His eyes held hers before he captured her lips once more in a kiss sealed with the promise of forever.
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Read on for a special sneak peek of Holly’s other book in the Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove series, Writing a Memoir for the Movie Star.
Sneak Peek: Writing a Memoir for the Movie Star
“You’ll be sure to call me as soon as you get there?”
Sadie smiled at her mom’s concern. “I promise.”
Meredith O’Brien stood next to the shiny black sedan sent by Sadie’s client, her brow creased as if she was unaccustomed to having her 26-year-old daughter leave on a work trip.
Sadie had bought a house on the same street as her mom in their little town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. After her dad died and her older sister moved away to New York, Sadie couldn’t bear to leave her mom alone. But sometimes—like now—she still acted like Sadie was her baby girl.
Sadie thanked the driver as he took her suitcase and put it in the trunk of the waiting car.
“Is this your only bag, miss?” the man asked. He was short, only a few inches taller than she was, and dressed in a chauffeur’s uniform. It would have been less conspicuous if her client had sent an Uber instead.
“Just that suitcase and my laptop bag,” she said. “But I’ll keep that with me.” Sadie clutched the strap of her gray messenger bag in case he insisted. She didn’t trust having her beloved laptop out of her sight. True, all of her manuscripts were backed up in multiple places. And true, the laptop wasn’t the latest in technology, but it had belonged to her dad. No one could replace the little shiny spot on the space bar where his right thumb had touched it multiple times a day. It was her way of staying connected with him, and losing it would devastate her.
The chauffeur lifted a brow and opened the back door for her. She could guess what he was thinking. Maybe it was strange that she’d only packed one small roller bag for three days, but the agency that had hired her for this ghostwriting job had assured her that meals, accommodations, and everything else would be taken care of. All she needed were comfortable writing clothes, pajamas, and toiletries.
“I still can’t understand why you need to go. Can’t you just interview this person over the phone?” Meredith asked.
Sadie turned with a patient smile. “I’ll only be gone for three days. And I won’t be far away this time.”
“In that case, why can’t you come back and forth and sleep in your own bed?”
“Mom, it’ll be fine,” Sadie reassured. “It’s easier if I just stay there. I’ll get a better feel for my client.”
“I suppose so.” Meredith squinted at her. “Anyway, it will be fun for you to meet Tom Cruise in person.”
Sadie laughed. “Nice try.” This was the little game Mom played: trying to guess who Sadie’s high-profile client might be. This wasn’t the first time she’d been hired by a celebrity to ghostwrite their memoir. However, the nondisclosure agreement she’d signed was ironclad. The whole point of the ghostwriter was to be invisible, so that only the celebrity’s name would appear on the book cover. Her mom knew she was sworn to secrecy, but it didn’t stop her from trying to guess. If she had any idea that she was in the ballpark, she’d have fallen over in shock.
Sadie still couldn’t believe she was ghostwriting for Gavin Stone, the famous Australian actor and star of the Cruise Donnelly films. But over the past few weeks, the shock had toned down to a nervous hum that tightened her stomach whenever she thought about the assignment. Gavin was an Oscar Award-winning icon, a movie star in his early thirties whom women had been swooning over since he’d begun acting over a decade ago—and here she was, on her way to interview him. It was surreal.
“Well, give Julia Roberts a hello from me, will you?” Meredith said with a wink as she leaned in to hug Sadie goodbye. “And if she needs flowers for any upcoming events, be sure to give her my card,” she teased.
Sadie laughed as she hugged back. “Of course I will. Lily and Rose is the best flower shop in Arkansas; everyone knows that.” She pulled away, smiling because she meant it. Her mom’s flower shop in Eureka Springs was extremely successful, and Sadie was proud of her.
Meredith touched her cheek and sighed before letting her hand drop. “I suppose I can spare you for a few days. Go have your adventure, but don’t forget to call when you can.”
“I won’t. I love you, Mom. See you soon.”
“Love you too, Sadie Rose.”
Sadie nodded and gave her a parting wave before climbing into the back seat of the sedan, instantly aware of the smell of new leather. The car was brand new, and she absently wondered if Gavin had ever even sat in it. From what she’d researched, he was a collector of exotic automobiles of all kinds. Why he’d ever decided to come to Arkansas was still a mystery, though. All she’d heard from his agent, Edith, was that Gavin was here on vacation between movies and it was a good time in his schedule to get going on his much-anticipated memoir.
Edith had found Sadie’s name through her previous work and extended the offer for her to ghostwrite Gavin’s story. It made her happy that her previous clients had recommended her. As a ghostwriter, she didn’t get any of the credit when her clients’ memoirs became best-sellers, but word of mouth in the right circles paid off. The salary for this assignment was more than Sadie would make in a year of doing odd writing jobs. It was a golden opportunity … if she could just get over her nervousness about meeting Gavin in person.
