“Promises, promises,” Marley goaded, because she knew he wanted her to. “That sounds like lots of talk, with no act—”

His kiss cut off her words and stole her breath. Hot, demanding, and expert, it made her quiver beneath him. Jake kissed exactly the way he lived—full out, no holds barred—and the result was a union that both thrilled and excited Marley beyond belief. In his arms, she felt deeply desired. Wantonly sensual. Giddily carefree. Those were things she’d dreamed of experiencing, but had never truly hoped to find.

Today, this moment, she had. Jake kissed her and held her close, and she surrendered to the pleasure of it all. From here on, she wouldn’t think of tomorrow. Wouldn’t question the joining she’d craved. Wouldn’t worry about the wisdom of giving herself to Jake. She would only savor whatever togetherness they found, and hold it in her heart to keep for later.

In case tomorrow never came.

Closing her eyes, Marley reveled in the brush of Jake’s mouth against hers, in the gentle nip of his teeth against her lower lip and the gliding sweep of his tongue in her mouth. She panted beneath his touch and delved her fingers into the sleek fullness of his hair, holding him to her. She begged without words for him to continue. Jake complied.

“Open your eyes,” he commanded.

She did. In return, Jake delivered her a devilish smile and grasped his shirt. He dropped it from his wide shoulders in a single sweep.

“Oh my God,” she said.

Marley had touched him. She’d glimpsed his naked torso as she’d unbuttoned his shirt. She’d even imagined, countless times, what he’d look like undressed. But nothing, nothing had prepared her for the reality of Jake, naked from the waist up.

His jeans hung low, revealing sculpted abdominal muscles and two intriguing indentations near his hips that were uniquely male. His sides were lean, his chest strong and broad, his shoulders ample enough to cradle her or to flip her upside down and carry her away.

His arms broadened at well-defined biceps, looking sturdy, useful, and surprisingly graceful. His forearms were rugged, his wrists well-made, his hands competent and endowed with long, blunt-tipped fingers. She yearned to feel those hands on her body, to sample the rhythms of those fingers and lose herself in those arms. She hungered to rub herself against him again, skin on skin, to make Jake feel as wild as she did.

She decided to indulge, reaching for him.

“Not so fast.” He captured her seeking hands in his. “It’s my turn, remember?”

“But I—but you,” she protested. “But you look so—”

“You’ve had your fun. Next I’ll be tormenting you.”

His meaningful look promised he meant it. Marley quivered and felt herself grow even hotter. Why hadn’t she touched him more when she’d had the chance? Why hadn’t she spent at least an hour or two running her palms over that brawny chest, those well-defined abs, those overly generous shoulders?

Her ruminations ended on a startled gasp as Jake trailed his fingertips over her collarbones and lower. His hands were warm and gentle and strong, and they possessed a surety that made her sizzle. He kissed her, all the while tracing circles around her breasts, sensitizing her skin. He thumbed her areolas, making her pant with the need for more contact, more heat, more of him. He covered her breasts completely in his big hands, leaving her fully aware of his dominance.

In this, he could have whatever he wanted, Marley knew. Just so long as he went on touching her. Just so long as he gazed at her so intently while he did, giving her the delicious feeling they were the only two people in a world gone hot and heady and brilliant.

“You feel wonderful,” he murmured. “I’ve dreamed of touching you like this.”

“I think we must both be dreaming,” she managed. He’d cupped her breasts and had begun teasing her erect nipples, making rational thought next to impossible. She gasped again. “Nothing real could ever feel this good.”

“It could…between us. Ahhh, you’re beautiful.”

She felt beautiful. Also sexy and free, feminine and beloved. But his words were welcome, all the same. They fixed the loving feelings Marley had so staunchly tried to refuse even more firmly in her heart. Now there was no denying them.

This man was the one for her. Jake, forever. His touch confirmed it, and her response assured it. If she could have, Marley would have hugged him to her, just for the pleasure of embracing the man she cared so deeply for. But in the next instant, Jake kissed his way from her neck to her meager cleavage, and she lost the will to move at all.

Only arching upward seemed possible—and that, because it offered the reward of a deeper suction between his mouth and her breast. Only moaning seemed meaningful, because it encouraged Jake to lavish his attention on both her breasts with seductive thoroughness. Only clenching his head seemed sensible, because it kept him with her. But then Marley became aware of a deeper, more insistent need. Her awareness grew divided between the lovely licking, sucking, kissing attention being paid her top half…and the throbbing, needful urgency growing ever more steadily within the rest of her.

Jake wedged his knee between her thighs. Unable to help herself, she ground her pelvis upward, delighting in the solid contact of flesh against flesh. Desire lurched in her belly. Hearing only his whispered, loving words, feeling only his hard strength above her, Marley abandoned herself to the mindless pursuit of pleasure.

She clutched at Jake’s smooth, powerful back, seeking steadiness in a world gone topsy-turvy. She moaned and flung herself against him, crying out when he leisurely slid his hand to her hip…then to that part of her which throbbed for his touch. After long minutes of teasing, he finally slid away her horrible plaid pants. He rapidly discarded her panties, Marley lifting her hips eagerly to help him. He gazed at her nudity with wonder and something close to awe…and then, at the juncture of her thighs, his fingers worked their magic.

Intense pleasure surged through her, wrought by Jake’s eagerness and the expertise of his touch. His fingertips glided against her slippery heat, drawing forth new quivers and a stream of nearly incoherent encouragement. Shuddering, Marley clutched his shoulder, unable to resist praising him. Occasionally, she guided him. More often, she simply burned.

When she did speak, Jake listened intently to every word. He listened, heard, kissed away her doubts and offered more, more, more of all the things she loved best.

“Oh, Jake. That feels so good. Please, please don’t stop.”

“Never. Everything I have is yours.”

“And I’m yours. Mmmm. More than ever.”

His gratified look stole her heart. This was a man who knew how to lead…but who would never forge ahead without bringing her along. A man who would respect her and care for her. For that, Marley felt overwhelmingly grateful.

Inherently, he understood the lovemaking time she needed. He accepted—even reveled in—the journey they took together. With patience and pleasure, Jake learned her body one gasp at a time…one moment after the next. Quaking in his arms, Marley found herself unable to hide, unwilling to pretend, utterly vulnerable and completely giving. Without knowing why, she let herself be herself, with no pretensions and no secrets.

In this, she was Marley. She was Carly. She was both parts of her, combined. In her soul, she believed Jake knew it.

How else could he have loved her so well? So tenderly?

Her need built, made even greater by the love in Jake’s eyes, by the enchantment of his hands and the intoxicating thrill of his erection against her thigh. The control he displayed awed her; the unbelievably rigid size of him aroused her curiosity almost beyond enduring. That he desired her was obvious. Marley couldn’t resist the urge to palm him as she had before. Even as Jake drove her wild with his hands, even as her climax drew nearer, she blindly groped for him.

“Make love to me, Jake,” she begged. There was something wonderfully erotic in the sensation of her naked body snugged up against his denim-clad one, as though they simply hadn’t been able to wait for full nudity before coming together. But Marley needed more. “I need to feel you inside me. Now. Before it’s too late.”

He protested, saying something about first wanting to make her feel incredible. Knowing things could only get better from here, Marley rebutted in the most effective way she knew. She found his hardness and stroked him. Persuasively.

He groaned. “Since you put it that way…”

“I do. Help me. Love me.”

“Always,” Jake said simply.

Their panted breaths mingled as she struggled with his jeans. The damned things didn’t fit right—hadn’t been designed to contain the enthusiasm she’d called forth in him—and with a savage sound Jake finally took over. He wrenched open his fly. Eagerly, Marley helped him work the denim lower, easing it downward along with his briefs until he lay fully naked beside her.

She longed to drink in the sight of him. To capture that most masculine part of him in her hands and watch him grow still huger. Even to taste him there, in as intimate a kiss as any designed. But before Marley could so much as drag her fascinated gaze from the sight of his impressive length and girth, Jake prowled his way up her body and ended atop her, drugging her with a long, thorough kiss.

She luxuriated in the heated combination of their bodies, in the solid feel of Jake’s weight comfortably against her. This felt right, and so good. All she wanted was to love him, and to be loved in return.

Marley received her wish—and more. With certainty and care, Jake went on touching her. He kissed her, moaning in his throat when she bucked helplessly against him. Desperately, Marley opened herself to him; urgently, he responded…and when finally, finally he united them with a slow, seductive thrust, she knew that from here, everything would change.

She clutched at him when he reared back to thrust again, begged when he did so in a maddeningly leisurely fashion. Over and over Jake loved her, and all the while Marley drew ever closer to losing control completely. Her body clenched around him. Her legs shook. Her cries reached a new, more passionate crescendo…and Jake never stopped. He cradled her face in his hand, gazed at her sweetly, let her see in his expression all the wonderment and pleasure he felt at their joining.

It was all too much. The corded feel of Jake’s straining arms as he balanced above her. The solid glide of him as he entered and retreated. The harsh sound of their breath in the stillness, and the warmth that seemed to surround them. This was the most sensual, the most connected lovemaking she’d ever experienced. Marley knew that even if she and Jake were never together again, she would treasure this time forever.

Subtly, Jake shifted. They rocked together, he murmuring words of encouragement, she discovering a new spark engendered by his movement. Tension spiraled inside her. Crying out, Marley held him to her, held him, held him…and soon her body shook with a climax so powerful she could only hold on to the strength Jake offered and ride it out.

Gradually, her tremors subsided—only to become different, deeper, more potent as Jake went on loving her. Their bodies fit in the most spectacular of ways. Almost as though her orgasm had freed him somehow, Jake took their union to even more frenzied heights. He thrust harder, faster, gazing into her eyes all the while. Intimacy engulfed them. Then suddenly his body grew utterly taut with tension. His hands convulsed against the quilt beside her head…he yelled aloud as his climax shook him.

Marley arched upward, joyfully sharing in his final thrusts. She stroked his hair, brought his head to rest on her shoulder, felt their hearts pounding together as their bodies relaxed. She was sweaty and disheveled, panting and pulsing—but as she sprawled in graceless satisfaction beneath the man she loved, she didn’t care a bit. This was what real love felt like. She knew it, and felt tearfully close to gratitude as she held close the man who’d opened her to it.

“Awww, you’re incredible,” he said, brushing back her hair with a strong, careful hand. He pressed a tender kiss to her lips, smiled at her fondly, gave her an exceptionally hot hip swivel to punctuate his words. “You, me, together…”

“I know!” She flung out her arms, grinning helplessly. “There just aren’t words magnificent enough for it.”

“Fantastic, mind-blowing, remarkable…none of them satisfy.”

“You satisfy.”

Jake’s thoroughly masculine grin warmed her heart. He quirked an eyebrow. “You think so, do you? Because if you want to go again, I’m all for it. Whatever makes you happy.”

“This makes me happy. Being with you.”

“What a coincidence. I feel the same way.”

He rolled her over in his arms. They stretched and snuggled, eventually cuddling up together as though they’d been doing it for years. Marley naturally found the perfect spot near Jake’s shoulder to rest her head. Jake curled his arm around her to keep her close. They both sighed and shared a hug.

Afternoon sunlight shafted through the bedroom blinds. Traffic sounds rose from the street below. Cool air teased their overheated skin. Reality intruded—and with it, the memory of what they were supposed to be doing today.

Getting ready for “Dream Date.”

Marley angled her head. She loved Jake’s profile, so rugged and appealing. She could have savored the sight of him all afternoon, could have lost herself in the sheer enjoyment of his sculpted features and his perfect ease. But neither of them had all day, and Marley knew it. Reluctantly, she forced herself a little closer to the duty at hand.

First, she waited for him to put his horn-rims back on. At some point, he’d removed them without her even noticing—a testament to his seductive powers, Marley guessed. He blinked, looking sexily cerebral, then settled back down again. Time for her to embrace practical matters.

“I don’t suppose this will be on the quiz?” she asked.

Jake rested his chin on the crown of her head, the gesture comfortable and intimate. “Probably not.”

“We’d ace it, if it were.”

“Nah. I wouldn’t share this with anybody. Not even to win my contract renewal.”

Marley stilled. “You wouldn’t? You’d sacrifice your job? For my sake?” The implications of it were too great. She couldn’t possibly let Jake surrender any more of his dreams—especially for her. “Don’t be silly! So what if the world finds out about that goofy face I make when I—”

“And the goofy face I make when I—”

They glanced at each other. Laughed.

“Okay, so let’s make a pact,” Marley suggested. “We keep our orgasmic oddities to ourselves. No matter what.”

He guffawed. You’re too much, said the amused look he gave her.

Marley could only shrug. She’d always been a person who said what was on her mind. That quality had occasionally made her stint as Carly more difficult, and it had gotten her into trouble more than once, too. But given the proper stakes, she figured she could control herself.

“You’re on,” Jake said, his smile still teasing her. “No orgasmic oddities. No matter what. We have a deal.”

We have love, Marley thought, real love, and knew it was true. She only hoped that when Jake discovered the truth about her…real love would be enough.

 

 

By the time Jake made it to his sister Rebecca’s place to pick up Noah, he felt on top of the world. He strode with a new spring in his step, laughed with a new easiness, swaggered with a new cockiness. It was all because of Carly.

Carly, the woman he loved.

He’d suspected it before, but making love with her had made him certain. Seeing the affection in her eyes, feeling her body’s welcoming embrace as he entered her, letting himself turn completely, crazily vulnerable in her arms…all of it had cemented Jake’s feelings. He was in love, love, love. All that remained was sharing his revelation with Carly.

He considered it as they lay together atop her unassuming quilt, pondered it as they showered together in her cramped, steamy bathroom. He forgot it, briefly, as he soaped her lithe body, then remembered again as they dressed in the waning afternoon light. A hundred times he deliberated what to say and how to say it—and in the end, remained silent only because the time didn’t yet feel right.

Now, walking into his apartment with Noah skipping ahead and Carly trailing behind carrying her purse and her super-Scotch-taped gift, Jake reconsidered. The only possible moment for a loving confession like his was a private one—preferably in bed after a strenuous and fulfilling lovemaking session. Until he could arrange another one of those with Carly, he decided, he would wait.

She came up behind him, Gaffer scampering at her heels. She unleashed the dog, then set down her gift on a table. Just when he expected her to pass by him and enter the living room, instead she cupped Jake’s ass and squeezed. He yelped.

“You have a very fine backside,” she murmured into his ear.

He watched as she sashayed around him, her demeanor one hundred percent feisty, va-va-voom woman.

“You have a very sassy way about you,” he replied, secretly pleased at her pronouncement. There was definitely nothing held back with Carly. She was occasionally earthy and always up-front, and that was exactly the way Jake loved her.

That was exactly the way, he was beginning to believe, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

To show it, he drew her close. She lifted her face to his and gave a sexy murmur of pleasure.

Noah had turned in curiosity at the sound of surprise Jake made. His little brows drew downward. Suspiciously, he examined his father and Carly.

They laughed, happily clinging together. There was a new relaxed attitude between them now, an ease born of finally being real with each other. Jake savored it, even as he reached out to give his son’s hair a reassuring ruffle.

“It’s all right, Noah. Carly and I are just sharing a joke, that’s all.”

“Oh.”

“We’d tell you…but it’s a grown-up joke.”

“Okay.” Noah shrugged and called Gaffer. The Yorkie bounded over to him, tongue lolling. The two of them headed for the pile of toys in the corner. Noah switched on the TV with a practiced flick of the remote. Serenaded by the babble of Nick Jr., boy and dog began to play.

Carly gave Jake a look. She hmmphed.

