Page 10 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

Chapter 3

Owen joined Chase on a flight back to California the next week. Chase had chosen a tuxedo shop based out of LA, and Owen went to help him pick out his wedding attire. They arrived at LAX late that night, and Owen and Chase had their drivers pick them up.

Jake took his luggage and put the carrier that contained Owen’s little dog, Katie, into the back seat of the black sedan. “You can let her out,” Owen said.

Owen climbed into the front seat, and Jake went around to the driver’s side. “Hey. Long time, no see.” Katie jumped up into Owen’s lap, and he stroked the soft fur of the Shih Tzu. She was a spoiled little thing, but he adored her.

“How did the restaurant opening go?” Jake asked.

“It was a success,” Owen told him, scratching behind Katie’s ears

“Something checked off the bucket list,” Jake said.

“Definitely. A dream come true.” But he couldn’t help the nagging feeling of guilt that came when he thought about Alexis and how she was struggling financially.

He was taken with her. She was gorgeous and ambitious. Wasn’t that the real reason he’d gone to her bakery? It wasn’t the lemon poppyseed muffin or the coffee. It was her smile and the determined look in her eyes. He had to admire a woman who worked hard to achieve her dreams. He’d watched his mom work hard his entire childhood, and he looked up to her more than any other woman he knew.

“Are you still planning to go back?” Jake asked.

“Oh, yeah. I rented out a house for the entire month. I’ll be returning and staying until Chase and Lauren get married.”

Jake and Owen talked for a few moments more, and then Owen leaned his head against the car window and fell asleep for the rest of the ride home. He awoke to Jake opening the gate at the entrance of his driveway. He stretched and said, “It’s only been a few days, but it feels like a lifetime since I’ve been home. Maple Creek really is such a different world.”

“How do you like being back there?”

“I love it. It’s quiet. Everything feels cleaner and slower there. Simpler.”

“It sounds nice.”

“Maybe you should come visit.”

“That’s up to you, boss.”

It could be nice to have a driver in Maple Creek. “It would depend on how long I decided to stay there.”

“Last time I checked, they weren’t making any movies in Maple Creek.”

“That’s a good point. I have a career here in LA.” He loved his restaurant, but he wasn’t willing to give up his film career for it. Not even close. As much as he loved the quaintness of Maple Creek, LA was his home now.

Jake pulled up to his house and opened the garage. He parked next to Owen’s line of sports cars, SUVs, and antique vehicles. If there was something Owen loved as much as his restaurant, it was his cars. He enjoyed racing them and fixing them up. He loved taking his Land Rover up into the mountains to ski or to his cabin at Lake Tahoe.

Jake went into the house through the garage, pulling Owen’s luggage behind him. “Would you like your luggage in the master bedroom?”

“That would be great, thanks.” Owen climbed out of the car, and Katie jumped down, her tags jangling against her collar. She ran circles around his feet, and then she scampered into the house. Katie ran to her bowl and started drinking noisily.

Owen walked over to the kitchen counter, where a plate of chocolate chip cookies sat with a Welcome Home note from Juana, his cook. He opened the fridge and poured himself a glass of milk, then settled at the bar and dipped a cookie into the milk. He’d loved milk and cookies since he was a kid. Juana knew him well. There was something so comforting about coming home to a plate of fresh-baked cookies.

Was that what drew him to Alexis? That she baked? He chuckled to himself. That would be like him. The girl who made it her career to make cookies and fresh bread. If he ever found the perfect woman, she would have to love baking. He bit into the milk-soaked cookie and smiled to himself. Either that, or he kept Juana around for a long, long time.

He finished three of the cookies, and then he drained his glass of milk before putting it into the sink. He really was spoiled. He didn’t even have to do his own dishes. What a change from the way he grew up. As much as he loved his mom for sacrificing for him, he never wanted to return to a life of poverty.

He despised the way he grew up. His dad should have done better by him and his mom. He was the most despicable man Owen knew. He was responsible for the fact that Owen’s mom had to work herself to the bone to provide for Owen. His father was a coward, abandoning them instead of stepping up to help the woman he’d impregnated and eventually his infant son.

Owen could have had a real childhood if his father had done right by them. His holidays were sparse, and his clothes were ratty. His mom was so tired when she got home from working at the restaurant that she could barely hold a conversation, let alone ask him how his day had been. So, he’d learned to take care of himself. He got a job as young as he could restoring old vehicles. He got a broken-down car for almost nothing, and he worked hard to fix it up enough to be drivable. Otherwise, he would have been stuck riding the bus all four years of high school.

And now he had people to take care of his every whim. His property was landscaped twice a week by an entire team of gardeners. He had Juana to cook for him, and his house was cleaned by a team run by his head housekeeper. He fixed up cars for fun instead of necessity, and he didn’t even have to drive if he felt too tired. His butler checked his mail and answered the door for him.

That was when he was home. A good portion of his time was spent traveling the world. Sometimes he took his mom, stepdad, and two sisters with him. He would have made sure his mom and sisters wanted for nothing, but his stepdad did a good job caring for them, so he stepped back. But he did insist on taking his sisters to Disneyland a few times a year, all expenses paid.

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