Colton's Mistaken Identity

But she wasn’t done with him, and Ariella was certain that once she presented Prescott with her plan, he’d agree to again partner with her. That had been her one mistake—she hadn’t let him in on her career plans right from the start.

He wasn’t going to come easily, though. It’d be impossible to get him to meet with her and have a calm adult discussion. Ariella knew it would be risky, but she was determined to win Prescott back, even if it meant officially kidnapping him to get him in the same room as her.

And getting rid of women like the redhead who were in her way.

Chapter 2

“Have you heard from Skye this morning, sweetheart?” Mara Colton was already dressed in her work clothes, which meant she looked like she’d just stepped out of a boardroom. Her navy suit was official looking enough to give her mom the impression of measured control over what they both knew could erupt into total chaos with one wrong decision. They planned all year for the Roaring Springs Film Festival and worked well together, but this year felt different. Between Skye’s failed romance, the Avalanche Killer, and the loss of revenue due to the latter, nothing was going as usual.

“No, not since she told me she needed some space.” Phoebe wiped her brow with the bottom edge of her running shirt. “Don’t worry, Mom. She’s had a rough breakup, and you know how she takes them.”

“‘Space’ is not an option, with the press arriving today. What on earth are we going to do if she’s not here to handle tonight’s event?”

Mara’s concern made the tiny lines around her mouth deepen, and Phoebe hated that her twin was putting her mother through this. It was one thing to go all trauma-drama when you were a teenager, or even in college, but at twenty-five it seemed a little excessive.

Not that Phoebe could relate. Skye had always enjoyed a healthy dating life, her outgoing nature attracting men like adrenaline junkies to the high mountains that surrounded The Chateau. As the quieter twin, Phoebe normally didn’t have a problem with her more introverted personality, but she was starting to wonder when she’d have more than the more casual relationships with men she’d enjoyed so far. She wasn’t sexually inexperienced, but it’d be nice to have a man who wanted something more. Something lasting.

While she tried to think of how to answer her mother, a skinny boy of thirteen came barreling around the corner, followed by a rosy-faced toddler.

“Hey, Phoebe!” Joshua pulled up short and looked over his shoulder to make sure the little girl was with him. “Come on, Chloe.”

“Good morning, you two.” Phoebe gave Josh a quick hug and then bent down to lift Chloe into her arms. She buried her nose into the baby curls, savoring the sweet scent.

“Grandma, can me and Chloe go to the playground? I’ll make sure she doesn’t climb too high.” Josh was Phoebe’s nephew and the son of her brother Blaine, who’d just returned from his military stint. They’d all only met recently, as no one had known that Joshua’s mother, Tilda, gave birth to Blaine’s son back in high school. Russ and Mara were proving much warmer grandparents than they had been parents, and immediately wrapped Joshua in unconditional love. Still, it was disconcerting to hear him call Mara “grandma.” Phoebe smiled and poked at Chloe’s stomach. “Who has a cute tummy?”

Chloe’s squeal of delight warmed Phoebe and chased away her worries about Skye. Chloe was the daughter of her cousin Sloane, the woman Russ and Mara had raised as their own. Both children were the first grandkids for Russ and Mara, and it showed in how very spoiled they were whenever they came to the resort.

“Phoebe. We need to settle how we’re going to fix this.” Mara hugged Joshua to her as she spoke, her eyes softening for the young teen.

Chloe started to squirm, her legs kicking like all get-out, and Phoebe reluctantly set her back down.

“You two go on ahead, I’ll have Lania meet you there.” Mara spoke to Joshua, referring to the nanny she’d hired to help during festival week.

“Thanks, Grandma! See you, Aunt Phoebe!” Joshua and Chloe sped off, the toddler’s legs furiously pedaling to keep up with her older cousin. Mara placed a quick call on her cell. She instructed the nanny to text the minute she arrived at the playground. With the Avalanche Killer on the loose, there was no such thing as being too careful.

When Mara turned to face Phoebe, she was ready with the best answer to ward off her mother’s inevitable freak-out.

“Skye will be back in time, Mom. I’ll text her in a bit and see where she’s at.”

“You remember that I still need you in the ballroom by nine this morning, right?”

