Most nights during the summer, he’d throw something on the grill when he got home. Unfortunately, he had nothing to grill in the house. For the most part, he went grocery shopping every two weeks and almost always on Sunday mornings. Yesterday he’d had much more enjoyable things to do than walking around the supermarket. With no leftovers in the refrigerator either, he had two options for dinner: either a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or one of the frozen meals he kept in the freezer for occasions like this.
After popping a chicken pot pie in the microwave, he retrieved his laptop from the living room. He used the device for email, paying bills, and checking a handful of news and sports sites. He never visited the websites associated with The Star Insider or Today Magazine, but he knew of them. And if the media had gotten a hold of the picture he’d seen tonight or one like it, those websites would have it posted.
He typed the words Star Insider into his favorite search engine. Immediately it brought up the website for the popular entertainment television show. The main picture on the page featured a musician he’d never heard of with a woman. The site didn’t list the woman’s name, and while she looked familiar, he couldn’t recall who she was or whether she was an actress or a singer. Dakota scrolled through the next few stories. None of them mentioned Angie or displayed the picture of them together.
Closing out the site, he brought up the one for Today Magazine. The picture smack in the center of the page was of someone he recognized, but thankfully it wasn’t Angie. Instead, it was a photo of Gage Larson and his wife, Maryann. Now a well-known musician, Gage and his wife grew up in North Salem and lived there until recently. Like he’d done on the other website, he scrolled through the various stories and pictures. When he again found nothing, he closed the laptop. While the picture still could be floating around, he took the fact that those two sites didn’t have it as a good sign.
***
Thanks to a rolled-over tractor trailer on Interstate 93, Shane had been in traffic for almost two hours, so instead of the trip back to North Salem taking three hours, it had taken him almost five. On a different night, the extra-long drive home would’ve bothered him. Tonight he was too giddy for anything as minor as traffic to annoy him.
After leaving the log cabin-style home in Jefferson, they’d gone back to Cathy’s office and prepared his offer on the property. He’d never bought a house before, but he knew it wasn’t uncommon to offer less than the asking price with the understanding that the homeowners might come back with a counteroffer. Now that he’d found the perfect place, he didn’t want to play around and risk losing out on the property. Rather than offer a lower dollar amount, he’d offered the full asking price.
He was at a rest stop getting gas and a soda when Cathy called and gave him the good news. The current owners accepted his offer. He’d already gone through the preapproval process at the bank, so unless something unexpected came up, the place would belong to him in about a month. Just a few more weeks and finally he and Angie could start their life together.
Should he stop by and tell her the good news tonight? Or would it be better to wait and surprise her? He’d never liked surprises, but some people did.
Shane turned down her street and parked a few houses away from hers. Angie’s house was in complete darkness. Did that mean she was asleep or was she out? Her older sister Mia lived nearby. He’d seen them walking together. She might have gone there to see Mia and her niece.
Headlights bounced off his rearview mirror, and Shane ducked lower in his seat before the car passed by. Instead of continuing down the road, it turned. At the same time, the exterior lights on Angie’s house came on and the garage door went up. Inching up in his seat, he watched the car pull into the garage. It wasn’t the same vehicle he’d seen Angie driving last week. Tonight there was also an SUV in the garage that hadn’t been there before. The garage door closed before Angie got out of the car, depriving him of a glimpse of her.
He waited for the interior lights to go on and for her to pass by one of the windows. It never happened. Instead, a few moments later, light appeared in the top middle window where he assumed the hallway was. After about the amount of time it would take someone to walk down to a room, the light went out once again, leaving the house in darkness.
He’d come by again either between his deliveries or before he went to the restaurant tomorrow night. In the meantime, he’d go home and get some sleep. He had a full day ahead of him.
