Page 1 of The Stars Over Hollywood

1

Tracy Carrington stood in the foyer of the Spanish villa, her eyes sweeping up the curved staircase and landing on the grand chandelier suspended from the high ceiling. The villa, both outside and in, was distinctly Spanish with its whitewashed walls and terracotta accents, but when Ada had described the venue for their wedding, Tracy never imagined that it could be this luxurious.

Ada’s voice drifted down the stairs, and it sounded like she was talking with the wedding planner from the few words that Tracy could make out, so she kept wandering through the house, her small suitcase rolling across the marble floors behind her.

Tracy rarely thought about what might have been, what her life might have looked like if she’d stayed in the business long enough to have a career like Ada’s, but it was hard not to think about those things when she was spending the next week here, in this amazing villa, with Ada and Sydney picking up the tab.

Tracy couldn’t even begin to imagine what this place must cost to rent out for the week, and they’d rented it for two, because up until about a month ago, their schedules were still changing, and they weren’t sure which dates they’d actually be here.

And then there was the honeymoon they’d just planned the other day, the two of them renting a yacht to sail around the Mediterranean.

Tracy left her suitcase inside the doorway of one of the downstairs bedrooms. She’d planned to keep exploring the house, but the French doors that opened up from the bedroom onto the back garden drew her towards them.

She unlocked them, pushing them open, the fresh sea air coming up to meet her as she took in the meticulously landscaped gardens, her feet carrying her outside before she could think about it.

It wasn’t that she was jealous. She was so happy with her life now. Her surf school was considered one of the best in the state. She had hundreds of private messages and reviews saved on her phone of people praising her personally for her instruction skills or her team.

But as successful as her business was, it would never allow her to fly a dozen friendsout to Spain for a week or more or to be able to rent a place like this for much more than a day or two, if even that.

Tracy ran a hand through her long brown hair as she ducked under one of the fruit trees on her way out to an outdoor seating area tucked away in the corner of the lush garden, the sun warm against her skin.

The forecast was for mostly sun with temperatures in the low seventies, and there was no sign of rain for the ceremony that was taking place somewhere on the grounds of this sprawling estate.

Tracy was just about to see if the white outdoor couches were as comfortable as they looked when she heard voices behind her, and a smile instantly came to her face when she saw Ada.

“Hey,” Ada said with a smile as she pulled Tracy into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Sydney was right there to wrap her arms around her when Ada pulled away. “Welcome to Spain,” Sydney said her blond hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, sunglasses on top of her head.

It was hard to believe that it had only been a year since Lara had stopped her on the street, saying that she knew who she was and when Tracy hadn’t believed her Lara had said that she was Ada’s manager.

Tracy had lost touch with all of her friends from that era of her life. And while Ada and Charlotte had gone on to have just unfathomable careers, Tracy had slipped into normal civilian life, putting her dreams of becoming an award winning actress behind her. Kerri might not have become a world famous actress like Ada and Charlotte had, but she’d had a long and successful career as an agent.

Tracy tried not to dwell on the fact that she was feeling that twinge of regret, of doubt about the way her life had turned out, because surely it was normal to feel that way. Especially when she was here, and Kerri would walk through those doors any moment. Charlotte too.

In the last year, Tracy had slowly found herself slipping back into her easy friendship with Ada and Charlotte. Tracy continued to give Lara surfing lessons, and she naturally ended up at Lara’s house for dinner parties or nights by the pool.

Lara and Charlotte had been together for the last year, so Tracy had spent the most time with them, but more often than not Ada and Sydney were there too, and it was easy to reminisce about old times, about their early days acting, fumbling their way through, pretending that they knew what they were doing.

Tracy had only seen Kerri three in the last year, twice in L.A. when she’d come back to help with the wedding prep, and once when Tracy had flown out to Colorado to visit her and Rachel.

But Kerri was such an easy person to be around that it didn’t take long for them to remember why they all had so much fun on set when they were filming that law series all those years ago.

Kerri was actually going to be officiating the ceremony. Ada and Sydney technically got married legally last week in California with a confidential marriage license and a ceremony in Sydney’s backyard that was just the two of them and the woman who officiated the marriage.

They wanted to do something special, like come here, to Spain, and have everyone together, even if it was entirely symbolic.

“This place is something else,” Tracy said as they led her around the grounds.

“It was all Kerri,” Sydney said, sliding her shades on. “I told her, you know, we have a wedding planner. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. And she just kept insisting. No, you gotta check out this place. Somehow she knows the owner? I can’t remember how. It was like a former client’s ex-husband’s sister’s place, and he owed her one.”

“What?” Tracy asked with a laugh as they walked along the pool area.

“I don’t even know,” Sydney said. “It was something complicated like that. Anyway, Kerri said that it didn’t matter how good our wedding planner was, she would never find us a place like this. Kerri knew we wanted to have everything onsite and be able to accommodate anyone who wanted to stay. But when she showed me the photos… I knew this was it. This was exactly what we were looking for.”

“When is she getting in?” Tracy asked.

“Tomorrow,” Ada said. “Everyone really is arriving tomorrow. Except Lara. She should be here any minute.”

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