The Goodbye Bride (19 page)

Eden dug her phone out of her purse. “I didn't really give it a thorough read, but the gist is that you're a runaway bride with amnesia and that you went missing—you didn't tell me you were Audrey Lovett's great-niece.”

“It didn't seem important,” Lucy said. “I can't believe it's in the national news.”

“It's only one website,” Eden said. “It probably didn't even make the actual paper.”

“I surely hope not.” Lucy rubbed her temple. She didn't like the idea of her private life displayed for all the world to see, especially when she was feeling so lost.

Eden had pulled up the article on her phone, and she held it out to Lucy. It was short and spelled out the basic facts.

“Leastwise they don't know where to find me.” Lucy handed the phone back when she finished the article.

“I'm sure it's just a fluke.”

Throughout church Lucy worked to stay focused on the message. It was about perfect love casting out fear. That scripture had always been a mystery to her. But she couldn't focus on what Pastor Daniels was saying. All she could think about was the article. She couldn't imagine why she'd be news to anyone.

After church she followed Eden down the aisle, pausing whenever her friend stopped to introduce her to someone. The townsfolk seemed to be softening toward her—or maybe they felt guilted into being friendly simply because they were in church.

“Nick's over by the drinking fountain.” Eden tugged her along. “I'll introduce you.”

Lucy wasn't really in the mood to meet a potential date, but she had to get Zac out of her head somehow.

She scanned the foyer as they neared, her eyes settling on a handsome man leaning against the wall. He had short brown hair, a clean-shaven face, and he wore a button-down with khakis, a black belt circling his trim waist. She recognized him from when she'd lived here before.

“Look, Eden, I'm not sure about—”

“Hey, Nick,” Eden said as they approached.

He straightened, his eyes smiling before his mouth. “Eden, how you doing?” His gaze moved to Lucy.

“This is Lucy Lovett. You might remember her from when she lived here before.”

He held out his hand. “I do. Nice to see you again, Lucy.”

“You too.” His handshake was firm, his smile kind. He wasn't much taller than she was, but then, she did have on three-inch heels.

“I hear you've been in Portland.”

She gave a wry grin. “So I hear.”

He chuckled. “Good that you have a sense of humor about the whole thing.”

Eden touched her arm. “I have to go grab Micah from class. I'll call you later.”

Don't leave me
, Lucy said with her eyes, but Eden either didn't read the plea or chose to ignore it. With a final wave she shuffled down the hall toward the classrooms.

Lucy turned back to Nick, cognizant of the awkward tension weaving through the space around them. “So . . .”

He smiled, his brown eyes twinkling. “That wasn't obvious at all.”

“Not one iota.”

“I like the way she thinks though.”

“Listen, Nick—” Lucy shifted, and as she did so, her purse slipped from her shoulder. It thumped to the ground and fell to the side, spilling its contents. “Whoopsie.” She stooped down.

“I've seen you around the Roadhouse,” Nick said after he'd helped her gather the things. “You working for Zac now?”

She couldn't blame him for getting the lay of the land. No doubt there were all sorts of rumors flying about. “Um, I was just filling in for one of his servers. I'm working at the visitor center now, and I'm getting my own apartment right soon so I won't be staying at the Roadhouse anymore. Zac and I aren't, um, involved anymore . . .?
In case you were speculating. Although to be completely honest, I'm kind of still hung up on him, though I guess I burnt that bridge, but even so, I'm really not looking for a relationship.” She pinched her bottom lip as heat suffused her face. “I reckon I'll stop talking now.”

He gave a warm laugh. “I like you, Lucy. We should hang out sometime. As friends.”

Lucy sagged with relief. “I'd like that.”

They made plans for the following Saturday. He had a nice smile and warm brown eyes. If there was anything she needed in her life, it was more friends.

Lucy pointed a family of five to the brochure rack, pulling a few activities she thought might be of interest to them. They were from Georgia, and their accents reminded her of home. She talked to the woman for twenty minutes while her husband studied the trail map of Acadia National Park.

Once they were off, Lucy straightened up the brochures. The phone rang, and she swept across the room, feeling happy and productive. She loved interacting with people and helping them use their time wisely while they visited the area.

“Summer Harbor Visitor and Natural History Center, how can I assist you?”

“May I speak with Lucy Lovett, please?”

“This is she.”

“Hi, I'm Frank Whisman from the
US Enquirer
. I wondered if you might have a few minutes to answer some questions.”

Lucy's stomach sank to her toes. “What? No, I don't think so.”

“Is it true that you can't remember being engaged to Brad Martin?”

“I don't—no comment.” She hung up the phone, her hand trembling. What was he from? The
US Enquirer
? He must've seen the
USA Today
article yesterday. But how had he known where to find her?

Lucy jumped as the screen door squawked open, but it was only a couple of hikers wanting information on the Blackwoods Campground. After going over the wall map with her, they left with a handful of brochures.

She took a short break, grabbing a sandwich at Frumpy Joe's. The afternoon flew by as she took phone calls and helped customers. The game warden stopped in and introduced himself, and by five o'clock Lucy's stomach was growling.

She was beginning to turn off lights when the screen door opened. She turned with a ready smile, but the men slipping through the door didn't look one bit like tourists. The first fellow was somewhere in his twenties. He wore a suit and a Colgate smile as he approached. An older man followed. Lucy's heart plummeted when she spotted the camera perched on his shoulder.

