Stargazing (The Walker Family Book 2) (2 page)

When she turned, the beauty of her hit Kent right in the chest. He’d never seen such a beautiful specimen.

She was scanning the room looking for an open seat. Wasn’t it his very lucky day? The only free chair was at his table.

He stood, bravely—as bravely as any man who locked himself in his house and wrote about aliens could possibly be.

Quickly he wiped the crumbs from the front of his shirt and put on a grand smile, just as the redhead waved at a man across the room and headed toward him.

Kent slithered down into his chair and ducked behind his computer screen. He was used to that. Why should today be any different?

He took a Harry Potter movie pen from his Star Wars Celebration bag and jotted a note on the napkin on the table.

Redhead, glorious redhead in a yellow flowered sundress.

She’d live on forever, he decided, on the pages of his books as the princess he’d needed who lived in the far away galaxy of Vela Centauri.

Chapter Two

Bethany hugged her brother Jake and sat down at the table he’d claimed by the window. The coffee shop was unusually crowded today. Thank goodness he’d gotten there early.

“You look stunning today,” he complimented.

“Thanks. I had an audition.”

“Really? A movie? Here in Georgia?”

She laughed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “No. Grocery store commercial.”

He made an “O” with his mouth then sipped his coffee. “How did it go?”

Bethany shrugged. “Me, youthful and fit. The other twenty women, mid-forties with mommy bellies. Who would you trust as a spokesperson for a grocery store?”

“You didn’t get it?”

“No. I should stick to horror movies,” she tried to make light of it, but it nearly hurt to say it. “I’ll just keep serving at Susan’s catering events.”

“Not a bad gig.”

“No. It’s been a good thing. I met a gal who owns a yoga studio too. I’m going to take a few classes and then she said when she sees my form, if it’s good, maybe I can teach.”

“Sounds like you’re making your life here now.”

“I think I am. I even have plans to have lunch with dad next week,” she said, and swallowed hard.

His lips tightened. “Well, that’s positive. He’s hardly talked to me since Grandpa’s funeral.” Jake shrugged. “I take that back. He did need me to look at his car the other day. He needed a freaking oil change. That was all.”

“Quite a contrast to Uncle Everett.”

“I used to wish I was his son instead.”

Hadn’t Bethany even mentioned that she wished she’d been from the other side of the family?

“They have a unique bond,” she said spinning the cardboard sleeve around the coffee cup.

“It’s up to us to create that,” Jake added. “He didn’t do that for us. He kept you from us.”

“Now I know why.”

“But we didn’t know. We had no idea. We just knew our moms hated your mom and they don’t think highly of Dad either,” he said referring to his mother and his sisters’ mother.

“None of this is our fault.”

“It’s not. That’s why we have to step up now and become a family. The five of us.”

This was what she’d wanted—what she’d dreamed of her entire life. It was why she’d come to Georgia.

Bethany hit the button on her iPhone and checked the time. “I have to get over to Pearl’s. Susan is wedding dress shopping.”

Jake grinned. “I can’t say I ever thought Eric would get married.”

“They’re good together,” she said feeling the slightest pang of jealousy ripple through her. She’d love to find what Eric and Susan had found. But, considering she attracted psychopaths, the last thing she even needed to think about was men. Maybe she’d bring that up with the counselor tomorrow. Perhaps there was a standard time frame in which a victim was supposed to wait before they felt secure in dating—or even mingling with the opposite sex. Even the thought of it brought back the feeling of Douglas Brant’s hand on her throat and the look of pure terror in his eyes when he shot Eric and set fire to the house.

“Are you okay?” Jake asked resting his hand on her arm. “You’re as white as a ghost.”

“I’m fine,” she sucked in a breath. “I’m just fine. Sorry. I’d better be going before Pearl and Susan start looking for me.”

He nodded, but she’d caused him alarm.

They both stood and she picked up her drink. “Thanks for the chat.”

“I’m glad to have you here, Bethany. I really am. And I’m glad you’re getting to know the girls,” he offered, referring to their sisters. “I live in the same town and our mothers have always been friends, but to say we are family…”

“We will be,” she assured him. “We will be.”

