Backstage Butter Brittle

By Elizabeth John

Her thirtieth birthday is Anna’s deadline to succeed as a theatrical performer…only six months away. A crucial audition in her hometown puts her into the path of her ex-boyfriend. After only a few minutes together, she realizes she’s missed James. More shocking is that she receives an invitation to help with his family’s summer camp theater program.
Farmer James Tucker can’t believe the woman he once thought he’d marry is back in town, auditioning at the theater next to his ice cream parlor. He hopes for the impossible—that she’ll stay this time. But she wants bright lights, and he leads a simpler life. Can this reunion be their second chance at love?

• Language: Unknown
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Jul 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781509245161

Elizabeth John

Elizabeth John creates tender romances with a touch of intrigue. She writes at sunrise before her busy day as an elementary school teacher. Admittedly, she’s a TV and movie junkie and has noble intentions to practice yoga daily. In her spare time, she can be found walking her two rescue dogs, researching her family’s ancestry, gardening, or relaxing at the beach with her nose in a good book. She is a member of New Jersey Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, Liberty States Fiction Writers, and Sisters in Crime. Elizabeth loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website: www.elizabethjohn.com

Book preview

The instant James Tucker heard the familiar voice vibrating through the thin walls, he recognized the angelic sound. Anna was here? Singing? He hurried to finish with a customer and raced past the party room and through an inconspicuous side door of the ice cream parlor to the adjoining building. What was happening?

He grabbed the drapery and jerked his head back. He soaked in a vision of the most beautiful woman in the world. His ears hadn’t deceived him, and neither had his eyes. Anna was here.

Her thick, red hair fell past her shoulders, styled a bit longer than when he had last seen her. Her toned body moved with the grace of an experienced dancer.

His pulse raced. Fond memories slammed into his mind. He stayed hidden and watched her performance.

The crowd burst into applause.

Riveted, he joined in.

Anna beamed with an upturned face and bubbly laugh, but then she frowned and shook her head.

He gritted his teeth, watching Anna’s reaction when she found out she’d auditioned for the ice cream parlor. No Sherlock Holmes’ deduction skills necessary. An error had occurred, and his gut twisted. James slipped from the audition room, careful Anna couldn’t spot him. She had no idea he was part owner of the ice cream parlor. Already having had a bit of a shock, he wanted to give her a few minutes to collect herself. How would she react when she saw him?

Praise for Elizabeth John

I can always count on Elizabeth John to entertain me with a sweet and satisfying story.  BACKSTAGE BUTTER BRITTLE is a romance which kept me totally absorbed from the beginning to the sweet treat of the end.

~Roni Denholtz, award-winning author of CHOCOLATE CARAMEL DREAMS

~*~

"Congratulations to Elizabeth John for this sweet romantic addition to the One Scoop or Two series from The Wild Rose Press. A fun, uplifting story of childhood sweethearts who years later rediscover their love over a delicious bowl of ice cream. Fans of sweet second chance romances will enjoy the story of a small-town man and an actress reaching for the stars.

~Donna VS

~*~

BACKSTAGE BUTTER BRITTLE is a sweet romance set at the Jersey shore which has all the feel-good touches a beach read should have. In this reunion story with a second chance at love, Elizabeth John has created well-drawn characters who will charm you in this delightful novella. 

~Maria Imbalzano,

author of THE BLUEBERRY SWIRL WALTZ

Backstage Butter Brittle

by

Elizabeth John

One Scoop or Two Series

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Backstage Butter Brittle

COPYRIGHT © 2022 by Karen Bryan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Diana Carlile

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Edition, 2022

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-4516-1

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

To my wonderful children, Christopher and Marissa—thank you for the joy you bring to my life.

To my fabulous critique partners, Roni Denholtz and Maria Imbalzano—thanks so much for your input, for your friendship, and for traveling with me on my writing journey.