Phoebe looked at her watch. “Yes, and that leaves me another two hours to shower, eat and show up.”

“And I thought we agreed you weren’t going to go running by yourself until everything gets cleared up?” Mara reminded her.

Great. Now her mother was turning her angst on the nearest target—Phoebe.

“Mom. There’s no safer place on the planet, second only to maybe downtown Roaring Springs. I never went off the main path, and it was light by the time I took off.” She opted to not mention the creepy feeling she had of being watched, nor the sounds of breaking twigs that she’d been afraid might have been some unseen trespasser. Her imagination had always been on hyperdrive, a byproduct of having her nose in a book since she was a kid. Her reading tastes ran the gamut of genres, but her favorites remained thriller and horror.

“Sabrina thought it was a safe place, too.” Mara’s mention of her niece and Phoebe’s cousin hit Phoebe square in her heart. She winced, wishing the pain would somehow ease and then immediately felt guilty. Sabrina Gilford hadn’t been given a chance to escape the pain and suffering of her murder. What right did Phoebe have to even consider complaining about her own life?

“I’m not going to win this conversation, Mom. Let me get something to eat and I’ll see you in the ballroom later.”

“Wait a minute, sweetheart.” Mara’s normal businesslike tone was tinged with concern.

“Yes, Mom?”

“You need to be prepared. If this is one of Skye’s more prolonged relationship-grieving periods, she might not be back in time for tonight. I’ll need you to step up.” Mara’s words made Phoebe’s heart stutter. Skye wouldn’t leave them in the lurch, not with the opening gala tonight, would she?

Her clenched jaw told her the truth. Skye could take breakup misery to a whole new level, and there was a good possibility she’d back out of tonight if she truly didn’t feel up to the task. But it wasn’t something Phoebe wanted to reveal to her mother, who always bore the brunt of the festival’s pressure each year. She forced a smile, made her stance more relaxed and put a hand on her mother’s shoulder.

“Mom, we’ve been through this. Skye is the face of The Chateau’s marketing. She’s a natural at dealing with the public and especially the press. I’m the depth of our team. Like when I ran cross country in high school and college. I never was the fastest, but Coach could always count on me.” And she never wanted to be in front of a television camera, not willingly. The thought of having to stand in front of the gauntlet of reporters, all craving the latest and greatest gossip on the featured actors, was more frightening than the scariest novel she’d ever read. “Trust me, Mom. You don’t want me doing one bit of her job.”

“Coltons don’t quit, Phoebe.” Mara clearly had her teeth sunk into the idea that Phoebe could instantaneously replace Skye, and she balked.

“Wait a minute—I’m not the one who took off with a broken heart. I’m right here, Mom, standing in front of you. Please don’t put this on me. If on the very tiny chance Skye isn’t here in time, we can ask one of the hotel management interns to step in. It’d be the best training for them, and we can let the press know we’re giving an intern from another part of the country a great opportunity.”

Mara’s mouth gaped. “You’ve had your nose buried in our financial books far too long, Phoebe. There is no way on earth I’d allow an intern to do Skye’s job. Not during the festival, anyhow. It’s too risky, even if we’d taken the last month to train them.”

“Mom, we’re wasting time here. Skye will be back on time—we can count on her for professional commitments.” And they could. Skye never missed a work appointment.

“Let’s hope you’re right and she shows up in time to get ready for the red carpet. For now, I’d feel much better if you’d plan on handling the press briefing at three. If Skye is back by then, great, no problem. If not, however, you’ll be ready to go.”

Mara wasn’t budging, and Phoebe couldn’t really blame her. More like her mother when it came to planning, Phoebe preferred a sense of direction and purpose. With no surprises. Once again, her heart cracked a little, seeing her mother’s anxiety during what was normally a time of year they all looked forward to.

“Fine.” She blew a long breath out of her mouth. “I’ll look over her notes after my shower. Just in case.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Mara turned and walked away, and Phoebe wished for once she was the more outgoing sister. The one who’d tell their mom that no way in heck was she going to talk to the press or corral the VIPs into the ballroom. She’d honestly be content to play the shadow sister for the rest of her life. It might mean she didn’t get the accolades that Skye enjoyed, but she’d have peace of mind.

