Kitabı oku: «Thrill Me»

CHAPTER ONE

MAYA FARLOW TOLD herself there was a perfectly good explanation for the mayor of Fool’s Gold to have a picture of a man’s naked butt on her computer screen. At least she really hoped there was. She’d always liked Mayor Marsha and didn’t want to find out something more than a little icky about the woman who was now her boss.

Mayor Marsha sighed heavily and pointed to the screen. “You’re not going to believe this,” she said, and tapped a key. The picture moved as the video played and the audio started up.

“The contest closes on Friday at noon. Text your guess to this number.”

Maya stared at the computer. When the picture stopped again, she studied the phone number on-screen, the seventy-something female host frozen midgesture and the picture of the naked butt behind her. The naked, male butt, Maya corrected mentally, not sure the gender mattered as much as the nakedness.

“Okay,” Maya said slowly, knowing that she would be expected to say something else. Possibly something, you know, intelligent. But honestly, she couldn’t think of what that could be. How on earth was she supposed to make an old lady in a tracksuit talking about a naked butt contest make sense? Of course, that was a much happier concern than finding out Mayor Marsha watched porn.

Mayor Marsha pushed a couple of buttons on her computer and the image disappeared. “You can see the problem we’re having with Eddie and Gladys’s cable access show.”

“Too many naked butts?” Maya asked before she could help herself. Stating the obvious was never helpful, but what on earth else was there to say?

Mayor Marsha Tilson was California’s longest serving mayor. She looked exactly as she had twelve years ago when Maya had been a nervous sixteen-year-old, moving to a strange little town and hoping to fit in. The mayor still wore classically tailored suits and elegant pearls. Her white hair had been swept up in a tidy chignon. As a teenager, Maya hadn’t known what to make of the mayor. Today, she thought the other woman was someone to be admired. Mayor Marsha ran her town with a firm but fair hand. Even more important to Maya, the mayor had offered her a job right when Maya had known she had to make a change in her life.

So here she was, the shiny new communications director for Fool’s Gold, California. And the old lady with the naked butt contest was apparently now her problem.

“Eddie and Gladys have always been colorful,” Mayor Marsha said with a sigh. “I admire their zest for life.”

“And interest in younger men,” Maya murmured.

“You have no idea. Their cable access show is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike, but we’ve been getting some emails and phone calls about some of the content.”

“You need me to rein them in.”

“I’m not sure if that’s possible, but yes. We don’t want to have to deal with the FCC. I know two of the commissioners and I don’t want to be fielding calls from friends in high places, so to speak.” The older woman shuddered. “Or explain what on earth is going on in this town.”

After seeing a clip of the show, Maya would have guessed there was nothing anyone could say for the rest of the day that would surprise her more than a woman pushing eighty showing a naked butt on television and inviting viewers to text in their guess on which famous local celebrity it might be. Maya would have been wrong. Mayor Marsha personally knowing an FCC commissioner or two beat naked butts hands down.

So to speak.

She made a few more notes on her tablet. “Okay. I’ll talk to Eddie and Gladys and explain about the indecency restrictions for broadcast shows.”

She had a good idea what the requirements were but would have to look up the specifics. She had a feeling the TV duo were not the types to be intimidated by vague rumblings of FCC rules. She would have to go into the discussion armed.

“You are getting thrown in the deep end, aren’t you?” Mayor Marsha smiled at her. “This is only your second day. I hope you’re not regretting your decision to take the job.”

“I’m not,” Maya assured her. “I love a good challenge.”

“Then consider yourself blessed.” The mayor glanced at her notepad. “Next up we need to discuss our new video campaign. The city council wants a two-pronged approach. The first set of videos will be about our town slogan. Fool’s Gold: A destination for romance. The second set will be in support of general tourism.”

They’d discussed the new campaign at Maya’s interview. “I have a lot of ideas for both,” she said eagerly.

“Good. We’re still coming up with more ways to use the videos. They’ll be put on the town’s website, of course. But we’ll also want them to be used for commercials. Both on the internet and television.”

Maya nodded as she typed on her tablet. “So thirty-second spots for sure, with additional cuts of the material in one-and two-minute lengths? The message varying, depending on the target audience?”

“I’ll leave the technical aspects of it to you, Maya. Also, any ideas you have for increasing viewership of the videos would be appreciated. The city council is a dynamic group, but we’re not tech savvy. You’re going to have to lead the way on that.”

