Chapter 18 Sutton
Sutton
It has rained all night. After sitting around the table with Nikki once we finished dinner, I helped her clean up and left her the moment I saw her stifling a yawn.
And me? I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
My sleep here in Whispers is so good. Deep.
Rejuvenating. This small town is proving to be good for more than I first thought.
I find that I’m no longer in a rush. To leave.
To live. My pace has slowed. I appreciate the small things.
I appreciate Nikki. Her smile. Her snort-laughs.
The way she knows things about everything.
The way she kisses. Especially the way she kisses…
Now the idea of leaving Whispers doesn’t feel like the right move anymore.
The thought is sobering. My life is in LA.
My work, too. But family, friends, connections, Nikki… they’re all here.
I scrub my face as I sit on the sofa, laptop on, staring at the screen, where a video about beekeeping plays.
After being stung as a kid, I blew up like a balloon.
Had to be raced to the hospital. My allergy to them was severe.
Then one time in the Hollywood Hills, I had another sting.
It wasn’t as violent, but my lips still blew up to the size of tires.
As I read now, allergies are something that can be outgrown.
I wonder if I’ve outgrown it. I look outside.
Probably not a theory I should try when on my own.
That’s why I’ve lived in cities all my life. As much as I love nature, it isn’t really my friend. I grew up in New York, now based in LA, so bees haven’t been a big concern in those concrete jungles.
I scroll through more information, searching for allergies until my eyes hook on an article about venom immunotherapy.
Frowning, I read through the first two lines and immediately grab my cell, calling Hudson.
He’s my best friend from LA who moved back to Whispers with his son and is, conveniently for me, now the local doctor here.
“What?” he answers. We don’t need niceties; I know he loves me.
“Venom immunotherapy.”
“What about it?” he asks with curiosity.
“I want it.”
“What?” Now there’s confusion in his tone.
“I want to try venom immunotherapy.”
“Okaaay. Why is that?”
I sigh. “I’m allergic to bees, remember?”
“Oh, I remember.” He chuckles. “I still have the photo of you on my phone, waiting for the perfect time to use it against you.”
“You wouldn't.” I can’t believe he still has that.
The one from LA, with my lips bloated and my face so swollen, my eyes closed.
I’m sure the gossip pages would love to get their hands on it.
The headline would probably say something about me getting cosmetic surgery rather than having a bee sting.
But they never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
“Of course I would.” I smile. I’ve missed him.
“So, can you do it?” I’m keen to get started. Nikki loves bees. Bees are important to her. And since bees could kill me, I need to fix this issue now.
“Why? Got a movie coming up in Australia or something?”
My brow pinches at that. “Does Australia have bees?”
“Sure. Every deadly animal comes from there.”
“No. Not going there.” Thank God. That sounds terrible.
“Well, why?”
“Can't you just let me trial it?”
“Sure, let me just ring bee headquarters at the hospital and book you in.”
Exasperation has me groaning. “Hudson.”
“Sutton,” he mocks.
“Fuck. Fine. I want to get over my allergic reaction and the internet says that this is ninety-eight percent effective.”
“You’re right. It is. But why now? Why do you all of a sudden want to be free of your bee allergy?”
“Why not? I’ve lived in a concrete jungle all my life, but now I’m in Whispers and Whispers has bees.” I haven’t seen any, but I'm sure they’re around.
He hums. “True… Just seems a bit sudden.”
I ignore his hidden questioning. “Can we start today?”
“Sure. We keep stock of it all here for emergencies. It’ll be good to stick a needle in you.”
Shit. I didn’t think that through. “Needle?” I fucking hate needles too.
“Yeah. How else do you think the venom goes into your body?” Hudson chuckles. He’s such an asshole. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
“On a scale from one to ten, how bad does it look?”
Hudson looks down at me, the grin on his face telling me it’s bad. My lips feel fat and full, my throat scratchy and my eyes watery.
Without answering, he pulls out his phone. “Say cheese…”
“Asshole,” I grumble.
“Well, you still have an allergy to bees. You look like you've had too much lip filler, cheek filler, and no sleep for over a month.”
“Fuck. When does it wear off?”
“Should calm down in an hour or so. Here.” Hudson passes me an ice pack that I press to my face. I look at the clock on the wall, seeing it’s midafternoon. For the first time in weeks, I’m not going to make it to the diner. I can’t go there looking like this.
“So, you want to tell me the real reason you're doing this?”
I eyeball my best friend. He’s caught me in a vulnerable state.
Taking a deep breath, I relent. “Fine. You know Nikki from the diner?”
“Fuck, is this over a girl?”
“Listen, mister, I won't take no for an answer and send my girl hundreds of gifts, including live butterflies. She has a thing for bees. They are important to her.”
