What?
Addison shook her head and sighed, wondering how Garret could be such a selfish ass. She also wondered if he had started the rumor, but, then again, she wouldn’t put is past Rick Ruleman’s camp to start something that would perpetuate the aging rock star’s bad-boy image. What better than an affair with his son’s fiancée? After all, Addison had never seen Rick without a blond bombshell on his arm, most of them young enough to be his daughter. “Disgusting,” she grumbled through gritted teeth.
Since it was still early enough in LA for her to call, Addison muted the TV, reached for her phone, and called her mother.
“Oh, honey,” her mother answered, letting Addison know that her parents had already heard the rumors. “I’m so sorry.”
Addison leaned back against the propped up pillows. “Mom, what should I do? Some sort of damage control?”
“Your father and I talked about this. We think it’s best that you keep quiet and let the rumors die down.”
Addison clutched the phone tighter. “Not likely with Garret’s stupid show. I’m sure he wants to bump up the ratings and this is the perfect vehicle.”
“Admittedly, it will take a while. Are you going to call him and tell him to back the hell off? I mean, Garret knows this isn’t true.”
“My guess is that both father and son are using this for their own purposes and I don’t think I’ll get help from either camp. And, Mom, I hope this doesn’t adversely affect your ratings. I’m so sorry about all of this,” she said, and felt tears coming on.
Her mother sighed. “Listen. The only fault you shoulder in this is being too trusting. We’ve talked to Mitch about the wedding boutique and I happen to agree that it’s a great idea. Go full steam ahead and I’ll work out the financial details.”
“Mom, I want to do this on my own, with my own money.”
She chuckled. “That’s my girl. Luckily, you’ve invested well. You’ll have to liquidate some stock and pay taxes on that as income.”
“Yes, but most likely I’ll show a loss for the first year in business and offset some of that income.”
“True, and your uncle Mitch offered the first three months lease-free.”
“No . . . no favors.”
“It’s not a favor but an incentive he would have offered to anybody. He was getting desperate to open the bridal boutique, which was supposed to be the flagship of Wedding Row. In fact, he and Nicolina were getting ready to reluctantly open it on their own and find someone to manage it if they didn’t lease it out soon. Seems like you arrived at just the right time. So, see, life has a way of working out.”
Addison managed a smile. “I just take a few crazy twists and turns along the way.”
“Keeps you on your toes,” she joked. “Listen, sweetie, you should pretty much fly under the radar there in Cricket Creek. This thing with Garret will die down. Sometimes denial after something like this only convinces some people of your guilt.”
“Wow, this sucks. I’d like to punch both of them.”
“Well, look at the bright side. You aren’t engaged to Garret any longer. Throw yourself into this boutique, Addison. As much as your father and I will miss you, maybe getting you away from this kind of thing is for the best. Who knows who you might meet in that cute little town? Someone with substance.”
“I’m off the market, Mom.”
“Like I said, throw yourself into this boutique and have fun with Mia. I love you, sweetie. This other nonsense will die down before you know it. I promise.”
Addison pressed her lips together and after clearing her throat said, “I’ll take your advice. I love you too. Give Dad a hug for me.”
“We’ll come for a visit as soon as I can get away.”
After Addison hung up the phone she sat there for a few minutes. Her mood became a strange mixture of emotions, and she put her face in her hands when she recalled grabbing Reid by his shirt. But oddly enough, Addison acknowledged that her spontaneous kiss was a step in the right direction. She was finally taking her life by the horns, doing what she wanted, moving forward, and pursuing a dream of her own.
And she wasn’t about to look back.
11
Lean on Me
AT THE SOUND OF THE BELL DINGING MAGGIE LOOKED UP from the stack of paperwork piled high on her desk. She thought perhaps it might be Addison, but a tall dark-haired man entered the office instead. Aviator sunglasses shaded his eyes and he walked with a kind of feline grace that made her sit up and take notice. He wore khaki pants and a deep green oxford shirt—nothing out of the ordinary—but he wore it well. “May I help you?”
“Maggie McMillan?” His deep, slightly raspy voice was damned sexy, and when he removed his sunglasses his light blue eyes had her forgetting to answer. She nodded absently. Wait. What did he ask? “I’m here to pick up the keys to the cabin down by the river.”
“Oh . . .” Maggie stood up and stuck out her hand. “Yes. Richard Rule?”
He grasped her hand and shook it firmly. “Nice to meet you, Maggie.”
Maggie smiled, trying to ignore the little tingle resulting from the handshake. “I have the keys here somewhere. The pictures I sent don’t even begin to do the cabin justice.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
Wow, he had a nice smile. “Um, as I mentioned, it’s very nicely appointed, with a big deck overlooking the river. There’s a hot tub and a gas grill.”
“Perfect.”
For a moment those eyes held her captive. For another moment she pictured him lounging in the hot tub.
“Good . . . um . . .” Flustered, Maggie looked down and found her notes. “Oh, you’ve rented it for two weeks with the option for longer?” She glanced back up at him. “Sorry for being so scatterbrained. I’m a bit swamped.”
“I’m actually here two days early, so don’t feel so unprepared. I hope I can go ahead and get settled, but if not I can stay somewhere else for a couple of days.”
Maggie nodded. “The cabin is empty so I don’t see why you can’t get in today. You can follow me out to the property, since it’s off the beaten path. I’d like to make sure everything is in order, since you’re here early.”
“I’d appreciate that. Are you free now, or should I come back later?”
“Oh no. Now is fine. I’ll just grab my car keys and you can follow me.”
“Good deal.” For some reason his smile sent another flutter through her usually steady pulse. Maggie rarely got rattled and yet she found herself looking at his left hand in search of a wedding band. There was none.
“Here we go,” Maggie said briskly, and showed him the packet. “It was right here on my desk all along.”
“Busy time for you?”
“I recently moved here from Cincinnati and opened my own agency,” she answered with a measure of pride. “I’m helping my son develop some property, along with all of the other hats I find myself wearing, including leasing several shops in town.”
He fell into step beside her. “So the answer is yes. Listen, I can probably find my way. Like I said, I’m early.”
She gave him a wave of her hand. “Oh no, I want to be sure the cabin is ready, and like I said, it is hard to find, nestled in the woods and off a couple of dirt roads. If it’s too remote for your liking I have other rentals I can put you in. I want you to be satisfied,” she added, and for some reason felt the need to blush. “With the cabin.”
“If you insist, I won’t argue,” Richard said as he held the front door open for her.
Maggie had to pass by him closely. The man smelled as good as he looked, sending her already heightened reaction to him up another notch. Except for a hint of stubble darkening his face he had a clean-cut, businessman look to him, and she guessed by the fine lines around his eyes he was somewhere around her age. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing tanned forearms suggesting time spent outdoors and, wow, she spotted an unexpected scripted tattoo peeking out from beneath the green sleeve. She wasn’t sure what it said, since he lowered his arm, but it hinted at a bad-boy edge that went with the slight rasp in his voice. Intriguing . . .