“Your cute buns are no joke,” she whispered for Jake’s ears alone. Surreptitiously, she copped another feel.

“Okay, you’re asking for it again,” Jake said, then masterfully turned the tables in the only possible way he could. Soon, Carly was running through his apartment, shrieking with glee as Jake chased her. He caught her, flipped her onto the sofa, and tickled her.

“Now who’s yelping?” he asked with pretend ferocity.

“Stop, stop!” She gasped the words. “Behave yourself!”

“Behave yourself, Daddy!” Noah mimicked, giggling. “Behave yourself!”

“Hey.” Jake shot him a mock-menacing look. “You stay out of this. Do you want to be tickled, too?”

Noah looked uncertain. He bit his lip.

“I didn’t think so.”

Jake went back to tickling a squirming, laughing Carly. An instant later, thirty-five pounds of little boy landed atop him. Two tiny hands ineffectually dug under Jake’s arms, trying to tickle him. Noah’s weight unbalanced the whole endeavor. The three of them rolled helplessly from the sofa and collapsed in a heap on the floor, chortling.

Gaffer barked merrily, tail wagging.

Ten minutes later, they couldn’t breathe for the laughter. Noah’s hair was mussed and his eyes were bright. Jake’s heart felt lighter than ever before. And Carly…well, Carly was clearly overwhelmed by the amount of macho Jarvis love headed her way. She flopped on the carpet looking dazed, all her energy spent.

Noah crawled over to her. “We really ganged up on Daddy that time!” he crowed, breathing hard.

“That’s right.” Carly raised her hand for a high-five.

Beaming, Noah slapped her palm. Then, after a flash of indecision, he suddenly hurled himself on top of her.

“You’re a good tickler,” he said, his voice muffled.

He was hugging her, Jake realized. His son was actually hugging Carly, with all the might his two little arms could muster. He squeezed and squeezed, and just when Jake thought Carly might lose the last of her breath…she tentatively brought up her arms and hugged the boy back.

Jake could hardly believe it. Noah was an affectionate kid, but ordinarily he reserved his hugs for family. For Noah to share them with Carly, too…

She must have become truly special to him.

How had he not seen this coming? Jake wondered. The time Noah and Carly had spent together, the G.I. Joe escapade, their bonding over silly woolly mammoth tales—all of it had led to this. This hug.

Frowning slightly, Jake watched them. As he did, a strange feeling trickled its way inside him. Part surprise, part gladness, part melancholy at seeing some of Noah’s affection displaced, it went beyond bittersweet. It put him off guard. It made him uncomfortable.

It made him think.

He thought of the future he’d begun to envision with Carly. Thought of his worries that finding a woman to love would divert his attention from Noah. Thought about everything he’d just shared with Carly, and how much he wanted it to continue.

He thought of how happy his son looked, hugging her close.

They could do this, Jake realized. They could all be together, just like this. They could hug and laugh and have tickle fights. They could play terrible touch football, share pizza and wings, refine the funny-body-parts game (“Belly button!” had been Carly’s latest entry). For Carly’s sake, he and Noah could even learn to love self-improvement theories, award shows, and beef jerky. They’d even have the requisite dog, with Gaffer in the picture. Why not?

Hell, yes, Jake decided in a flash. They’d do it.

Before long, Noah and Carly parted. Noah scrambled to his feet and returned to the TV, his expression happy-go-lucky. Gaffer followed him, settling down to be petted. Carly sat fully upright, looking vaguely bewildered.

She glanced at Jake. A silly smile slipped onto her face. “Where do you suppose that came from?”

“The same place all my mushy feelings for you come from,” Jake joked, deadpan. “The men’s accessories department at the mall.”

Carly waved her hand. “The mall doesn’t have a ‘men’s accessories’ department. Macy’s does. Nordstrom does. But the mall itself doesn’t actually—”

“Are you seriously going to argue with me about this?” He helped her to her feet, letting his hands linger and then twine with hers. “Face it. You’re practically part of the family now. There’s no turning back from here.”

She swallowed, her eyes huge. Probably she was still overwhelmed, Jake told himself. It wasn’t every day a woman got to sample sizzling Jake love, insane tickling, and a four-year-old boy’s squeeze play, one after another.

She’d better get used to it, Jake decided. Because tonight he meant to take her all the way. Tonight was the night he would finally tell Carly how he felt.

The time had come.

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-One

 

Tonight was the night she would finally tell Jake the whole story, Marley decided as they settled in after an impromptu dinner of take-out green chile burritos and one kid’s taquito. The time had come.

Ultimately, Jake deserved the truth. He was too good a man to be denied it any longer, and Marley owed it to him, besides. She had to reveal her Carly style alter ego deception, had to explain the reasons behind it and the necessity for it. She had to make Jake understand. But more importantly, she had to tell him the biggest secret of all.

She’d fallen in love with him.

It was something she’d suspected for a long time now, something she’d tried to fight in her quest to keep her mind on her performance as Carly. After the romantic afternoon they’d spent together, though, Marley knew she couldn’t keep her feelings to herself any longer. She loved Jake with all her heart…and she believed he might be able to love her, too.

For the first time, Marley believed she’d found a man who liked her for herself, and not for her celebrity status. A man who cared for her because he thought she was really terrific, not because he wanted an introduction to her agent or publicist. A man who laughed with her and talked with her and spent time with her because he wanted to, not because he hoped to score some Tinseltown publicity.

It was almost too good to be true. Finally, she’d found a man who really seemed to see and understand and accept the inner her—not the glossy artifice that made up Marley Madison, TV starlet. “Carly” may have begun as a desperate measure, but she’d led to finding the most important person ever.

Jake.

And Noah, too. Because while the boy still made her feel a little uncertain—and very clueless about kids—he also made her feel happy. Curious. Ridiculously sappy. Hugging him tonight had actually brought joyful tears to her eyes, tears Marley hadn’t been able to prevent any more than she’d been able to resist hugging Noah back. Thanks to him and Jake, she’d broadened her horizons—and that had nothing to do with pretending.

Maybe, Marley thought hopefully, she did have more to offer than her celebrity credentials. Maybe she had a lot of love to give, too, and some special people to give it to. Sure, Jake and Noah were occasionally uncouth, they were rough and ready and way too fond of barbecued chicken wings. But they were splendid, besides. They were loving and funny and fun. In their presence, the whole world felt open to Marley, and everything in it seemed twice as beautiful.

All because she was in love.

The only way to hold on to those feelings was to come clean. To trust in Jake enough to confide the truth about herself and her alter ego—and pray he understood. If he discovered her charade on the set of “Dream Date” along with the rest of the world, he might never forgive her.

Knowing that, however, wasn’t quite enough to nudge Marley over the line into Confessionville. Not yet. Instead, she stayed right there in Denial, lingering as long as she could.

“So,” she said as she and Jake sat around the kitchen table, burrito wrappers wadded up beside their super-size drink cups, “how about another round of ‘favorite things’?”

“Do you really think they’ll ask this kind of stuff on ‘Dream Date’?”

“Sure. I’ve seen a few episodes where they did.”

“Okay.” Making a face of concentration, Jake stared up at the ceiling. Then he snapped his fingers. “I’ve got one! Ketchup. On your fries, or next to them?”

“Next to them. Why make them soggy?”

Jake agreed. Marley sighed. They were so compatible.

Her turn. “Ummm…showering. Facing the showerhead, or with your back to it?”

He gave her a naughty look. “Don’t you remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” She grinned, then wrote her notes on the notepad she’d propped up against the table’s edge.

Jake scribbled, too. Then he glanced up. “Favorite day of the year?”

“My birthday. I think it should be a national holiday.”

He raised his eyebrows. “The whole country should celebrate your birthday?”

“Why not? Then everyone could come to a great big party!”

He laughed.

“How about you?”

“You can’t guess?”

Marley thought about it. “Noah’s birthday? Christmas?”

Jake shook his head. “Super Bowl Sunday. If my team wins, it’s Christmas and a few birthdays, all rolled into one.”

Rolling her eyes, Marley wrote it down. “I should have guessed. Hmmm…how about this. What toy could you not live without as a kid?”

“A baseball glove,” Jake said decisively.

“That’s not a toy.”

“You play with it, don’t you?”

“I don’t.” She made a mock-horrified face. “I run far, far away from it, and everything like it. Once Meredith was on a neighborhood softball team, and during one of her practices a softball came flying straight toward me in the stands. It was terrifying!”

He patted her hand. “Awww, poor baby. What did you do? Shriek and duck? Enlist your horde of junior admirers to save you? Or did you stun the whole crowd by making a flawless catch?”

“I wish,” Marley told him. “I ducked. Unfortunately, I was sitting at the end of the bleachers. The sudden movement unbalanced me. I fell into the grass.”

“That’s not so bad. Could have happened to anyone.”

“I sprained my ankle and chipped a tooth.” She winced. “It’s like a metaphor for my life. I try to get sporty, I get hurt. I’m telling you, me and sports fields do not get along.”

“You seemed to manage okay at the ball game we went to.” Jake waggled his eyebrows rakishly, reminding her of the time they’d spent between innings…playing footsie. “I think you’re cured.”

“It’s possible.” Marley hoped so. That would make spending time with super sports-guy Jake much easier.

“I’ll bet your favorite toy was a Barbie doll,” Jake guessed.

She shook her head. “Barbie was a role-playing tool, not a toy. I learned all I know about coordinating a wardrobe from her.”

“An Easy-Bake Oven?”

“Could that be any more of a gender stereotype?”

“Sorry.”

Marley felt bad. “Actually, I did bake my share of tiny cakes and brownies. But my Easy-Bake Oven was not my favorite toy. My favorite was Mr. Wrinkle, a stuffed bear.”

She gazed into the distance, fondly remembering the plush stuffed animal’s soft fur and understanding glass eyes. She’d been sure Mr. Wrinkle turned real at night, and had adventures while she slept.

“He had brown fur and smooth tan feet,” she recalled, “and a little pink bow around his neck.”

“Poor Mr. Wrinkle.” Jake grinned. “Permanently in pink. Did he get his name from the frown lines around his forehead?”

“Har, har.” Marley made a face at him, her mushy memories receding. Time to move onward. She consulted the sketchy notes she’d made earlier in the week. “All right, next. What kind of car did you learn to drive in?”

“An eighty-two Bonneville sedan,” Jake replied. “Straight from the junkyard. My dad and I rebuilt it, then he taught me to drive it. It was the perfect car for a teenage boy—cheap to repair, loud as hell, and too beat-up to go too fast.”

“No speeding tickets?”

“Our police records are not date material,” he said evasively.

“You did have tickets!” Marley cried, fascinated. She’d been dating a reckless bad boy type without even knowing it. The closest she’d come to adolescent rebellion had been eating one too many croissants from the craft services table at a photo shoot. “How many? Dozens? Hundreds?”

“If I’d known it was going to help me pick up chicks,” Jake said, eyeballing her mischievously, “I would’ve gotten a few more.”

“Come on. Tell me.”

Jake shrugged. “About ten. The rest were just warnings.”

“You talked your way out of them, huh? Wow. Jake Jarvis, charm-wielder extraordinaire. Does Noah have any idea of his heritage?”

“No, and he’s damned well not going to. Not if I can help it. Too much charisma is a dangerous thing. See?”

In demonstration, he leaned forward across the table. He waited until she met his gaze, drew in a breath, and kissed her.

In an instant, Marley forgot their pre-quiz prep work, forgot why it was important and when they needed it finished. All she was aware of were Jake’s lips moving seductively over hers, his hand cradling the back of her head, his knee nudging hers beneath the forgotten take-out napkins still spread over their thighs.

“Is Carly okay?” asked a small voice.

They jerked apart, breaking off the kiss. Noah stood there, his brow furrowed.

“Is she okay?” he asked again. “Because one time, the Muppets learned about CPPPR on ‘Sesame Street,’ and it looked just like that when Grover saved the Cookie Monster.”

Jake glanced at her. “You wanna be Grover? Or the big blue guy?” he asked in a low voice.

“I don’t think I’m equipped for either one.”

“Well?” Noah demanded.

“Well, your dad did save me,” Marley said truthfully. “In more ways than one. So I guess—”

“I guess it’s after your bedtime,” Jake interrupted. He stood and scooped up his son in one decisive movement, flinging him over his shoulder. The boy hooted, his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright. “Off to tooth-brushing for you, buddy.”

Noah slumped. “Hey! I’ve gotta say good-night to Carly first!”

“Delaying tactics won’t work,” Jake grumbled. But he shuffled backward until he stood within Marley’s reach again.

“Good-night, Noah,” she said.

“‘Night.” He smiled at her, his boyish grin barely visible between the haphazard strands of his upside-down hair. “See you later.”

Noah puckered up. He blew a kiss. Enchanted, Marley blew him an answering kiss, then smiled. She waved to him as Jake began carrying him toward the bathroom down the hall.

“This will take a little while,” Jake said as he left, “but when I get back, we’re learning all about what kind of car you learned to drive in. And your speeding tickets. So be ready!”

His voice faded. The sounds of splashing water and giggling came from the bathroom, followed by what must have been a disagreement about whether or not soap was actually necessary. Barely listening, Marley sat immobile at the table.

She’d learned to drive in a golf cart at the studio where “Days of our Lives” was taped. She’d later had lessons in a BMW sedan from her personal chauffer, who’d gotten permission from her frazzled mother to demonstrate accelerating, braking, and steering (with varied success). Two years after most teenagers got their driver’s licenses, she’d been quizzed for her driving test by her co-stars on the soap. How could she reveal all that to Jake?

Quickly, Marley tried to concoct a suitable Carly cover story. Learning to drive in an old clunker, like Jake had? Taking lessons at a driving school? Studying for the test with a bunch of high school girlfriends?

Arrgh. This was hopeless. She didn’t want to lie to Jake anymore, Marley realized. And she didn’t have to. The time for the truth was at hand.

 

 

“Noah’s all tucked in,” Jake said as he left the hallway. He hooked a thumb toward his son’s bedroom, with its faint nightlight glow and its cozy warmth. “He’ll be out like a light in no time flat. He’s got Gaffer with him for company.”

He smiled, remembering how the dog had waited obediently outside the bathroom during tooth-brushing time. How he’d padded silently into Noah’s room to hear the evening’s bedtime story about Rainbow Fish. How he’d curled into a ball beside Noah’s bed, plunked his muzzle down, and settled in for a nap next to his new favorite kid.

Okay, so maybe Noah was his only favorite kid, knowing Carly. But that would change once Carly and her Yorkie had spent more time in the Jarvis household. Between sleepovers and birthday parties, there were usually plenty of kids around who—

Hang on a minute. Where was Carly?

Jake scanned the living room. Returned to the kitchen, where their notepads remained—but the food wrappers had been cleaned up. Glanced outside, then scratched his head. No Carly. Nowhere.

Then it hit him. Of course! She’d been waiting for a replay of their afternoon, too. He was sure of it.

With a surge of anticipation, Jake retraced his steps. As he’d expected, he found Carly in his bedroom—staring out the window at the slowly deepening night. He advanced toward her and then hugged her from behind, enveloping her in his arms.

Or at least he tried. Doing so was tricky, given that her arms were crossed over her chest in a gesture both closed-off and pensive. He frowned.

“Why so tense?” Jake asked. “What’s wrong?”

Carly shrugged. The streetlight outside the window illuminated her profile, but otherwise the room was dim.

“If it’s the bedtime routine that’s bugging you, you might as well get used to it. It happens every night at this time.”

