Hollywood Stardust Supporting Roles - Wilson and Giselle (17 page)

Instead of tears, she nodded toward the
audience and made her way to her once co-stars. Her silver
form-fitting dress moved like liquid metal, fluid and flowing. She
wore her blonde hair down, smooth and cascading over one shoulder,
but pulled back from her picture-perfect face. Her doe-like blue
eyes and heart shaped lips were all natural and the envy of many a
teenage girl way back when.

She stared into his eyes, asking questions,
shooting accusations. In short, being Erin through and through. The
one woman he couldn’t stand, but couldn’t get out of his mind. He
could never move forward if he only looked back, and the second she
came within reach, he held his hand out to her.

“
Drew.” She licked her lips,
put her hand in his and gave him a hug. Her trembling betrayed her
cool outward demeanor.

“
I came here for you.” He
inhaled. Her perfume might have changed, but the aroma enveloping
him was the same. It was just Erin. “We need to talk.”

Without a word, she pulled
back and took her position between Logan and Ryder. The three made
up the love triangle of
Hollywood
Stardust
while Drew’s character, Charles,
was always left standing on the edge, just like him.

Again, the lights flashed and he found
himself posing with the rest of them. Old habits returned, subtle
changes in his position to catch the light, show off a better
angle, allow the photographers to get the ever-important shot.

He needed to get to the person he came here
for and raised his hand, the universal signal for stopping the
show.

“
Drew, one more question
before you leave,” a woman called over the mumbles, the claps and
the oohs and ahhs.

He waited.

“
What unfinished business
brought you back? Is this a publicity stunt for the movie or was it
something, or someone, else?”

“
It wasn’t a stunt. In fact,
I didn’t even know I was going to do this until about an hour
before I arrived.” He turned, wanting to catch Erin before she ran
away licking her self-perceived wounds.

As usual, he was too late. Erin had already
vanished and he almost fought a laugh. Once more, he changed his
life for her, and again she wasn’t around. “As for the rest, stay
tuned.”

A signature can change
everything…

Rather than silver,
Randolph Van Ayers III was born with a platinum spoon in his mouth
and plenty of strings attached. Faced with a list of specific goals
he must achieve in order to earn control of his family’s banking
empire, he’s accomplished each task and triumphed. One item remains
on his list. He must marry by his thirty-third birthday and stay
married for one year. However, when his so-called fiancée leaves
him on the courtroom steps only hours before his deadline, he
realizes he might lose for the first time in his life, and a Van
Ayers never fails.

Taught to rely on the
universe for answers, Willow Day has always struggled in the
material world, specifically her lack of material. With her small
holistic store near foreclosure and without a home, she must do
anything within her power to make the business work and take care
of the woman who raised her. When the rude, yet gorgeous, Randolph
the Third offers to fix all her troubles in exchange for one year
of her life, she opens her mind and takes a chance.

It’s the battle of the
mystical over the money. Between a hidden pet who looks more like a
cotton ball, performance artists with wings, and a woman who spouts
advice like a living fortune cookie, everything from restaurant
reservations to a trip to celebrate the winter solstice create
clashes for the couple as they learn how to fit into each other’s
worlds.

With both their futures at
stake, they must learn to accept reality, what the fates have dealt
them and the consequences of falling in love from the moment they
decided to sign on the dotted line.

“
Don’t get married for
love.” Randolph Van Ayers III pressed two fingers to his left
temple. The throbbing in his head reverberated throughout his body.
Though he wanted to go home and lie down, if he came home with
anything his mother considered an ailment, he would end up
quarantined in one wing of the house no matter how many times he
told the woman headaches weren’t contagious. The Mitchell Art
Gallery presented him with a definite upgrade to being a medical
pariah.

“
Maybe you should look
inside yourself for love.” The owner of the gallery, Slate
Mitchell, stopped in front of a photograph of the back of a man’s
head staring out into space. “However, I am still reeling that I
didn’t get an invitation to your wedding, love or not.”

“
Don’t spew your rhetoric
at me.” It took all his effort to shake his head at the oversized,
overdone image. The print wouldn’t be worth anything in his
lifetime. “I didn’t even want to attend, not that it matters since
I didn’t get married today for love or otherwise. However, I do
thank you for the party in my honor.”

“
Nothing like an impromptu
birthday party to blunt being left on the courthouse steps with no
bride.” Slate patted him on the back.

“
I appreciate how you’ve
kept this low key as I asked.” His life had been reduced to a frat
party in an art gallery. Earlier a keg was delivered.

“
It’s only small if the
police don’t get called. I have some better ones over here.” Slate
guided him through the wide-open space designed to be a showcase of
the latest local artists. Anyone in the city with seven figures
behind their name wanted to be the next person to discover the
artist of the second, and the gallery was in the perfect spot in LA
to make waves without the cost per square foot of more trendy or
upscale areas.

They stopped in front of another wall of
photographs. “These would go with the sculpture of the birds you
bought last month. Different artist, but similar feel. I can get
you a discount for your special day.”

He assessed the black and white photograph
of a little bit of nature left in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Mountains, clouds and birds in perfect juxtaposition of smog and
the city. “A discount. Happy birthday to me.”

