by Trisha Grace
“We’re in,” Jean said and grinned at Samantha.
Keith leaned away while looking at his phone.
“Is everything all right?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah.” He put his phone away and smiled at her.
“Are you staying to celebrate?”
“Of course. Order whatever you ladies want. It’s on me.” He stood. “I’ll be back in a minute. I need to make a call.”
Sarah smiled and nodded. Don’t, she told herself. She wasn’t going to overthink things. Enough madness had invaded their lives in the last few days. She wasn’t going to create more trouble for herself.
Miriam’s murder had been solved. They could all resume working soon, and everything would return to normal—as normal as things could get in Hollywood.
“How did you know Angela had something to do with Miriam’s death?” Elena asked Samantha while Jean ordered food on the phone.
Samantha shrugged. “She just looked so anxious when she was talking to you, and she couldn’t even look at Gina when she was asking her about that night. I just thought she was hiding something, and she seemed like someone who’d crack if you applied pressure.”
“So you applied pressure,” Sarah said. “You have great instincts. I think that’s what makes you so great at solving crimes.”
“A blessing and a curse.” Samantha sat and leaned back on the couch.
Sarah gazed out at the long shadows of the tall, thin trees they passed by and the rays of the soft sunset filtering through them. She closed her eyes and smiled, basking in the peace that filled her from within.
The worst was over.
After what she and Keith had been through with Miriam, surely he wouldn’t still be hung up about the comments she’d made about his place.
She opened her eyes as Keith stopped the car right outside his house. “You know what I said about your house before?”
Keith grinned and looked over at her. “Let’s talk about this later.”
“Okay …” She unbuckled her seat belt and swallowed her sigh. “What’s the surprise?”
After checking his phone again for the hundredth time over the extended lunch celebration, Keith had leaned over and told her that he had a surprise for her. He refused to tell her what it was, except that he’d take her to see it.
Keith got out of the car and went over to her side to help her out of the car. “You’ll see. Come on.”
They entered the house, and Keith strode toward the living room.
“You added cushions to your couch.” The leather couch now had several square cushions, two light blue ones and two white ones, arranged by the sides of a small rectangular beige cushion. “Nice. And your lazy boy chair is gone.”
“It’s in the basement.”
“Huh.” She hadn’t seen his basement yet, and she wondered what toys were stored down there.
“There’s more.”
“Okay.” She allowed him to drag her upstairs.
He turned left and opened the door to his game room. But the spacious room had been cleared of all the machines. Instead, empty white bookshelves from floor to ceiling took up one of the walls. Built against the shelves was a dark brown wooden ladder.
Sarah gasped and stepped into the room, moving toward the two white armchairs with a small round dark brown table between them. “What happened to your games?”
“Basement.”
“Keith, this is beautiful.” She glanced at the oversized dark brown beanbag chair by the window. “But you really didn’t have to do this.”
“You were right. I have so much stuff I didn’t have space for anyone else in the house.” He draped his arm over her shoulders. “The stuff used to be enough, but it isn’t anymore. I want you here. I want you to love the house, to feel you have a space here.”
She smiled. “It’s beautiful. Is this what you’ve been busy with all day? How did you get it done in a day?”
“I hired an entire team of designers, and they’ve been working since last night. I thought I’d have all of today, but I didn’t think filming would be canceled again. Thank God for lunch.”
She laughed softly. “This is truly amazing, but I feel awful that you lost your game room.”
“I didn’t. I turned my basement into an entertainment room. All the games are there, and there’s even space for a home theater.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded. “It was just empty space. Now there’s a use for it.”
“This is so sweet, Keith.”
“You can fill the shelves up with whatever books you want.”
“Thank you. This is an amazing surprise.”
He cocked his head to the side. “There’s more.”
“There is?”
They went into his bedroom, and he opened the door to his walk-in closet. The shelves displaying his limited-edition shoes were gone. Instead, new black shelves and racks, like those that held his clothes, took up the space.
And Keith had shifted his clothes to occupy only half of the closet space.
“I can get rid of more clothes if there isn’t enough space.”
“I don’t think I have enough clothes to fit half of this space.”
He nodded. “We’ll fill it up soon.”
“And … I’m not living here. There really isn’t any need for you to give up half of your space. Where did you put your shoes? Basement?”
“Yeah.”
“How big is your basement?”
“I was going to turn it into an underground pool, but I’m not much of a swimmer.”
She laughed. “Wow. Okay. Still …”
“Feel bad about the space? Then move in with me.”
“Keith …”
“I know.” He walked over to his side of the closet and swiped something off the shelf before walking back to her. “Do you remember, before we got together, I asked if you’d still answer my call if I lost everything?”
She smiled and nodded.
