Page 30 of Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance

It might not be smooth or easy following a fortune teller’s directions across the country to find true love, but I’m doing it.

Chapter 10

ZACHERYPACKS THESOAPS

As I race back to my condo, my foot on the gas pedal has no interest in speed limits.

I never should have gone out so far on the seaboard. I’ll have to make up even more time now.

I text Kelsey at a stoplight to see if I can get any concrete information.

So where is your next stop?

I’m not surprised when I get all the way back to my condo without a reply. She’s likely driving, and even if she isn’t, the signal is notoriously bad in the desert.

When I make it inside, I consider my closet. I can dress fancy or plain. Casual or to impress.

Unable to choose a direction, I start cramming random outfits into suitcases. In the middle of my efforts, my housekeeper, Carmen, arrives.

“Mr. Carter, let me. You’re going on a trip?”

She pushes me aside to fold the clothes properly.

“Maybe.” I step back into the closet and pull shoes. Ferragamo, Gucci, Hermès, Dior.

Carmen takes them from me. “Don’t forget your toiletries.”

Right. I pick up a small case and throw everything in. Colognes. Hair products. My formulated soaps. They rattle around in there, so I stuff a towel on top.

Carmen has left my organized suitcases by the bedroom door. It’s a lot, like I’m headed overseas. I should cut back.

But catching up to Kelsey feels urgent.

I try calling Jester to let him know I’ll also be out of town, but I keep getting voicemail. Obviously one of our actors is keeping him on the line. The office is roughly on the way, so I decide to make a quick stop.

When I get there, Jester has the office phone to his ear, his cell phone in speaker mode on the desk, and he’s trying to mend a Charlie Brown mug with superglue. Obviously, he finished whatever he was typing earlier.

He looks up. “I’m on mute on both conversations.”

I push down my urgency to leave. I’m going to need him to cover should Desdemona call. “It turned into a two-phone kind of day?”

“It sure did. The big film festivals get everyone in their feelings.”

I walk up to the pieces of the mug. “Does Kelsey know Charlie bit the dust?”

Jester’s default smile inverts to a frown. “She ran out of here when I told her. I haven’t seen her since I broke it, and now she’s gone on this journey to the center of the earth.” He lets out a long sigh. “What if she never makes it back? What if some rootin’ tootin’ Wyoming ranch boy steals her heart?”

He’s taking this hard, his ruddy cheeks pinker than usual. The low squawking sound from his cell phone sounds a lot like the teacher in thePeanutsshows.

“I’ll look online for a replacement mug,” I tell him.

“I already did,” he says. “The set is discontinued.”

Kelsey loved this one. “Find something similar and buy it. If Desdemona balks, I’ll cover it.”

Jester sets down the mug pieces. “You’ll do anything for that girl.”

It’s true. “I’m going after her.”

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