by Lorin Grace
“Don’t spread gossip. Multiple people—from professionals employed by various national and international news agencies to bloggers and social media posters—failed to check even the simplest of facts. The impossibility of me being in Wisconsin wasn’t brought out until my team of lawyers started making phone calls and tossing words like defamation and libel around. Several so-called news organizations—not this network, I understand—published the name of the victim, which has long been against policy. Not only that, they published the wrong name. In the name of free speech, two women were assaulted each time someone reposted an inaccurate news story or created a meme. Talk-show hosts and social-media juries ripped the humanity from not only Elle’s and Zoe’s lives but from their own as well. Today humanity is a little less humane than we were a week ago. Gossip at the speed of light is more harmful than gossip at the speed of a whisper ever was.”
The host wrapped up the show, and the credit music played. Aware the cameras were still on him, Nick remained where he was. He did remove his mic and make sure it was off before asking. “Where is Zoe?”
“I believe she left.”
Nick took off his mic and handed it to the nearest technician. He had to find her.
Zoe and Elle held each other and cried as Nick’s defense of them played on the screen in the little viewing room they had been ushered into after they left the stage. He kept turning the questions around so they weren’t about him or his struggle. Zoe wished her answer had been half as eloquent. At least she had stopped short of pointing out that the debacle had cost her a relationship with Nick. The subway bodyguard had followed her every night and morning. She almost felt terrible slipping into the back alley and taking a taxi to meet her new therapist. She wanted to talk to Nick in person about things, not have them reported by a third party.
Zoe handed Elle the box of tissue and took one for herself. She dabbed at her makeup, not wanting to smudge it too badly. In a few minutes, she would see Nick face-to-face as Maurene was bound to bring him in here also.
Elle held out her mascara-covered tissue. “Best makeup job I’ve had in my life and I am crying it all away. At least my bodyguard isn’t in here. I’m afraid he already thinks I am going to fly apart at any moment. I’m really not. I just need some quiet time to process.”
Zoe looked at the door, where the guard stood on the other side. “What did you say his name was? He looks familiar.”
“Mr. Alan. His real last name is Hastings. He has a lot of brothers or something.”
“Adam, Alex, and Andrew. Only three.”
“You know him?” Elle’s interest was piqued.
Zoe thought she shouldn’t encourage Elle’s obvious crush. “Not well. He is usually behind the computer. I know his sister.”
“Oh. She married a Preston Harmon, didn’t she? Did you meet them because of Nick?”
Voices echoed in the hall, saving Zoe from explaining how she knew Abbie. The door opened, and Maurene entered. Nick was not with her. Zoe’s heart sank a little. “Well done, ladies. Before I forget, Gina texted. Take the rest of the day as a comp day.”
As soon as she got her phone and purse back from the checkroom, she would text Gina a big thank-you.
“Elle, I have arranged for you to meet with Mr. Gooding at his office before lunch. We do have a choice to make. One of the afternoon’s talk shows opened a fifteen-minute slot if you would like to take it. Apparently they feel your message is more important than dental hygiene on Halloween.”
Perhaps she wouldn’t text Gina a thank-you after all. “Do you have any other surprises planned for the afternoon show?”
“Surprises?”
“Yes, like enter Nick Gooding stage left while we are whisked away stage right.”
“No, we had to do it that way. He didn’t know you would be on either.” Maurene nodded as if to finalize the confirmation, then walked out of the room. The women followed under the protective eye of Mr. Alan.
Zoe peered down all the halls, hoping to see Nick and dreading she would have nothing to say if she did.
twenty-three
Zoe wandered around Macy’s while she waited for Elle to have her meeting with Nick. As she wove around the jewelry counter, a pair of cuff links caught her eye. She pulled out her credit card and bought them before she lost her nerve.
Then she found a semiprivate corner and dialed Sebastian’s number.
“Hi, this is Zoe. It isn’t an emergency, but I need your help.” Zoe outlined her plan. Sebastian approved.
When Maurene appeared with Elle, Zoe ended the call.
“Let’s get you both new blouses before the show.”
Elle looked around her. “I can’t—”
Maurene waved her off. “No, this is on our bill. PR stuff.”
They spent the next half hour finding clothes before they were driven back to Rockefeller Center and another studio. This time they took selfies after finishing with hair and makeup. Elle was right about the best makeup job of her life. Zoe wished she knew how the artist had put on her concealer.
The comedian-turned-hostess kept most of her questions on the lighter side—impressing on the audience the need to quickly report crimes and commending Elle and Zoe for their bravery. The subject of the media turning lives upside down never came up. Nor did anything of depth. Zoe wondered if the interview was a waste of time. In the end, the hostess lobbed a question about the importance of self-defense to Zoe to transition into her next guest—a self-defense expert. Even that question only required a one-word answer.
When they finished, Maurene met them in the green room. “Good show, ladies. I’ll have the driver take Elle and her bodyguard to the airport. Zoe, do you need a ride?”
