Faith’s slice of pie arrived and for a while the two women were quiet, enjoying their pie and mulling over the exciting news. Julia imagined what she would do if she ever got to meet Delilah. Would she beg her for an autograph and a picture or would she try to act more calm, since there was a good chance that she would see Delilah again after that?
I’m not sure I could keep my cool,she thought with a quiet laugh.This is the most exciting thing that’s happened around here, since—well, probably ever.
She watched her cousin as Faith stared out the window with a smile of glee on her face. Julia chuckled again, feeling a surge of affection for her cousin. She was so glad that Faith had come into their lives. They’d given her companionship and a sense of belonging, and she’d given them fun and the kindness that went hand in hand with her sweet spirit.
“You know,” Julia said with a grin, “Delilah Bates coming to town isn’t the only exciting thing that’s going to happen during the next couple of weeks.”
“Yeah?” Faith’s eyebrows rose. “What else is happening?”
“Your birthday, of course.” Julia’s eyes twinkled. “We need to celebrate it, and you. Is there something fun you usually like to do to celebrate?”
A shadow passed over Faith’s eyes and she shrugged. She smiled, but the smile looked a little forced. “I went out with friends sometimes in the city, but I don’t usually celebrate it, not really. One year I even went out with people but didn’t even tell them it was my birthday.”
“Oh, Faith,” Julia said, feeling sympathetic. “How come?”
Faith’s smile looked even more forced. “I guess it always makes me a little sad, you know? I lost my parents, and ever since then, my birthday reminds me that they’re not around. And I haven’t had any family to celebrate it with before coming here. My friends in Boston were always nice about it once they knew when my birthday was, but I never did anything too elaborate. I’d get a few cards and maybe get casual drinks with people after work. Most of the time we were all too busy with cases for that, though.”
Julia’s heart stirred as she listened to her cousin. She knew that not really getting to celebrate a birthday was a small sorrowwhen compared to the loss of Faith’s parents, but the two things were intertwined. She had a sudden desire to give Faith a birthday party so memorable that it would start to rewrite her memories of the day, and she would have so much more to think about besides the fact that her parents weren’t with her anymore.
“I’m sorry, Faith,” she said, reaching across the table and squeezing her cousin’s hand. “I wish you didn’t have to deal with all that. But you’re here now, making a new life for yourself. Now that you’re here in Rosewood Beach, what do you think you want to do for your birthday?”
Faith shrugged again. “I don’t know—maybe Ryan and I will have a nice dinner together. We could go out, or maybe I’ll ask him to make me a steak or something.”
“That sounds nice,” Julia said.
Internally though, she was already squirming with ideas for something better. A nice dinner with Ryan would be fine for Faith’s birthday, but there were plenty of other people in town besides Ryan who loved her and wanted to celebrate with her.
Absentmindedly, she tried to spear another piece of pie with her fork, only to find that she’d already finished her slice.
“Oh, gosh.” She laughed, and then glanced at her watch. “I’d better head on home. Cooper and Macey are waiting for me. Thanks for telling me the news, Faith.” She grinned at her. “Enjoy the rest of your pie!”
“I will.” Faith laughed. “I can’t wait to talk about Delilah Bates coming to town at family dinner night.”
“Oh, same. I can’t wait to see the look on Mom’s face when she finds out.”
“I wish I could see the look on everyone’s faces. Ryan might not even really know who she is since she’s done so many ‘girly’ movies, but he’s definitely going to be excited about the film being shot here.”
The two women got caught up in discussing Delilah Bates and the movie again until Julia finally tore herself away. She gave her cousin a quick hug and then hurried out into the cool April evening.
What an exciting day,she thought as she climbed into her car.Delilah Bates is coming to Rosewood Beach, and I’ve decided to plan a birthday party for my cousin, who absolutely deserves one.
She started the engine of her car with a smile. She knew that the coming days were going to be very interesting indeed.
CHAPTER THREE
Delilah stifled an enormous yawn as she stepped off the plane. She longed for a cup of good coffee, and she felt sluggish and bleary-eyed after trying to sleep on her twelve-hour flight.
She tugged her carry-on suitcase along behind her. It made a kind of whirring sound as it rolled across the airport carpet, sounding as if it were some kind of eager little robot.
I wish I felt as awake and eager as my suitcase sounds,she thought with a chuckle.I feel half-alive right now, and I probably look it. I’ve got to find some place to freshen up.
She didn’t know if she would encounter any paparazzi in the airport, but she wanted to be prepared in case she did. She’d learned the hard way that cameramen were likely to pop up when you least expected it, and that petty little magazines were always happy to post pictures of celebrities looking frazzled and fatigued.
She passed a row of windows that looked out onto the airfield. Past the cement landing strips she could see a line of trees, and far beyond that a hint of blue that promised the ocean. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in Connecticut. It made her think of clams and lobsters and snaggle-toothed fishermen. She didn’t have anything against Connecticut, buther aching bones made her wish that she was on her way to a luxurious seaside resort instead of a little hotel that probably only had a five-star rating online because no one with high standards ever went there.
She found a women’s restroom and was pleased to discover that it was empty. She pulled her makeup case from her carry-on and went to work on her appearance. She applied a hint of blush, just enough to look natural but still wake up her face, a sheer foundation, and mascara. She finished it all off with a dusting of powder and makeup setting spray. The whole process took her less than two minutes. She was used to making herself look good, and she didn’t want someone to walk in on her, Delilah Bates, the movie star, putting on her makeup out of a little cloth bag that had a hole in the corner and little faded strawberries on it. Her mother had given her the bag many years ago and she adored it, but she’d been mocked by her peers about it on several occasions.
She heard someone walk past the bathroom and she looked up, wondering if it was paparazzi—and if they would try to come inside. She hadn’t met up with the rest of the team that was going to make the movie yet, and she wasn’t used to traveling alone like this. In the big cities, she was usually accompanied by a bodyguard and several other people.
