Stars Over Sunset Boulevard Read Online Free Page B

shoes and clothes lying around. You?”
    Violet smiled back at her. “I tend to put things away.”
    â€œDo you want to think on it?”
    â€œI don’t need to think about it. I would like very much to rent from you if you’ll have me.”
    â€œWell, then. Shall we go get your suitcase?”
    â€œRight now?”
    â€œWhy not right now? Do you want to go back to your hotel to sleep tonight?”
    Violet shook her head.
    Audrey moved away from the bedroom door. “C’mon. We’ll catch a cab on Franklin and take the bus back.”
    A moment later, the two women were heading west toward the glittering lights of the city.
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    Audrey awakened the next morning to the aromas of coffee, cinnamon, and toasted bread. For a moment she could almost believe she was a little girl again and it was Christmas morning and her mother had made sticky buns.
    She closed her eyes to hold the image captive for just a few seconds longer, but Valentino had noticed she’d stirred. He now rose from where he had been sleeping curled up at her elbow and nuzzled his feline face into hers—his way of communicating that he wanted his breakfast.
    Audrey pushed the cat away gently and sat up. Dinah hadn’t been a coffee drinker. Audrey couldn’t remember the last time she had awakened to the fragrance of a freshly brewed pot. She reached for a silky robe on the armchairnext to her bed and slipped it on. Valentino jumped down and meowed at the door. Audrey opened it, yawning as she tied the sash around her waist. After a quick stop in the bathroom, she walked into the kitchen, where her new roommate was sitting at the kitchen table in her nightgown with a cup of coffee, two slices of cinnamon toast, and Audrey’s latest copy of
Variety
magazine open to the middle. The dirty dishes that had been piling up in the sink over the past few days had been washed and the countertops wiped clean of smudges, dried spills, and crumbs.
    â€œI hope you don’t mind that I made coffee for us. I found some Hills Bros. in the cupboard,” Violet said, her thick Southern drawl elongating every syllable.
    â€œMind?” Audrey grabbed a coffee cup from the dish drainer and poured a cup. “Smelling it was like waking up in paradise.”
    Audrey pulled out a chair and sat down across from Violet. Valentino began to wind himself in and out her legs, meowing a reminder that he had not yet been fed. “I can’t remember the last time I had cinnamon toast.”
    Violet pushed the plate toward her. “Have one. It’s your cinnamon. Your bread. I promise I’ll get my own groceries today.”
    â€œDon’t worry about it.” Audrey lifted one of the pieces of toast off the plate, brought it to her mouth, and took a bite. Violet had been liberal with both the butter and the cinnamon sugar. It was divine.
    â€œI am in awe of how great this is. I usually skip breakfast. You might have noticed there’s hardly much to make a meal with here.”
    â€œI like to cook,” Violet said. “I can make us breakfast in the mornings. I don’t mind.”
    Audrey took another bite. “You know how to makebiscuits and gravy?” she asked as she chewed. “I’ve always wanted to try that.”
    Her roommate smiled wide. “Of course. Mama taught me how to make everything.”
    Audrey broke off a piece of the crust and tossed it down to Valentino. “Word gets out among the single men at the studio that you can cook, and I’ll be looking for another roommate.”
    Violet laughed lightly.
    Audrey looked up from the cat. “You think I’m kidding?”
    Her new roommate shrugged. “I think men want more in a wife than just someone who can cook.”
    Audrey arched an eyebrow playfully. “And it’s a good thing they do! Can you imagine how terrible it would be if all a man wanted was someone to