“Happy to.”

She had some contacts, she thought. Not anyone at the FCC, but friends in advertising who would be happy to brainstorm ideas. It would be easy to edit material so that it appealed to different interests. Focus on the outdoor activities the town had to offer on ESPN and sports websites. Show family-friendly things to do on cable channels more traditionally watched by women, with links on websites that appealed to women with children.

While this kind of work was different from what she was used to, she was excited by the possibilities. Her previous job, at a local TV station in Los Angeles, had become too comfortable. And her attempts to get hired by the network had failed, leaving her at loose ends. The job offer in Fool’s Gold had come along at exactly the right time.

“You’re going to need some help,” Mayor Marsha told her. “There’s simply too much work for one person. Especially if we want the videos done by the end of summer.”

Maya nodded in agreement. “I’d prefer to do the editing myself. There’s an art to it.” And trusting someone else with her content would be difficult. “But I could use someone to help preproduction and during the shoots.”

“Yes. Plus an on-air talent person. Is that what it’s called? Or is host a better word?”

Maya felt a minor twinge. After all, in a perfect world, she would be hosting the videos. But the truth was, the camera didn’t love her. It liked her well enough, but not so much with the love. And in the business that was any kind of recorded media, passion was required. Which meant they needed someone who dazzled on-screen.

“Someone local?” she asked, thinking of all the sports celebrities in the area. Plus, she knew that action movie superstar Jonny Blaze had just bought a ranch outside of town. If she could get him, that would be a coup.

“I had someone else in mind,” Mayor Marsha said.

As if on cue, the mayor’s assistant knocked on the door and then stepped into the room. “He’s here. Should I send him in?”

“Please do, Bailey,” Mayor Marsha told her.

Maya glanced up, curious as to whom the mayor would consider for such an important job. There was a lot on the line for the town and Mayor Marsha always put Fool’s Gold first. If he—

Maybe it was a trick of the light, Maya thought frantically as her eyes focused. Or a mistake. Because the tall, broad-shouldered, slightly scruffy guy walking toward them looked alarmingly familiar.

She took in the too-long curly hair, the three-day beard and the oversize, well-worn backpack slung over one shoulder. As if he’d just stepped off a pontoon plane direct from the Amazon forest. Or out of one of her dreams.

Delany Mitchell. Del.

The same Del who had stolen her virginity and her eighteen-year-old heart and had promised to love her forever. The Del who had wanted to marry her. The Del she’d walked out on because she’d been too young and too scared to take a chance on believing that she was the least bit lovable.

His jeans were so worn they looked as soft as a baby’s blanket. His white shirt hung loose, the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was that irresistible combination of disheveled and confident. The ultimate in sex appeal.

How could he be back in town? Why hadn’t she known? And was it too late to bolt from the room?

Mayor Marsha smiled with pleasure, then rose. She crossed to the man and held out her arms. Del stepped into her embrace, hugged her, then kissed her cheek.

“You haven’t changed at all,” he said by way of greeting.

“And you’ve changed quite a bit. You’re successful and famous now, Delany. It’s good to have you back.”

Maya stood, not sure what she was supposed to do or say. Back as in back? No way, no how. She would have heard. Elaine would have warned her. All living, breathing, handsome proof to the contrary, she thought.

Ten years later, Del still looked good. Better than good.

She found herself fighting old feelings—both emotional and physical. She felt breathless and foolish and was grateful neither of them was looking at her. She had a second to get herself under control.

She’d been so young back then, she thought wistfully. So in love and so afraid. Sadly, fear had won out and she’d ended things with Del in a horrible way. Maybe now she would finally get the chance to explain and apologize. Assuming he was interested in either.

The mayor stepped back and motioned to her. “I think you remember Maya Farlow. Didn’t the two of you used to see each other?”

Del turned to glance at her. His expression was an ode to mild curiosity and nothing else. “We dated,” he said, dismissing their intense, passionate relationship with casual disregard. “Hello, Maya. It’s been a long time.”

“Del. Nice to see you.”

The words sounded normal enough, she told herself. He wouldn’t guess that her heart was pounding and her stomach had flopped over so many times she feared it would never be right again.

Was it that he didn’t remember the past, or had he truly put it all behind him? Was she just an old girlfriend he barely recalled? She would have thought that was impossible, and she would have been wrong.