“Lucy Lovett?” the man with the teeth asked. “I'm Ethan Everson with
Celebrity Tonight
.”

Lucy's feet froze to the floor. “I'm afraid you'll have to leave.”

“I just have a few questions. How do you feel about—?”

“I'm not answering any questions.” She walked to the door, but they didn't follow. The camera was pointed her way, the light indicating he was filming. “Y'all need to get out now, you hear?”

“Just a few moments of your time—”

“Get going.” She pushed open the screen.

He gave a sympathetic smile. “This is a public building, Miss Lovett.”

“And it's closing time. Read the posted hours on your way out.”

“Is it true you don't remember running from your wedding?”

“If you don't leave, I'm calling the sheriff.”

“Do you remember your relationship with Brad Martin? What brought you to Summer Harbor?”

She walked toward the phone and snatched up the extension.

The reporter held up his hands. “All right, all right. If you change your mind, I only need a few minutes of your time.” He held out a business card.

Lucy pressed her lips together, glowering, the phone in her hand.

He gave a tight smile and set his card on her desk.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the men left. She closed the door behind them, watching through the small window. She'd expected them to get in their vehicle and go, but they stopped at the end of the wooden walkway and made themselves at home.

Great. Terrific. There was no back door. She'd have to pass them on her way out, and she'd walked to work this morning. They'd follow her all the way back to Zac's.

Or she could wait them out. Do a bit of paperwork and catch up on the new inventory Miss Trudy asked her to process, some gift shop items. It was almost suppertime. Surely they wouldn't tarry long.

Lucy got busy with the new T-shirts and trinkets, keeping occupied until the sun set low on the horizon. She peeked out the front window and what she saw made her heart seize in her chest. More people, seven or eight of them, more cameras and equipment.

No
.

Stupid paparazzi. What right did they have to trap her here?

She had a mind to call Sheriff Colton. But before she touched the phone, reality took hold. They were on public property. They weren't doing anything illegal.

She should've set off when it was just the two men. Now she'd
have to get past a whole gaggle of reporters. Maybe she should just answer their questions and be done with it. They'd go away and tell their story, and it would be over.

But would it really? Or would it only stir more interest? It was hard enough to work out her own feelings on her memory loss without a bunch of strangers sticking their noses into it. She couldn't deal with this right now. She just wanted to be back at the Roadhouse in her little room.

She picked up the phone and dialed.

Zac peeled from the lot and took a right out of the parking lot, clenching his teeth. Beside him Lucy clamped onto the armrest. The parasites had followed them to the parking lot, and a quick check in his rearview mirror showed some of them getting into their cars.

He turned left onto Tipsy Avenue and made a hard right into the alley behind the stores.

“Buckle up,” he said.

Lucy complied, then turned in her seat. “I don't see them.”

“We'll go around the block just to be sure.”

“Why are they doing this?”

“How long were they there?”

“An hour or so? There was only one crew at first. They came into the center and started firing questions at me. It was all I could do to get them to leave.”

Anger flushed Zac's face with heat, and he held back a growl. Scumbags. He had half a mind to go back there and slug a few of those pretty boys.

He made a left onto Jackson Street, checking his rearview mirror. “I think we lost them.”

He made another left on Bayberry, heading back toward the Roadhouse. “It's only a matter of time before they find where you're staying though.”

“Then they'll be hanging out in front of your restaurant. Zac . . . I'm so sorry. You've done nothing but come to my rescue.” She turned toward the passenger window. “And I've been nothing but trouble.”

He wasn't sure he was supposed to hear her whispered words. His chest tightened. Maybe he'd stepped up for Lucy, but he hadn't exactly been the welcome wagon.

“I'm not worried about the restaurant. I'll contact Sheriff Colton, and he'll make sure they mind their manners.” He turned into the Roadhouse parking lot to find a smattering of the usual cars and trucks.

He pulled into his spot and shut off the engine. “But in the meantime it's not going to be much fun for you.”

Chapter 23

L
ucy waved Eden over to the corner booth at the Roadhouse. The place was moderately busy, a baseball game on the overhead TVs and a game of pool under way in the back room. The savory smells of clam chowder and buffalo wings lingered in the air. Zac was stuck in the kitchen after one of his cooks failed to show.

Her friend gave a sympathetic smile as she slid into the booth. “How long are those guys going to be out there?”

It had been three days since the reporters had turned up in town, but they'd kept their distance since Sheriff Colton stopped by.

“They don't seem in a big hurry to leave. Maybe I should just go on out there and make a statement. Maybe if they got what they wanted they'd leave me be.”

“Don't say a word to those vultures. They'll just twist everything you say, and next thing you know you'll be pregnant with your alien lover's child.”

Megan stopped by their table and took their orders.

“I can't even go jogging without being harassed,” Lucy continued after Megan left. “I can't run to the post office or get things
for my new apartment. I'm trapped. I'll bet I'm really all the gossip now.”

“I'm not going to lie; that's pretty much true. On the bright side, people are more sympathetic toward you. I overheard one of Zac's staff giving them what-for outside. He told them to get lost and—this is a quote—‘stop hassling one of our own.' ”

Lucy blinked. “Is that so?”

“And when Miss Trudy and I passed them yesterday in front of the visitor center, she gave them an earful. I practically had to drag her away.”

The thought warmed her. Maybe everyone here didn't hate her after all. “I hope they get going soon. Poor Zac's been running me to work and back every day, and they're blocking his establishment. This isn't fair to him.”