in town Claiming Colton? Well, this is Colton’s sister, Cara.”
“Hi, Cara.” I smiled.
“And this is Harmony, her brother is Beau, the one you made out with in front of God and everyone.”
Horrified. That’s what I felt right now.
“Hi,” I said quietly as I lifted my hand, not sure of what else to do. None of the ladies seemed to be put off by Gam’s descriptions of them or that she’d pointed out the kiss.
“Where’s Dixie?” Gam asked, totally unaware of the embarrassment that she’d just caused me.
“She’s in the back with everyone.” Destiny motioned to the back door. “The kiddos are having pony rides and getting their faces painted. We’re taking a break.”
“Why don’t you stay here and visit. I’ll come back to check on you.” Gam patted my hand and then was out the back door before I could get a word out.
“Um, I think I’ll just go—” I started to turn toward the door.
Harmony reached over and pulled out the chair beside her. “Sit.” A bright smile lit her face as she patted the seat. “We have so much to talk about.”
I lowered down in the chair and all three women were looking at me expectantly.
“Okay, what was the deal with the kiss?” Harmony asked bluntly.
I started to chuckle as Destiny told me to me spill the tea, and Cara said that she needed to hear everything.
It was actually a relief. I was so used to people talking behind my back, whispering most of the time, to have someone just point out the elephant in the room was comforting.
Chapter 14
Beau
“I’m returnin’ your nose dear, I found it in my business.”
~ Barbara-Jean Nelson
“Make sure you get one of Lilah on Peaches when she comes around,” my mom shouted to my brother from across the exercise pen that was filled with six ponies all being ridden by kids under five years old.
“Got it,” Jackson assured her.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I stood beside my brother. Jackson was a world-renowned, award-winning photographer and cinematographer, but that meant diddly-squat to Dolly Briggs. She had no problem giving him notes.
“Do you want me to remind her that you still hold the title of being the youngest person to win the National Geographic photo of the Year award?”
“Do you think it would matter?” he asked.
“No.” I shook my head, smiling from ear to ear.
I was trying to be present at my niece’s birthday, but I couldn’t help thinking about Sasha and if she was okay with all this publicity. I wanted to talk to her, but I wasn’t sure what the protocol was in a situation like this.
As I leaned on the fence I heard my brother’s phone buzz in his pocket. It had gone off at least a half a dozen times in the fifteen minutes we’d been standing here.
“You gonna check that?”
“No.”
Less than a minute later, it buzzed again.
“Someone really wants to talk to you.”
“No, they don’t,” he responded flatly before diving headfirst into a subject that I couldn’t believe had taken him so long to bring up. “You really spiced things up at the wedding yesterday.”
I didn’t respond.
“Your little stunt went viral.”
I let the “little stunt” comment slide. I had seven brothers and learned at a very early age that they were like sharks. Once they smelled blood, it was game over. They would all circle before devouring their prey.
“The mystery man went viral. The press doesn’t know it’s me,” I clarified. I was hoping this whole thing would blow over before I was identified.
He lowered his camera and turned to me. “You haven’t seen TMZ?”
“I haven’t seen any of it.”
“They know it’s you.” Jackson pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through it before handing it to me. When he did I read the headline: Singer Beau Briggs Reemerges as Sasha Nelson’s Mystery Man.
I leaned my forearms on the fence and dropped my head. “Shit.”
“Little ears!” My mom called out as she led Peaches around the pen with Lilah riding atop.
“Sorry.” I lifted my hand in way of apology.
I couldn’t believe what had transpired in my life. A few days ago, my past was where it was supposed to be, behind me. Now it was all being unearthed. Rachel was back. A career I’d buried deep had been dug up.
I would say that someone had a voodoo doll of me, but I didn’t think that this was the way those things worked. Had someone put a curse on me? Was that it? I’d gone for ten years