Watching Willow E-Book

Ann Omasta

• Herausgeber: More Happily Ever Afters
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

On the verge of losing her job, local television star Willow Winks desperately seeks the one thing she believes can save her fledgling career: a golden retriever sidekick.

Willow thought being told she was getting too old for television was the most frightening thing a celebrity diva could hear. That is, until she and her furry best friend, Buddy, receive a threatening letter.

Concerned for their safety, the television studio hires Caleb McCreery, a brave, strong, and young bodyguard, to protect the famous duo. Caleb is ready to do whatever it takes to keep his charges safe, even if that means risking his own life.

As the threats begin to escalate, Willow and Caleb struggle to keep their budding attraction at bay. Will the distraction of their growing feelings make the bodyguard vulnerable and put all three at risk?

This sweet tale is a romantic adventure you don’t want to miss. Get your copy now and embark on this captivating journey of love, romance, and suspense!

Leseprobe

WATCHING WILLOW

LOVE IS GOLDEN

ANN OMASTA

CONTENTS

Free book!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Epilogue

More sweet romance featuring lovable dogs

Let’s stay in touch!

Acknowledgments

Copyright

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1

Willow Winks stared at her reflection in her dressing room’s brightly-lit magnifying mirror. She slowly turned her face from side to side, inspecting for flaws. Sighing with disgust, she flicked off the harsh lights. A few wrinkles, thinning hair, and a slightly sagging jaw weren’t valid reasons to be demoted, or possibly fired––were they?

Unfortunately, in her profession, she feared that was exactly what would happen. For a woman on television, looks were everything. Unfortunately for her, the studio would look for the first viable excuse to get rid of an aging female talk show host.

Of course, they would never admit she was being cut loose due to her age. The optics and liability of being sued would force them to avoid admitting that as the reason for her dismissal. Declining ratings would be pointed out as the rationale. They would have colorful graphs and complicated charts to back-up the decision, but it would still boil down to the same thing… No one wanted to watch a woman age, no matter how gracefully she attempted to do so.

She could use injections and minor procedures in a vain attempt to hold off the inevitable, but they could only do so much. Besides, there were plenty of examples of people going too far with these quick-fixes and ending up looking like frightening, taut versions of their former selves. The last thing she wanted was to look perpetually surprised because her skin was pulled back too tight.

Deciding that she couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer, she took a deep breath and headed out the door of her dressing room.

On the way to the elevator, she passed by a trio of teenaged girls. She assumed they were backstage in hopes of seeing Dash Diamond and Star, the successful duo who co-hosted Good Morning Gold Coast, a live morning program that aired just before Willow’s show each weekday morning.

When the girls beamed at her, their eyes sparkling with recognition, Willow paused. “Hi,” she greeted them, giving them the option to speak to her, if they wished.

Her carefully practiced voice no longer held even a trace of her Southern drawl. The studio had insisted upon her arrival that she take voice lessons to get rid of any hint of twang. Even though her family had balked and insisted that it was one of the things that made her stand out in a sea of hopeful starlets, her Georgia accent had been systematically eliminated from her speech years ago.

Three sets of eyes gawked back at her, wide-open and, Willow hoped, star-struck. “Aren’t you ladies supposed to be in school?” She lightly chastised them, but smiled to let them know she was just teasing.

When one of the girls lifted the latest iPhone model and pointed it in Willow’s direction, Willow quickly offered, “How about a selfie?”

All three nodded, so Willow took the phone, turned and encouraged all three girls to look up at the camera. Willow knew her best angles from years of experience, so she always commandeered the phones from her fans to make sure there wasn’t an unflattering picture of her floating around online. She gave one of her practiced smiles and snapped the shot.

The girls nodded and thanked her profusely, after suddenly finding their voices. Willow handed the phone back and patted the closest girl on the back as she eased past them in the hallway.

It had been a great interaction, even if the girls had been hoping for a glimpse of handsome Dash Diamond. Often, people forgot she was a real person with genuine feelings. It wasn’t unusual for someone to tell her that she looked better in person or on television. Both sentiments left her feeling worse after hearing them. She wanted to look good for her job, but no one wanted to be told they didn’t look great in real life.