“No, thank you.” Zoe gave Elle one last hug. “Call me if you need to talk.” She shook hands with Alan. “If Elle loses my number, your sister has it. You have my permission to get my number from her.”
Alan nodded once, then straightened. Zoe recognized the look from Abbie. He had shifted to full bodyguard mode. Zoe went in search of Sebastian.
He was standing by his car. “Nice to see you, Zoe.”
Zoe gave him a hug. “Not as nice as it is to see you. Please tell me this will work.”
“I’m a driver, not a fortune-teller. However, I have been known to place a bet now and then. And I’d say the odds are in your favor.”
Zoe slid into the car and prayed Sebastian was correct.
Nick turned off the TV. The afternoon’s program had been more fluff than news. It would be good for Elle and Zoe to have this exposure. Housewives across America would rally for them and stop sharing the false stories. The intercom buzzed. He pushed the button.
“Your lawyer is on line two.”
“Thanks.”
Nick sat down before picking up the call. Only then did he realize he didn’t know which lawyer. To the best of his knowledge, there wasn’t a reason for any of his lawyers to be calling. “Nick Gooding.”
“It’s David. The assistant district attorney gave me a courtesy call. Wayne Dodd took a plea deal when another victim came forward after seeing the morning news show. He will be incarcerated for a minimum of fifteen years.”
“I thought his lawyers were busy looking for loopholes and ways to turn Zoe’s story into coleslaw.”
“The last victim to come forward has very compelling DNA evidence—in the form of a six-year-old son. The assault happened before Dodd took a job with Scott & Ricks. And after today’s talk-show rounds, they doubted they could get a sympathetic jury after all.”
“Thanks for letting me know.” Nick wondered how this latest victim had survived the last seven years. There were so many stories. So many broken hearts and lives.
Zoe would be happy to know she didn’t need to endure another trial. He wondered how he s
hould tell her. This news was for a face-to-face, someplace where there would not be trick-or-treaters. He hit the intercom button. “I’m wrapping things up here. Will you call Sebastian?”
Nick was halfway to the elevator when his assistant stopped him. “Sebastian says he will be here in fifteen to twenty. Something about Halloween.”
He stopped at the atrium on his way down. Today he could see half of New Jersey. He needed to bring Zoe back here to watch a sunset.
Sebastian pulled over. “Just keep walking around the block. You can switch directions if you get dizzy. Just don’t cross a street or go into any stores. I don’t want you really lost.” Zoe hopped out of the car.
Zoe circled the block, mingling with the employees rushing home early to get their little goblins and ghouls to the neighborhood party or find a party of their own.
Three honks—two short and one long. At the signal, Zoe searched the traffic for Sebastian’s car.
Nick climbed out, yelling her name. “Are you lost?”
Not anymore.
She tried not to look at Sebastian as she slid into the center of the back seat.
“How did you end up over here?” Nick shut his door and nodded to Sebastian.
“I think the driver let me off at the wrong corner.”
“You realize you are almost two miles from your place?”
“That’s not far.”
“It is on Halloween night. There is a reason every first responder in the city is tense tonight. Not the night to go walking half of Manhattan.”
“Thanks for rescuing me.”
At her cue, Sebastian closed the center window.
Nick looked from her to the window and back again, his eyebrows raised in question.
“Just so you know, the driver who left me there is in the front seat of this car. I’ve been walking around the block, waiting for you. I needed to talk, and I didn’t know how or where.” Zoe pulled a wrapped box out of her bag and handed it to Nick.
As he unwrapped the box, the tension around his eyes eased. He lifted the lid and revealed a pair of cuff links with tiny compasses engraved on the front.
“This is as close to finding a way to pin you as I could get. I chose the compasses because I have never felt lost as long as I knew you were around. Even the weekend I gave you the black eye, I wasn’t lost. But when I let you go on Friday, I didn’t know how to find my way back.”
Nick held out his wrist. Zoe changed out the cuff links.
“Does this mean you’ll wear the necklace again?”
Zoe nodded.
Nick made a spinning motion with his finger. Her skin came alive as he gently placed the necklace around her neck once again. The pendant was warm against her skin. Where ever he had been keeping the jewelry, it must have been close to his heart. His fingers brushed over the back of her neck, sending a delightful tingle down her spine. Zoe dropped her hair. Nick didn’t move back. His fingers trailed along her shoulders and down her arms. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now.”
Zoe turned her head enough to see his profile. “Why don’t you?”
Nick’s gaze flicked to the front of the car and back.
“Audience? I thought this type of car had a privacy window.”
“He’ll still know we are kissing.” His breath tickled her ear.
“So?” Zoe waited for him to respond, hoping he wouldn’t care.
“When I was sixteen, Sebastian caught me kissing a girl in the back seat and gave me a lecture that scared the girl out of ever talking to me again.”
Zoe tilted her head to try to see Nick’s expression in the fading evening light. “What did he say?”
“He said the next girl he caught me kissing in his back seat better be the one I planned on taking to the altar.”
She didn’t dare move. Was he saying what she thought he was? Oh please, please, please.
