Elizabeth Saunders rapped on the door of Jane’s house the next morning. When her friend opened it, the dogs at her feet, she held up a white pastry bag.
“Provisions for the courageous,” she said. “You deserve a gold medal for telling Matt Hale he could take you out for a beer in exchange for helping him with his dog.”
For Jane, this was as big as landing on the moon.
“And let’s not forget that I told him he could buy me dinner if his dog was really bad,” Jane said with a grin.
Elizabeth shucked off her boots at the door, giving Annie and Rufus the expected rub down. “Then let’s pray he is really bad.”
“Which one?” Jane asked with a smirk, planting her hands on her slim hips.
“You know who. Weren’t you the one who got all hot and bothered when you saw him trussed up on the ground in a red leash?”
Elizabeth made herself at home, flouncing onto the caramel-colored leather couch, while Jane disappeared into the kitchen. Unlike her own preference for cool tones and clean lines, her friend’s decorating leaned toward warm colors and accents. The walls were butternut squash yellow, which contrasted beautifully with the cherry wood floors and wainscoting running through her rustic, lodge-style home. The oversized windows provided a breathtaking view of the valley, cushioned between the snow-capped peaks of the mountains. The artwork on the walls was a mix of European café scenes and expansive landscapes of sea or forest. Everything about her friend was cozy and sweet.
Jane might not like it, but she was still a small-town girl at heart.
And Elizabeth loved that about her even if she couldn’t relate.
“I didn’t even know if I could get hot over something like that,” Jane said, emerging from the kitchen with a tray holding a silver coffee service and two place settings. The cups rattled when she set it on the coffee table in front of the couch.
“It does take a lot to make you hot,” Elizabeth said, coming over to sit beside her. She had known Jane for long enough to pick up on any number of personal details. After all, they’d started out as roommates in Harvard at eighteen and lived together until they graduated with their MBAs. They’d been friends for almost twelve years and were closer than sisters.
“Yeah, the polar opposite of you.” Jane’s mouth twisted as she arranged the sage green plates, silverware, and napkins. “How was your date last night?”
The chocolate croissants Elizabeth had brought from Brasserie Dare were both spongy and crisp when she drew them out and put them on the plates. Her mouth watered. She hadn’t expected to find a bona fide French restaurant in such a small town, but she was grateful for it. It was the next best thing to eating in a Parisian café.
“Yeah, sorry about that. It came together last minute at the grocery store.”
“Of course it did.”
Her friend’s sarcasm was so normal she didn’t even respond to it. “I’ve seen Jeremy at Hairy’s before, so when we ran across each other in the produce section—”
“He commented on your melons, and you offered to let him feel them.”
“You don’t need to get on my case just because you’re missing your Wonder Woman bra.”
They might be a world apart in cup sizes, but their IQs were about the same. Both genius level and proud of it.
“It’s just that I don’t think Matt’s going to want…this.” She gestured to her body.
Elizabeth took her hand. They’d had this conversation a million times. “Listen, you’re nuts. You’re beautiful in a petite way. And now you don’t have to worry about men liking you for your fake body. Don’t you remember that conundrum?”
Her friend grabbed the croissant and bit into it, moaning a little. “Yes. The same guys who liked Raven’s big hair and fake curves wouldn’t look at me twice after I took off my costume. Something you never had to worry about.”
It was true that Elizabeth resembled her alter ego more, but she hadn’t let any of the men she’d dated on the road see her without the wigs and other disguises that had transformed her into Vixen. She guarded her personal identity as though it were Fort Knox, and since she never went out with someone more than a few times or stayed over after sex, unmasking herself hadn’t been a huge issue. Well, except for her padded bras, which had taken her natural C-cup size to double Ds. Even when she wasn’t wearing a wig, her hair color changed every few months, and right now it was caramel brown.
While life without her alter ego of Vixen was an adjustment, she didn’t miss the color contacts, stage makeup, or fake beauty marks. The makeup had clogged her pores and given her chronic acne. Now her skin glowed, and all she had to use was a tinted moisturizer. Her own parents wouldn’t recognize her—as Vixen or Elizabeth—and that was better for everyone, since they were leeches and drug addicts. If they knew who she was now and where she was, they’d try to suck the life out of her. Just like they’d done after finding out about her friendship with Jane, a connection they’d hoped would open new doors of money and opportunity for them.
“So you’re getting used to being the real you all the time,” she said, shaking off the past. “Me too. We were every man’s fantasies in those outfits. Now it’s time to channel the true fantasy. You. Me.”
Jane polished off her croissant. “I can’t see the real me being any man’s fantasy.”
Being a man’s fantasy was easier than Jane made it out to be, but that was just Jane. She wanted hearth and home.
