1

Natalie Spencer stepped onto the county fairgrounds, the late summer season solar shining down on her. She might already really feel the joy within the air as she took within the sights and sounds of the honest—crowds of individuals milling about, carnival video games roaring with delight, the scent of sugary treats and fried meals wafting by way of the air.

Natalie slid her fingers into the pockets of her khaki shorts as she meandered alongside, following the crowds of households and youngsters transferring from stall to stall, absorbing the ambiance of the final day of the county honest.Daylight shined by way of the bushes, splitting rays of sunshine by way of the inexperienced and yellow leaves as they fluttered within the light breeze.

The scent of freshly lower grass combined with the candy aromas drifting from the native bakery’s stand, and Natalie couldn’t resist the temptation of their cinnamon rolls, though the caramel apples seemed heavenly.

The bakery proprietor, a girl in her fifties whose title Natalie couldn’t bear in mind, made small speak along with her whereas she picked up a pair of tongs and plucked one of many cinnamon rolls out from the show. Natalie had solely lived right here for a month and a half, however she was already hoping that this may very well be the city she settled in, that she might lastly cease transferring.

She thanked the girl and took a chunk as she made her approach over to the picnic benches and took a seat, discovering a spot that permit her do some people-watching whereas she ate.

Natalie suppressed a moan because the wealthy, fluffy dough virtually dissolved on her tongue, savoring the style of the creamy vanilla frosting as she licked her lips.

The bakery alone was a ok motive for Natalie to remain. Plus, she was uninterested in transferring.

At first, it had been out of necessity. When she began seeing photographers perched at a park bench or sitting behind their steering wheelon the primary avenue, ready, making an attempt to mix in however failing miserably, Natalie knew she needed to go. The very last thing she wished was to see her picture all around the tabloids once more.

And in the previous few years, despite the fact that her days of being acknowledged on the road had been lengthy gone, she might nonetheless really feel that shift, when residents of her newest small city by some means discovered that they’d a former nation music star residing of their midst.

It was refined, however Natalie knew.

Just a few whispers and turning of heads when she went to her favourite espresso store or farmer’s market.

She might most likely stick it out. Let it go. However she’d simply gotten so used to transferring that it nearly grew to become second nature.

However as she bought older, Natalie thought increasingly about discovering a spot to name residence for greater than just some months.

A younger woman held her father’s hand as she clutched a stuffed unicorn towards her chest, an older boy catching as much as them as they walked previous Natalie. The sleepy little city she was beginning to love was coming to life because the solar dipped casting a heat glow throughout the individuals strolling by.

She might nonetheless bear in mind evenings like this at her personal county honest when she was a child, up on her father’s shoulders, taking all of it in. She missed him, even all these years later, however there was part of her that was grateful that he by no means noticed her downfall.

Trying again, Natalie wished she’d been extra current throughout these two excursions, but it surely had all occurred so quick. She went from enjoying at fairgrounds similar to this one when she was seventeen years outdated to touring the world at nineteen. And her father had been so happy with her, coming to her hometown live performance, however he’d handed away three years later.

When Natalie bought as much as be part of the regular stream of individuals transferring by, the lights of the Ferris Wheel within the distance shone towards the pinks and oranges of the darkening sky.

She’d had a turbulent few years in her early twenties, from getting the decision whereas she was on the highway that her father had died to seeing her title all around the tabloids, blaming her for the affair.

Radio stations blacklisted her, and in just some days, when she was twenty-five years outdated, she’d gone from residing her dream and planning her third tour, to seeing the gross sales for her third album tank, her calls to Amelia going straight to voicemail.

Natalie was left fully heartbroken.

She spent her twenty-sixth birthday alone in a cabin within the woods in Canada, not giving anybody her location, as a result of at that time, nearly every week after the scandal broke, she trusted nobody.

However Natalie had been naive to assume that she might fall in love with Amelia, one-half of nation music’s hottest couple.

Mason was by no means going to let Natalie get away with it. He turned everybody towards her, however Natalie by no means thought that Amelia would be part of him in that effort.

Natalie by no means might have imagined at any level throughout their seven-month affair that if or, extra seemingly, once they had been found, Amelia would have dropped her like that. With no warning. With such definity.

Natalie nonetheless didn’t even know the way it occurred. She’d simply awakened one morning to Amelia pacing the ground of Natalie’s bed room because the solar streamed by way of the tiny hole in her curtains.

By the point Natalie registered one thing was unsuitable, when the one factor popping out of Amelia’s mouth as she stopped pacing and commenced darting from the closet to the toilet and again, stuffing issues into her purse that had been left there step by step over the previous few months, was curses uttered underneath her breath, it was too late.

The entrance door slammed behind Amelia, and Natalie’s worst assumption was that Mason was on the lookout for her, that he’d come residence sooner than Amelia had anticipated, and she or he wasn’t there to greet him.

However that was the final time Natalie had seen Amelia. Her calls later that day went unanswered, and it was solely when she’d been flipping by way of the channels that evening, bored and alone, that she noticed her personal face on the leisure part of the information.

And there was a photograph of Natalie and Amelia from an awards evening a number of weeks in the past. It was totally harmless. They by no means would have been that silly, however they’d been standing shut collectively, Natalie’s hand on the small of Amelia’s again as they mingled with different musicians and celebrities.

Supply: www.seynovel.com


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