For a moment, Zoe didn’t move. Nick held his breath.
Then she turned to face him as much as she could in the confines of the seat belt. “Was that a proposal?”
Nick brought his hand up to cup her face. “It depends.”
“On what?”
“On if you kiss me back.”
Zoe laid her hand on his chest and leaned in. A mechanical hum stopped her. Sebastian winked in the review mirror as the black barrier continued to roll up.
“Does that mean I meet Sebastian’s approval?” Zoe turned back to him.
“No, it means I did.” Nick brushed his lips across hers. “You are over sixteen, right?”
Zoe pulled back an inch and cocked her head. Nick slid his hand down the seat, looking for her seat-belt release as well as his. “In this state, you don’t have to wear a seat belt after the age of sixteen.” Zoe slid the restraint off her shoulder and closed the gap between them. Nick looked into one eye, then the other, before lowering his gaze to Zoe’s lips, which curled up in a smile. He lowered his head, and she met him halfway. Sebastian took a turn too fast, forcing Nick to hold Zoe closer.
Zoe giggled and whispered something against his lips about giving his driver a raise. Nick answered her with another kiss and hoped they were taking the long way home.
Epilogue
Zoe sat next to Nick in the crowded theater. Every resident of Blue Pines who had been an extra or a gofer for the Hearthfire film had claimed a seat for the opening. Sean’s grandfather had come up from Florida for the occasion and now sat with the newlyweds in the center of their row. Candace held hands with Colin in seats on the far side of Mandy and Daniel. Zoe couldn’t wait to show her the ring hiding under her glove.
The director from Hearthfire stood in front of the stage droning on about how beautiful the town of Blue Pines had been for the filming and thanking the museum foundation and the Cavanaghs for supporting Hearthfire with this opening. Zoe rolled her eyes as Tessa winked back. The director didn’t have a clue. Mandy’s distinct laugh floated down the row as the lights dimmed.
Nick tugged at her gloves. She helped him get them off, enjoying the shivers he sent up her arms when he held her hand. More than once, she was distracted as he traced stars and hearts on the inside of her wrist.
Halfway through the movie, over the right shoulder of the male lead, Sean and Tessa shared their first kiss. Catcalls and whistles filled the theater.
Zoe wished she could see the director’s face.
A slow pan of the square stopped on the Nativity church.
Nick rested his chin on her shoulder. “I’d like to get married there.”
“Will you fly my family out?”
“Of course.”
Zoe turned and kissed Nick briefly. The person behind them cleared their throat.
On the screen, the lead actor and actress kissed against a background of lightly falling snow.
Nick pulled the hair away from her ear and whispered. “Christmas? Reverend Cavanagh?”
“Sounds perfect.”
The person behind them shushed them as the credits started to roll.
Zoe turned and kissed Nick on the cheek just to bug whoever it was.
When the lights came up, the octogenarian woman behind them bopped Nick over the head with her gloves. “Nick Gooding, is that you? Kissing in the theater? You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Nick brought Zoe’s left hand to his mouth and kissed her ring finger.
“Hey! Nick Gooding is engaged!” the woman shouted with all the volume of a baseball umpire.
Zoe felt her cheeks start to burn. This wasn’t how they’d planned to tell their friends or the world.
To the cheers all around them, Nick lowered his head and kissed her. He had been right. Art House didn’t have a curse, it had a blessi
ng. Zoe kissed Nick back. This was infinitely better than a Hearthfire ending.
The End
.
acknowledgments
For almost thirty years of my life I have been a graphic designer. It was fun to put Zoe in a dream job I never got. As always my books need a lot of help to get from my head and into your hands.
Tammy and Nanette are so willing to help make all my projects better and to read things so many times even in late night texts. I would never make it through a day without Sally and Cindy whose advice keeps me going. Thank you wonderful ladies.
Thanks also to Valerie B for her edits and Michele at Eschler Editing for her edits and finding oh so many little things to fix; any mistakes left in this book are not her fault. Nor are my excellent proofreaders to be blamed. Thank you ladies and gents!
My family, for sharing their home with the fictional characters who often got fed better than they did. And my husband who encourages me every crazy step of the way and puts up with all my messy spreadsheets.
And to my Father in Heaven for putting these wonderful people, and any I may have forgotten to mention, in my life. I am grateful for every experience and blessing I have been granted.
about the author
Lorin Grace was born in Colorado and has been moving around the country ever since, living in eight states and several imaginary worlds. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Graphic Design.
Currently she lives in northern Utah with her husband, four children, and a dog who is insanely jealous of her laptop. When not writing, Lorin enjoys creating graphics, visiting historical sites, museums, and reading.
Lorin is an active member of the League of Utah Writers and was awarded Honorable Mention in their 2016 creative writing contest short romance story category. Her debut novel, Waking Lucy, was awarded a 2017 Recommended Read award in the LUW Published book contest. In 2018 the first book in this series, Mending Fences with the Billionaire, also received a Recommended Read award.