He looked good, she thought, taking in what was new and what was exactly as it had been. His features were sharper, more honed. His body bigger. He’d filled out. Grown up. There was a confidence to his gaze. She’d fallen in love with a twenty-year-old, but before her was the adult male version.

The puzzle pieces fell into place. Her meeting and discussion with the mayor. What was expected of her as far as promoting the town. The need for a well-known person to host the videos.

Her lips formed the word No even as her brain held in the sound. She turned to Mayor Marsha.

“You want us to work together?”

The older woman smiled and took her seat at the conference table, then motioned for Del to sit, as well.

“Yes. Del’s back in town for a couple of months.”

“Just for the rest of the summer.” He settled in a chair that seemed too small for him. His grin was as easy as his posture. “You guilted me into helping.”

Mayor Marsha’s blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “I might have done what needed doing to get you to agree,” she admitted. She turned to Maya. “Del has experience with filming. He’s made some videos himself.”

He shrugged. “Nothing that special, but I do know my way around a camera.”

“As does Maya. I would like the two of you to collaborate on the project.”

Maya told herself to keep breathing. That later, when she was alone, she would scream or keen or throw something. Right now, she had to remain calm and act like a professional. She had a brand-new job she very much wanted to keep. She loved Fool’s Gold, and since moving back to town, she’d felt more content than she could remember ever feeling before. She didn’t want that to change.

She could handle Del being back. Obviously he was 100 percent over her. Which was a good thing. She was over him, too. Way over. So over as to almost not remembering him. Del who?

“Sounds like fun,” she said with a smile. “Let’s set up a meeting to brainstorm what has to be done.”

* * *

SHE WAS SMOOTH, Del thought, watching Maya from across the small conference table. Professional. She’d stayed friends with his mother, so he heard about her every now and then. How she’d been promoted to senior producer at the local news station in Los Angeles, and how she wanted to get to a network position. Showing up in Fool’s Gold was an unexpected left turn in her career path.

Just as unanticipated had been the call from Mayor Marsha, inviting him to be a part of the town’s new publicity project. She’d phoned about fifteen minutes after he’d already decided he was coming home for the summer. The woman had mad skills.

“How about tomorrow?” Maya asked. “Why don’t you call me in the morning and we’ll set up a day and time?”

“Works for me.”

She gave him her cell number.

Mayor Marsha’s desk phone beeped.

“Excuse me,” the mayor said. “I need to take this call. I’ll leave you two to work out the details.”

They all rose. Del and Maya walked into the hallway. Once there, he half expected her to bolt, but she surprised him by pausing.

“When was the last time you were back?” she asked.

“It’s been a couple of years. You?”

“I came home to visit Zane and Chase a couple of months ago and never left.”

Her brothers, he thought. Technically her stepbrothers, but he knew they were the only family she had. While he’d grown up in a loud, close-knit, crazy family, Maya hadn’t had anyone but an indifferent mother. She’d made her own way in the world. Something he’d respected about her, until that trait had turned around and bit him on the ass.

“You’re a long way from Hollywood,” he said.

“You’re a long way from the Himalayas.”

“So neither of us belongs here.”

“Yet here we are.” She smiled. “It’s good to see you, Del.”

You, too.

He thought the words, but didn’t say them. Because it was good, damn her. And he didn’t want it to be. Maya was born trouble. At least she had been for him. Not that he would make that mistake again. He’d trusted her with everything he had and she’d thrown it back in his face. Lesson learned.

He nodded at her, then swung his backpack over his shoulder. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Her smile faltered for a second before returning. “Yes, you will.”

He watched her go. When she was out of sight, he thought about going after her. Not that there was anything to say. Their last conversation, a decade ago, had made everything clear.

He told himself the past was the past. That he’d moved on and was long over her. He’d gone his way and she’d gone hers. Everything had worked out for the best.

He walked out of City Hall and toward the lakefront. There was a continuity to the town, he thought as he looked around and saw tourists and residents coexisting. City workers were changing the banners, taking down those celebrating the Dog Days of Summer Festival and hanging the ones proclaiming the Máa-zib Festival. This time last year, they’d been doing the same thing. And the year before and a year from now. While there were a handful of recent businesses opening, truth was the heart of the town never changed.