Are you sure? Maybe this is a chance to show your mettle.

“Whatever.” Phoebe grumbled to herself as she went to her apartment, a collection of rooms in a private residential wing of the hotel. Skye had better show up sooner than later. Otherwise Phoebe was going to be pretending to be her sister, something she hadn’t done since high school, when Skye skipped two classes to go skiing with her boyfriend of the week. Because, ultimately, she knew that she’d never be able to stop her mother from getting what she wanted. Mara Colton was a force of nature all to herself.

Before she stepped into the shower, Phoebe sent off a quick text to Skye. She’d give her sister until noon to get it together and come back to work. Skye knew how important the next several days were, and no matter how shattered her heart was, she’d never put the Colton family in a rough position.

Unless something really wrong was going on. Phoebe’s twin radar wasn’t firing off as it had earlier, but it wasn’t giving her any warm fuzzies, either.

It’s because Skye’s upset over being dumped.

“Well, two can play at this game.” Phoebe spoke to herself as she got under the hot stream of water. Closing her eyes, she focused on her gut and envisioned the invisible cord that connected her to her twin. Once she had a solid mental image of the thread, she yanked on it, as if this would alert Skye to the fact that her twin needed her. “It’s your turn to feel my pain, Skye. Get back here now.”

* * *

Skye did feel Phoebe’s mental nudge, Phoebe assumed, because when she got out of the shower, her twin’s response was on her phone.

Sorry but still can’t come back. Need more time. Thanks for handling it all for me. Xx

Phoebe’s wet hair dripped water onto her phone as she fired a quick text.

No choice—we need you. Be here by noon, no later!

Her finger wavered over the emoji keyboard, wondering if their tried and true symbol would work its magic this time. She hadn’t used it since freshman year in college, when she’d found out her roommate was sleeping with the boy she’d hoped to spend the weekend with. Phoebe looked at herself in the steamy mirror and realized that Mara would have to take her from her current nondescript style to Skye’s over-the-top motif. That would mean cutting at least nine inches off her hair and wearing tons of sparkling makeup and equally glittery clothing. No, thanks. Without further hesitation, Phoebe texted back, Get back here or Mara’s going to be the end of me.

She added the barfing emoji symbol and pressed the send arrow. Skye would know how stressed Phoebe was because she’d referred to Mom by her first name, something they never did to her face.

* * *

Prescott had to admit that if he had to deal with his business manager’s constant pressure to make it appear that he was leading the life expected of a successful actor, it was best done from the balcony of his VIP suite. The warm air was dry and the colors of the mountain sharp.

As was his tone with Jon, his manager, but he was determined to be himself as much as possible, without falling prey to the trappings of celebrity.

“I’m here to promote the premiere of the film we’ve worked so hard on.” Prescott didn’t want to add the implied period at the end of his statement. Jon knew the deal.

“We’re only saying that it’s been a year since your big breakup with Ariella, and it would be nice if your fans saw that you’d moved on. Plus it will underscore who was the villain in that relationship.” By we, Jon meant not only Prescott’s agent and the business staff but also the director of the film being showcased in the festival.

“I don’t give a—” He stopped himself. Regrouped. Made his mind go back to this morning’s hike. The aspens, the breeze, the cute redhead... “You know I’m going to do the best job I can while I’m out here. You also know that press junkets aren’t my forte, but I’m not the worst. As for my ex, she’s not stopped bashing me every chance she gets. I think her reputation speaks for itself.”

“Just make sure you keep up with your security detail.” Jon’s reminder was warranted—some strange things had happened over the past several months, from weird packages being mailed to his home to random scathing voice mails from Ariella herself. But Prescott still didn’t like to dwell on it.

“The team’s here, and we’re talking. I won’t go anywhere without them, save for my room.” Which, as it was located in The Chateau, was surrounded by the top security in the business. “I am grateful to stay here this year, away from the throngs. Thanks for setting it up for me.”

“You’ve earned it, and it’s a nice break from being in downtown Roaring Springs. As small as that town is, it explodes into a mini–New York City for the film festival.”

Prescott agreed. “Jon, I’m sorry if I’m coming off like a dick. I’d hoped that Ariella and our breakup would be far behind me by now.”

