One Tiny Lie – Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,1

soon replaced with her Grandma Peach, a crusty, efficient woman who had no trouble taking life by the horns.

From the very start, Luna had been intrigued with Ava’s description of her glamorous life on a vineyard with adopted parents who doted on her. Ava was polished, glamorous, vivacious, feisty—in a nutshell, everything that Luna wished she could be. Luna voiced her envy of Ava’s life with a wistful, “I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat.”

Ava got a certain look in her eyes, and then a large smile spread over her lips. “Let’s switch places.”

Luna had balked at the idea, mostly because she didn’t feel like she could ever fill Ava’s shoes. However, the more Ava talked, the more Luna warmed up to the idea. After all, what girl didn’t want to live in an actual vineyard with a house grand enough to be a palace? Now, here she was, several weeks later, pretending to be Ava Giles. There had been a few tense situations where Luna feared the curtain would be pulled back, exposing her as a fraud. However, all in all, she’d done a decent job of being Ava.

“Hey, you,” a cultured voice said. “I thought I might find you out here.”

Luna turned as Beverly Giles, Ava’s adopted mom, padded up to the table in her slippers and robe. She pulled out a chair and sat down beside Luna. There were faint sleep lines across her cheek and her red hair was mussed. Without makeup, she looked younger than her sixty-four years. “It’s so early,” she said as she stifled a yawn. “You’ve been getting up at the crack of dawn. That’s not like you.” She threw Luna a pointed look. “Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?”

Luna stiffened. Before she could utter a single rebuttal, Beverly’s crystal blue eyes zinged with amusement. “Well, whatever you’ve done, keep doing it, would ya? I like the change.” She threw Luna an affectionate grin.

A glow of warmth splashed over Luna as she returned the smile. “Thanks,” she murmured, lifting her cup to her lips and taking another sip of the warm liquid. It was nice to be appreciated. Luna and Beverly had been getting along fabulously. That had not been the case with Ava and Beverly.

“Where’s Dad?” Luna asked. It had been hard, at first, to get used to calling Beverly and Todd Giles Mom and Dad. Now, it was second nature. Luna was growing so fond of the couple that she was starting to think of them as her own parents. Luna had called them Mom and Dad when video chatting with Ava recently. She could tell that Ava was taken aback by that. Was it so wrong to want a real family? Especially one so endearing.

“He’s sleeping in a bit. I figure he needs his rest, especially with the harvest coming up.” She glanced behind her. “Have you seen Rosalyn this morning?”

“No.” Rosalyn was the housekeeper of the palatial home and Beverly’s go-to for everything. While Beverly wouldn’t admit it, Rosalyn was more than just a housekeeper and cook. She was one of Beverly’s dearest friends, much truer of a friend than those stuffy women Beverly hung out with at the country club.

The corners of Beverly’s lips drooped. “That’s too bad. I’d like a cup of coffee, some toast, and a poached egg.”

“We can go to the kitchen, and I can make you something,” Luna offered.

Beverly’s eyes rounded in surprise as she touched Luna’s arm with a censuring laugh. “Don’t be silly, darling,” she sang. “I’m sure Rosalyn will be here soon. She’s just not used to us getting up this early.” She yawned, water springing to her eyes. “I’m surprised you’re up so early since your flight got in late. By the way, I forgot to ask you last night. How’s your friend doing?” She scrunched her brows. “What was her name?”

“Amanda.”

“Amanda,” Beverly repeated. “How is she doing?”

“Much better,” Luna said casually, feeling guilty for lying to Beverly. She’d gone to Nashville to check on her twin Ava, who’d been shot by a mentally and emotionally unstable backup singer who was terrorizing Cash Romeo’s tour. When Luna first got wind of Ava getting shot, she panicked and caught the first plane to Nashville. Luckily, Ava was recovering and would soon be able to go back on tour with country music superstar Cash Romeo. It had been wonderful to see Ava and Cash so much in love. Luna figured it wouldn’t be long before