Chapter Thirteen
Leaning across the car Saturday morning, Angie kissed Dakota on the cheek. “I’ll see you in a few hours.” When he picked her up last night, she had suspected she’d end up spending the night at his house. But since he hadn’t invited her beforehand, she hadn’t packed even a toothbrush, let alone the dress she’d borrowed from Mia for the wedding today.
He waited in the driveway until she opened the front door and waved in his direction before backing into the street.
The smell of fresh flowers hit her the moment she stepped inside. The cause of the delightful scent sat in what she’d turned into a library. Yesterday after coming home from a walk with Mia and Natalie, she’d found an enormous arrangement of flowers on the front steps. The small card attached only read Welcome To Town. There was no name signed to the message, but judging by the handwriting, a woman had filled out the card. A call to the local florist who delivered the arrangement hadn’t helped solve the mystery. The employee who answered the phone could only tell her the order was placed via their website early Thursday afternoon.
It wasn’t the first time she received flowers or some other token from an anonymous fan. Before she left the spotlight, Mia had received them too. It simply came with the job. Rather than worry about it, she’d put the arrangement on an end table where she could enjoy it.
Angie was halfway up the front staircase when the doorbell rang. “Please don’t let it be someone trying to sell me something or asking for my vote.”
Wednesday afternoon a woman campaigning for Gina Hammond, one of the candidates running against Brett Sherbrooke for the open Senate seat, had stopped at the house. Not wanting to be rude, she’d stood there for at least half an hour as the woman explained why she was supporting Gina and urging Angie to vote for her as well. This morning she didn’t have time to stand on the step while someone sang the praises of some politician. Especially since she’d decided which candidate she would vote for when she went to the polls.
She peeked out the window, but it wasn’t another campaigner. A man dressed in a Door2Door Express delivery uniform stood there holding a package.
Over the past few days, she’d been busy shopping both on the internet and at various furniture and specialty stores. Much of what she’d purchased, especially on the internet, were gifts for Natalie, but she’d also ordered several things for the house too. Since she’d decided to only have the kitchen and bathrooms renovated, she’d hired a painter to come in and freshen up the rest of the home. He was starting next week. The additional furniture she’d ordered so far would arrive after he finished. She’d never painted, but common sense told her an empty room would be easier to work in. The numerous non-furniture items she’d purchased had been arriving for the past few days. Some she’d been home to receive, and others they had left on the front step.
Opening the door, Angie recognized Shane immediately.
“Good morning, Angie,” he greeted. “I’m sorry to bother you, but this package requires a signature.”
She accepted the box and the signature device. “Don’t worry about it. I was already up, Shane.”
“This is a gorgeous house. Are you all settled in?”
“Not even close. But I’m enjoying being in town.” Angie handed him back the signature device and waited for him to leave.
He didn’t. Instead, he nodded. “I moved back to North Salem a couple of years ago because I thought I missed it. Now I’m counting the days until I leave again. I’m buying a house up near the White Mountains.”
Just because she liked North Salem didn’t mean everyone did. “My sister told me it’s beautiful up there.” Hoping he’d get the hint and leave, she took a step back inside. “I hope it all goes smoothly for you. Have a nice day.”
“You too.” Shane smiled. Although she couldn’t explain it, the sight sent a shiver through her body, and it took all her self-control not to slam the door in his face and lock it.
Whatever purchase was in the box didn’t matter at the moment, so she left the unopened package near the foot of her bed before popping into the master bathroom and filling the tub.
Stepping into the warm water, the memory of Shane’s smile surfaced, and she shivered despite the water’s temperature. Exactly what about it made her uncomfortable, she had no idea. However, she hoped he didn’t deliver any more of her packages to the house. And if he did, she hoped they were ones that didn’t require a signature so he could leave them on the doorstep.