“No, that’s not it. I thought it was sweet!” She hesitated, trailing her fingers over the windowsill. “I especially loved the bedtime story.”

“You listened?”

A nod.

Embarrassed, Jake rested his chin on the crown of her head. The position was comfortable. It also had the advantage of making it impossible for Carly to look at his face.

“You were wonderful,” she went on, her tone taking on more energy. “All those funny voices you did! And the faces you made up…wow. I’ll bet Noah loved it.”

“Noah’s asleep,” Jake said huskily. “Or on his way there. From here on out, we have the whole night to ourselves. And I know just the way to help you relax.”

He loosened his grasp, stroked his palms over her tightly folded arms. Gradually, by the barest degree, Carly’s posture eased. Jake nuzzled her neck, blissfully inhaling her unique, feminine scent. First he would show her he loved her. Then he would tell her.

“I can’t think when you touch me,” Carly confessed weakly.

“Then don’t think. Just feel.”

“I have to think. I have to…ohhh.” She turned in his arms, leaning against the windowsill. “I’m telling you, your hands are like a drug. They’re dangerous.”

“Only if you get addicted.” Jake gazed at her in the dimness, possessiveness surging inside him. Carly was his. He wanted to give her everything. “Come closer. I want you to get hooked.”

“Too late,” she murmured. “I already am.”

She raised her mouth for a kiss. Jake was only too happy to deliver it.

Countless minutes later, they’d christened Jake’s massive king-size bed—behind the closed and locked bedroom door, of course. They’d kissed and whispered and loved, tangling the sheets and sharing their hearts. As they’d come together for a second time, Jake had known the course he’d set was the right one. In his bed, in his arms, in his life, Carly Christopher was the woman for him.

He propped himself up on a stack of pillows, then pulled her into the crook of his arm. Idly, he let his fingers play over the subtle curve of her naked breast, revealed only slightly above the sheets they’d haphazardly pulled on. Carly’s legs twined with his. Her heart beat in rhythm with his. Her breath feathered tenderly over his chest. They were sated, happy, thoroughly relaxed. The moment was perfect.

Jake was ready.

He drew in a lungful of air, preparing to speak. At the same moment, Carly angled her head to gaze up at the ceiling.

“Jake, I have something to tell you.”

“What a coincidence. I have something to tell you.”

“Oh, God.” She froze in place. “Are you breaking up with me? Was that a kiss-off encounter? A really sensitive ‘see you later’? I’ve heard of letting a girl down easy, but that’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not that.”

A relieved sigh escaped her. Carly glanced at him. In the faint glow from the window, Jake glimpsed in her expression a mixture of gratitude, happiness…and fear?

“It’s really not that,” he told her, hoping to set her mind at ease. “We’re just getting started.”

“I hope you’ll remember that when I tell you what I have to tell you,” Carly said. “Because we are just getting started, and even though this began by accident between us” –her hand patted his chest, then hers, as though he might not understand which “us” she meant— “I know it could go someplace really special. After ‘Dream Date.’ If we let it.”

Her voice had sped up. Jake detected a faint tremor in it, too. He wondered why. Maybe he’d overplayed his hand, he thought suddenly. Maybe making love to her twice in one day had been overkill. Maybe he’d accidentally entered the One Night Stand Zone with Carly. Maybe she was trying to tell him she just wanted to be bed buddies with him.

Dismay pinned him to the sheets. He wanted more than that. Much, much more.

“I’ve never done this before,” he blurted. “Only with you. You realize that, right?”

She gaze him a quizzical look. “You sure seemed experienced, then,” she teased, momentarily lapsing into the camaraderie they shared. “For a virgin, that is. You’re like a sexual savant, or something.”

At her words, Jake preened. Hell, any man would have. He loved hearing he’d pleased her. Then he remembered Carly was poised to make him her booty call boy, and realized that continuing in this vein could only lead to trouble. He had to change her mind.

“I’ve never slept with a woman in this bed,” he said. “I’ve never let anyone stay over. I want you to stay over.”

He said this decisively, as decisively as he’d proclaimed the baseball glove his favorite childhood toy earlier. In response, Carly blinked at him.

“You’d better hold off on that invitation,” she said softly. “Until you hear what I have to say. Afterward…well, if you still want me, I’ll be here.”

The earnestness in her expression worried him. It was possible, Jake realized, that he’d misread this entire encounter.

“I don’t mean ‘stay over’ just to sleep,” he assured her in his most macho voice. Discreetly, he flexed his biceps. “There can be more to it than that. Lots more.”

“Shhh.” Carly lay her index finger over his lips, then pushed upward. “Just listen. Okay?”

Her eyes begged him for patience. Seriously befuddled now, Jake nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Carly drew in a deep breath, hauled a portion of the sheet upward to cover her. “Here’s the thing. I’m not quite the person you think I am.”

Over the next several minutes, she went on to describe the most mind-boggling series of events Jake had ever heard. It began with something called the “Fantasy Family” Fan Club, continued with real-and-raw Talisha, moved past failed auditions and awful meetings with producers, and swept all the way to the morning he and Carly had met at the “Dream Date” offices.

“I begged the receptionist to make sure we weren’t paired up on the game show,” Carly told him. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to remember what I was supposed to be doing while you were there. And I was right.”

Gesturing passionately, she went on to explain the creation of her “alter ego.” She mentioned Archie (responsible for her awesome classic car), her twin sister Meredith (procurer of her fake waitress’s job and actual owner of her modest apartment), and a whole cadre of assistants and show biz professionals—including Brian and Sondra, bowling partners extraordinaire.

“Then they’re not really beef jerky lovers from Appalachia?” Jake couldn’t help but ask. “Sondra’s not really a stripper? Brian’s not really a garbage man?”

Miserably, Carly shook her head. “We invented all that. To help make you believe in my ‘Dream Date’ persona.”

“But…what about the pole dance move Sondra showed me near the snack bar?”

“Well, you’ve got me there,” Carly mused. “Come to think of it, I’d wondered where she’d picked that up myself.”

She shrugged and launched onward, chattering a mile a minute now. She explained how her twin sister had tutored her in everyday life, how she’d triumphantly ridden the city bus, how she’d learned to clean and do laundry. She described her acting career, grew teary-eyed at remembering her desperation to prove her dramatic versatility, shuddered at the thought of hawking the ZitKit3000 (whatever the hell that was) in an infomercial.

“So you see? I had to do the ‘Dream Date’ thing,” she said urgently, squeezing his hand. “An infomercial is like the seventh level of hell for an actor. Even worse, I would have had second billing to that kid who moons everybody in the Farrelly brothers movies!” She waved her hands, illustrating the horror of the notion. “I was at my wit’s end. There was no choice but to go through with the alter ego plan and hope to make a good impression on ‘Dream Date.’”

Woodenly, Jake listened. Everything she’d been telling him began sinking in. A part of him still couldn’t believe it.

“What happens next?” he asked slowly. “After you ‘make a good impression on ‘Dream Date”?”

She bit her lip. “On the final show, I reveal the real me. The Marley Madison, TV starlet, me,” she said carefully. “The transformation wows the viewing public, I prove my acting talent and versatility—because after all, who’d have guessed Allure’s Best Booty 2001 winner could morph into the girl next door?—and my phone starts ringing off the hook with offers. The publicity alone will be tremendous.”

Wow. It was quite a plan, Jake thought in a detached way. Crazy, but with a kooky logic. Given the media’s mania for transformation stories, given the public’s thirst for novelty and surprise…well, her scheme might actually work.

“Everything’s been going according to plan,” she said, still explaining. “Brian and Sondra have seen early cuts of our dates, and they say Carly’s been fabulous. They say I’m a new me! A me that’s going to hit the big time again. Once the producers and directors and casting agents in this town get a load of what I can do—out of my usual type—they won’t be able to get enough of me.”

Jake was silent. By now he couldn’t think. He could only feel. And what he felt was duped. Betrayed. Played for a fool by a famous Hollywood actress who’d used him as a prop in her outrageous bid for success.

“At least,” she said a bit more meekly, “that’s what my people say.”

Her people? Jesus. She wasn’t the same person he’d fallen in love with at all. Jake grunted, unable to move for the torrent of feelings inside him. For her, this had all been pretend. For him, it had been…so much more.

Until now.

He couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t even look at her. Instead Jake scanned the room—the room where he’d so stupidly begun showing his love to her—trying to pull himself together. His gaze fell on the stack of “Dream Date” paperwork on the bureau. At the sight, another thought struck him.

This was only a preview. A sample of the colossal disclosure Carly would make during the game show’s live finale. A taste of the debacle she’d make of his life, his reputation, his job. Jake would be a laughingstock—the only KKZP “team player” to not only fumble the ball, but to turn it over to the other team for an embarrassing touchdown. His contract would be forfeit. His public image would probably be shot to hell, too. It would be nearly impossible for him to find another anchor’s job.

All the security and stability he’d wanted for Noah…gone.

“Jake?” She touched his arm, her voice worried. “Say something. You’re scaring me.”

He shafted her an anguished look. Carly wasn’t the open and honest woman he’d fallen in love with. She was a stranger. A fraud who’d used both him and his son to fulfill her own selfish, Hollywood-style needs.

“I’m still me,” she said, tugging on his arm with her stranger’s grasp. “I’m a better me! Don’t you see? All the important things I told you about me were true. Because of this—because of you—I’ve learned so much. I’ve loved so much.”

“Don’t say that.” Jake couldn’t bear to hear it. More lies from her only meant more wanting from him.

“It’s true! I’m me, but I’m Carly, too.” Tears filled her eyes and a wobbly smile pushed its way onto her face. “I know it sounds schizophrenic. But both of us love you.”

Jake shook off her hand. He had to get away. To think. To plan. To find some way to deal with this disaster. He hurled away the sheets and got to his feet.

“No!” she cried, lurching after him.

The bedding billowed as she flung out her arms. He moved before she could grab him.

“I trusted you, Jake.” Her voice sounded hoarse, husky with unshed tears. She beat her fist on the mattress. “I trusted you enough to tell you the truth.”

He’d trusted her enough to love her. He was an idiot.

“I know this is a shock,” she went on, “but please, don’t go. We can handle this. I know we can.”

Jake yanked on his jeans. Faced her. “I don’t want to.”

She flinched. Her mouth opened in shock. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered. “Nobody who looked at me—who touched me—the way you did could mean that.”

“I do.” He couldn’t think about touching her. About looking at her, and loving her. If he did, Jake knew he might waver. In this, he had to be absolutely clear. “I want you to leave.”

“Okay.” She sighed. “Okay.”

Holding up her hands in surrender, Carly rolled over in bed. She scooped clothes from the floor with shaky hands, then put them on in as hunched-over and hidden a fashion as she could. Finally she stood, a rumpled but dignified princess.

A Hollywood princess.

Hell.

Already she looked different to him. Was different.

“I know you probably need time to think this over,” she said, sounding reasonable. “That’s perfectly understandable.”

“I don’t need time.” Dark, desperate humor rose to his defense. “I need a strategy. Possibly a lawyer. And after your celebrity coming-out party two days from now, I’ll probably need a new job. But most of all, I need you to get out.”

“What?”

Fury finally won. Jake raked his hands through his hair, barely able to speak for the turmoil inside him. “Carly—Marley—whatever the fuck your name is—get out!”

Her startled eyes widened. Her face crumpled. When she spoke again, the effort it cost her was obvious.

“But Jake, I…I love you. I thought” —a gulping sob cut short her words— “I thought you might love me, too. You have to let me explain!”

He turned his back on her. “You’ve done all the ‘explaining’ I can stand.”

Silence fell between them. In the room where Jake had loved her, where he’d planned to tell her he loved her, he now felt his heart breaking. It was a real physical sensation, a hollow pain behind his breastbone that wouldn’t ease. So long as she stood there, so long as he felt her presence…he knew it never would.

“Go!” he roared.

She gasped. He heard her shoes clatter together as she hastily grabbed them, heard her feet tread barefoot across the carpet. A faint breeze stirred. Jake fancied it was Carly, returned to herself again and come to hold him in her arms. He hesitated, feeling the same yearning he always did when she was near.

The door closed softly behind her.

He was alone. Fisting his hands tighter, Jake stared unseeing out the window where he’d stood together with Carly only a few short hours ago. The view would never be the same.

From here on, neither would he.

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Two

 

Marley moved through the dimness of Jake’s apartment, gathering her things with shaky hands. Around her, everything was quiet. The spicy smell of Mexican food still hung faintly in the air, and the furniture stood with perfect normalcy in the shadows, but she knew things were anything but normal. They would never be normal again.

Jake didn’t want her. He didn’t love her, and he didn’t need her. In the moment between living her life as “Carly” and becoming herself in his eyes, everything they’d shared together had vanished. Everything.

Why had she been so stupid as to tell the truth?

Her throat tightened with tears she refused to shed. Somehow Marley made it to the front door. She dropped her shoes and rammed her feet uncaringly into them, then retrieved her purse. All that remained was getting Gaffer, and then…

Her gaze fell on the gift bag she’d left on the table. Noah’s gift. With a decisive movement, she picked it up.

The boy was sleeping peacefully, Marley saw as she hesitated in his doorway. He’d tangled his little body inside a pile of cartoon-print bedding, arms and legs outflung, and his perfect chubby cheeks were angelic as he dreamed. His hair stuck up wildly, though—a dead giveaway to his true energetic nature. At his feet in the glow of the nightlight, Gaffer perked up his ears. He regarded Marley curiously.

Aren’t we staying here? his canine gaze seemed to ask. I thought we were staying here.

She’d thought so, too. But it turned out that although everyone else in her life wanted her as a successful actress, the only man she’d ever truly loved wouldn’t have her as that very thing. The irony of it all was more painful than Marley could bear.

“Sorry, boy,” she whispered to her dog, gesturing for him to come and be leashed. “I thought this might last, too.”

She stifled a sob, burying her fingers in Gaffer’s soft fur. Knowing something was wrong, the Yorkie nuzzled her. He pushed at her arm with his nose, his eyes kind and worried.

Geez. Doggie pity was the last thing she could handle right now. She just didn’t have the strength. Marley sucked in a wavering breath and snapped Gaffer’s leash to his collar.

As she did, an abrupt sound came from the bedroom down the hall. Jake. She couldn’t let him find her here. Still. Lingering, waiting, reluctant to leave. Marley didn’t think she could endure another harsh command from him tonight.

I need you to get out. Get out!

Remembering the look on Jake’s face when he’d finally understood her deception, Marley choked back another sob. He’d been shocked, anguished, infuriated. Never had his features looked so stark as they had tonight. Never had he looked so forbidding.

So final.

Noah shifted in his sleep and Marley knew she had to finish what she’d come here to do. She retrieved the gift bag, at the sight of it filled with bittersweet memories of how excited she’d been to find the surprise inside, how proud she’d been to have wrapped it herself instead of springing for her usual perfect-but-impersonal store gift wrap. At the time, she’d thought doing so had been a reflection of all the ways she’d changed.

Now she knew she’d only been fooling herself.

Holding her breath, Marley set the incongruously cheerful gift on Noah’s bedside. She stood beside him, lingering only long enough to memorize the boy’s sleeping features—and to blow an air kiss for him to remember her by.

She’d have sworn his little hand fisted to catch it.

Another sound came from down the hallway, and Marley knew her time was up. With a silent good-bye for Noah, she picked up Gaffer. Cradling him close, she paused in the hallway to cast a longing glance toward Jake’s closed door. She would miss him. In fact, going on without him felt pretty well impossible right now. How would she endure each day without his smile, his voice, his touch? His laugh?

