Page 134 of Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance

I have to know. “How did he take it?”

“I don’t know. I hung up on him after I said the foul words.”

“Jester!”

The phone rings, but Jester simply punches the button to send it to voicemail.

“I don’t have time for anyone who treats my baby girl like dirt. He ran off to Venice like a skank and left me holding the bag when Desdemona showed up. Nobody told me you were handling Drake Underwood. When his assistant called, I assumed the meeting was with Her Highness.” His face crumples. “You should have told me it was you. I wouldn’t have peeped a word about it.”

I should have. I was so focused on driving home. I should have talked to Jester, then talked to Zachery. Maybe even told him how I felt. I could have taken my shot.

No, it was too soon after Randy.

It’s a mess. A pile of story pages on the floor. Nothing makes sense. There is no logical flow of events.

And definitely no happy ending anywhere.

“I was probably doomed anyway.” I open the mug box to peep at the collection. “Desdemona was going to find out what I did.”

“You were always so good at soothing her. Nobody’s lasted here two whole years. Nobody.”

“You have.”

Jester waves me off. “An eccentric old man isn’t a threat to nobody.”

“You think Desdemona drove off assistants because she was threatened?”

“You know, I think she mainly liked torturing them. You didn’t take the bait.”

“She’s like my dad.” As soon as I say the words, I realize it’s true. I chose Desdemona to punish myself for leaving the farm. I picked a boss who made demands, who couldn’t demonstrate kindness or care. Who felt only work proved loyalty. There was no love. They were both incapable of it.

I doomed myself.

“I see the resemblance,” Jester says. “We dumb people sure do torture ourselves.”

I pull out the new Charlie Brown. He’s so happy with his wide single-line smile. He was tortured, for sure. Lucy and her football. Rocks in his Halloween bag. A lack of Valentines and holiday cards. Snoopy’s demands.

Seeing him smile on a mug always inspires me to do the same. I can’t help but grin back at him.

Jester’s face relaxes. “I sure do miss you around here. You light up a room, Kelsey girl.”

“Well, I’m not going to light up anything when they turn off my electricity,” I say, snuggling Charlie Brown back into the box. “The Demon did her thing. I can’t get anyone to take my call.”

“You’re not going back to that man in Wyoming?”

“No. We couldn’t work it out.”

Jester’s jaw drops. “He let you go? How could he possibly let you out of his sight?”

I trace the characters on the outside of the mug box. “He learned I worked in Hollywood. He couldn’t get past it.”

“But you’re not working now.”

“But I want that option. He was looking for a more devoted wife than I could ever be. Barefoot and pregnant, I guess. Babies and Hollywood don’t mix in his mind.”

“It wasn’t true love, then.”

“Not even close.” My traitorous thoughts shift to Zachery. No, not him, either.

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