Page 73 of Second Chance Saloon

But it seemed that her heart didn’t get the memo about any of this.

They passed the sprawling gardens and tennis courts, the imposing building looming at the top of the hill. There was a flash of color that came into focus moments later, revealing a small crowd of people gathered by the entrance.

The moment they were having—when impossible questions about what it all meant had forced their way between them—was over before it had really started.

Jackie narrowed her eyes, leaning in. “What the fuck—” Before she could finish the sentence, she pulled the Jeep into a reserved parking spot and pressed the brake with the full force of her foot. She switched the engine off but neither of them moved to leave the car.

The voices buzzed closer to them, flashes of light blinding.

Mitch blinked, looking through the windshield. “I didn’t think paparazzi still followed you?”

“They don’t. I’ve not done anything interesting in years,” Jackie bit back, grinding her teeth. Were they here for her? She thought they left her alone after she gave up the life of a “party heiress”, as they’d dubbed her. It had been years now since anyone had stuck a camera in front of her face, and she didn’t miss it.

“I don’t think they’re here for me.” She chewed on her thumbnail. “What if it’s about your wedding?”

His brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

More flashes clicked, muffled shouts coming from outside. Hotel security attempted to stop them from getting too close to the Jeep.

“Lionel Webster’s quite a big deal. His grandfather’s rumored to be up for a Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy. The press would eat a scandal like that up,” Jackie said.

His jaw slammed shut and hardened. “A scandal like that? You mean the worst humiliation of my life?”

“You know how they are. To them, it’s juicy gossip. They don’t care if it hurts anyone,” Jackie whispered, tentatively reaching out and putting her hand on his knee, just below his scar.

Mitch’s leg jerked up, but he didn’t push her away.

“Have you not seen anything online about it?” Jackie asked.

The crease cutting across his forehead deepened. “I’ve had my phone switched off since last night. I wanted to … gather my thoughts.” He drew in a sharp inhale as he pushed his hand inside his pocket, fishing out his phone. His eyes bored into the black screen as he pressed the buttons to bring it back to life.

Jackie pushed her teeth so deep into her lip that she drew blood. But she didn’t care, engrossed in watching Mitch’s phone like a hawk, too.

He lifted it up, typing something across the screen. His pupils widened as his eyes moved from left to right, reading text on screen. Wordlessly, he passed the phone to Jackie.

Her trembling fingers wrapped around it, and she blinked, adjusting her eyes to the bright display.

THE WEBSTER EFFECT: CAN ANY WOMAN RESIST HIM?

Lionel Webster (27), a rising country music star and grandson of the legendary Ritchie Webster, made headlines last week when a video surfaced online of him allegedly having sex with a bride-to-be, his tour manager, Eve Gunnell (33). What’s the catch, you might ask? Well, Lionel wasn’t the groom …

A guest at the unfortunate wedding that never was, who prefers to remain anonymous, told The Gossip Guru: “It was horrible. The groom had this montage of their childhood photos planned, but when the screen turned on, it was a live transmission of Lionel and Eve having … Well, being otherwise engaged. The poor groom, I thought he’d break right there on the spot.”

The groom-to-be, Mitchell Craigton (32), is the son of Tanner Craigton (64), who’s currently serving as a district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon and was present at the unfortunate wedding. Mitchell, known to friends as Mitch, is an equine veterinarian in Oklahoma. He’s the one who called off the wedding in light of what transpired. We’ve found out, from reliable sources, that the failed groom decided to go alone on his honeymoon, at a luxury resort in Mexico.

We were unable to reach either Eve Gunnell or Mitchell Craigton for comment. Webster’s team refused to comment. We’ve also received no response from Judge Craigton’s office.

Acid burned the back of Jackie’s throat, rising with every sentence she read. She clicked off the article, going back to the search results that populated the screen, and photos and articles assaulted her vision.

Her stomach dropped when she saw her own photo under another speculative headline: IS MITCHELL CRAIGTON FINDING COMFORT IN THE ARMS OF HIS COLLEGE GIRLFRIEND? AN EXCLUSIVE ABOUT THE PARTY HEIRESS AND HER CONNECTION TO JUDGE CRAIGTON’S SON.

“What the fuck …” Jackie bit the tip of her tongue, as she clicked on the link.

Right under the headline, two blurry photos from their dinner the other night stared at her. Whoever took these had good timing. Their gazes were locked over the candlelight. Jackie was holding her glass of wine, a small smile on her lips, her attention focused on Mitch’s face. Mitch was looking at her like someone head over heels in love. The photo on the left was a close-up of their linked fingers on top of the table.

Jackie swallowed, reading a gossip summary of what she’d been up to for the past ten years, all the way up to present-day. There was her photo from a few years ago, wearing a pink two-piece and holding a glass of champagne by the poolside at a hotel in Singapore. She scrolled down, her thumb burning on contact with the screen. There were photos of Mitch, too. Some older, some more recent. Where had they managed to dig them all up? Mitch wasn’t even on social media; she knew it all too well. She’d checked over the years. The article hinted at some sort of scandal surrounding their post-college break-up, circling back to Eve and the wedding.

Hot pulse threading through her veins, she clicked on another article, scanning it quickly. Phrases—“was she pregnant?” and “who was a real rebound here?”—burned into the back of her eyes.