She needed him like she needed gravity—to hold her steady. Without Jake, Marley didn’t know how life would ever feel good or true again.

Finally, there was nothing to do but go on. Feeling empty inside, Marley straightened her shoulders. Somehow she found the strength to turn away, to start moving, to walk down the hallway into the living room. There, Marley paused for a final whispered, “Good-bye.”

Then she let herself out of the apartment…and out of Jake’s life forever.

 

 

Jake didn’t know how long he sat propped against his pillow-cushioned headboard, lit sporadically by the flash of the bedroom’s TV screen as he mindlessly surfed the channels. He knew that he made it through Sports Center, part of the news, a late broadcast of women’s bowling. He paused on an infomercial for a knife-sharpening system and blinked thoughtfully at the has-been actor hawking the product.

Was that guy as miserable as Carly—no, Marley, dammit—claimed she’d have been, if forced to do similar acting work?

Scowling, Jake worked the remote again. He found little relief in the constantly changing channels, but neither could he sleep. Memories of Marley’s deception whirled in his head, alternating only with remembrances of the moment she’d left him tonight.

Thank God he hadn’t actually told her he loved her.

Music videos, talk shows, and “Saturday Night Live” reruns flickered past. Jake paused to rub his gritty eyes with his thumb and forefinger. It was possible he had some kind of freakish emotional hangover, he thought—the result of too much feeling in too little time. He didn’t have the faintest idea how to cure the damned thing.

In his one unguarded moment, the theme music from “Dream Date” blasted from the set. A commercial. Jolted, he grabbed the remote and changed channels. Being reminded of the game show was the last thing he wanted.

Okay, second to last thing. Because next Jake stumbled upon one of L.A.‘s independent stations, currently showing reruns of a particular hit sitcom. The sight of a familiar smile and sassy sashay caught him completely off guard.

“Fantasy Family.” What were the odds?

Transfixed despite himself, Jake stared at the actors onscreen, recognizing Marley as the ditzy Southern belle she’d portrayed. He’d seen promos for the show, of course. A few years ago, it had been a top-ten Nielsen hit. Jake would’ve had to have been living under a rock not to have been aware of the publicity juggernaut surrounding the show. All of “Fantasy Family’s” cast members had become stars—but none had shone more brightly than Marley Madison.

Telling himself it was only curiosity that held him there, Jake relaxed his grasp on the remote. He studied the TV screen, frowning. As the episode ended and another began (“A full hour of your favorite ‘Family’!” the voice-over announced gleefully), he couldn’t stop watching. He’d never seen the show from start to finish. His exposure had been limited to snippets on Emmy broadcasts or on KKZP’s entertainment news. Probably that was part of the reason he hadn’t recognized Marley as herself immediately.

There was more to it than that, though, Jake mused. TV starlet Marley had luxurious pale blond hair, loads of makeup, a barely there wardrobe and a self-important attitude. Real-life Marley (or at least Carly) had casual, shoulder-length brown hair, light makeup, feminine clothes…and an attitude filled with everything he’d ever wanted. Laughter. Thoughtfulness. Sexy openness.

As the mush-hearted realization struck him, Jake frowned anew. So he could be forgiven for not recognizing her. Big deal. What he couldn’t be forgiven for was falling for her. That had been beyond idiotic.

He’d never considered himself particularly gullible. Apparently, he was. Marley Madison had dangled her girly girl bait, hooked him like a prizewinning trout, and reeled him in. Jake would have preferred to skip the part where she gutted him, though. It just hurt too much.

Exhausted and bleary-eyed, he made himself switch channels again. The glare of a bright home shopping channel jerked him partway awake. Jolted by it, Jake switched back to the “Fantasy Family” station.

Ahhh. Carly.

Her face teased him from the TV screen, reminding him of everything they’d shared. The TV Carly/Marley was different, but if he took off his horn-rims and settled for squinting, Jake could almost make himself believe the woman he loved was still there with him.

Next thing he knew, he was waking up to uncomfortably bright sunlight, the drone of the morning news, and the sounds of people talking in the next room. His mom? One of his brothers? It sounded like them, but it couldn’t be. Today was Sunday. The only person Jake should have been forced to confront on a weekend morning was Noah, dragging in a blanket to watch Nick Jr. on the floor of Jake’s bedroom.

Fiercely, Jake flung off the covers, then went to find out what the hell was going on.

 

 

“Wake up, everybody!” Marley cried. She strode into her familiar Hollywood Hills bungalow with her head held high and an uneven smile plastered on her face, clapping her hands to alert the staff to her presence. Gaffer trotted along faithfully at her side. He collapsed on the rug near the foyer, undoubtedly pushed to his doggie limits by the sleepless night they’d passed together. “It’s brunch time!”

“Marley?” The cook bustled down the hall, wiping her hands on an apron. “We didn’t expect you. Especially for brunch.”

“I know. That’s why I’m having this one catered. No hard feelings, okay?” Marley turned to the food service workers who’d followed her in and began directing traffic. “You can start setting up in the kitchen. Right down that hallway.”

They nodded and passed by her, carrying trays and utensils and platters of prepared food as they followed the bewildered cook to the rear of the house.

“Marley?” Candace emerged from her bedroom, yawning as she pulled on a robe. The personal assistant shoved her hair from her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d be back until tomorrow, to get ready for the ‘Dream Date’ taping. Is everything okay?”

Since there was no possible way to answer that question without falling apart completely, Marley didn’t attempt to. Instead, she gave Candace a hug.

“You’ll come to brunch too, of course, won’t you?” she asked, forcing cheerfulness into her voice. Just because her world had fallen apart didn’t mean she couldn’t still entertain. Did it? “Please call up Heather and Brian and Sondra when you get a chance, too. I’m dying to see everyone. I feel as though I’ve been trapped in Siberia!”

“Well, Meredith’s neighborhood isn’t the most posh…”

“There you are!” Marley cried, spotting the florist’s delivery person hovering outside the opened doorway. She beckoned the girl closer, watching as she maneuvered between the catering staff. “Just put those in the dining room, please. Gerbera daisies! My favorite!”

Briskly, Marley nodded as the flowers were carried away. Their yellow blossoms nodded cheerfully in the early morning light. With things beginning to bustle all around her, she finally felt the tiniest bit distracted.

Thank God she’d hit upon this plan. She needed something like this. After losing Jake, getting through this day—one minute at a time—had been all she could consider attempting.

“Marley?” Meredith stood at the top of the stairs which overlooked the foyer, gawping at her twin sister. “What are you doing here?”

“Brunch!” Marley cried, flinging out her arms. “Everyone’s invited!”

Hastily, Meredith rushed downstairs. Her filmy pink robe—hang on, Marley’s filmy pink robe—fluttered around her ankles. When she’d reached the bottom, Marley recognized the expensive silk georgette La Perla negligee her sister was wearing, too. It was one Marley had had made especially for herself while visiting Italy. She couldn’t believe Meredith—“sleep in an old T-shirt and men’s boxer shorts Meredith”—was actually wearing it.

Exactly what, she wondered, had her sister been doing in Marley’s place while she’d been gone?

“You’re not supposed to be here until tomorrow,” Meredith said, sounding breathless. She cast a worried glance toward the upstairs bedroom. “Is everything okay?”

“That’s what I wanted to know,” Candace said.

They both stared at her expectantly, hands on hips.

“What? Stop looking so worried.” Marley waved her arm blithely. “I just decided to get an early start on returning to my real life, that’s all. I am so ready to end this boooring alter ego business.”

She cast aside her handbag and strode to the fireplace. Ahhh. Her Emmy was still there on the mantel, brilliantly gold and beautiful, representing her talent and accomplishments. She might not have true love, but she did have…awards.

A sob threatened to shove through her chipper demeanor. Ruthlessly, Marley choked it down. She turned her back on her award and addressed her assistant and sister again.

“Will you two quit looking so bewildered? It’s not as though I’m doing something wrong, you know. I’m me again. And I’m throwing a party! A brunch party.”

A meaningful look passed between Meredith and Candace.

“I’ll go make those calls,” Candace said, whirling toward her in-house office. The door shut behind her.

“I’ll…be right back,” Meredith said at the same moment. “Don’t move!”

About four minutes later, her sister returned. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were bright…her breath was coming faster. Wow, Marley thought distractedly. Her wardrobe really agreed with Meredith.

“I think we should go shopping together later,” Marley suggested gaily.

Sure. Shopping would provide even more distraction. While shopping, she couldn’t come completely undone and she couldn’t beg Jake to take her back, either.

She’d definitely have to leave her cell phone at home.

“Wouldn’t that be fun?” Marley urged her sister.

To her dismay, her voice cracked, ruining the unaffected casualness she’d been striving so hard for. She’d known her broken heart would make pulling it off pretty tough…but hey, she was an actress, wasn’t she? Acting was all she’d ever excel at. All she’d ever have. All she’d ever, ever, ever, ever have.

Oh, God.

Marley forced herself to go on. “We can get some new things for you—things a lot like the outfit you’re wearing—”

Meredith glanced down at herself, as though realizing what she wore for the first time. She blushed.

“—and some new things for me. I’ll need something really vivacious for tomorrow’s taping. After all, it’s not every day I come out as the real me. I’ll need a starlet-worthy wardrobe for the job. Then the contrast between me and Carly will be even greater!”

“Right. About that…” Meredith gently took her arm.

A half hour later, Marley found herself seated in her living room, surrounded by friends and family. What had begun as a careful inquiry on her sister’s part had morphed into a free-for-all that was making it harder and harder for Marley to maintain her jovial cover.

“We’re worried about you,” Candace repeated for the second time. “We know something’s happened. Is it Jake? Did he—”

“Look, we need to get on with brunch,” Marley interrupted.

As it turned out, she was completely unable to hear Jake’s name without wanting to curl up and bawl. Thinking of him was just too hard. Knowing she’d never be with him was even worse. Desperately, she cast about for another topic.

“I should really call Andre and make an appointment to have my hair returned to its real color.”

“Your ‘real color’ is the same as mine,” Meredith protested, holding out a hank of brown hair in demonstration. “You already have your real color.”

Marley poo-pooed the notion. “Not my natural hair color! My true color. Blond, like Tara.” She crossed her legs and assumed a debutante’s pose, ready to deliver the catchphrase that had helped make her famous. “Why, I do declare! I do declare, indeed!”

Instead of the applause that usually greeted her drawled exclamation, there was silence. Marley slumped a little as everyone exchanged concerned glances.

“Marley, honey.” Her mother scooted closer on the sofa, grasping her hand. “You do know you’re not really Tara, right?”

“Of course I am. I’m Tara from ‘Fantasy Family.’ That’s all I’ll ever be.”

Sondra and Brian looked perplexed. “Until tomorrow, you mean,” Brian said. “After you finish the ‘Dream Date’ taping, you’ll have lots of new options.”

“That’s right,” Sondra agreed.

“Of course. Now let’s eat.” Marley stood.

Heather dragged her back down. The publicist leaned forward seriously. “What is it that you’re not telling us? Something is obviously bothering you.”

Murmurs of agreement were heard.

“What could be bothering me?” Marley protested.

Heather ignored her. “When I got here, you didn’t even ask me for the press clips I brought.”

“You didn’t ask me if I’d had any offers for you,” Sondra said. “You didn’t even ask about overseas commercials.”

“That’s right,” Brian said, getting in on the act. “You didn’t ask me if I had any new career ideas for you.”

“You didn’t ask me,” her mother chimed in, “what I thought of your brunch menu. Eggs Benedict is so last year. Everyone who’s anyone is going multicultural. In my new Indonesian cooking class, I learned a fabulous recipe you should try.”

Meredith raised her head. “You didn’t ask me what the hell I’m doing wearing your clothes.”

Everyone gasped.

Marley bit her lip. They were on to her. Not even her acting abilities had been enough to save her this time.

“I have to know everything if I’m going to do an effective PR job,” Heather said seriously. “Damage control doesn’t happen overnight.”

Marley wavered. “Damage control” sounded pretty good right now. If Heather could magically transport her back to last night, let her take back the truths she’d revealed to Jake…

No. The real truth was, Jake didn’t want her. He didn’t love her. Not even knowing that Marley had, in many ways, revealed all the most vulnerable parts of herself to him had been enough to change things. She’d tried to be an everyday, ordinary girl-next-door…and she’d failed.

Obviously, she should have stuck with what worked for her. From here on out, that’s exactly what she intended to do.

“I don’t need damage control.” Marley stood and bestowed her best what-do-you-mean-the-other-nominee-won? smile on the group. “I don’t need all of you worrying about me, and I don’t even need brunch. Truth is, I ought to be dieting again, anyway. What I do need is a fabulous outfit for tomorrow. I’m off to shop!”

Before anyone could disagree, she picked up Gaffer and bolted for the door. Let them hold their inquisition without her, Marley thought. If her staff wouldn’t help her carry out this career-saving plan the way she’d originally intended to, then she’d simply have to do it all herself.

She would, too, Marley vowed as she got into her car and gave the necessary address to her driver. Just as soon as she managed to stop the tears that had struck the instant she’d found herself on her own.

 

 

Jake stood at the threshold of his apartment’s living room. “What the hell is going on here?” he demanded.

“Shhh. Little pitchers have big ears,” his mother said, bustling toward him. She held a basket of flowers in both hands and wore a big smile on her perfectly made-up face. “Noah’s right over there.”

She nodded toward her grandson, who was engrossed in playing near the TV. Jake frowned and gestured pointedly at the people milling about his apartment.

“Mom, why are you here? It’s Sunday. I sleep in on Sunday.”

“You need to sleep in on Sunday,” Stephanie observed, squinting at him. She put down her flowers and stood, hands on hips, examining him. “You look terrible. Why don’t you go shave, and we’ll talk about this when you’re presentable?”

Jake crossed his arms and stared her down.

“Fine!” She pretended to be engrossed in arranging her flowers. “I’ll tell you. Your cousin Ronald is coming to town tomorrow, and we thought it would be nice if he stayed with you.”

“Ronald? Boogers-and-butt-music Ronald?”

“He’s an adult now. He’s learned self-control.”

“I don’t care. He can’t stay here.”

Stephanie looked crushed. “But we already have Ulrich at our place. Besides, everything’s almost ready!”

She gestured toward the rest of the room. His brothers and Bethany were there, too, Jake saw, carrying in groceries, more flowers, and extra pillows for the sofa bed. The activity swirled around him, making his head hurt. Obviously, his mother was on one of her family first entertaining missions, and everyone was expected to chip in. Including Jake.

“How did you get in here, anyway?” he asked.

“A mother should have a key to her son’s apartment,” Stephanie said primly.

“I never gave you a key.”

“I know. Don’t think for a minute that didn’t make things more difficult!”

Jake rolled his eyes. This was too much for him. Especially on a day like today. What he really needed was to formulate a strategy for dealing with “Dream Date.” He didn’t have time for a houseguest.

Especially one who thought “Fear Factor” was must-see TV.

“Go. Shower.” Stephanie gave him a nudge with her elbow. “You’ll feel better about this when you’re clean.”

“Mom, I’m not falling for that. I’m not six years old anymore. I know soap and water isn’t magic.”

“It’s not?” Noah asked from across the room, his little face turning toward them. “But Daddy, you said—”

“Now you’ve done it,” Stephanie muttered, stifling a grin.

Jake smacked his hand on his forehead. What the hell had ever compelled him to recycle the same stupid tactics his parents had used on him?

