Doreen watched the other woman strut through the door, much as she’d entered the room minutes before. Ramona was the second person to tell her Leonard wasn’t right for her. But since Alonzo had an agenda, could she trust his judgment?
Audra rocked to a stop in front of Books & Bakery. She blinked twice. When her vision didn’t clear, she had to accept that her eyes weren’t playing a trick on her. Wendell Weber had come to Trinity Falls.
Shit.
His blindingly white shorts outfit was more suited to the Hamptons than Trinity Falls, Ohio. He was climbing out of his rental car and hadn’t seen her yet. Audra had two choices: pretend she hadn’t seen him and continue to her car, or confront him.
She ground her teeth and marched across the Trinity Falls Town Center parking lot. “What are you doing here?”
Wendell blinked away his surprise. His reaction confirmed that he hadn’t expected to find her at the center. It was just her bad luck he had. “Is that any way to greet an old friend? We haven’t seen each other in months.”
He’d brought everything she disliked about Los Angeles with him: the stench of smog, the feeling of being crowded, the bitter taste of deception.
Audra unclenched her teeth before they cracked. “How did you find me?”
“Your mother told me where you were.” His smile grew even wider. “Running into you in this crowded parking lot means we were meant to find each other.”
Audra was going to be sick.
She’d noticed additional people arriving for the town’s sesquicentennial celebration. The pedestrian traffic at the town center had increased. Books & Bakery was even more crowded, especially during lunch.
Audra’s grip tightened on her Books & Bakery pastry bag. “There are laws against stalking. You’ve wasted your time coming here.”
“Your mother likes me.” Wendell cocked his head. “You didn’t tell her about Tammy, did you?”
Audra glared in silence. No, she hadn’t been able to tell her mother about Wendell’s pregnant fiancée and the total depth of his deception. She’d been too ashamed. Then why had she been able to confide in Jack?
“Go back to Los Angeles, Wendell.” She crossed the parking lot to her rental car.
Wendell followed her. “Where are you going?”
“Back to my cabin.”
“Good. I’ll join you.”
Audra spun to face him. She stepped back when she realized how close he’d been. “No, you won’t. Go back to Los Angeles. I don’t want you at the cabins. I don’t want you in Trinity Falls.”
“I’ve been to your cabins.”
That brought Audra up short. “You have?”
“Yes. I met the property owner. Is something going on between you?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Maybe it is.”
She saw the spite in his small brown eyes. Audra grew cold, then burned with anger. “You and I have nothing to discuss. Lose my number. Lose every memory you have of ever knowing me. I’m serious, Wendell. I never want to see you again.”
It was a battle of wills as they stared each other down. Audra wasn’t giving in. She’d stand in this parking lot, glaring at Wendell until the next sesquicentennial if that’s what it took to get him out of her life.
Wendell blinked first. “Fine. If you want me to go away, I will. On one condition.”
Of course he had a condition. “What?”
“Convince Electra Day to let me produce her next album.”
Audra’s jaw dropped. “What? No way.” She dug her car keys from her purse.