“Anyone we need to worry about?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve looked over the files and everyone seems fairly normal.” She thought about Finn. “We do have a family member who isn’t happy.” She explained about the twenty-one-year-old twins. “If they’re half as good-looking in person as they are in their pictures, they’re going to be on the show.”
“Do you think their brother will make trouble?”
“No. If the boys were still underage, I would worry that he would try to ground them. As it is, he can only worry and threaten.”
Marsha nodded sympathetically. Dakota knew the mayor’s only daughter had been something of a wild child, then had gotten pregnant and run away. It couldn’t be easy, raising a child. Or in Finn’s case, two brothers. Not that she knew about being a mother.
“We can help,” Marsha said. “Look out for the boys. Let me know if, or maybe when, they’re chosen for the show. We don’t have to like that Geoff brought us this mess, but we can make sure to keep it contained.”
“I’m sure the twins’ brother will appreciate that,” she murmured, suspecting Finn might be grateful but wouldn’t have much expectation for the town helping.
“You’re doing a good thing,” Marsha told her. “Keeping an eye on the show.”
“You didn’t give me much of a choice.”
The mayor smiled. “That’s the secret to my success. I box people into a corner and force them to agree.”
“You’re very good at it.” Dakota sipped her diet soda. “The worst part is I actually like reality TV. Or I did until I met Geoff. I wish he’d do something illegal so Chief Barns would arrest him.”
“We can always hope.” Marsha sighed. “You’ve given up a lot, Dakota. I do want to thank you for taking on the show and protecting the town.”
Dakota shifted in her seat. “I haven’t done all that. I’m on set and making sure they don’t plan anything truly insane.”
“I feel better knowing you’re around.”
She was good, Dakota thought, eyeing the older woman. Years of experience. Marsha was the longest-serving mayor in the state. Over thirty years. She thought of all the money the town had saved on letterhead. It never had to change.
While this was far from Dakota’s dream job, working for Geoff had the potential to be interesting. She knew nothing about making a television show, and she told herself she would enjoy the opportunity to learn about the business. At least it was a distraction. Something she wanted these days—anything to avoid feeling so…broken.
She reminded herself not to go there. Not everything could be fixed, and the sooner she accepted that, the better. She could still make a good life for herself. Acceptance would be the first step in moving on. She was a trained professional, after all. A psychologist who understood how the human mind worked.
But knowing and believing were two different things. Right now it seemed as if she would never feel whole.
“THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT,” Sasha Andersson said as he leaned against the battered headboard. He glanced down at the copy of Variety he’d bought from the old guy at the bookstore. Someday, he would be making thousands, or even millions, and he would subscribe and have it delivered to his phone, as the real stars did. Until then, he bought a copy every few days, to keep costs down.
Stephen, his twin brother, lay across the other bed in the small motel room they shared. A worn Car and Driver sat open on the floor. Stephen dangled his head and shoulders off the mattress as he flipped through an issue he’d probably read fifty times.
“Did you hear me?” Sasha asked impatiently.
Stephen looked up, his dark hair falling over his eyes. “What?”
“The show. It’s going to be great.”
Stephen shrugged. “If we get picked.”
Sasha tossed the paper to the foot of the bed and grinned. “Hey. It’s us. How could they resist?”
“I heard there were over five hundred applicants.”
“They narrowed that number down to sixty and we’re going to make the final cut, too. Come on. We’re twins. TV audiences love that. We should make it seem like we don’t get along. Fight and stuff. Then we’ll get more camera time.”
Stephen shifted on the bed, then rolled onto his back. “I don’t want more camera time.”
A fact that was both irritating and true, Sasha thought grimly. Stephen wasn’t interested in the business.
“Then why are you here?”
Stephen drew in a deep breath. “It beats being back home.”