Brew-haha might be a new place to get coffee, but he knew that when he walked inside he would be greeted, very possibly by name. There would be a bulletin board advertising everything from dog-walking services to upcoming civic meetings. That while some of the friends he’d had in high school had moved on, most of them had stayed. Nearly all the girls he’d kissed as a kid were still around. Most of them married. This was their home and where they felt they belonged. Their kids would grow up to go to the same elementary school, middle and high school. Their kids would play in Pyrite Park and go to the same festivals. Here, life had a rhythm.

Once Del had thought he would be a part of it. That he would stick around and run the family business. Find the right girl, fall in love and—

Talk about a long time ago, he told himself. Talk about being a child himself. He could barely remember what it had been like back then. Before he’d left. When his dreams had been simple and he’d known that he was going to spend the rest of his life with Maya.

For a second he allowed himself to think of her. Of how in love he’d been. Back then he would have said they’d been in love, but she’d proved him wrong. At the time he’d been devastated, but now he was grateful. Because of her, he’d left Fool’s Gold. Because of her, he’d been free to leave and could return home the conquering hero.

He waited for the flush of pride. There wasn’t any. Maybe because in the past couple of months, he’d started to realize he had to figure out a new direction. Since selling his company, he’d been restless. Sure there were offers, but none that interested him. So he’d come back to where it all started. To see his family. To celebrate his dad’s sixtieth birthday. To figure out where he went from here.

For the second time in as many minutes, he thought about Maya. How nothing had ever been as beautiful as her green eyes when she smiled up at him. How—

Del hesitated for a nanosecond before crossing the street, then he brushed the memory away, as if it had never been. Maya was his past. He was moving forward. Mayor Marsha wanted them to work together, which was fine by him. He would enjoy the challenge, and then move on. That’s what he did these days. He moved on. Just as Maya had taught him.

* * *

WHILE THE MITCHELLS couldn’t claim to be one of the founding families of Fool’s Gold, they’d only missed that distinction by a single generation. They’d been around longer than most and had the interesting family history to prove it.

Maya had first met Elaine Mitchell over ten years before when she’d applied for a part-time job with Mitchell Fool’s Gold Tours. The friendly, outgoing woman had promised fair pay and flexible shifts. As Maya had been saving every penny for college, she’d been thrilled with the offer. There wasn’t going to be any help from her family, so it was up to her to get scholarships, grants and loans, then supplement the rest with whatever she could save.

Two unexpected things had happened that fateful summer. Maya had met and fallen in love with Del—Elaine’s oldest son. But she’d also made a friend in the Mitchell matriarch. Elaine was married to famous glass artist Ceallach Mitchell and was the mother of five boys. She’d been born and raised in Fool’s Gold. Her life was the best kind of chaos—one defined by a growing, happy family.

Maya had been the only child of an exotic dancer who had married for money and suffered the consequences. While Maya had felt badly for her mother, she had loved moving to Fool’s Gold and being a relatively normal teen for the first time ever.

On the surface the two women had little in common, Maya thought as she hurried out of City Hall and headed for her car. They were worlds and lifetimes apart. Yet they’d always seemed to have something to talk about and, despite how Maya’s relationship with Del had ended, she and Elaine had stayed in touch.

Now she got in her car and drove the six miles out of town toward the Mitchell family house. It stood on acres of land, separate from the town. Ceallach needed quiet for his creativity and space for his huge glass installations.

So the family lived outside of town and the five brothers had grown up on the side of a mountain, running through the rugged terrain, doing whatever it was young boys did when outdoors and unsupervised.

Maya thought back to all the stories Del had told her, when they’d been together. And what Elaine shared in their frequent emails. She knew her friend missed having all five of her sons at home. Del and the twins had moved away, and while Nick and Aidan were still in town, neither lived at the family house anymore.

Maya turned left and headed up the long driveway. When she finally reached the house, she was relieved to see Elaine’s SUV parked in front.

She’d barely made it up the front porch stairs when the door opened and Elaine smiled at her.

“You’re an unexpected surprise. What’s up?”

Del had his mother’s eyes. The rest of him—his size, his build—came from his father, but those brown eyes were pure Elaine.

“You didn’t know?” Maya asked, climbing the porch stairs. “Del’s back.”

Elaine’s openmouthed surprise confirmed what Maya had expected. Her friend hadn’t known. Which was so like a guy. Why tell your mom you were coming home?

