reporter made it all possible.”
“What brought you back home?”
His smile faded. “I’ve had a misery overload recently. I needed to pull back for a while and let things heal.” He absently rubbed his leg, then turned. “How about you? Was your family in show business?”
So much for his story, Ciara thought. Once again he had smoothly turned the tables, deflecting the conversation to her.
“I grew up in a Kentucky coal-mining town. Dirt-poor. My family was as far from show business as you could imagine.”
“Then how’d you get so far so fast?”
“So fast?” She arched a brow.
“You can’t be more than your early twenties.”
“I’m twenty-seven.”
He inclined his head. “Then I’ll ask it again. How did you get so far so fast?”
She laughed. “It feels like forever. I started when I was just a kid.”
“I bet you were a beautiful little kid.”
She gave a huff of protest. “Cathy Wazorski was shy and plain. And mostly scared.”
“Cathy Wazorski? That’s your real name?” He was staring at her with a quizzical look.
She nodded, amazed that she had let that fact slip. She’d always been so careful to keep her personal life separate from her public image. In all the profiles written about her, her past and her family had neveronce been mentioned. And here she was, running off at the mouth—to a reporter!
Maybe it was the wine, but she suddenly realized she didn’t much care about family secrets. Jace was easy to talk to. And there had been so few people in her life that she trusted enough to open up to about her personal life.
“So you were a scared little kid. What were you afraid of?”
She shrugged. “Of everything. My father, who was usually drunk. Of losing our home—especially after my father walked out on us. My poor mother worked two jobs to keep us all together, but it was never enough. We moved so many times, I once went to four schools from September to Christmas. My little brothers and I wore hand-me-down clothes from local charities. I never had a lot of friends. I just never felt like I fit in with the other kids in my class. I did have one best friend— Emily Applegate—who is still a great friend to me. She’s the one who introduced me to your niece Eden.”
Jace was amazed. This was yet another side to her. This poised, beautiful creature looked as though she’d been raised in a life of luxury, with private schools, tutors, and all the trappings of wealth. “So, you were shy? How shy?”
“A real loner. I kept to myself, and took refuge in books and plays and movies. That was my salvation. In my imagination I was always the beautiful, brave heroine who overcame every obstacle to reach the top. Maybe in your dreams you traveled the world,but in my dreams I lived in a mansion and rode in a chauffeur-driven limousine and had hundreds of men groveling at my feet.”
“Nice dream. How did you make it come true?”
She laughed. “Which part is true? The mansion, the limousine or the men?”
“Looking at you, I’d say all of the above.”
She laughed again. “I guess that’s what most people think when they see a movie star. The truth is, I have to keep working just to keep one step ahead of all the bills.”
“So, you have to pay your bills just like the rest of us. The mortgage on the mansion. The rental on the limousine. But tell me—how did shy, frightened little Cathy Wazorski from Kentucky get to be a Hollywood star in the first place?”
She sat a minute, lost in thought. Then she shook her head, remembering. “When I was fifteen I sent a photo to a teen magazine contest. It was the boldest move I’d ever made. I really did it because I was feeling so self-conscious. All the other girls my age were small and dainty, and seemed to have perfect figures. And I thought I was some sort of ugly duckling, because I was tall and thin, and had almost no shape at all. My hair was just a mess. Long and curly, always tangled. I couldn’t afford to
“What brought you back home?”
His smile faded. “I’ve had a misery overload recently. I needed to pull back for a while and let things heal.” He absently rubbed his leg, then turned. “How about you? Was your family in show business?”
So much for his story, Ciara thought. Once again he had smoothly turned the tables, deflecting the conversation to her.
“I grew up in a Kentucky coal-mining town. Dirt-poor. My family was as far from show business as you could imagine.”
“Then how’d you get so far so fast?”
“So fast?” She arched a brow.
“You can’t be more than your early twenties.”
“I’m twenty-seven.”
He inclined his head. “Then I’ll ask it again. How did you get so far so fast?”
She laughed. “It feels like forever. I started when I was just a kid.”
“I bet you were a beautiful little kid.”
She gave a huff of protest. “Cathy Wazorski was shy and plain. And mostly scared.”
“Cathy Wazorski? That’s your real name?” He was staring at her with a quizzical look.
She nodded, amazed that she had let that fact slip. She’d always been so careful to keep her personal life separate from her public image. In all the profiles written about her, her past and her family had neveronce been mentioned. And here she was, running off at the mouth—to a reporter!
Maybe it was the wine, but she suddenly realized she didn’t much care about family secrets. Jace was easy to talk to. And there had been so few people in her life that she trusted enough to open up to about her personal life.
“So you were a scared little kid. What were you afraid of?”
She shrugged. “Of everything. My father, who was usually drunk. Of losing our home—especially after my father walked out on us. My poor mother worked two jobs to keep us all together, but it was never enough. We moved so many times, I once went to four schools from September to Christmas. My little brothers and I wore hand-me-down clothes from local charities. I never had a lot of friends. I just never felt like I fit in with the other kids in my class. I did have one best friend— Emily Applegate—who is still a great friend to me. She’s the one who introduced me to your niece Eden.”
Jace was amazed. This was yet another side to her. This poised, beautiful creature looked as though she’d been raised in a life of luxury, with private schools, tutors, and all the trappings of wealth. “So, you were shy? How shy?”
“A real loner. I kept to myself, and took refuge in books and plays and movies. That was my salvation. In my imagination I was always the beautiful, brave heroine who overcame every obstacle to reach the top. Maybe in your dreams you traveled the world,but in my dreams I lived in a mansion and rode in a chauffeur-driven limousine and had hundreds of men groveling at my feet.”
“Nice dream. How did you make it come true?”
She laughed. “Which part is true? The mansion, the limousine or the men?”
“Looking at you, I’d say all of the above.”
She laughed again. “I guess that’s what most people think when they see a movie star. The truth is, I have to keep working just to keep one step ahead of all the bills.”
“So, you have to pay your bills just like the rest of us. The mortgage on the mansion. The rental on the limousine. But tell me—how did shy, frightened little Cathy Wazorski from Kentucky get to be a Hollywood star in the first place?”
She sat a minute, lost in thought. Then she shook her head, remembering. “When I was fifteen I sent a photo to a teen magazine contest. It was the boldest move I’d ever made. I really did it because I was feeling so self-conscious. All the other girls my age were small and dainty, and seemed to have perfect figures. And I thought I was some sort of ugly duckling, because I was tall and thin, and had almost no shape at all. My hair was just a mess. Long and curly, always tangled. I couldn’t afford to
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