Only Mine (Fool's Gold #4)(4)

“I’m sure the twins’ brother will appreciate that,” she murmured, suspecting Finn might be grateful but wouldn’t have much expectation for the town helping.

“You’re doing a good thing,” Marsha told her. “Keeping an eye on the show.”

“You didn’t give me much of a choice.”

The mayor smiled. “That’s the secret to my success. I box people into a corner and force them to agree.”

“You’re very good at it.” Dakota sipped her diet soda. “The worst part is I actually like reality TV. Or I did until I met Geoff. I wish he’d do something illegal so Chief Barns would arrest him.”

“We can always hope.” Marsha sighed. “You’ve given up a lot, Dakota. I do want to thank you for taking on the show and protecting the town.”

Dakota shifted in her seat. “I haven’t done all that. I’m on set and making sure they don’t plan anything truly insane.”

“I feel better knowing you’re around.”

She was good, Dakota thought, eyeing the older woman. Years of experience. Marsha was the longest-serving mayor in the state. Over thirty years. She thought of all the money the town had saved on letterhead. It never had to change.

While this was far from Dakota’s dream job, working for Geoff had the potential to be interesting. She knew nothing about making a television show, and she told herself she would enjoy the opportunity to learn about the business. At least it was a distraction. Something she wanted these days—anything to avoid feeling so…broken.

She reminded herself not to go there. Not everything could be fixed, and the sooner she accepted that, the better. She could still make a good life for herself. Acceptance would be the first step in moving on. She was a trained professional, after all. A psychologist who understood how the human mind worked.

But knowing and believing were two different things. Right now it seemed as if she would never feel whole.

“THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT,” Sasha Andersson said as he leaned against the battered headboard. He glanced down at the copy of Variety he’d bought from the old guy at the bookstore. Someday, he would be making thousands, or even millions, and he would subscribe and have it delivered to his phone, as the real stars did. Until then, he bought a copy every few days, to keep costs down.

Stephen, his twin brother, lay across the other bed in the small motel room they shared. A worn Car and Driver sat open on the floor. Stephen dangled his head and shoulders off the mattress as he flipped through an issue he’d probably read fifty times.

“Did you hear me?” Sasha asked impatiently.

Stephen looked up, his dark hair falling over his eyes. “What?”

“The show. It’s going to be great.”

Stephen shrugged. “If we get picked.”

Sasha tossed the paper to the foot of the bed and grinned. “Hey. It’s us. How could they resist?”

“I heard there were over five hundred applicants.”

“They narrowed that number down to sixty and we’re going to make the final cut, too. Come on. We’re twins. TV audiences love that. We should make it seem like we don’t get along. Fight and stuff. Then we’ll get more camera time.”

Stephen shifted on the bed, then rolled onto his back. “I don’t want more camera time.”

A fact that was both irritating and true, Sasha thought grimly. Stephen wasn’t interested in the business.

“Then why are you here?”

Stephen drew in a deep breath. “It beats being back home.”

Something they agreed on. Home was a tiny town of eighty people. South Salmon, Alaska. In the summer, they were flooded with tourists wanting to see the “real” Alaska. For nearly five months, every waking moment was spent working impossible hours, struggling to keep up with the crowds, to get the job done and get paid before moving on to the next job. In winter, there was darkness, snow and crushing boredom.

The other residents of South Salmon claimed to love everything about their lives. Despite being direct descendants of Russian, Swedish and Irish immigrants who had settled in Alaska nearly a hundred years before, Sasha and Stephen wanted to be anywhere but there. Something their older brother, Finn, had never understood.

“This is my chance,” Sasha said firmly. “My shot. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get noticed.”

Without even closing his eyes, he could see himself being interviewed on Entertainment Tonight, talking about the blockbuster movie he was starring in. In his mind, he’d walked a million red carpets, celebrated at Hollywood parties, had women show up naked in his hotel room, begging him to sleep with them. Which he graciously agreed to do, he thought with a grin. Because that’s the kind of guy he was.

For the past eight years, he’d wanted to be on TV and in movies. But the industry never made it to South Salmon, and Finn had always dismissed his dreams as something he would outgrow.

Finally old enough to be able to do what he wanted without his brother’s permission, Sasha had been waiting for the right opportunity. A casting notice for True Love or Fool’s Gold had been it. The only surprise had been when Stephen had wanted to come with him on the interview.

“When I get to Hollywood,” he began, playing a familiar game, “I’m going to buy a house in the hills. Or at the beach.”