Page 2 of The Stars Over Hollywood

“And Charlotte?”

Ada exhaled. “She couldn’t get away. She knew she would be mid filming, but she was certain that she had it under control, and that she’d be able to get away for a few days, but they’re behind. They had some weather delays, and I know she’s disappointed, but I told her not to do anything stupid.”

“She’d walk out?” Tracy asked as they walked away from the house to the edge of the property, the lawn stretching out in front of them, the grass immaculate, and she wondered how many people it took to keep this property looking this pristine.

“Yeah,” Sydney said with a laugh. “She’s got this thing going on now, where she’s like, ‘This could be my last movie. I’m not going to do whatever it is.’ She’s been saying that for the last two years, and she’s still getting really good scripts. So, yeah. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that she said fuck them and left.”

“Except,” Ada said, “I made her promise me that she wouldn’t.”

“So, Lara’s coming on her own?” Tracy asked. “I’m surprised she didn’t tell me. We could have got the same flight.”

“She’s bringing Hayden.” Sydney said as the got to the bottom of the property, the sea coming into view now.

Tracy stood at the railing and gazed out at the sea, a few fluffy white clouds dotted against the brilliant blue sky. “This is where the ceremony is taking place?”

“Yeah,” Ada said with a smile.

“It’s perfect.”

Tracy took in the view, a pang of loneliness coming out of nowhere as she glanced at Ada, wrapping her arm around Sydney’s stomach from behind and resting her chin on her shoulder while they looked out across the ocean.

She was forty-eight years old, and while she rarely felt it, knowing she was in great shape and that she took care of her skin, she was starting to wonder if she was ever going to meet someone who she could see herself spending more than a few months with.

It wasn’t something she thought about much, because day-to-day she genuinely loved her life. She got to wake up and head to the beach for the day. She got to teach people how to do the thing she loved most. That was something she thought about. How lucky she was.

And the thought that always followed it, was that she couldn’t have everything. Maybe she wasn’t the kind of person who would settle down.

But whenever she was at Lara’s or Ada’s, she was surrounded by happy couples, and it was hard to ignore that she was often the only single person there.

Well, Hayden too. She never mentioned anyone she was seeing. She always seemed too focused on her career, on making something happen, to be distracted by dating. There were always rumors about her and another male actor she was working with at the time, but Hayden had always brushed them off, promising Lara that she’d be the first to know, as her best friend and agent, if she was seeing someone.

And Tracy respected Hayden’s ability to focus on her career and what she wanted, although it was hard to imagine that Hayden seemed to be worried about her age. That at thirty-three she felt like she was getting too old to chase the acting dream.

But apart from Hayden, Tracy always found herself in the company of at least one couple, and she’d just ignored that feeling that she was missing out on something. She had to. What other choice was there? She wasn’t one to wallow. She could have done that when she realized that she wasn’t cut out for the movie business, but she never did.

And she definitely wasn’t going to start now.

2

Hayden Dent followed Lara outside the villa, the sky a breathtaking pink and purple, and if she wasn’t already so impressed with the interior of this house, the gardens were even more spectacular. They hadn’t meant to give themselves a tour, but Lara said that Ada had sent her a text with the code to the gated entrance and to make themselves at home.

Hayden didn’t know if that meant that Ada and Sydney were out, or if they were busy with wedding planning, but she just followed Lara around the exterior of the villa, moving through one secluded courtyard to an outdoor lounge with a fire pit to an orchard, the sweet scent of apricots hitting her nose as she passed by, all without bumping into any of the other guests.

“This is easily the nicest house I’ve ever seen,” Lara said as she stood with her hands on her hips, taking in the gardens, the squawk of seagulls coming from somewhere in the distance. “Malibu who? This is so much nicer.”

“I know,” Hayden said, standing beside her, taking it all in, the fresh smell of the sea mixing with the sweet aromas of the orchard.

Lara tilted her head. “Hear that?”

“Parrots?” Hayden asked.

“No.” Lara laughed. “Well, maybe, but I meant voices. I think if we keep going, we might come across Ada and Sydney. Come on.”

The fatigue that had come over Hayden in the back of the taxi on their way here seemed to evaporate as they explored the house, and now as the pool came into view, her eyes landed on Ada and Sydney before she spotted another increasingly familiar face. Tracy Carrington.

A twinge of guilt settled in her chest when Hayden remembered that the last time she saw Tracy, probably about three months ago now, she’d taken Tracy’s card and told her that she was definitely going to call her to arrange some surfing lessons. But she never had.

Sydney noticed them first. “Hey!” She pushed herself off the couch and came over to them, hugging Lara first and then Hayden.

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