Ugly Beautiful People (The Ugly Beautiful Series Book 1)

Book summary

In the pristine community of Crescent Hills, appearances can be deceiving. As the town reels from journalist Ivy Fields' mysterious vanishing, its glittering veneer begins to crack, revealing secrets buried deep. Audrey, driven by her own ghosts, delves into Ivy's case. Marcia, trapped in a facade of a perfect life, finds temptation, while young Ben struggles with love and societal pressures. As Cassandra faces a specter from her history, everyone learns that in Crescent Hills, the past is never truly gone.

Excerpt from Ugly Beautiful People (The Ugly Beautiful Series Book 1)

Audrey always prided herself with having good intuition.

Like when she was a kid and her cat disappeared. Her mother said the cat went to live at a farm, but Audrey eventually realized something bad happened to it. Or like when she had a good feeling she’d aced the SAT—she’d studied several months in advance for the test. Or like when she currently sat in the pontoon boat next to her friend Ivy and the smell of salt water wafted through the air and stars sparkled against the night sky. The red marks on Ivy’s neck hadn’t gone unnoticed when Audrey’d arrived at Ivy’s earlier in the evening. And Audrey only needed one guess to realize the bruises hadn’t appeared out of nowhere—more specifically, someone must’ve hurt Ivy.

Ivy bit her lip. “Something wrong?”

“Forget it. It’s none of my business.”

“If you have something to say, then say it.” Ivy paused for a beat. “You can talk to me about anything.”

Audrey wrinkled her nose. “Sure … about that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Audrey sighed. “I couldn’t help noticing the bruises on your neck.”

Ivy gaped. “Oh.”

“It’s fine if you don’t wanna discuss what happened. Perhaps you aren’t ready for that conversation.”

“I tripped while doing laundry.”

Audrey tucked a lock of platinum blonde hair behind her ear. “If you say so.”

“You think I’m lying?”

“Not for me to say.”

“Why don’t I make us some drinks?”

Audrey raised an eyebrow. “Sure that’s a good idea?”

“We have a while before we head back to shore, so it’ll be fine.”

“Whatever you say.” Audrey rubbed her forehead while Ivy’s neck injuries remained etched in her mind. In an ideal world, Audrey would’ve believed Ivy. But life was anything but perfect. And that meant people lied. No explanation necessary about how the greatest betrayals were committed by the people you knew best, not strangers.

Another thought popped into Audrey’s head. Tanner. Nine times out of ten, it was always the husband or boyfriend that was responsible when something bad happened to a woman. Yet in all the years Audrey had known Ivy, she’d never witnessed Tanner even so much as raise his voice.

Appearances were deceiving, though. Nobody knew what happened behind closed doors. And that included Ivy’s home life.

Audrey’s pulse drummed in her ears. Accusing Tanner of being violent wasn’t right. She didn’t have any proof. And Ivy had also never hinted at having any marital problems. So, Audrey had only one choice. Believe everything was fine until given a reason to suspect otherwise. It was the most logical option. Audrey would drive herself insane if she got over analytical. And that was the last thing Audrey needed on a Friday night. Tonight was supposed to be about relaxing—not inventing problems that didn’t exist.

“Here you go,” Ivy said. “Gin and tonic okay?”

Audrey looked up, and took the red Solo cup from Ivy. “Sounds great.”

“Didn’t mean to get snippy with you earlier.” Ivy plopped down next to Audrey, almost spilling her drink. “Arguing with you is the last thing I want.”

“Fair enough.”

Audrey nibbled the inside of her lip. The latest thought that popped into her head was no better than the previous one. But Audrey didn’t have a choice. The news always talked about how everything seemed fine with the person right before tragedy struck. And that was why Audrey couldn’t ignore the knots in her stomach.

“You’d tell me if something bad was going on, right?” Audrey asked.

Ivy scowled. “What are you getting at?”

“Everything okay with Tanner?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Ivy exclaimed. “Tanner is a great husband. And I couldn’t have asked for a better father for Cooper.”

“Cool.”

“Do you think I’m lying?” Ivy sipped her gin and tonic.

“Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“I’m not an idiot,” Ivy spat, turning bright red.

“Come again?”

