Annie and the Movie Star: A Lake Sterling Small Town Sweet Romance (Lake Sterling Sweet Romance Book 3) Read online

  That’s when I signed up for a casting call I heard about on the radio. I loved acting in plays throughout junior high and high school, but had never considered it as a career before. But the radio ad had captured my attention in a surreal way. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I went and I auditioned. Soon after, I was cast as Terry the Trainer on a sitcom television show and my acting career got started. Then I was picked up to act in wholesome romance movies, and I moved to LA to do this gig full time, and quickly became America’s Sweetheart.

  I do this job for my mom. Sure, the fame can be fun. But it’s also exhausting. Even with the parts that annoy me, it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, my mom’s bills are covered, her debt is paid, her cancer is in remission, and she doesn’t have to lift a finger or worry about anything. After raising me and my brothers all our lives, she deserves this.

  Yesterday, I arrived in Texas a day earlier than scheduled because all the touristy things I had wanted to do on my drive over here didn’t work out. People recognized me everywhere I went, so now I’m under cover. And since I’ll be staying in Sterling, Texas for an entire day before my team gets here, I need to be as unrecognizable as possible.

  Hence the disguise.

  I pulled over at a diner and changed my clothes, sprayed my hair with temporary hair color I got at a pharmacy store, and put on a beanie I found on the same store’s clearance rack. The beanie was perfect because I’m Trevor Owens, and Trevor Owens does not wear beanies. Plus he has light brown hair, not black. Add the sunglasses and the extremely tight jeans—also something I don’t wear—and I look like a different person.

  I hope.

  I also shaved my scruffy beard shiny smooth. I’m known for my scruffy beard, and losing the hair changes my appearance. I didn’t mean to take up all that time in the bathroom, but I had no other choice. Plus, I had no idea there was only one bathroom in the entire diner, or I would have chosen somewhere else to make my transformation.

  So yeah, I feel bad for monopolizing the bathroom that other people needed to use, but I had no choice. And the old me—the non-famous me—would have apologized profusely for upsetting that woman. The old me would have also noticed how stunningly gorgeous she was and asked her on a date right then and there. I wouldn’t have been able to wait for a weekend evening to have dinner—I’d ask her to have lunch with me right then and there. I’d have sent prayers up to heaven asking for her to be single so I’d have a chance.

  Because that woman, whoever she is, was beautiful. She had long black hair and a heart-shaped face with dark, captivating eyes.

  I hate that I avoided her when she confronted me, but I didn’t want her to recognize who I am. While I think my disguise is pretty good, who knows if it’ll actually fool anyone. What if she had noticed that I’m Trevor Owens and then turned into one of my crazed fans?

  I’m way too close to Sterling, Texas for comfort. She could have told everyone that I’m here and then it’d be even harder to stay anonymous.

  So while I wish I could have stayed, apologized, and asked her on a date, I had to be cold and distant and rude on purpose, even though I hated every second of it.

  It sucks, too, because now I’m back in my boring rental car and daydreaming up alternate realities where I’m not famous and could have asked her on a date.

  I wonder if she would have said yes.

  CHAPTER 3

  Annie

  I still can’t get over how cute Julie’s lake house is. It’s a white house with dark blue shutters and a big wraparound porch. It’s small, but it’s adorable, and it’s perfect for just one person. Or for her and Max when he finally proposes. He’s already asked me for her ring size so I know the proposal is coming soon. I can’t wait. Julie may have gotten famous for her Love Sucks novel series about a private investigator who hates love, but Julie herself loves love. She’s my best friend and the most worthy person of finding her true soul mate and living out her life in marital bliss.

  I’m super excited for the new life she’s found here in Sterling after she left her crap-tastic ex. Now I just have to find a way to get my own life back on track. I’m sitting here in my car, parked in her driveway for all of two seconds before the front door opens and my best friend comes rushing out, a big smile on her face.

  “Annie!” Julie gushes, throwing me in a hug the moment I exit my car. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Me too,” I say, squeezing her back. It feels great to hug my best friend. “I’m glad to be here. I just wish it were under better circumstances.”

  “You’ll find a new job soon,” she assures me. “You’re the world’s greatest nurse, after all. Every hospital in the world will want you.”

  “I’d actually love to work at a retirement home,” I say, because that’s always been my real goal. As a kid, my grandma lived at an elderly living facility and the nurses were so nice and patient and caring. They inspired me to become a nurse myself.

  “Well then you will be the world’s greatest retirement home nurse,” Julie says.

  I chuckle at her optimism, but her words do make me feel a little better, even if everything feels so hopeless lately. She glances toward my car’s back door. “Let me get your bag for you.”

  “No!” I say, stepping in between her and my car. If she opens that door, she’ll see that my car has been jam-packed with all my belongings. Then she’ll know what happened. I can’t let her know that I’m homeless… not yet. I know she’s my best friend and she won’t judge me, but it feels like admitting my situation to her will be accepting my situation. And I can’t accept it just yet. I need to take a few days to see if I can find a job and fix my life before everything falls apart.

  “You’re my guest,” Julie says with a smile. “Let me help you.”