“Since when?” Elaine asked, hugging her, then motioning her inside. “He could have called. I swear, he’s the worst of them.” Her mouth twisted as she led the way to the kitchen, her athletic shoes making no sound on the hardwood floors. “And the twins. I should disown all three of them.”

“Or post their embarrassing baby pictures on the internet,” Maya offered, stepping into the huge kitchen.

“That would be a better solution,” Elaine said as she crossed to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. “Then I’d hear from them for sure. So what happened? Where did you see him? What did he say?”

“Not much. I was too surprised to ask many questions.”

Maya took her usual seat at the big kitchen table. The overhead light fixture was made up of five pendant lights—each a rainbow of colors that swirled and seemed to move, even as they were perfectly still. She’d earned decent money as a senior producer back in Los Angeles, but there was no way she would have been able to afford those pendant lights. Or the stunning piece in the corner of the family room. Ceallach’s work was scattered throughout the house. One of the advantages of being married to a famous artist, she thought, accepting the glass of tea Elaine passed her.

Her friend already knew about Maya’s new job as the Fool’s Gold communications director. Now Maya told her about the meeting with Mayor Marsha and the plans for the various videos.

“We agreed there should be a host,” Maya continued. “Someone good on-screen.”

“I know where this is going.” Elaine gave her a sympathetic glance. “What about you?”

“You’re sweet to pretend I had a chance, but being in front of the camera...” Maya wrinkled her nose. “Anyway, I thought about some of the athletes who live in town. I mean why not? Or maybe Jonny Blaze.”

“Too young for me, but still sexy.”

Maya grinned. “I agree on the latter, if not the former.”

Elaine laughed. “And that’s why we’re friends. So not Mr. Blaze?”

“No. As if he’d been listening in the other room, in walked Del. I couldn’t believe it.”

Elaine pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket and glanced at the screen. “Me, either. I wonder how long he’ll be in town. He’s not texting me about staying here at the house, which means he’s bunking somewhere else.” Her mouth twisted. “Apparently I did a bad job with my boys.”

“Don’t say that. You were a great mom.”

Maya would know. Her own mother had been on the dark side of awful, so she had a frame of reference. While her mother had been busy making sure Maya understood that she was the reason for her every disappointment, Elaine had been raising happy, loved children.

“Besides, isn’t the point of raising children to get them to where they’re contributing members of society?” Maya asked gently. “You did that times five.”

Before her friend could answer, the doggie door moved a little. Maya caught sight of a brown nose, followed by a happy blur of colors as Sophie, Elaine’s beagle, raced into the kitchen.

Sophie was a bright-eyed sweetheart. Her traditional white with brown-and-black splotches was very beagle-like but her personality was pure Sophie. She lived with gusto, pouring all her energy into whatever had captured her attention. Right now it was giving her mom a couple of quick kisses before moving to greet Maya. In a few minutes she would probably be figuring out a way to open the refrigerator and devour whatever was planned for dinner.

“Hey, pretty girl,” Maya said, lowering herself to the hardwood floor and holding out her arms.

Sophie raced toward her, her soft puppy mouth forming a perfect O as she bayed out her greeting. She then climbed onto Maya’s lap for a proper snuggle. Big paws scrambled as Sophie gave her best kisses and shimmied even closer for hugs.

“You have the prettiest eyes,” Maya said, admiring the rim of dark brown, then rubbing the dog’s ears. “It must be nice to be a natural beauty.”

“Unlike the rest of us,” Elaine murmured. “There are mornings when I swear, it takes a village.”

“Tell me about it.”

Maya gave Sophie one last pat, then returned to her chair. Sophie circled the kitchen, sniffing the floor, before settling into her bed by the fireplace.

Maya looked at her friend. She noticed dark circles under her eyes and an air of something—maybe weariness.

“Are you okay?”

Elaine stiffened. “What? I’m fine. I’m upset about Del not telling me he was coming home. He mentioned in an email that he might, but there were no firm plans.”

“Maybe he wanted to surprise you.”

“I’m sure that’s it.”

Maya decided a change of subject would probably be a good thing. “How are the plans for Ceallach’s big party going?”

“Ceallach won’t make a decision whether or not he wants a big blowout or a small family get-together for his birthday. At this rate, I’m going to have to lock him in a closet until he makes up his mind.”