{"product_id":"the-cottage-isbn-9780385342544","title":"The Cottage","description":"\u003cb\u003e#1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author Danielle Steel weaves a compelling story of   fame and friendship, charmed lives and private struggles . . . and of three very different   men whose lives converge and collide.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On a sunny day in Hollywood,   a gleaming Rolls-Royce convertible pulls through the gates of the magnificent estate   known as The Cottage. Modeled after the “cottages” of Newport, Rhode Island, the   spacious, elegant property, sitting on fourteen acres of lush Bel Air, fits its owner   to a T. For the man behind the wheel of the Rolls is Hollywood’s ageless wonder,   Cooper Winslow. A star of the silver screen for decades, a man whose allure to women   is the stuff of legend, Coop exudes grace, charm, and old-fashioned style. But today   Coop Winslow is in for a major surprise. He’s broke. And with no major roles coming   his way, Coop is faced with the heartbreaking prospect of selling his beloved home   of forty years, or at least renting out the gatehouse and part of the main house. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e His new tenants, Mark Friedman and Jimmy O’Connor, are busy coping with   problems of their own. Mark’s wife of sixteen years just walked out, and Jimmy recently   lost his own wife to a devastating illness. But everything changes when Mark’s teenage   son and daughter move in. Suddenly, The Cottage is transformed, with music blasting   from every corner, teenagers on skateboards crashing into vintage cars, and a never-ending   parade of young starlets streaming in and out to visit Coop. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But amid all the noise   and the chaos, something unexpected is happening.  Three men who never would have   met are becoming friends . . . and each man finds himself changing in surprising ways,   Coop most of all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e First,   a tabloid scandal erupts, threatening Coop’s budding romance with a wealthy debutante.   . . A stranger approaches Coop with stunning news. . . . A devastating accident almost   claims the life of one of the housemates. . . . And in the midst of it all, The Cottage   welcomes a new houseguest with a secret of her own, who will change Coop’s life in   unexpected ways.  Because among the people who share his cottage and his life, Coop   Winslow–loner, bachelor, movie star–may find the rarest of all opportunities: a chance   to build a happiness he could never have dreamed of on his own, and to become the   kind of human being he has never been. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Against a glittering backdrop of celebrity   and glamour, Danielle Steel digs deeper to tell a story of friendship and love, tragedy   and second chances . . . of the choices and unexpected turns of fate that can shape characters   and lives.\u003cb\u003ePraise for Danielle Steel\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Steel is one of the best!”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Few modern writers convey the pathos of family and material life with such heartfelt empathy.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Philadelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Steel pulls out all the emotional stops. . . . She delivers!”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What counts for the reader is the ring of authenticity.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eDanielle Steel \u003c\/b\u003ehas been hailed as one of the world’s bestselling authors, with a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include \u003ci\u003eHappiness, Palazzo, The Wedding Planner, Worthy Opponents, Without a Trace, The Whittiers, The High Notes, \u003c\/i\u003eand other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of \u003ci\u003eHis Bright Light\u003c\/i\u003e, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; \u003ci\u003eA Gift of Hope\u003c\/i\u003e, a memoir of her work with the homeless; \u003ci\u003eExpect a Miracle\u003c\/i\u003e, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; \u003ci\u003ePure Joy\u003c\/i\u003e, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books \u003ci\u003ePretty Minnie in Paris\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePretty Minnie in Hollywood\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003ci\u003eChapter One\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The sun glinted on the elegant mansard roof of \u003ci\u003eThe Cottage \u003c\/i\u003e, as Abe  Braunstein drove around the last bend in the seemingly endless driveway. The sight  of the imposing French manor would have taken his breath away, if the driver had  been anyone but Abe. It was a spectacular home, and he had been there dozens of times  before. The Cottage was one of the last legendary homes of Hollywood. It was reminiscent  of the palaces built by the Vanderbilts and Astors in Newport, Rhode Island, at the  turn of the century. This one was in the style of an eighteenth century French chateau  and was opulent, handsome, graceful, exquisite in every aspect of its design. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It  had been built for Vera Harper, one of the great stars of silent movies, in 1918.  She had been one of the few early stars to conserve her fortune, had married well  more than once, and had lived there until she died at a ripe old age in 1959. Cooper  Winslow had bought it from her estate a year later. She had had no children and no  heirs, and had left everything she had, including The Cottage to the Catholic Church.  He had paid a handsome sum for it even then, because his career had been booming  at the time. His acquisition of The Cottage\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ehad caused a considerable stir. It had  been quite an extraordinary house and property for a young man of twenty-eight, no  matter how major a star he was. Coop had had no embarrassment about living in the  palatial home, and was comfortable that it was worthy of him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The house was surrounded  by fourteen acres of park and impeccably manicured gardens in the heart of Bel Air;  it had a tennis court, an enormous pool paved in blue and gold mosaic, and there  were fountains located in a number of places on the grounds. The design of the grounds  and gardens had allegedly been copied from Versailles. It was quite a place. Inside  the house were high-vaulted ceilings, many of them painted by artists brought in  from France to do the work. The dining room and library were wood-paneled, and the  boiseries and floors in the living room had been brought over from a chateau in France.