Starbright
Starbright
/Alexandra Richland
Copyright
© 2014 by Alexandra Richland
All rights reserved.
KINDLE EDITION ISBN: 978-0-9936135-2-4
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.
Starbright
is a work of historical fiction. Apart from the well-known people, events, and locales that figure in the narrative, all names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to current events or locales, or to living persons is entirely coincidental.
Published by Alexandra Richland
Edited by Lauren Schmelz of Write Divas
Front Cover Images:
Motorcycle and Tree © Aaron Johnson, 2010. Used under license by Dreamstime.com
Rose © lionceau, 2011. Used under license by depositphotos.com
Film Strip © dusan964, 2012. Used under license by depositphotos.com
Back Cover Images:
Aidan Evans’ Signature © Alexandra Richland, 2013
Elizabeth Sutton’s Signature © Alexandra Richland, 2014
Vintage Photo Frame © Tanya Bell, 2012. Used under license by depositphotos.com
Spine, Front Cover, and Back Cover design by Morwenna Rakestraw
Rakestraw Book Design
http://rakestrawbookdesign.com
Interior design by Angela McLaurin,
Fictional Formats
Other Stories by Alexandra Richland
Frontline (Frontline Series Book #1)
Gilded Cage
Slip Away
Starlight
(Starlight Trilogy book #1)
Stardust
(Starlight Trilogy book #3) – coming in 2015
For Mike.
Elizabeth Sutton wiped her hands on her apron and opened the oven door to check on the Thanksgiving turkey. The squash, green beans, stuffing, and potatoes sat on the stovetop on low heat. Her homemade apple pie was in the icebox.
Beth and her roommate Olivia Weston had invited their friends, actress Constance Murphy, and her famous crooning beau, Matthew McKenna, over for dinner. They also expected their respective beaux, Aidan Evans and Nathan Taggart.
It had been over three weeks since Beth saw Aidan and she wanted to welcome him back to Los Angeles with a home-cooked meal and an evening of relaxation and good conversation. Aidan told her how much he loved apple pie on Halloween, so she baked one for dessert tonight. She didn’t expect it to compete with his memory of his mother’s apple pie but hoped he would still enjoy it.
While Aidan stayed at director Elia Kazan’s Connecticut home to work on the preproduction details for their upcoming boxing drama,
Golden Gloves
, he called Beth every evening.
Aidan was close to Kazan, often referring to him by his nickname, Gadg, and trusted him to keep their relationship a secret.
During their telephone conversations, they spoke about how their days went, their respective film projects, and how much they missed each other. Beth’s musical,
Venus Rising
, kept her busy, but her excitement over talking to Aidan when she returned home gave her the energy to make it through each day.
When prompted, Aidan confessed his nightmares persisted, but less frequently and intensely than they did before he left L.A. Beth’s concern over his well-being didn’t dissipate. She would not feel at ease until she saw him today and could compare his present condition to how he looked on Halloween.
To occupy his days while Kazan filmed another project in Hoboken, Aidan took walks through the Connecticut countryside, read, and listened to music. Molly Kazan, the director’s wife, also kept him company until the children came home from school. Molly was a brilliant writer and often engaged him in discussions about the latest books or Broadway plays, which he found intellectually stimulating.
Aidan also enjoyed playing board games with the Kazans’ eldest boy and watching the other three children color or play outside. Although the family’s activities were nothing extraordinary, they provided him with the opportunity to experience what a normal childhood would’ve been like had his mother not been murdered and if he hadn’t grown estranged from his father. He was very grateful for Mr. and Mrs. Kazan’s hospitality and spoke of paying them back, though they continually refused compensation, insisting his enjoyable company was enough.
Aidan’s greatest joy came from completing his daily Method acting exercises and going over the
Golden Gloves
script with Kazan in the evenings. The film was about a young man, Joe Oliver, who at eighteen was one of the top middleweight boxers in America. After he accidently killed his opponent in the ring, he felt devastated and quit the sport. The film took place five years later as Joe returned to the profession and endeavored to earn a championship title.
It was a heartwarming, multi-layered story about redemption and triumph, and Beth was as excited about it as Aidan was. As of yet, no other casting decisions had been made. The only confirmations so far were that Luther Mertz, the founder and head of Starlight Studios, agreed to fund the picture and it would be filmed in Los Angeles on studio grounds starting in mid-January.
Beth hoped her next project would be filmed on the studio lot, too, so she could see Aidan more often. The only downside was they were forced to keep their relationship a secret from anyone but their close friends. Mr. Mertz disliked Aidan tremendously, despite all the money he made for the studio with his film,
Spike Rollins
. He would never approve of a relationship between them.
Beth turned off the oven and removed her apron. “Liv, can you bring the placemats and silverware to the table, please? I’ll put the glasses and china out in a minute.”
Olivia entered the kitchen with a broad smile on her face. “Sure thing!”
She picked up the items from the counter and whisked them into the living room.
Beth was glad Olivia’s mood had improved since Connie’s Halloween Party. Whatever had bothered Nathan seemed to have passed, and their relationship was finally back to normal. Olivia even spent the night at his L.A. home a few times after Beth insisted she didn’t mind staying alone overnight in their apartment.
Beth and Olivia had never entertained in their apartment before and both looked forward to tonight’s dinner party. They bought an oak table, matching chairs, silver cutlery, crystal, and expensive china to create a dining area in their living room—to make up for their lack of a formal dining space.
There was no hope in trying to impress Matthew and Connie because their homes were much more elegant, but the least Beth and Olivia could do was make the apartment neat and tidy and provide their guests with a proper dinner table.
With their guests arriving soon, Beth placed her apron under the sink and set the new china and glassware on the dining table. Her next stop was her bedroom to change into her evening attire. She’d been working on dinner since early that morning and had a lot of work to do to look her best for Aidan tonight.
After touching up her makeup and brushing her curled hair, she assessed her navy blue textured cotton sundress in the mirror. It had a fitted bodice, wrapped bust, tie shoulders, a full skirt—thanks to the crinoline underneath—and fell to mid-calf. She completed her look with a pearl necklace and earrings. She usually didn’t wear low-cut styles, but this dress, although more daring than her usual attire, still respectably concealed her bust without looking too prudish. As a woman with a beau now, it was time to dress more maturely.