Something new, p.10
Something New, page 10
She laughed, a shaky sound. “You don’t have to tell me! I saw the hit and was physically sick. Wyatt, I am so sorry this happened. If I could change that night...”
Wyatt drew her between two of the food tents to give them a little privacy. He tilted her head up to look at him and was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes.
He swiped a thumb under her eyes. “Anna, it wasn’t just you. Those guys were assholes. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You warned me not to be so flirty, that not everyone would take it innocently. And I kept going.”
He gripped her chin when she would have turned away, forcing her to look at him. “Anna, listen. I could have walked away. They could have walked away. There was no excuse for them to be such assholes to you. There’s plenty of guilt to go around about that night. We all share blame.”
She blinked at him. “So, you forgive me for ruining your life?”
He smiled, realizing, for the first time, that it was true. “You didn’t ruin my life. I blamed you for years, yes. But that wasn’t you. That was all me, being a sullen bastard, looking for someone to blame. The truth is that shit happens. We all had a part in it and it’s over. Okay?”
She nodded, sniffling a little.
“Good. Now, can we go win this damn scavenger hunt so I can give the lamp to Ethan?”
Her brow furrowed. “Wait, I thought we were giving it to Delaney.”
He grinned. “It might be one and the same after this week. Those two are definitely not done yet. Ready? What’s first on the list?”
She crinkled her nose. “Funhouse mirrors and a picture. Why the heck would we have to do that?”
He shrugged. “No clue, but it’s pretty easy so let’s get it done. I’ll grab the tickets.”
Within minutes, they were in line with a bunch of teenaged kids for the long trailer that housed the funhouse mirrors. The loud, raucous music blared all around them and the food smells that clashed with each other permeated the air—sausage and peppers, popcorn, fried dough, hot dogs, and more. All of the sounds and scents overwhelmed Anna and a headache threatened. She hadn’t eaten much that day and certainly wasn’t accustomed to fairground food, which was destined to be her dinner. She could already feel her stomach protesting, although it would taste so good.
Whispers and pointing fingers from a group of girls drew her attention, and she strove to ignore it.
Wyatt followed her glance and frowned. “Are they taking a picture of you?”
She smiled, a little sadly. “No, they’re taking a picture of both of us. Be prepared to be an instant celebrity on the internet, Wyatt.”
“They can’t do that.”
Anna laughed at the outrage in his voice and she patted his arm. “Of course they can. I’m public property, just as you would have been if you had played professional football. Actually, as a coach at UT, you might actually be their target. We know how Texans love their football.” She parroted his words back at him with a giggle.
He stared at her. “You’re kidding, right?”
She smothered a grin. “Just watch.” She pasted on a what she called her Hollywood face as the girls approached.
“Are you really Bianca St. John from Blazing Passions? Oh, my God, I love that show!” One of the girls almost squealed.
Anna nodded, but before she could speak, the rest of the girls squealed and started pummeling her with questions and comments about the show, Hollywood, and being a star. Wyatt winced next to Anna at the pitch of the girl’s voices and he was pushed out of the way as they surrounded her. Anna took selfies with each of the girls, checking to make sure Wyatt was okay where he was. For his part, Wyatt stood in a broad stance, legs spread, almost like a bodyguard, scanning the crowd beyond them, ensuring no one else came closer, frowning at anyone else who might have considered it. She smothered a smile at his fierce protectiveness, feeling her heart tug at the action.
Finally, the girls finished and one of them asked, “Are you going in the funhouse mirrors? Oh my God, I can’t imagine how you’ll look in there. So different!”
That was when Anna got her first clue of what Caroline had in store for her. Wyatt waded through the crowd and took Anna’s arm. “I hope you don’t mind, ladies, if I reclaim my date for the evening.”
The girls had a star struck look again as they looked up at Wyatt with his rugged good looks, tight jeans and t-shirt, and cowboy boots, the quintessential cowboy. Anna wondered if she’d be picking up any girls from a swoon but they thanked her quickly and walked away, chattering among themselves.