“Well, I haven’t lost everything. But on the flip side, now that you’ve experienced how insane Hollywood can get, are you still willing to stay by my side?”
She laughed again. “Wow. Hmm … Now that you put it like that, I really have to think about it.”
His lips curled. “I love you, you know that?” He tucked her hair behind her ear and dropped down on one knee.
Sarah’s eyes widened.
“Sarah Carter, will you marry me?” He opened the box, revealing a solitaire diamond on a silver band.
“You’re serious?”
His eyes flickered to the side for a moment. “Yeah, I’m serious.”
She laughed softly, then pulled her lower lip in.
“You’re killing me.”
“It’s an important decision.”
He grinned. “A lifetime.”
She nodded then. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Keith sighed and took her hand, then slipped the ring onto her finger. “For a moment, I thought you were going to say no.”
She threw her arms around his neck when he stood. “Why would you think that?”
“You’ve been through a lot this week.”
“So have you.” She leaned back and looked at him. “Is it selfish for me to admit that I’m glad you’re not the father of Miriam’s child? That we don’t have to start our new lives with that burden on our back?”
“I thank God for that as well.”
“Thank God, huh?”
“I did promise him I’d go to church every Sunday if he made this whole thing go away.”
“Really? I’ll make sure you keep your word.” She chuckled and turned to the ring on her finger. “When did you get this?”
“Last night. I was in the store for hours.” He pulled her hand closer. “I had to guess the ring size. Does it fit? We can get it resized.”
She wriggled her finger. “It fits just fine.”
He took a step back and gazed down at her. “We’re missing something.”
His lips curled as his hand brushed her cheek. “A kiss to seal the deal.” He tipped his head forward, leaning his forehead against hers. “I love you, Sarah.”
She smiled, and he closed the distance between their lips.
Epilogue
Elena gave Sarah a hug before she headed off from the small but beautiful waterfront venue. “Have a wonderful honeymoon.”
Sarah’s grin grew wider. “See you when we get back,” she said and moved forward to hug her mother.
Elena was glad Sarah’s mother had decided to accept that Sarah and Keith were now a package. Keith tried hard to win Sarah’s mother over, but she seemed determined to carry her scowl and bitterness throughout the whole time they were planning the wedding.
Now that the wedding was over, Sarah’s mother seemed more relaxed. Perhaps seeing how Keith teared up when Sarah walked down the aisle or hearing him say ‘I do’ had given her the assurance that Keith wouldn’t walk out on Sarah after all.
“I wonder if her cheeks hurt from smiling all day.”
Elena turned to Spencer. “She’s happy and in love. I hope you’ll be smiling all day at your wedding, too.” She waved as the newlyweds’ car pulled away from the porch.
“How are you feeling?”
She cleared her throat and frowned at the scratchy feeling that was getting more prominent by the hour. “I’ll be fine. I just need to drink more water.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
He studied her face for a moment before nodding. “So what are your plans now that the movie shoot and wedding are over?” He shrugged off his black suit jacket. “My offer to jet off to the Bahamas still stands.”
She rolled her eyes. “You said you’d stop trying to be more than just friends with me.”
“I was asking as a friend.”
She smiled and shook her head after peering over at Spencer. He had been great company over the last few months. Being friends with Spencer and Keith did make filming the latest movie more fun, and their cheeriness had a major impact in lifting the gloom surrounding Miriam’s death.
But as much fun as they had, as sweet as Spencer had been to her, she wasn’t interested in being anything more than friends. Something was missing between Spencer and her. She couldn’t put it into words; she wasn’t even sure what it was.
Gina’s phone suddenly rang, and Elena jumped.
“Sorry,” Gina said and canceled the alarm. “We have to go.”
“Where are you going?” Spencer asked.
“I have a commercial to shoot.” Elena lifted the long light pink gown and smiled. “See you during the promotion tour.” She waved as she glanced over her shoulder. “Enjoy the Bahamas!”
Note to Reader
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading this book! Mr. Playboy is a continuation from a novella, For Tracy. For Tracy is available on Amazon as part of a Christian box set with six other authors.
If you have yet to read For Tracy and would like to check it out, there’s more information on how you can get the novella for FREE in the next page.
I wrote For Tracy and Mr. Playboy around the same theme: you are good enough.
You may not be a Hollywood star with millions of followers on Twitter or Instagram, but you are good enough. You’re more than good enough. Regardless what others say about you, your identity in Christ makes you special.
For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. Deuteronomy 7:6
Don’t listen to the voices of the world who are telling you otherwise. You’re not a mistake. You’re not too fat or too thin. You’re not lacking in any way.
You are beautiful. You are special—regardless of what you do for a living.
If anyone ever tells you otherwise, remember this: You’ve been chosen by God to be His own special people. God personally loves and cares for you. You have a bright future planned for you.
