that’s ever happened to me before. What is wrong with Texas men?”
“They live in Texas.” Trudy covered her mouth to muffle her mirth. Jefferson must really be driving Caroline crazy. She should stop him. She really should. But Caroline’s reaction was…priceless. “Still think he’s a fit for L.A.?”
Her friend covered her eyes with her hands. “Kill me now. I’m sorry I said it. He would destroy my reputation in a week. If he weren’t your brother I’d have him kicked off that show. I looked into it. The producer owes me a favor.”
And there it was. The perfect opening to stop Jefferson. All Trudy had to do was ask Caroline to make it happen, and she would. So why wasn’t she? Nothing had changed in the last few days. She truly believed her brother going to Hollywood could be the worst mistake of his life.
Unless you told him and let him decide for himself…
She couldn’t. She couldn’t bear to see the look on his face when he discovered what their mother had left them for. What she’d become.
Time to change the subject before she gave in to temptation and her brother never spoke to her again. “Did Margery call you? She told me yesterday she would.”
Caroline smiled. “She did. That is one cheerful woman. I asked her how she could sound so happy after being stuck looking after your brother for so many years.”
Trudy gasped. “You did? What did she say?”
“She said, and I quote,” Caroline adopted a southern drawl that actually sounded a lot like Margery’s. “‘Some people say a man is all hat and no cattle. Jefferson has plenty of cattle and he knows it, but bless his heart, he just hasn’t found the right hat to fit him yet.’”
Trudy snorted. “I’m not sure entirely sure what that means, but knowing her, she’s right.”
Caroline shrugged. “The rest of the conversation was about as enlightening. She said her friend has agreed to do the interview because I know you, as long as I don’t go digging too deep. Which, of course, makes me want to dig.”
“All this mystery over a decorator.” Trudy frowned. “She must have been really good.”
Her friend’s eyes sparkled and her smile returned. “Hon, you have no idea. The stories about her magic touch are legend. The pickiest clients bent to her whim, house parties were saved when she paid a visit the day before. Deals were brokered that wouldn’t have been possible without her knowledge of Feng Shui. And then she disappeared. Her phone was disconnected. People actually hired detectives to try and find her and offer her insane amounts of money to design a closet. Anything. But she’d vanished without a trace.”
“Until now,” Trudy offered with a thoughtful smile. “Still, there must be a good reason, right? People don’t usually turn down that kind of celebrity unless there is.”
Caroline rubbed her hands together. “I’m sure of it. My instincts tell me it’s big, too. And it’s a story that magazine editor wants bad enough to fly me down here…maybe because she’s in desperate need of the perfect curtains. I don’t know and I don’t care. I have to get a good interview.”
Trudy hopped up to sit beside her on the bed and winced. Caroline noticed. Smiled. “But enough about that. Tell me what Big Bad John has in store for you.”
“Just dinner.”
Caroline snickered. “It’s never just dinner with you two. The state your man has been in since he brought you home? The number of times you’ve locked the door to your bedroom after your phone rings? I’d say things are about to get even more interesting. That first night was no more than a warm-up. Now that you’ve been together, been intimate, things will get more intense quickly.”
“Is that usual?” Trudy bit her lip. “I mean, when you’ve negotiated something like this, with sex, is it normal to feel so connected? So out of control?”
“No.” Caroline’s shrug was unapologetic. “I mean, yes, of course sex is the most
“They live in Texas.” Trudy covered her mouth to muffle her mirth. Jefferson must really be driving Caroline crazy. She should stop him. She really should. But Caroline’s reaction was…priceless. “Still think he’s a fit for L.A.?”
Her friend covered her eyes with her hands. “Kill me now. I’m sorry I said it. He would destroy my reputation in a week. If he weren’t your brother I’d have him kicked off that show. I looked into it. The producer owes me a favor.”
And there it was. The perfect opening to stop Jefferson. All Trudy had to do was ask Caroline to make it happen, and she would. So why wasn’t she? Nothing had changed in the last few days. She truly believed her brother going to Hollywood could be the worst mistake of his life.
Unless you told him and let him decide for himself…
She couldn’t. She couldn’t bear to see the look on his face when he discovered what their mother had left them for. What she’d become.
Time to change the subject before she gave in to temptation and her brother never spoke to her again. “Did Margery call you? She told me yesterday she would.”
Caroline smiled. “She did. That is one cheerful woman. I asked her how she could sound so happy after being stuck looking after your brother for so many years.”
Trudy gasped. “You did? What did she say?”
“She said, and I quote,” Caroline adopted a southern drawl that actually sounded a lot like Margery’s. “‘Some people say a man is all hat and no cattle. Jefferson has plenty of cattle and he knows it, but bless his heart, he just hasn’t found the right hat to fit him yet.’”
Trudy snorted. “I’m not sure entirely sure what that means, but knowing her, she’s right.”
Caroline shrugged. “The rest of the conversation was about as enlightening. She said her friend has agreed to do the interview because I know you, as long as I don’t go digging too deep. Which, of course, makes me want to dig.”
“All this mystery over a decorator.” Trudy frowned. “She must have been really good.”
Her friend’s eyes sparkled and her smile returned. “Hon, you have no idea. The stories about her magic touch are legend. The pickiest clients bent to her whim, house parties were saved when she paid a visit the day before. Deals were brokered that wouldn’t have been possible without her knowledge of Feng Shui. And then she disappeared. Her phone was disconnected. People actually hired detectives to try and find her and offer her insane amounts of money to design a closet. Anything. But she’d vanished without a trace.”
“Until now,” Trudy offered with a thoughtful smile. “Still, there must be a good reason, right? People don’t usually turn down that kind of celebrity unless there is.”
Caroline rubbed her hands together. “I’m sure of it. My instincts tell me it’s big, too. And it’s a story that magazine editor wants bad enough to fly me down here…maybe because she’s in desperate need of the perfect curtains. I don’t know and I don’t care. I have to get a good interview.”
Trudy hopped up to sit beside her on the bed and winced. Caroline noticed. Smiled. “But enough about that. Tell me what Big Bad John has in store for you.”
“Just dinner.”
Caroline snickered. “It’s never just dinner with you two. The state your man has been in since he brought you home? The number of times you’ve locked the door to your bedroom after your phone rings? I’d say things are about to get even more interesting. That first night was no more than a warm-up. Now that you’ve been together, been intimate, things will get more intense quickly.”
“Is that usual?” Trudy bit her lip. “I mean, when you’ve negotiated something like this, with sex, is it normal to feel so connected? So out of control?”
“No.” Caroline’s shrug was unapologetic. “I mean, yes, of course sex is the most
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