Broken Shadows

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Shhh, sweetheart. It’s okay. Big Bertha is back at the river with her baby and Bubba is—” Trent looked out the window and saw Bubba staring back at him. “Mary Jane, can you get me an order of chicken and waffles for Bubba?” The waitress nodded and hurried off to get the chicken frying. Bubba loved his breakfast and would go back home after he had a snack.

  “I was so scared, Trent. Two alligators downtown, a man with a hunting knife that was bigger than he is and who talks to ghosts, and then I don’t even know about that Gator guy.”

  “Skye, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but what are you doing here?” Trent asked and noticed the entire diner was quieter than the ghosts who haunted it.

  “I thought I’d come for a visit.” Skye smiled up at him, but he wasn’t fooled.

  “And where’s your boyfriend?” Edie asked for him as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared Skye down in the perfect imitation of a big sister.

  Skye’s nose wrinkled as if smelling something bad. “I don’t have a boyfriend. The last man I was with was Trent.”

  “No one likes a fibber, dear.”

  Skye turned to see the grandmotherly, plump Miss Ruby right behind her with the plucked-chickenlike Miss Winnie standing next to her. They looked as if they would grab her by the ear and wash her mouth out with soap if she lied.

  “It’s not a lie. I’m not that good of an actress. I swear.”

  Miss Ruby gave her the stink eye and several of the younger generation took an automatic giant step back in fear. “I may be old, but I know what I saw on my gossip shows. And they show you all over Mason Hemming. Not that I blame you, but just don’t be fibbing about it or we’ll have a problem.”

  “I swear I have never been with Mason. I think the movie studio leaked those photos to make it look like something was going on. It’s their oldest trick to drum up interest in a movie. If you could see the whole photo, you’d see it’s not what it looks like. There’s only been one man to have my attention and that’s Trent. Who hasn’t even texted me back after a night together. What kind of manners are those?”

  Miss Winnie’s chicken wing of an arm shot out and smacked Trent on the back of his head. “That is no way to treat a lady!”

  Okay, so she wanted to do this here. Fine, to hell with the nondisclosure agreement. He’d have it out once and for all in the middle of the diner with half the town watching. “You’re right, Miss Winnie. It was rude. Do you know what else was rude? Waking up after the best night of your life to find her manager standing at the bedroom door and telling me I was just one in a long line of blue-collar men Skye liked to play pretend with. He then shoved a nondisclosure agreement in front of me and threatened to take everything I ever worked for from me if I ever told anyone about our night together.” Trent stared down in helpless anger at Skye’s shocked, wide eyes. “There, are you happy? I broke the NDA so are you going to take my life’s work from me now?”

  Skye’s head shook and the look of shock was very real. She reached out and touched his hand. Even as Trent wanted to be mad, he craved her touch. “Trent, I don’t know what to say. But I have never asked Lenny to do that. Not only that, but what he said just isn’t true.”

  “Trent, she’s telling you the truth.” Karri added quietly.

  * * *

  “So, let us get this straight. You two had a moment that was then taken away from you by this Lenny guy?” Trent and Skye looked at each other and nodded before Miss Ruby continued. “Trent, being a stubborn man, refused to reach out so you finally came here to get answers?”

  Trent saw the corner of Skye’s lip disappear as she bit down on it nervously. “Yes and no.”

  “Child, you better be getting to the point,” Miss Ruby demanded.

  “I’ve been trying to talk to Trent, and I did want to see him to get to the bottom of what happened.” Skye paused and then looked up at Trent. “I guess we just did that.”

  “We did. Now I’m pissed at myself for not doing what Karri said and talking to you.” Trent took a deep breath and looked over at the people surrounding him. “Skye, these sweet ladies are Miss Ruby and Miss Winnie. Then that’s Mary Jane walking out to feed Bubba his chicken and waffles. This is my friend, Granger. He’s the sheriff here and my other friend, Kord. He’s the deputy. You met Skeeter and these two are Gage and Maggie Bell.”

