No More Pretending

  www.BellaBooks.com

  When you shop at Bella, more of your dollars reach the women who write and produce the books you love. Thanks from all of the authors & staff at Bella!

  Keep up with Bella! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Bella Books

  Synopsis

  Alluring screen actress Lauren Langham excels at the roles she plays both on- and off-camera. She’s so good at pretending, in fact, that no one watching her popular rom-coms or dazzling red carpet appearances would assume she was anything but charming, outgoing…and straight.

  While preparing to shoot a new film in a small Texas town, Lauren wonders what she would be like if her own life had followed a different script. Then she meets Harper Ward, a waitress at the local diner, whose natural beauty leaves her speechless. Harper mistakes Lauren’s reaction for being stuck up and takes an instant dislike to her.

  Like Lauren, Harper isn’t exactly what she seems—and also wonders what her life would be like if family obligations hadn’t turned her world upside down. When the film’s lecherous director hires Harper to work as his assistant, she and Lauren find themselves fighting a powerful attraction that quickly escalates into an overwhelming passion. But where can they go from here?

  Copyright © 2017 by Bette Hawkins

  Bella Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 10543

  Tallahassee, FL 32302

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  First Bella Books Edition 2017

  eBook released 2017

  Editor: Lauren Humphries-Brooks

  Cover Designer: Linda Callaghan

  ISBN: 978-1-59493-544-2

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  About the Author

  Bette Hawkins hails from Melbourne, Australia. She lives with her long-term girlfriend and their very spoiled dog. In addition to writing, Bette’s favorite pastimes include playing the electric guitar, watching films, cooking and reading.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks to my girlfriend, for her support and encouragement. And for not minding when I disappear into my laptop for hours on end.

  Dedication

  To Suzie-Q

  Chapter One

  Lauren Langham stepped out of the car, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes. She pushed them back into her hair and looked around at the neighboring homes near the cottage. People had warned her that the town was small and very different from what she was used to. As she passed through the streets, she had noticed children playing on the sidewalks and strangers waving hello. The lawns were green and well kept, the houses all looked freshly painted, and there were no buildings taller than two stories high. It was the very definition of quaint. This town made New York City seem like an ant farm, considering the way people rushed around there, their eyes settling on nobody.

  The new environment was a relief to her. Lauren had been craving peace, and she could already see that she would be able to find it here. Although her job had brought her to town, she hoped that there would be time for relaxation as well. She didn’t even need to be in town this early, but she had wanted an extra few weeks to unwind and settle in.

  Texas Twist was her third collaboration with director Sal Black. The leading man was Josh Lawson, with whom she had also worked in the past. When she read the script, she’d rolled her eyes at how corny it was. Pressure from her agent, who always wanted her to take roles like this, helped her to overcome her reservations. The promise of a large payday helped too. Although she had never been a very money-oriented person, she had made some unwise decisions lately and this would help her to recover from them.

  Lauren looked approvingly at the cottage. Her assistant Melinda had rented it for her so that she would have complete privacy for the next three months. It was as lovely as it had looked in the pictures, white with green shutters, a large front porch and, she knew, a big backyard. When she was a kid, she had stayed briefly in a house with the same color scheme. The house had represented stability, her great-aunt exposing her to discipline and warmth in equal parts. She had spent long happy days exploring every clean corner of that house before she’d been yanked away again by her folks. Smiling, Lauren realized that she had forgotten all about her childhood wish for a house with green shutters until this moment.

  She intended to make her daily life for the next few months as simple as it could be. The plan was that she would devote herself to work and then come home to cook, read and sleep. A period of hard work balanced with some rest would do her good.

  Chester, her beloved dog, was waiting patiently on the passenger seat. It was important to her that she had been able to bring him along, given that right now he was the most constant presence in her life. When she walked around to unclip him from the seat belt, he jumped excitedly toward her and she gathered him up in her arms.

  “This is our new house, boy. Do you like it?”

  When she entered the cottage, she was even more impressed by it. It was beautifully furnished with antiques settled comfortably on plush carpets. The owners had decorated the walls with framed pictures, and there was lots of natural light. The house had such a great energy that she was certain she was going to be happy here.