Still smiling, she continued her trek to the elevator en route to her meeting with the studio bigwigs upstairs. They had unceremoniously summoned her without so much as a hint as to what they wanted. The mysterious mandatory get-together was nerve wracking.

She almost didn’t notice the mousy woman standing near the elevator holding some printed photos of Dash and Star, his four-legged companion. When the woman started rifling through the stack and muttering to herself, Willow smiled and reached around her to push the up button to call the elevator.

Obviously pleased to have found one, the woman’s face lit up when she pulled out a dated photo of Willow. She presented it and a black Sharpie marker to Willow for an autograph.

It normally annoyed Willow when people shoved photos into her face without even bothering to speak to her. Since this woman had been allowed past security and into the studio, Willow assumed that she must know someone, so she made a snap decision to break her own rule and sign the picture.

Glancing down, she realized the shot was from her early days when she first started hosting the show. The lovely, fresh-faced girl smiling up at her from the photo made Willow’s perfectly arched eyebrows furrow together. With this photo evidence, it was impossible to pretend that her face hadn’t aged much over the years.

As she stared at the picture, holding the Sharpie just over it, the woman tapped her foot impatiently. “Just sign it,” she finally ordered Willow.

Taken aback by the abrupt woman’s rudeness, Willow’s head snapped up just in time to see Dash Diamond and Star emerge from their dressing room. The woman saw them too and chose to snatch the marker and unsigned picture back from Willow. “Just forget it. Your signature won’t sell for much anyway.”

With those cutting words, the woman ran up to Dash and Star, leaving Willow feeling even more self-conscious and past her prime.

Blinking back the burning tears and refusing to let them fall, Willow took a calming breath and punched the button on the elevator to head up to the top floor to face her fate.

2

Willow’s eyelashes fluttered as she blinked rapidly and made a valiant attempt not to cry. The studio’s head honcho was staring at her unflinchingly from his place of honor at the head of the large mahogany conference room table. The other executives seated around the shiny oval table looked down or stared just past her, refusing or unable to make eye contact with her.

Even though she had believed herself to be mentally prepared for this, it still came as a shock. Reminding herself that it wasn’t as bad as it could be, she straightened her spine and focused on keeping her voice from squeaking when she asked, “So, I’m being demoted?”

“Don’t look at it as a demotion.” Her boss tried to placate her, but failed miserably.

Channeling her hurt feelings into anger, Willow glared back at him, practically daring him to object. “How else could I look at it? Are you trying to insinuate that going from hosting an hour-long live show to being a cheesy host on a half-hour recorded game show isn’t a demotion?”

“Let’s look at it as more of a lateral move.” He smiled, revealing his bridged, perfect teeth.

“There’s nothing lateral about this move, and we all know it.” She looked around at each set of eyes in the room. Willow had been here when most of these men and women started working at the studio. She considered many of them to be friends outside of the office, yet no one was willing to stand up for her in this pivotal moment in her career.

Deciding to call them out on what she knew to be the ugly truth, she accused, “This is because I’m getting older.”

“That has nothing to do with it.” Her boss immediately backpedaled, knowing that the legal department would have a fit if he admitted to ageism. Ruffling through his file of papers, he pulled out a graph depicting a declining trend line.

Giving her a stern stare, he said, “The numbers don’t lie.”

Willow felt like she had been punched in the gut. “The numbers can be manipulated,” she accused, even though she knew her ratings had been in a prolonged slump.

Feeling backed into a corner, she played the only other card she could think of. “Is this because I’m a female? I notice that Dash Diamond isn’t in here losing his show.”

She knew she was pushing the boundaries of propriety, but she was desperate to cling to the job that defined her. Without her status as a local celebrity, she was nothing. When her boss pulled a second sheet out of his file folder, one glance at the upward trend made her shoulders fold inward.

“I had the feeling you might say that, so I printed out a copy of Dash and Star’s numbers. See the difference?” He asked with unnecessary venom in his tone.

He seemed to be waiting for an answer, so Willow nodded, feeling properly chastised.

