Once Upon a Star Read online

  Once Upon A Star

  Star Lake, Volume 3

  Lorana Hoopes

  Published by Lorana Hoopes, 2017.

  Once Upon a Star

  A Star Lake Romance #2

  Lorana Hoopes

  Copyright © 2018 by Lorana Hoopes

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Note from the Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  12. Author’s Note

  13. Not ready to say Goodbye yet?

  Love Conquers All Preview

  14. A Free Story For You

  15. The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet Preview

  The Story Doesn’t End!

  About The Author

  Note from the Author

  This book is dear to my heart. I’ve always loved the small town feel and the crazy characters that generally live there. I hope you enjoy the story and the characters as they are dear to my heart. If you do, please leave a review at your retailer. It really does make a difference because it lets people make an informed decision about books.

  Below are all the books in the small town series. I would love for you to check them out. I’d also like to offer you a sample of my newest book. Free Sample!

  Sign up for Lorana Hoopes’s newsletter and get her book, The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet, as a welcome gift. Get Started Now!

  Chapter 1

  Audrey stared at the nurses leaning over the silver table, obscuring the view of the thing she wanted to see most.

  “Are you ready, Mom?” The head nurse turned to Audrey, a tiny blue package in her arms.

  Mom. The word had never applied to her, and she wasn’t sure it fit. Was she ready? Probably not. Would she ever be completely ready? Probably not. But that didn’t change reality. She tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear and nodded.

  “Here’s your son.” The nurse held the swaddled bundle out to her. Audrey opened her hands, unsure of what the nurse wanted her to do. The nurse’s face softened and her warm brown eyes sparkled. With one hand, she adjusted Audrey’s arms to place the tiny bundle in them. “Hold him like this.” She demonstrated the proper technique. “You always want to support his head.”

  Audrey nodded, trying to keep her arms from shaking. She was afraid to breathe, afraid to move, but mostly afraid she’d drop the infant, so she kept her eyes glued to him. Would he shatter like a piece of glass? The image sent a shiver down her spine. She didn’t want to find out.

  The nurse’s eyes twinkled as she watched Audrey adjust and readjust her holding position. “There is a bassinet here.” The nurse pointed at a clear plastic tub that looked like a large shoe box on top of a wheeled table. It didn’t look comfortable to Audrey, and she wondered how a baby slept in it. “If you want to take him walking, you need to put him in the bassinet, okay?”

  “Do I hold him the rest of the time?” As much as she was enjoying the baby in her arms, what happened when she needed to sleep or use the bathroom?

  The woman chuckled. “You hold him as much as you want and put him down when you need a break. We’ll come in every few hours to check on you, and we’ll show you how to change his diaper and dress him. You’ll be a pro before you know it. Don’t worry.” She patted Audrey’s arm like her grandmother used to when she asked a silly question, and then the nurse walked out of the room, still smiling and shaking her head.

  Audrey’s eyes dropped to the sleeping baby. His shock of dark hair reminded her of his father, the olive-skinned Italian who had charmed her with his fast tongue. She hoped it was the only trait Cayden would get from him. The world didn't need another heartbreaker. “I have no idea what we'll do, Cayden, but we’ll figure something out.”

  Blake turned the glass on the countertop and glanced up at Max who leaned against the back counter, arms folded across his chest as if he were waiting for the answer to a question. The green of his plaid shirt matched the faded ball cap turned backwards on his head. “Sorry, did you say something? I’m distracted; it’s just getting close to Christmas, and I miss Connie.” A vision of the day she left popped into his head.

  Blake opened the door, expecting to see Connie on the other side in her Sunday best. The church service started in half an hour. Though Connie stood there, his smile faded as he took in her jeans and t-shirt. There was no requirement of the patrons to dress up, but Connie always wore a dress or skirt. "What's going on?" Blake asked.

  Connie bit her lip and her eyes fell to the ground. "I wanted to say goodbye."

  "Goodbye?"

  "I can't stay any longer, Blake." Her eyes lifted to meet his, and he saw the shimmer of liquid in them. "I hoped I could make a life here, but I'm a city girl. I miss the lights and night life. I miss the excitement."

  "But, we were discussing marriage last week." Blake struggled to make her words compute in his brain.

  "I know," she nodded, "and that's what got me thinking. The thought of living the rest of my life here is depressing, so though I love you, I have to say goodbye." She leaned in and pecked his cheek before flashing a sad smile and walking back to her car.

  With a heavy heart, Blake watched her drive away before shutting the door and leaning against it. His brain tried to make sense of her departure.

  * * *

  “I get it,” Max said, leaning forward and dispersing Blake’s memory. “It’s not the same, but you’re welcome to spend Christmas with Layla and me.

