Page 171 of Ever With Me

She took a deep, calm breath in through her nose, then nodded and went over to the podium. “Excuse me, Fred.”

Fred stepped to the side.

Maddie scanned the town hall, the faces of the people standing, the press in the corner of the room.

She swallowed hard.

Brandywood had turned out for her.

I love this town so much.

Her voice wasn’t as strong as she wanted it to be, but she said, “A few quick questions to the people standing.” She leaned closer to the microphone. “Grace, I texted you about that booking, right?”

Grace nodded.

“Did you tell anyone I was going?”

“No, Maddie, you know I’d never do that.”

“How about you, Laura? Same thing, right? I texted you and asked for your discretion?”

Laura nodded. “And you got it. I wouldn’t ever tell people you were going to be there.”

“But the paparazzi still found out somehow.” Maddie frowned and looked at the other people in the standing group. “What about the rest of you? Didyoutell anyone?”

“One person. Josh Hawkins,” Annie said.

Josh shifted in his seat.

“Only Josh,” Mr. Wong said.

The same answer came from the rest of the group.

Josh’s face had reddened by now, his eyes dark.

Maddie looked straight at him. “Funny how they all only told you, Josh, and still the paparazzi were waiting for me every time.” She leaned forward, hands on the podium. “Because you know what, I only told one person where I was heading each time, too. Annie was the only person who knew I was going to the drive-in. Mr. Wong was the only person I told about Pearson’s Creek. But you know the really weird thing? I didn’t tell anyone about Grace’s studio or the Redding Cabins. Ionlytexted them.”

A projector turned on, illuminating the wall behind her. A screenshot from her deleted texts sent to Brooks. “Look familiar, Josh?”

Josh stood so quickly in his seat that his chair fell backward. He was sweating now. “I want my lawyer.”

“I’m sure you do. I do, too. Because you violated my privacy, used the text messaging app I had downloaded onto your computer to log in to my messages, and then used those private messages to threaten Brooks Kent and sell the information you found to the paparazzi. You and Mike Valders hired a woman to stalk and threaten me, and my grandfather had a heart attack as a result. You didn’t just betray me, you betrayed this whole damn town. Every one of us missed out on Brooks’s performance at the fair because he had to fly to Vegas to pay off the extortion you participated in, Josh. At. Gunpoint.”

Gasps came from the people in the room, and photographers took more pictures from the press side.

The back doors opened, and the uniformed police officers strode down the center aisle, heading toward Josh.

“You’re lying!” Josh yelled, his face filled with fear.

“Gina has already signed sworn statements, and she’s happy to cooperate. I guess you didn’t think the Stricklands and the Yardleys might come together to take down a douchebag like you, did you?” She smiled at Fred, who nodded while glaring at Josh.

Dan came up behind Josh and yanked his hands behind his back, handcuffs at the ready.

“Oh . . . one more thing. That ‘Brooks’ you’ve been so worried about in town this week?” She nodded toward the side door, which opened.

Cormac sauntered through with a grin, wearing Brooks’s clothes, including the baseball cap. The effect had been remarkably effective. Maddie might have had to snuggle and pretend to neck with Cormac Doyle more than she’d ever wanted to, but it hadn’t been too hard to fake kisses with well-positioned arms and hands.

She didn’t need to explain that part of it to the town, though. The truth would get out soon enough and spread through the rumor mill. The press could think what they wanted.

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