Nothing was ever the same again, and no matter how hard Mary had tried to hold her family together, it didn’t work. Mama spiraled into a horrible depression, and Alice became a moody child who eventually grew into a rebellious teenager. Mostly, though, what Alice wanted was to get back at Kirby, and Mary vowed that someday she would help her do it. So after Mama died this year, they’d put their plan into action.
Initially they considered suing Kirby, but since they didn’t have any proof that he had promised to buy their mother’s songs, it didn’t seem like a viable option. But taking it to the court of public opinion did. They decided that they could sell their story to a celebrity gossip site and expose Kirby for the bastard that he was. They changed their minds when Kirby’s brand-new biography hit the stands. Once they read the book, they discovered that it was filled with scandalous tales, far juicer than anything they could tell the press.
Alice concocted a new plan that involved Brandon. From what she uncovered, some of his friends on social media commented that he needed to find “a nice girl” and settle down. Mary assumed the remarks were made in jest. But Alice believed it was an avenue worth pursuing. If Brandon was becoming intrigued with everyday girls instead of the socialites who were typically draped on his arm, Mary could win him over. Then, once he was hooked, she could dump him, the way his dad had done to their mom. Afterward, they could contact Kirby and tell him who they were and why they’d duped Brandon, teaching both father and son a lesson.
And now here Mary was, looking into Brandon’s vast blue eyes and trying not to drown in them.
She blinked and said, “Doesn’t your dad have a biography that was just released?” She tried to sound uncertain. But damn if her heart wasn’t pounding again. “I seem to recall hearing something about it. Or am I mixing him up with another country star?”
“No, you definitely heard right.” He patted Cline’s head when the dog turned to look at a boat that went by. “It’s making all kinds of buzz. The bestseller lists, too.”
She downplayed her interest in it. “I get most of my books from the library. Or the classics, anyway. I like to read those in hardcover.” She shifted her bag for effect, letting him know there was timeless literature inside. “Otherwise, I use an ereader.” She hesitated before she asked, “Did you think I was a fan, trying to talk to you because of your family?”
He nodded. “That happens to me a lot. And it’s gotten worse since Dad’s book came out. But mostly it’s Matt who’s been bearing the brunt of it. He’s our half brother in Texas. He was Dad’s secret kid when we were growing up.”
She’d read about how horribly Kirby had treated Matt. Kirby hadn’t been a particularly good parent to Brandon or Tommy, either. He’d been drunk or stoned for most of their lives. Supposedly he was clean and sober now. But according to the book, even when Kirby was at his worst, Brandon had a favorable relationship with him—unlike his brothers, who’d butted heads with their dad. These days they were working on being one big happy family. She couldn’t imagine what that was like. Mama had lost her zest for living long before she’d died.
“Who are you?” Brandon asked.
Mary started. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Your name, what you do for a living.”
“Oh, right.” She needed to stop being so jumpy around him. “I’m Mary McKenzie.” She didn’t have to worry about her last name ringing a bell with him. It was different from her mother’s. “I work at Sugar Sal’s. It’s a specialty bakery.”
“I’ve heard of that place, but I’ve never been there. I do have a sweet tooth, though. It’s one of my vices.”
She didn’t want to think about what his other vices might be. “I’ve only worked there for three months. I worked at a bakery in Oklahoma City, too.”
“Is that where you’re from?”
“Yes.” She wasn’t going to trip herself up by pretending to be from somewhere else. Lots of people were from Oklahoma City, not just the woman he and his father had trashed. “I’m just settling into Nashville.”
He smiled his perfect smile. “Well, welcome to Music City. What brought you here?”
If he only knew, she thought. But she had a ready-made answer. She and Alice had concocted a story ahead of time. “My sister met a guy online. He’s from Tennessee, and they started a long-distance relationship. She moved here to be near him, but it didn’t work out. Alice is only nineteen, and she’s already had a slew of boyfriends.” That part was true. Alice thrived on male attention.
“That explains why your sister came here, but what about you?”
“I needed a change of scenery.” She wished he wasn’t staring so intently at her. His eyes were unnerving. The dog was staring at her, too. To keep her words flowing, she prattled on. “I’m a pastry assistant, but I’ve been taking continuing education courses to become a certified pastry chef. I’m almost done, so now I’m trying to help Alice figure out what she should do.”
“Where do her interests lie?”
“She hasn’t made up her mind, but she’s leaning toward something in fashion. Design, maybe. She’ll be starting community college in the fall. She can be a bit flighty, so I hope she sticks with it.” Mary wasn’t going to lie about her sister’s personality. If Brandon ever met her, he would see it for himself. “Sometimes I worry about how much time she spends online and her penchant for partying. I convinced her to delete her accounts when we moved here. I wanted her to have a clean slate, but that didn’t last very long. She opened new ones and started partying with new people here.” In actuality, Alice had deleted her old pages to erase her former presence online and make her and Mary’s past less traceable. But Alice’s social life was still wilder than it should be.
Brandon nodded as if he understood. Then he said, “I know what it’s like to worry about a sibling. Tommy used to be flighty, too. Mostly it was his daredevil ways that scared me.”
“It’s tough to say what will happen with Alice. Maybe she’ll become a successful designer someday. She’s actually pretty talented in that regard. She just needs to learn to apply herself.”
“I’m familiar with the fashion industry. My mother used to be a model. She runs a beauty products empire now. Her name is Melinda Miller.”
“She’s your mom?” Mary feigned ignorance, pretending not to know who Kirby’s ex-wife was. “I’ve seen her infomercials on TV. Gosh, you really are from a famous family.” She made a joke. “Not quite the Kennedys, but...”
He laughed at her silly attempt at humor.
A second later, they both went silent. In the next awkward moment, she searched for something to say.
She finally murmured, “I hope it doesn’t seem weird that I told you so much about my sister, about how troubled she is and her boyfriends and whatnot. I’m not usually so open with strangers.”
“Me, neither. We’ve certainly covered a lot of ground.” He sent her a teasing wink. “But I think I’d rather hear about your boyfriends.”
Mary’s cheeks turned hot. He was flirting, and she was standing there like an imbecile. Should she tell him that she was single? Well, of course she should. The whole point was