“Daddy didn’t mean that, sport,” he said, going to Noah. He crouched beside him, hoping to undo the bath-motivating damage he’d just caused. “Of course soap and water is magic. Why else would bath time be so—hey. What’s that you’re playing with?”

“A new toy!” his son exclaimed. With a wide smile, he held it up for Jake to see. “I found it wrapped up beside my bed this morning. Do you think Santa brought it?”

Jake looked at the toy Noah grasped. It was a stuffed bear with brown fur, smooth tan feet, kind glass eyes…and a little pink bow around its neck. It looked new. It looked cuddly.

It looked exactly like… “Mr. Wrinkle,” Jake said.

Noah boggled. “How did you know his name? You didn’t see the card that came with him.”

“Lucky guess,” Jake managed to say. Just looking at the stupid bear made his heart clutch, all over again. Creakily, he got to his feet. “A bear like that’s probably too babyish for you, though, right?” he asked his son in a too-hearty voice. “You’d probably rather have another G.I. Joe or a Duplo set.”

“No!” Noah cried. He clutched the bear to his chest and squeezed. “I love Mr. Wrinkle. I always wanted him.”

“You couldn’t have always wanted him,” Jake argued, pushed beyond the point of reasonableness by this reminder of Carly. Marley. Arrgh. “You didn’t even know he existed.”

“I did too!”

“That’s impossible!”

“You can’t take him,” Noah said, his lower lip jutting out.

“Oh, yeah?” Jake stepped forward.

“Jake.” His mother’s voice cut off whatever idiotic thing he’d been about to say. “Go take your shower,” she urged. “Whatever’s bothering you isn’t Noah’s fault.”

“But Mom—”

“Go.” In a no-nonsense way, she pointed toward the distant bathroom. “Right now.”

Great. He’d morphed into an eight-year-old again. He cast a defiant glance toward Mr. Wrinkle…and his pathetic heart squeezed again.

He missed her. Despite everything, he missed her.

Jake pressed his lips together and headed for the hallway. An instant before he got there, his mother scurried up behind him. She threw her arms around him and gave a gentle hug.

“Hang in there, honey,” Stephanie said, patting him on the back. “Whatever’s happened, we’ll all get through it together.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Briefly, Jake hugged her back, ridiculously comforted by her familiar embrace. Her grip was the same, her scent was the same, her murmured words were the same. In his lifetime, his mother had chased away bogeymen and hurt feelings alike with her embrace. She’d celebrated home runs and graduations with it. Wrapped in its power, Jake wanted to believe everything would somehow turn out for the best.

The trouble was, now he knew her curative powers were only as magical as soap and water. In this, he needed so much more.

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Three

 

Marley was trying on her third ensemble in the exclusive private rooms of her favorite up-and-coming L.A. designer when they caught up with her.

“We thought we’d find you here!” Candace said from the head of the pack. Sondra, Brian, Imogene, Heather, and Meredith filed in behind her, all wearing jointly accusing looks. “What do you mean by running out on us? We’re trying to help you.”

“I don’t need help.” Pivoting, Marley scrutinized the effect of her fuchsia wrap dress, movie-star sunglasses, and high-heeled slingbacks in the mirror. “I’m fine.”

Something about the outfit didn’t feel right. Like the sequin-spangled tank top and silk pants she’d tried earlier, it seemed…off. Almost as though designer duds no longer suited her—ridiculous as that idea was. She beckoned the designer’s staff. Three employees surged forward immediately, each bearing a different set of luxurious clothes.

“I’ll try that one,” she declared, pointing to a gorgeous pale violet skirt and sheer printed blouse. The employee nodded and took the outfit to the fitting area. Pursing her lips, Marley examined her reflection again. “No, this will never do. But I’m glad you’re all here. You can help me choose something for tomorrow.”

“About tomorrow,” Sondra said. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“Because if you are, we can re-think this whole ‘Dream Date’ plan. There are other options, you know.”

“Other options?” Marley made a dismissive sound and stepped off the platform near the mirror. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going through with it. I said I would, and I will.”

After all, everyone was depending on her. Her staff, her entourage, everyone in this room. They, at least, needed her.

Determinedly, she strode into the fitting area. A few minutes later, she emerged wearing the pastel skirt and shirt ensemble, new strappy heels, and—again—her sunglasses. They were more than a TV star affectation. They hid the effects of her crying jag earlier. Her crying jag last night. Her crying jag over coffee, over getting made up, over doing her hair and remembering the touch of Jake’s hand as he smoothed a wayward strand over her cheek.

Stop it.

“Now this is more like it,” Marley said, turning to view herself from all sides in the three-way mirror. Nearby, the designer’s staff murmured appreciatively. “The skirt is the perfect length, the sheer top is sexy…this is something Carly Christopher wouldn’t be caught dead in.”

“I liked Carly,” Sondra said wistfully.

“She was a hoot to bowl with,” Brian added.

“She actually went rock climbing with her mother,” Imogene put in, folding her arms. “She wasn’t so bad.”

“As a matter of fact,” Sondra said, casting a glance toward Brian, “she was a lot like you, Marley.”

Marley dismissed the idea with a roll of her eyes. “Sure. We had the same birthday.”

“So do we.” Meredith shook her head. “We’re not alike at all.”

“Carly was a means to an end,” Marley told them. “She’s not necessary anymore.”

“That may be true,” Brian said. “But I hope you keep a little of her around.”

This was ridiculous. Why were they all so obsessed with her alter ego? Jake had been quick enough to dismiss both of them last night.

“Okay, let’s have some focus here,” Marley snapped, straightening her posture. She smoothed her skirt, then fussed with her hair in an attempt to brainstorm a starlet style. “Will this outfit knock the socks off the ‘Dream Date’ people? Will it make the audience gasp when they find out that me and Carly are the same person?”

Reluctantly, everyone nodded. With an air of defeat, Heather sat in an antique gilt chair near the mirror. Idly, she pet Gaffer. The Yorkie had been to many designer fittings—he was perfectly well-behaved. Marley was proud of him. All morning, he hadn’t so much as yipped.

She turned to the assistants. “I’ll need accessories, too. A handbag, these shoes, maybe even some jewelry. Although I can always borrow something—”

“Oh, no,” Heather said.

Marley raised her eyebrows. She swiveled to look at her publicist. “What’s the matter? You don’t think I can get a loan from Harry Winston on such short notice?”

“It’s not that. It’s Gaffer.”

“What’s wrong?” Instantly concerned, Marley rushed to her dog’s side. She crouched beside the Yorkie, murmuring to him as she examined him for bumps or bruises or any sign of illness. “He’s prone to seasonal allergies, but I don’t think—”

She stopped. Gasped. With one hand on Gaffer’s collar, she stared at what she’d found. “Oh, my God.”

They all crowded forward. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s his collar,” Marley said slowly, pointing at the dog’s red patent leather accessory. “The decorator stones are black. Oh, Gaffer!”

“So? You switched his collar from the one with blue ‘gems’ to one with black ‘gems.’ Big deal,” her mother said, shrugging. “I prefer the rhinestone collars myself, but I don’t see where this is something to get so worked up about.”

Sadly, Marley stroked poor Gaffer’s fur. “This is the collar with the blue stones. They’ve turned black because” —her voice wobbled— “because it’s a mood collar!”

A shocked silence followed as the importance of this sunk in.

Meredith snorted. “Oh, puh-leeze. A mood collar? Tell me you’re not serious.”

“She’s serious,” Candace said, nodding. “Mood collars are the latest thing for pets. Haven’t you seen them on TV? In magazines? At a glance, you can see how your dog or cat is feeling.”

“Dark blue means perky,” Heather explained. Marley knew that her publicist’s calico cat had a mood collar, too. “Green means perplexed, red-brown means introspective—”

“And black means depressed!” Marley wailed, now on her knees on the floor, heedless of her designer clothes. She nuzzled Gaffer, finally taking off her sunglasses and casting them aside. “I’ve depressed my dog! What kind of horrible person am I?”

They all huddled around her, telling her she wasn’t a horrible person at all. They made sympathetic sounds. Offered tentative jokes. Her mother hugged her, and even skeptical Meredith managed a few pats for Gaffer.

Marley appreciated their support. But somehow, knowing Gaffer was unhappy too made it impossible for her to hold in her own misery any longer. Tears ran down her face as she dragged the Yorkie onto her lap and cradled him there.

“I’m sorry, Gaffer. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” she babbled. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

A new silence fell as her entourage considered her words. Then Sondra spoke up.

“Doing the right thing?” she asked. “What ‘right thing’?”

“Telling Jake the truth about me.” Sucking in an unsteady breath, Marley glanced upward. Her heart squeezed in regret as she remembered losing the man she loved. “Last night. I told him everything. About me. About Carly. About inventing my alter ego. He deserved to know. I couldn’t lie anymore.”

Sondra and Brian exchanged a startled glance. Heather looked thoughtful. Candace bit her lip. Only Imogene and Meredith seemed unfazed by the news.

“Good for you, dear,” her mother said, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder. “I’m sure you did the right thing.”

“Mom’s right,” Meredith agreed. “You have to tell the truth to the man you’re in love with.”

Several gasps were heard.

“In love?” Sondra and Brian asked.

“Really?” Heather and Candace said in unison.

“Of course,” Meredith replied, giving them all a look to match her it’s obvious tone. “I knew Marley had fallen for Jake the minute she actually put on that waitress’s uniform and showed up at the museum diner. The old Marley would have settled for interviewing a few employees to add ‘flavor’ to her research. But the new Marley really tried to do a good job.”

“That accident with the toaster was not my fault.” Marley sniffled, then lay her cheek against Gaffer’s usually perky ears. She sighed. Poor Gaffer.

“I know.” Her sister grinned. She went on. “I knew it was love the minute Marley told me she’d gone to visit Bobby Christopher, and the minute she actually agreed to appear in public with no makeup. In stripes and plaid, no less.”

Heather and Candace gawked at this purposeful and un-Marley-like fashion faux pas.

“Only true love could have motivated my sister to go to such extremes,” Meredith said. “Only true love could have motivated her to honestly change on the inside. Marley’s career might be important to her, but there are limits. I mean, come on. She actually went bowling.”

They all nodded, obviously seeing the logic in this.

“Marley set out to learn real life, and she did,” Meredith said, giving her sister a brief hug. “Sort of. But what she really learned was real love.”

Love. At Meredith’s words, Marley let out a new wail. “And then I lost it!” she cried. “Jake doesn’t want me. He’s right not to want me! I’m a big liar.”

“You’re an actress,” Imogene said soothingly.

“Same thing,” Marley grumbled. “It gets worse, too! I realized it last night. There’s more at stake here than love. There’s Jake’s job, too. After I make my big revelation tomorrow, he’ll probably lose his sportscasting contract.”

“Huh?” Candace asked.

With some effort, Marley explained the whole thing to them. As she talked, the designer’s staff disappeared into the other room—ostensibly to find more potential ensembles—leaving her to dole out the painful reality of the situation in privacy.

“So,” she finished, “once I reveal myself as Marley, I’ll kick-start my career and make the last month of pain and suffering worthwhile, just as I’d planned. But at the same time, I’ve lost Jake! And I’ve hurt him, too. He told me how important ‘Dream Date’ was to his news director. I’ll probably ruin his chances for his contract renewal forever. He’ll look like an idiot for believing in Carly.”

“He’ll look like he believed your acting ability,” Brian said loyally. “The same way everyone else at ‘Dream Date’ did.”

“That’s right,” Sondra agreed. “That’s the whole point of this. You’re on the brink of achieving everything you’ve ever wanted for your career! Don’t give up now. Remember, you don’t know that your surprise will ruin things for Jake.”

Marley disagreed. “You didn’t see his reaction last night. It was about more than losing me. It was about losing face. About losing his shot at something he really wants for his job. He didn’t just do this on a lark, you know. He had to. His boss made him.” She sighed, dispirited. “He really loves sportscasting, too.”

“I’ll bet it was mostly about losing you,” Imogene protested, giving her daughter a squeeze. “That would make anyone feel bad.”

“Sure,” Heather added. “How great can sportscasting really be, anyway?”

“It’s great. For Jake.” Squaring her shoulders, Marley gave Gaffer another pat. She might have been imagining it, but it almost looked as though his collar’s mood stones had begun lightening a bit. “I want him to be happy. The trouble is, I don’t have much of a choice here. Either I let myself and all of you down, or I let Jake down.”

They stared at her. She imagined them worrying, fearing for their jobs and the way of life they’d become used to. Everything she and her staff took for granted would be gone if Marley didn’t revitalize her career somehow.

“Honestly…my loyalty has to lie with the people who’ve loved me my whole life. Not with the man who” –she gulped, reluctant to say the words aloud— “who can’t even stand the sight of me.”

“Oh, Marley. That’s too harsh, isn’t it?” Sondra asked.

“No,” she sobbed. “It isn’t. And I’d better just get over it right now. Because I need to get busy. I need to get over to Andre’s for that hair color appointment.”

Resolutely, she stood. She had to go on. Somehow.

“But you found true love!” Candace insisted. “You can’t give up on it, just like that!”

With a sniffle, Marley wiped her eyes. She swept them all with a pleading look. “What else can I do? Jake doesn’t love me back. That’s the truth. Is one-sided ‘true love’ really worth sacrificing everything I’ve worked my whole life for?”

They looked down. No one had an answer for that one.

 

 

Jake showered and shaved, dressed and brooded. Then he emerged from his bedroom and apologized to Noah.

“Mr. Wrinkle is from Carly,” he told his son as they sat on the living room floor together, the stuffed bear in Noah’s arms. “He’s a lot like a special bear she had when she was a little girl. Even though we won’t be seeing much of Carly anymore” –it seemed sensible to use her alter ego name, so as not to confuse Noah— “you should feel free to play with Mr. Wrinkle all you want. I think Carly would have liked that.”

Noah frowned. “Is Carly mad at us?”

“Not…exactly.”

“Then why won’t we see her very much?”

Jake hesitated. Just thinking of her made his heart ache. He purposely relaxed his fisted hands, then went on. “She’ll be very busy. With her job. It’s important to her.”

“But I want to see her. I made a picture to show her.”

Looking at Noah’s puzzled face, Jake knew he’d made a mistake in losing his heart to Marley. His heart wasn’t his alone to give—it was Noah’s, too. His son would suffer from the loss of her. Luckily, he was young. He’d forget her.

Much sooner than Jake would.

“I’ll let you know when you can do that,” he said. It was the best he could promise. Gruffly, he cleared his throat as he rose again. He ruffled Noah’s hair, then went to the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, over Cocoa Puffs and coffee, Jake revealed to his family everything that had happened. Carly’s deception, her true identity, her reasons for appearing with him on “Dream Date.” By the time he’d finished, his mother, Bethany, James and Nate all sat with shocked expressions.

Predictably, Stephanie recovered first. “Well, son. A part of you must have known the truth all along.”

“Yeah,” Bethany agreed. “You must have been in denial. Dating a famous TV star without realizing it would be like…like buying a flattering bikini on the first try.”

“Huh?”

“Theoretically possible. But not likely.”

Jake took in their assured expressions and felt even worse. “She looked different!” he protested. “Her hair was different, her clothes were different—”

“Her body was the same, though,” James interrupted. “Smokin’ hot! Yowsa. Those legs, that smile…”

“Yeah. I was so hot for her on ‘Fantasy Family,’” Nate agreed with a rueful shake of his head. “I swear they iced down her nipples before every episode.”

“Nate!” Stephanie and Bethany cried.

He shrugged. “Can I help it if her ‘headlights’ were on? It was impossible not to notice.”