She’d seen some of his movies before this assignment, but after getting the job, she’d watched all of them and absorbed any piece of information she could find about him as research. He was from Alice Springs, Australia, and still had family over there. He’d moved to the States when his acting career began taking off. He was an avid hiker, mountain climber, and water skier. He preferred warm weather over cold, pie instead of cake, and—according to the tabloids and gossip sites—wore flip-flops every season of the year.
Sadie knew Gavin’s astrological sign, had stalked his fan forums and even read ten years’ worth of tabloids on him. If the rumors were true, he’d recently broken up with fellow actress Raquel Bardot. The breakup went viral when Raquel called Gavin a cheater during a crowded party and sprayed a shaken can of soda at him. The pictures showed a shocked, dripping Gavin in the midst of the crowd.
Sadie couldn’t decide whether she felt sorry for him or vindicated on behalf of his girlfriend. There had been a steady stream of women in Gavin’s life—unsurprising, considering his looks, wealth, and fame. There was something about his eyes in particular that drew one in—they held a spark as if he kept a secret that begged to be revealed.
Not that Sadie cared.
She wasn’t some silly fangirl ready to fawn all over him and lose her head.
But Gavin was intriguing; she’d give him that.
And the man could act. He had the Oscars to prove it.
She’d done a rough sketch of his accomplishments so far and compiled a list of questions for the interview. Edith had explained that Sadie would meet briefly with Gavin, so she was prepared to fire off her list of questions and glean as much information as she could. Then she would spend the remainder of her time preparing a rough draft to submit to Gavin’s publicity team. Her main goal for the interview was to find the heart of Gavin’s story—the core of who he was—and make that a theme for his life. Lucky for her, he had a fascinating list of accomplishments, so weaving it into a compelling narrative wouldn’t be too difficult.
Sadie’s phone rang, breaking through her thoughts. She smiled when she saw her sister’s number and answered on the second ring. “Hey, Lil. I’m guessing Mom called you.”
“She’s dying of curiosity, and so am I,” Lily said. “What famous person lives near Eureka Springs?”
Sadie sighed. “You know I can’t talk about specifics.”
“Oh, come on … not even a little hint?”
“Nope.” Sadie smiled at Lily’s protesting groan. “You know, you shouldn’t be so surprised that a celebrity would visit Arkansas. This is a happenin’ place.”
Lily snorted. “Uh-huh. A real metropolis.”
“You could design your makeup line just as easily from here and fly back and forth. New York is totally overrated.”
“And you could write from New York and fly back to visit Mom on occasion,” she countered.
“I don’t think so. You should have seen how worried she was to have me leave for three days.”
“I know. I could practically hear her wringing her hands.” Lily’s voice was tinged with concern. “But if we both lived in New York, I bet we could convince her to join us here. She could franchise the flower shop.”
Sadie considered the idea. She missed her sister, and FaceTime and phone chats weren’t a satisfactory way to fill the void. But she couldn’t see her mom ever leaving Eureka Springs … especially not to live in New York City. “Lil, I just don’t think it will happen,” she said, “but after I’m done with this project, maybe I’ll come out and visit you.”
Lily sighed. “Okay. I would love that. I’ll give you the royal treatment—and there’s even a guy I want to introduce you to. I think the two of you would really hit it off.”
“In that case, I’ll book my flight right away,” Sadie said dryly.
“What?” Lily sniffed. “You don’t think I know who you’d be compatible with?”
“I’m not saying it wouldn’t be interesting to see who you would pair me up with.” Absently, Sadie smoothed the front of her navy blouse that complemented her auburn hair. She wore business casual for Gavin’s interview today, with fitted slacks and heels to add some height to her meager five-foot-four frame. She was going for a “confident and professional” look, but she couldn’t wait until she was done with the interview and could change into her yoga pants and get comfortable.
“Sade, did I lose you?”
She blinked, trying to remember what her sister said last. “No, sorry. I’m here.”
Lily made an exasperated sound. “You said that it would be interesting to see who I paired you up with, but then you didn’t finish your thought.”
“Oh. Right.” She frowned. “I don’t know if I’m open to the idea of a blind date, so let’s just play it by ear, okay?”
There was a pause. “Is this about Kyle?”
“No.” She bit her thumbnail. Maybe.
“Uh-huh, I hear that tone. You guys are still talking, aren’t you?” Lily demanded.
Sadie gave a guilty shrug, even though her sister couldn’t see. “He called me last night and wanted to talk. What was I supposed to do?”
“Argh!” Lily groaned. “You’re supposed to block his number. Delete all of his social media profiles. Erase him from your life!”
