Ruby

  With Penny snug in her arms, Ruby walks through the dining room and greets her guests with a smile. “Happy Thanksgiving,” she tells table after table, purposely avoiding the ones where the press is seated.

  Chris hurries behind her and makes up for her deficit. The two friends ultimately meet up at the hostess stand. Ruby grudgingly says, “I suppose I should thank you for talking to those people.” Her tone suggests she regards them as subhuman.

  “Those people are going to print beautiful pictures in their papers and mention us by name, repeatedly,” Chris reminds her.

  “Have you seen James or Tara around anywhere?” Ruby asks.

  “No, but I bought out all of the Tattlers at the market this morning.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I think we should strategically place them around the lodge,” Chris tells her.

  “Have you lost your mind? Why would we do that?”

  “So we can control when and where people find out about Tara.”

  Ruby thinks it over before asking, “Where did you put the papers?”

  Chris answers with a wink. “In the office. Just give me a sign and I’ll put them out.”

  Before Ruby has a chance to decide what to do, Romaine Choate and Cash Cartwright stroll into the restaurant like they own the place. Nearly every diner cranes their head to get a better look at them. The reporters aren’t so subtle. They jump to their feet and rush the famous couple like front linemen in a football game.

  “Here we go,” Ruby says, stepping out of the way. “I’m going to go call James and see what his and Tara’s plans are to deal with this.” But before she can, she sees James and Tara walk toward the dining room as well. They look relaxed, happy, and not a bit nervous.

  James

  Tara’s wearing jeans and a sweater. She looks every inch a famous model. She stops and kisses me before we get to the dining room. “I have no idea how this is going to go, but I’m glad I’m no longer hiding. Thank you for all your help. Thank you for being you.”

  I squeeze her hand. “Just say everything we practiced, and you’ll do great. I’m the one you should be worried about.”

  “At least you’re not wearing a suit on horseback or are in swim trunks. That’s something in your favor right there,” Tara jokes.

  “Nice. Now I’m more nervous.” I am, too. I’m not the kind of person who enjoys making a public spectacle, but here we are.

  We see the crowd in the dining room before we get there. Pterodactyl-size butterflies start flapping through my stomach. I slow my pace slightly, but Tara just drags me along with her. She spots Romaine and Cash the second we walk in. She doesn’t pause for a moment.

  She walks right over to them and with a huge smile on her face greets, “Good morning! I hope you both had a great night's sleep.”

  The photographers go nuts taking pictures of Tara. They call out her name and questions start to fly like machine gun fire. “Tara, what are you doing here? Tara, are you here to get Romaine back?” On and on they go until Tara waves her hands to gain the floor.

  I swear if she ever wants to give up baking, she could be an award-winning actress. She calmly announces, “I’m happy to answer all of your questions, but first there’s something I want to say.”

  Cash looks equal parts mad and scared. She jumps up and grabs Tara’s wrist like she’s going to pull her away, but Tara doesn’t let her. In fact, she opens her arms and embraces Cash like a long-lost sister. Then she turns to the press. “When my dear friend Cash told me she and Romaine had started dating, I couldn’t have been happier for them. They are both wonderful people and they deserve each other.”

  “But you and Cash hate each other!” someone calls out.

  Tara laughs. “That’s the story the press has always tried to sell. The truth is, I adore Cash and always have.”

  Cash’s mouth is wide open in shock. She doesn’t seem capable of adding her own sentiment, so Tara continues, “In fact, when Cash and Romaine told me they were engaged, I suggested they have their wedding here, where I work. I wanted nothing more than to make their wedding cake as my gift to them.”

  “You work here?” several people call out at once, followed by “Cash and Romaine are getting married?”

  I wouldn’t be surprised if actual steam started to pour out of Cash’s ears. She looks like a Looney Toons character about to blow. Clearly, this is not how she saw announcing her engagement to the world. Tara is stealing her thunder and she’s livid.

  “As most of you know, Romaine and I were going to be married this very weekend, but thankfully, we discovered we weren’t meant to be.” She looks fondly at Romaine, who appears to be in as much shock as his fiancée.

  Tara gently pushes Cash aside and pulls me up next to her. “I’d like you all to meet my new boyfriend, James. You can read all about us in this morning’s Tattler.”

  If there were a commentator for this scene, he would be yelling, “And the crowd goes wild!”

  I notice Syd Byerly walk into the room, so I gently nudge Tara. She calls out to him, “Syd, over here!”

  When he joins us, she says, “I’m sure you and Romaine would love to chat with the press about his upcoming album.” Then she turns to all the cameras and announces, “James and I are just going to grab a quick bite to eat before I get to work. I have a load of pies to make for Thanksgiving.”

  Tara and I sit side-by-side in an empty booth and nuzzle up to each other. “You were perfect,” she praises me.

  “I didn’t say anything,” I tell her.

  “Which was perfect. Now all I have to do is keep up the façade of being Cash’s friend, and you need to keep from hitting anyone—and by that I mean Romaine. If we can do that, I predict we’ll be victorious by the end of the weekend.”

  A reporter asks, “Are you two going to Cash and Romaine’s wedding?”

