producing partner would understand if I flew home instead. I could easily do all of my work online, and I’d only intended to return to Wishing Well as a distraction from my life, which would’ve been titled Monotonous in Manhattan if it had been an episode of Sex in the City. But right about now, monotonous was looking pretty damn good.
“What about Jackson, darling?”
I blinked in surprise. I’d been expecting my grandmother to send a private jet to come get me since she’d just used the adjective sweet. The last thing I’d ever thought I’d hear her say after learning that I wanted to come home was what about Jackson.
“What about him?” I heard the defensiveness in my tone.
“Do you really think you should cut your time short with him, darling?”
I wasn’t cutting my time short with him. He was the one leaving on a jet plane. The tears that had begun to fill my lids reached capacity and one slid down my cheek. “I have to go, Grandmother. I’ll call you later.”
I hung up the phone and my shoulders slumped with the emotional weight of a three-ton elephant. The elephant being an amalgamation of my past, my present, and my future and where, or even if, Jackson fit.
“Josie? Is that you?”
The dread in my stomach was doing the chicken dance as I slowly turned around, expecting to see a reporter frothing at the mouth to capture my reaction to Gio’s statements. Instead, I saw a stunning, dark-haired beauty staring at me expectantly. It took me a moment to recognize her as popstar Karina Black. We’d met years ago at the Academy Awards, when my grandmother had received her Lifetime Achievement Award.
Those award shows might appear glamourous, but in reality, they were long and quite boring. I’d been highly entertained by Karina’s quick, dry wit. I’d never laughed as hard in my life as I did that night.
“Karina, hi!” I hugged her. “What are you doing here?”
I knew that she wasn’t here with Kyle. I’d just spent the last hour speaking with him about his wife, and him explaining that he believed in love at first sight because of her. And Karina was madly in love with another singer, Ryan Perkins.
“I live here.” She spread her arms out. “This is my hometown.”
“It is?” I had no idea that she was from Hope Falls.
She nodded. “Yep. And my bestie Amanda owns this place.”
“I met her, she’s so sweet.” The pretty blonde was friendly and had discreetly asked me if everything was okay, and insisted that she was there if I needed anything. She hadn’t mentioned anything about the unfortunate circumstances I’d found myself in, but she’d communicated her support silently.
“Yes, she is,” Karina eagerly agreed. “That’s the beauty of our friendship, she’s sweet and I’m spicy.”
Her description reminded me of me and Mia. I was definitely the sweet to her spicy.
“And Hope Falls is amazing. On our way in I swear,” I held up my hand as if I was on the witness stand, “that I saw a Great Dane and a Chihuahua walking down the middle of the road, and they stopped and got an ice cream.”
Karina nodded, not looking at all surprised. “That would be Scooby and Scrappy. They are my friends Nikki and Amy’s dogs. Those two sneak out and go downtown all the time. I’ll let the girls know that their escape artists have struck again. I’m headed to our monthly book club now, which is really more of a wine and gossip club. Do you want to come?”
I wished I could, escaping for a few hours and drinking all the wine sounded like heaven. “I can’t. I’m working.”
“Oh, I just figured you were here for vacation. What are you working on?”
“It’s a documentary. I’m here interviewing Kyle.”
“Austen Reed,” Karina finished imitating his voice. “And how is Josephine Grace Clarke?”
“She’s good,” I chuckled. It felt so nice to not be preoccupied with what was going on with me.
We were still chuckling as Jackson stepped out. When his eyes met mine he let out a sigh. “Josie, I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Jackson, this is Karina Black. Karina this is Jackson Briggs.”
“Hi, Karina,” Jackson held out his hand.
Karina tilted her head to the side as she shook his hand then didn’t let it drop. “Did you work on the concert for Uganda relief?”
“I did.” Jackson nodded.
“I thought I recognized you.” Karina smiled.
“Nice to see you again.” Jackson was being polite, but it was clear that he was