Jake wondered if his brother would notice Jake’s fist, headed for Nate’s face. He scowled.

“Marley Madison, huh?” James mused. “Yeah. Now that you mention it…I would’ve known her anywhere.”

“What? You would not!” Jake said. “You didn’t.”

“If I’d been sucking face with her over by the front door for half an hour I would have.”

“The level of maturity in this room is amazing.”

“Hey, at least we’re not blind, bro.”

Jake buried his head in his hands. His family had a bizarre way of showing their support. The “kick ‘em when they’re down” method was not what he’d expected.

“Hey, Nate,” James said conversationally. “How many Jakes does it take to screw in a light bulb?”

“I dunno. How many?”

“None. He’s too busy screwing an actress without realizing it!”

Fury pushed Jake to his feet. His chair scraped and fell backward. Before it hit the ground, he had James by the throat.

“Take that back, you bastard.”

“Whoa! Hey.” His brother spread his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Lighten up. I was only kidding.”

Jake glared into his brother’s startled face. It probably would feel good to beat some sense into him, he thought as he wound his fist more tightly into James’s shirt. He could vent some of the anguish that had kept him up most of the night.

“Kid about this,” he said, readying a left hook.

“Stop it, boys.” His mother’s hand closed over his. With a grunt, she yanked his arm downward from its boxer’s stance. “This is no way to settle anything.”

Maybe not. But it sure as hell felt like one. Rigid with anger, Jake bared his teeth at James. His brother’s eyes bugged.

“Jake, let go of your brother right now.” Stephanie pried unsuccessfully at Jake’s free hand, still at James’s throat. “James, if you know what’s good for you, apologize this instant.”

“Sorry,” his brother mumbled.

Reluctantly, Jake released him. He shook off his mother’s gentle grasp, then flexed both tension-ridden hands as he stalked across the kitchen. He raked his fingers through his hair, filled with an anguish unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He didn’t know what to do with these feelings, but he sure as hell didn’t want them.

In the taut stillness, the tinny melody of a cartoon theme song wafted from the living room. Noah. Jake groaned. He couldn’t attack his brother while Noah was nearby. Another time was another question. But for now…for now he’d have to let his idiot brother go on breathing through that nose.

“You two had better settle down,” Stephanie warned Nate and James in her most no-nonsense motherly tone. “It’s not right to make fun of the woman your brother loves.”

Jake whirled to face them, appalled.

“Loves?” James boggled.

“Loves?” Nate echoed gleefully. “Dude, no way!”

“Awww, Jake,” Bethany cooed. “That’s so sweet.”

How the hell had she known? Jake wondered, gawking at his mother’s serene expression. Had it been that obvious?

Geez, he was doomed.

“It’s over,” he said tightly, going to the coffeemaker for a fresh jolt of caffeine. He held his cup so tightly it was a wonder it didn’t crack. “She’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean, gone?” his mother asked.

“I told Carly—Marley—to leave.” Forcing his emotions under control, Jake blew on his coffee. He leaned on the kitchen bar in as nonchalant a pose as he could manage. It made him feel a little less as though he was about to crumble. “Last night.”

The four of them sighed. Stephanie shook her head.

“Marley loved you enough to risk telling you the truth about herself,” she said. “Don’t you think she deserves a little more compassion than that?”

“She used me.” He wouldn’t entertain the notion that she’d actually loved him. “She used me, and tomorrow she’s going to make a fool out of me.”

Bethany looked thoughtful. “Actually, Marley could have done that without telling you the truth first. She could have surprised you on the set of ‘Dream Date’ along with the rest of the world.”

“That’s right,” Stephanie agreed.

“Yeah, bro,” his brothers chimed in.

Jake glared them into silence. “This wasn’t about me. It was about her damned alter ego. About her performance. About her career.”

“About you.” His mother gave him a plaintive look. “Honey, I understand that you’re hurting—”

He deepened his scowl and remained silent.

“—and you’re probably justified in being a little angry—”

“This could cost me my job!” Jake yelled. “Damn right, I’m ‘a little angry’ about it.”

“You’re resilient,” Stephanie insisted. “You could easily find another sportscasting spot, if that’s what it came down to. Losing your job is not what’s bothering you.”

Jake gulped some scalding coffee. Stared across the kitchen as he fought an emotion suspiciously close to grief.

“Losing Marley is,” Stephanie finished softly.

“There’s no ‘losing’ to be done. She’s already gone.”

“You made her leave. Ask her to come back,” his sister urged. “Just ask her.”

He couldn’t. Asking Marley to come back would be like handing her his heart again…waiting for her to smash it. Jake knew he was smarter than that.

Still, if only a tenth of what Marley had told him were true, if only a fraction of what they’d shared had been genuine…he couldn’t simply forget her. Without her, he felt hollow. Joyless. Like a punter without a ball, like a catcher without a mitt, like a man without his love.

Had he been in denial? Had he known all along, on some level, that Carly was really Marley? Had he loved her anyway? Given his policy of not getting involved with actresses, it was remotely possible that his mind had recognized her—and his heart had insisted on falling for her anyway, using the fiction of “Carly” as an excuse.

No. That was crazy talk, dammit. He didn’t believe in mumbo-jumbo psychobabble bullshit. His family had muddled his thinking.

Jake shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. With me already in the public eye, the last thing Noah and I need is an actress in our lives. I’ve always said so. The publicity, the paparazzi, the hassle—”

“Hey, you’re always bitching about being misunderstood,” James put in. “About how people think a monkey could sit on-set behind your desk and read scores and stats. Who better to understand your job than somebody else who works in TV?”

“Yeah,” Nate added cheerfully. “You and Marley probably have more in common than you think.”

Actually, he had gotten the sense that Carly understood the demands of his job, Jake realized with a jolt. Maybe his dim-witted brothers were right. Maybe once he and Marley were free from the burden of “Dream Date,” things could work out.

Of course, after the final show was taped, he wouldn’t have a job over which to bond with her. Period.

“No. I’m going to go on ‘Dream Date’ tomorrow,” he said grimly, “and I’m going to finish what I started. I’m going to do whatever I can to salvage this mess.”

“Oh, Jake.” His mother eyed his undoubtedly harsh expression and the determined set of his jaw. “Please listen to us. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

“Yeah, bro,” James said. “We didn’t know you loved her.”

“We didn’t,” Nate agreed soulfully. “We thought you were just doing the wild thing together.”

Bethany shook her head. “You can always find a new job. You can’t always find true love.”

But that didn’t matter, and Jake knew it. True love was an illusion—a make-believe emotion that could vanish overnight. It could be pretended. It could be snatched away, and it had. From here on out, he had nothing else to lose.

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Four

 

Even after Jake had arrived at the “Dream Date” taping the following day, he couldn’t shake his family’s advice from his mind. He strode into the reception area and past the soundstage early that morning with his mother’s, sister’s, and brothers’ words still ringing in his ears.

Marley loved you enough to risk telling you the truth about herself. She could have surprised you on the set of “Dream Date” along with the rest of the world.

You and Marley probably have more in common than you think.

Ask her to come back. Just ask her.

It was torturous. Pointless, too, given that Marley was already lost to him for good. Now that he knew who she really was, he knew she needed more in her life than a diehard sportscaster with a four year old son and a four year old Honda. She needed a man who could look good in a tux, a man who enjoyed having his picture taken for Entertainment Weekly, a man who lived for shuttling the famous Marley Madison to award shows and premieres.

She needed, Jake thought, a really good limo driver.

Resolutely, he followed Doug, the “Dream Date” staff member, toward the interview room where his taped debriefing session would be held. There was no point dwelling on what might have been. Not now. Instead, Jake forced his mind to the job at hand.

“All the interviews are being held this morning,” Doug said, chattering as they headed backstage. “With all six contestants, in various rooms all around us.”

Jake remained silent.

Doug leaned sideways conspiratorially. “This is where we get the real dirt, you know. After four weeks of dream dating, you people usually won’t shut up.” He chuckled.

Jake ignored him. He would shut up. In fact, that was his whole plan. To reveal as little as possible, to grit his teeth and doggedly continue in the hopes of finishing this damned thing. If pure stubborn staying power had the ability to impress his news director’s beloved female demographic, then Jake had it made.

“The final Q&A will be taped this afternoon, too, after lunch,” Doug continued, oblivious to Jake’s chitchat-discouraging responses. “Once we’ve got all the contestants here, it’s just as easy to do the debriefings and the Q&A on the same day.”

Jake muttered something noncommittal and followed. He wasn’t eager for the live taping. Being revealed as a gullible, lovesick idiot for the entertainment of a studio audience was not on his list of top ten favorite things. If only he’d known what he was getting in for with little Miss Cream and Sugar all those weeks ago…

Hell. He would have done it anyway. Being with Marley had been worth it.

“So, we’re right in here,” Doug said, gesturing toward an interview room.

The door was open. Inside the stark white space, Jake glimpsed bright lights, video and audio operators, two interview chairs, and a side table bearing a box of donuts, Styrofoam cups, and a coffeemaker.

His gaze lingered for an instant on the coffeemaker. He remembered Marley’s cream-and-sugar coffee theories, and couldn’t help but smile. Even on that first day, he’d known there was something special between them.

Following Doug, he stepped toward the room. At the same instant, a clattering of high-heeled shoes echoed behind him.

“Jake!”

He stopped. Turned. To his surprise, he saw Marley hurrying down the hallway after him, an urgent expression on her face. One of the “Dream Date” staffers bustled along behind her, carrying a clipboard and looking impatient.

“I’d hoped I’d run into you here.” Putting her hand to her heart, Marley stopped. She glanced over her shoulder. The staffer was gaining on her. “Listen. I know you’re probably still mad at me, but I have to tell you something.”

He couldn’t speak. He felt Marley’s hand on his arm, felt her nearness, and knew he must be dreaming. She looked different to him somehow. Different…and very, very necessary. At the sight of her, something inside him eased.

“I’m not doing it, Jake,” she said. “I’m not—”

“Hey!” Doug interrupted, poking his head out of the interview room, donut in hand. He frowned. “You two shouldn’t be talking.”

Marley’s assigned interviewer caught up with her. She grabbed Marley’s arm. “No fraternizing with the other contestants,” she said sternly. “That’s not allowed.”

She yanked, and Marley’s grasp fell away. Jake felt the loss of her touch, leaned forward as the interviewer hustled her away from him. Briefly, Marley struggled. The interviewer admonished her a second time, her words of warning carrying back to Jake.

“You’ll both forfeit your chance at the final Q&A round if you keep up like this!”

“Wait,” Marley pleaded. She looked over her shoulder at Jake, her dark hair tossed around her face. “I’m going to be Carly!” she cried. “Just Carly. So don’t worry! I’m going to fix this.”

Stunned, Jake watched as the interviewer jostled her subject away from him. Marley’s determined, vulnerable gaze locked with his…and in her face, he glimpsed something he’d never expected to want from her again.

The truth.

An instant later, she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Jake stood unmoving as the impact of seeing her finally struck him.

I’m not doing it, Jake. I’m going to be Carly.

He knew what she meant. Her plain clothes—and her non-blond, non-starlet hair—had made her intentions clear. Marley wasn’t going through with her publicity-garnering plans to reveal her true celebrity self during the Q&A today. But why?

“Whew! Let’s get started,” Doug said cheerfully. He dragged his gaze from the corner where Marley and the other “Dream Date” staffer had disappeared, and regarded Jake with a curious look. “I’ll bet you’ve got tons of dirt to dish on that one, huh?”

Jake barely heard him. Marley’s hasty announcement, he realized, meant he was off the hook. He could finish out this charade the way his news director and managing editor wanted him to. He could impress the female demographic. He could still have a shot at winning the final round.

He could ensure his contract would be renewed and have everything he wanted.

But Marley would have nothing. If she didn’t reveal herself as herself today, she would lose her chance to make the big splash she’d hoped for. She would miss the fanfare and the readymade “E!” TV coverage she’d obviously hoped would result from being Carly. All her efforts would be wasted.

I’m going to fix this.

He couldn’t let her. It was as simple as that. Jake fisted his hand and stared down the empty hallway one more time, ignoring Doug’s babbling in the background. He couldn’t let Marley throw away her future. Her luxe life. Her non-participation-in-infomercials policy. Her dreams. Even if it meant sending her away from him forever, he had to do something. Marley’s happiness meant too much to him not to try.

Hell, he was no stranger to changing his plans, Jake told himself. He’d changed them when he’d become a sportscaster. He’d changed them when Noah had come along. Was true love any less compelling a reason to shake things up?

Jake didn’t think so.

Slowly, he raised his hand. He touched the place on his opposite arm where Marley’s warmth had penetrated, and felt a new lightheartedness fill him. As it did, Jake realized exactly what had seemed different to him about Marley during their brief encounter. He hadn’t been able to pin it down until just this minute, but now he had.

Today, Marley hadn’t looked like “an actress” to him. Today, she’d looked like herself—like the woman he loved. Somehow Jake knew that from that moment on, she always would.

He turned. Went inside the interview room. “I’m ready,” Jake told Doug, then sat down to begin.

 

 

In her interview room, Marley grasped the arms of her white leather chair. She blinked beneath the bright lights, gazing intently at the “Dream Date” staffer who’d been debriefing her. Thanks to the half-dozen questions she’d fielded already, she felt as determined and prepared as she had when her driver, Hugh, had dropped her off this morning.

She also felt a little naked. On camera without the ego-bolstering effects of her usual blond hair, her bodacious wardrobe, and the armor of her celebrity to shield her, everything seemed much riskier. This was scarier than she’d expected. She knew she’d grown and changed as Carly…but what if it wasn’t enough?

What if she wasn’t enough?

Seeing Jake hadn’t helped matters, either. Why hadn’t he reacted? Why hadn’t he said something? He’d only looked at her with an unforgiving expression, tall and strong and remote. He’d stared at her hand on his arm as though hardly able to believe she dared to touch him. Marley wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it hadn’t been indifference. Just remembering it was nearly enough to break her heart all over again.

For a moment, she’d thought she’d glimpsed a certain tenderness in Jake’s face, a certain flexing of his jaw that revealed he yearned for her, too…and was fighting it. But then her interviewer had dragged Marley away. Her encounter with him had ended.

Stifling a sigh, Marley crossed her legs and refocused her attention on the debriefing. At least she had the comfort of knowing she was doing the right thing, she told herself. Seeing this through as Carly—not revealing herself as Marley—would ensure that Jake appeared in the best possible light. It would help him get the contract renewal he needed.

It might even make him happy. He deserved to be happy. Marley owed him that much. Because when it came right down to it, she wanted his happiness even more than she wanted her own.

Besides—there was always that ZitKit3000 infomercial waiting for her, right? She’d survive. Her friends and family had helped her to see that.

The interviewer cleared her throat. “Tell me a little more about your everyday life, Carly.”

Back to business. Focusing on her alter ego, Marley began. “Well, I live in a small apartment. One bedroom. One bath. A billion dust bunnies.”

The interviewer barely cracked a smile.

“It’s homey, though,” Marley went on, picturing Meredith’s place in her mind’s eye. “There are lots of family pictures, a few plants, potpourri. Books. Outside there’s a nice grassy patch that my dog absolutely loves.”

The interviewer brightened. “A dog? What kind?”

“A Yorkie. I got him when he was just a puppy.” Marley went on to describe Gaffer’s first few nights at her bungalow (apartment, in the Carly version), when she’d cuddled him in a pashmina (blanket) and let him sleep in her bed. “He still likes to sleep there. Right on top of the pillows. I’m afraid I’ve spoiled him.”

