Page 23 of Chance of Romance
Chapter Six
Sabrina showed up at Claire and Jake’s new home two hours early for her special Claire coaching session for the LA interviews and was glad she had because she got to see their new place in the lingering sunlight. Gorgeous! She pulled into the circular driveway of the main house, a stone and stucco mansion with arts-and-crafts-style post and beams on the upper levels and the large porch. This place was so much more than a horse farm. It was a freaking estate. She’d passed another smaller house after she’d driven through the main gate, and Claire had told her there was another historic home, dating from the eighteen hundreds, on the property. Acres of rolling hills surrounded the home with woodlands just beyond. The landscape was stark in January with patches of melting snow and the trees without leaves, but she could imagine how amazing it would look in the bloom of spring, the vibrant life of summer, and the gorgeous color of a Connecticut fall.
She got out of her car, spotting brown horses with thick gray blankets over their backs grazing in a large grassy paddock near a pond. There was a riding ring in the distance, two barns, stables, and who knew what else! Claire and Jake could well afford it. She was an A-list movie star, and Jake was a billionaire on his own through his tech company.
It was so incredibly luxurious she suddenly felt underdressed in her black and white striped sweater, black pants, and black flats. She should’ve worn a dress, definitely heels, and spent more time on her makeup. She blew out a breath. She was being silly. This was down-to-earth Claire.
She headed to the front door and rang the bell, the sound echoing inside the place. The door opened a few minutes later to Claire, back to her natural blond shoulder-length hair, dressed casually in a white blouse, oversized beige cardigan, faded jeans with holes in the knees, and beige moccasins on her feet. Her hazel eyes lit up at the sight of Sabrina, and she threw her arms wide. “You made it! Come in, come in!”
Sabrina stepped inside, immediately put at ease by Claire’s warmth. She hugged her friend. Claire had joined the Happy Endings Book Club more than two years ago when she first started filming the Fierce trilogy in Connecticut. The author of the Fierce trilogy, Julia Marino, had been a member at the time. Claire had connected with their little group and hadn’t let go since. Sabrina knew Claire appreciated having friends who weren’t in the movie industry; she often said she felt used by the people she met. Then, of course, once Claire got together with Jake Campbell, she was hooked for good since Jake’s sister, Mad, was part of the book club. The web of relationships between the Happy Endings Book Club and the Campbell family with their honorary brothers had become sticky, engagements and marriages popping up on a regular basis. Forsomeof them, anyway. Not that Sabrina was bitter or anything. It really hadn’t bothered her before everyone started calling her a relationship expert. Ugh. At some point she had to stop feeling like a fraud, right?
Claire pulled away, smiling her perfect white-toothed smile. “You want the tour first or clothes?”
Sabrina took off her black wool jacket and looked around the large formal foyer. The walls were done in shades of gold like an Italian fresco painting, and two large framed paintings that resembled sunlight with a weird pattern of jagged black hung on opposite walls. In the center of the foyer was a large round wood pedestal table with a carved wooden bowl on top of it. A crystal chandelier hung above. The floor was a warm dark hardwood with a crosshatch pattern. The whole thing screamed luxury, and that was just the foyer! “Tour.”
“You got it.” Claire hung up Sabrina’s coat in a nearby hall closet.
“Where’s Frank?” That was Claire’s bodyguard.
“He’s in the private apartment over the detached garage. Don’t worry. He’s got the guest list and monitors out the wazoo. He’s the one that buzzed you through the gate. Come on.” She gestured for Sabrina to follow and led her out of the foyer to a huge room with a soaring ceiling leading all the way up to the post and beams of the roof. “Living room.”
“Wow,” Sabrina breathed. The fireplace was massive with a two-story white and light gray limestone front. The center of the room featured a seating area with several white sofas and beige floral-patterned chairs with wood trim. The opposite wall from the fireplace held a large white entertainment center flanked by bookcases and glass cabinets.
“You know I had to have my books!” Claire gestured to them. She was a big reader like all of them.
Sabrina’s eye caught on the black wrought-iron rail of a loft overlooking the living room.
“Ooh!” Claire exclaimed. “You’ll love the loft. It’s so cozy.”
Sabrina followed her up a spiral staircase to the loft with more white sofas and beige chairs. The view from up here through the huge windows of the living room to the rest of the estate was spectacular.
“You want something to drink?” Claire asked, gesturing to a wet bar housed in a rich dark cherrywood cabinet.
“Sure.”
“White wine okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“Claire!” Jake boomed. “Where are you? I can’t find my sneakers.”
Claire leaned over the railing overlooking the living room. “Sabrina’s here. Try to sound civilized.”
A few moments later, Jake was in the loft with them. He looked exactly like his twin, Josh, tall with an athletic grace, dark brown hair and eyes, except his hair was always neatly trimmed. Josh let his hair grow long enough that it curled a bit at the nape of his neck. Jake had some dark stubble on his square jaw; his smile flashed white. A handsome man by any measure. Not as handsome as his brother Logan…Oh, no, we are not going there.
Sabrina gave him a little wave. “Hi, Jake. Happy birthday!”
“Hey, Sabrina, thanks. Great to see you again.” He crossed to her and gave her a hug. “I’m hearing amazing things are in the works for you.”
“Yeah, I’m a little nervous.”
“Claire will get you all set. And if you get rattled, just picture them in their underwear.” He winked.
Claire grinned. “That never worked for me because I just start laughing.”
Jake turned to Claire. “Any guesses on the sneakers?” He was barefoot in jeans and a long-sleeved light blue button-down shirt.
Claire turned to Sabrina. “Our personal stuff arrived yesterday, and half of it’s still in boxes.” She turned back to Jake. “Try the man cave.”
