Faith was dressed in a becoming blue floral dress, which she’d paired with a pink leather jacket and boots. Her long copper-colored hair cascaded in loose waves down her back, and the expression on her face was one of extreme excitement.
“Hey!” Julia lifted a hand and waved to her cousin. “You look like spring incarnate. What’s going on?” She wondered if Ryan McCormick, Faith’s boyfriend, might have proposed, but a quickglance at Faith’s hand told her that something else thrilling must have happened.
Faith made a beeline toward Julia. When she’d first moved to Rosewood Beach, she had been shy and tentative about forming relationships with the Owens, since she was a long-lost relative and she didn’t know how they would react to her showing up out of the blue. Now, however, she was a vibrant part of their close-knit family circle. They’d been worried when she’d first started dating Ryan, who was the son of a local brewery owner, Judd McCormick, who had adopted a one-sided rivalry with the pub and caused a lot of trouble. It had turned out that Ryan was different from the rest of his family, however, and his relationship with Faith had even helped cool down Judd’s desire to one-up the pub. Faith and Ryan were head over heels for each other, and Julia knew it wouldn’t be too long before wedding bells were ringing in Rosewood Beach once again.
Faith slid into the seat opposite from Julia, clasping her hands together. “You’ll never guess what I just heard.”
“What?” Julia leaned forward eagerly, temporarily forgetting all about her pie.
Faith shook her head, practically quaking with enthusiasm. “I mean it, guess! Except you’ll never guess.”
Julia laughed. “Uh, Ryan got a promotion.”
“Nope.” Faith shook her head. “Besides, he doesn’t want a promotion, since he came back here to Rosewood Beach instead of working on high-end construction jobs so that he had more free time.”
“Hmm, okay then, you and Ryan decided to buy a boat together so that you could spend your free time out on the water?”
“Great idea, but no.”
“Then I give up.” Julia laughed. “I really have no idea what it could be, and I’m in suspense now.”
“Oh, fine, I’ll just tell you.” Faith leaned in, her voice so low it was almost a whisper. “Guess who’s coming to Rosewood Beach to film a movie?”
“A movie?” Julia echoed in disbelief. “Like an actually Hollywood movie?”
“Actual Hollywood.” Faith nodded dramatically. “And you’ll never guess who’s in the movie.”
“Oh my gosh, just tell me already!”
“Delilah Bates.” Faith said her name slowly, emphasizing every syllable.
Julia’s first reaction was to laugh. She felt as if someone had just splashed her with a water balloon, and she was being pranked.
“Not actually,” she gasped. “Delilah Bates?”
“Yes!” squealed Faith. “They’re about to start shooting. She’s going to be here, in Rosewood Beach! Can you believe it?”
“I can’t believe it.” Julia shook her head, trying to process the information. She wanted to pinch herself. The beautiful actress who had been in so many movies that she’d loved growing up was going to be there in her hometown? “Are you sure it’s not just a rumor?”
“Positive.” Faith dug around in her purse and produced a newspaper. “Look, it’s on the front page. ‘Movie Star Set to Film Next Feature in Rosewood Beach.’”
“Amazing.” Julia took the newspaper from Faith and stared down at the words. “It says that the filming location changed at the last minute, and that’s why we haven’t heard about it until now. Can you imagine a film crew running through our streets?”
“Well, I don’t think they’ll be running exactly.” Faith laughed. “It sounds like a sweet film, not something that’s going to have car chases or anything like that.”
“Mm, I guess we’re not much of a car-chase kind of location.” Julia shook her head, still feeling delighted and stunned. Sheremembered her pie and excitedly took another bite. “You want some pie?” she asked Faith, covering her lips with her hand because her mouth was full.
Faith laughed. “Maybe I will. Some celebration pie. We’re going to be living next door to a movie star for the next few weeks.”
A teenage waitress came by and Faith ordered a slice of lemon meringue pie and a glass of milk. Julia kept her eyes glued to the newspaper article, still feeling stunned.
“I mean, I was just watching her movie about the heiress last week,” Faith said, shaking her head. “You’ve seen that one, right?Riviera Pearls? It was made like thirty years ago but it’s so good.”
“Oh, yeah, but I saw it a long time ago and I barely remember what it’s about. And I think all old movies are good, you know that.”
“Right.” Faith chuckled. “I’m still used to talking to my friends in the city, and they were always into what’s trendy. Anyway, she plays this heiress who decides to give it all up to marry the man of her dreams, even though it means she’ll lose all her money. It’s such a tear-jerker. I went through a whole bowl of popcorn crying and thinking about how much I love Ryan without even realizing I’d eaten the whole thing.”
Julia laughed. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I cried a lot the last time I watched that movie too. She’s such a good actress—you really believe everything she’s saying so it doesn’t feel cheesy.”