Wyatt shook his head. “Ready?”
She studied the entrance and took a deep breath, now knowing what Caroline had in mind for her. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Wyatt shot her a puzzled look. “You act like we’re going into battle or something.”
“Or something.”
Anna stepped inside and was immediately confronted by a series of mirrors, all distorting her image in various ways. One mirror gave Anna an exaggerated hourglass figure. Another widened her hips as if she had eaten all the funnel cake in the carnival. A third twisted her facial features almost beyond recognition. Other people were at different places in the hall of mirrors, laughing and joking, poking fun at each other, enjoying themselves, but Anna was silent, staring at her image in mirror after mirror. Wyatt, apparently sensing her mood, was also quiet, hovering just out of reach.
A flash caught her attention and she whirled around but she didn’t have to worry. Wyatt had moved quickly, seizing the teen aged boy’s wrist and cell phone, squeezing until the kid let the phone go. Wyatt caught it and glanced at the screen. He held it up for Anna. It wasn’t her.
She exhaled, not even realizing she had held her breath. Wyatt handed the phone back to the kid with an apology. The kid glared at him, rubbing his wrist, and took off, muttering under his breath.
Anna turned back to the mirrors. “Just take a picture, Wyatt. Doesn’t matter which one. They’re all awful.”
“None of them are you.”
“Yeah, I think Caroline is getting a little preachy here this week. Message received.” She turned back to Wyatt. “She’s reminding me that image is surface and it can be distorted based on your perspective but who you are remains the same no matter what the image is.”
Wyatt let out a low whistle. “Damn. What else is on that list? A visit to the confessional?”
She grinned. “Just take the picture and let’s get the hell out of here, okay?”
He held up his phone and snapped a shot. Anna frowned. “You’re supposed to take a picture of the mirror.”
“I’m supposed to take a picture of you in the funhouse mirrors. It doesn’t technically say of the you in the mirrors. Loophole.” He shrugged.
She cocked her head. “I like this new Wyatt, playing fast and loose with the rules.”
He held out his arm. “What’s next?”
Her stomach let out a loud rumble. “Food. Definitely.”
After eating an incredibly calorie-laden meal that Anna knew would require an extra amount of running the next morning, they began working on the next item on the list, along with assessing their budget. They were tight but, with a little management, they’d be okay. Of course, as Wyatt argued, he should manage their money, as Anna was never good at that. She pointed out how she lived on next to nothing in LA before she had her break but he only had to ask how much her workout clothes cost and she shut up, with several under her breath grumbles of course.
Wyatt only shrugged and guided her to the next ride. She tugged him to a stop, digging in her heels. He tilted his head and looked down at her. “What’s the problem?”
“The merry-go-round? That’s for children.” She gestured to the line of little kids and their parents, waiting for their turn on the musical animals.
He grinned. “I love the merry-go-round. And this one is the best. It’s not only horses but all kinds of animals. There are lions, tigers, hippos. Who couldn’t love a ride like that? Look! There’s even a dragon! Cool!”
“You loved Lord of the Rings, didn’t you?”
He turned back, a puzzled look on his face. “Who didn’t? Why couldn’t you have gotten a role as an elf or something? That would have been awesome!”
She gestured to herself. “Too short, too curvy, too young.”
He considered her for a moment, hand on his jaw. “Yeah, but you could have been a dwarf woman.”
“There were no dwarf women in the movies.” She scowled. “At least make me a shield maiden or something.”
“I knew you loved those movies!” He crowed.
“You made me watch them constantly. I still have nightmares. Besides, you only made me watch them, hoping you’d get lucky when I got scared.”
“But you never did.” He sounded awfully proud.
“Nope, it’ll take more than fake orcs to scare me. God, Caroline must hate me to put me through this torture.”
He draped an arm over her shoulder. “Think of it this way. She did the same to everyone else. Just imagine what they have had to do.”