Leaning forward and pressing his palms together, the studio’s CEO told Willow, “We are all rooting for you. In fact, these numbers indicate that you should be fired, but we aren’t quite ready to go to that extreme.”

Willow’s breath sucked in involuntarily at this revelation. She could feel the blood rushing out of her head as a wave of nausea overwhelmed her. It dawned on her then that building her whole life around her career had been a monumental mistake. Something that can be taken away so swiftly and easily was clearly the wrong thing to base her sense of self-worth on.

Trying, but failing, to appear on her side, her boss splayed his hands to indicate the others in the room as he continued, “We don’t want to lose you, Willow. That’s why we are offering you this last chance to redeem yourself.” Looking down his glasses at her, he added solemnly, “You need to take it and be grateful for it. I strongly suggest you find a way to make it work.”

His thinly-veiled threat wasn’t lost on Willow. It was obvious that if the numbers for the game show weren’t impressive, she would be kicked to the curb. Nodding to acknowledge her understanding, Willow pushed back from the massive table. “Is that all?”

At his confirming nod, she ran out of the room with her palm over her mouth. Silently amending her previous thought, she decided the only thing worse than being an aging local celebrity is being an aging local celebrity that no one wants.

3

Sitting alone in her dressing room only made Willow want to throw something. She was rational enough to know that wouldn’t help anything, so she decided she needed to talk to someone. There was only one person in the entire building who had a sliver of a chance of understanding what she was going through, so she headed down the hallway to knock on Dash Diamond’s door.

She was a little surprised when he flung the door open, since he wasn’t known for sticking around long after his show. His face lit up with surprise when he saw Willow on the other side.

“Come in!” He offered enthusiastically. He had no doubt thought the visitor was someone who wanted something from him.

It had been a long time since Willow had reached out to Dash, so she was thrilled to see his warm expression. The two of them had started at the studio within months of each other, both thrust into local stardom with very little preparation. They had even tried a short-lived romance, but they quickly discovered that there is only room for one diva in a relationship.

Star’s fluffy tail wagged excitedly to welcome Willow into the room.

“I hope I’m not bothering you.” Willow gave Dash an out, in case he had another commitment.

“Not at all,” he assured her. “Star and I were just working on a few new tricks.”

Turning to address the dog, he added, “Weren’t we, sweet girl?”

Willow frowned, but tried to hide her shock over him talking to the dog as if she could understand him. Deciding that maybe the fame had gotten to him more than she knew, she shook her head to clear it and said, “I could really use a friend right now.”

“Of course,” Dash searched her face as he indicated for her to sit down on his luxurious leather sofa.

Accepting the offered seat allowed her a perfect view out the picture window, which looked out over the coastline. Swallowing her jealousy over his primo view, she admitted quietly, “I just got demoted.”

Obviously stunned, Dash’s mouth hung open after he said, “What??”

Willow nodded to confirm, but they sat in silence for a long moment. It was unheard of for Dash Diamond, the consummate talk-show host, to be silent for this long, so Willow felt sure that her announcement had been news to him.

Relief surged through her that she evidently wasn’t the laughing stock of the entire studio. If Dash hadn’t caught wind of her fledgling ratings, then it clearly wasn’t as widespread as she had feared.

Since Dash had added his golden retriever co-host, Star, to his show and met Grace, the love of his life, he had become the undeniable heart of the entire studio. His newfound zest for life made him universally beloved, and he had his finger on the pulse of the goings-on at their network’s headquarters.

Taking a deep breath to steel her resolve, Willow launched into the brutal truth. “My ratings have been taking a nosedive for months… well, years,” she admitted with a self-effacing, sad chuckle.

“We’ll think of a way to revive them,” Dash promised her fervently.

She smiled, valuing the man’s friendship. “It’s too late for that,” she told him solemnly. “The good news is that they aren’t firing me... yet.”

She let the threat hanging over her head dangle between them for a long moment. “My show has been cancelled.”

Dash’s quick intake of breath made her smile. She had known he would be one of the few who could truly understand her predicament. Quickly going on she added, “They are giving me a matchmaking game show instead.”