  “It’s no big deal,” I say, forcing my voice to sound nonchalant. “I’m actually starving. Do you think we could get some food at that diner you’re always raving about?”

  Her eyes sparkle at the mention of food, which is something we both love, probably more than we should. “Sounds good,” she says. “I’ll drive us since you just spent so much time on the road.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. Julie didn’t see inside my car. And luckily the windows are tinted pretty dark. My secret is safe for now.

  Roger’s Diner is just a quick drive down the road. It’s famous for the delicious food and the view since it has a large patio that overlooks Lake Sterling. Julie talked about the food nonstop when she first moved here. It’s also her favorite date night place to go with Max, even though there are nicer restaurants on the lake. This place is just special to them.

  Julie leads me to her favorite table on the patio and then we’re greeted by the most cheerful waitress I’ve ever met. With a big mess of white-blonde hair and bright red lipstick, she’s sure to brighten anyone’s day. Even someone who just lost their job and apartment. She introduces herself as Clare, then she beams at me.

  “Is this the famous Best Friend Annie I’ve heard so much about?”

  “Yep,” Julie says, gesturing toward me as if I’m a prize on a game show. “She’s visiting me for a few days, so expect to see us here three times a day.”

  “I’ll keep your favorite table free for you,” Clare says with a wink. Then she takes our order. Julie is so excited to show me her favorite diner that she orders fried pickles, cheese sticks, and the queso for appetizers, promising me that I’ll love all of them. After a quick look at the menu, I order a good old-fashioned cheeseburger, waffle fries, and a vanilla milkshake since I’m still pretty sad about my life situation, despite being with my best friend. Drowning my sorrow in food and sugar sounds pretty good right about now.

  “So how’s the boyfriend?” I ask, giving her a silly wiggle of my eyebrows as I snack on fried pickles. (She was right, the pickles with the diner’s homemade ranch dressing are incredible.)

  “Perfect,” she says, grinning back at me. “I hate that
he’s out of town for a job this week but it kind of works out perfectly since you’re here now.”

  “Where’s he working?” I ask, reaching for another pickle.

  “He’s over in Apple Valley doing a quick flip for his friend. The guy thought he could buy a house, fix it up, and make a huge profit selling it again but he’s a terrible handyman. So he hired Max to do the work and they’re going to split the profits when the house sells. Max has been really into doing big jobs that pay a lot lately.”

  “I wonder why…” I say in a singsong voice.

  She doesn’t seem to catch on that I’m insinuating the likelihood of a marriage proposal, because her brows crunch together in confusion. She takes a bite of a fried mozzarella stick. “Huh?”

  “He’s earning big money so he can save big money,” I say, making air quotes. “It must be for something special.”

  “Like what? A new car or something?”

  Oh my gosh, I love Julie, but she is so clueless right now!

  I roll my eyes. “I’m just…proposing the idea that maybe Max is considering a proposal of his own…”

  Her eyes widen as she finally gets what I’ve been hinting at. Then her cheeks turn pink. “Oh my gosh! No way… I mean, yeah I think we both want to get married one day but it’s too soon. He’s probably not even thinking about that right now.”

  I’m in one of those ethical sticky situations at the moment because I know for a fact that her boyfriend is absolutely thinking about proposing. Since she’s my best friend, I kind of have a moral obligation to tell her. But her boyfriend also came to me in confidence when he was trying to figure out her ring size without her knowing. I promised him I wouldn’t tell her that he’d reached out to me so as to keep it all a surprise, so I also owe him that. It’s my best friend duty to take care of Julie, but in this case, I think it’s better if I keep my mouth shut. Her surprise when he proposes will totally be worth it. I’m sure she’ll forgive me.

  I shrug and reach for another fried pickle. “I’m just playing with you. But at least you’ve got a man who likes to earn money. He’s got ambition. He’s a total keeper.”

  “Plus he’s extremely gorgeous,” she says, gazing up at the sky while she swoons over her own boyfriend. It’s adorable. And slightly annoying to those of us who are pathetic single people with no job or apartment.

  My heart twinges a little, but I shove the pain aside. I’m not here to sully my best friend’s happiness. Luckily, Clare walks out with our entrées which means I can now stuff myself with food instead of sad feelings and fried pickles.

  A short while later, a group of four young women come bursting through the back doors of the diner that lead to the patio. They’re loudly talking and… I don’t know how to describe it other than “fangirling” over something. They look exactly like how Julie and I looked that time we got to meet our favorite boyband after their Houston show. Their faces are filled with excitement and their voices are high-pitched and they keep talking all over each other as they make their way to a table.

  “Whoa, who gave them too much coffee?” Julie asks.

  I snort. “Reminds me of us.”

  “No way, we were never that bad,” she says with a chuckle.

  I click my tongue. “Yes we were! We can fangirl like no other. Remember that boyband when we were in high school? Or when we went to all those midnight movie premiers as teenagers?”

  “Hey, no one can blame us for obsessing over Twilight,” she says, pointing a finger at me.

  We keep eating our lunch while trying to overhear whatever it is that has those women so excited. They keep looking at their phones then showing the screen to each other. It looks like they’re on the Twitter app, but I can’t be sure. I admit, I’m curious, but not trying to be a creepy eavesdropper at the same time.