Sadie winced. “Lil, he’s going through a rough patch right now, and he just needs a listening ear.”
“Let someone else be Kyle’s listening ear. He shouldn’t have any trouble with that. He’s a pro at making new friends.”
It wasn’t lost on Sadie the way Lily emphasized the last word. Kyle was her ex-boyfriend, and they’d been on and off for nearly six years now. Each time he said he needed to “take a break,” he started a new relationship shortly after, and Sadie would swear she would never speak to him again. But then he would come back to her with his irresistible smile and charming apologies, and she would melt right back into his arms. It was a vicious cycle … she knew it was. Which was why she’d finally done something about it.
She straightened her shoulders. “Look, you’re right that I should block him, but I’m weak, okay? I’m not ready for that yet.” She cleared her throat. “But it might interest you to know that when he asked me if I would give him another chance, I told him no.”
“You did?!” Lily squealed. “Sadie, I’m so proud of you! What did he say?”
Sadie glanced at the back of the driver’s head, slightly self-conscious. She didn’t go around discussing her personal life in front of complete strangers, but if he was listening, he didn’t show it. He was probably a pro at tuning out whatever he heard in the back seat. She didn’t want to cut her conversation with Lily short, but she would have to remember to interview him later.
Sadie lowered the volume on her phone for privacy and to protect her ear from the squealing. “I told him I needed time to think it over,” she said. “He told me to take all the time I need, and that he’ll be waiting for me.”
There was another pause, and Sadie could practically hear Lily’s eye roll. “Telling him you need to think it over is not telling him no,” she complained. “You’re just leaving yourself open for more heartache, Sadie. Can’t you see that?”
She squirmed. In her defense, she had told Kyle a flat-out no at first—and then she’d caved and said she’d think about it. She really was pathetic. She released a long breath. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I’m glad we had this talk. It’s so hard for me to think straight when it comes to Kyle.”
“Obviously,” Lily said, half teasing, half not.
Sadie looked out the window at the thick trees lining the road. They were really in the country now. She hadn’t seen any towns or houses for miles. “This job is exactly what I need to get my mind off of him … of us.” No matter how many times Kyle had broken her heart, it still hurt to think about him not being there. Of him not calling her ever again. He knew Sadie almost as well as Lily did. Could she really let go of that? He’d sounded so sincere. Maybe this was finally the turning point when things would come together.
The car slowed down, and Sadie’s eyes bulged as they approached a large iron gate. She’d heard of this place before, the Mountain Cove development, but she’d never seen it in person.
“Lil, I’ve got to go,” she said. “I think we’re here.”
“Oooh, what does the property look like? What town are you in?”
Sadie stared as a guard appeared from the security shack. “Somewhere way out of my element,” she said. “Sorry. I promise to call soon.”
“Fine,” Lily grumbled. “You’d better. And no talking to Kyle in the meantime.”
“Cross my heart,” Sadie said. “Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
She ended the call and listened as the driver handed the guard a pass. “I’m Gavin Stone’s driver, bringing a guest to visit. She should be on the list: Sadie O’Brien.”
The guard glanced at his list and then in the back seat at Sadie, his stoic expression revealing nothing, even when she smiled. After a beat, he gave a curt nod. “You’re clear to go on through.”
Sadie let out the breath she’d been holding as the gates parted and they drove in. Her jaw dropped when the first lakefront property came into view—an estate that could easily encompass a third of the entire main street in Eureka Springs. Yep. I am definitely out of my element. She fought back the quivery feeling in her stomach as she realized she was about to meet Gavin Stone.
Things were about to get real.
Read the Rest
Read the Next Book in the Series!
About the Author
Holly Stevenson is a romantic at heart. She loves to read, eat out, watch movies, and spend time with family and friends. As a former flight attendant, she has plenty of traveling hours under her belt, but never tires of exploring new places. One of her favorite pastimes is researching potential vacation spots.
Holly also enjoys being near water, and has a weakness for any combination of chocolate and caramel. She rarely sleeps in, preferring the early morning quiet to accommodate her incurable writing addiction. She is blessed to live with her favorite people: her husband and four kids, in a house overlookin
g the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
To learn more about Holly and her books, please visit Holly’s Amazon page.
Also by Holly Stevenson
Pine Ridge Series
Lucky You
When Sparks Fly
Falling for You
Christmas in Pine Ridge
Back to You (FREE if you join Holly’s List)
Perfectly Planned
Billionaire Bachelor Cove
Her Flyboy Billionaire Boss
Christmas With the Captain
Writing a Memoir for the Movie Star
The Billionaire’s Second Chance
YA Romance
Don’t Kiss the Heartbreaker
The Billionaire's Second Chance: Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove Page 14