“Oh,” Dash said, running his fingers through his thick hair as he processed her revelation. Trying to put a positive spin on it, he said, “That’s great. You’ll be fantastic at that.”

She appreciated his valiant effort to be supportive, but they both knew this wasn’t good news. Calling him out on it, she said, “They have the door open and are rearing back to kick me out, and we both know it.”

Nodding, Dash acknowledged that her position at the studio was precarious. After thinking about it for a long moment, he said, “Well, we will just have to make sure your new show is a smashing success.”

“And how exactly would you suggest I do that?” She gave him a sad smile, pleased that he was willing to help, but confident that she was in an impossible situation.

“I’m not sure, but we’ll think of something.” Dash promised her sincerely.

They sat in silence for a long, serious moment. It wasn’t until Star gave them a firm, demanding “Woof!” that they looked at each other with their eyes alight with renewed hope.

4

Standing and pacing to the other side of the room, Willow said, “Just because it renewed your show doesn’t mean the dog gimmick will work to make my new show’s ratings soar.”

“Star is hardly a gimmick.” Dash immediately jumped to his beloved dog’s defense. Softening his facial features as he gazed down at his pet, he added, “The audience loves her, and she enhances my show in ways that I never imagined to be possible.”

“It’s easy to see that you love your dog.” Willow smiled as she watched him absently rub his large hand over Star’s dome-shaped furry head.

Star closed her chocolate-brown eyes and pressed her head up into Dash’s loving palm.

“I’ve never been a dog person.” Willow admitted as she crinkled her nose and thought about shedding, fleas, noxious odors, and muddy paws.

“Believe it or not, I wasn’t either,” Dash shook his head as if he couldn’t quite comprehend it either. “Somehow a special dog can wiggle its way right into your heart.”

Willow nodded. She had always marveled at how Star had transformed Dash’s show and life––especially considering how much the man had fought bonding with the dog. It was obvious to anyone who spent more than a few moments with them that the man was completely smitten by the animal, and the feeling was obviously mutual.

“If a dog can make my game show have even a fraction of the success that your show has enjoyed, then it is worth it to deal with an animal invading my space.” Willow decided aloud.

Dash’s blue eyes darkened. In a serious tone he said, “You know, there is more to life than ratings, wealth, and fame.”

“There is?” She asked, pretending to be stunned by this revelation. Even though she was joking, she knew that she didn’t actually have much else in her life besides her career. The lack of any other focus made her demotion seem like even more of a crushing blow.

Dash had a flourishing career and a rewarding personal life, so it was easy for him to be flippant about it. She had always felt like she needed to choose one or the other, and she had consistently opted for work. For the first time since moving to California, she was beginning to wonder if that laser focus had been a mistake.

Dash smiled sadly at her lame joke. It was obvious that he was well aware that having a successful career had been her only goal for far too long. Seeming to make a decision, he said, “It’s worth a shot. Besides, you might be surprised how much joy a dog will bring into your life.”

“Right,” she nodded, even though it was obvious by her flat tone that she didn’t believe him.

“You’ll see,” Dash told her, sounding supremely confident. His eyes lit up with a teasing expression right before he added, “A dog might even be able to melt the ice around that cold, vain heart of yours.”

Accepting his ribbing good-naturedly, she stood to leave and said, “Worked for yours, right?”

Dash laughed, enjoying their easy banter together. When she reached the door and turned back, he turned serious again. “I’ll send you the contact information for Caroline Campbell, the breeder where we got Star. She’s reputable and kind-hearted.”

After a moment of silence where they both seemed deep in thought, Dash added, “She’ll help you. I think you’ll find that the right dog will change your life for the better in ways that you can’t even imagine.”

Holding up her crossed fingers, Willow said, “Let’s hope,” before heading out into the hallway feeling renewed hope that this downturn might not be as bad as she feared.

At a loss for anything else to do, she texted her driver, Nico, to request that he bring the car to the front of the studio to pick her up. It was time for her to return to her huge, empty house––alone, as usual.