“If you’re implying I’m in an abusive marriage, then you’re wrong.” Ivy drew in a quick breath. “Tanner wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Good to know.”

“I’m serious.”

Audrey took a big swig of her drink. And for a second, Audrey thought the drink had a strange taste. But Audrey soon put that idea out of her head. Nothing good ever came from being paranoid. Ivy was her friend, and Audrey could create a long list of things that were more likely to happen than Ivy drugging her. Alcohol also had an acrid flavor to it, so Audrey chalked it up to that.

“Something wrong?” Ivy asked.

“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

“Perhaps we should’ve done this another night.”

Audrey didn’t know if she should be annoyed or pity Ivy. Even the smallest details provided insight into someone’s character, including someone’s tone. Ivy should’ve spoken in a more confident manner; Audrey would have to observe Ivy more in the future to see if Ivy’s defeated attitude was a pattern.

“It’s fine,” Audrey said. “Not like I have anything better to do—Sawyer and Lucky went out to dinner with a client tonight.”

“That sounds fun.”

Audrey snickered. “Hardly. I wouldn’t wanna work in the evening.”

“Maybe the dinner will count as billable hours.”

“Sounds like you should’ve been a lawyer.”

“Nah. I enjoy being a reporter.”

“If you say so,” Audrey said.

Ivy gave Audrey a playful look. “How are things with Sawyer?”

“They’re fine. Why do you ask?”

“If you can ask questions about my life, then I can inquire about your life. Only fair.”

“Touché.” Audrey drank more of her mixed drink, then giggled. Her stomach grumbled. And Audrey could’ve smacked herself. Drinking on an empty stomach wasn’t ideal, regardless if Audrey only planned on having one drink before she and Ivy returned to shore and cooked dinner.

“Maybe one day you and Sawyer will get married.”

“Perhaps.”

Ivy’s eyes bulged. “What’s wrong? Does marriage frighten you?”

Audrey shrugged. “No, I just never contemplated getting married. Hard to be optimistic about my love life when I never had a serious boyfriend before Sawyer.”

“Don’t dwell on the past—it’s not healthy.”

Audrey smirked. “Didn’t realize you were moonlighting as a life coach.”

“I was only trying to help.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“I’m being serious.”

“Gonna be lonely again without Tanner being around this weekend?” Audrey asked.

“Not really,” Ivy said. “I’ve still got Cooper, and I couldn’t be prouder of him if I tried. Not every college-aged kid would wanna spend time with their mother.”

“True.”

Ivy gripped her neck with her free hand. “I shouldn’t complain—Tanner’s business trips are important. If Tanner wasn’t successful in business, then I couldn’t afford this lifestyle.”

“The CEO of an energy company should be able to afford a yacht instead of a pontoon boat.”

Ivy gave Audrey a dirty look, then Audrey’s jaw quaked. Audrey might’ve only been on her first drink, yet the alcohol already seemed to be going to her head. And losing control was the last thing Audrey wanted or needed. Nothing good would come from that.

“I’m sorry,” Audrey continued. “That was insensitive of me, and I should’ve chosen my words more carefully. How you and Tanner spend your money is your business.”

“Damn straight.”

“I really didn’t mean anything by my comment.”

“Apology accepted. Already forgotten.”

Relief pulsed through Audrey’s body. Thank goodness Ivy was a forgiving person, because Audrey would’ve rather died than lose one of her best friends. So, she’d have to be more careful in future. Especially if there was more to Ivy’s story about the neck bruises than what she was willing to admit. If Ivy really was in trouble, then Audrey couldn’t alienate Ivy. Only a fool would do that.

“What are you thinking about?” Ivy asked.

“Nothing important.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“I’m serious.”

Ivy glanced at Audrey’s cup, then met Audrey’s gaze. “Something wrong with the drink? You’ve hardly touched any of it.”

“I don’t want to get drunk before dinner.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “You won’t get intoxicated from one. And I can always call Sawyer and tell him you’re spending the night at my place if you drink too much.”

Audrey narrowed her gaze. “How much do you plan on drinking?”

“I’m not sure.”

Audrey wagged a finger at Ivy. “You’re trouble.”

“What fun would life be without a little mischief?”