One Tiny Lie – Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,3

Luna feel completely alone. There were so many times when Luna craved having a real family, complete with a mom and dad. Ava didn’t realize how truly lucky she was to have the Gileses.

Sure, Beverly and Todd were a little pushy—Beverly more than Todd—and entrenched in their upper-crust world. Some of it seemed a bit over the top, even to Luna. She could see why Ava had no patience with the never-ending parties and gatherings that Beverly lived for. However, in Beverly’s defense, it was her way of connecting with her world and protecting her family through her association with influential people in the wine industry. As opposed to many families in the area whose vineyards had been handed down several generations, Beverly and Todd purchased The Arbutus Rim Vineyard and Winery in the late 1990s. Many of the staunch families in Sonoma and Napa Valley still considered the Gileses newcomers and were reluctant to allow them into their circles. Todd attributed some of this bias as part of the reason his vineyard was struggling.

While Beverly and Todd desperately needed the money and association that a marriage to Hudson Davenport would bring, Luna could tell that the couple cared deeply for their daughter. In their eyes, Hudson Davenport was the cream of the crop and the perfect match for Ava. If only Beverly and Todd knew the truth … that Ava was madly in love with Cash Romeo and that an imposter was now in her place. Luna, as opposed to Ava, enjoyed life on the vineyard and everything it entailed, including Hudson Davenport. Truth be known, he’d consumed her thoughts from the moment she first laid eyes on him. He was everything and more that Luna could ever want in a man. She couldn’t understand why Ava didn’t feel the same way about Hudson or her adopted parents. Beverly and Todd were loving and kind, and they were fully engaged in Luna’s … err Ava’s life. And, that was something Luna had never had before. Luna supposed that everything was relative to experience. She couldn’t help but wonder how different things might’ve been had she been adopted by the Gileses instead of Ava.

It was so tempting to tell Beverly about the plan that she and Ava had enacted to save Arbutus Rim Vineyard from financial ruin. In a strange twist of fate, when Ava was working at The Muscadine Café and pretending to be Luna, she’d met the illustrious Cash Romeo, who took a liking to Ava right from the start. It was through that relationship that Luna’s songs were getting purchased through High Cliff Republic Records. Luna and Ava were splitting all the profits 50/50 that they earned through Luna’s songs and Ava’s performances on Cash’s tour. The hope was that in a few months, Luna and Ava would have enough money to pay off the high-interest loans Todd had gotten. They’d decided to keep up the charade until the money was saved. At which point, they planned to tell Beverly and Todd the truth.

Luna didn’t want to think about that. She wanted to continue basking in Beverly and Todd’s affection while living in this beautiful place.

“I think you should wear your green sundress to lunch,” Beverly asserted.

“The one with the sunflowers?”

“Yep.” She pursed her lips together as she critically studied Luna. “And you should wear your hair up, with that pearl necklace I got you for your birthday the year before last.”

Luna chuckled. “That’s specific.” No wonder Ava felt claustrophobic.

Beverly held up a hand. “I know you hate it when I tell you what to wear, but today has to be perfect. And, with your hair up and pearls … well, you’ll just look so sophisticated.”

She shrugged. “Sure. Sounds good to me.”

Beverly rocked back. “You mean, there’s no argument?”

“Nope,” Luna said pleasantly, taking another drink of tea.

“You have really changed,” Beverly mused, her eyes simmering with open admiration.

Warmth seeped into Luna’s cheeks. She probably should have put up more of a fuss but dressing as Beverly wanted seemed like such a trivial thing. The sunflower dress was exquisite, like all of Ava’s designer clothes. And, Luna rather liked wearing her hair up. The pearls were a bit stodgy for her taste, but it wasn’t a big deal.

Beverly’s voice was coated with emotion. “A few weeks ago … when we had our blowup about you marrying Hudson, and then you disappeared.” Her voice hitched. “I was worried that you might not come back.” She bit her lower lip,