  “Of course!” Tara declares excitedly. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Wait until Cash hears that bit of news.

  Tara locks lips with me again before turning back to the reporter. “I’d be happy to chat with you later, but right now my boyfriend and I would really like to eat.”

  No one quite seems to know what to make of Tara’s relaxed and upbeat demeanor. She’s thrown everyone for a loop and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.

  My mom comes over and hands us Penny, who’s as happy to see us as we are her. I ask my mom, “Do you want me to put her in the office?”

  “Not unless someone complains,” she answers. “And even then, she’s my grandpuppy and I say she stays.”

  I put Penny on my lap, but she has other ideas. She jumps down and runs across the room before I can grab her. When she gets to Cash, she stops, lifts her leg, and treats the model’s foot like her own personal fire hydrant. I’m pretty sure everyone got a picture of that.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Gwen

  Thanksgiving has always been meaningful to Gwen, but this year is more so than ever. Rushing around Tara’s house, she grabs her jacket and hurries to put on her lipstick. Then she heads out to her rental car to go up to the lodge.

  Her thoughts are solidly on last night with Billy. Who knew finding romance after sixty was possible? Gwen decides the best part is that she and Billy have both reached the age where they know what truly matters.

  They’ve reached that stage of life where they’re closer to the end of their days than to the beginning. With that comes perspective and gratitude for things once so easily taken for granted. Every day brings hope and possibility, every morning an offer of redemption.

  Even if Tara doesn’t wind up staying in Spartan, Gwen feels strongly this is where she belongs. Once upon a time she may have made judgments about someone who was willing to uproot their lives for a person they’d only known for such a short time, but no more.

  Life is sweet, and fragile, and full of wonder. If you can’t occasionally release yourself from the chains of societal norms, what’s the point? Once she gets to the lodge, Gwen sits in her car until Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You,” ends on the radio. It’s the perfect song for this Thanksgiving.

  Tara

  I give James a quick kiss before getting out of the booth to go to the restroom. Things could not have gone smoother this morning and I feel like doing a little cheer.

  As soon as I walk out of the restaurant, someone rather viciously grabs my shoulder to turn me around. Cash! Once upon a time I would have punched her lights out for accosting me like that, but I’m not about to give into my baser nature with the lodge full of press.

  “What do you think you’re up to?” she hisses.

  Instead of answering right away, I wave over a reporter who’s lurking close by. He runs over in time to hear me say, “You are so lovely to ask me to be your maid of honor, Cash, but truly, I don’t want to take any of the attention away from you. It’s your day, after all.”

  If looks could kill, I’d be pushing up daisies. The strategy James and I came up with last night is like my birthday and Christmas all wrapped up into one. I’m coming off looking gracious and lovely and as long as Cash wants to look good, she has to go along with it.

  My mom comes through the front door of the lodge, so I wave to her. I didn’t have a chance to fill her in on my little plan and I don’t want her to blow it by making a scene with Cash. So, I call her over and say, “Mom! Cash just asked me to be her maid of honor. Isn’t that sweet?”

  My mom looks confused, so I add, “I’m so glad I suggested they get married here.”

  She catches on as more reporters make their way in our direction. She smiles brightly at Cash before throwing her arms around her and loudly declaring, “You’ll be such a lovely bride. Tara and I couldn’t be happier for you.”

  “Let me go,” Cash says quietly. She turns to me and spits, “I hate you.”

  I yell back, “I know! It’s going to be the best day ever!” Then I pull her back into my embrace and whisper, “Cross me and I’ll take you down.”

  “Your dog peed on me.” She looks like she’s about to cry.

  “You’re lucky that’s all she did.” In a louder voice, I add, “Go on back to Romaine. I’ll see you later today.” Cash is converged upon by reporters as she walks away.

  “What was that all about?” my mom asks once we’re alone.

  “That was my way of taking the power away from Cash. She thought she could come here and publicly rub my nose in the fact that she’s marrying Romaine. So, I hijacked her plan and told everyone it was my idea that they get married here so I could make their wedding cake.”

  “Holy crap,” my mom says. “Remind me to never make you mad.”

  “Right?” I’m practically giddy. “I’ve decided I’m going to make their cake for them after all.”

  “Are you using a sardine butter cream or something?”

  I shrug my shoulders before answering, “Probably not, but you better believe Cash will be afraid to eat it wondering what I’m going to do to it.”

  “That girl never knew when to let things go, did she?”

  I think back to my history with Cash of how she’d bad-mouth me to photographers and clients alike. Luckily, most of them saw it for the sour grapes it was, but I still didn’t appreciate her smack talk.

  I tell my mom, “I’m going to head to the kitchen and get to work. Plan on meeting us in the dining room at five for our Thanksgiving celebration, okay?”

  She nods her head. “I was going to have breakfast in the dining room, but maybe I should steer clear.”

  “Don’t!” I assure her. “Go on in and say hi to Romaine. Tell him how excited you are to be invited to his wedding.”

  “You’re not really planning to go, are you?”

  “You bet I am,” I tell her. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “Oh my god, Tara, why would you put yourself through that?”

