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I get up and head that way. Inside I splash cold water on my face and stare into the mirror. Maybe my father is right. I'm a spoiled and selfish brat who doesn't appreciate all everyone has done for me.
I've made a giant mess of everything.
CHAPTER17
CALEB
I want to check on Alex. She looks like she's going to be sick, but I also don't want to do anything to draw attention to her, though there's already been plenty of that, even without the television broadcast.
This scene on the television was a real eye-opener for me too. Alex—or Xander—has fans who love her. And they should. But they don't even know her like I do. They know, or think they know, some caricature that's been created for promotional purposes.
But, regardless of that, she's talented and she's worked hard to achieve stardom.
What can I offer her? A big room with an en suite bathroom at a ranch?
I could build us a house. But still, is Chickadee Ridge really the right place for her? I can't ask her to give up her career to hang around on the ranch and do... what?
But I can't let her go either.
I glance toward the restrooms and Alex hasn't returned.
The bell over the door to the diner jangles and I look that way. Everyone does. It's sort of an automatic response. A man who clearly is not from around here comes in and gazes around. I get a funny feeling about this and when I glance over at Nicco he's on high alert also.
Julie, the owner of the Trailhead Diner, greets him and before she can show him to a table, he holds his phone out to her and asks, "Have you seen this woman around here?"
I don't need to see the image on his phone to know who he's talking about.
Nicco moves as though he's going to stand up and if he does, likely he's going to snap that guy's head off. I can't blame him, but it's not the smart thing to do. And I'm trying really hard to not let my emotions cloud my thinking, but it's nearly impossible. Boone rests her hand on his arm and shockingly, he sits back down.
Julie glances at the photo and shakes her head from side to side. "No, I've never seen her before."
The diner crowd has thinned out, except for the ladies who stayed to spy on our little lunch gathering. I'm trying not to stare at the guy who is asking about Alex. My Alex, but it's hard not to.
The man turns like he's going to leave but he scans the crowd in the diner and makes eye contact with Mrs. Murphy.
"Who are you looking for, young man?" Mrs. Murphy asks and waves him over.
"Oh shit," I hear Boone say under her breath.
"I'm going to check on Alex," Boone says. "We'll go out the back and meet you in the parking lot in five minutes." She stands and walks casually past the fortune hunter trailing my Alex and back to the hallway where the restrooms are located.
Nicco and I nod and sip at our drinks in an effort to look like this sort of thing happens all the time.
The man walks over to the table next to ours and I can see the image on his phone. It's Alex in her Xander gear but there's another image too, one of a younger, less made-up Alex. My heart skips three beats and I feel helpless. My fists curl on the table and I want to beat the shit out of him and everyone else who has made my sweetheart fearful and unhappy. But, the surest way for Alex to be found is for me to do that.
I glance at Nicco and he's gripping the edge of the table, his knuckles white with the effort.
"I'm looking for this woman," the guy shows the Xander photo and then flips over to the more familiar image. "She might look more like this."
"Oh my. Is she lost?" Mrs. Murphy asks.
"Sort of," he replies.
"Is she your sister?" Janice asks.
"No."
"Girlfriend?"
