Center Stage: Magnolia Steele Mystery #1 by Denise Grover Swank Page A

we were back downstairs, and I was looking for Maddie. She’d anticipated my first time almost more than I had, so I wanted to let her know we’d done the deed . I was still trying to figure out how to tell her it hadn’t been what she’d led me to believe. And that was when I saw Blake in the kitchen with Ashley Pincher draped across his chest. She winked up at him and slipped out the back door, the one leading to my backyard.
    I continued to search for Maddie, but now I was watching Blake too. He kept shooting glances at the door. Then he looked around and followed Ashley outside.
    He was about to cheat on my best friend.
    I’d suspected for weeks, but this was my chance to prove it to Maddie, who had shut me down every time I’d tried to get her to listen. If I got proof, she’d be forced to believe me. I snagged my digital camera off the table Momma had set up for everyone to take photos of themselves for posterity and snuck out after him.
    And that was where my mind started to erect a barrier, making my next memories hazy and painful. While I knew in my heart I’d seen Blake and Ashley together and then ran off, I couldn’t clearly recall the images of them together. What if it wasn’t true after all?
    I had to force my way past it, which was easier said than done. My chest was so tight I felt like I was suffocating, and I started to shiver violently despite the hot water that was still steaming the tile walls. I was tired of wondering why I’d run away. Why I was so scared to come back. Why those nightmares had tormented me.
    I took a deep breath and gave my mind a shove.
    I slipped out the back door just as he disappeared into the woods. Feeling like a private investigator, I followed hot on his heels and walked past the tree line as quietly as possible. I heard them before I found them. The music from the party filled the night, drowning out their voices at the edge of the woods, but it soon became obvious what they were doing.
    About fifteen feet in, I found them in a small clearing, his back pressed up against a tree and his pants around his ankles. Ashley was on her knees, her mouth wrapped around him as he fisted her hair and moaned her name.
    While I’d suspected he was cheating, catching him in the act stole my breath away. Maddie would be devastated. It took me several seconds to remember the camera in my hand. Swallowing my nausea, I lifted it until they were perfectly centered in the scope. I needed to concentrate on getting proof.
    Rain began to fall, the patter of the drops on the leaves getting louder as it began to pour. I considered giving up my quest, but I was already here. I owed it to Maddie.
    My mother would kill me if the camera got wet and ruined, so I snapped several photos and then hid behind a tree to review the results. The photos would be worthless if I couldn’t prove it was him, but the lighting was so bad I couldn’t get his face in focus. So, my heart beating madly, I switched on the flash and snapped two or three shots in rapid succession, lighting up the ten-foot area as surely as if I’d shined a searchlight on them.
    Releasing a roar of anger, Blake pushed Ashley away from him and snatched up his pants as I turned and started to run toward the house. But in my haste, I dropped the camera. I needed the proof, so I knelt down and fumbled around in the dark for it.
    “Magnolia!” Blake shouted, his voice shaking in anger.
    Terror washed through me as my fingers wrapped around the plastic case. I got to my feet, stumbling when I realized Blake was already blocking my path.
    “Give me the camera, Magnolia.” His voice was tight and menacing, but his words were slightly slurred. He was drunk. I’d seen a drunk Blake beat guys up for looking at him the wrong way. He sure as hell wasn’t about to let me past him to go tell his girlfriend what I’d seen.
    I tried to push my memories further, but my body resisted. I dropped to my knees and clung to the slick tiled shower