  “We’re brother and sister,” Maggie said, giving her a smile and answering the unasked question of their common last name.

  “And this is my very good friend, Edie.”

  “Don’t worry, the rest of the town will be here as soon as Bubba leaves,” Edie said as she looked up from her phone. “And I loved you in Love’s Dangerous Waters, although whoever was your history person didn’t know Anne Bonny very well. And, bless your heart, your Southern accent . . .,” Edie cringed.

  Skye laughed and Trent saw her shoot a smile to Skeeter. “So I’ve been told.”

  “Wait for us!”

  Trent groaned and flipped Edie the bird. “You texted my family?”

  Edie didn’t look upset. Instead she just smirked.

  “Were we not supposed to do that?” Kord asked. “I did it when I was hanging on to Bubba’s tail.”

  “Yeah, I texted them too,” Granger said with a shrug.

  His family came pouring in from the diner’s back kitchen door instead of waiting for Bubba to move so they could enter through the front. It had been Tinsley who had called out, but Harper was leading the charge and she looked pissed.

  Harper stopped directly next to Skye and forced Skye to turn to look up at her. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t kick your ass for the way you used my cousin.”

  “I told you on the text chain about the NDA and how Skye didn’t know about it,” Edie told her and Trent was finally thankful to have her here. “However, we’re just about to learn the real reason she’s here.”

  Harper crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Skye. Karri stepped up to her friend’s side and returned the stare impassively. Harper raised one eyebrow. “You want to join in? One or two asses to kick don’t matter much to me.”

  * * *

  “Harper,” Gavin said in that typical older brother warning voice. A voice Trent knew when Wade used it on him. It was why he and Harper were so close.

  “I’m waiting for an explanation,” Harper said, ignoring her brother.

  Skye took a deep breath and Trent saw her reach for Karri’s hand. Whatever it was, she needed the strength of a friend to tell it. “I’ve been getting these threats. No big deal normally, but then those images leaked of me nude, although those weren’t me! Well, not the first ones. The ones on your table,” she said to Trent. “Those were all fake. The next ones were through my bedroom window without my knowledge.”

  Tinsley pushed past Harper and pulled Skye in for a hug. “How horrible. You must feel so violated.”

  Skye nodded and swiped at the tears in her eyes. Trent’s heart broke right then and there while all his protective instincts roared to life. He wanted nothing but to hold her and dry her tears. “I’m sorry. I should have known. I know we were only together a short time, but I knew you’d never do something like that silly table dance. What’s being done to protect you? You’re not here with just Karri, are you?”

  Skye took a deep breath and nodded. “Just Karri and me. No one, and I mean, no one knows we are here. Please tell me no one posted about me being here? I was planning on keeping a low profile until the gator thing happened.”

  Everyone shook their heads letting Skye know nothing had been posted.

  “You played Anne Bonny. That makes you part of Shadows Landing,” Skeeter said as everyone nodded in agreement.

  Trent went to open his mouth but Skye stopped him. “There’s more.” She told them of the attack, of her staff wanting her to take the movie role and use the leaked photos for the movie, and about how she went against their wishes and contacted the FBI. “So, I guess I did leave something out. Agent Shaw knows I’m he
re and so does an Agent—”

  “Castle,” Karri filled in for her.

  “He’s good people,” Granger told her in full cop mode. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  “You know him?” Karri asked with a little blush to her cheeks.

  Skye looked from her friend to Trent and gave him a smile that said she noticed the blush too and they’d talk about it later. In that moment, Trent could breathe again. The connection that had been so strong between them was back. He hadn’t missed his chance and he was not going to waste this second chance.

  “He’s friends with our cousin in Kentucky,” Gavin answered. “When my wife was in trouble, he helped us.”

  “Us too,” Trent’s brother, Wade, said.

  Harper rolled her eyes. “Okay, so he helped my husband and me too. He’s a good guy. And going after someone with a lacrosse stick and shoving them out the window is pretty badass. You can stay. For now.”