An indulgent smile. “What’s his name?”

“Gaffer.”

“Hmmm. Unusual name.”

“Well, there’s a funny story behind that.” On the verge of describing why she’d named her dog after the chief lighting technician on a TV or movie set, Marley paused. She had to stay in character. She regrouped. “I’m a huge movie fan! And I always thought ‘gaffer’ was such a funny word, rolling past in the credits. Ha!”

Her interviewer nodded. Seeming to accept that explanation, she leaned forward. A titillated gleam came into her eyes. “So,” she said in girl-to-girl fashion. “Tell me all about Jake.”

“Jake?” Marley’s voice wobbled. Her heart lurched. She missed him so much. “Well, I hardly know where to start…”

You can do this, she told herself. No matter how much it hurts to remember.

“Jake is a wonderful man,” she said truthfully. Soberly. She folded her hands in her lap and put everything she had into making the interviewer see how truly special Jake was. “He’s honest and smart and funny. He’s got more integrity than Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart put together.”

“There’s that movie fan coming out in you!” the interviewer chirped.

Marley nodded. This was going well, she realized. More and more, the formerly stern-faced interviewer was on her side. Relaxing a little, she continued. “Jake is like no man I’ve ever met. He’s strong and macho, but he’s got a tender side, too. You should see him with his family! They all care about each other so much.”

She envied him that a little. She especially envied the bond Jake had with his son. The two of them were a real team, facing the world together—with nothing but the occasional body-parts humor for a buffer. Remembering Noah, Marley smiled.

“Jake probably knows more about sports than any man alive,” she said. “He—”

“Isn’t he a sportscaster?” the interviewer asked, checking her clipboard. “Yes. So of course he’d know about sports.”

“But there’s more to it than that. Jake’s knowledge of sports goes beyond what he needs for his job.” Marley hoped, for Jake’s sake, that this part made the cut into the broadcast “Dream Date” episodes. His news director and managing editor would definitely be impressed. “He knows everything there is to know about everything athletic. He’s passionate. He’s well-informed. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball—”

The interviewer shifted. She was losing interest.

“You know all those numbers on a baseball card?” Marley asked rapidly. “Jake knows what all of them mean. It’s not just baseball, either. He knows football, basketball, hockey, soccer. He knows all the players—their statistics, their training, where they went to school, probably what they had for breakfast. It’s really amazing. I never used to be much for sports, but being around Jake made me see why people love them.”

“You like sports?” The interviewer gave Marley’s clothes a pointed look. She settled her gaze on the monogrammed initials painted on Marley’s toes (the latest handiwork by Rowena). She raised her eyebrows. “Be serious.”

“I am. I’m considering getting season tickets to the Dodgers next year.”

“Wow. That’s quite a change.”

“It is. A change for the better. And all because I took an interest in what Jake liked. I wanted to impress him.”

“I’ll bet you did.” The interviewer nodded. “Football widows everywhere could take a lesson from you.”

“It’s not about me,” Marley said earnestly. “It’s about Jake.”

“Hmmm. He must be quite a guy.”

“He is.” Energetically, Marley nodded.

She and the interviewer shared a smile.

“But what about Jake’s dark side?” the interviewer asked, leaning forward to fix Marley with a piercing look. “No man’s perfect, you know. What don’t you like about Jake?”

Gulp. I don’t like that he doesn’t love me. I don’t like that he doesn’t need me the way I need him.

“Ummm…” Marley stared downward. An urge to blubber and blab, “Barbara Walters Special”-style, swept over her. Swamped in momentary sadness, she struggled for composure.

“Carly? You can tell me,” the interviewer urged.

“Well…”

Marley focused desperately on her toes, calmed somewhat by thoughts of the woman whose artwork embellished them. Rowena had gone from pampering Marley with an emergency pedicure at the diner to appearing in the latest issue of Allure—thanks to a tip Marley had phoned in to the magazine’s beauty editor. She was proud of that. Proud of the help she’d given her new friend.

“I like everything about Jake,” she said. “Everything.”

The interviewer looked skeptical. “Come on. According to my notes” –she shuffled through her clipboarded papers— “you didn’t want to be paired up with Jake Jarvis at all.”

Marley swallowed hard. That was true. She was trapped. She’d have to deliver something. Some excuse. “Well…it’s just that he’s so good-looking,” she tried. “Gorgeous men make me feel self-conscious.”

“Carly.” The interviewer shook her head, looking disappointed. “I know there’s more to it than that.”

The pressure built. The lights shone twice as brightly. Marley felt overheated—and under the gun. What now? What now?

Suddenly, the interview room door banged open. Three men strode inside. One carried paperwork, one wore a “Dream Date” staff badge (she recognized him as Doug), and one seemed to be in charge. They crossed the room with no regard to the taping going on, and stopped beside Marley’s interviewer. The four of them huddled together, whispering.

Whew. Saved in the nick of time, Marley thought.

They clearly had urgent game show business to attend to. Even the camera operator took a break. By the time her interviewer’s attention returned to Marley, she would be able to finesse that last line of questioning right into something that fit her agenda better. Say, Jake’s knack for taking charge. Or his remarkable way of making her laugh.

Relieved, she leaned back in her chair and waited for her interview to continue. Despite the “dark side of Jake” glitch she’d just endured, Marley thought things were going well. Sacrificing her career-revitalization opportunity was going to be completely worth it. After this, Jake would be happy and Marley would have a clean slate.

Maybe after a little time had passed, she could call him. Or visit. Encouraged by the thought, Marley felt her spirits lift. She still loved him. Candace and Heather and everyone else had been right. She couldn’t just give up on true love.

Then she remembered the way Jake had looked through her in the hallway today. Her new buoyancy deflated as quickly as it had come. He still didn’t want her. Probably had never loved her.

Lost in that miserable thought, she almost didn’t hear the voice speaking to her.

“Marley?” someone asked. “Marley Madison?”

“Yes?” she replied, automatically looking up.

Four accusatory faces stared back at her. The “Dream Date” staffers folded their arms. Doug shook his head, and Marley’s interviewer looked vaguely betrayed.

Whoops. She’d answered to her own name.

“What Mr. Jarvis told us is true, then,” the guy who looked like he was in charge said. “You are Marley Madison, and you did enter the game show under a false identity. You have some serious explaining to do, Miss Madison.”

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Five

 

Only one part of what the “Dream Date” people said mattered to Marley.

“Jake? Jake told you about me?” she asked.

Doug nodded, looking disgruntled. “He couldn’t quit talking about you. He raved about your acting. Your charm. Your determination and creativity and guts. He even said you had ‘remarkable integrity’ to come clean to him the way you did about this whole mess.”

“I guess you didn’t expect him to betray your secret, did you?” the paperwork-toting man asked snidely. “You probably expected him to play along. Poor sap.”

Marley was oblivious to his spitefulness. He didn’t understand, that was all…and she did. Her heart pounded. Her mind spun with thoughts of Jake—of Jake, and what he’d just done for her. He’d risked looking like an idiot, risked his contract renewal and his reputation, all to ensure that Marley would get credit for the alter ego transformation she’d pulled off. He’d known how much her acting career meant to her, and he’d tried to help her salvage it.

What Jake hadn’t known was that he meant so much more.

“The last laugh’s on him, though,” Doug said. “I’m afraid you’ll both probably be disqualified for this.”

“Hold on,” the official interrupted, wearing a thoughtful look. “Let’s not be hasty.”

The four of them huddled together. Words like “ratings,” “bombshell,” and “publicity” were heard. They broke apart.

“You’ll definitely be given a strict talking-to before the final Q&A taping this afternoon,” the official admonished gruffly. “This might make for good TV, but we can’t let our contestants run amuck.”

They all nodded, as though this was reasonable. Ratings ruled, Marley guessed. But she didn’t care.

Because Jake did care about her. This proved it. Of course, she couldn’t let him throw away his future for her, but still…this proved it. Jubilation rushed through her.

Urgently, she stood. She unclipped her mic and rapidly yanked its wire to drag it beneath her clothes and out the hem of her shirt. Marley hurled it onto her interview chair.

“I’ve got to talk to Jake!” she announced, rushing into the other interview room.

It was empty. Confused, Marley called Jake’s name.

When she whirled around, the four “Dream Date” staffers who’d followed her stood in the doorway.

“He’s gone,” Doug said. “He said what he had to say and then—”

Marley didn’t wait to hear the rest. She had a man to track down, a sportscasting snafu to fix, and true love to repair. She had to get busy.

 

 

“How about some lunch, sport?” Jake asked Noah. “I think there’s still some leftover pizza in the fridge.”

“Nah,” Noah said. “I’m not hungry.”

He slumped on his stool at the bar, dispiritedly cradling Mr. Wrinkle. He’d been like that ever since Jake had picked him up early at Toddler Time today. Quiet. Withdrawn. Disinterested in his toys and all the things he usually loved. He hadn’t even turned on Nick Jr. since they’d arrived at the apartment.

Jake got out the pizza box anyway.

“Come on. Go long!” he said, hefting a slice in the practiced way he and Noah shared. He gestured for his son to go out for the pizza pass. “You’ll feel better if you eat.”

“Carly says we should eat a salad with our pizza,” Noah said, not moving. “She says we need vegetables.”

“Vegetables, schmegetables. There’s tomato sauce on here.”

Noah only sighed.

Jake frowned. Then another inspiration struck him. “How about a game of touch football first, to work up an appetite?”

He bundled a pigskin under one arm and his son under the other. Ten minutes later, he and Noah stared at each other across their apartment complex’s grassy lawn.

“You’re not even trying, Noah!” Jake said as his son flopped onto his back after another miserable throw. “You love football. Try catching this one, okay?”

Reluctantly, Noah got up. The ball bounced off his half-heartedly raised arms. He flopped onto the grass again.

“Forget throwing and catching,” Jake announced. “Bet you can’t race me to the corner of the building and back!”

He took off at a run. Any minute now, he’d hear Noah whooping and hollering as he raced to catch up. Jake would slow down, pretend to stumble, make a valiant rush for the finish line as Noah scraped past him by a nose. Just like usual. He’d…turn around to find his son still lying in the grass?

Seriously worried now, Jake jogged back. His shadow fell over Noah’s inert little body. “What’s the matter?”

“Touch football is more fun with Carly.”

Jake scoffed. “She throws like a girl.”

“I want to give her the picture I drew,” Noah insisted. His stubborn, give-me-what-I-want Jarvis-style gaze was a perfect imitation of Jake’s. “Bring her back, Daddy.”

“Awww, we don’t need her.” Jake’s heart ached as he lowered to the grass beside Noah. He picked up the discarded football and rolled it down the underside of his forearm, then flipped it back up again. The trick didn’t draw so much as a grin from his son. “We’ve been doing all right by ourselves, haven’t we?”

Noah plucked blades of grass from the tufts beside him. He remained silent.

“We have fun together,” Jake said. “And I’ve got all the love you could ever need, Noah. So it’s all good. You have me all to yourself. We have each other.”

“You miss her, too,” Noah accused. “I saw you with the box Mr. Wrinkle came in. You said you were going to throw it away, but you didn’t.”

Jake froze. He didn’t think Noah had noticed that.

“Hey, you never know when a spare gift box might come in handy,” he said with a shrug. “Even Grandma saves those.”

But Noah was right. Jake had kept Mr. Wrinkle’s box. It sat on his bureau in all its Scotch-taped-and-wrapped glory, faintly fragranced with Marley’s perfume and only slightly damaged from Noah’s gift-opening frenzy. He’d picked it up while mindlessly tidying and had been unable to throw it away. Somehow, stupidly, discarding the last thing he knew Marley had touched seemed like giving up on her for good.

“Carly was fun,” Noah said. He released the fistfuls of grass he’d pulled out, letting the greenery flutter on the breeze. “Make her come back, Daddy. I know you can do it.”

Noah’s hopeful gaze pinned him. Jake tried to hold fast, but he couldn’t stand it. He had to look away. Twirling the football on his arm, he considered his options.

“There’s something you need to know,” he finally said. “Carly’s name isn’t really Carly. It’s Marley. Marley Madison.”

Confused, Noah scrunched up his nose.

Jake did his best to explain. He offered Noah a shorthand version of Marley’s acting career, her alter ego routine, and her famous life outside of “Dream Date.” For a long while afterward, Noah was silent. Then he rolled onto his belly and propped his chin in his hands. He squinted up at Jake.

“Carly—I mean, Marley, was pretending?”

Jake nodded. “In a way. Yes.”

“Was she pretending about us?”

The question, so simple and so straightforward, caught Jake off guard. Until today, he’d been too angry to consider it. But now…

“No.” He was astonished to realize he believed it. “She wasn’t pretending about us. She loved being with us.”

And they had loved being with her. With Marley around, the laughs were bigger, the hugs more meaningful. Dividing his love between Noah and Marley had never been a problem, Jake understood suddenly, because when they’d been together, they’d all had more love to go around. It had multiplied exponentially, like the price of beers inside a ballpark or the odds against the Cardinals ever making it to the Super Bowl. Freed by the thought, he could hardly believe he hadn’t realized it before.

“Then why can’t we go get her?” Noah asked.

“Why?” Jake stilled the football in his grasp. For the first time in days, a true grin came to his face. “Because we haven’t got that picture of yours yet, that’s why.”

“Yippee!” Noah yelled. In a shot, he was off to their apartment to get it, with Jake following behind.

 

 

Somehow, Jake had vanished.

Marley knew it was true, however unlikely it was. Because she’d been searching for him ever since bolting out of her “Dream Date” interview. So far she’d turned up zilch.

Now she stood inside the KKZP offices, her third stop, having just made an impassioned plea on Jake’s behalf to Richard Holloway and Sid Spielman. She’d begged them to renew Jake’s contract. She’d discussed female demographics, sports, and show business with them. She’d even mentioned some of the ways Jake had made sports seem (magically) interesting to her. To Marley’s relief, both men had seemed intrigued. She wound up her impromptu lobbying session with a good feeling—or at least as good as it got while Jake was still on the loose.

“So, you’ll be sure to call me if you see Jake, right?” she reminded, showing them her cell phone. She picked up her purse, preparing to leave, then locked gazes with Rich and Sid. “It’s very important that I find him.”

The two men nodded. They agreed—very kindly, she thought. Giving them both a final, impulsive hug, Marley continued on her quest.

It wasn’t easy. She’d dismissed her driver Hugh after he’d dropped her off at “Dream Date,” and hadn’t been able to get a hold of him since. In lieu of her BMW, she drove her beat-up Chanel-car, which she retrieved after a short taxi ride to her Hollywood Hills bungalow. Marley didn’t even take the time to tell anyone where she was going. She was certain she actually peeled rubber from the tires as she roared out of her drive.

Over the next endless hours, Marley drove all over Los Angeles. She fought traffic to the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, then made her way to Champs Sports Bar—scene of the awful car-door-wallop. She dropped by the bowling alley and the ballpark, cruised past Toddler Time and made a third stop at Jake’s apartment. Everywhere, memories called out to her. She’d been to those places with Jake. More than anything, she wanted to return to them with him at her side.

The afternoon swept past. Finally, out of options and nearly out of gas, Marley was forced to admit that finding Jake just wasn’t in the cards for her today. Clearly, fate had other ideas in store for her—and Jake wasn’t included in them. Maybe tomorrow she’d find him. Or the next day.

She wasn’t giving up until she did.

Dispiritedly, she drove toward her own neighborhood. The sun hovered low on the horizon as she puttered down the familiar streets, reluctant to admit defeat and even more reluctant to go home. Nothing awaited her there but a mildly depressed Yorkie and a cadre of friends and family who would be disappointed Marley hadn’t been able to make this work.