  As she walked around, she was struck by the feeling of being completely alone for once. After years of the full movie star treatment and all the coddling that came with it, she worried sometimes that she had lost the ability to do things for herself. There was always someone else to make decisions and solve problems. At first, as a fiercely independent young actor, she had resisted the help, but she had long since given up on that. Lauren wanted to get closer to the person she had been before all of this. As a first step, Lauren had asked her assistant to stay in New York and work for her remotely. Melinda could be a lifesaver, but a break would be healthy for her. At the very least, Lauren could do her own grocery shopping.

  A couple of her friends had teased her about her new goals. They had pointed o
ut the ridiculousness of her trying to give away the Hollywood lifestyle while she was working on a mainstream film. The six-figure sum she was getting paid made her especially guilty, because it wasn’t a role that she could feel proud of. Lauren had not tried to explain much to anyone. There was no point when she couldn’t tell anyone the real reason for her resolutions.

  When she was finished unpacking her suitcases, Lauren decided to take a walk and explore the town. It was the sort of place where you could walk from one edge to another without any need for a car. She assumed that most of her co-stars and the crew would be flying out on the weekends to nearby cities, rather than spending all of their time here. It was what she would have done herself six months ago.

  Soon she came to the main strip of stores. There was a grocery store, a dry cleaner, a butcher, and a couple of other small stores. A diner stood in the middle of the row, with a simple red sign that said Joe’s. She looked over the menu posted in the window before she went in. There was nothing fancy listed on it, just good simple food.

  Lauren walked across the checked floor and slid into a booth. The red vinyl crinkled against her back. She tried to act like she didn’t notice as the few other patrons in the diner looked over at her. Lauren averted her eyes to the table then self-consciously glanced up again. An older man gave her a friendly wave before looking back to his newspaper. She smiled to herself.

  Lauren scanned the specials on the board behind the counter. She had missed breakfast and everything looked delicious. It took a few moments for her to realize that the waitress was talking to her. Lauren’s glance shifted over in order to greet her…and Lauren froze.

  The woman was beautiful, with shoulder-length red hair, pale skin, and warm brown eyes. In fact, she was so striking that Lauren was tongue-tied.

  “Do you need another minute?” The waitress smiled uncertainly, her full lips parting. It was a stunning smile.

  Lauren had no idea how long she had been sitting there just staring. Judging by the way the waitress was looking at her now, she gathered that it had been for an uncomfortable length of time.

  “No, thank you. Can I have the chicken-fried steak please?” Lauren said quickly. She forced her voice to sound clear and confident. For years she had been getting by on strategies like that. Acting had helped a lot with her shyness.

  Lauren cleared her throat and fixed her gaze over the woman’s shoulder to avoid looking at her face again. She was supposed to be focusing on herself and not turning her head for the first pretty face she saw. Her eyes drifted to the name tag clipped to the front of the waitress’s uniform: Harper, a name that would be suited to a character in a play or a movie about a Southern lady. The name sounded musical, just like the woman’s voice. Then Lauren realized with horror that she was accidentally staring at the woman’s chest, and looked away.

  “Sure, coming right up.” Harper said it sweetly but Lauren caught the question in her tone.

  Lauren watched her walk away. Her soft aqua uniform complemented the flaming red hair. Like everything else in here, the uniform belonged to the 1950s. It looked incredible on her. The retro style fit Harper perfectly, because her face was timeless. She looked like she would be at home no matter what decade she lived in. Harper had the kind of figure that Lauren’s colleagues hired personal trainers and chefs and even plastic surgeons to try to create. Yet Harper looked at ease with her beauty in a way that gave the impression that it came to her naturally.

  It wasn’t like Lauren to react to a woman like this, for her to be so instantly attracted. Thanks to her job, she met stunning women every day of her life. She had walked red carpets with women that society decided were the most beautiful people in the world. Most of them just didn’t interest her in that way. Looks had never been that important to her, partly because she knew how much of an illusion they often were. A beautiful woman could be as dull or mean as anyone else. When she dreamed about being in a long-term relationship, her fantasies centered on being with someone that she could really talk to.

  Lauren berated herself for the way she was thinking and how quickly she had noticed Harper. So much for wanting to spend some time on her own. As soon as she told herself that she couldn’t have something, she wanted it more than ever. The fact that she was checking out a stranger so quickly after arriving in town only reinforced how important it was for her to stay focused on work. There was nothing wrong with feeling a blast of desire, but she didn’t have to act on it or even think about trying to act on it. There was no reason to think that Harper had any interest in her, which only made the whole thing more stupid.