  When Clare brings us drink refills, Julie leans in and whispers, “What are they talking about?”

  Clare glances over at their table then looks back at us, eyes wide with enthusiasm. “You haven’t heard? About the movie?”

  Julie cocks an eyebrow. “What movie?”

  “Some Hollywood movie company is filming a romance movie right here in Sterling! Apparently it’s been in the works for a while and the town kept it kind of hush hush, but the film crew arrived today, out at the hotel by the water. Some hottie actor is staring in the movie so those girls are trying to figure out a way to meet him.”

  “Wow,” Julie and I say at the exact same time.

  “Who’s the actor?” I ask.

  Clare shrugs. “I’m too old for that stuff, darlin’. I never know who these famous young celebrities are, but I know it’s not George Clooney or I’d be down there breaking onto the set myself. Now he is one fine piece of man.” She chuckles at her own joke as she walks away.

  Julie does a little Google research on her phone.

  “It’s Trevor Owens,” she says, reading from the screen.

  “Trevor Owens?” The name sounds familiar but I’m not good with celebrity names.

  “And the female lead is Andrea Block,” Julie says.

  That name I do recognize. “Wow, she’s really famous.”

  Julie nods while scrolling through her phone. “The movie is called Oakbrook Lake, and it’s one of those cheesy romance movies with a totally obvious plot.”

  “So, like, our favorite thing to watch?”

  She grins. “Yep. It sounds cute. This is exciting. And the guy is pretty hot.”

  She turns her phone to me, showing me a picture of Trevor Owens. I may not be good at remembering celebrity names, but this guy looks familiar. I think I’ve seen some of his films, if they’re the kind I’m thinking of. Maybe he was in one of the Christmas romances I watched last year…I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I know I’ve seen him before.

  Then the hair on the back of my neck prickles. My jaw drops. This guy on Julie’s phone screen has a scruffy beard and lighter hair… but I can’t help but think that he looks an awful lot like that rude guy in the gas station.

  Did I meet a celebrity and not realize it?

  CHAPTER 4

  Trevor

  It’s four in the morning and I actually feel refreshed and I’m ready to take on the work of filming a new movie. Usually waking up for an early call time is miserable, but I got a great night’s sleep at the Lake Sterling Hotel. Our producer booked the entire hotel for the duration of filming, which will only take about two months. There is private security, the parking lot is shut down, and we’re safe from the public, which means I slept like a baby after my long, miserable road trip of being recognized a dozen times before I donned my disguise.

  I grab some coffee from the hotel lobby and get in the shuttle van with a few other actors and crew members and ride to the set. The two actors who play my parents are here in the shuttle van, and I haven’t officially met them yet, so I introduce myself. Even with a few movies and some TV show appearances under my belt, I still feel so new to the world of acting. The woman playing my mom has been on TV shows for decades, and so have many of the cast members, which makes me feel so out of place.

  Oakbrook Lake is a sweet romance movie, the kind of feel-good mushy-gushy movies that my own mom loves. That’s actually why I auditioned for the first one I was casted in, because I knew my mom would love it. Truth be told, I’m not exactly a “romance movie” fan myself—I prefer action movies—but starring in them has been a good career move. It earned me the title of America’s Sweetheart, among other wholesome nicknames. I love that I can act out a part and not have to strip naked or belittle myself. I can keep my values and ethics and create movies that I’m not ashamed of.

  Oakbrook Lake will be a little different than the other movies I’ve starred in. This time I’m staring alongside the famous Andrea Block, an actress who is several times more famous than I am, and working with her will do wonders for my career. Ever since the casting was announced a few months ago, my social media followers skyrocketed. All of this results
in more gigs and more money to take care of my mom. Ultimately, that’s why I’m here doing this, and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity.

  Once we arrive on set, I’m directed to my trailer which is right next to Andrea Block’s trailer. I’ve actually never met her before. Her assistant is rushing around talking on the phone, all in a tizzy because Andrea hasn’t arrived yet. I’d get chewed out by my agent if I were late to a call time, but something tells me the famous Andrea Block will get a break for being a little bit late. She’s the highest billed actor for the entire film.

  In my trailer, I get another coffee and sit in front of a lighted mirror for hair and makeup. I try making friendly small talk with the guy who does my hair and the woman doing my makeup, but they’re all business and don’t seem to care for conversation. About an hour later, I’m all set and wearing my outfit for the first scene of filming. Today’s scene takes place in a park, which the city has shut down for filming purposes. All the people who will be mulling around in the park are paid extras, not regular citizens.

  “Take a seat, Trev,” the director, Paul, says. No one calls me “Trev” instead of Trevor, and it’s a little weird that he’s doing it now. The lines across his forehead are deeper than usual and he looks annoyed. “We’re still waiting on Andrea.”

  “She’s still not here?” I ask, looking around.

  “She’s in hair and makeup,” he gruffs before walking away to give directions to some crew member.

  When the famous actress finally emerges from her trailer, she’s in pajamas with expertly-styled messy hair—the costume she wears for the opening meet-cute scene.