Page 65 of No More Secrets
“What kind of qualities are important to you in a man?”
“Excuse me?”
Anthony was frowning intently at his notepad. “You know like, smart, kind, good with animals, broad shouldered, chiseled jaw ...”
“I guess all of those.”
“Great. And how many kids do you plan to have?”
Summer choked on her wine.
“Gee, isn’t that funny? We were just talking about that, Anthony,” Joey said. “I think Summer settled on an even half dozen.”
Summer’s eyes widened as Anthony continued to scrawl notes. “Half dozen,” he mumbled. “Got it. Now according to your blog you state that ‘Farm life is a very large leap from Manhattan.’ Is that a leap you’d be willing to make for love?”
“You know what? I think I have to go to the bathroom. Excuse me.” Summer shoved away from the bar.
“No problem. I’ll just squeeze in Joey’s interview while you’re gone. So Joey, now that Jackson Pierce is back in town, are you off the market?”
It was Summer’s turn to laugh.
“Ed, we’re going to need that food to go. Now,” Joey called.
“Rumor has it that Jackson is back for good. What does that mean for you?”
“Ed!”
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“People don’t really read thisThe Monthly Moon,do they?” Summer asked, watching the cornfields fly by her window. Their untouched, hastily packaged dinners were sitting in the bag on her lap.
“What do you think?”
Summer groaned.
“How do you think I feel? You get to go back to the safety of eight million strangers who don’t give a shit what you do day in and day out. Ilivehere,” Joey grumbled. She passed the farmhouse lane and continued on, turning down the lane to the stables.
“Can Anthony be bought?”
“Not only is Anthony the editor-in-chief ofThe Monthly Moon, his parents are Rainbow and Gordon Berkowicz. He’s second-generation BMBC.”
“Crap.”
Joey stopped the truck in front of a stone and timber cabin.
“Where are we?” Summer asked.
“My place.”
Joey led the way up the porch to the front door where she fiddled with her keys. “Welcome to Casa Awesome,” she said, pushing open the door.
The whole first floor was wide open. A seating area was arranged around the stone fireplace and behind it was a wide plank table surrounded by charmingly mismatched chairs. The kitchen was compact but had all the essentials. Slate blue cabinets and white countertops broke up the wood tones of the walls and ceiling. The kitchen island was flanked by four backless metal stools and held a neat stack of magazines and books, all on horse topics.
“Two bedrooms up there,” Joey said pointing to the loft that overlooked the living area. “Powder room is over there. There’s beer in the fridge. I figured we could eat on the back porch.”
“Fine with me,” Summer agreed. “We aren’t going to get ambushed by paparazzi out there, are we?”
“If that happens, I’m getting my shotgun.”