That’s all for now. I would love to hear what you think about the book. Feel free to drop me an email at [email protected].
Thanks for reading my book.
God bless!
Trisha Grace
http://www.trishagracenovels.com
P.S. Honest reviews on Goodreads and Amazon are always appreciated.
More Books
Mr. Golden Boy
© 2017 Trisha Grace
Four years ago, Elena Pattison was the newest Hollywood star in the making when she almost lost everything because of a scandal. Her blossoming career threatened to fall apart, and her boyfriend—Jake Owen, the golden boy of the nation’s swim team—walked out on her.
But she was given a second chance and has become the Hollywood star she dreamed of.
Now, a commercial shoot forces her to come face-to-face with Jake. And with him, a whirlwind of events crash into her life, threatening to tear it apart once again.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Mr. Golden Boy - A Contemporary Christian Romance:
Chapter 1
“Why is he here?” Elena Pattison asked her assistant, Gina Young, while staring through the windshield at Jake Owen walking toward Newport marina. She hadn’t had much sleep, but she’d never suffered from hallucinations before. Even if she did, she doubted they would be of Jake.
It could be a coincidence. They were at a marina; maybe he was going out to sea with his friends to celebrate all the gold medals he’d won at the recent Olympics. Maybe he bought a boat.
Whatever it was, it probably had nothing to do with her.
Elena closed her eyes so she didn’t have to look at Jake walking away, but the image of Jake in his white T-shirt and blue jeans had already been burned into her mind. She hadn’t seen him in four years, but she’d recognized him immediately. His brown hair was still in the same short hairstyle he had when they were together. Even the way he walked—his broad shoulders pulled back with his head tipped slightly forward—was the same.
Something was different, though. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She hadn’t even gotten a clear look at his face, but there was a niggling feeling that she’d missed something.
Elena shook her head, trying to stop herself from thinking about Jake.
Whatever was different about him had nothing to do with her. She had to put him out of her mind. She’d convinced everyone else that she had.
“Let me call the producers and see what’s going on.” Gina already had the phone pressed to her ear.
“He’s probably here for something else,” Elena said. She doubted Henry Laurent would put both of them in the same commercial.
Since their very public breakup over four years ago, rival companies had been casting either Jake or Elena in their advertisements, just as the public took sides when their breakup happened. Golden boy of the country’s swim team versus scandal-ridden actress. It was obvious who won the public fight.
That was until God turned things around for her.
And Henry, the owner of the luxury clothing brand, Laurent, knew all that. Surely he wouldn't put Jake in the same commercial she was in.
“You’ve got to be kidding. She’s not going to do it then.”
Elena blinked and turned her face away from Gina. It seemed Jake’s Olympic wins had made him more popular than anyone else at the moment. She could feel Gina’s stare, but she was more concerned about the realization that was settling into her weary mind: she’d have to see Jake again.
“I don't care what your excuse is.”
Elena sighed softly before clearing her throat. All that had happened with Jake was behind her now. She looked at Gina, then reached over and touched her arm to get her attention. “It’s all right.”
Gina hesitated for a moment.
“Tell them we’ll be there.” Elena opened the half-drunk bottle of water and gulped the remaining water down.
Gina’s eyes scrutiniz
ed Elena’s face, and Elena made sure she kept her face straight. It was a commercial shoot. There would be plenty of people on the yacht, so she might as well start practicing her straight nonchalant face now.
Gina eventually nodded and said into the phone, “Forget it. We’ll be there.” She ended the call and turned to her. “It was supposed to be two separate days, but the swim team’s flight was delayed so they have to complete both their photoshoot and your commercial today.”
“Okay.”
“Are you sure?” Gina pursed her lips and glanced over in the direction they’d last seen Jake. “I’m sure we can get out of it if we insist.”
Elena shook her head. If news got out that she threw a fit over being on the same yacht as Jake, she would have to face the media explosion linking her back to Jake. That was the last thing she wanted. She didn’t want to be connected with Jake in any way. She didn’t want to be reminded of their time together, especially not their breakup.
“This is a good opportunity to show the public that Jake and I can be cordial acquaintances.” Thereby making them completely non-newsworthy. “Besides, I’m sure Jerome and Angel are already here. Let’s not make things difficult.” It wasn’t fair for her to drag her co-stars into her problem.
Besides, Angel’s mood had been erratic. It would already take a miracle for them to clear the shoot in a day.
Please let Angel be in a good mood and be completely focused, Lord. I don't want to have to head out to sea twice. Elena glanced toward the yacht and cleared her throat again.
Jerome and Angel had broken up and gotten back together more times than she could count, and they continued to work with each other just fine—when the camera was rolling. Surely she could handle a day with Jake.
Elena reached for another bottle of water.