“The one who loves you will, trust me. He won’t see anyone but you.”
“I can’t even imagine what that feels like.”
Her self-esteem had been in the crapper since the day she’d been born a girl. The esteemed Phillip Wilcox and his perfect political wife, Helen, had wanted a boy more than anything, and Jane always joked that their intention had gotten crosswise with the Universe. She had a boy’s body, just not a boy’s parts.
Without a male heir, they’d pushed Jane to be the most accomplished child a couple could boast about. She’d had a resume at age two to get into the elite local preschool, knew how to count to ten in five different languages. By five, she played two musical instruments. By ten, she’d composed her first symphony. By fifteen, she’d won a national mathematics competition. And by twenty, she’d accumulated a million dollars managing her own stock portfolio, something she’d built from her math competition award of ten grand.
While their parents came from radically different social spheres, they had one thing in common: they were accomplished manipulators. It was one of many reasons why neither Jane nor Elizabeth had any contact with their families.
“It will happen, Jane,” Elizabeth said. “Give it time.”
“So back to your date.” Jane dug out two slices of quiche next and arranged them on their plates.
“Right. We went out to a movie. The new Ben Affleck flick. Not bad. And then he drove me home. We made out for a while and then I said goodnight.” She shrugged and dug into her own croissant.
“So he wasn’t worth bringing inside.”
“No. I just wasn’t that into him.” And that had been a recurring theme since moving to Dare Valley. She was used to high rollers, and while she still met some at the casino at The Grand Mountain Hotel, no one had grabbed her attention and held it.
Which was pretty much her whole dating experience, besides…
Well, the only man she’d ever loved had been drastically inappropriate. And by the time she realized it was love, she’d already headed for the hills.
“It’s ironic, don’t you think?” Jane asked. “I want to find Mr. Right, and you can’t run fast enough in the other direction. Maybe we’re both out of balance.”
“Too bad they don’t have a remedy for that. But I have to tell you again how proud I am of you for going after what you want. And I’m glad you didn’t let the fact that he’s a lawyer make you cross him off your list.”
She bounced in her seat. “It’s not as though he’s running for political office. That I couldn’t handle. How many times did Dr. Utley say the safest way to have a successful marriage was not to marry your father?”
Their psychology teacher at Harvard had been a trip, lecturing in houndstooth jackets while spouting common sense. “Of course, I don’t have to worry about marrying my father,” Elizabeth said with a bitter taste in her mouth. “No drugged-up mobile home managers in Dare.”
When a knock sounded at the door, Elizabeth turned on the couch and watched as Jane headed to answer it. “Maybe it’s Matt, here for his first lesson.”
Jane shot her a dirty look and opened the door. “Ha ha. It’s only Rhett.”
“Only Rhett,” he said, snatching her up in a huge hug.
Given that Rhett was six feet six without his usual boots on, he pretty much lifted Jane a couple of feet off the floor.
“What’s got you in such a good mood?” Elizabeth said as he set Jane aside and scooped up Annie. “Or do we even need to ask?”
“Ladies, there’s just no words for wedded bliss,” he said, stroking the tiny dog, who was decked out in a purple sweater and matching legwarmers “Now, who did you think might be at the door?”
“Elizabeth,” Jane warned, reaching down to pet Rufus so he wouldn’t feel left out.
She threw caution to the wind. “Matt Hale. Jane finally managed to have a conversation with him at the park yesterday. She’s going to help him with his dog. Apparently he’s flunked training twice.”
“Well, well, I’m happy to hear it. He’s a pretty down-to-earth guy from what I can tell. I like him for you, Jane, I really do.”
“She’s all, ‘But I’m not Raven anymore. No man will look at me,’” Elizabeth said with dramatic flair and touched the back of her hand to her brow like a Victorian lady in distress.
Rhett barked out a laugh and set Annie aside. “Honey, I hate to tell you this, but a real man—the kind you want to settle down with—isn’t going to want someone like Raven. That’s for show.” He took Jane’s shoulders in his hands. “He’s gonna want someone like you because you’re darn near perfect.”
Jane ducked her head. “Oh, Rhett.”
“Now,” he said. “I have good news, ladies. Abbie’s given me a pass to head out to Cabo San Lucas for that celebrity poker tournament in a couple weeks. I’ve heard from Rye that Kenny Chesney and a few other country singers might be attending.”
Rye Crenshaw, one of Rhett’s best friends, was one of the hottest tickets out there.
“Always good to see Rye,” Jane commented. “Is he going to sing?”
“Not sure, but it’ll be nice to have some guy time. Of course, he thinks I’ve become boring since marrying Abbie.”