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It had provided a wonderful setting for Vera Harper, and had been a spectacular  home for Cooper Winslow ever since. And the one thing Abe Braunstein was grateful  for was that Cooper Winslow had bought it outright when he purchased it in 1960,  although he had taken two mortgages out on it since. But even they didn't hamper  its value. It was by far the most important piece of property in Bel Air. It would  have been hard to put a price on it today. There were certainly no other houses comparable  to it in the area, or anywhere else for that matter, except maybe in Newport, but  the value of the estate in Bel Air was far greater than it would have been anywhere  else, despite the fact that it was now somewhat in disrepair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There were two gardeners  pulling weeds around the main fountain as Abe got out of his car, and two others  working in a flowerbed nearby, as Abe made a mental note to cut the gardening staff  in half, at the very least. All he could see as he looked around him were numbers,  and dollar bills flying out windows. He knew almost to the penny what it cost Winslow  to run the place. It was an obscene amount by anyone's standards, and certainly by  Abe's. He did the accounting for at least half the major stars in Hollywood, and  had learned long since not to gasp or wince or faint or make overt gestures of outrage  when he heard what they spent on houses and cars and furs and diamond necklaces for  their girlfriends. But in comparison to Cooper Winslow, all of their extravagances  paled. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Abe was convinced that Coop Winslow spent more than King Farouk. He'd been  doing it for nearly fifty years, he spent money like water, and hadn't had an important  part in a major movie in more than twenty years. For the last ten, he'd been reduced  to minor character parts, and cameo appearances, for which he was paid very little.  And for the most part, no matter what the movie or the role or the costume, Cooper  always seemed to play the dashing, charming, fabulously handsome Casanova, and more  recently the irresistible aging roue. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But no matter how irresistible he still was  on screen, there were fewer and fewer parts for him to play. In fact, as Abe rang  the front door bell and waited for someone to answer, Coop hadn't had any part at  all in just over two years. But he claimed he met with directors and producers about  their new movies every day. Abe had come to talk turkey with him about that, and  about cutting back his expenses radically in the near future. He had been living  in debt and on promises for the past five years. And Abe didn't care if he made commercials  for his neighborhood butcher, but Coop was going to have to get out and work--and  soon. There were a lot of changes he was going to have to make. He had to cut back  dramatically, reduce his staff, sell some of his cars, stop buying clothes and staying  at the most expensive hotels around the world. Either that, or sell the house, which  Abe would have preferred.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He wore a dour expression as he stood in his gray summer  suit, white shirt, and black and gray tie, as a butler in a morning coat opened the  front door. He recognized the accountant immediately and nodded a silent greeting.  Livermore knew from experience that whenever the accountant came to visit, it put  his employer in a dreadful mood. It sometimes required an entire bottle of \u003ci\u003eCristal\u003c\/i\u003e champagne to restore him to his usual good spirits, sometimes an entire tin of caviar  too. He had put both on ice the moment Liz Sullivan, Coop's secretary, had warned  Livermore that the accountant would be arriving at noon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e She had been waiting for  Abe in the paneled library, and crossed the front hall with a smile as soon as she  heard the bell. She had been there since ten that morning, going over some papers  to prepare for the meeting, and she'd had a knot in her stomach since the night before.  She had tried to warn Coop what the meeting was about, but he'd been too busy to  listen the previous day. He was going to a black-tie party, and wanted to be sure  to get a haircut, a massage, and a nap before he went out. And she hadn't seen him  that morning. He was out at a breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel when she arrived,  with a producer who had called him about a movie with a possible part in it for him.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It was hard to pin Coop down, particularly if it involved bad news or something  unpleasant. He had an instinctive sense, a kind of finely tuned supersonic radar  that warned him almost psychically about things he didn't want to hear. Like incoming  Scud missiles, he managed to dodge them with ease. But she knew he had to listen  this time, and he had promised to be back by noon. With Coop, that meant closer to  two.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Hello, Abe, it's nice to see you,\" Liz said warmly. She was wearing khaki  slacks, a white sweater, and a string of pearls, none of which flattered her figure,  which had expanded considerably in the twenty-two years she'd worked for Coop. But  she had a lovely face, and naturally blonde hair. She had been truly beautiful when  Coop hired her, she had looked like an advertisement for Breck shampoo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It had been  love at first sight between them, not literally, or at least not from Coop's side.  He thought she was terrific, and valued her flawless efficiency, and the motherly  way she had taken care of him from the first. When he hired her she had been thirty  years old, and he was forty-eight. She had worshipped him, and had a secret crush  on him for years. She had given her life's blood to the impeccable running of Cooper  Winslow's life, working fourteen hours a day, sometimes seven days a week, if he  needed her, and in the process, she had forgotten to get married or have kids. It  was a sacrifice she had willingly made for him. She still thought he was worth it.  And at times she was worried sick about him, particularly in recent years. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Reality  was not important to Cooper Winslow. He considered it a minor inconvenience, like  a mosquito buzzing around his head, and he avoided it all costs. Successfully, from  his perspective at least, most of the time. Nearly always in fact. Coop only heard  what he wanted to hear, i.e., only good news. The rest he filtered out long before  it reached either his brain or his ears. And so far, he had gotten away with it.  Abe had come that morning to deliver reality to him, whether Coop liked it or not.