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Before I left town a few months ago, I used to own a lot of clothes. A lot. But I gave away most of my belongings when I was casted for the reality show. Some of my things went to Daphne who was opening up a vintage clothing store at the time. The rest of it went to the women’s shelter. That leaves me without much to wear these days.
I pluck my phone from the bottom of my suitcase and power it up. I also disconnected my phone plan when I was leaving town. I really had no intention of ever returning to this place.
But all my plans went tits up when I realized I was moments away from marrying the wrong man. Now here I am, starting over from scratch.
Keying in the credentials noted on the yellow sticky note plastered to the wall above Nolan’s desk, I log onto the wifi network.
“Holy crap…” my inbox is a shit show. A knot of anxiety takes root at the base of my spine.
There are so many messages in here, I don’t even know where to start. I’m instantly overwhelmed.
Why did I open Pandora’s box?
Right about now, it feels like a tiny blessing that I don’t have a functioning phone number. It gives me breathing room. At least, I can answer these email messages at my own pace.
Chewing on the edge of my thumbnail, I eyeball the many unopened messages. In my head, I hear the distant echo of Shirley-Marie’s voice. “What’s the easiest way to eat an elephant, Inez…?” One bite at a time.
Stella’s messy pigtails pop into the open doorway. She’s already sporting a milk mustache. “Inez, you coming? Daddy asked what do you want for breakfast.” She stretches a hand out to me.
Tossing my phone into my open suitcase, I rise from the couch, accepting her little hand. “Gimme a bowl of the best cereal you’ve got, kid.”
She giggles, hopping down the hallway alongside me.
One bite at a time. That’s how I’ll eat the big scary elephants in my inbox.
But I should probably eat breakfast first.
I have a feeling I’m gonna need all the strength I can muster today.
5
NOLAN
“He had a weird sex fetish, didn’t he? Some gossip blogs said mayonnaise was involved.”
“I heard that, too.”
“Good god. Those Hollywood people are a crazy bunch, aren’t they?”
“Is any of it true. Is that why you left him, Inez? That’s why you left him, right?”
The whole place has been buzzing with a different kind of energy since the moment Inez waltzed through the door this evening. Naturally, the regulars are happy to see her. And curious about why she’s back.
Everyone wants the inside scoop on why.
Why, why, why?
I’m not sure how the TV show wrapped up last night when it became clear that Inez wouldn’t be marrying Vance. And I haven’t checked the internet to find out. None of that matters as far as I’m concerned.
Last night, while all of America was waiting for Inez Machado to walk down the aisle, she was with me. She was safe.
That’s what’s important.
It was such a relief, having her under my roof. For the first time in months, I slept like a damn baby. And this morning, when I woke up to find her wearing my T-shirt and playing with my daughter on the couch, I was automatically in the best mood.
I was able to get Stella through her Saturday morning activities, without worrying about all the things that could go wrong at the bar tonight. Knowing that I’d have Inez here at work backing me up meant that I got to be fully present with my daughter in our moments together. That peace of mind was a freaking gift.
Now here we are, working a shift together at the bar. As thrilled as I am about Inez’s return, I’m trying not to smother her with attention tonight. I have a feeling she has a lot of things to figure out. Unfortunately, the rest of Starlight Falls isn’t willing to give the hometown superstar her space.