Elizabeth vaulted over the couch, a spontaneous act that was too fun to pass up. Rufus barked in surprise. “No, you’re as sweet as ever.”
“Be nice to my furniture, Elizabeth. This isn’t an Olympic training facility.”
She waggled her brows. “Not yet, but now that you and Matt are getting friendly, you never know.”
“Okay, ladies, enough hullaballoo. I brought a list of people who might be attending the tourney. It’s time to get to work. I have a hankering to win.”
“When don’t you?” Elizabeth mused. “Is Mac going?” Mac Maven was Rhett’s oldest friend and now brother-in-law, another successful poker player who had opened a booming poker hotel in Dare Valley.
“Not sure yet. He and Peggy and Keith are still getting settled in her house. He likes his luxuries, so we keep telling him he’s slumming it, but he’s happy as a clam. And I can’t say I mind living in the house Abbie and Mac bought together when they first moved to town. My wife sure has a knack for making a house into a home.”
“I’m so glad how everything has worked out for you both. You deserve it.”
“He’s struck the jackpot with Dare’s deputy sheriff and her sweet son,” Rhett commented.
“Of course, you haven’t done too badly for yourself with Abbie and Dustin.”
“Yeah, who would of thought I’d end up adopting a sixteen-year-old boy? That kid about brought me to my knees when he told me he wanted to take my name and be my boy. Heck, Abbie bawled like a baby, but I stayed tough.”
Jane punched his shoulder. “Yeah, you’re such a tough guy.”
Well, he had been when they’d met him in a casino in Atlantic City while celebrating their new MBAs. Rhett had hit on her, but that was before Jane started messing with him by revealing how much they knew about poker. Soon Rhett’s eyes had stopped roving up and down Elizabeth’s body. His charming smile had faded, and he’d started volleying questions at them about who had which cards and other tells. By the end of the evening, he’d offered them jobs as his poker scouts.
“Convinced you both to wear poker babe outfits, didn’t I?” he mused.
Of course, it hadn’t taken much convincing. Both of them had realized that new alter egos would be a welcome escape from their lives and their parents. And she…well, she had needed to hide for another reason as well.
“Now, I have this sweet but insane-looking dog that has a clothes budget,” Rhett said. “It’s a good thing I’m confident because another man might feel emasculated by this new act I’ve created to keep Abbie happy.”
“She’s a lucky lady, Rhett,” Jane said. “Elizabeth can make all the travel arrangements for Cabo, and I’ll be sure to buy some celebrity dog outfits for our little Annie here. How do you feel about jewelry?”
He groaned and leaned down to tap Annie’s brown nose. “If you weren’t so cute, you’d embarrass me to death. Well, marriage is all about compromises, and this one’s mine. Plus, I’m happy y’all don’t have to use false identities anymore.”
Rather than replying, Jane looked down at her shoes.
“You need any advice about men, Janey,” Rhett said, using his rare nickname for her, “you just ask. I won’t interfere or say anything, but I’m here for you.”
“I know it, Rhett,” she said.
Neither she nor Jane had a natural brother, but they had Rhett, and neither could imagine a better one.
“Someday pretty soon, Jane, I’m going to be walking you down the aisle,” he said, winking at her before opening the door.
The cold wind rushed inside, but it didn’t take away from the warmth in Elizabeth’s heart.
“Thanks, Rhett,” Jane said in a soft voice.
“Bye, Rhett. I’ll start tweeting up a storm about you hanging with the celebs, especially Rye. His fans adore you.”
He winked. “That’s ‘cause we’re cut from the same cloth. Enjoy the day, ladies. I know I will.”
And with that, the door swung shut behind him.
“That Rhett,” Jane mused, dropping to her haunches so she could rub the dogs.
“Yeah, he’s the best. Have you ever wondered what might have happened if we hadn’t met him?”
Her brow knitted with tension. “Yes, I’d be a robot, working for my father, shuffling political favors around and campaigning every couple years like I did for most of my life before becoming Raven.”
Elizabeth rubbed her hand over the hard ball that had formed in her stomach. “Yeah.” And she didn’t even dare think where she’d be. For all she knew, she’d be dead if she hadn’t taken Rhett’s offer.
“Come on,” Jane said, rising. She gave Elizabeth a brief hug. Yeah, Jane knew where her mind had gone. She knew how scary that time had been for Elizabeth…heck, for them both.
“Let’s sit down and go through the list, and then we can pull some files and see what info we already have on the players. Time to get to work.”
When Jane released her and left to go to her office for the files, Elizabeth sank to her knees and laid her head against Rufus, who leaned in to give her kisses.
You’re safe now, you’re safe, she reminded herself. There was no sense in dredging up the past.
But the old fear had never completely gone away, and deep down, she feared it never would.