Read Online Audition - Southern Belles Part 1 (Erotic Romance Series) by Amanda Heartley - Free Book Online Page A

she’d only been back in Georgia for a week. Marti looked sideways at her, a sly smile on her face. “Remember when he used to fuss at us for sneaking out? He was hilarious!” She lowered her voice “‘Damn you girls, I’m fixin’ to whoop your asses!’. They laughed. “Oh! Grandpa, we miss you already!”
    Annie giggled, despite herself. Her grandfather hadn’t exactly had an easy time raising her all by himself. “Or when we tried to explain to him who the Barenaked Ladies were.”
    Marti laughed. “He simply couldn’t wrap his mind around it. ‘Bare Naked what?’ he’d say, fussin’ that we’d be better off listening to his old fogey bands.”
    They both laughed, but it didn’t take long for Annie to come back to reality. She really was going to miss him. And the money? Where did that come from? She hadn’t told anyone, she was still a bit leery about it all. They sat in silence for a moment. Annie’s face puffy and her eyes welling up with tears. Marti seemed to take the cue, and looked around, changing the subject.
    “So, what are you going to do with the old place?”
    Annie followed her gaze around the large room. The big ranch house was nice enough, but it had definitely seen better days. There were places where the paint was cracking and the wallpaper constantly peeled in the summer. Despite all of that, she found that she felt good when she was here. All the old creaks of the house felt like home. It was the ranch and the orchards outside that really worried her.
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. I really don’t even want to think about it right now. Grandpa left me a little bit of money so I don’t need to decide right away. Maybe I’ll go back to L.A., stay here, I don’t know.” She blushed, thinking about Vic Rossen and Daveed back in Hollywood. “It’s not like I have anything going on back in L.A.”
    Marti reached over to give Annie a hug. “Hey girl, you did your best. You’re young, you’re beautiful, and not to sound selfish, but, I’m really glad you came home where you belong.”
    Annie smiled gratefully at her friend. She was glad to be home and she didn’t have to return to L.A. and her shattered dreams of being a movie star. That was a big joke. Hollywood was a big joke.
    She looked around the big old house, smiling to herself a little. “Anyways, it’s nice to be home. I swear , this itty bitty town hasn’t changed at all.”
    Marti grinned,”Oh yes it has! They finally built us a Mickey D’s. Woo-flippin hoo! No more driving into the city for a heart attack!” She shook her head, pretending to be excited.
    Annie rolled her eyes, leaning back “Oh wow. Mickey D’s.” 
    Although the situation that brought her home was sad, it was good to be home. Marti continued to ramble on about all of the drama and gossip that had taken place while Annie was away, keeping everything light. As the night grew dark, the two girls quieted, switching their iced teas to a few glasses of wine.
    Annie felt a bit nervous about spending the night alone in the big old house. At first, the sounds of the crickets had been soothing, compared to the busy rush of traffic and the hustle and bustle that she was used to in L.A. There were strange sounds and yips in the darkness that were pretty scary to her.
    Even with the warmth of the wine and Marti’s company, she was still nervous. Annie knew that Marti had work the next day and she was getting ready to go home. Marti worked at the high school as a guidance counselor - a job she was perfect for. Marti made the best cheerleader in the world, and could convince anyone they could do anything. Unfortunately, it meant that Marti worked very early in the morning and couldn’t stay up so late on the weeknights anymore.
    Marti stifled a yawn just as a loud howl echoed in the darkness around the house. Annie jumped, her hands gripping the table. Marti laughed. “Hey scaredy cat, It’s just the coyotes, relax! You do live in the