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Hello, Liz. Is he here?\" Abe asked, looking stern. He hated dealing with Coop.  They were opposites in every way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Not yet,\" she said with a friendly smile, as  she led him back to the library, where she'd been waiting for both of them. \"But  he'll be back any minute. He had a meeting about a lead part.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"In what? A cartoon?\"  Liz very diplomatically did not respond. She hated it when people said rude things  about Coop. But she also knew how irritated the accountant had been with him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Coop  had followed absolutely none of his advice, and his precarious financial situation  had become even more so, disastrously so in fact, in the past two years. And Abe's  last words to Liz on the phone the day before had been \"This has to stop.\" He had  come on a Saturday morning to deliver the message, and it annoyed him no end that  as usual, Coop was late. He always was. And because of who he was, and how endearing  he could be when he chose to, people always waited for him. Even Abe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Would you  like a drink?\" Liz asked, playing hostess, as Livermore stood by stone-faced. He  had a single expression he used in every situation, none. It seemed to suit his part.  Although rumor had it that once or twice, when Cooper teased him mercilessly about  something, he had actually smiled. But no one had actually seen him do it, so it  was more legend than fact. But Coop swore he did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"No, thanks,\" Abe said, looking  almost equally expressionless as the butler, although Liz could see that irritation  was creeping in at a rapid speed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Iced tea?\" There was still an ingenue quality  about her as she tried to put him at ease.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"That would be fine. How late do you  think he'll be?\" It was twelve-oh-five. And they both knew that Coop would think  nothing of being an hour or two late. But he would come armed with a plausible excuse,  and a dazzling smile, which made women go weak at the knees, but not Abe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Hopefully,  it won't be long. It's just a preliminary meeting. They were going to give him a  script to read.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Why?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e His more recent parts had been walk-ons, or showed him  walking in or out of a premiere, or at a bar draped over some girl. Almost every  part he played was in black tie. And he was as charming on the set as he was in real  life. So much so that even now, the perks in his contracts were legendary. He somehow  always got to keep his costumes, and negotiated his wardrobe, custom made at all  his favorite tailors in Paris, London, and Milan. In addition to which, much to Abe's  chagrin, he continued to buy more, wherever he went, along with antiques, crystal,  linens, and staggeringly expensive art for his house. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The bills were stacked up  on Abe's desk, along with the bill for his most recent Rolls. Rumor had it he currently  had his eye on a limited-edition, turbo-powered convertible Bentley Azure for half  a million dollars. It would be a handsome addition to the two Rolls, a convertible  and a sedan, and the custom-built Bentley limousine he had in the garage. Coop viewed  the cars and wardrobe not as luxuries, but as the necessities of life. Those were  the basics, the rest was cream.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A houseman appeared from the kitchen with two glasses  of iced tea on a silver tray. Livermore had disappeared. The young man hadn't even  left the room when Abe looked over at Liz with a frown.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"He's got to fire the staff.  I want to do it today.\" Liz saw the houseman glance back over his shoulder with a  look of concern, and she smiled reassuringly at him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It was her job to keep everyone  happy and pay what bills she could. Their salaries were always top on her list, but  even those had to slide for a month or two at times. They were used to it. And she  herself hadn't been paid in six months. She'd had a little trouble explaining that  to her fiance. She always caught up when Coop did a commercial or got a small part  in a film. She could afford to be patient. Unlike Coop, she had a nest egg socked  away. She never had time to spend money, and she had lived frugally for years. Coop  was always generous with her, when he could.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Maybe we can let them go slowly, Abe.  This is going to be hard on them.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"He can't pay them, Liz. You know that. I'm going  to advise him to sell the cars and the house. He won't get much for the cars, but  if he sells the house, we can pay off the mortgage, and his debts, and he can live  decently on the rest. He can buy an apartment in Beverly Hills, and be in good shape  again.\" He hadn't been in years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But the house, Liz knew, was part of Coop, like  an arm or a leg or an eye. It was his heart. It had been part of his identity for  more than forty years. Coop would rather have died than sell The Cottage\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e. And he  wouldn't part with the cars, she was sure. The idea of Coop behind the wheel of anything  but a Rolls or a Bentley was unthinkable. His image was part of who he was, all of  who he was in fact. And most people had no idea that he was in dire financial straits.  They just thought he was casual about paying his bills. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There had been a little  problem with the IRS a few years before, and Liz had seen to it that all the proceeds  from a movie he made in Europe had gone to them instantly. It had never happened  again. But things were tough these days. All he needed was one great film, Coop said.  And Liz echoed that to Abe. She always defended Coop, and had for twenty-two years.  It was getting harder to do so lately because of the irresponsible way he behaved.  That was just Coop, they both knew well.","brand":"Dell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305027719397,"sku":"NP9780385342544","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780385342544.jpg?v=1767738845","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-cottage-isbn-9780385342544","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}