Nashville Secrets. Sheri WhiteFeather
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star?”
“No, you definitely heard right.” He patted Cline’s head when the dog turned to look at a boat that went by. “It’s making all kinds of buzz. The bestseller lists, too.”
She downplayed her interest in it. “I get most of my books from the library. Or the classics, anyway. I like to read those in hardcover.” She shifted her bag for effect, letting him know there was timeless literature inside. “Otherwise, I use an ereader.” She hesitated before she asked, “Did you think I was a fan, trying to talk to you because of your family?”
He nodded. “That happens to me a lot. And it’s gotten worse since Dad’s book came out. But mostly it’s Matt who’s been bearing the brunt of it. He’s our half brother in Texas. He was Dad’s secret kid when we were growing up.”
She’d read about how horribly Kirby had treated Matt. Kirby hadn’t been a particularly good parent to Brandon or Tommy, either. He’d been drunk or stoned for most of their lives. Supposedly he was clean and sober now. But according to the book, even when Kirby was at his worst, Brandon had a favorable relationship with him—unlike his brothers, who’d butted heads with their dad. These days they were working on being one big happy family. She couldn’t imagine what that was like. Mama had lost her zest for living long before she’d died.
“Who are you?” Brandon asked.
Mary started. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Your name, what you do for a living.”
“Oh, right.” She needed to stop being so jumpy around him. “I’m Mary McKenzie.” She didn’t have to worry about her last name ringing a bell with him. It was different from her mother’s. “I work at Sugar Sal’s. It’s a specialty bakery.”
“I’ve heard of that place, but I’ve never been there. I do have a sweet tooth, though. It’s one of my vices.”
She didn’t want to think about what his other vices might be. “I’ve only worked there for three months. I worked at a bakery in Oklahoma City, too.”
“Is that where you’re from?”
“Yes.” She wasn’t going to trip herself up by pretending to be from somewhere else. Lots of people were from Oklahoma City, not just the woman he and his father had trashed. “I’m just settling into Nashville.”
He smiled his perfect smile. “Well, welcome to Music City. What brought you here?”
If he only knew, she thought. But she had a ready-made answer. She and Alice had concocted a story ahead of time. “My sister met a guy online. He’s from Tennessee, and they started a long-distance relationship. She moved here to be near him, but it didn’t work out. Alice is only nineteen, and she’s already had a slew of boyfriends.” That part was true. Alice thrived on male attention.
“That explains why your sister came here, but what about you?”
“I needed a change of scenery.” She wished he wasn’t staring so intently at her. His eyes were unnerving. The dog was staring at her, too. To keep her words flowing, she prattled on. “I’m a pastry assistant, but I’ve been taking continuing education courses to become a certified pastry chef. I’m almost done, so now I’m trying to help Alice figure out what she should do.”
“Where do her interests lie?”
“She hasn’t made up her mind, but she’s leaning toward something in fashion. Design, maybe. She’ll be starting community college in the fall. She can be a bit flighty, so I hope she sticks with it.” Mary wasn’t going to lie about her sister’s personality. If Brandon ever met her, he would see it for himself. “Sometimes I worry about how much time she spends online and her penchant for partying. I convinced her to delete her accounts when we moved here. I wanted her to have a clean slate, but that didn’t last very long. She opened new ones and started partying with new people here.” In actuality, Alice had deleted her old pages to erase her former presence online and make her and Mary’s past less traceable. But Alice’s social life was still wilder than it should be.
Brandon nodded as if he understood. Then he said, “I know what it’s like to worry about a sibling. Tommy used to be flighty, too. Mostly it was his daredevil ways that scared me.”
“It’s tough to say what will happen with Alice. Maybe she’ll become a successful designer someday. She’s actually pretty talented in that regard. She just needs to learn to apply herself.”
“I’m familiar with the fashion industry. My mother used to be a model. She runs a beauty products empire now. Her name is Melinda Miller.”
“She’s your mom?” Mary feigned ignorance, pretending not to know who Kirby’s ex-wife was. “I’ve seen her infomercials on TV. Gosh, you really are from a famous family.” She made a joke. “Not quite the Kennedys, but...”
He laughed at her silly attempt at humor.
A second later, they both went silent. In the next awkward moment, she searched for something to say.
She finally murmured, “I hope it doesn’t seem weird that I told you so much about my sister, about how troubled she is and her boyfriends and whatnot. I’m not usually so open with strangers.”
“Me, neither. We’ve certainly covered a lot of ground.” He sent her a teasing wink. “But I think I’d rather hear about your boyfriends.”
Mary’s cheeks turned hot. He was flirting, and she was standing there like an imbecile. Should she tell him that she was single? Well, of course she should. The whole point was to get together with him if she could.
She went for the truth, letting it sputter off her tongue. “My love life isn’t very exciting. I’m twenty-five, and as far as actual boyfriends go, there’s only been one significant relationship. And even he didn’t matter as much as he should have.”
Brandon moved closer to her. “You’re still young. You’ve got plenty of time to meet someone who matters. Now, me? I’ll be thirty-seven this year.”
“I’ll bet you’ve had lots of girlfriends.” She already knew that he did. His online profiles were filled with beautiful women.
He shrugged. “I’ve had my fair share, but not like Tommy. Women used to throw themselves at him. He’s married now, with a baby on the way. It’s the happiest he’s ever been.”
“That’s good.” She’d read about Tommy and his wife, Sophie, in the book. Matt’s relationship with his fiancée, Libby, was showcased, too. Libby was also the author of the book, the biographer Kirby had hired to tell his story. “I guess entertainment lawyers don’t have groupies, then?”
“No, I can’t say that we do.” He moved closer still. “But it’s an intriguing idea.”
Mary’s throat went tight. With the “intrigued” way he was looking at her, you’d think he was picturing her as his sweet little groupie. She could actually feel the air growing thick between them. And now her mixed-up mind was running rampant, and she was imagining what kind of lover he would be.
A powerful one, she thought, who would make her sigh and melt and moan—right at his feet.
Panic set in. “I should let you go.” She was overwhelmed by the hunger, the heat, the dizzying urge to share his bed. “You came here to walk Cline, and I’m taking up all of your time.” Before she blew it completely, she added, “Maybe I’ll run into you next Sunday.” She was supposed to be setting a honey trap, not darting off like a scared rabbit.
“Sure. I’d like that.” He spoke softly, fluidly, as smooth as the Tennessee whiskey he probably drank. “I’d like it very much.”
“Me, too.” Her heart pounded unmercifully inside her chest. She’d just caught a whiff of his summer-fresh cologne. Or maybe it was the scent of a finely milled soap lingering on his skin.
“I’ll be here,