Powerful (The Driven World) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,53
here very often, but as kids, we were always in trouble for bonfires on the beach. The sheriff didn’t mind too much when it wasn’t peak tourist season, but when it was, he got a bit cantankerous. He didn’t want any of the tourists getting hurt and affecting the tourist industry. What he could never understand is the tourists liked hanging with the townies to see if they could score with us.
Todd appears at the far end of the building. I wave, but he walks toward me, hand on his gun, face masked in anger.
“Todd?”
“Don’t you Todd me! Have you come back to gloat?”
I’m bewildered.
Shaking my head. “Todd, I don’t know what your issue is, but I’m looking for Athena.”
“You’re looking for Athena?” Todd raises his voice.
“Yes, Todd,” I reply forcefully.
He cocks his head to the side and frowns. “Wait, you didn’t leave?”
“No, I didn’t leave. Where the fuck is Athena?”
My stomach turns to stone as I dread what he’s about to say.
“Athena is gone. She thought you left with Sophia Thorne this morning. So, she left…”
I shake my head and try to understand what he’s saying.
“What the fuck? Where did she go?”
“New York.”
I rock back on my heels. The one place she’s afraid of, and that’s where she goes? It doesn’t make sense. “Why there?”
“Her publisher is there. They’ve been trying to get her to go for a book signing and to discuss a deal with a studio for one of her books.”
“Why did she leave?”
Todd moves his hand off his gun. “She thought you left with Sophia as in left, left if you get my meaning.”
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I let out a frustrated growl. “I didn’t tell her. I didn’t tell her we were filming at Wiscasset Speedway. Things got heated between us last night, and I had to be out there early this morning. This explains why she isn’t answering her fucking phone.”
Todd reaches out and pats my shoulder. “Shit, sorry, man.”
“No, I can still fix this. I can go to New York. Do you know the name of her publisher?”
“Nope, but I have one of her books.”
Todd turns and walks back the way he came. I watch impatiently as he goes through a desk and comes back with a book that is dog eared. Opening it up, he points to some words inside the front cover.
“Write Well Publishing.”
Taking the book off him, I double-check the name. “Thanks, Todd. Can I have this?”
“Sure, it’s one of her first books. It’s a romance.”
“Aren’t they all?”
Todd shakes his head. “No. Haven’t you read anything of hers?”
Feeling like I’ve let her down, I shake my head. “No.”
“I want it back, she signed it for me. Read it. It’s not bad.”
“Thanks, Todd.” Turning around, I run for my car.
***
The next available flight isn’t until eleven o’clock. In between trying to call Athena and waiting around, I read Athena’s book. It’s called Lost. It made USA Today’s bestseller list, and the more I get into it, the more I realize it’s about us. Skipping to the end, I read the last chapter where she’s given them a happily ever after.
This time, I’m going to give Athena the happily ever after she’s looking for.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Athena
The plane lands, and my heart accelerates. What the hell was I thinking coming to New York on my own? I’m sucking in air and trying to calm my nerves when the airline steward approaches me. “Are you all right?”
“Y-Yes. I think so?”
I feel foolish and afraid. I’ve let my emotions get the best of me, and right now, I’m not sure how to get myself under control. She looks over her shoulder to another member of the crew then back to me.
“You can get off the plane now.”
I stand and look up and down the length of the cabin. There’s no one else left on board.
“I’m so sorry.”
She gives me a tight smile, and I move down through the cabin. I’m terrified. I can’t do this. Standing outside the plane is an older woman shifting from foot to foot. When she sees me, she makes an excited sound and waves at me frantically.
“It is you!”
“It is?”
“You’re Athena Goddess! You’re my favorite author.”
Athena Goddess is my pen name. I smile awkwardly at the older woman. “Yes, I am.”
“I knew it. I told my Harry it was you, but well, he doesn’t read you, so he has no idea.” She links her arm with mine and guides me down the walkway. “I’m Harriet Golding. We’ve come in