Kent watched the redhead stand up and hug the man goodbye. There was nothing romantic in the hug.

He watched as she maneuvered through the tables and headed toward the door.

“Hey, Bethany,” the man called after her and she turned. “Let me know how lunch with Dad goes.”

Bethany!
Could her beauty be any more enhanced than with such a gorgeous name?

“I’ll do that,” she said in a voice equally as heavenly. As she turned back toward the exit she caught Kent’s eye.

He sat paralyzed behind his computer screen. Damn it, you idiot, smile—he tried to convince himself. Instead, Bethany smiled at him and kept walking.

He was blowing this!

The man was her brother. He’d nearly said that out loud when he mentioned their dad. There was no ring on her finger and she’d smiled at him.

As she walked out the door, Kent closed the computer and quickly tucked it into his bag. Trying to make his exit, he gathered all his trash and juggled it into his arms. Coffee splashed onto his shirt, but he didn’t care. He dumped the trash into the can by the door and followed her to the parking lot, where she climbed into her car and drove away.

He let out a defeated breath. She was gone.

What did he really expect? Women didn’t see him in coffee shops and drool all over him. Yes, he got lucky once in awhile and someone would recognize him, but they didn’t vie to spend time with the geekiest man in a room.

He raked his hands through the mop of hair on his head. Before tomorrow’s book club meeting, he should really get a haircut. After all, no one wanted to read the books by some slob.

He looked down at his shirt. First, he’d have to go to the motel and change his clothes. Hopefully he could find a shirt that was clean enough to wear. With more thought, maybe he’d better go to the Laundromat and wash his clothes. Living out of a suitcase didn’t really offer him the luxury of looking his best.

Kent walked toward his beat up mini-van, which he’d bought from his sister for near to nothing. He tossed his bag into the passenger seat and looked around.

Macon, Georgia. It seemed like a nice enough place. The people had been pleasant. It was already getting warm, in early spring, and that made him nervous—what was summer like? But everywhere he visited could be a perspective home to him. He’d been homeless—so to speak—since he decided to live on the road and write his books. He’d thought it was going to be the adventure of a lifetime, but he could say, without hesitation, it had lost its charm.

However, as long as the money was coming in and they were still discussing the movie rights, he was going to live this dream. But again, Macon had a homey feel.

Maybe it was just the redhead—the glorious redhead.

~*~

Bethany parked across the street from her sister’s bridal shop. She was there to support Susan, but there were a million other places she’d rather be than in a bridal store.

She’d never much cared for the institution of marriage. After all, her parents had never married each other. Her father had been married plenty and it hadn’t seemed to work out.

In all honesty, she knew she wasn’t even giving it a chance—marriage that was. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Susan and Eric were absolutely perfect for each other and their marriage would last forever.

But never having had a married mother, Bethany wondered if she’d missed out on that want as a young girl. Her friends in elementary school would talk about playing dress up and they were brides. She’d attended more than one third grade, playground wedding. The bride, though, was never her.

Bethany looked both ways as she crossed the street. Before she opened the door to the quaint shop, she pushed back her shoulders and let out a long slow breath. This wasn’t about her, it was about Susan. It was another moment to bond with her sister Pearl. An attitude adjustment was in order.

Once she felt as though she were in control of her feelings, she pushed open the door to the most girlie store she’d ever entered,
Pearl’s Bridal Boutique.

Bethany had no more opened the door and she saw her sister hurrying toward her. Her blonde curls were bouncing as she enveloped her in a hug.

Pearl held her at arm’s length and looked her over. “You look beautiful today.”

“I had an audition.”

“I heard! How did it go?”

“I didn’t get it.”

Pearl’s blue eyes turned sad. “I’m sorry.”

Her long earrings shook with the shaking of her head and the bracelets on her arm clicked as she rubbed her hands over Bethany’s arms.

“It’s okay. Everything happens in its own time, right?”

