The audience coos. Although I distinctly hear a couple of boos in there, too.
“I believe you.” I give his hand a squeeze. “Candace, I think maybe we should move on.”
“I agree,” she says it short and curt as she glares right at me. “Now let’s get this straight. You’ve bounced between both of these men back and forth like a ping-pong ball, haven’t you? You secretly married Everett just before Christmas while you were still dating Noah.”
“That was just a technicality to help Everett with his trust fund, but it turns out, it wasn’t even really needed. Anyway, we’re long past that.” I hope.
“So you’re saying Judge Baxter manipulated you into marrying him?”
“No!”
Noah’s chest vibrates with a silent laugh. “It’s true.”
“It’s not true,” Everett growls. “I didn’t go in with that intention. I was only made aware of certain details moments before the ceremony.”
Noah shrugs. “Sounds as if you knew. Face it, Everett, you lured Lottie there that day as a means to marry her because that’s what you wanted. It’s what you’ve wanted from the beginning. You couldn’t stand that she was with me or to see how happy we were. You were still ticked about me stealing Cormack from you all those years ago. You were going to pull out all the stops to make sure I wasn’t going to have Lottie.”
Everett bares his fangs. “That’s a load of crap and you know it.”
“This is a family show.” Candace chortles as the war of words between them grows progressively salty.
Noah shoots Everett a dark look. “You wish you could have what Lottie and I do. The truth is, you said you’d dissolve the marriage once the terms to the trust were met—and long after you learned they were never needed, you’re still married to her. Your marriage is nothing but a weak attempt at keeping her by your side. You’re afraid if you do divorce her that she’ll come right back to me—where she belongs.”
“Do you hear that, Lemon?” Everett says while shooting daggers at Noah with a heated stare. “He wants to tell you where you belong.” He leans past me. “Newsflash, Noah, Lemon doesn’t need you telling her where she belongs. Maybe that’s why she’s with me to begin with? I let her form her own opinions.”
“Don’t mess with me, Baxter,” Noah seethes. “I will drill a hole in your skull with my fist, and I won’t give it a second thought.”
“That’s because you’re impulsive and make one goofy move after another without giving it a second thought,” Everett shoots back. “If you had been honest about your marital status when you were first dating Lemon, then maybe we wouldn’t be on this couch to begin with. But you can’t stop screwing things up, can you, Noah?”
“I’m going to screw up your face.”
Both men jump to their feet and go on the attack. Before I know it, they’ve staggered about six feet in front of me and are throwing punch after punch at one another.
“Goodness!” Candace laughs with glee. “And we didn’t even get to the juicy bits yet. Lottie, you were born as the product of an affair by a then junior in high school, Carlotta Sawyer, and the new mayor-elect of Honey Hollow, Harry Nash. But then, I hear, Carlotta hid you away like a dirty secret before abandoning you. Carlotta had a few dirty secrets that I’m not so sure even you are up to speed on. Did you know—”
The next thing I do know is that Carlotta is up on stage, upturning that coffee table, just like she said she would, before throwing a punch right over Candace Cottonwood’s chin just as someone shouts cut.
About three different beefy men rush the stage and break up the fights between Noah and Everett, and Candace and Carlotta.
“Come on, little lady,” the beefy man holding Carlotta’s wrists behind her back shouts. “You just lost your ticket to the show.”
“Oh, let her stay!” Candace calls out from the sea of makeup artists who have flocked around her to powder her face and comb her hair. “I want her to hear all the wonderful things I have to share about her.”
“You can’t share anything about me!” Carlotta riots as the beefy man continues to hold her back. “You don’t have my permission!”
“I don’t need your permission, Unibrow,” Candace shouts back.
“I hate you!” Carlotta screams. “So help me, if you say a single word about me, I’ll kill you! I’ll take one of those trophies you’re so proud of and clobber you over the head with it.” She squirms her way out of the beefy man’s arms and takes off for the audience again.
“I need a break.” Candace tosses up her hands and heads backstage.
I rise from my seat, and to my horror both Noah and Everett have done a disappearing act.
“Great,” I mutter as the crew floats around me as if I wasn’t even visible. I squint out at the crowd, but the lights are so bright everyone looks like a murky shadow.
My feet start to move, taking me backstage, and right in front of me about thirty feet out, I catch a glimpse of my reflection—only I’m not wearing the same clothes. In fact, I’m not making the same face. Her mouth is open and her eyes are bulging. The woman holds up a hand as if to stop me before quickly bolting into a dark alcove.
“Wait!” I call out. “Security?” I shout as my adrenaline picks up.
I need to find help. That’s the woman that’s been stalking me for the last few months. I need to find Everett and Noah.
I run left and right like a chicken with its head cut off, and speaking of disembodied fowl, I spot that feathered specter as he flaps his dark wings and caws my way.
“Wait!” I call out after him as he takes off running. “Get
