Chapter 28
Shovel – Not to be confused with a baseball bat
Leia
“Brody,” I warn.
He keeps on going as if I hadn’t spoken. “And if you could have those spreadsheets done for me by tonight.”
“No.”
I grip the phone so hard, my hand begins to hurt. I said no to my boss. What am I doing? If he fires me, I’ll be out of a job. And a house. I’ll have to leave Winter Falls since there aren’t many job opportunities in this small town.
“No?”
I open my mouth to backpedal. To tell him I’ll work all night if he wants me to. It doesn’t matter how I promised Isla we’d watch a movie together since she’s been moping around all week with Fender gone. I’ll figure something out. I don’t need to sleep. I’m a single mom.
“When do you think you can have the work finished?”
I’m quick to answer before he can change his mind. “Tomorrow.”
“Let’s say the day after tomorrow.”
I lift the phone away from my ear and check I’m still connected with Brody. My boss isn’t reasonable. He doesn’t understand the word exists.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask. “Do you have a fever? Should I send the doctor over to your house?”
He chuckles and I stop scrolling through my phone for the doctor’s number.
“I’m fine.”
“But you’re being reasonable. Brody Bragg isn’t reasonable.”
“I can be reasonable.”
“You can be a pain in my ass is what you can be.”
“You remind me of Soleil.”
“Thank you,” I say since he loves Soleil to the moon and back.
He sighs. “It’s come to my attention that you work way more than forty hours a week for me.”
“What? Did you suddenly learn how to count?” I tease. Brody Bragg is a certified genius. He knows how to count.
“Maybe someone made me aware of how demanding I am.”
“Soleil strikes again.” I write myself a note to send her a gift basket.
“Not Soleil.”
If not the mother of his child, then who could possibly… Damn it! There’s only one person who would have talked to Brody about how much I work.
“I’m going to kill Fender when he returns.”
“I find pranking is more effective. Do you need some tips? I have a rolodex of ideas.”
“I prefer the direct route.” I don’t play games. If someone pisses me off, I tell them. We discuss and then we move on. Unless I kill the person, then I bury him before I move on.
Brody barks out a laugh. “I’m glad you’re on my side.”
“Who said I’m on your side?”
“Your paycheck,” he says and hangs up.
I’ve barely set my phone on my desk when it rings again. I groan. More work I don’t have time for. But when I pick up my phone to answer, it isn’t work. It’s Fender.
I hit deny. Let him stew for a while. He deserves it. How dare he talk to my employer about my workload? Who does he think he is? He’s my boyfriend, not my keeper. Leia Wilson can take care of herself.
I get back to work and my spreadsheets. I don’t know how much time has passed when someone knocks on the door.
I sigh before standing and stretching my back. I’m entering the living room when the door bursts open and Indigo rushes inside.
“Whoa. What’s the rush? Is Isla okay?” Shit. I’ve been ignoring my phone. I’m a crap mom.
Indigo stops me before I can run out the door. “Isla’s fine.”
My brow wrinkles. “Why did you burst in here if my daughter’s fine?”
“Something’s happened.”
My heart jumps in my chest. “Is Fender okay? Is the band okay?”
Shit. I collapse on the sofa. I’ve been ignoring his calls because I’m pissed with him. What if those calls were my last chance to speak to him? I bury my face in my hands. I’m a horrible, spiteful person.
Indigo wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Fender’s fine. Everyone in the band is fine. They’re on their way home now.”
“On their way home? They aren’t supposed to get back until tomorrow night.”
“They’re coming home early because of what happened.”
“I swear to all things holy if you don’t stop being mysterious, I’m going to give Cash a dog to terrify Katy Purry.”
She gasps. “My cat hates dogs.”
“Start talking or I’m getting Cash the biggest dog I can find. What kind of dog is bigger than a Great Dane?”
“The press found out about you.”
“About me? Why would the press care about me?”
“Because you’re dating Fender who’s a member of one of the most popular bands in the world.”
My nose wrinkles. “Are the fans going to send me hate mail? I can close my social media accounts. Social media sucks anyway. In fact, this might be a good lesson for Isla about social media.”
“Will you stop dissing social media and listen to me?”
I motion for her to proceed.
“The press know you live in Winter Falls.”
“They know where I live?”
“Not exactly where you live but they know you’re in Winter Falls.”
I jump to my feet and rush to the door. “We need to get to Isla.”
“She’s safe at the community center. Cedar won’t let them inside.”
I glare at her. “Would you entrust the safety of your child to anyone else?”
Her eyes light with understanding. “Let’s go.”
I sprint to the community center with Indigo on my heels. I burst through the doors and rush inside.
“Isla!”
She peeks out of a room. “Geez, Mom. Why don’t you yell my name louder? I don’t think they heard you in Japan.”
“Isla.”
She opens her mouth – probably to whine some more – when she catches the look on my face. “What is it? What happened? Is Fender okay?”
