under a beautiful scarf that complemented her suit to perfection.
“Girls, this is my sister-in-law, Ameera.” Ameera’s brown eyes widened and Dani patted her hand. “When
Gemma smiled at the woman when they were introduced and saw she was concerned for her husband. “Don’t worry. The guys sneaked him out. I’m sure they’re doing something manly,” Gemma said, trying to comfort her.
“Oh good,” Ameera said with relief. “He has not left my side in the month we have been in the United States. Don’t eat this, don’t drink that—it’s not good for the baby.”
“You’re pregnant?” they all asked at once.
“No, that is the problem. We are undergoing treatments to try to get pregnant.” Ameera then looked nervously to Dani’s rounded belly.
“I certainly hope that it works. You find out in a couple weeks if the first treatment works, right?” Dani asked.
“Yes. But, did you say you hope it works?”
“Of course I want it to work. I want to raise any children I have in Keeneston. I give His Highness enough problems just as a princess. Can you imagine me having to be the mother of the future king if we have a boy? It would be horrible.”
Ameera smiled. “Yes, it would be very trying for His Highness. See, I've been raised since birth to be a queen and to raise the future king. I feel like such a failure that I cannot do the job I was raised to perform.”
“Oh, sweetie. I understand. You know it wasn’t easy for Mo and me either, but we’re both here for you.”
“And so are we. You’re always welcome to Keeneston if you all need a place to relax,” Paige offered.
“Thank you, that is so kind. We have really enjoyed our time here and I hope we have time to meet again before we all leave to go to Rahmi. Look, here come the men.”
Gemma looked toward the entrance of the tent and saw the Davies brothers along with Mo, his brother, Will, and Cole all walking into the tent. They were all smiling and fixing their ties. If she were a betting woman, she would say they had a couple of drinks and tossed a football around behind the tent.
A mousy woman stopped Cy and when he looked up, he signaled Gemma to come join them. She made her excuses and headed his way.
“Sweetheart, this is Marianne. She owns the
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Miss Perry. Cy was just telling me you worked for
“Thank you. I’m surprised it’s even sold out here.”
“There’s not a whole lot of news to report in a town this size, but we do have gossip. The magazine and articles really guide me on how to run the
Gemma beamed at the compliment. She’d been yelled at, cursed at, spit at, and threatened for stories she’d run before. She’d never been praised. She was just about to ask Marianne if she wanted the scoop of her life—the memory card with Ginger and Tatum was back in her room—when she felt her cell phone vibrate. She never had a chance to turn it in. In fact, she had all the stories deemed too “feel good” about Hollywood celebrities on her computer that her boss refused to run.
“I’d love to talk more, but I have a call I need to take,” she said, giving Cy a meaningful look. She answered her phone and hurried out of the tent as Cy gave his excuses to Marianne. He was beside her before she even had a chance to say hello.
“Joe?” Gemma asked as she stopped under the wide branches of a maple tree.
“Hey, Gem. I feel real stupid, you know. As soon as Nick said her name it hit me. Sarah Elizabeth Flannery.”
“The socialite?”
“The very one. Not only that, but the boss man had me put her on tonight’s VIP list. Should I add your name, too?” he asked with a smile to his voice.
“Looks like I’ll be seeing you soon. Thanks a lot, Joe, I owe you.”
“Can you get me an audition with Doug Mac for his next action movie?” Joe teased.
“Ha, I’ll see what I can do. See you tonight.” Gemma hung up the phone and turned to see half the town behind her.
“Just tell us all. John probably has your phone tapped, dear,” Miss Lily said matter-of-factly.
Gemma looked past the Rose sisters to where Dani and Mo stood with the rest of the Davies family. “I have a little favor to ask,” Gemma said sweetly. “We need to get to L.A. right now.”
“I will have the plane ready in thirty minutes.” Mo sent a quick message on his phone and then gave her a little nod. “Now tell us why.”
“All the clues point to this one woman, Sarah Elizabeth Flannery. I don’t know what a twenty-one-year-old socialite has to do with this mess.”
“Isn’t she the one with that sex tape out right now? She’s supposedly horribly upset that someone got their hands on it. But as you pointed out in your exclusives section last month, there’s a rumor she’s the one who leaked it,” a tiny woman with her hair permed within an inch of its life said from the crowd. “Oh, and it’s nice to meet you. I’m Edna.”
“Hi, Edna. How did you know that was me? I write under a pen name with a fake picture.” Edna just smiled innocently and Gemma was starting to think it was
“But who is she?” Miss Lily asked.
“All I know is her mother was some Las Vegas showgirl who got pregnant and nine months later delivered a baby girl with a huge trust fund. She used the money to get a spot on some soap opera. Mama wasted no time getting Sarah in the spotlight, either. She was modeling by the time she was thirteen, dating the hottest teenage actors soon after, and even tried her hand at becoming a rock star. All failed and then suddenly this sex tape comes out with one of Hollywood’s most talked about up-and-coming actors. And the sex tape is superior quality. Very fishy,” Gemma told the group.
“What could she have to do with this criminal y’all are after?” Marcy asked from where she stood next to Jake and some of the local farmers.
“I don’t know. Do you have any ideas?” Gemma asked Cy.
“No, but I do have an idea how to find out.” Cy grinned as if he were the cat that swallowed the canary.
Cy almost laughed at Gemma’s large eyes. They opened wide when they entered the ornate lobby of the luxurious hotel he booked for their stay. They grew even more at the sight of the suite they were sharing. A huge king-sized bed draped in rich material adorned a separate bedroom. A mahogany table lined with matching chairs offset the plush living room space.
“We could've just stayed at a friend’s house or at your apartment. This must've cost a fortune.”
“It did, but I heard that Sarah not only stays at this hotel occasionally for the privacy, but it sets up my cover story perfectly.”
“What cover story?” Gemma asked as she looked out the window to the lush landscape below.
“That I’m a producer. I’m looking for the next big show about an up-and-coming celebrity and her challenge to make it big,” Cy said proudly. It was a darn good idea. He knew women in Hollywood, and this was the perfect way to get her talking.
“Right. You were a stuntman, not a producer. There’s no way she’ll believe you. We need to come up with something else.” Gemma turned and saw him on his phone. “What are you doing?”
“I just sent a tweet out that I’m looking to cast a reality show and am excited about this next phase of my life. Then I sent a couple texts to some people I know that I’m back in town and will be at a certain club tonight.”
“And you think that’s going to work?”