Acknowledgements

To bring a story to publication, an author needs the help of many dedicated individuals, and so, I have many wonderful people to thank. Without my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, Rhonda Penders, and the entire staff, Backstage Butter Brittle would not exist. I loved the idea of the One Scoop or Two series and wrote the story with the intent of submitting to that line. To Leanne Morgena, my incredible editor, I am forever grateful for your guidance and expertise. Thank you to my critique partners and writer friends who are always willing to brainstorm plot twists and offer words of encouragement. Finally, thank you, dear readers. Without you, my stories would remain in my head. I hope you enjoy Anna and James’s reunion and journey to find love.

Chapter One

Anna’s whole future depended on getting this role with the Broadway Touring Company. She yanked on the Sandy Shores Theatre’s door. Locked. She scratched her head. Why was the theater sealed shut? Auditions at the southern New Jersey theater were scheduled for eleven that Saturday morning. She glanced at her phone. Ten forty-five.

A teenage girl passed by and disappeared into the attached building.

Anna picked up her pace and followed the girl, who couldn’t have been more than seventeen.

She smiled at Anna and pointed to a handwritten paper sign taped to the glass door. Are you here for the audition?

Relief washed over her. She nodded and smiled back before following the teenager inside and taking a seat next to hers in the cramped space with twenty other young actors. After she ran her tongue across her lips to moisten them, she clenched her jaw. Most of them were several years younger, if not a whole decade her junior.

As she waited, she did facial exercises. Not to be melodramatic, but if she didn’t score this role, she might as well hand in her actors’ union card. Life as she had dreamed would be over, and she’d spend the rest of her best years pitching in at her parents’ pizzeria restaurant as promised.

Her stomach twisted and lurched. She had to make the cut, unlike the first time she had auditioned for this company in New York City. Last night, her agent Sylvia gave her vague details of some sort of an emergency. The casting director asked for Anna to join this round of auditions since she had come close the first time.

He needed temporary fill-ins immediately.

Early that morning, she drove south three hours from her parents’ North Jersey home to Sandy Shores Theatre, experiencing a mixture of emotions. After all, she had grown up here. Her childhood home was a few towns over, and she had the fondest memories of the children’s summer camp theater program at Sandy Shores. A program that was life-changing for her.

Being back in the area caused her to reminisce about James and stirred up buried emotions. Tempted to text her old boyfriend before the results of the audition, she turned off her phone and tossed it into her bag. She’d reach out later when the time was right.

Her palms grew sweaty, and she fanned herself with her portfolio. The air-conditioner in the small room needed to be turned up. She focused on her breathing. Inhale, one, two, three, four, hold. Exhaling, she counted to eight.

What had happened to cause the sudden turn of events? The company was putting on Les Misérables starting this week. Not that she wasn’t grateful but if several of the actors had become sick or some other bizarre event occurred, the understudies would have filled the roles. She prayed the reason wasn’t too serious.

What was important was that opportunity knocked, and she answered the door. Since she had performed a routine from Les Misérables last time, today she’d show her range and sing a song from Chicago, one of her favorite musicals.

The uncomfortable folding chair pinched her thighs. She squirmed as she settled in, waiting her turn. From what she could tell, the theater and the old-fashioned ice cream parlor were still affiliated with each other as they had been before being sold years ago to new owners. Strange that the auditions were being held in an area between the two attached buildings. Maybe the stage was occupied. No matter. She could belt her voice out anywhere.

Behind closed doors, the girl who was called in before her croaked out a rendition of Yankee Doodle Dandy. Odd choice of tunes. The poor girl’s flat and off-key voice sent shivers up Anna’s spine. Ouch. She ran a damp hand across her portfolio and eyed the rest of her competition down the row. Never judge a book by its cover in this business. Any one of them could blow her out of the water with their talent.

The door scraped open, and the girl slunk out. Her shoulders slumped. Moisture grew in her eyes.

A pang of sympathy coursed through Anna. The girl wouldn’t be getting a callback. Besides not being able to hold a tune, she was dressed all wrong for any part in Les Misérables. Only a novice would go in full costume, but one should dress appropriately. Too bad she didn’t have time, or she’d give her a few pointers. Neon-yellow Capris and a T-shirt with the