“Sometimes the media can’t let go of it, Prescott. Either way, anything you can do to be seen with other single women this week would be a plus.”

Prescott ended the call and any thoughts of finding another actress to connect with. He’d carefully avoided any romantic commitments this entire year, keeping dates to one-night events and eschewing the Hollywood social scene. His ex had done the exact opposite, including getting herself kicked out of bars and fired from her last film set. No wonder she’d amped up her attempts to get his attention—he’d only ever been a celebrity ticket to her.

If he were to ever get involved with another woman again, as more than a sexual interest, it wouldn’t be with a celebrity.

That had to be why the image of the redheaded runner kept flitting through his mind. She’d been attractive, mysterious, and he hadn’t recognized her as anyone involved in the industry.

Prescott didn’t believe in fate.

He looked around the view of the resort property from his balcony and absorbed as much of the good nature vibes as he could. A small movement in one of the trees caught his eye and he set his mug down, intent to spy a bear or large raptor. It was impossible to tell what he’d noticed from this far away, though, as the tree line began a full half mile from the The Chateau.

Who was he kidding? The tight knot of apprehension in his gut hadn’t loosened since Ariella had begun her constant attempts to reconnect with him. Now he was getting paranoid, feeling as though she was around every corner, in each dark shadow that crossed his path. She didn’t have the money to travel here, much less stay in Roaring Springs during the film festival.

No matter how much he tried to approach his anxiety with logic, it never left. Ariella had done more than scar his heart—she’d taught him that you never really knew a person even after you’d lived with them.

Chapter 3

The rest of Phoebe’s morning went as planned, with several short meetings with the event staff and regular team to ensure everyone knew what was expected of them. She’d gotten through the ballroom meeting with Mara and told her mother that Skye had texted her back. But she didn’t tell her mother exactly what her twin had said, hoping to delay Mara’s descent into festival madness.

At ten minutes past noon, however, there was no more stalling. Skye still hadn’t answered back and was nowhere in sight. So she’d been forced to spill the beans to her mom.

Phoebe gritted her teeth. She was going to make Skye pay the next time she saw her. Maybe for that nice pair of leather-strap sandals she’d been eyeing in The Chateau’s boutique. They were still expensive with their employee discount, but since Skye’s departure at the worst time for the festival meant maximum distress for Phoebe, she figured it was the least her sister could do.

However, for now, she had to survive her mother’s attempts at making her look like her twin.

“Hold still.” Mara waved a pair of very sharp shears too close to Phoebe’s eyes.

“Please, Mom, let Amber do it.” They were in The Chateau’s spa, and Mara had actually canceled a regular client’s standing appointment so that Amber could fit Phoebe in. Mara’s dismissal of a client’s needs underscored the absolute necessity for the festival to go off without a hitch.

“I’ve got it.” Amber, the spa’s most congenial employee, took the scissors from Mara and motioned for Mara to stand back. She smiled at Phoebe, her white teeth stunning against her dark skin. “We’ll have you Skye-a-fied in no time.” They’d let Amber in on what had to happen. It would be bad PR for word to get out that Skye was out of the area for any reason, and most importantly, Mara didn’t want it to be discovered that Skye had been dumped in such a shoddy manner. To avoid in-depth explanations, it was easiest to let Phoebe play Skye for the immediate future. With so little time and such huge stakes at hand, there was no choice. Although Phoebe would have preferred to keep Mara’s shenanigans on the covert side. If she was going to commit a huge deception, she didn’t want everyone to know about it.

“This is crazy. It’ll never work. And Skye’s going to show up at any minute.” Her voice sounded a lot more confident than she felt.

“We can’t count on that, Phoebe.” Mara spoke as Amber snipped away at her crimson locks, the same shade as her twin’s but much longer and straighter. Phoebe wore her hair long and sleek and couldn’t be bothered to blow-dry and curl it for the time it took Skye to get her perfectly natural-looking hairdo to fan perfectly around her face and shoulders. She watched her sodden locks drop onto the protective salon cape that draped from her shoulders and she wanted to scream.

“It’s official. I’m going to kill my sister.”