“
Well, it’s the least I can
do for the man whose bank made it possible for me to become the new
go-to gallery for poor little rich boys such as yourself.” Slate
motioned toward the next photograph.

“
Remember until you pay off
your mortgage, my bank owns you.” Randolph took a breath in an
attempt to focus on the potential of the picture. “Maybe you should
default on the loan, after midnight tonight it will no longer be my
bank and I will no longer be rich.” While he considered Slate one
of his better friends, he knew once the money ran out the
friendship would follow.

“
Come on, that story you
tell is just a pick up line. You can stop now.” Slate stopped and
motioned toward the next piece of art, namely his girlfriend, Jade.
“And here is a masterpiece.”

“
The story is totally true.
Randolph told me the story when we were dating, it’s incredible,
and true.” Dressed in a nude body suit with a hat made up of
flowers Jade uncoiled her body, stretching her arms out and taking
her time standing up. She came over, kissed them both on the cheek
and hooked her arm in Slate’s. “I’m blooming.”

“
Baby, it’s a story
designed to make girls have the expression on their face you have
right now. You didn’t really date him, you only went as his plus
one to that finance event when he was desperate.” Slate chuckled
and kissed the top of her head. “You make a beautiful
flower.”

Randolph met the little piece of living art
a few years ago at a financial conference when she donned her other
persona as a property manager. Her parents owned some select
buildings throughout Los Angeles and she took care of them when
they retired. He invited her to accompany him to an event, but
rather than a kiss goodnight he ended up with a friendship instead.
However, the slight blush and smile on her face spoke volumes.
Women loved his pathetic all too true story.

If only it were a story.

“
Unless he got married by
his thirty-third birthday and stayed married for a year, he would
lose his inheritance.” Jade pressed her hands to her chest. “He
signed a contract and everything.”

Both he and Slate groaned.

Jade let go of her boyfriend and flung her
arms around him. “I’m so sorry. I would help you if I could.”

“
Can I borrow you for
twelve months?” A plus one was better than nothing. He needed to
face the fact he was never going to have a relationship for
anything other than money. Hell, he probably got left at the
courthouse for a man with a larger trust fund.

“
No, you may not. She is
not on loan.” Slate pulled her away. “Plus, he doesn’t want to get
married for love.”‘

“
Well, he may not want to
get married for love, but getting married for money isn’t working
for him either.” Jade returned to Slate and wrinkled her
nose.

“
It doesn’t matter. It’s
over unless a bride drops into my lap in the next five minutes.”
Since he created the situation, he would live with the
repercussions. In the end, his father’s entire scheme had been
built around his failure. At least for once he would prove the man
right.

“
Can we study the art?”
Slate walked backward, corralling them to the next
piece.

“
I need to finish getting
ready for the party and Willow’s here. She said she wanted to talk
to me so I invited her.” She waved her arm. “Come here and say
happy birthday to Randolph.”

An ethereal cloud of yellow and white swirls
materialized out of the corner of his eye.

He tightened his jaw and finally did Slate
the favor of staring at the next work. Maybe Willow Day would
vanish if he didn’t look directly at her. Everyone knew ignoring
the problem made it go away.

“
It’s Randolph’s birthday?”
she asked.

Her voice brushed over him, as soft and
supple as her name. If only the rest of her matched. A new tenant
in one of Jade’s buildings down the street from the gallery, he
crossed paths with her a few times in the last couple of months,
but the encounters were always the same. No, pretending a problem
didn’t exist never made it go away. He squeezed his hand into a
fist.

“
We’re having a party for
him.” Jade dragged her over.

With the woman standing directly in his line
of sight, he needed to look. The way she gazed at him always made
him think she was intrigued or interested. Again, her appearance
didn’t match her attitude. Long, straight blonde hair literally
floated around her as if she managed to get someone with a fan to
follow her around. Unlike most women in Los Angeles, she wore
little makeup, only enough to enhance her light blue eyes, petite
features and glowing skin. He suspected she had a nice little body
under all the flowing layers of clothes. She didn’t stuff herself
into her wardrobe leaving little to the imagination. Someone would
have to really search and discover. No, nothing on her was man made
or artificial, everything natural. A rare find.

“
Well, Happy Birthday.” She
graced him with a smile.

The same smile sucked him in the first time
he met her. Though it lit up her face, he sensed something beneath
her upturned lips, something he wanted to get to know until he
actually spoke more than two sentences to her. “Thank you.”

“
Scorpio.” She tilted her
head. “I should have guessed.”

Case in point. He swallowed. “I hardly think
a bizarre alignment of planets and stars millions of light years
away from me on the day of my birth have anything to do with my
personality. Wouldn’t that mean anyone born on my birthday should
be exactly like me?”

“
Let’s hope not.” While her
voice came out soft and sweet, her words were hard and cutting. She
gave Jade one of her multi-layered smiles. “Sorry I’m
late.”

“
It’s fine. I’ll meet you
back in Slate’s office.” Jade pointed.

Without any more well wishes, Willow walked
through the gallery.

Jade glared at him. “I’ll be back for your
party.” She spun on the ball of her bare foot and left.