Read Online Catch a Falling Star by Lynette Sowell - Free Book Online Page B

fridge for something edible. Jake entered the kitchen, wearing a quizzical expression.
    “I’ll call you when we figure something out,” said Tremonte.
    “Sounds great. I’ll talk to you then.”
    Sounds like a plan.”
    ended the call and looked at his brother, who’d poured a glass of iced tea.
    “Did you invite a family out to the cottage?” asked Jake.
    “Yup. I found Tremonte from my old unit. He’s had a hard time of it. Figured his family could use a weekend, too.” Billy went on to explain about Justine finding the scrapbook and helping him get back in touch with Tremonte.
    “She’s something else, isn’t she?” Jake asked.
    Billy nodded. “Not like I thought she’d be.”
    “You’ve seen her quite a bit since she’s been back in the area. Afraid of the paparazzi following you?”
    “Not really. She’s lying low, I guess. Just trying to heal up and get better, like me.”
    “And then she’ll be gone to her Hollywood life when she’s done here.”
    Jake’s words hung in the air. Justine. Gone again. Her only tie here was a mother she’d barely spoken to, and she’d been in Texas for a little less than a month. What kind of a family was that?
    “She’ll probably be gone by this fall,” Billy said. “She has a life to get back to.”
    “You sound disappointed.”
    “I shouldn’t be. We don’t have anything in common. Plus, I don’t think she’s darkened a church door in years.”
    “Maybe she’s finding her way back.”
    “To church?”
    “No. To God. Anybody can go to church, and it doesn’t mean a thing. It’s more like a club to them. Another activity to cap off the week.” Jake took a seat at the breakfast bar.
    Billy nodded. He had a lot of thinking to do, especially about Justine Campbell. He realized he wanted her to fall in love with Starlight, to see all of the good in it. People complained about the Texas heat, about the transient area around Fort Hood. All they talked about was how life was so much better where they were from.
    But to Billy, Starlight was home. He’d come here as a teenager, considered it an exile, and could hardly wait to get out of town and be an Army hero like his dad. That had worked out great. He frowned.
    Attraction to Justine Campbell wasn’t enough to base a relationship on. What if she tossed him aside, like her other Hollywood boyfriends? When Hollywood came calling again, he couldn’t compete with that.
    Plus, since he'd been home recovering, he'd come face-to-face with what was important to him in life. He was all-in with God. Maybe he didn't get things 100 percent right, but he couldn't imagine himself in a relationship with a woman who didn't feel the same way.
     
     

Chapter 7
     
    Thanks to Azalea’s suggestion, Justine found the hole-in-the-wall nail spa in one of Starlight’s strip mall plazas. Top Nails had a simple, yellow plastic sign with red letters. Not a fancy place, but they were open on Monday, and she didn’t need an appointment.  Of all the obscure places to have some spa therapy. A month ago she couldn’t have imagined herself stepping into a place like this.
    Justine walked into the storefront, and the aroma of nail polish remover struck her nose. A row of cushioned chairs lay just beyond the counter, where a short Asian lady stood. She wore a flaming red smock that matched her lipstick. Her name tag read “Chin-Mae.”
    “You the lady who called?” Chin-Mae asked.
    “Yes, I wanted to be sure you were open today. My friend Azalea recommended you to me.”
    “Oh yes, we’re always open. Except when we’re not.”
    A laugh tickled Justine’s throat. “That makes sense to me.”
    “Azalea sent you, did she? She’s my best friend. Helped me get better with English when I first came here.” Chin-Mae reached for Justine’s hand and studied her nails. “We have a good Bible study, us and some other ladies. Maybe you could come one day.”
    “She’s a very sweet lady. She’s done a lot for me.”