Read Online Don't Close Your Eyes by Carlene Thompson - Free Book Online
Authors: Carlene Thompson
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AFTERNOON
Charlotte Bishop realized she’d been staring at the same page of her Danielle Steel novel for ten minutes. She started over. Two sentences later her mind drifted again. Normally she devoured the novels, losing herself in the stories. She pictured herself as every impossibly beautiful, virtuous, and brave heroine. But not today.
She tossed down the book and looked around her bedroom. Large. Sumptuous. Adolescent. It hadn’t been redecorated since she was fifteen when her favorite color was pink. Blush pink, shell pink, antique pink, strawberry pink. All shades surrounded her in nauseating abundance. And the doll collection! All those rosy-cheeked little creatures staring at her with big, blank eyes were driving her crazy. Abruptly she picked up a delicate crocheted afghan, also done in the ubiquitous shades of pink, and tossed it over the offending dolls. That was better. Slightly.
When Charlotte had returned home six months ago after her very public and humiliating divorce, she’d been too stunned and embarrassed to care what the room looked like. She’d only wanted to hide away in this small town in her old bedroom and lick her wounded ego. But time was doing its work. Her self-confidence was returning. So was her habitual boredom and restlessness. She’d like to do something about this room. After all, she would be staying here until she could marry Warren Hunt, which wouldn’t be for a few months.
Warren. A couple of years ago she wouldn’t have considered him husband material. Then she had been married to
Paul Fiori, a television star. When they had wed five years earlier, her father was furious. She was the only daughter of Max Bishop, owner of Bishop Corporation, one of the country’s largest manufacturers of marine electronics such as sonar and radar. Max had raged at the thought of his daughter the heiress marrying a pretty-boy actor who’d had only bit parts and would never amount to anything. The marriage was unacceptable! Unthinkable! But Charlotte had married Paul anyway. Charlotte always did what she wanted. Charlotte always got what she wanted. And she’d wanted Paul.
She had been happy at first, although she was their sole support. The parts just weren’t coming in and Paul was frustrated. Charlotte didn’t care. This way Paul needed her and she liked being in control. Then he had won the lead in the police drama Street Life. The show debuted at number five, and in three months shot to number one in the ratings. Paul was a star and landed a feature movie for his summer hiatus from the show. Charlotte had reveled in the publicity of being Paul Fiori’s wife. She hadn’t even minded the paparazzi. Not until the second year of the show when they began covering Paul’s affair with his costar Larissa Lyle. In public Charlotte acted calm and charmingly amused by the “ridiculous” rumor of an affair. At home she screamed, cried, threatened, and reminded Paul of every wonderful thing she’d done for him before Street Life. Then Larissa became pregnant and Paul walked away from Charlotte without a backward glance.
Charlotte tried to stay in Los Angeles, hoping to milk sympathy while watching the public turn against its newest star. To her surprise, at first, instead of outraged support, all she’d received was embarrassed pity. Then, thanks to Paul’s publicity people, the tabloids falsely reported on her bizarre behavior and drug addiction, and the public began to wonder if Paul Fiori had not had good reason to leave his crazy wife. Charlotte was dropped from all Hollywood social functions, while Paul and Larissa became increasingly popular. On the day Larissa delivered their little boy, Charlotte fled for the safety and anonymity of Port Ariel.
To their credit, neither of her parents had said, “I told you so.” This was an expected lack of response from her timid, gentle mother but downright miraculous from her bombastic, cocksure father. She attributed it to his
Charlotte Bishop realized she’d been staring at the same page of her Danielle Steel novel for ten minutes. She started over. Two sentences later her mind drifted again. Normally she devoured the novels, losing herself in the stories. She pictured herself as every impossibly beautiful, virtuous, and brave heroine. But not today.
She tossed down the book and looked around her bedroom. Large. Sumptuous. Adolescent. It hadn’t been redecorated since she was fifteen when her favorite color was pink. Blush pink, shell pink, antique pink, strawberry pink. All shades surrounded her in nauseating abundance. And the doll collection! All those rosy-cheeked little creatures staring at her with big, blank eyes were driving her crazy. Abruptly she picked up a delicate crocheted afghan, also done in the ubiquitous shades of pink, and tossed it over the offending dolls. That was better. Slightly.
When Charlotte had returned home six months ago after her very public and humiliating divorce, she’d been too stunned and embarrassed to care what the room looked like. She’d only wanted to hide away in this small town in her old bedroom and lick her wounded ego. But time was doing its work. Her self-confidence was returning. So was her habitual boredom and restlessness. She’d like to do something about this room. After all, she would be staying here until she could marry Warren Hunt, which wouldn’t be for a few months.
Warren. A couple of years ago she wouldn’t have considered him husband material. Then she had been married to
Paul Fiori, a television star. When they had wed five years earlier, her father was furious. She was the only daughter of Max Bishop, owner of Bishop Corporation, one of the country’s largest manufacturers of marine electronics such as sonar and radar. Max had raged at the thought of his daughter the heiress marrying a pretty-boy actor who’d had only bit parts and would never amount to anything. The marriage was unacceptable! Unthinkable! But Charlotte had married Paul anyway. Charlotte always did what she wanted. Charlotte always got what she wanted. And she’d wanted Paul.
She had been happy at first, although she was their sole support. The parts just weren’t coming in and Paul was frustrated. Charlotte didn’t care. This way Paul needed her and she liked being in control. Then he had won the lead in the police drama Street Life. The show debuted at number five, and in three months shot to number one in the ratings. Paul was a star and landed a feature movie for his summer hiatus from the show. Charlotte had reveled in the publicity of being Paul Fiori’s wife. She hadn’t even minded the paparazzi. Not until the second year of the show when they began covering Paul’s affair with his costar Larissa Lyle. In public Charlotte acted calm and charmingly amused by the “ridiculous” rumor of an affair. At home she screamed, cried, threatened, and reminded Paul of every wonderful thing she’d done for him before Street Life. Then Larissa became pregnant and Paul walked away from Charlotte without a backward glance.
Charlotte tried to stay in Los Angeles, hoping to milk sympathy while watching the public turn against its newest star. To her surprise, at first, instead of outraged support, all she’d received was embarrassed pity. Then, thanks to Paul’s publicity people, the tabloids falsely reported on her bizarre behavior and drug addiction, and the public began to wonder if Paul Fiori had not had good reason to leave his crazy wife. Charlotte was dropped from all Hollywood social functions, while Paul and Larissa became increasingly popular. On the day Larissa delivered their little boy, Charlotte fled for the safety and anonymity of Port Ariel.
To their credit, neither of her parents had said, “I told you so.” This was an expected lack of response from her timid, gentle mother but downright miraculous from her bombastic, cocksure father. She attributed it to his
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