5

Willow kept busy by doing a yoga session with her personal trainer, having her masseuse drive over for a ninety-minute session to work out the tight kinks in her shoulders, and requesting her chef to make chicken stir-fry for dinner. It wasn’t lost on her that, other than people she paid, there wasn’t anyone outside of work in her daily life.

No one chose to spend time with her. If she lost her job, it wouldn’t be long until she could no longer afford to hire people to hang out with her. She would probably become one of those hermit recluses, who died alone and wasn’t found for weeks.

The very real possibility chilled her to the bone. She shivered and shook her head, trying to rid that horrifying mental image from her mind.

When Dash texted the contact information for Caroline Campbell, she stared at the number for a long moment. She wasn’t sure about taking on the responsibility of another living being’s life.

Deciding she could hire a dog walker, a trainer, and anything else the animal needed, she punched the button to dial Caroline’s number before she could chicken out. They scheduled a time for Willow to go to Caroline’s house later that evening.

As Willow disconnected the call, she tried to tell herself she could just go look at the latest litter of golden pups Caroline had raved about on the phone. Nothing said she had to take one home with her. Famous last words… She rolled her eyes, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to resist bringing a new friend home with her.

Now that she had warmed to the idea, she was excited to put her plan into action. The time waiting to go to Caroline’s house seemed to drag on interminably. Willow’s life felt especially empty now that it had been painfully pointed out to her that the one thing she had going for her could easily disappear in an instant.

She prattled around the big oceanfront house that was situated adjacent to Sierra Bay’s famous, picturesque overlook way. She had people to cook and clean for her, she was driven around and pampered by others. All of her helpers made it so she didn’t have to do anything for herself, which left her at a loss for something to occupy her free time. Normally, she sat down to watch television––convincing herself it was research for her show––but her heart just wasn’t in it today.

An hour before her scheduled time to meet Caroline at her house, Willow searched her massive closet for something appropriate to wear to meet puppies. She inherently knew that jeans would be the best choice, but she didn’t have many of those in her wardrobe.

Generally, she wore the fancy designer clothes the show provided to her, or when she was home, she opted for Lululemon stretchy black pants that she could pair with anything from a fitted tee-shirt to a silky button-up blouse.

Walking to the back of her massive closet, she gazed at the only two pairs of jeans she had leftover from her previous life. They were neatly pressed and hanging along the back wall of her closet. Of course, the style of them was horribly dated now, but she still ran her hand along the soft denim fabric.

She wasn’t sure what sick compulsion had made her keep the too-tight pants all this time. Perhaps they were a cruel reminder of how her judgmental mother could make her feel inadequate with one simple, cutting statement.

The first time she remembered her mother insinuating she needed to lose weight was when she was the fragile, formative age of twelve. Her mother had looked her over from head to toe before pronouncing that Willow’s choice of pants made her butt look flabby.

That hurtful comment had set Willow up for a lifetime of watching every bite that went into her mouth, counting calories, and praying that she wouldn’t gain any weight. From that point on, her mother made it a point to comment any time Willow ate something unhealthy or didn’t get enough exercise for the day.

Looking back on it now, Willow realized that her mother’s judgment was likely a big reason why Willow felt the need to escape to California as soon as she graduated high school to pursue a career in show business. Of course, escaping that one woman’s judgment had thrown her straight into the frying pan of the public’s harsh opinions.

An online witch-hunt had formed a few years ago when Willow wore a shirt on air that was a tad too tight. Words like “fat cow” and “obese” had been thrown around online as if she weren’t a real person with feelings. She had vowed then never to look at unfiltered online comments again. Now, she had Evelyn, a production assistant at the office, sift through them and only show her the positive ones. Willow’s fragile ego couldn’t handle the full brunt of the internet bullies, who liked to hide behind their screen names.

She considered for at least the thousandth time getting rid of her old blue jeans. Deciding they would make good ‘flu pants’ for if she was sick or lost a few pounds after a juice cleanse, she ignored the mental nudge that it might be time to get rid of the dated denim.

Besides, they might come back into style soon, right? These types of things always seemed to roll in twenty-year cycles, so they were due for a comeback. She couldn’t keep the hope at bay that they might actually fit when their time came back around. Apparently, old habits died very hard.