A Winter Wedding(54)
He added several slices of turkey to his sandwich before handing over the meat. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“Of course. Don’t let my tear-streaked face fool you.”
His smile slipped away, replaced by a rueful expression. “I just hope she leaves it at what she’s done already.”
“Which is...” She piled on some more turkey but skipped the cheese. She didn’t want the extra calories.
“She’s been telling lies, spreading rumors, trying to make me look bad.”
Lourdes dabbed mustard on her sandwich. “You can’t be worried that anyone will believe her. Everyone around here knows you—and her. Don’t they?”
“For the most part, but we each have our own circles. Thanks to what she’s been telling her parents, they hate me. And I’m getting the feeling that Olivia is torn. She wants to believe her sister and fall in line with her family for a change, even though she’s well aware that Noelle is hardly reliable.”
“How could she want to side with the same sister who purposely stole you away from her?”
“Now that she’s happily married, I guess it’s easier to forget the past. Anyway, bottom line, I don’t need all the shit Noelle brings into my life, and I’m getting tired of it.”
Lourdes placed a slice of tomato on her turkey. “So that’s what has you bugged.”
He put the top on his sandwich and grabbed it with both hands. “Bugged is too mild a word for what I’m feeling. I’ve put up with her for years. I’ve even tried to be good to her. I keep telling myself there’s no reason exes have to be nasty to each other. But nothing seems to get her out of my life.”
“She sounds like a very troubled person.”
“She’s not deep enough to be troubled. I’d leave it at difficult.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Ignore her. What else can I do? With any luck she’ll get bored and go in search of someone who’s more interesting to torment.”
“And if it doesn’t happen that way?”
“We’ll see what she does and take it from there,” he said, but no sooner were those words out of his mouth than his phone began to buzz—and when he looked down he frowned as if he didn’t like what he saw.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I can’t believe this.”
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s Ed Hamilton, the editor of the local paper.”
A cold chill ran down her spine. “Do you have any idea why someone from the paper would want to get hold of you?”
“No.”
“You think he’s calling about me.”
When he gave her a sympathetic look, she understood she’d lost her temporary safe haven.
15
Kyle paced back and forth while he spoke to Ed. As he’d thought when he first saw Ed’s number, Noelle had struck again. She’d alerted the editor, who also served as the paper’s only staff reporter, to the fact that they had a celebrity in town. She’d even told him about the furnace in the farmhouse not working and that Lourdes was currently staying with him. Now Ed was following up to see if he could get an interview.
The privacy that Lourdes needed would be much harder to get after this...
“It’s not every day we have a country music star in our midst,” Ed said. “Especially one who’s hit the top of the charts, like Lourdes Bennett.”
Kyle pivoted at the fireplace. “But we do have a famous movie star who stays in Whiskey Creek from time to time, and Simon has given you plenty of interviews.”
“That may be true, but he’s not coming back for Christmas this year,” Ed argued. “At least not that I’ve heard.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Kyle asked.
“I’m looking for good content. A paper needs new content in every issue. What was published three or four months ago isn’t relevant anymore. So what Simon’s done in the past is great, but I need to find more things like that. Folks here are familiar with him. It’s time they learned more about Lourdes.”
“Why? She’s not interested in doing media interviews. She’s looking for some quiet during the holidays. You can understand that, can’t you?”
“What I don’t understand is why you’re so hot under the collar,” he said. “I won’t bother her. I just want to talk to her for a few minutes.”
He didn’t seem to understand that talking to her was bothering her. But Kyle had to continue to live here after she left, and he liked Ed. Lowering his voice, he said, “That may be true. One interview wouldn’t be a big deal. But after you print that she’s in town, everyone else will want to talk to her, too. So I’m sorry, she’s not willing to do an interview.”
“Wait! You haven’t even asked her.”
Kyle stabbed a hand through his hair. Damn Noelle. He’d wanted to throttle her for a long time, but never more than now. She didn’t give a shit about Ed or the paper. He doubted she’d ever read more than a handful of issues. She’d done this simply because she knew he wouldn’t want her to—that it would cause problems.
She was probably hoping he’d lose his tenant...