Ugly Beautiful Secrets (The Ugly Beautiful Series Book 2)

Book summary

In the tangled web of Crescent Hills, secrets threaten to unravel the lives of its residents. As newlywed Audrey questions her marriage, Ivy’s return disrupts old relationships, and hidden agendas simmer beneath the surface. When tragedy strikes, the town’s facade of luxury crumbles, revealing the lengths people will go to protect their secrets.

Excerpt from Ugly Beautiful Secrets (The Ugly Beautiful Series Book 2)

“What’d you just say?” Audrey asked while Ivy, Ben, Cooper, Marcia, Cassandra, Lucky, Cooper, Sawyer, and she stood in the living room.

Ivy’s jaw twitched. “Yeah, you heard me correctly. I saved Ben’s life, then shot Tanner four times and torched the cabin.”

Lucky frowned. “I’m gonna need a strong drink. I’m too sober for this conversation.”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Ben said. “Do you realize Tanner would’ve killed me if it weren’t for Ivy?”

Marcia sighed. “Nobody is trying to discount what Ivy did. However, you’re in a messy situation.”

“Don’t care how awful it sounds.” Ben tucked his hands behind his neck. “I’m glad Tanner died. He got what he deserved.”

Audrey bit down hard on her lip. Life was a funny thing because Audrey sometimes couldn’t help the thoughts that popped into her head, even if they were none of her business. In theory, she shouldn’t have been worried about what Ben’s comment meant for his relationship with Cooper. Yet Audrey wondered how Cooper felt about Ben’s remark. Tanner was still Cooper’s father regardless of how vile he was. So, Cooper could’ve had conflicting emotions about his father dying.

Lucky gave his son a dirty look. “Don’t let the police hear you say that.”

Cassandra snorted. “Relax, Lucky. The police aren’t coming to arrest us.”

“There probably isn’t much time before someone notices your cabin is on fire.” Marcia paced back and forth.

“Unfortunately, you might be right about that,” Ivy said.

“You should’ve asked us for help instead of staging your own death.” Lucky went to the bar in the living room and filled his glass with a more than generous serving of an amber-colored liquid.

Marcia scrunched her eyebrows. “Booze isn’t the answer, Lucky!”

“I’m not your problem anymore,” Lucky spat, his face turning red.

Marcia huffed. “If you have an issue with me, then we can discuss it in private. But right now isn’t the time for petty platitudes.”

Lucky sneered. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“Enough!” Ben exclaimed. “We need a plan.”

Sawyer scratched the side of his neck. “The police might not be coming to arrest you, Ivy. But they’re gonna have a lot of questions if you randomly return from the dead.”

“What are you suggesting?” Ivy demanded.

“This conversation is hypothetical, right?” Cooper asked. “Being forced to testify against each other is the last thing I want.”

Cassandra rubbed her gold bracelet. “Having a third party nullifies attorney-client privilege.”

Cooper shook his head. “Wonderful.”

Sawyer coughed into his right arm. “How about this? Lucky and I agree to take you all on as clients if the police ever arrest you for Tanner’s murder or for being an accessory after the fact.”

Audrey heaved a sigh. “You and Lucky being here makes you privy to the cover-up.”

“Let’s take it one problem at a time,” Sawyer said.

Audrey couldn’t disagree with Sawyer’s comment—it was logical enough. Being cognizant of various scenarios was good. But Audrey would drive herself crazy if she tried accounting for every possible situation. It wasn’t like Audrey was psychic, after all.

Lucky’s eyes bulged at Ivy. “What was the point of torching the cabin?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ivy giggled. “I didn’t want there to be any trace of Tanner left. Not even teeth to compare to dental records.”

“That’s a morbid thought.” Lucky finished his drink.

Audrey’s spine tingled. She couldn’t blame Ivy for wanting to eliminate all traces of Tanner. No explanation necessary about how evil people were sometimes tenacious. If Audrey were Ivy, she’d want to make sure Tanner was absolutely, positively dead.

Cooper eyed Ivy. “You’re sure Dad is dead? I wouldn’t want a situation that resembles I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

“What part of shooting him several times don’t you understand?” Ivy asked, raising her voice. “Perhaps you should just be thankful you’ve never been in an abusive relationship.”

Cooper averted his gaze. Then, empathy washed over Audrey. She’d never be able to understand the years of abuse Ivy experienced, yet a small part of her cringed from Ivy being so curt with Cooper. Audrey needed all of one second to realize Cooper was a victim like Ivy. The only difference between Cooper and Ivy was Ivy chose a life with Tanner whereas Cooper was born into a fucked-up situation. And for that, Audrey would forever pity Cooper. Everyone deserved a fighting chance at having a good life, and Cooper was no exception.

“Sorry,” Ivy finally said. “Snapping at you wasn’t fair, and I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cooper mumbled.

A lump lingered in Audrey’s throat. “I apologize for stating the obvious, but Tanner being CEO doesn’t help matters either.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Ivy asked.

Audrey took in a few deep breaths. “Tanner’s colleagues are gonna have a lot of questions.”

Sawyer met Audrey’s gaze. “What are you suggesting we do?”

Audrey shrugged. “I’m not sure. Just thought it was worth mentioning.”

