Chapter 4
Slade
When Slade got home with his takeout food, he sat it at the bar and walked to the refrigerator for a drink. He sat down and ate his hamburger and fries, but his mind kept going back to the face on the profile. He could only hope she was as nice as she looked. His luck she was stuck up and a real nasty character.
He got up and threw the wrappers in the trash. He had given his housekeeper the night off to be with her daughter. She usually would have a big meal ready for him when he got home. He was out of town more than he was in town. Right now he was in between parts, so he was staying near home.
He walked over to his computer and sat down. He wanted to prepare himself for what this woman might be like. He pulled out the paper with her name on it. He typed it in and waited to see what he could find.
Her name popped up in the search. She had a social media page. He clicked on it. She had graduated top of her glass from a university in Georgia and owned her own accounting firm. That was impressive. She was 32 and had never been married. He sat back as he read the rest of her profile. He scrolled through some of her pictures she had on her profile.
Several of the pictures were with an older couple he figured were her parents. She always had that hauntingly beautiful smile. He saw her with a man several times, but they did not seem to be intimate. He wondered if it was her brother. He finally logged out and rubbed his eyes.
She seemed normal enough. She was smiling in all the photos. Maybe she was a really nice person. He just hoped, because spending three days with a sour puss was not his idea of fun. He got up and stretched. He had worked out after leaving his agent’s office. Now he needed a shower and some sleep.
As he lay in bed trying to go into a much needed sleep, he kept seeing her in his mind. There was something about her that pulled at him. She was beautiful which was obvious, but something in her eyes made him see her as more than a pretty face. He rolled to his side and tried to clear his mind, but it was no use. His brain would not shut down.
He finally groaned and sat up, reaching for the remote. He flipped through the channels frustrated that nothing looked interesting. Great, he would feel wonderful tomorrow. He got up and walked downstairs to get some milk. As he propped on the counter drinking his milk, he wondered what she was doing. Since she was in another time zone, she was probably just eating dinner.
For the first time he was a little more at ease about this trip. She didn’t look like a psychopath. She looked like the girl next door, but he had learned a long time ago looks could be deceiving.
He walked back up the stairs after he finished his milk. This was going to be a long night. He could already see his mind was going to go crazy the minute he put his head to the pillow. He sat down on the window seat in the corner of his room. It overlooked his pool. He watched the water flow over the waterfall at the end of it.
With all he had, he was a lonely man. With fame came a lot of responsibility. He couldn’t just go out with his old friends because they would get mobbed. His old friends didn’t come around much anymore and his Hollywood friends were as busy as he was.
He thought about his life. He was doing what he had only dreamed he would do, but what did he have to show for it. Yeah, he was a rich man and could have any woman he wanted, but he was not happy, not really. Here he was forty and no family, just his maid and his agent. He ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. There were plenty of people who wanted to be where he was, but if they could talk to him first, they might not be so eager.
He finally walked over and sat on the bed. He laid back and closed his eyes, wondering if she was excited about this trip. She entered the contest, so she must have wanted to go.
The next day he packed for the long weekend. He was a little apprehensive, but still going. He packed light and threw his bag by the door. He would be meeting her at the airport tomorrow afternoon.
The Winner Is Love Page 4