  “I’m totally over Romaine, Mom. In fact, James and I are officially dating now. I need to show up so no one can speculate that I’m heartbroken, which I’m not. Showing them that I’ve moved on is the only way they’re going to believe it.”

  “You’re enjoying this,” she guesses.

  “You bet I am.” I release a shiver of pure joy before giving her a quick hug. Then I hurry into the restroom to splash some cold water on my face.

  Two other women are washing their hands when I walk in. They both turn to look at me with clear recognition in their eyes. How could they not know who I am after this morning’s spectacle in the dining room.

  One woman says, “You were way better for Romaine than Cash will ever be.”

  “Nonsense,” I tell her. “Romaine and Cash are birds of a feather. I’m happy to be away from that life. I love living here in Oregon.”

  The other woman reapplies her lipstick before saying, “Happiness is the best revenge.”

  I smile at them both before going into a stall to hide. I don’t want to have to keep making small talk with them. After they leave, more people come in, so I decide to wait it out. I hear one woman say, “You were supposed to dig up some dirt.”

  Rachel, of all people, replies, “There’s no dirt to be had, Monique. I wrote about the real Tara.”

  “For a hundred grand, you should have made something up,” comes the heated response.

  “That’s not how I roll, and you know it,” Rachel tells her.

  “Then you’d better look for another job. Tabloids don’t make the money they do by printing the saccharine sweet drivel you turned in.”

  “Are you firing me?” Rachel demands.

  “You bet your sweet ass I am. I’m not going to keep you on the payroll unless you’re willing to do the job you were hired for.”

  “Making stuff up?” Rachel clarifies.

  “Writing what the public wants to read about. Sometimes that means being creative with the truth.” Poor Rachel. While I’m not glad she lost her job, I am glad that she has some ethics. The door to the bathroom opens and closes again. I assume they’ve both left.

  But when I walk out, I see Rachel leaning against the sink. Our eyes meet in the mirror. “I suppose you heard that,” she says.

  “I did.” With sincerity, I tell her, “I’m sorry you got fired on my account, but I’m not sorry you won’t be working at the Tattler anymore. You’re too good for them.”

  “I agree, but now I live in one of the most expensive places in the world and I don’t have a job.”

  “Can’t you get work at a newspaper other than the LA Times?”

  She shakes her head. “Newspapers are dinosaurs. All but the top dogs are cutting their staff back to next to nothing.”

  “Most people do everything online these days,” I agree. Then an idea hits me. “Why don’t you leave LA and move someplace a lot cheaper and get a job writing online?”

  “Yeah, but where?” she asks, sounding like she might consider such a suggestion.

  “You told me how beautiful you think Oregon is. You could move here.” The words are out of my mouth before I really think about what I’m suggesting. A week ago, I was suspicious and resentful of Rachel’s presence here, but she just lost her job because she wasn’t willing to make up lies about me. If that doesn’t speak to her integrity, I don’t know what does.

  “You wouldn’t mind me living here?” she asks, sounding unsure.

  Shaking my head, I tell her, “I wouldn’t. In fact, I don’t know a lot of people here yet and I think we could be friends.”

  “I’ll definitely consider it,” she tells me. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you for sticking up for me,” I tell her before excusing myself. I have to get to the kitchen and face my co-workers for the first time now that they are aware of my true identity.

  Chapter Fifty

  Ruby

  After making sure the area around Penny’s recent piddle gets cleaned up, Ruby sits down with her son. “You and Tara really seem to have everything in control this morning,” she tells him.

  “We decided last night that we were going to quit pretending to date and really do it,” James tells her.

  “Really?” Ruby does her best to sound surprised.

  “That’s right, Mom. You can quit trying to throw us together. It worked.”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “I mean the garden project you concocted for me and Tara to work on. Tell me that wasn’t your way of trying to fix us up.”

  Ruby focuses on her coffee and takes a couple of sips before saying, “But it worked, right?”

  “Yes, Mom, it worked. Now tell me, do you still want me to create a garden plan for you?”

  “I don’t see why. If I put in a garden here, I wouldn’t need to buy from your farm.”

  “So, no garden?” James laughs.

  “No garden,” Ruby assures him. Then she reaches across the table to take his hand. “I’m thankful for you, James. You’re a wonderful man, just like your father.”

  With tears in his eyes, he says, “I miss him, Mom. So much.”

  “I like to think he’ll be with us today.”

  “If there’s any way he can be, I’m sure he will,” James assures his mom.

  Mother and son sit quietly, both reflecting on all they have to be thankful for. The list is extensive.

  James

  My mom made a point of telling the staff who Tara really is before breakfast service started this morning. She didn’t want that wild card on the table along with everything else. I can’t tell if the excited aura radiating off of them is because of Tara or Romaine and Cash. Chances are it’s a bit of both.

  Helena stops by the table as I’m getting ready to leave and says, “I’ve got to tell you, just last week I was thinking this place was getting a little dull. I’ll never think that again.”

  I laugh. “Tell me about it. This is the biggest thing to happen to Spartan since I accidentally mooned that photographer from the Spartan Herald.”

  “I don’t think that was a moon as much as a righteous plumber’s crack,” Helena says.