Page 14 of For Love or Money
‘Good. Because—’ she took a deep breath ‘—I’m going to do it!’
6
Stella Daniels woke to sun streaming in through the gap she had left in the blackout curtains, heralding the beginning of another perfect LA day. She had never been able to sleep in total darkness, but she hadn’t slept well last night anyway, despite the comforting chink of light, her mind racing, spinning around and around in circles, refusing to let go and slip into unconsciousness. That was happening a lot in the past couple of weeks. Everything had happened so fast, and her brain seemed to be struggling to keep up.
She swung out of bed and pressed the remote control to open the curtains, light flooding the room and bouncing off the white stucco walls. Pulling on a robe over her silk pyjamas, she crossed the room, pushed open the French doors and stepped onto the terrace, the terracotta tiles warm beneath her bare feet. Below her, light sparkled and danced on the water of the swimming pool, its shimmering surface reflecting the intensely blue sky. Leaning on the railing overlooking the grounds, she closed her eyes and stretched her face to the early morning sun, absorbing its warmth. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the fragrant morning air and let out a contented sigh. Then she opened her eyes and looked out over the luxuriously planted garden to the sprawling city spread out in the distance, and wondered, not for the first time in the past few weeks, how she had got here. She couldn’t believe this was her life now, and she still had a pinch-me moment every morning she woke up to find herself living with Peter in this luxurious house in the Hollywood Hills.
Peter’s proposal had taken her by surprise. They’d only been dating a few weeks before his heart attack, and Stella hadn’t expected it to be anything more than a casual, short-term thing. Peter was a notorious ladies’ man and was never with the same girlfriend for long. She had liked going out with him. The age difference wasn’t important to her, and Peter was great fun to be around. He really knew how to show a girl a good time. She had to admit she’d also liked the kudos of being seen around town with such a huge star. She’d had fun and enjoyed it for what it was, but she’d never for a moment expected it to last, especially after she’d told him all about herself – her true life story, complete and unabridged.
She wasn’t naive. It had occurred to her that perhaps it onlyhadlasted because she just happened to be with Peter when this huge, game-changing event had hijacked his life. It was strange to think that such a momentous turning-point could be down to something so serendipitous – like winning a very high-stakes game of musical chairs. Had she simply happened to be in the right place when the music stopped? If his heart attack had been a couple of months earlier, would Peter now be engaged to Carla Gonzales, the young actress he’d dated just before her? These were the thoughts that flickered through her mind constantly and kept her awake at night.
She had surprised herself by saying yes to Peter. But at the time, she’d thought he was dying, and she had nothing to lose. It had seemed like the right thing to do; the kind thing. She would be making an old man happy in his last days. So she’d said yes in a reckless spirit of adventure, not thinking beyond it to the reality of marriage. She had just never thought it would come to that.
She couldn’t deny she had been taken aback by Peter’s recovery. Even the doctors were impressed with how quickly he’d rallied. And now she found herself with a living, breathing fiancé and a wedding to plan. It wasn’t that she was put out about it exactly. She was very fond of Peter and she wished him well. She was happy he’d survived. But it put her decision to marry him in a whole new light, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
She looked down at her engagement ring. She still couldn’t quite get her head around the fact that she was getting married. She’d been rattling around on her own in the world since she was sixteen, and she’d always travelled light, torching the earth behind her and moving on. This was something different, she thought, twisting the ring around absently. Marriage was weighty and solid, like the heavy stone on her finger. Marriage left traces.
She went back inside, and her eyes strayed to the suitcases she had hauled out of the closet last night. She still hadn’t managed to bring herself to start packing. The prospect of going back to Ireland next week with Peter was tying nervous knots in her stomach.
She didn’t expect his family to be very welcoming. She could imagine what they would think – a lowly young make-up artist engaged to a wealthy, ailing man more than twice her age. You didn’t need to be Sherlock to put two and two together and come up with gold-digger. Even she couldn’t rule out the possibility that Peter’s wealth might have influenced her decision to say yes. It was hard to tell if your motives were pure when money was involved. It would be naive to think it wasn’t an inducement. Money made everything easier. She didn’t care about the cliché stuff – the jewellery, the designer clothes, the five-star hotels. It was the more nebulous things that money could buy that she found enticing – silence, security, freedom. They were the things she might be tempted to sell her soul for.
She was going to miss this place, she thought, as she sat down on the bed. More than the perfect weather and the beautiful house with its lavish furnishings, she would miss the privacy and seclusion here. The move to Ireland did have one big advantage, however: she’d be closer to Dan. The thought brought a kind of comfort that she felt seep through her body like an analgesic.
Suddenly feeling an overwhelming need to speak to him, she checked her watch. It would be early evening in Ireland. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and hit Dan’s number.
‘Stella!’ The warmth and affection in his soft, husky voice was instantly reassuring. ‘What’s up?’
‘I’ve got news,’ she said, keeping her voice low. They never bothered with chit-chat. They spoke too rarely to waste precious time on small talk. ‘I’m engaged.’
She heard his intake of breath. ‘Engaged?’
‘Yes. To Peter.’
‘Peter Bradshaw?’ Dan knew she’d been dating Peter. ‘Fuck me!’
He fell silent then. He would know she was feeling wobbly and insecure – he’d hear it in her voice, no matter how breezy she tried to sound. He would know she was looking for reassurance, that she wanted him to tell her it would be okay like he always had.
‘Congratulations, I guess.’
‘Thanks.’
‘That was quick work. How much does he know about you?’
She smiled. That was the million dollar question. Trust Dan to cut right to the chase. ‘He knows everything.’
‘Really? And ... he’s okay with it?’
‘Yes, he is.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘Yes. He knows who I am, and he still wants to marry me. Is that so hard to believe?’
‘Hey, of course not. I just don’t want you to get hurt.’
She sighed. ‘I know.’ He was just worried for her, she understood that.
‘And you’re happy?’