  “Harper,” Gavin groaned at his sister as Skye laughed.

  “What can we do to help?” Edie asked.

  “I was hoping Karri and I could hang out here until I knew who was behind the attack and the leaked photos,” Skye asked not just Trent, but the entire town gathered around her.

  “Of course you can, child,” Miss Ruby said as if insulted she’d even asked.

  “We protect our own,” Miss Winnie told her matter-of-factly and Trent was grateful for their acceptance of her. Skye had told him how much she missed that small-town feel and they were giving it to her now. They had no idea how much it meant to her, but Trent did.

  “Normally I’d welcome you to stay at our bed and breakfast, but we’re full up,” Maggie told her as she glanced to Trent. “And you might want to change your hair. While I wouldn’t worry about the town, I can’t guarantee our guests won’t spill it.” Skye looked around in fear and Maggie smiled gently at her. “Don’t worry, they’re not here. They’re all in Charleston for a festival.”

  “I have some hair color,” Georgina offered. “If you stop by Harper’s bar, I can turn you blonde or give you some blonde chunks that will change up how you look.”

  “Thank you,” Skye said with all the feeling she had. “Everyone, thank you.”

  Tinsley turned and smiled at Karri. “Hi, I’m Tinsley. I’m Trent’s cousin and I live near him. Do you want to stay with me? I have a spare room. Then Skye can stay with Trent.”

  Karri and Tinsley shared a smile and Trent knew they were setting them up, but in this case he was happy for his cousin to interfere. “That works for me. What about you?” Trent asked Skye.

  “I just can’t say thank you enough,” Skye told everyone. “But I’m starving. Any chance I could get the Bubba special?”

  Granger looked down at his phone and then back up at them. “Agent Castle will be here after work today to meet with you. Let’s get you settled and then we can meet over at Harper’s before Castle gets here. Georgina can do your hair and then we’ll meet with Castle. Welcome to Shadows Landing, Miss Jessamine.”

  Granger walked out the door and then all chaos erupted. Introductions and questions about the movies flew all around him. One thing that didn’t move, though, was Skye. Trent held her hand in his and kept her by his side. He let her become part of the town, all the while thinking how he could make up for being a cowardly jerk for not calling her sooner.

  7

  Skye felt as if she were among friends. No one was treating her differently than they did each other. They were curious about the movies and loved hearing her stories, but not because they wanted to sell magazines. They made her feel as if she were part of the town and they wanted to get to know the real her.

  There were so many introductions she knew she’d never remember everyone’s names. Next to her, Karri was similarly becoming part of the town, and on Skye’s other side, Trent stood quietly or chatted with his own friends while still holding on to her hand.

  “Here you go, hon,” Mary Jane said, handing her a plate of fried chicken on top of waffles and smothered in syrup.

  “Thank you.” Skye smelled the food and her mouth watered.

  “You know that is not a Lenny- or Jim-approved meal,” Karri said as she winked at Skye and pinched off a piece of the waffle.

  “I won’t tell if you don’t,” Skye said to her best friend who was moaning with pleasure after sampling the fried chicken.

  “Deal,” Karri said, turning to Mary Jane. “How did you get it fried like this?”

  “Don’t you know how to fry chicken?” Mary Jane asked as if she’d never heard such a thing.

  “Well, I’ve had to limit my cooking to low-calorie, low-carb, dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free foods for Skye’s Hollywood diet,” Karri told her.

  Suddenly all eyes were on her and there were several audible gasps. Someone started crying.

  “Bless your heart,” Miss Ruby said with a pitying look.

  “You poor child,” Miss Winnie said as she dug around in her purse and pulled out a slice of apple pie in a plastic container. “You better eat this. Then you’ll feel better. A good slice of apple pie fixes everything.”

  Skye was forced to drop Trent’s hand as the apple pie was shoved at her. She really shouldn’t . . . but then Trent pinched off a piece and held it up to her lips. She opened her mouth and his fingers caressed her lip as he placed the morsel of pie in her mouth. “Oh my God,” Skye groaned in a very sinful way. Trent’s eyes darkened in passion and it was then she realized she sounded as if she had climaxed, which she might have since that was the first bite of real sugar she’d had in years.

