All She Wants for Christmas by Jaci Burton Read Free Book Online

you and Suzie and the band, and you’re all sworn to secrecy. You promised.”
    How had they found out about Ethan?
    “The producers don’t know about the connection between Ethan and the songs. They just know he was your teenage boyfriend, which makes him a part of your past, a part they feel should be explored.”
    “No. We talked about this. No Ethan.” She’d made it clear Amanda wouldn’t be interviewed, either, but of course that would never happen now. “I don’t want him or Zoey involved in this.”
    Jo took a seat in the living room across from the roaring fire. The temperature had dropped and the skies were an ugly gray outside. Riley snuggled up in her sweats, Henley shirt and thick socks in front of the fire, intent on sipping hot cocoa and working on the song she’d started on the bus ride here. She’d spent part of the day lost in her music, happy to be alone and away from the production of the biography. When she wrote she could shut out everything, including what had almost happened between her and Ethan last night.
    Except her songwriting had drifted into thoughts of first love and first kisses, and that’s not at all where she’d intended to go.
    Instead, her idyllic moments of peace had been shattered by this. No way was she going to allow it.
    “The thing is, Rye, Ethan has agreed to it.”
    She laid her guitar to the side, letting it rest against the chair. “What?”
    “They called him this afternoon and he agreed to the interview tomorrow as long as they promised to keep his daughter out of it, not mention her and make sure she stays off camera.”
    “Oh, no. That’s not going to work at all.” She stood. “He absolutely cannot do the interview.”
    Jo nodded. “I’ll get a staff member to contact the biographer, and then Ethan.”
    “No. I don’t want this staffed out. I need to talk to Ethan myself.” She went into the kitchen and looked around. “Surely there has to be a phone book around here somewhere.”
    One of her staff members grabbed it from the counter and handed it to her.
    “Thanks.”
    She flipped through the book and found Ethan’s name, dug in her purse for her cell and dialed Ethan’s home phone number.
    “No answer.” Damn. “I’ll try his parents. They might know how I can reach him.”
    She dialed his parents’ number, and his mother picked up. It had been years since she’d spoken to Mrs. Kent. A lump the size of her tour bus lodged in her throat.
    “Mrs. Kent?”
    “Yes?”
    “It’s Riley Jensen.”
    She waited for silence, for condemnation, for something other than the enthusiastic response she got.
    “Riley, honey! I’m so glad to hear from you. Why haven’t you been by to see us yet? I’m so sorry we didn’t make it to greet you when you arrived the other day, but Roger’s knee is bad and I knew Ethan would be dropping Zoey off. And look at me talking your ear off and you haven’t had a chance to say a word yet.”
    Riley breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s so wonderful to hear your voice, Mrs. Kent.”
    “Please, call me Stacy. You’re a big girl now.”
    “Thank you, Stacy. I was wondering if you knew where Ethan was. It’s kind of important I talk to him.”
    “He’s over here tonight. Everyone came over for dinner and game night. Why don’t you swing by? I know everyone would love to see you.”
    Oh, right. She’d just bet his brothers would “love” to see her. “Oh, I don’t know about that. If I could just talk to Ethan…”
    “Well, he’s in the middle of a rather rousing game of Yahtzee at the moment, so you’d better come on over. Though I realize you’re a big and important star and probably busy doing something, so I understand if you can’t.”
    It hadn’t been said with malice. Stacy Kent thought Riley’s dance card was full. Ha. “I’m not big and important, and I’ll be right over. Thank you for the invitation.”
    “Great, honey. See you soon.”
    She hung up and wondered why she’d agreed to