Pearl smiled. “Right. And this time is carved out for Susan. I have a whole rack of dresses for her to try. Lydia is here too. I have a bottle of champagne and some delightful chocolate dipped strawberries. I’m just going to turn the sign around to closed and we can get started.”

“You’re closing the store for this?”

There was a glow to her sister, she decided when she looked at her.

“I’m so giddy to be with family I don’t want anyone to ruin this. Besides, who ever thought Eric would get married and to a catch like Susan?” She grinned from ear to ear. “Audrey might stop by later,” she said softly. “She’s a little nervous to be around you, but I think she’ll warm up just fine.”

That thought twisted in Bethany’s gut. She didn’t want people to be uncomfortable around her—especially her family.

Pearl turned the sign and locked the door. Then she took Bethany’s arm and led her to the back of the store where there was a bigger room full of mirrors, comfortable chairs, and more lace than Bethany had ever seen in her life.

Lydia stood the moment they walked into the room and moved in to hug Bethany.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” she said. Her dark eyes were wide with wonder as she pulled Bethany to sit next to her on the sofa in the room.

“I’ll get the champagne. I have Susan trying on the first dress.”

Pearl disappeared and Bethany took in the room.

“Have you ever seen so many dresses?”

“Only on the set of
Bachelorette Massacre
,” Bethany commented with a snarl.

“You were in that movie?”

“It was my first. I was the second bridesmaid to get an ax to the head.”

Lydia cringed and held her hand to her chest. “That’s disgusting.”

Bethany shrugged a shoulder. “It paid the rent. You can download it on Netflix I’m sure.”

“No disrespect, but I’m going to pass.”

Pearl walked back into the room with a silver tray in hand full of champagne flutes filled with bubbly, gold liquid. She set the tray on the table in front of Bethany and Lydia before handing them each a glass.

She held her glass in the air. “To the bride-to-be.”

Bethany and Lydia raised their glasses and they all clinked just as Susan walked out of the dressing room.

“This is going to be the hardest decision I’ve ever made. I love this one and it’s the first one I’ve tried on,” she said with a quiver in her voice.

Bethany simply stared at her.

Her long dark hair flowed over her shoulders and the white lace of the dress hugged them. The bodice scooped in the front for a nice effect, but it wasn’t too racy and the skirt opened fully.

Pearl set her flute down and walked to Susan. She picked up a padded bracelet of sewing pins and slipped it on her arm before tugging on the dress.

“It looks like this one would need a few inches off the bottom and just a little nip in the side here. You have a very athletic build.”

“Not like Bethany’s,” Susan said as she examined herself in the mirror.

“You could do some yoga with me.”

Susan’s brows drew together as she examined the dress further. “I think I’ll start tonight with your bedtime routine. Now would be an excellent time for me to be in the best shape.”

Lydia sat with her legs crossed at the knee bouncing her foot as she sipped her champagne. “Your shape is nothing to scoff at. You could have tiny boobs like mine.”

Everyone in the room turned toward Lydia, who now held her hands out to the side.

Yes, Bethany thought, Mother Nature has nearly skipped over that part for Lydia.

Bethany looked down at the V-neck of her own dress. She had plenty to share.

“Okay, go try on the next dress,” Pearl instructed and sent Susan off to the dressing room to change.

“How many dresses do you have for her?” Bethany asked, noting the creeping sickness stirring in her stomach from what she assumed was nothing more than jealousy.

“Seven,” Pearl beamed. “I actually didn’t show her the last one. I think it’ll be the one she picks.”

Bethany drank down the champagne in her flute. This was her life now—the one she’d chosen to give into. Family was what she’d sought and this was what family did for each other. They suffered in a sea of white lace and frills just to make each other happy. She just wasn’t sure she had it in her.

“Are you coming to the book club tomorrow?” Lydia asked.

“I told Susan I was available.” Of course she was. She had no other life than to lock herself in her house afraid that some other psycho might decide to take his wrath of hatred out on her or her family.

“Kent Black will be there.”

Bethany nodded. “I heard.”

“Don’t you love his books? He’s a genius.”