One Tiny Lie – Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,49
fired back, her eyes sparking with indignation.
Luna continued. “When I became you, I met Hudson and fell in love. I feel like I have a family now. You, Beverly, and Todd … Grandma Peach.”
“You do,” Ava assured her. “My family is your family. You know that.” A chuckle rumbled in her throat. “My parents will love having two daughters instead of one.” Her brows creased. “I don’t understand how your past connects with the present.”
“Oh, yeah. That.” Despondence gathered over Luna like a dark thundercloud. “Friday, Margot and I had lunch at that bistro you recommended. The one in the town square.”
Ava began talking with her hands. “I hope you got the sausage, egg, and cheese croissant. It’s so good! I would kill for one of those right now.”
“It was delicious,” Luna said absently. “There was a man at the bistro—Spencer Wellington, Douglas’s son. He recognized me.”
“Oh, no.” Ava’s hand went to her mouth. “That’s crazy,” she uttered. “Of all the places in the world for him to be.”
“I know.” Luna tightened her jaw. She couldn’t help but feel like fate was punishing her for her past. “I told Spencer that he was mistaken, and I walked away. I thought that might be the end of it, but he showed up at the harvest party last night. He followed me up to my room.” She shuddered thinking of how vulnerable she’d felt when Spencer invaded her personal space. For one terrible moment, she thought he might try to rape her. “He told me that if I don’t pay him fifty-thousand dollars in one week’s time that he’s going to tell everyone that I’m an imposter.”
Ava’s eyes bugged. “What? That’s insane!”
A dry laugh escaped Luna’s lips. “That’s exactly what I said.”
“How did this guy—Spencer—know that we switched places?”
Luna winced. “I’m afraid that’s my fault. He could tell from the shocked look on my face at the bistro that I recognized him, even though I adamantly denied it. Then, last night, I inadvertently said my last name when I was arguing with him.” She groaned as she propped her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry. I’ve wrecked everything!”
“Okay, calm down. We’ve got to figure this out. Luna, get a grip!” Ava commanded.
Luna sat up. “I was planning on telling Hudson the truth before Dad’s birthday party next week. I can’t let him get engaged to me without knowing the truth.”
Ava twisted her finger around her hair. “That’s good. It’s time to tell him.” Her eyes hardened. “But what are we going to do about Spencer Wellington?”
Luna shrugged. “Well, if I tell everyone the truth, then he can’t exactly blackmail me, can he?”
“I guess not.” Ava hesitated, concern filling her eyes. “But he’s not going to be happy when he realizes that he’s not getting the fifty-thousand dollars. You could be in danger.”
A jolt of alarm raced through Luna. “Do you think he would do something to me?” Her heart began to pound. Would he try to hurt Todd and Beverly? Luna sensed a darkness in Spencer Wellington. He was filled with such animosity that there was no telling what he might do.
“You know the answer to that better than me,” Ava said grimly.
A shiver ran down Luna’s spine. She thought of the hatred burning in Spencer’s eyes. She spoke in halting sentences, her breath coming in short bursts. “He blames me for his mother’s death. He told me that he’ll never forget it. He said he wanted to hurt me like I hurt him.” Shakes rattled through her hands. “This is bad,” she uttered. “Do I need to go to the police?”
Ava bit her lower lip; her eyes were deep lavender pools of thought. “No, I have a better idea.”
Luna blinked. “What?”
“I think I need to have a chat with Cash’s brother Ramsey.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Ramsey works for a private security firm. He can put a stop to this right away.” Conviction rang in Ava’s voice.
Hope rose in Luna’s breast. “Do you think he would be willing to help?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“Okay, what do I do in the meantime?”
“When are you planning on telling Hudson the truth?”
Luna’s stomach tightened. “I need to do it sooner rather than later.”
“But you’re for sure going to do it before the party on Saturday, right?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds good. But I don’t think you should drop the bomb on Mom and Dad until after the party.”
Luna’s jaw fell. “What if Hudson doesn’t take the news well? There might