Anna tilted her head, biting her lower lip for a moment, then a slow smile crossed her face. “It’s not quite enough but it’ll do. Okay, let’s get this over with. Least embarrassing animal.”
“I’m getting the dragon.” He strode ahead as quickly as possible, circling the ride to get to the dragon.
She slowly followed, muttering under her breath, “Of course you are. Nothing inconspicuous for you.”
By the time she had caught up to him, he was triumphant on the dragon while the only thing remaining was a hippo next to him or a white horse on his other side. No competition there. She climbed on the white horse, thanking God it was close to the inner wall where no one could see her, blocked by the dragon and the hippo on the outer edges.
The rest of the critters were quickly filled, except for the hippo. Finally, a little girl, about six years old, came walking around and her face took in the white horse and lit up, then fell when she saw someone was on it. She then saw the hippo’s empty saddle and her shoulders slumped. She glanced up at her father, who nodded and lifted her onto the creature. Her lower lip quivered but she picked up the reins halfheartedly.
Anna bit her lip and sighed. “Excuse me? I’m sorry. Would you mind switching with me? I’m not a fan of horses. In fact, I’m kind of scared of them. And I like hippos. So, would you like to switch with me?”
The little girl looked so happy and she glanced at her father who nodded carefully and helped her down. They quickly switched before the ride started, Anna now on the hippo and on the outside for the whole carnival audience to see. But somehow it didn’t matter. The smile and laughter from the young girl was worth it.
Wyatt leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I think you’re her new hero.”
A camera flashed as she whirled by, but Anna didn’t care. As she learned in the funhouse, it didn’t matter what people posted; they were going to interpret it however they wanted. She couldn’t control it all no matter what she did. Instead, she did the right thing and would enjoy her night.
Finally, the ride slowed to a stop and the little girl hopped off her ride. She came around and walked over to Anna, tapping her on the leg. Anna squatted and the little girl hugged her. “Thank you for letting me ride the horse. I know he didn’t scare you. He was a nice horse.”
Anna smiled and hugged her back. Yup, it was worth it.
Chapter Ten
Wyatt took Anna’s hand after the ride and they started walking toward the game section. They had to win a prize and this was his wheelhouse. Anna was suspiciously quiet since the ride and he was proud of her. He could only imagine how difficult it was to swallow her pride, ride a hippo and expose herself on the outer edges of the carousel. She had been recognized; she couldn’t have missed the people talking about her. Even he had heard the whispers while they stood in line. Despite her casual clothes, she still stood out in the crowd. He only hoped none of this would backfire in her face, create a further problem for her in her career.
They finally stopped at one of the games, where one knocked down three milk bottles. The game was rigged, they all were. But he was a former quarterback. He could overcome a little sand in the bottles or whatever they did. Five tickets later, and a rapidly decreasing budget, the milk bottles remained standing. He cursed under his breath then noticed Anna was no longer standing next to him. He glanced around and saw her over by a punching bag, watching a group of college guys punch the bag and barely registering a score anywhere near the score for a prize.
Finally, they finished and she stepped up and handed her ticket. The guys hooted but gave her room. She considered the bag, cocked her arm and let her fist fly, slamming into the bag, sending it upward against the top support. Bells and whistles rang out and the attendant laughed, while the college guys were stunned into silence.
“You won! Pick your prize.” She grabbed a white horse and walked over to him, the guys yelling at the attendant about the game being rigged.
She handed the horse to him. “For the next time you want to ride to someone’s rescue.”
He burst out laughing and followed her away from the games.
The last item was one Anna had hoped to avoid. They had scoured the carnival but not a single playbill for the upcoming production of Bye, Bye Birdie was in evidence. There were plenty of flyers advertising the show but Caroline had been oddly specific on what she wanted. Cast and crew names and bios. Advertisers. Playhouse information. Show production details. Karen always made sure her productions looked as professional as possible even though they were a small island. Her biggest piece of advice to Anna was to always act like she wanted to be treated. A nicer way of saying fake it until she made it. But this was why Karen’s programs for summer youth and her community theaters were always in high demand by actors. Everyone wanted to learn from her and soak in the professionalism that she embodied.
