Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Ellie

I know Zach is hurt that I didn't believe him—even for a short time, but I'm glad he's not holding it against me.

After hanging up with him, I call Yolanda. "Can you meet me for a drink tonight?"

"I can't really drink in my condition." She sounds annoyed.

"Meet me for milkshakes at the diner on Maple Falls Road," I tell her. "I have an idea that might just bring Zach to his knees."

Her excitement becomes obvious. "I'll be there at seven."

Looking at the clock, I realize it's already quarter 'til seven, so I grab my car keys and run out of the house.

Shirley May waves at me as soon as I walk into the diner. "I hope you're meeting the big tipper."

"Not tonight, I'm afraid. But I promise to bring him in soon."

She laughs. "If you do, tell him to tip like a normal person. I nearly had a coronary the other day."

"I'll do no such thing," I tell her. "You work for tips, so why not let someone do it right?"

She tilts her head to the side like she's seriously considering the option of not taking easy money, when she finally decides, "Fine. I'll take it. Now, is it just you or are you meeting someone?"

Yolanda walks in, so I point to her. "Just the two of us."

Shirley May acts like she has no idea who Yolanda is, and honestly, she might not. Maple Falls is not used to the kind of celebrity that has descended upon us in recent days.

Leading us to a table, Shirley May says, "I'll give you a couple minutes."

Yolanda looks around with an expression that suggests she just bit into a lemon. "This is quaint ." I translate that to mean she would never eat in a place like this on her own. Which makes me think even less of her than I already do.

"The food is great," I assure her.

Without looking at the menu, she demands, "What's your plan?"

Before I answer, I wave to Shirley May and order two strawberry milkshakes and a basket of onion rings. Once she's gone, Yolanda announces, "I can't eat that. I'm about to become a blimp. I don't want to get there ahead of schedule." Her comment is so distasteful it makes me wonder how I ever believed anything she said.

"You're about to get big with a child," I tell her. "That's not the same as getting fat."

"Pregnant fat or real fat, it's all the same on television," she complains. "Now, what's your idea?"

"You want to make sure that when you tell the world you're pregnant, Zach is there. That way, if he denies it, it will make him look bad."

Sounding skeptical, she says, "He hasn't seemed to have minded looking bad up to now."

I call on all my high school acting skills—I played Mercutio in my tenth-grade production of Romeo and Juliet —and lie. "Kelly Hart said that Zach is eaten up by all the bad press, and that he'll do anything to end it. "

Yolanda looks intrigued. "So, your whole plan is that I have Zach there? That doesn't seem like much of a plan."

I shake my head. "There's more. I think you should be waiting for him in the cottage he's renting with a cameraman. In that setting, it'll look like you're staying with him and that you've reconciled."

Yolanda's expression shifts from suspicion to pure joy. "I like this idea, but I'll need you to let me inside so I can surprise Zach when he shows up."

"Of course," I tell her. "I think you should do it tomorrow."

"Do you know when Zach will be gone?"

"I don't, so you'll have to be flexible," I tell her.

Her head starts moving like a bobble head on a dashboard. "I can do that."

Shirley May comes back with both milkshakes and the basket of rings. As soon as she drops them at the table, Yolanda stands up. "I need to go. I'll call you in the morning." I'm relieved she's leaving. I don't need anyone judging me for the delicious food I'm about to enjoy.

Once she's gone, I pick up the phone and call Zach. "Yolanda is going to announce she's pregnant tomorrow. She's going to do it from your cabin." I explain how she'll have a cameraman with her so she can film Zach's reaction.

"This won't work unless she's filming live," he says. "We can't risk her editing the footage." He pauses for a second before adding, "Let me see if Tony can get another reporter there. One that will make sure the tape airs. The timing might be tight though."

"Let me know and I'll get Yolanda there," I tell him.

"You have to make sure she doesn't suspect anything. We need the element of surprise on our side," he says.

"Whatever reporter your guy finds can stay in my house until Yolanda is in your cabin," I tell him. While I really do think this is a brilliant plan, I realize there are a lot of moving parts and I start to get nervous. Even though I'm trying to figure out how things could backfire, I tell Zach, "With any luck, we might actually pull this off."

"We sure might, Ellie. Let me call Tony. I'll call you back when I have news."

"Okay," I say, but I don't hang up the phone.

"Good night, Ellie," Zach says sweetly.

"Good night."

"Would you have let me kiss you if I was there?"

I release a groan deep in my throat before answering, "Yes."

"Good. I want you to think about that."

I guarantee that will now be the only image in my mind, but I don't tell him that. Instead, I challenge, "Only if you think about me kissing you."

"I haven't been able to think of anything else, and with any luck I'll be able to do it for real in a couple of days."

After hanging up, my mind whirls with all things Zach, until I go to bed a few hours later. I don't actually expect to fall asleep, but the minute I close my eyes, I'm gone. I don't even dream, I just pass out into oblivion and sleep through the night until my phone startles me awake.

"Hello?"

"It's Zach. I'm sorry to call so early."

Sitting up, I ask, "Do you have news?"

"Tony was able to get Melinda Star from American Wrap ."

"Holy heck, she's big!"

"She is," he says. "She wasn't happy about taking a red eye to Washington from New York last night, but she wants this scoop. She and her camera operator will arrive at your house straight from the airport. She wants you to have Yolanda situated at the cottage by two this afternoon."

Even though my mind is spinning with potential roadblocks, I tell him, "I can do that. Can you get word to Melinda that I'll leave a key to my house under the mat? I'm going to have to stalk Yolanda, so she doesn't show up early and run into them."

"Will do," he says before asking, "Are you nervous? "

"Terrified, how about you?"

"I'm just happy to be getting this all settled before the hockey games start. As much as Troy wanted me there to ensure a big press turnout, I'd rather not do so with my head on the chopping block."

"Totally," I tell him. "I need to get going. I've got a busy day ahead of me."

"I wish I could be there to help," Zach says.

"I'll keep in touch, so you know what's going on," I tell him.

"Thanks for everything, Ellie. You're an amazing woman."

"I'm looking forward to hearing you say that in person."

"Fingers crossed that's tomorrow," he says in a low, sexy voice before adding, "Good luck."

As I hang up, I realize we're going to need luck. Yolanda Simms is a pro and I'm fairly certain no one catches her unaware—until today, hopefully.