Hudson fell fast and hard for Lacy. Something I’m starting to understand more and more.
“So what? You’re going through all this to be a beekeeper for her or something?” He looks at me like I’m crazy.
“Maybe.” I shrug, kind of liking the idea of making my own honey. Maybe I can sell jars of it on that noticeboard Nikki mentioned.
Trying to figure me out, his eyes search my face. “Aren’t you going to go back to LA?”
“Maybe I’ll stick around. It worked out okay for you here.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “I have family here. I grew up here. It’s good for Harvey to be here.”
“I have family here too. I have two new nephews to get to know.”
“Whispers is not Hollywood, Sutton.” He sounds like my brother. I’m not sure why they both think I’m so tied to LA. I mean, sure, I’ve lived there for most of my life and have loved the lifestyle. But the older I get, the less of it I want.
“Maybe that’s what I want.”
“Is it?” he asks me, more seriously now.
I think about his question, wondering if I could really leave my career and LA behind. I’ve built my brand there, have networks and contacts there. But maybe those aren’t even necessary anymore.
“Maybe.”
“It’s a big move. Especially for a woman.”
My eyes flick back to him, but I remain silent. There are many things in Whispers that keep me connected. Friends, family, peace, and privacy. But Nikki is new, and I shouldn’t be making big decisions based on a woman I’ve just met, only kissed once, and who I don’t even truly know who she is.
“Yeah. But I feel like it’s the right one.” I feel it in my soul. He looks surprised but nods. He knows. He practically did the same thing with his girl Lacy.
My cell rings, and I pull it out, my eyes watering so bad I can hardly see the screen.
“Bobby,” I murmur to Hudson, and he rolls his eyes. He’s not a fan of Bobby either.
“Hey, Bobby,” I answer, my voice normal, even though my lips hardly move.
“Sutton, my man!” I cringe, hating it. My shoulders tense immediately.
“What’s up?” I want to get to the point. I’m already cursing that I even answered his call.
“There's a lot going on, a lot of balls in the air. I need to talk to you. I need a face-to-face.” What would he think if he saw my actual face right now?
“We can chat now. Over the phone is fine.”
“But I need to know where you are.”
“Why?” I don’t know why I no longer trust my manager. But I don’t.
“What do you mean, why? I’m your manager, and I’ve let you go off for over a month now, but it’s time to come back now, man. You’ve had your little break, time to get back to it. Soooo…?”
I suppress a sigh. “Soooo what?”
“So I need to know where you are.”
“No, you don’t. I'm having time away. I told you that.”
“Well, you're not in New York.”
“How do you know?”
“The paps are eager to find you, and I heard the price on a photo of you is up around half a million.”
Half a million. Fuck. Frustrated, I scrub my swollen face. They’re vultures.
“I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are.”
“No one has found me yet. So I think I’m doing a good job of protecting myself, Bobby.”
“They will. It’s only a matter of time.” His words sound like a threat, so much so, Hudson looks at me with a frown.
“I have so many new projects for you, man. So much for us to talk about.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m working on something.” I throw him a bone so he can lay off me for a bit.
He jumps right on it. “What? What deals are you doing?”
“Just something.” I’m not telling him. Contractually, I can’t. The Whiteman’s Whiskey launch is firmly confidential. A small team knows; they’re all flying in next week to get filming done.
“Why are you being so sketchy?”
“I’m not being sketchy. I’m just having a go at doing something close to my heart.”
I think about Nikki, looking at the clock again, thankful that the rain stopped for her ride home and feeling bad that I missed her today.
“Get your ass back here. I’ve lined up a movie.” I know exactly what he’s lined up. I’ve seen the gossip. I’ve heard the rumors. And while it has potential to be a blockbuster, it isn’t what I want to do.
“Not yet.”
“It’s a multimillion-dollar deal!” I know he thinks I’m crazy. Hell, most people probably think I am.
“I gotta go, Bobby.” I hang up, not wanting to entertain him any further. When he calls back immediately, I shut off my phone.
“Never liked him,” Hudson murmurs.
“You and Sawyer both.”
“He’s a snake. He’s out for himself. Not you.”
Sawyer has been telling me for years that Bobby wasn’t the best person to associate with.
But he was the first guy to take me on when I landed in LA, and we built an empire together.
Made each other wealthy beyond measure. I invested everything I earned, had Sawyer making smart business decisions for me.
Bobby splashes his cash around, on fast cars, opulent dinners, a different woman on his arm every night.
I thought that was what I wanted. I thought that meant I’d made it.
But right now, lying on a hospital bed with a swollen face and looking at my best friend, I know none of that was real.
This is real. Whispers is real. Nikki is real.
And I want real from now on.