***
To some degree, the scene outside St. Mark’s Church resembled the one there last fall on Mia and Sean’s wedding day. Or more specifically, their second wedding day. Few people knew it, but her sister and her brother-in-law were already married the day Father Perkins performed their ceremony. Conscious of the media circus that would descend on North Salem, Mia and Sean had a small private ceremony on Martha’s Vineyard weeks earlier. Actually, it’d been so private that only five people—Mia’s friends who owned the house; Tony Bates, Sean’s best friend; Tony’s wife, Cat; and Avery—had witnessed it. Mia had invited her too, but unfortunately at the time, she’d been out of the country working on a movie, making it impossible for her to go.
Other than Avery and Mia, Angie hadn’t told anyone she’d be here today. And while she kept somewhat active on her social media sites, she had mentioned nothing about her current move to North Salem. Had Avery let the fact that she’d be here today slip to some media outlet? It still annoyed Avery that she wouldn’t accept any new projects. Her sister was even more upset that she’d decided to stay out of the spotlight altogether. Maybe Avery had let Today Magazine or one of the local news outlets know she’d be here today as a way to get Angie’s name in the headlines. If the circus out there was Avery’s fault, she was going to get an earful the next time they spoke.
Dakota snagged the last open spot in the church parking lot. “Striker hoped Maryann and Gage wouldn’t be able to come today because he worried something like this would happen if they did.”
Now the media gathered outside the church made sense. Gage Larson was the front man for the band Larson Pike. She’d met both him and his wife at Sean and Mia’s wedding. In fact, the band had performed the music for the reception.
“Maryann and Ella have been friends for a long time, so he couldn’t ask her not to invite them. But he didn’t want a scene like the one when your sister got married either. I’m sure it doesn’t help that Drew and Kelsey are here too.”
This time when he mentioned Drew McKenzie, she kept her mouth shut. “Hopefully the reporters and photographers don’t ruin their day.” She was used to the paparazzi being around, but even she’d be pissed if their presences somehow ruined her wedding day.
With the crowd on the lookout for Gage and his wife, they made it from the parking lot to the lawn without drawing any attention. Unfortunately, a photographer turned just as they were approaching the concrete walkway leading up to the church steps. Without so much as a hello first, he raised his camera and snapped a picture, then called out her name. The moment he spoke, all the reporters and cameras swung in her direction.
“Angelina, is it true you’ll be staring in the sequel to A Prince to Call Her Own along with Chad DeMelo?” one reporter with a cameraman behind her called out.
“Ms. Troy, are you a friend of the bride or the groom?” Marcy Blake, a reporter she’d spoken to in the past from Today Magazine, asked.
A third individual approached her with a cameraman in tow. Much like the reporter from Today Magazine, Angie recognized this one because she’d had previous dealings with her. Aimee Trainor was the host of The Star Insider, a popular entertainment talk show, and Angie could recall at least two interviews she’d done with her.
Unless Angie and Dakota made a run for it, there was no way they could get inside the church before Aimee reached them. That was of course assuming the woman didn’t follow them inside. From the dealings she’d had with Aimee in the past as well as the dealing her friends had had, Angie wouldn’t put it past the television show host to follow them into St. Mark’s if it meant getting a good story before everyone else.
“Sorry about this,” Angie whispered before Aimee and her cameraman reached them.
Dakota didn’t reply. Instead, he squeezed her hand and remained by her side.
Aimee smiled, showing off two rows of incredibly white teeth. They were so white they appeared fake against her bronzed skin. “I covered your sister’s wedding here last year. I didn’t know you had ties to the town as well. Considering all the people who have connections to North Salem, it must be a very special place.”
Yep, she remembered seeing Aimee lurking around outside the church last fall, along with at least half a dozen other reporters. “You’re right, it is a special place.” Telling Aimee Trainor she lived in North Salem was tantamount to telling the entire world, so if the television host ever found out she lived here, it wouldn’t be because she mentioned it.
Aimee turned her gaze and her bright white smile in Dakota’s direction and gave him a not-so-subtle once-over before extending her hand. “I should’ve introduced myself sooner. Aimee Trainor. You may have seen me on The Star Insider.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Dakota’s tone remained flat as he accepted Aimee’s hand.