It was also the reason Anna dreaded seeing her.
Anna wasn’t ready to see her mentor’s reaction to her latest fiasco. Karen had been such a guiding force in her life and Anna wasn’t sure she was ready to face her mentor, knowing Anna had disappointed her. Oh, Karen would never lecture her or say anything overt but the sentiment would be there all the same. Anna always had visions of coming back to Whitby with an award, maybe an Oscar or even a Golden Globe, triumphant and riding the wave of popularity. Instead, she was slinking into town, praying no one saw her.
Right now, they had a choice to make. Admit defeat or take a chance on going to the Playhouse itself for the playbill and risk seeing Karen. Wyatt wasn’t saying anything, just leaning against the wall, ripping into a big cloud of cotton candy, waiting for her to come to the same realization about their options. If she wasn’t so damned competitive, she’d avoid it completely. But Delaney would love to give her that lamp and there was no way she was displaying that anywhere in her house, not even for a minute. Her decorator would have a fit.
Wyatt tore off a big piece of pink fluff and held it up to her mouth. She shook her head, turning away. “No, I can’t afford the calories. As it is, I’m going to have to run extra miles tomorrow.”
His fingers followed her and tucked the piece in her mouth. “You need the sweetness more, get rid of all of that sour, bitter apple mood you have going on.”
The sugar exploded in her mouth and she moaned, closing her eyes to savor the rush. “God, that tastes amazing. I can’t remember the last time I had cotton candy.”
She opened her eyes to see Wyatt staring at her mouth, a banked heat smoldering in his eyes. She shivered, an answering flush of arousal igniting deep inside. How long had it been since she’d felt that? Maybe as long as she’d had cotton candy.
He pushed off the wall and popped another chunk of the airy confection in his mouth, holding the stick out to her, a challenging glint in his eyes. She hesitated, then shrugged. “What the heck. I’ll be running half the day already.”
They quickly finished off the rest of the cotton candy and she stared at her pink, sugar crusted fingers. “Napkins?” She wiggled her fingers at him, eyebrow arched.
He gave her a mischievous smile, one that had her guard up instantly. Before she could step back, he grabbed her hand and pulled it to his mouth. He sucked her index finger into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tip, licking the sugar off. She shivered at the rasp of his tongue, at the answering pull deep inside of her. When he took her middle finger in his lips and treated it the same, her knees threatened to give out beneath her and she stiffened them, standing firm when she wanted to sink into him, wrap her arms around him and forget about everything—her career, her life, everything that had mattered to her. Now, she only wanted Wyatt and this moment.
He released her last finger with a pop. “There, all clean. No napkins needed.” He stepped back, breaking the moment. “So, what are we going to do now? We only have about forty minutes before we have to be back. I don’t think we’ll find the playbill here.”
Anna stared out into the night, into the direction of the Playhouse. “Maybe we can find one at the theater. They must have them printed by now. Caroline wouldn’t have asked us to get it if it wasn’t possible, would she?”
He wiped his own hands on the napkins he had hidden while she pretended not to notice, although she scowled at him. “Well, we could always say it wasn’t possible. Maybe no one else finished their tasks either.”
“I can’t do that. Not when we’re this close. Where’s your competitive fire? Are you telling me you can just walk away?” She couldn’t believe she was hearing this from Wyatt, who quite possibly used to be more competitive than she was and an even worse loser.
He shrugged. “I guess I figure there are bigger issues in the world. And, if you want to avoid Karen and the theater, well, I don’t have to keep the lamp. No skin off my teeth.”
She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the parking lot. “I refuse to lose. Let’s go. And don’t think I don’t know what you did there, for the second time. Don’t manage me, Wyatt. I really hate that.”