  “I told you my apple pie could make you see God,” Miss Winnie said saucily to Miss Ruby.

  “We’ll just see about that,” Miss Ruby harrumphed. “It’s a bake-off and Miss Skye will judge it.”

  Skye looked over to Trent as the place emptied so fast she was left alone holding the piece of pie and the chicken and waffles. “What just happened?”

  Karri looked around the now empty diner and shrugged.

  “It’s a bake-off. Everyone is running home to make their best baked goods. These will be secret family recipes going back generations. This is great. I’ve never gotten to be the recipient of a bake-off. We’re going to have so much food at our house,” Trent chortled as he rubbed his hands together with glee.

  Our house. That had to mean he was open to giving them a chance, it just had to.

  * * *

  An hour later Karri was unpacking at Tinsley’s house and Skye found herself looking up at a two-story house with a large verandah. The flowers lining the verandah surprised her. She didn’t know why, but when she thought of Trent she thought of him chopping down trees, not planting flowers.

  Large old trees lined the property and kept the hot sun from the yard. A barn sat to the right of the house with a style of windows she’d never seen on a barn before.

  “That’s my workshop,” he told her when he saw her looking at the barn.

  “Can I see it?”

  “Sure, but it’s not very interesting.” He set her bags down and dug a set of keys from his pocket as they walked over the paved driveway toward the locked barn doors. “I like these doors because I can open them up wide if I need more natural light or if I want fresh air. Fall is the perfect time to work with them wide open.”

  Skye noticed that he was nervous as he unlocked the door. She wondered how many people got to see his workshop. She knew Karri hadn’t gotten to see it when she came.

  Trent pushed open the door as Skye looked about in wonder. A massive metal industrial fan hung from the top of the barn. Exposed ductwork led out of the back of the building. The inside walls were painted white. The floor was beige epoxy with little fleck of color. And while it was clearly a workspace, it was organized, bright, and comfortable.

  “It smells so good in here.” Skye took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the freshly cut wood. She looked around and saw giant planks of wood, whole tree trunks, and all of it
was organized. “What is all of that?”

  “I have them organized by natural woods, planks, solids, and manufactured woods. Then I divide each section by type of wood—pine, mahogany, teak, and so on. That way I can find what I need easily. Then those large padded loops hanging from the ceiling belong to this guy.” Trent walked over to the wood and she saw a control panel near the wall. “I can’t lift some of these pieces so I have a small crane in here. I use the padded straps so I don’t damage the wood and then I can move it to the equipment I need to use on it.”

  “This place is amazing, Trent. It’s state-of-the-art and who would ever know it was sitting in the woods of the small town of Shadows Landing?” Skye walked around looking at everything. She ran her hand over the rough raw wood and then the smooth sanded pieces.

  “I’m glad you like it.” Skye heard the roughness to Trent’s voice and knew that it meant a lot to him.

  “I don’t like it. I love it. What’s back here?” Skye asked as she pointed to a small room and then the back door.

  “That’s a small office and then this back door slides open so I can have the barn completely open.” Trent opened it and she heard the hum of machinery.

  Skye walked outside and saw what looked like an extension to the barn about ten feet by ten feet with a little peaked roof on it. “What’s that?”

  “It’s the mechanical room. There’s a door that leads into it from inside the barn as well. It houses the air conditioner, air purifier, and humidity regulator so the wood doesn’t warp.”

  “I’m beyond impressed. I’d have this door open all the time so I could be inspired by this view.” Skye took a deep breath and savored the lack of air pollution and the smell of the outdoors.

  “I’m glad you like it. Let me show you the house.”

  Trent took her hand again and Skye loved how he seemed to do it without realizing it. He picked up her bags and took her up the steps of the front porch. “Oh, you have one of the swings that were featured in the magazine! I tried to buy one, but you were all sold out.”