“This isn’t the time to talk like that.” Mara’s quick admonishment made Phoebe cringe. Her mother had been through enough and had the weight of the festival launch event on her shoulders. “It’s only the first day of the festival, and after you cover the press conference and gala red carpet, Skye will no doubt come waltzing in and take over the rest of the week.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Mom. Ow!” Sharp pains ran from her skull to her nape as Amber used a wide-tooth comb on the back of her hair.

“Sorry, hon, but you’ve got a snag back here.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just cut away. As long as we got the long ponytail in one piece to donate for children’s wigs, I don’t care what you have to do now.” Phoebe had been meaning to cut her hair for the last several months and she’d found a charity that accepted long lengths to make wigs that helped out kids going through chemo treatments.

“You’re a champ for doing this for us on such short notice, Amber.” Mara at least had the decency to look apologetic to the hairstylist. As if reading Phoebe’s thoughts, she turned her gaze back to her in the mirror. “You, too, sweetheart. I know you’re already swamped with all the extra business this month.”

“You’re the one who trained me, Mom. Stepping up is what a Colton does.” Besides, most of what she did was via financial software. Once she set up an event, the invoices usually tracked pretty seamlessly. Automatically. Unlike today, so far.

“We can’t afford to make a public mistake. Not with the reservations down and the bad news trying to stomp out the good PR we planned for the festival.”

“I understand, I really do. It’ll work out, Mom. It always does.” Phoebe tried to reconcile the image that emerged with each cut of Amber’s shears to her response. Skye was naturally upbeat and would have sat here laughing at their mom’s concerns, cheering her up in a flash, unlike Phoebe, who considered herself more like a quiet strength in the family.

Maybe being Skye for a bit wouldn’t be so bad. It might break her out of the social and dating rut she’d been in over the past few months.

“Are the biggest actors here yet?” Phoebe didn’t think she’d be able to pull a real Skye move and personally introduce herself to the key players ahead of the gala, but she did want to be prepared.

“Not officially.” Mara watched as Phoebe transformed into Skye. Amber had started to blow-dry her hair using a ridiculously huge round brush, and both Mara and Phoebe were shouting over the dryer’s roar.

“But?”

Mara shrugged as she watched Amber brush out a long length of hair close to Phoebe’s temple and curl it backward, aiming the dryer nozzle to set the curl. “Several have checked in under their assumed names.”

“Do we have Mr. Sherlock Holmes or Ms. Elizabeth Bennett here?”

“No, nothing that obvious.”

“Mom? Who is it?” It wasn’t like Mara to be cagey or without information she could trust Phoebe with.

“The lead.”

“Prescott Reynolds?” Immediately the image of two aquamarine-blue eyes flashed in front of her mind’s eye. They drew her attention every time she saw a photo of the actor, or caught one of his movies. Tall, with dark hair and a cut body that he’d partially bared in more than one romantic scene, he fit the description of “tall, dark and handsome” but she sensed something else there, maybe true depth to his personality that so far, many of the men she’d dated had lacked. Not that she’d ever admit it to anyone. Phoebe wasn’t one for celebrity culture and gossip—that was more Skye’s department. But he had starred in several historical dramas that she’d adored, not only for the beautiful settings and superb cinematography.

“Yummy.” Amber didn’t hide her opinion of the Oscar-nominated star.

“Yes.” Mara spoke so quietly it was only the movement of her lips that conveyed her response over the hair dryer’s noise. She looked at her with the same eyes Phoebe and Skye had. “Prescott is here already, but I haven’t seen him.”

“Well, we’ll meet him tonight.” Which was soon enough for her. Skye was going to show up, wasn’t she?

Not if Phoebe went by her twin’s last text.

Amber clicked off the dryer. “Okay, close your eyes while I spray.”

She closed her eyes and tried to relax as Amber doled out what felt like half a container of hairspray onto her “Skye” coif. After she was done, her mother and Amber fussed over her makeup application, matching her style exactly to Skye’s. While they were indeed identical twins, their personalities reflected in clothing styles as well as hair and makeup preferences. Skye loved more sparkling shades of eye shadow and lipstick, while Phoebe gravitated toward a more natural, polished look. And while Phoebe had intended to cut her hair after the festival, her cut would have been a fun chin-length bob, not the longish layers that required hot rollers and half a paycheck’s worth of hairspray.