Always You: A Lilac Bay Novel (Friends with Benefits) Read Free Page A

damn hard to find beautiful, successful, glamorous women to look up to on this island. Unless, of course, your dream was to operate a fudge kitchen or a tourist kitsch shop on Main Street.
    “I grew up in a small town,” Heather was saying on the screen. “And as much as I love living in Manhattan, there are definitely many things that I miss about home. I’m sure many of you grew up in small towns just like the one I called home.”
    The camera panned to the audience members as they smiled and nodded.
    “Riley, please, I’ll never say another word—”
    “Shush.” I threw another napkin. “I want to hear this.”
    “I think small towns are the back bone of this country,” she went on. “And that’s why I’m so excited to announce my next project. We’re going coast to coast, searching for America’s Best Small Town!”
    The audience dutifully clapped and cheered as the camera closed in on Heather’s face, her eyes narrowing slightly in her patented I-Couldn’t-Possibly-Be-More-Passionate-And-Engaged-About-This-Topic expression. “Guys, I’m not just talking about a feature on this show. We’re going all out here. Six weeks of competition, aired every Wednesday in prime time , our finalist cities battling for the title—which you will vote on. We’re talking prizes, money for development, grants for schools and libraries. Exposure for your town. We want to hear your stories. We want to meet your people. This is going to be huge . And I’ll be there every step of the way, helping the audience to cast their votes for the most worthy candidates.” Huge applause from the audience as Heather Dale grinned. “I am so excited for this, America!”
    I turned to Andrew, speechless, as the familiar closing music of Daytime Dale began.
    “Oh my God.”
    “Riley.” There was a warning note in his voice, his eyes widening as they met mine. “Just chill, okay?”
    “You heard her,” I cried, pointing at the TV. “Grants and prizes! A ton of exposure! We have to do this!”
    “I’m not saying you shouldn’t look into it—”
    “Andrew, it’s meant to be! What are the odds that we would just happen to turn the show on at that exact moment? After we just finished agreeing that this town needed a boost?”
    “Hey, I didn’t agree—”
    But I barely heard him. Already my mind was spinning. What was the application process going to be like? Would every town they chose be featured in each episode? Holy crap, six weeks of episodes. In prime time. And it was Heather Dale! Everything she touched was a ratings success. People would watch this, tons and tons of people. The exposure something like this could bring—
    “Riley, please don’t get obsessed with this.”
    I gaped at him. “What are you talking about? Andrew, this could be huge for us!”
    “I understand.” He raised his hands, placating me. “I know you like to take things and run with them. It’s a great trait. But sometimes you get a little—crazy. And I’m just saying to take a breath and chill, okay? You still have this spring campaign to get through today.”
    I sputtered, incoherent. Crazy? I didn’t get crazy. Passionate, sure. A little competitive, yes. But not crazy.
    Before I could calm down enough to tell him that, Millie appeared in the doorway to the break room.
    “Oh,” she said, in the dry, disapproving voice she reserved just for me. “There you are. Mayor Jones was looking for you. I didn’t realize you would still be at lunch…” She trailed off pointedly as she looked down at her watch.
    “Yes, Millie,” I snapped. “I’m a whole two minutes late.”
    “Well, I suppose I’ll just go tell him that you’ll get to it when you’re ready.”
    I sighed, standing as I grabbed my Tupperware from the table and snapped the lid on. The combination of Millie’s mere presence and Andrew’s assessment of me were putting a huge damper on the excitement I had felt only a moment before. “You can tell him I’ll be right