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CHAPTERONE
Valerie Bernard huffed out a breath as she pulled her navy-blue hat down farther across her brow, pushing her bangs into her eyes. She didn’t dare brush the hair away though. The long layers of the rest of her shiny, chestnut brown hair stuck out from underneath the cap, cascading down over her shoulders and hiding her face behind a curtain every time she moved.
Or at least, that was what she hoped.
The buzz of the people at LAX surrounded her, washing over her senses like the white noise sounds she so often played from a Bluetooth speaker at night. The background noise of people deep in conversation, the hum of luggage wheels across the linoleum as someone raced from one terminal to the other, the garbled voice coming over the loudspeaker announcing boarding—it all drifted around her to form a cocoon of noise and distraction, and Valerie was delighted when she found that not a single soul had so much as glanced her way.
“Good,” she breathed to herself, finally raising her chin to look through the crowd, her gaze flitting over the people gathered around each gate that she passed.
When she made it to her gate, she shifted on her feet nervously before walking toward the corner of the space and taking a seat. It had been a long time since she had flown economy. Over the years, she had grown accustomed to the first-class lounge, but now she tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible as she sank into her seat in the corner, staring out the window that overlooked the tarmac.
“Excuse me,” said a quiet, hesitant voice behind her.
Valerie’s gaze flicked toward the voice, taking in the blonde-haired young woman standing only a few feet away. Her face was pink cheeked and still maintained some of the roundness of youth, and her blue eyes shone with excited curiosity. Valerie guessed that the girl couldn’t be any older than nineteen.
Knowing what was to come, Valerie steeled herself internally and plastered an award-winning smile across her face. It was the same one she had donned a thousand times, whether it was on red carpets, before the camera for a magazine spread, or during moments just like this. Moments when someone recognized her, and she had to turn it on. That thing, that…itfactor. The one that made hertheValerie Bernard.
“I’m so sorry to bother you,” the girl continued when she realized she had Valerie’s attention. She cleared her throat, seeming a bit nervous. Something about her expression was so endearing that Valerie found herself warming to the girl immediately, and her smile turned genuine.
“Are you… are you Valerie Bernard?” The girl’s eyes widened as she whispered the name, as if she was terrified that someone would overhear her and steal Valerie’s focus away.
“I am,” Valerie answered with a small nod of her head, her grin widening. “And what’s your name?”
The girl before her flushed brightly at the question, and her blue eyes sparkled with pure elation. A smile, wide and beaming, spread across the girl’s face before she began speaking.
I’m going to miss this,Valerie thought to herself.This was always the best part. These little moments of connection with strangers.
“My name is Rachel,” the girl blurted. “And I’m a huge fan.The Edge of Youis one of my favorite movies of all time. I think I’ve watched it at least a hundred times.”
Valerie laughed, a deep, throaty sound that entertainment journalists liked to make fun of, saying that she was trying too hard. They never took into account the fact that Valerie’s voice had a natural rasp, and that she had laughed like that for her entire life.
“It was one of my favorites to star in,” she answered honestly, thinking back to the friends she had made on that particular film set. Many of her co-stars were people she was still friends with.
“I know you’re at the airport,” Rachel continued in a rush. “And you’re probably, like, waiting to board the plane to go off and do something really cool and just want time to rest. But would it be too much to ask to get a picture with you?”
“We can absolutely take a picture.” Valerie grinned.
It took Rachel a second to get the phone out of her pocket, and once she did, it took her another moment to pull up her camera app. The poor girl was so nervous that she was shaking, and Valerie did her best to hide the amusement that threatened to break out across her features.
“Okay, I’ve got it,” Rachel finally announced as she held her phone up in the air.
She turned her back to Valerie, holding the device up high to get her in the shot from a distance, and Valerie couldn’t help but laugh.
“You can come closer,” Valerie said, patting the hard plastic seat next to her. “I don’t mind.”
She didn’t know how it was possible, but Rachel’s cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. The smile and the joy never once fell from the girl’s face as she took a few steps to close the distance between them. Rachel took a seat on the chair beside Valerie, perching on the edge of it like she was terrified of disturbing the actress, despite the fact that it was Valerie herself who had advised the girl to sit there in the first place.
“Scoot in.” Valerie waved her hands, motioning for Rachel to get closer.
The girl did as she was told, beaming through her disbelief as Valerie encouraged her to crowd into the frame of the camera with her. They pressed their faces close together, almost cheek to cheek as they both grinned widely, and Rachel snapped several selfies of the two of them.
“This is perfect!” Rachel exclaimed as she looked at the pictures. “Thank you so much!”
“It was my pleasure,” Valerie answered genuinely.
“Are you starring in anything soon?” Rachel asked, looking eager.
Valerie tried to keep her smile from faltering, to keep the muscle in her jaw from twitching, as the girl’s question hit her like a ton of bricks.