  Lauren pulled her script from her handbag. She had work to do.

  Chapter Two

  “One chicken-fried steak,” Harper called out to the cook. Jimmy gave her a thumbs-up.

  Harper took the coffeepot from its warmer and approached the customer again. She wondered where she’d seen this woman before. Usually she had a good memory for names and faces, but she couldn’t place where or how they’d met. The woman had papers laid out in front of her now, occasionally scribbling in the margins. Harper walked slowly toward her.

  “You new in town?” Harper asked. There was no way that the woman was local. Harper knew everyone who lived here by name, especially everyone close to her age. Harper guessed that the connection might be from school in New York. It would be an odd coincidence to run into an old classmate here, but stranger things had happened. The woman looked up; she had very green eyes. She was quite pretty actually, with well-defined cheekbones and thick dark eyebrows.

  “Yes,” the woman said sharply, adding nothing.

  For a moment, Harper forgot which question she had asked. The customer pointedly looked away and trained her eyes on the page in front of her. Harper raised her eyebrows, then leaned over and filled the woman’s coffee cup in silence. It was hard to understand why such a simple question would cause a reaction like that, but some people were just rude.

  Harper moved to wipe down a nearby table. She looked around for Sue to share her annoyance, but Sue was probably on a cigarette break. Harper heard Jimmy call the order, and she headed toward the counter to pick it up. She wasn’t looking forward to going back to the ice queen’s table, although of course she would remain polite and professional. Harper paused when she felt Sue’s hand on her arm. Sue was still breathless after running in from outside.

  “Why didn’t you tell me she was here?” Sue asked.

  “Tell you who was here?” Harper replied. “Should I know what you’re talking about?”

  “That’s Lauren Langham.” Sue waited for the penny to drop then rolled her eyes. “You really don’t know? How have you missed this? They’re shooting a movie here and she’s one of the stars. She’s a little early though, I thought they weren’t starting till next month.”

  Harper finally nodded. There had been a lot of background chatter about the movie, but she hadn’t paid much attention to it. It sounded like a romantic comedy from what she heard, so not really her kind of thing. Once upon a time she’d kept up with pop culture, but she had other things on her mind these days.

  “I guess this is proof you don’t listen to anything I say,” Sue joked. “And haven’t you seen a movie in the last five years? How can you not know who she is?”

  Harper shrugged helplessly. “I just don’t?”

  The two of them stared at Lauren, who was obliviously looking down. Harper suddenly realized where she knew Lauren. She’d been in a movie Harper had seen years ago, in New York—a film that had made a big impression on her at the time. It was a shame that Lauren was disappointing in real life. Harper supposed that actors like her had so much money and attention thrown at them that they forgot what the real world was like.

  “Do you mind if I take over the table?” Sue asked eagerly. “I’m not trying to steal your tip; you can have it. She always seems like such a sweetheart in her movies, I bet she’s got a big heart.”

  “I doubt it, but I’ll split it with you w
hichever way she goes. Fifty-fifty. You’d better get that over there before it gets cold,” Harper said. She didn’t really care to deal with a Hollywood diva anyway. There was nothing more boring to her.

  “Thanks, you’re a doll,” Sue said, taking the plate from her and heading over toward the table.

  Lauren looked up from her script as an older waitress with a friendly, open face came toward her. Lauren’s eyes flicked back over to Harper, whom she could see behind the counter, leaning forward on her elbows, laughing and joking around with the cook. That smile lit up her whole face. Lauren could see her profile, her long limbs folded easily in front of her.

  Lauren had really hoped to have the chance to speak with Harper again. She was aware that she had acted strangely by not answering Harper’s question and she wanted to rectify the mistake she had made. When Harper had tried to strike up a conversation, she hadn’t known how to talk about why she was here without sounding like she was bragging about being an actor. It was nice to speak with someone who didn’t know who she was, and she hadn’t made the most of it. Lauren was used to seeing the dawning of recognition on a person’s face right before they started treating her differently.

  The second waitress, whose badge read Sue, leaned over to refill her coffee cup. “Is there anything else you need?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “I think it’s wonderful that you’re here, Miss Langham. I hope you’ll come back and see us again.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  Now and then Lauren would watch Harper while she went about her business, but there was no opportunity to interact with her again. Feeling disappointed, Lauren got up to leave.