“Do you live in North Salem, Mister...?”
“Smith. I live nearby.”
If Aimee planned to dig into Dakota’s background and learn all she could, it would take a little more effort with only a last name—especially with a last name as common as Smith. Angie guessed it was precisely why Dakota had only given her that much.
Perhaps aware she’d get no additional information from Dakota, she turned her attention back to Angie. “In June there were reports that things were heating up between you and Devon Cash on the set in Rome. Since you’re here today with Mr. Smith, I assume you’ve ended your relationship with Devon.”
“Devon and I are friends and coworkers. That’s all we’ve ever been.”
In reality they weren’t even friends. She couldn’t stand the guy, but she’d never tell someone like Aimee Trainor that. When they got a moment alone, though, she would explain her true feelings to Dakota. Considering Aimee’s comment, she had to.
“If you’ll please excuse us, we need to get inside.” She had no idea when the bride would arrive, but she didn’t want to be outside causing a scene when Ella did.
Aimee flashed another blinding smile and waved her hand. “Of course. I understand. Thank you so much for your time this afternoon, Angelina.”
Before anyone else moved into the space the host vacated, they started walking again. This time they made it to the top of the church steps.
“Gage,” someone in the crowd called.
Angie stopped long enough to glance back and see Gage Larson and his wife approach the edge of the grass. En masse, the reporters surged toward the popular musician.
“Maybe the church should look into installing a secret underground entrance.” Dakota pulled open the door and waited for her to precede him into the building.
“I think you’re right.”
Neither he nor Angie had found the picture Jared showed him on any media site. Since no one else Dakota knew mentioned it to him, he assumed that whoever had taken the picture at the block party hadn’t shared it with too many people. The photographs of them together taken moments ago would be a whole different story. He hadn’t recognized any of the reporters outside, but he had recognized the name of the Boston-based
news outlet printed on the side of a van and the popular entertainment show. Unlike the Boston-based news channel, which covered actual local and international stories as well as the weather, The Star Insider was all about entertaining people regardless of how factual the stories were. So whether or not he liked it, soon his face would be all over the internet as well as on the popular entertainment show. And it was anyone’s guess what kind of story the reporters would concoct to go along with the photos.
“I’m really sorry about that.” Angie tilted her head toward his, and if they were anywhere other than a church, he’d turn and kiss her.
He’d been half expecting their relationship to become public knowledge since the evening the woman on the ghost tour recognized Angie. Once Jared showed him the picture, he’d known it was simply a matter of time.
“It’s not your fault they’re here. They camped outside because they got wind of the fact that Gage was coming.”
Angie crossed her legs, allowing the slit up the side of the dress to widen. The sight of the bare skin brought back the memory of her legs wrapped around his waist this morning in bed. Despite his current location, his body reacted to the memory. Bad idea or not, he couldn’t stop himself from placing his hand on the exposed skin.
She glanced over her shoulder at the main doors into the building. “I really hope none of them try to follow Gage and Maryann inside the church.”
Not a single reporter had made it inside the day Sean and Mia got married, but they’d also hired security guards to make sure none of them passed through the doors. Ella and Striker didn’t have guards waiting to stop anyone who didn’t belong from entering the church.
“You and me both.”
Angie covered his hand with hers, something she often did when they were sitting together regardless of whether they were alone or out in public. And he enjoyed it far more than he’d thought possible.
“Tomorrow Mia invited us over for a cookout. Avery will be there, but she won’t stay long. She has plans to meet our cousin Rae Ann in Boston. And Sean’s sister Taylor will be over. Tony and Cat are planning to go, and a few of Sean’s other friends might stop by too. I told Mia I wasn’t sure what we were doing and I’d get back to her.”
When Love Strikes (Love On The North Shore Book 6) Page 14