  Blake offered a half smile. “I’ll consider it, but it’s your first Christmas together. You’ve been in love with that woman since I’ve known you and I don’t want to be a third wheel. Besides, I'll probably hit the Christmas Eve service at church and spend the day with my mom. She’s been lonely without my father around.”

  Max shrugged and turned back to the kitchen to finish serving the lunch crowd.

  Blake took a bite of his hamburger, but while he knew it was delicious—Max was known for his burgers—it held no taste in his current mood. He fished a few dollars out of his wallet, laid the money on the counter, picked up his coat, and walked out the door.

  The McAllister development where he worked sat a mile up the road, but as he still had fifteen minutes remaining on his lunch break, he decided to walk through downtown. His own house resided on the quiet outskirts of town, so other than hanging out with Max at The Diner, he didn’t spend much time in the downtown area.

  Blake pulled his coat tighter as the winter air bit through the heavy wool. Star Lake generally received one or two good snowfalls every winter, and though Christmas was still a few weeks away, the chill in the air made him believe the first snow was coming.

  He didn’t mind the snow, but he enjoyed it more when he had someone to share the experience with. Curling in front of the fireplace alone held little appeal.

  Audrey shoved the last item in her suitcase and pushed down on the bulging bag as she tugged on the zipper.

  “Where are you going to go?” Desiree asked, leaning against the doorframe.

  Desiree was Audrey’s roommate, and the two were about as different as night and day. Where Audrey was pale and blond, Desiree had darker skin and long dark hair.

  “The only place I can,” Audrey said with a sighing. “Home.”


  The thought held little appeal. Her wealthy parents had given her access to her trust fund at eighteen, and Audrey had opted to move to LA to try her hand at acting. At first, it had been fun. She’d found a few jobs and been in a few commercials, but then the jobs had become fewer and farther between, and after she ended up pregnant, they had dried up completely. Now all the money she had saved was almost gone.

  Desiree’s nose scrunched in disgust. “You'd go back to that tiny town, why?”

  “I haven’t had a job in months Dez, my savings have run out, and I can’t go to work without someone to watch Cayden. If I go home, I can get help from my parents until I get back on my feet.”

  At least she hoped they would help. They hadn’t been too happy when she decided not to go to college, but she didn’t think they would turn their grandson away, even if they didn’t want to help her.

  Desiree shrugged and flicked her hair behind her bony shoulder. “Nothing in the world would make me return to my crappy hometown.”

  Audrey knew Desiree’s home life had been rough, but while she hadn’t wanted to grow up under her mother’s thumb, it hadn’t been a bad childhood. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be back, but I wish you luck.”

  After a quick hug, Audrey picked up Cayden’s car seat, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left the apartment she had called home for the last few years.

  Chapter 2

  Audrey stood outside the mansion, her heart a lead anchor in her chest. She ran the possible options one more time, desperate for a new solution, but nothing came to mind. Her last five hundred dollars had paid for the flight and the rental car, so even if another way had existed before, it was gone now.

  Her finger trembled as she pressed the ornate gold doorbell.

  A young woman in a pale pink uniform answered the door. Though her face was unfamiliar, her position was not. Audrey’s mother had always insisted on help.

  “Can I help you?” The woman's even and friendly tone didn’t mask the sadness in her eyes. Audrey knew that expression too well. Though she loved her mother, Evelyn’s overbearing personality and her obsession with money and status often left those around her feeling drained and empty.

  “I’m Audrey. Is Evelyn home?”

  The woman’s eyes widened at Audrey’s name. Her mother must have informed even the newest help of her wayward daughter, but the woman said nothing, just nodded politely and motioned Audrey to follow her.

  Audrey stared at the threshold. If she stepped over the line, there would be no turning back, and the anchor on her heart pulled ever tighter. Was this the only way? Audrey hadn’t even spoken with her mother yet, and still she felt the imaginary noose tighten around her neck. Her throat dried up, and she closed her eyes to calm the beating of her erratic heart.

  “Are you all right?”

  Audrey's eyes flicked open. The young woman stared at her as if she were crazy, which perhaps she was. This was her mother for goodness sake, not an ax murderer. After another deep breath, Audrey forced her foot into the grand foyer.

  It was exactly as she remembered it. The wooden floor gleamed a bright amber color, and the white marble columns sparkled as if they had just been cleaned—which, considering Evelyn’s hatred of dust and clutter, they probably had been. A glass chandelier sent reflections of rainbows across the room though they didn’t lighten the oppressive mood that filled the room. Over the marble fireplace, a portrait of the family done ten years ago stared back at her.

  The sullen girl in the portrait sent shivers down her spine. She had looked so petulant. Getting away from her parents had been good for her. The freedom of the past years had erased the scowl from her face and straightened her shoulders. If only she could have stayed away.

  “Wait here.” The woman pointed to the white leather couch Audrey had once considered spilling grape juice on just to spite her mother. “I’ll go get Mrs. McAllister.”

