survive off my movie residuals without ever working another day. I’d just have to figure out a new way to keep my mind and body active.
My plan had been to liquidate my life in California and move to the picturesque little burg in Coastal Maine that had forever changed me. I could live a low-key, happy life there, and maybe someday I would win Molly’s heart. But it was taking longer than expected to tie up all of my loose ends in Hollywood.
Alex’s phone call came at the perfect time. It had felt a little stalker-esque to return to Molly’s hometown when she’d made it obvious that she no longer had room in her life for me or Scout. Starting my own production company and making Alex’s screenplay its first project gave me a perfectly valid excuse for returning. I could worry later about finding a plausible reason to stay there and a way to convince Molly to be with me.
My plump day nurse, Helga, was flaunting her boredom by lounging on my living room sectional and reading a sleazy gossip rag that wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. As I had worked to become stronger and more independent, my need for her help had significantly lessened.
“It says here that you and Eva Wingate are trying to reconcile by having a hot threesome,” she openly teased me.
“Don’t believe everything you read.” I grinned at her because she knew as well as anyone that there weren’t any wild sex parties happening here.
She opened her eyes wide and said, “Must be some kernel of truth for them to have printed it.”
I shook my head at her before saying, “I’m really going to miss having you give me a hard time every single chance you get. It reminds me of someone I care about very much in Maine.”
“You’ll get to see her again soon,” Helga promised.
“Not sure she wants to see me,” I said sadly.
“How could she not?” Helga sounded outraged on my behalf. Just when I was beginning to think she might have a soft spot in her heart for me, she added, “And even if she’s not into you, how could she not love that sweet son of yours?”
“You’ve got a point there,” I admitted, smiling despite myself.
Feeling strangely emotional, I said to the kindhearted woman. “I’m really going to miss you.”
“Me too, Mr. Chandler. You’re one of the least pain-in-the-ass patients I’ve had lately.”
With that glowing praise, I scooped up my son and rolled outside to the patio. Strangely and sadly, despite the many years I’d spent ruling Hollywood, Helga was the only person from California that I believed truly cared about me.
23
Molly
Just the thought of having Grant and Scout nearby again made my heart thump wildly in my chest. Even if his bodyguards tried to keep me away from them, I was bound to see them at some point. Brunswick Bay Harbor was too small for us not to run into each other.
I tried not to get my hopes up too much for our reunion. Grant’s gorgeous girlfriend had made it perfectly clear that he didn’t care to ever see me again and chances were high that Scout had already forgotten me, but the mere idea of seeing the two of them––even from a distance––thrilled me.
I wasn’t the only one who was excited about our quaint little town becoming a movie set. The townspeople practically vibrated with the hustle and bustle of preparing for the shoot.
The film crew hadn’t even arrived yet, and no one had been asked to spruce up their properties, but business owners were scrubbing their front walks and touching up chipped paint. Homeowners were washing windows and planting extra flowers.
Our town was always clean and welcoming, but everyone really pulled together to put our best foot forward for this film. We all wanted the natural beauty and charm of our little slice of paradise to shine through.
The days seemed to drag on as we waited for the movie crew to arrive, but at least I was up and getting outside, living a somewhat normal life again. Just the idea of getting to see my two favorite boys once more had brought me out of my depressive slump.
I half-expected Grant to show up early, since he had indicated that he liked to scout his movie locations before the hubbub ensued. Even though he had spent months in this area, almost all of it had been inside medical facilities. Those were all pretty much the