And he’s super hot, but whatever. It’s not like his hotness matters.
“I would love to keep telling you how rude you’re being,” I say to his back. “But I have to pee!”
CHAPTER2
Trevor
After being (rightfully) confronted by someone for hogging the bathroom too long, I quickly rush out of the diner and back to my car, a nondescript blue sedan that I got at the car rental place. In LA, I’ll happily cruise around in my sports car—a brand new shiny black Camaro that I paid cash for after my first feature film—but here in the middle-of-nowhere, I learned very quickly that I need to blend in with average people so I’m not recognized.
Living and acting in Los Angeles for the last two years has made me forget what it’s like to be out and about in the rest of the country. Or maybe things are just different now. I’ve acted in a few TV shows and have had three feature films to my name now, and people are starting to recognize me. Entertainment magazines have dubbed me America’s Sweetheart, for being a nice guy who plays the romantic lead in wholesome family-friendly movies. I have a reputation now, and just a few years ago, I was a nobody. It’s still weird to me because I feel like the same guy I’ve always been. But then I go out in public and I’m swarmed by fans who want to touch me and grab me and take pictures with me. It’s not that I’m not grateful for the fans, but sometimes I just want to be treated like a regular guy.
I’m about to start filming my fourth film with the same production company—yet another wholesome romance calledOakbrook Lake. The film crew chose a small Texas town for filming, and I’m due to arrive at the hotel today. I chose to drive to Texas rather than fly because I thought I’d be fun. I was getting tired of living the actor’s life in LA and I wanted some time alone to myself on the wide open road, and a road trip sounded like a lot of fun. The only downside to the road trip is that wide open roads for thirteen hundred miles means you have to make lots of pit stops for fuel and food.
Lots of pit stops mean encountering lots of people. Many of those people recognize me as Trevor Owens, America’s Sweetheart movie star. After one stop for lunch, I had two women follow me in their car, honking their horn and trying to get my attention near the New Mexico border. I had to exit somewhere random and drive around for half an hour before I finally lost them. Every other stop I’ve made has been a nightmare of women recognizing me and throwing themselves at me. When I was thirteen, I would have loved all the attention.
But now at 29, I can’t stand it.
It’s one thing to meet fans during a press event, but I don’t like being hounded when I’m just trying to stop somewhere for a quick meal. This whole road trip has been stressful, not relaxing like I’d wanted it to be. I should have just taken a plane, flown first class, and arrived with only minimal “famous people” problems in the airport. Sometimes I seriously question why I’m doing this career in the first place.
Then I remember my mom. The absolute saint of a woman who is battling breast cancer after losing everything and going broke when my dad died and they were drowning in debt but she didn’t know it. Mom didn’t have any insurance when she was diagnosed a few years ago, and her medical bills bankrupted her even more than the debt had. I’d been fresh out of college, working an entry-level job that didn’t pay very much when it all went down. I quickly left my apartment and moved in with my mom to help her out with the bills, but it wasn’t enough.
That’s when I signed up for a casting call I heard about on the radio. I loved acting in plays throughout junior high and high school, but had never considered it as a career before. But the radio ad had captured my attention in a surreal way. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I went and I auditioned. Soon after, I was cast as Terry the Trainer on a sitcom television show and my acting career got started. Then I was picked up to act in wholesome romance movies, and I moved to LA to do this gig full time, and quickly became America’s Sweetheart.
I do this job for my mom. Sure, the fame can be fun. But it’s also exhausting. Even with the parts that annoy me, it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, my mom’s bills are covered, her debt is paid, her cancer is in remission, and she doesn’t have to lift a finger or worry about anything. After raising me and my brothers all our lives, she deserves this.
Yesterday, I arrived in Texas a day earlier than scheduled because all the touristy things I had wanted to do on my drive over here didn’t work out. People recognized me everywhere I went, so now I’m under cover. And since I’ll be staying in Sterling, Texas for an entire day before my team gets here, I need to be as unrecognizable as possible.
Hence the disguise.
I pulled over at a diner and changed my clothes, sprayed my hair with temporary hair color I got at a pharmacy store, and put on a beanie I found on the same store’s clearance rack. The beanie was perfect because I’m Trevor Owens, and Trevor Owens does not wear beanies. Plus he has light brown hair, not black. Add the sunglasses and the extremely tight jeans—also something I don’t wear—and I look like a different person.
I hope.
I also shaved my scruffy beard shiny smooth. I’m known for my scruffy beard, and losing the hair changes my appearance. I didn’t mean to take up all that time in the bathroom, but I had no other choice. Plus, I had no idea there was only one bathroom in the entire diner, or I would have chosen somewhere else to make my transformation.
So yeah, I feel bad for monopolizing the bathroom that other people needed to use, but I had no choice. And the old me—the non-famous me—would have apologized profusely for upsetting that woman. The old me would have also noticed how stunningly gorgeous she was and asked her on a date right then and there. I wouldn’t have been able to wait for a weekend evening to have dinner—I’d ask her to have lunch with me right then and there. I’d have sent prayers up to heaven asking for her to be single so I’d have a chance.
Because that woman, whoever she is, was beautiful. She had long black hair and a heart-shaped face with dark, captivating eyes.
I hate that I avoided her when she confronted me, but I didn’t want her to recognize who I am. While I think my disguise is pretty good, who knows if it’ll actually fool anyone. What if she had noticed that I’m Trevor Owens and then turned into one of my crazed fans?
I’m way too close to Sterling, Texas for comfort. She could have told everyone that I’m here and then it’d be even harder to stay anonymous.
So while I wish I could have stayed, apologized, and asked her on a date, I had to be cold and distant and rude on purpose, even though I hated every second of it.
It sucks, too, because now I’m back in my boring rental car and daydreaming up alternate realities where I’m not famous and could have asked her on a date.
I wonder if she would have said yes.
CHAPTER3
Annie
I still can’t get over how cute Julie’s lake house is. It’s a white house with dark blue shutters and a big wraparound porch. It’s small, but it’s adorable, and it’s perfect for just one person. Or for her and Max when he finally proposes. He’s already asked me for her ring size so I know the proposal is coming soon. I can’t wait. Julie may have gotten famous for herLove Sucksnovel series about a private investigator who hates love, but Julie herself loves love. She’s my best friend and the most worthy person of finding her true soul mate and living out her life in marital bliss.
I’m super excited for the new life she’s found here in Sterling after she left her crap-tastic ex. Now I just have to find a way to get my own life back on track. I’m sitting here in my car, parked in her driveway for all of two seconds before the front door opens and my best friend comes rushing out, a big smile on her face.
“Annie!” Julie gushes, throwing me in a hug the moment I exit my car. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you so much.”