  The family in the picture continued to rain judgement on Audrey as she perched on the edge of the couch feeling like a schoolgirl waiting to see the principal. She glanced at the car seat on the floor beside her, thankful Cayden had fallen asleep before she pulled up to the house. Evelyn wouldn't tolerate his noise well.

  The clickity-clack of heels on the hardwood floor sent an icy tremor through her body. Audrey drug her eyes from the sleeping infant to the hallway entrance. Her mother, with her brown hair perfectly in place and a string of pearls accenting her immaculate beige suit, stepped into the room.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked. The words sounded polite, but the cool inflection behind them told the real story.

  Audrey stood, blocking the car seat with her legs. Evelyn hadn’t appeared to have noticed it yet. “Please sit, Mother, I need to ask you a question.”

  Evelyn’s lips pursed, and her eyebrow arched on her forehead, but she smoothed her skirt and sat in the straight-backed chair across from the couch. “What is it? It must be important. We haven’t seen you here in what three years?”

  Four. Audrey had come back for Elliana’s wedding four years ago, but there was no need to point that out. Ignoring the dig, Audrey cleared her throat and proceeded with her rehearsed script. “I know you didn’t approve of my going to Hollywood to pursue acting, but I needed to follow my dream.”

  “It must have gone well if you’re back here.” The sarcasm dripped from her mother’s voice.

  “Please let me finish. LA was amazing, but I made a mistake when I fell for a man who I thought loved me. I ended up pregnant, but he left me.” Audrey stepped to the side, clearing the view of Cayden’s car seat. “I kept Cayden, but I couldn’t continue working.”

  Evelyn blinked but remained silent, waiting for the question.

  Audrey gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. “I’m wondering if I can borrow money to hire childcare until I get back on my feet.”

  “Let me get this straight,” Evelyn began once Audrey finished. “You've been gone for nearly ten years, and now you’re only here because you need money?”

  Audrey swallowed the irritation threatening to bubble over and answered through clenched teeth. “I wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for Cayden, but I've had no jobs the last few months and therefore no money to pay for help, so yes I am asking for money.”

  “No,” Evelyn said, folding her hands on her lap.

  “No?” Audrey narrowed her eyes, sure she heard her mother wrong.

  “That's right, no. You were given money, which you squandered when you ran away to Hollywood.”

  “I was there for ten years.”

  Evelyn held up her hand, cutting off Audrey’s protest. “If I give you the money, you learn nothing, but I can’t have that baby going hungry either, so here’s what I’m offering. I will give you enough to get a place as I’m assuming you would not accept my offer to live here, but then you will work for your father.”

  Audrey’s head shook before Evelyn had finished. “Mother, no. I can find a job.” Her father owned a development company, and Audrey knew nothing about it. Her passion had always been the stage.

  “It’s my money, so I get to set the conditions. Take it or leave it.” Evelyn stared evenly at Audrey.

  There were no options. Audrey needed the money and maybe working for her father wouldn’t be too bad for a short time. Once she saved up enough money, she could always find something else. “Fine, Mother, is there anything else?” She didn't want to ask, but she feared a secret condition could come back to bite her.

  “You have dinner here once a month.”

  Audrey bit the inside of her lip and closed her eyes. Once a month. She could handle once a month. “Fine, Mother,” she said, opening her eyes. “You win.”

  “Very well. Julie?” The blond woman reappeared in the entryway.

  “Yes ma’am?”

  “Get me my purse.”

  Julie nodded and hurried away.

  “I expect to see you at dinner next Friday,” her mother said as Julie returned w
ith her purse. Evelyn pulled out her pocketbook, and after rifling through it for cash, which she handed to Audrey, she filled out a check, tearing it from the register with an exaggerated slowness. “I assume you don’t have a bank account here yet, so the cash is to help get that started. The check should cover your first month’s rent, deposit, and household necessities.”

  Audrey mumbled a quiet thank you as she took the money. It felt like dirty, blood money in her hand, but she had no other choice.

  “We’ll give you the rest of the week to get settled, but your father will expect you at work at eight a.m. Monday morning.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  Evelyn had never been a hugger, but she tilted her left cheek up in expectance of her obligatory kiss. Audrey planted a quick one, her lips stinging as if she had just made a deal with the devil.

  The money burned in her pocket as she gathered up Cayden’s car seat and headed back to her car.

  Chapter 3

  “Did you hear the news?”

  Paula leaned over Layla’s table three spots away, but her loud voice carried across the interior of the small eatery. The Diner was known for two things: Max’s amazing food and being the hub of gossip, though Max hated that everyone congregated in his establishment to share news.

  “No, but everyone will now, Paula,” Max said with a raised voice from the front where he was wiping the bar counter after the lunch rush.