afraid I’d really upset you, and I only meant to mildly aggravate you.”
Actually the crazy cleaning started after I had sex with Sebastian and then ditched him, but the autograph fiasco was the first time I’d run into her since then, so I could see how she’d think that.
“Honestly, truly, I’m just stressed about the planning for the Tricentennial and the effect it’s having on mom.”
A shriek from the nearby crowd draws my attention. The band has climbed onto the wagon and the photographers are getting snaps. We’ve started offering wagon rides around the property, and this is a great photo op for the band, promoting their down-home country image.
The women press forward, and the bodyguards are barely holding them back. I spot Mimi Applebottom; she’s Savannah’s sorority sister and former best friend, and she slept with Savannah’s husband Percy, ending their marriage. Then Percy dumped her, so she’s been on the prowl ever since. Tiffanee Lee Van der Boom is trying to push past the bodyguards. She’s a snooty Sugar Hill debutante. She failed to snag a wealthy husband in college, much to her disappointment. She’s always gone after trust fund types, but it looks like she’d be willing to settle for a rock star.
Sebastian must have some kind of weird ESP, because he swivels around, sees me, and waves. Right there in public. I reply with a quick, nervous wave back, then drop my hand and turn my back on him.
I guess it’s okay for him to acknowledge me like that because we did publicly “meet” on the street the other day.
“Are you feeling all right? What’s wrong with your face?” Daisy asks, peering at me narrow-eyed.
“Nothing.” I try to smile but my face has frozen into place.
“You should never play poker,” Chase informs me. He plays poker a lot, at the mayor’s house. They have a Friday night poker game that includes our bartender, the diner’s owner, Lance, and the town’s other notables. Percy used to go, but he got caught cheating—ha! Shocker. Now he’s been permanently banned.
“Why? What’s my tell?” I demand.
His lips twitch in amusement. “Basically your entire body radiating visible guilt rays.”
Daisy nods. “True story.”
My cheeks heat up with embarrassment. “Well, this has been incredibly fun, but when you texted me, I was just about to clean a very dirty hotel room, so I’m leaving now.”
I turn and hurry off.
“You’re lying again!” Daisy calls after me. “With your lying lie-hole! And you’re terrible at it!”
I hold up my hand and wave without looking back, giving her a one-finger salute. Then I remember that Ethan might see, and I quickly put my hand back down. I don’t care if he’s only a couple of weeks old. Someone in this family has to be a good example, and it’s pretty much down to Mom and me.
I’m almost back at the hotel when I hear a voice behind me.
“Callie Abernathy? Wait up!” Oh good gravy. Terra Jones is here in Bitter End, and worse, she’s slithering up to me with a feral gleam in her eyes. She’s wearing jeans so tight I can see her religion, and her pushup bra ensures that her boobs are up near chin level.
I walk faster, hiding a secret smile. She doesn’t have a clue that she was standing inches away from me when I was disguised as Maureen Mitchell, which is kind of fun.
She catches up to me. “Callie! Slow down, I just want to talk to you for a minute.”
“No comment.”
“Sebastian Monroe just waved at you. You and nobody else. He’s engaged, but his fiancée isn’t staying with him at the hotel and she hasn’t been seen with him in a week. Something’s shady, and I bet you know what it is. I could really make it worth your while to get me an exclusive.”
I walk faster. “No comment.”
“You might want to rethink that.” She breaks into a jog. “I have a very big following. I can say nice things about your hotel, or I can report that I found bugs in my food. And that’s just for starters.”
We’ve reached the front door of the hotel. “This is private property. And I want you off it.”
She smirks. “I’m a guest. When I write about your hotel, I’ll make sure to add a comment about your lousy hospitality.”
A guest? Oh heck no.
I walk into the lobby. “And I’ll be talking to our lawyer right now. And then to the owner of your blog, when we sue you for slander.”
She hurries after