CHAPTER ONE
Elijah
This small town is a far cry from LA. I might have grown up here, but it feels like that was a different lifetime.
I haven’t been back here in a long time, and as I drive through town, it feels like something I dreamt up rather than somewhere I used to call home.
Ever since I became a Hollywood star and moved away, I guess I’ve not had much time for this place. Of course, there are good memories here, but they also tear at my heart even though they were great ones.
As I get out of my sleek black car outside my family’s Inn, it feels like everyone in the square turns to look at me. Who can blame them?
A man from a place like this isn’t expected to go on and do big things. But now, I’ve been heralded as the hottest man in the movie industry. The guy who always gets the best roles, the guy who all of the ladies are swooning over. If they only knew how alone I felt at times, not having anyone to share my life with.
And yet here I am. Back in town to help my parents out with their Inn. Surprisingly, having a famous son hasn’t really done wonders for their business. This place is in need of some serious TLC, and that takes time and money. Something I have a lot of right now. So, since I needed some time to myself and to think about the rest of my life, I decided to return to my hometown and help my parents renovate the old Inn they owned.
I only agreed to come and help them because I knew they were desperate.
I don’t really like coming back here if I can help it. I wasn’t happy here growing up, always feeling like an outsider. But I’d do anything for my parents, and since I’m taking a break from acting roles, I guess it’s the least I can do.
I can put some money into the Inn and some manual labor. Then maybe I can help bring some tourists in. I mean, who wouldn’t want to visit the Inn where their favorite actor grew up?
As I head up toward the Inn, I feel a sense of nostalgia I can’t deny. This is the place where my Mom taught me how to ride a bike, where my father and I played basketball in the garden, and where my brother and I bonded.
But that’s a long time ago.
I sigh. I guess I neglected my family a little after I got out of this place. I only wanted to see the world, to make something of myself. I didn’t consider that I’d be leaving them behind as well.
I guess I temporarily lost my sense of family when the acting roles and other accolades came pouring in.
I knock on the front door, which feels odd considering that I still have a set of keys for this place. I used to live here, after all. But still, I wait for my Mom to come and answer the door. Her face breaks into a smile when she sees me, and that’s how I know it’s been far too long since I came home.
It’s like she never expected to see me again.
“Welcome home, Elijah,” she says, pulling me in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. You’re going to be a big help around here.”
“I hope so, Mom,” I say, looking over her shoulder at the state of the place. It kind of looks like it’s falling apart. The lobby of our family Inn has peeling wallpaper, and the place where the room keys are hooked is full. I’m guessing they don’t get many guests here at all, though Mom would never admit that. She has her pride.
“Come in, let me make you a coffee….”
“No need, Mom. I may as well go straight to work,” I tell her gruffly. After a long journey, I just want to be alone for a while and get lost in some work.
Work has always been something for me to disappear into, to escape reality for a while. Unfortunately, I don’t have a movie character to lose myself in now, but I can sure as hell get started on the projects around this place.
Mom blinks at me in surprise. I guess she was hoping we could sit down and catch up, but after the few months I’ve had, talking is the last thing I want to do. I don’t want to tell her about my failures.
I don’t want to see her pitying eyes when I talk about why I’m taking a break from my life in Hollywood. She would only make the whole thing seem worse.
“I’m fine, Mom,” I say, maybe a little too sternly, pulling away from her embrace. “Just tell me what needs to be done, and I can do it,” I add trying to soften my tone.