My Secret Star

The only thing Lily wants is for her children to have a nice warm home, and to make sure her family’s diner survives. When handsome billionaire David walks in and leaves a rather generous tip, he not only helps her little family, he also gives her something she hasn’t had for a long time—hope.

After the loss of his beloved wife, David moves to a small town in New York, hoping to escape the memories, along with the pressures of his life as the president of the largest ad agency in the country. The last thing he expects when he meets with his pastor is to run into the woman who will change his life forever.

David is willing to shower Lily with everything she needs, but Lily isn’t sure she can handle the kindness after everything she’s dealt with in the past. Will her bad memories keep them from being able to have a future together? Or will he be able to convince her that love is what makes life worth living?

 It was the Christmas season again, and David wanted to forget the whole thing. It reminded him of how much his wife loved everything about the holiday. This would be his first Christmas without her, and it nearly crushed him.

The alarm woke him that morning with a jolly Christmas song, and he fumbled for the clock to shut it off. He rolled over and rubbed his face before climbing out of bed. It had been another night full of bad dreams, and he wanted to wipe them out of his mind before heading off to work for the day.

David pulled on his sweats, scarf, and running shoes and went out for a jog. The cold air always cleared his head, even if his lungs were burning by the time he was done. He passed the old church and waved at the pastor as he continued on the
trail. Moving away from the city had been good for him. Close enough to work, but far enough away that he could make a new life for himself.

The diner was busy as he passed by, and he waved at his neighbors. They always invited him for dinner, but he’d managed to escape so far. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get to know them. He was just hesitant to make new friends in case they asked
questions.

When David returned home, he turned on the kettle, and headed to his bathroom for a hot, steamy shower. The water helped thaw him out and finished wiping away the
cobwebs of the night before.

The light blinked on his answering machine, so he pushed the button and listened while he poured himself some hot chocolate.

“Hey, David. It’s Peter. The shareholders are getting antsy. I sure hope you’re planning to come in today for the meeting.”

David shook his head and walked back into his bedroom. He’d forgotten about the meeting, but
the threat of losing the company he’d worked so hard to build was enough to get him out of the house and back to the office, a place he’d rarely gone in the last several months.

He changed into his suit and straightened his tie. He could do this. The phone rang again, and David let it go to the answering machine.

“Hey, David. I haven’t seen you at church for a few weeks. I was hoping to meet with you tonight. Have a great day.”

It had actually been a few months, but David figured he wouldn’t correct Reverend Smith. At least that meant he had plans that night. He sent a text back on his cell phone and finished off his hot chocolate.

David grabbed his briefcase and headed toward his old Chevy pickup. It took a few tries to get it started up because of the bitter cold. He should have just taken his Mercedes, but it was too conspicuous in this small town. Once the truck was warmed up enough, he pulled out of the driveway and onto the street. He’d
chosen the truck because it was the make and model he’d wanted in high school.

The trip into the city was slow because of the ice on the ground, but David found himself looking forward to being at work again. He’d heard about some of the changes
Peter had made, and he was anxious to see them in action.

An hour later, David pulled into the parking garage. He chuckled at the look on the security guard’s face when he drove up.

“Hey, Dan. How’s it going?” David asked.

“Never been better. Wow, man. Nice truck.” Dan laughed. “I didn’t realize work was going that poorly.”

“This was by choice. See you later.” David pulled forward and parked in his spot. He paused for a moment before grabbing his briefcase and headed upstairs to his office.
His heart beat rapidly as he rode the elevator up to the fifteenth floor. He
wasn't sure how people would react after he'd been gone for so long. And if any of them brought up his wife ... he didn't think he could handle it.

His employees greeted him with surprise as he walked past them to his desk. The spacious office welcomed him back. He’d spent countless nights here in meetings and on phone calls ever since he’d taken over the company, so many nights that he should have spent with his wife.

There was a knock at the door, and Peter poked his head in. “Oh, there you are. I was worried I’d have to tell the shareholders you were gone. Again.”

“Sorry. It was icy out there, or I would have been here sooner.” David leaned back in his chair and played with a pen from his desk. “Is everyone here?”

“Yes, they’re in the conference room.” Peter paused. “Listen, you’ve been gone long enough …”

“I’ll have you do the talking.” David stood and straightened his suit coat. He probably hadn’t needed to wear it, but his dad had taught him to always look his best. It was an old habit.

The look of relief on Peter’s face was almost comical. “Great. I’ll turn things over to you once I’m done.”

“Perfect.”

Peter opened the door farther so David could leave the room. “It’s good to have you back, David. We’ve needed you.”

David didn’t say anything as he followed Peter toward the conference room. It irked him not to be in control, but he had to admit, it made sense. He’d been gone too long.
He was stopped a few times on the way to answer questions or just so people could say hello.

The conference room was full when they walked in. David took a seat near the front, and Peter continued standing. Murmurs went through the room before quieting down.

“Welcome to our shareholders. Let’s get started now.” Peter turned to the PowerPoint.

 ***

The meeting had taken the entire morning, but it seemed that everyone was happy as they left.

“You did great, Peter. I can see I left my company in good hands.” David walked out of the conference room with Peter following behind.

“Thank you. I must say I’m glad you’re here. I can go back to my old job of keeping the press away.” Peter stopped to sign for a package and then hurried to catch up.

David laughed. “If you insist. I’m sure I could find you a corner office somewhere, if you’d prefer. You deserve it.”

Peter stopped, his jaw dropped. “What?”

“Unless you like that tiny office next to mine. Seriously, you’ve earned it.” David walked into his office and flipped through the charts on his desk. “We have an empty office, right?”

Peter leaned against the wall. “You used them all up before you left, remember? You got the new account and gave them all promotions.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.” David sat down and pulled out his laptop. “What if we rented out the floor below us? We could send them downstairs so you could take their office.”

Peter laughed. “It’s taken. I’m fine where I am. Anyway, I’m off to lunch. Are you coming?”

“No, I think I’ll stay here. I want to look at the numbers from the meeting. Bring me something back?”

“Of course.” Peter left, and David picked up the folder Peter had left on his desk.

The numbers that had been quoted were much higher than David had expected. Clearly, they hadn’t missed him much, no matter how many times they said otherwise. He had a few things he wanted to change, but otherwise, he was thrilled. Peter was
definitely in need of a raise after everything he’d done in David’s absence.

By the time Peter got back from lunch, David had approved raises for several of his top employees, and a bonus for Peter as well. It just had to be sent through HR, and he’d announce it the week before Christmas at their annual party. A party he’d told himself he would skip—until now.

Peter set a bag of Chinese food on David’s desk. “Here’s your lunch. I’d stay and chat, but I have a few things that need to get done.”

“That’s fine. I have a few things to do as well.” David pulled out the contents of the bag and
arranged them on the desk.

“All right. And David? I’m glad you’re back. Sorry for everything that happened.” Peter walked
to the door, oblivious to the pain that hit David in the stomach.

David sighed. “Thanks.”