She sighed, still gripping the steering wheel. By now, she and Jake had missed their chance to be part of the “Dream Date” Q&A finale. Marley had intended to find him and bring him back in time to repair some of the damage done to his reputation—live TV could work wonders for something like that. Instead, the game show had gone on without them. Jake’s hopes for career salvation rested on Marley’s desperate appeals to Rich and Sid.

And on his own talent, of course.

Well, that wasn’t so bad, she assured herself as she rounded the bend to her bungalow. Jake was very talented. Things were bound to work out for him sooner or later.

Security gates loomed ahead. Marley’s Chanel-car chugged inevitably toward them, towing her home against her will. She didn’t want to accelerate, didn’t want to steer, didn’t want to face the emptiness that waited for her. But if there was one thing she’d learned during her time as Carly, it was that just trying mattered. So she punched in her security code, waved to the security camera, and drove inside.

The walk from her garage—where Hugh, curiously, still wasn’t in residence—to her front door seemed to take an eternity. Marley trudged along the path in her Carly ensemble of a T-shirt and jeans and sandals, pulling her sunglasses tight to shield her from the sun’s setting rays as it headed toward the Pacific. The light was fading from her hopes just as quickly. Before long, she’d be inside. Alone.

“Hey, beautiful,” someone said from nearby. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

At the sound of that familiar voice, Marley jerked her head up. Jake! She could hardly believe her eyes, and yet…there he was. He sat on her wide front porch steps, right between the begonias and the geraniums, with a thermos in one hand—and a little boy by his side. Noah waved excitedly, bouncing up and down at the sight of her.

Heart pounding, Marley blinked. Jake was still there, looking wonderful and remarkable and like everything she’d ever dreamed of. He smiled as he lofted his thermos still higher. The gesture wordlessly beckoned her nearer. So did Jake’s confident, tender expression.

Marley couldn’t help but comply. But she couldn’t begin to know what to say. Thoughts and feelings whirled inside her, seeking an outlet and for once denied. This man, she thought, had actually done the impossible. He’d rendered her speechless.

“How a person takes their coffee says a lot about them,” Jake told her, his voice a deep, loving rumble.

He unscrewed the thermos lid as though his being there on her front porch was the most normal occurrence in the world. With competent gestures of his incredible hands, he lifted the lid away. A rich, vaguely familiar aroma wafted out.

“Take you, for instance—”

Recognizing her own coffee theories about to be put forth, Marley shook her head. “What are you—how are you—I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Later,” Jake soothed. “You can tell me all about that later.” He accepted the Styrofoam cup a wiggly Noah handed him, then began to pour. “Right now, you need to listen.”

She took off her sunglasses with shaky hands, the better to concentrate. The better to see him. The better to savor this moment. Because all at once it felt important. Hugely important.

At the realization, Marley thought she might keel over. After all the drama of today, finding the man she loved at such an unexpected moment was nearly too much. But she had to find out…

“Listen to…what?” she asked, voice quavering.

“I’ve decided,” Jake told her decisively, “that you’re a mocha latte at heart.”

He inhaled the aroma of the beverage he’d poured, then handed it to her. Their fingers touched. Their gazes met. At the sizzling affection she saw in his, Marley swooned.

“Hot, but smooth,” he said. “Sweet and just strong enough. Beloved by millions—but savored by only one person at a time.”

“Or two!” Noah piped up. “There’s two of us!”

“Or two,” Jake amended. “Noah…and me.”

His grin was the most dazzling thing she’d ever experienced. His nearness was the most intoxicating. Bowled over by both, Marley felt her knees weaken.

“I have to sit down!” she blurted.

Instantly, Jake offered her his seat. With a grateful, overwhelmed sound, Marley sank onto the porch. Noah patted her shoulder with his little hand. He leaned forward to peer into her face. He smiled.

Her heart melted. How she’d missed them both.

Jake set aside his thermos and hunkered down in front of her. Still grasping the mocha latte he’d poured her, Marley looked into his face. He met her gaze with one of his own, then wrapped his hands around hers—both of which had tightened on her special coffee.

“So,” he said. “Do you suppose a mocha latte like yourself would go well with a decaf, extra-hot Italian roast like me? Real cream and no sugar included?”

Marley couldn’t believe it. He’d remembered the coffee theory she’d applied to him all those days ago, at their very first meeting. At her astonished look, Jake shrugged.

“You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?”

Mutely, she shook her head. But she hadn’t thought it would matter to him so much, either. Although he’d asked the question in a deliberately offhanded way, Marley could tell by the tic in his jaw and the vulnerability in his eyes that Jake really, truly meant it. He wanted to be with her…as much as she wanted to be with him.

Before she could say so, he spoke again.

“Marley, I’ve been falling in love with you ever since that moment,” Jake said urgently. “Ever since you sashayed past me, struggled with that coffeemaker, flirted with me over four cups of Joe. Ever since you took me into your heart, taught me how to shop, kissed me on a perfectly made bed. I’ve been falling in love with you ever since then, and I couldn’t be any more deeply in love with you now.”

In love? This was even better than she’d hoped for! In shock, Marley felt her hand go slack on her cup. Luckily, Jake was there to shore up her grasp—to hold her steady and give her strength.

“Well, that’s only fair,” she said when she could muster words again. A smile came to her lips. She just couldn’t hold it back. “Because I’ve been falling in love with you ever since you looked at me across that crazy petting zoo pen, and believed in me enough to let me wrestle with the goats myself. Ever since you danced with me, and bowled with me, and showed me that I could be me without being larger than life.”

Jake smiled. Marley knew then that he understood.

“For so long, I thought all I had to offer was this” –her outflung hand indicated the lavish bungalow behind them, then the Hollywood hills beyond— “and I knew it wasn’t enough. But because of you, I know there’s more. There’s more to me if I’m sharing myself with you.”

“Sharing has a way of giving back,” Jake said with a telling glance at his son. “I just figured that out. If you share enough, you never run out.”

Noah nodded solemnly.

Warmth stole into Marley’s heart. She had a feeling it would never leave. Not now—not ever. But something still remained to be settled. She wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy this moment until she’d tackled it.

“Jake, I know what you did at ‘Dream Date,” she confessed. “It was brave and generous—and it was more than I deserved. I’m so, so sorry for everything I’ve done. For lying to you—”

“You told me the most important truths.”

“—for letting you believe I was going through with my plan to become Marley at the Q&A—”

“You didn’t, though. That’s what matters.”

“—for not being able to find you and fix this! I looked everywhere for you today, and—hey. How did you get in here, anyway? The security gate was closed.”

She cocked her head, giving him a curious glance.

Jake lifted his shoulder, completely unabashed at his apparent breaking and entering.

“Let’s just say your staff is packed with closet romantics,” he said. “When I explained what Noah and I were doing here, they couldn’t let us in fast enough.”

“Hmmm.” Marley considered that. “I’ll have to give them all raises, then,” she announced. “Effective immediately.”

“Good idea,” Jake said. He shifted, the muscles in his arms and shoulders flexing as he moved. Then he met her gaze again, a certain defiance in his expression. “So, about that coffee compatibility thing…”

“Yes!” Marley cried. “Yes, yes, yes! As impossible as it seems, I’d say we’re perfect together.” Decisively, she set down her coffee cup and faced him. “One mocha latte, one Italian roast…absolute bliss.”

“Yay!” Noah shouted. He threw his arms around Marley and squeezed her tight.

She hugged him back. Then Jake leaned nearer, and their hug became a loving huddle. Jake’s arms embraced her, his lips grazed her hair, his murmured words assured her. Marley felt at home. At peace. And very much filled with love.

By the time they broke apart, tears blurred her vision. Blinking them away, overcome with emotion, Marley framed Jake’s face in her hands. Slowly, reverently, she kissed him.

“I love you,” she said, “with all my heart. Forever and ever and ever. Please say you forgive me.”

“I forgive you.” Another kiss. “Because I love you with all my soul.”

Awwww. Jake really was too sweet. How had she gotten this lucky?

“My life can be crazy,” Marley felt compelled to warn him, gesturing vaguely toward the bungalow beyond them. “Are you sure that’s okay?”

Jake nodded. He grasped both her hands in his and squeezed reassuringly. “Life without you is dull and colorless. It doesn’t have any G.I. Joe fashion shows. It doesn’t have any Lego Duplo shopping malls. It doesn’t even have the sound of high heels tapping on my floors. I’ve grown to like that sound. If having you means getting craziness…hell, sign me up.”

“Oh, Jake. You can bet on that. I’m never letting you go.”

“Me, either! Me, either!” Noah nudged her. White crayoned paper fluttered at the edge of her vision as he thrust it toward her. “Look what I made for you, Marley.”

Disentangling her hands with Jake’s for the moment, Marley accepted the drawing Noah offered. She smiled at the three stick figures depicted there—one tall, one small, and one with shoulder length hair and tiny high heels.

“It’s Daddy and me and you,” Noah said. “All of us.”

Marley gazed at the paper. “We’re all smiling.”

“That’s because we’re together,” Jake explained. “Noah told me.”

“Very wise.” Marley nodded sagely. “Thank you, Noah.”

“I intend to make that picture come true,” Jake said. “For the rest of our lives. If you’ll let me.”

Marley glanced down at her stick-figure self. “Does this mean I have to diet?” she joked.

“Nah.” Jake stroked her hair and gazed down at the picture, also. “It means you have to love me. That’s all.”

“I do. I will! No matter what.”

“Then the rest will follow.” Seeming satisfied—and a little relieved—Jake turned to his son. “Hey, Noah. Where’s that football we brought?”

“Right here.” The boy handed it to him.

“Good.” Jake hefted it, gave it a few practice tosses, then lifted it to shoulder height. He nodded at Noah. “Go long.”

Gleefully, Noah scampered down the porch steps. He ran onto the expanse of green so prized by Marley’s landscapers and gardeners, jumping up and down.

Still poised, Jake looked over his shoulder at Marley. “Have you ever noticed? This big old yard of yours is exactly the right size for a football game.”

He threw. The ball sailed in the air, a graceful spiral against the pink and gold sunset clouds.

“Wow! Noah will be running after that one for quite a while,” Marley said. “That’s quite a throw.”

“That’s the idea,” Jake explained, coming a little closer. He regarded her with a cocky expression, not even bothering to see how—or if—his toss had been received. “When it comes to me…baby, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

With a wholly masculine grin, Jake captured her head in his hand. He brought his mouth down on hers in a kiss so hot, so pure, so filled with love that it left Marley breathless. She kissed him back with all her might, with all the sweetness and passion she felt for him. Still it wasn’t enough. Given a lifetime of practice runs, though, Marley felt sure she could master it.

At the sound of Noah’s laughter, they broke apart. Wearing joint grins, they looked to discover him hurling the football straight into the air and catching it. Gaffer had gotten out of the house somehow, too. The Yorkie romped at Noah’s heels, tail wagging and mood collar delightfully blue.

“Yeah, we might not be perfect,” Jake said thoughtfully, “but I think you’re right. We’re perfect together.”

“Absolutely,” Marley agreed.

She jumped to her feet, making a surprised Jake step back. She kicked off her sandals, then wiggled her toes in the grass. An idea had occurred to her, and she couldn’t resist it.

“Bet you can’t catch me,” she challenged, “you…you big old untweezed eyebrow!”

Marley took off at a run.

Left behind near the porch, Jake sighed. “You’ll never get the funny body parts game.”

He watched Marley confer with Noah in the distance. She grabbed the football and ran with it, hooting all the way past the expertly landscaped flower beds. She stopped. Taunted him with her hands in the air and her hips swaying side to side.

Grinning, Jake got up. Then he ran. Finally, they were on their way.

Together.

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Six

 

Sometime near the end of the first touch football game her bungalow had ever hosted, Marley paused. She’d been dishing out her latest attempt at trash talking (“Those shoes are so last season” hadn’t fazed Jake a bit) when the sound of a car engine caught her attention.

Moments later, Meredith roared down the drive in Marley’s BMW, Hugh at the wheel. She appeared to be wearing something else from her sister’s closet. From a distance it was hard to be certain. Meredith did, however, look incredibly comfortable, as far as Marley could tell.

“That’s my car!” Marley cried as the sedan zoomed past. “Those are my clothes!”

For the first time, she was stricken with the realization that while she’d been borrowing pieces of Meredith’s life…Meredith may have kinda-sorta been doing the same thing with her life.

“What is going on here?” she wanted to know. “Exactly what has Meredith been doing with my life?”

Jake only shrugged—and managed to score. As for Meredith, nobody knew for sure what she’d been up to, Marley discovered later, although rumors and theories abounded. Unfortunately—or possibly for the best—she was too busy over the next few weeks to investigate further.

“Dream Date” invited both her and Jake back for a special encore episode. Thanks to advance publicity by KKZP, it was among the highest-rated for the series. Marley and Jake did not win the game show—but as a consolation prize, they were voted “most unlikely couple” in the “Dream Date” hall of fame.

“Hey,” Jake said when he learned of the honor, “at least I don’t have to wear a banana hammock in the hall of fame picture.”

The option on his contract was picked up—lucratively and for many years to come—thanks to shrewd bargaining by Marley’s attorney. Jake was never again promoted as TV’s studliest sportscaster. It didn’t quite seem fitting, everyone agreed, to publicize a happily married man that way.

As for Marley…she did not use her “Dream Date” Carly footage in her résumé reel. Instead, strengthened by her newfound confidence in herself and by Jake’s love, she pursued a career in independent films—where playing against type was practically a requirement. It was her dream, and then some.

“I don’t know how we got so lucky,” Marley told Jake a few years later.

They’d rented a cabin near California’s Gold Coast for their first wedding anniversary getaway. All was quiet once Noah had been tucked into bed. In that peaceful silence, Marley curled up next to Jake and flung her arm over his chest. Their naked bodies were as comfortable resting as they were engaging in steamy lovemaking. Now they both were sated.

“We had such an unlikely start,” she went on, smiling up at his profile. “Those dates, that craziness—”

“That love,” Jake added, holding her close. “Without you, everything would have been different.”

“Sure.” Marley wrinkled her nose. “More sports for you and Noah. More junk food. More mess.”

“More of the funny body parts game,” Jake agreed.

“I almost forgot!” Excitedly, Marley rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. “I’ve got another one. Are you ready?”

“Oh, no.” Jake covered his eyes with his hand. “Say it isn’t so.”

“Hey! I’ve really got it this time. Really.”

“Okay, okay.” He uncovered his eyes and raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. He regarded her with a cautious look. “What is it?”

Marley allowed an anticipatory moment to pass. She drew in a deep breath. “Cellulite!”

To her dismay, Jake groaned. “That’s not a funny body part. It’s a—” He paused. Examined her rapidly fading expression of triumph. Began again. “It’s brilliant. Congratulations.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Jake.” Marley lurched on top of him, covering him with delighted kisses. “I’m so happy. I love you so much!”

“I love you, too,” he said. “More than you’ll ever know.”

“Cellulite, cellulite, cellulite!” she crowed.

“Sweet dreams,” Jake said, turning out the light.

Marley couldn’t be sure, but it definitely sounded as though he were hiding a smile. That was all right, though. After all, perfection only went so far…before love took over.

 

 

 

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From the Author

 

Thank you for reading this book! If you enjoyed it, I hope you’ll share your enthusiasm by writing a review online, posting about this story on your blog, Facebook page, or Twitter account, or just telling your friends.

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Best wishes,

Lisa Plumley