Chapter One
Nancy
I come awake with a start, my heart hammering in my chest as my mind tries to figure out what’s happening. I blink against the bright light coming in through the window. I’m home. For a second there, I wasn’t sure. Was that noise a part of my dream? I lay quietly, listening, waiting. It could have easily been a dream because I drove straight from Amarillo last night after a whole day of shooting. When I’m exhausted, I tend to have weird dreams. Like playing chess with a penguin on a frozen lake weird. And I am exhausted, both mentally and physically.
I hear another sound, like a window opening. Fear hits me square in the chest and I realize that I can’t take another breath. Did I set the alarm? No. Because I’m stupid and now my headstone will read Dumbass Didn’t Set the Alarm. My father will make sure of it.
Then, the giggling floats back to me. I roll my eyes and slip out of bed, grabbing my phone as I go. I stomp out to the living room and stop short of the scene in front of me. Everly Spencer is standing by one of the windows that face the street. She’s holding a paper bag and a drink carrier as she tries to coax her bestie Becca through the window.
“She’s not going to call Josh on us. Besides, Josh would never arrest us.”
They’re talking about Josh Collins, our sheriff. She’s right, he won’t arrest them, but I might just call him to screw with them. “You don’t know that,” Becca says.
Everly sighs, the sound filled with such irritation that I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Happiness chases away a few of the dark clouds that seemed to settle over me this season while filming my show. No matter what happened this year, there is one thing I know: It’s so good to be back home.
After a little more persuading, Becca hikes one leg over the windowsill. I figure now is the time to make my presence known.
“So, breaking and entering, huh?”
Becca lets out a squeak and falls back out of the window. There’s a muffled crash, but I know my bushes probably saved her from too many bruises. Everly slowly turns around with a smile on her face. “Heya, Nancy.”
I let one eyebrow rise and she laughs. Everly is a few years younger than I am and a few inches taller. She’s athletic without being overly muscular and with long hair that tends to change colors as often as Everly changes her moods—so a lot. Today it’s back to dark brown, but there are streaks of blue. She’s wearing a tank top that shows off her colorful tattoo sleeves, a pair of shorts, and short boots. I would look like an asshole trying to appear tough in an outfit like that. Everly looks badass.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m just lying here dying after I fell out the window,” Becca calls out in a strangled voice.
I shake my head as I chuckle and walk to the front door. “Why didn’t you let her in through the door once you got in?”
“I was afraid your alarm was on.”
My alarm. Ugh. My father insisted I get it because I’m a ‘celebrity’, but I rarely engage it when I’m in town. I do keep it on when I spend weeks on the road, but this is Juniper Springs. And yes, I am ignoring my earlier regret about not setting it now that I know I’m safe. The truth is, I’m safe whenever I’m home. There will be a phone call or a text message about Everly and Becca soon enough.
As if on cue, my phone vibrates in my hand.
Mrs. Peterson: Becca and Everly are breaking into your house.
Yep, can’t get away with shit in this town without one of the LOLs (Little Old Ladies for those of you who didn’t know) noticing. I open the door and find Becca standing on my porch. There are twigs and leaves in her hair. She’s smiling at me like there’s nothing odd about this morning. And, truthfully, there isn’t. This is Juniper Springs, which was founded by a couple of hippies who didn’t think Austin was quite weird enough.
“Welcome home, Nancy,” she says, holding her dress out and giving me a curtsey. Where Everly is dark, her best friend and business partner is light. Blonde hair, amazing blue-green eyes, and she’s short and curvy. She has her hair up in two small buns on top of her head. She’s wearing a red dress with pandas all over it, because…of course she is. She’s Becca Gold. Again, I would love to rock a look like that, but I can’t. I look down at the sandals on her feet and notice she has painted each of her toes a different color.
“I texted Nancy about you two,” Mrs. Peterson calls out from across the street. I look over and find her standing on her own porch, her cell phone in hand. She’s still in her housecoat, so she definitely just got up. See, don’t need any alarms.
“Yeah, and I’m talking to her, so thanks, Mrs. Peterson,” I call out.
She nods. “You girls need to grow up.”
Everly sticks her head out of the doorway and yells, “Never!”
“Everly,” Becca admonishes. Everly smiles at her and walks back into the house.
“Come on. You know she won’t go back inside until she can’t see what’s happening,” I say to Becca, who smiles at me and steps into the house.
“Welcome home, hun,” Mrs. Peterson yells out. “I texted your grandmother you were back in town.”
Great. Just who I want to see. I wave my hand in thanks because I don’t trust my voice not to be sarcastic. I shut my door and mentally force myself away from the idea that my grandmother will probably show up today to tell me what a loser I am. Yay. I thought I might get a few days before I had to deal with her.
I follow the sound of voices to my kitchen. I love my house. LOVE IT. Okay, so the only other house I would take is a massive farmhouse with a wraparound porch, but I have no reason for a house that big. I bought this one when it was a mess, passed from renter to renter, then left vacant for a couple of years, the craftsman style home was just what I wanted. Big front porch and good bones. I spent a year redoing the entire house, using Travis’ company to get everything just right.
At the thought of my cohost, my heart dings a little. That’s what he does to me. I’ve been stupidly in love with the idiot for a few years, but the way I left things…I think my time on our show Flipping Texas is over. I just never thought I would walk away. I have threatened it a time or two, but that’s all they were. Threats. Now though, leaving the show is my only option.
I push those thoughts aside because my friends are setting out donuts from Sugar High Donuts and, thank the lord in Heaven, they have coffee.
“Okay, I won’t press charges.”
Becca smiles at me. “I told her that we should just come over later because you’d probably be sleeping.”
“How did you know I was home?”
“Juniper Springs Express,” Everly says as she hands me a coffee. I take a sip and smile. She doctored it just right.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“I thought I was late enough to miss the Express biddies.”
The Juniper Springs Express is an app developed by my cousin Jon. It connects all the LOLs with everyone in town, so they can keep tabs on everything that’s going on. I love my hometown, but that shit irritates me. And since Jon doesn’t live here, that asshole doesn’t have to deal with it. He’s been living in California for years and got sick of all the texts from people in town asking for help, so this is what he came up with. Butthead.