Page 18 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

“I doubt this has anything to do with him or them.” Mila rolled her eyes. “Like my mother enjoys reminding me, trouble seems to follow me wherever I go.”

“The power of suggestion,” Chanel muttered. “Only goes to prove the wholesticks and stonessaying is the biggest lie on the planet. Nothing can hurt a person more deeply than someone else’s words, especially if it’s someone we love.” She drew a deep breath. “While we’re baring our souls to each other, I want to make one thing clear. I may never completely understand how you and I got off on the wrong foot, but Deck and I very much want to be your family, you hear?”

A wave of emotion shook Mila. “I want that, too.”More than anything.

Chanel gave a soft chuckle. “In that case, hi.” She held out a slender hand. “My name is Chanel, and I’m married to your brother. Nice to meet you.”

Mila shook her hand. “A do-over, huh?”Count me in!

Chanel shrugged. “Unless you have a better idea?”

“Notta one.” Mila went back to repairing her face. “I’mkiss-the-ground grateful y’all are giving me a safe place to crash tonight.”

“Be my guest.” Chanel mockingly gestured at the tile floor. “The whole house got mopped, slicked down, and polished today. Our floors have never been cleaner.”

She kept a steady stream of small-talk and silly one-liners going that buoyed Mila’s spirits while she applied makeup. By the time she was finished, she felt ready to face the circle of Lonestar Security employees waiting for her in the great room.

“I can do this,” she whispered, ruffling her fingers through her hair. She didn’t realize she’d spoken the words aloud until Chanel gave a grunt of agreement.

“Yes, you can. But let’s make a quick detour to the guest room first. You can stow your toiletry bag, get the lay of the land, and let me know what else you’re going to need to get through the night.” She led Mila down a long hallway to the east wing of the mansion. The door she opened, however, didn’t lead to a bedroom like Mila had been expecting. It opened to a suite that her apartment would fit inside twice over.

A king-sized bed in solid white linens and pillows anchored the center of the room amidst a stunning collection of showroom worthy furniture. There was a big, elegant armoire that looked like it had been transported straight from Narnia.

Mila couldn’t resist doing a Disney princess spin in the middle of the room. “Whelp. Now I know what Cinderella felt like.” She finished her twirl near a massive, arched window that overlooked Heart Lake. The view of the sun setting over the water was breathtaking. “What I wouldn’t give for a sketchpad and pen right now!”

Chanel immediately moved to a small desk against thewall and started rummaging through the drawers. “Since we’re about the same size, I took the liberty of tossing some spare clothing into the dresser and closet.” She located the requested pad of paper and pen. “And these.” She waved them triumphantly in the air.

Mila did a double take. “When did you find time to do all of this?”

“While the police were interrogating the snot out of you.” Chanel sailed her way with the pad and pen.

“No kidding,” Mila grumbled, embarrassed by the recollection of how many tissues she’d gone through while speaking to the police. She’d never been such a crybaby before.

“Draw,” Chanel commanded quietly. She flipped the sketchpad open and handed it to her.

“Yes, your highness.” Mila twirled the pen idly while her gaze returned to the lake. “I’m kind of surprised Deck hasn’t hunted me down to drag me by my hair to the great room.”

“I told him you needed an intermission.” Chanel impatiently tapped a well-manicured finger against the empty sheet of paper. “Now humor me. Please.”

Mila started drawing. She fleshed out the sun-drenched lake water first, zooming in on the section of shoreline where she lived. Then she added the outline of homes and boat docks. In a burst of mischief, she drew her own apartment building in the greatest detail, keeping the surrounding structures more muted in comparison. Then she outlined herself at the window of her bedroom. For the fun of it, she drew her elbows resting on the windowsill with her face tipped up to the very spot where she and Chanel were standing.

Her sister-in-law gave a trill of surprise. “You can see our home from where you live?”

“I can.” Mila wasn’t sure why she’d shared that detail.

Chanel squinted out the window, trying to locate Mila’s apartment, but the deepening sunset had shrouded it in shadows. “We have so much lost time to make up for. So much,” she repeated in a surprisingly vehement voice that made Mila wonder what she was leaving left unsaid. However, her brain was too tired to psycho analyze it right now.

“It’s hard to believe how badly I kicked and screamed against moving to Heart Lake as a teenager,” she mused. “After falling in love with the lake view, I can no longer imagine living anywhere else.”

“It grabs your soul, doesn’t it?” Chanel sounded pleased by her declaration. “A lot of my classmates couldn’t get out of dodge soon enough after our high school graduation. It’s easy to assume the grass is greener some place else at that age. When I decided to attend college overseas, the local bellyachers were quick to claim that a snooty Remington like me must share that same sentiment. They couldn’t have been more wrong. The entire time I was studying in Italy, I was dreaming of returning home to open my own boutique.”

“And you did.” After visiting with her sister-in-law off and on this evening, Mila felt like she was seeing her with new eyes. Sure, she’d grown up wealthy, but she’d never stopped being a hometown girl at heart. It spoke volumes about her character. Not only did she own and operate a successful business, she served as a councilwoman at town hall on top of being the mom of a two-year-old. Though she could afford housekeeping, landscaping, and catering services, she gave a tremendous amount of her time andresources to her community. It made Mila sad to realize how badly she’d discredited her sister-in-law before now.

“Yes, I did,” Chanel echoed. “Then I had to spend the next couple of years listening to the same people bellyache about how ridiculous it was for me to open such an upscale clothing boutique in such a small town. To this day, a few of them continue to grumble right in my store and right to my face.”

“Ouch!” Mila suddenly felt bad about assuming that Chanel’s life had been a bed of roses simply because she had money. “How do you respond to that kind of stuff?”

“By smiling all the way to the bank, baby!”

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