Lucky clapped. “Worrying about the company can wait. We’re no closer to concocting a believable cover story.”

Marcia shifted her weight. “And not to be a downer or anything, but there’s the whole Selma Diamond thing.”

Cassandra gaped. “Why would you bring up that bitch at a time like this? We’re already fucked seven ways to Sunday as it is.”

“She’s the one who knew I was alive this whole time.” Ivy sat on one of the living room couches.

“Which brings me back to my original point about how you should’ve come to us!” Lucky bellowed. “Turning to Selma Diamond is never the answer.”

Cooper made a clicking noise with his tongue. “There’s a lot of things my mother should’ve done. However, now isn’t the time to chastise her over her bad decisions. Protecting Ben and my mother from going to jail for murder is the only thing that matters.”

A warm feeling spread through Audrey’s body. Almost as if Cooper’s words were reminiscent of a child waking up on Christmas morning, discovering all the various presents under the tree. Audrey didn’t have to be an astrophysicist to comprehend how Ivy and Cooper needed to stick together. Hell, they all needed to remain loyal to each other. Audrey binged enough movies and television shows to understand how disloyalty invited chaos. More specifically, an opportunity for the villain to strike.

Ivy’s gaze remained on the carpet. “What if I say Tanner kidnapped me?”

Sawyer exhaled a long breath. “The police would want to know where he kept you.”

Ivy beamed. “I could say he was keeping me at the cabin, and he eventually decided to kill me. So, he burned the cabin down and I happened to escape.”

“What about me?” Ben asked.

Ivy placed her hands on her lap. “You could say you were driving around to pick up a couple of things for Audrey and Sawyer’s wedding reception, and you happened to see me on the side of the road.”

Lucky sniggered. “That’s a hell of a coincidence.”

“It’s all we got at the moment!” Ivy exclaimed. “Besides, Ben was in charge of picking up ice for the reception, so it’s not that unbelievable.”

Ben nodded. “Makes sense.”

Ivy’s smile widened. “There’s something else we’re forgetting. Being the wealthy community that Crescent Hills is, the police are gonna want an easy case.”

Lucky shot daggers at Ivy. “Like when they believed you committed suicide?”

Ivy gripped her neck. “What’s with the hostility? I mean, I’ve tried to be nice and let it slide. But if you’ve got something to say, then say it.”

Audrey couldn’t blame Ivy for her question. Wondering about Lucky’s attitude was only natural. Lucky wasn’t helping anything with his antics. And if real life were a soap opera, Audrey would’ve given Lucky a classic soap opera slap. To Audrey, Lucky needed to find a more appropriate time to vent his frustrations. It wasn’t lost on Audrey how lives were on the line—none of them needed to deal with the possibility of jail. Orange was one color Audrey never cared for.

“I know about your affair with my son,” Lucky said, slurring his words slightly.

Ben’s eyebrows knitted together. “I was eighteen at the time. Besides, the age of consent is sixteen in this state.”

Lucky whipped his head back and forth. “That’s not the point.”

“I like your idea,” Sawyer told Audrey.

“But that still leaves the business,” Marcia said.

“We can say my father quit his job and decided to go off the grid and travel.” Cooper tugged at the sides of his blazer.

Sawyer grinned. “Great. But how are you going to deliver the message?”

“I can send an email from his laptop,” Cooper said. “He never logs out of his accounts.”

“How do you know that?” Audrey asked.

Cooper remained silent.

Ivy glanced at her son. “You can be honest with us. We’re not gonna care if you’ve been doing stuff behind your father’s back.”

Cooper laced his fingers together, almost cracking them. “Dad sometimes made me help him with technology stuff.”

Ivy’s jaw lowered. “Oh.”

“That’s brilliant!” Sawyer said. “So, Ivy can give a press conference once that’s taken care of.”

The empty feeling in Audrey’s stomach expanded. In a perfect world, the plan would work without a hitch. But life was anything but ideal. And that meant Audrey couldn’t forget about the universe’s twisted sense of humor. Life was often cruel. And Audrey didn’t want anything, least of all a justifiable murder, stopping Ivy from getting a second chance.

***

Audrey and Sawyer lay in bed while specks of moonlight trickled into the bedroom. Sawyer was on his iPhone while Audrey was engrossed in a book. Except Audrey couldn’t get over the conversation from earlier in the day. This wasn’t how Audrey would’ve wanted to spend her wedding night. But Audrey couldn’t change the past. Moving forward was the only thing Audrey could do.

She closed her book, then tilted her head. “Do you think everything will work out?”

Sawyer lifted his gaze off his iPhone. “It has to. I’m sure you don’t need to be reminded about what’s at stake.”

“No, I don’t.”

***

Audrey stood in the kitchen, eyes glued to the mini-TV on the counter after she finished a glass of orange juice. Sunlight beamed through the window while she caught her breath. She needed to remind herself that she wasn’t the one about to channel her inner fabulist. Nope. Ivy was the one who was about to spin the biggest story ever.

Audrey continued staring at the TV while Ivy leaned into the microphone attached to the podium as Cooper and Ben stood behind her.

Ivy didn’t even so much as wince. “My name is Ivy Fields, and I’m here to tell my story. Because days of me living in shame and silence are over…”