about the environment.”
“I don’t like to make things worse than I need to.” He shrugged and buckled his seatbelt.
“Could have fooled me.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Touché.”
His phone rang as she turned left from the square, heading for the home where Maddie and her mom lived. “I need to take this. It’s my manager.”
“Sure. Your career always comes first.”
He rolled his eyes and put the call on speaker. “Marco.”
“I’m at the record company. All hell’s breaking loose. We’re working on a strategy to reduce the heat of the situation.”
“Is Brad Rickson there?”
“No. He’s laying low, but I saw his manager in with one of the big chiefs. I don’t think they were throwing any parties. Anyway, the reason I called is because I’m with Angie.”
“My publicist?”
Ashleigh shook her head.
“Yeah. She’s doing what she can to get the video down, but that horse has pretty much bolted. We need to spin the story now, the best way we can.”
“I’m listening.”
“Her car isn’t here,” Ashleigh said, peering through the windshield. “Stay here, I’m going to check if she’s inside.” She climbed out of the car and slammed the door loudly.
“Okay,” Marco continued talking to Gray. “We’re setting up a second interview with Rock Magazine, but of course that won’t come out until next month. We need something immediate, so Angie’s calling around to all the late night TV shows. We’re hoping Dan O’Leary might have a spot for you.”
“You want me to be interviewed?” He couldn’t stand sitting here waiting. With the phone still in his hand, he climbed out. “I can’t fly to L.A., I’m needed here.”
“You could bring Maddie with you. Make an exclusive about your relationship,” Marco suggested. “That would definitely get the gossip spinning.”
“It’s not gonna happen,” Gray growled. “I’m not subjecting Maddie to all that speculation.”
“Glad to hear it,” Ashleigh said, coming out of the house. “And she’s not here. We need to get back in the car.”
“Who’s that with you?” Marco asked. “Is it Maddie?”
“It’s her sister.”
“Her sister, as in your ex?” Marco’s voice rose up. “Gray, don’t make this any worse than it is.”
“Can you tell him I can hear every word he says?” Ashleigh said through gritted teeth.
“I’m sorry.” Marco sighed. “But really, this is a mess, Gray. One that we need to clear up before the record company gets pissed. I’ll book you on a flight tomorrow.”
“I’m not coming. I’m not going to sit and spill the beans to Dan O’Leary.”
“Yeah, you are,” Ashleigh said. “You’re going to get on that TV show and clear my sister’s name. Damn, Laura hasn’t seen her either. Do you think she might have gone to your place?”
“No. Becca would have called if she was there.” Gray pressed his lips together. Where was she?
“Okay. We need to think of where she might be. Any ideas?”
“Marco, I need to go find Maddie. Can I call you back?”
“Sure. I’ll book your tickets while you’re looking and arrange for a car to pick you up in the morning.”
“Great,” he said sarcastically, ending the call. “Do you think she could be driving around still?” he asked Ashleigh.
“Was she crying?”
His heart clenched. “Yeah, she was,” he said softly.
“Then no. It’s really hard to drive when you’re crying.” She blew out a mouthful of air. “Ask me how I know.”
“Ash…”
She shook her head. “Ignore me. I’m being a bitch again. I just want to find my sister.”
“I’m sorry,” he told her, his voice soft. “I’m really sorry I broke your heart.”
Ashleigh nodded as she backed the car out of the driveway. “Thank you. I think that’s all I needed to hear.”
“And I have an idea on where to find Maddie.”
“Where?” She shifted into drive.
“At the lake.”
Ashleigh frowned. “Why the hell would Maddie be there?”
“We went there once. She told me she was never allowed there as a kid. I told her it used to be my favorite place to think.”
“Okay.” Ashleigh didn’t sound so sure. “But I’m parking on the road. I don’t want to get the car dirty.”
When they pulled up to the turn, there were fresh tire marks in the mud. Gray glanced through the trees and spotted a red car parked to the side. “There’s her car.”
“Okay.” Ashleigh glanced down at her feet. “Ugh. I’m going to have to ruin these shoes.”
“I’ll go get her.”
“No you won’t.” She shook her head. “This is a sister job. Why don’t you head home and I’ll have her call you later?”
“Nope. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You always were a stubborn asshole.”
He grinned. “You remember.”
“Well, stay here for a bit. I want to talk to her, sister to sister, okay?”
He looked at her curiously. “I thought you weren’t talking.”
“Yeah, well things have changed.”
“I’ve got a feeling that beneath your icy demeanor you’ve got a heart of gold.”
“Shut up,” Ashleigh said, switching off the ignition. “For that comment, I’m not leaving you with any AC.”
“I’ll get out. Use nature’s cooling. I’m a Prius driver, remember?”
“Whatever.” She wrenched the door open. “Just don’t get any mud in my car.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He climbed out of the passenger si
de and watched Ashleigh’s ginger steps as she tried to avoid her heels sinking into the mud. He bit down a grin as she stumbled and had to lean on a tree to keep herself upright.
As soon as she was out of sight, he leaned on her car and sighed. It had been a long day, and it felt like it was only getting started.
* * *
Maddie picked up a stone and threw it into the lake. She’d turned her phone off. Couldn’t bear to look at that damn video again. She’d thought she’d seen the last of it years ago, when Brad had taken it down at the Dean’s insistence.
She felt violated. And ashamed. The thought of people in this town seeing it made her want to scream. She picked up another stone and threw it so hard it made her wrist hurt. It completely missed the lake and rebounded off a tree to the left.
“Here you are. Have you ever tried to walk through mud in a pair of stilettos?”
Recognizing the voice, Maddie shifted around and did a double take. Her usually pristine sister was holding a pair of mud-caked shoes in her hands. Her stockinged feet were covered in dirt. And her hair looked like she’d been to battle.
“Ash?”
“Gray thought you might be here.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like that he was right.”
“Why are you here?”
“Because I’m worried about you.” Ashleigh walked on tiptoes across the grass, then stared down at the log Maddie was sitting on. There was moss on it, and some of the bark was pulling away.
“In for a penny.” Ashleigh shrugged and smoothed her skirt down, taking a seat next to Maddie.
“You should get yourself a pair of jeans,” Maddie suggested.
“I have a pair. I wear them when we’re decorating the house.”
“Once a year on Christmas?” Maddie’s lips twitched.
“That’s right.” Ashleigh shrugged. “I didn’t like this skirt much. Or these shoes.” She leaned into Maddie, bumping her shoulder against her. “How are you doing, kiddo?”
“Are we talking now?”
“It looks like it.” Ashleigh tipped her head to the side. “Unless you’d like me to leave?”
“You can stay.” Maddie shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. The truth was, she wanted Ashleigh here with her. It felt comforting, like wrapping a warm blanket around her body. “Even though I broke your heart.”