The Fisher family was a cornerstone in Sutton River; everyone knew of them and or shared close ties, including my mom, who was best friends with Camilla since they were in kindergarten. The day my sister and I lost our parents was life-changing, as one might expect. While I was of legal age and took over guardianship of Brooke, the Fisher family was instrumental in helping us navigate our new reality, something I’d be forever indebted to them for.
“Boden, did you hear me?”
I met her gaze, and her soft smile confirmed what she suspected to be true.
It was a mother’s instinct.
She reached for my hand and squeezed. “When your friends as long as your mom and I were, and as close . . . Mallory.” She sighed. “She had her kids all mapped out from an early age. As an only child, she would always say she wanted a boy first and then a girl. Knowing the boy would step up and protect the girl if need be was how she always envisioned life. Little did she know, God bless her soul, just how true that would play out. But, Boden, trust me when I say this, you are every bit the remarkable son, big brother, faithful friend, and loyal colleague your mom and dad dreamed of for your future. However, if I’m being honest and please don’t think I’m trying to meddle—”
“There’s nothing you could say that would ever offend me. Jaxon, Jameson, Ford, and the captain won the lottery with you, and I consider it a tremendous blessing to know you are also in my corner, rooting me on. To have a love like my parents and you and the captain . . . all I will say is that goal doesn’t feel so unobtainable anymore.”
“That sparkle in your eyes when I mentioned your new tenant gave you away, mister.”
Now it was my turn to smile.
Having exchanged more pleasantries and a promise to come over for dinner soon, I headed toward the checkout. The smile I proudly wore mere moments ago was all but a distant memory when the gossip magazines on the newsstand caught my attention.
Everything in me stilled. I looked away and then back, thinking it had to have been a mistake.
A joke.
But to my horror, nothing had changed when I glanced back at the magazines. And while her hair was dyed blond, not the chestnut brown I was familiar with, her eyes gave her away. I’d recognize them anywhere.
Lakelyn was front and center on the cover of three out of the four magazine covers, all with horrific headlines.
From engagement to public enemy #1.
Lies and deceit, how she broke Tyler’s heart.
Reality stars fall from grace, stepping out on her husband to gain fame.
“What-in-the-actual-fuck!”
I grabbed the last one and thumbed through the pages until I landed on the featured article.
Anger boiled fiercely in my veins with every sentence I read.
“Boden.”
A million questions besieged me like the hungry reporters that craved information and encroached on people’s privacy, stopping at nothing to get it. I’d entered some parallel universe where every salacious word printed couldn’t be more opposite from the woman I’d fallen for.
“Boden, dear, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
From the soft floral scent of her perfume, I knew it was Camilla beside me.
I was speechless, unable to form words to acknowledge just how far from okay my reality had become.
“It’s a terrible thing that show did to that poor girl. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way.”
“I . . . I don’t understand.”
“I’ve watched that show since the beginning, and I’d say I had a pretty good radar on the good versus bad seeds, and she doesn’t strike me as having a single bad bone in her body.”
“You watch reality TV?” I questioned.
“Yes, dear, it’s my guilty pleasure. The captain hates it, so I watch it on demand to keep my mind busy when he gets called away.”
I nodded, suddenly understanding Lakelyn’s drastic need for privacy.