“Fender’s fine, but I need you to come with me.” I hold out my hand.
“Is it Grandma and Grandpa?”
I frown. I have no idea if anyone would even notify me if my parents were injured or dead. They cut me out of their lives completely. I doubt I’m mentioned in their will. I don’t want any money from them anyway.
“Listen.” I kneel in front of Isla while Indigo stands next to us gasping for breath.
“Sorry.” She bends over and clutches her stomach. “Not a runner.”
“You know how Fender’s famous?” I begin.
“Duh. He’s in a band.”
“Sometimes famous people have trouble with the press.”
“Press?” Indigo snorts, and I glare at her. “Sorry. I’ll be quiet now.”
“What kind of trouble?” Isla asks.
“Well,” I stall. How do I explain the paparazzi to an eleven-year-old whose never been in the limelight before? “Who’s your favorite singer?”
“Taylor Swift.”
“Do you read what she’s doing? Where she’s going? What she eats? What she’s wearing?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s the same with Fender. His fans want to know what he’s up to.”
“Okay.”
She obviously doesn’t understand what I’m saying. I’m unprepared since I did not have ‘explain paparazzi to my daughter’ on my bingo card today.
“His fans adore him and they want to know if he has a girlfriend.”
“You’re his girlfriend.”
“I am.”
Her eyes widen when understanding hits her. “They want to know all about us.”
I nod. “They do. And it’s possible they’re coming to Winter Falls.”
Indigo waves her phone at me and mouthsthey’re here.
My heart beats against my chest. They’re here. Will they harm my child? Screw that. No one is getting their hands on Isla.
“Cedar!” I shout.
The manager of the community center lumbers out of a door. “What do you need, Leia?”
I don’t hesitate. “A weapon.”
“Shovel work for you?”
I grin. “A shovel is excellent.”
Indigo shackles my wrist and drags me to a quiet corner. “You can’t go after the paps with a shovel.”
“Why not?”
“They have cameras.”
Excellent. “Those cameras are fragile and worth a lot of money.”
She squeezes my hand. “Promise me not to break any of their cameras.”
I shrug. “No promises.”
Cedar returns with a shovel and hands it to me. “I’ll keep Isla safe here.”
Isla’s eyes are about the size of saucers. “What are you doing, Mom?”
“Don’t worry.” I wink. “I got this.”
I squeeze her shoulder before lifting the shovel and marching out of the community center. I scan Main Street and notice several reporters standing on the steps of the courthouse. The police are barring them from entering. I head their way.
“Who’s Fender’s girlfriend?” a reporter shouts at the chief of police.
He crosses his arms over his chest. “No comment.”
“What’s her name?”
“No comment.”
“Where does she live?”
“No comment.”
The chief notices me and shakes his head. Does he seriously think he can warn me away from protecting my child?
“Looking for me?” I ask and the group whirls around to face me.
“What’s your name?”
“Where do you live?”
“Are you engaged to Fender?”
“Are you pregnant?”
“Are you living together?”
I ignore their questions to ask one of my own. “No one asked me if I was on the high school softball team.”
I swing the shovel like a bat. “State champion three years in a row.”
“You can’t hit us with a shovel!”
“It’s manslaughter!”
“The police will arrest you!”
“I will?” the chief asks. “You’re trespassing in my town.”
“Our town,” Brody corrects him from behind me.
I glance over my shoulder at him to discover he’s not alone. He brought his brothers with him. All of whom are scowling at the paparazzi.
“And mine,” Sage says. She’s standing with the gossip gals who are giving the reporters their best ‘I’m disappointed in you’-looks.
“And mine,” Rowan adds as he comes to stand next to me.
“It’s Rowan Hansley.”
“He won the Super Bowl a few years ago.”
“Rowan! Rowan! Over here.”
“Time for you to leave,” I shout as they begin throwing questions at Rowan.
The police form a line and start down the stairs forcing the reporters to do the same or get trampled upon. When they reach the street, the natives of Winter Falls herd them in the direction of White Bridge.
“The press are protected by the constitution!”
“We aren’t making any laws to prohibit the press,” the chief of police says. “But we do have a law prohibiting those gas-guzzling vehicles.” He motions to where a line of cars are parked on the street. “The tow truck’s on the way.”
“You can’t tow our vehicles,” one of the reporters claims.
The chief smiles. “Watch me.”
“Screw this,” he mutters before hurrying to his car.
The rest of the paps follow him. They get into their cars and drive away. Only when I can’t see any of their vehicles anymore do I blow out a breath.
“That was awesome!” Petal shouts.
“We need to have new t-shirts made,” Feather says.
I turn away from them as they begin to discuss what to have printed on their new t-shirts.
I thank Brody and his brothers as well as Rowan before starting toward the community center with Indigo.
“I need to check on Isla,” I say.
“I never knew you were a softball champion.”
I wink at her. “I wasn’t.”