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La Costa’s first line of business when she got back to Los Angeles and to her desk was to Skype Tess and to relive the previous three days that had her head in the clouds, celebrating all the good news of late, not the least of which was Henry’s beautiful proposal.
Tess had insisted on another live shot of the engagement ring, in spite of having seen it the morning after the party, when she and her family dropped Louis off.
“You know I still can hardly believe that it is happening, girl. It’s stunning!”
“Isn’t it?” La Costa beamed. “I guess I will have to keep up with the manicures again now that I’m hauling this thing around, right?”
“Well, we knew that Henry was working on something, but Demitri and I couldn’t exactly figure out what. It was Henry who had asked us to take Louis for the night, and to say that it was his idea. Very crafty, that man of yours is!” Tess said, leaning in. “Hold it up closer to the camera. Oy! That’s beautiful! I’m just so happy for you, girl.”
“Tess, the party was beyond anything I have ever seen. I just can’t thank you enough for helping to put all that together for me. I am seriously still in shock,” La Costa said.
“Well, you certainly deserved it. Now, there is still much to be done before the group signing, which, by the way, will be on August 21st. Put that date into your calendar and circle it in red.”
“I’m doing it now,” La Costa said.
“In the meantime, I will definitely try to keep you busy with summer signings and appearances. If it’s up to me, you will be the queen of personal appearances—everything from podcasts to conference panels—anywhere we can gain visibility.”
“Just leave me some time to write,” La Costa said. “If I could ever stop staring at my ring!”
“Check that. Oh, I wanted to ask you. Have you decided on where you are going to have Louis’s graduation party next month? Reyce wants the works, like you just had. I put the kibosh on that right away with that one. He’s getting a backyard barbecue right here at Chez Kardamakis.”
“Would you believe that Louis doesn’t want a party?” La Costa said, her mouth bending into a frown. “Says that he just wants to go to Yellowstone with Kayden and his dad for seven days. But get this—he’s asked Henry to go with him.”
“That is really amazing,” Tess said. “I mean, that he feels that close to Henry already.”
“I suppose so, but I thought every high school senior wanted the big cap-tossing thing and all. He just wants a quiet dinner with us after the ceremony, and then to leave the next day for the camping trip.”
“Yellowstone, huh? Well, now I’m thinking that will free you up for a potential week on London’s bookshop circuit. Perfect!”
“Hey, slow down. I’ve got a wedding to plan here!” La Costa said.
“Do you two have a date in mind?” Tess asked, shifting through a messy desk of files.
“No idea. When life slows down long enough for either one of us to catch our breath, I guess we will figure that out. I promise, you’ll be the first to know.”
“As long as I don’t have to squeeze into a God-awful bridesmaid’s dress or anything anytime soon, I’m good. Or, at least give me a thirty-day warning so that I can shed a few pounds.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” La Costa laughed.
“Mazel tov, my friend. I just couldn’t be happier for you,” Tess said, signing off.
* * *
Panther pulled up to the address for the social welfare center that was scrawled on the torn piece of paper taped to her dashboard. The neighborhood was sketchy at best, so she reached over to the glove box and popped it open. A can of pepper spray rolled out onto the floorboard with a thud. She quickly snatched it up and tossed it into her tote bag. Then, she hesitantly opened the car door and stepped into the street. A carful of hoodlums roared past in a tricked-out Bronco, nearly clipping her as they sped by, shouting, “Hey, delicious. Give me some of that brown sugar!” and “Yo! Why don’t you put those lips around my cock!” gesturing obscenities as they leaned out of the open windows, with DMX blaring from the booming speakers.
She hurried over to the nondescript building, littered with all forms of humanity leaning on the brick walls and skulking in the doorways. She pulled on the steel door handle and into a cheerless sterile office building with a glass door on the left and an elevator on the right. The name on the door matched the one on the piece of paper that she was now squeezing in her sweaty palm. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She reached for the door handle, and just as she did so, a skinny black man in saggy pants and wearing a Clippers jersey, bounded off of the elevator and collided with her, knocking her arm and causing her to drop the tote bag. The contents, along with her keys, spilled out onto the sticky linoleum floor.
“Oh, man! My bad, Miss. Sorry!” he said, helping her to retrieve her belongings, including the pepper spray that had fallen on the floor.
“It’s fine,” she said, not making eye contact. She stuffed everything back into the tote bag and reached for the door handle. It was then that he noticed the distinctive tattoo—a small black panther on her left wrist.
He watched as she slipped into the cool bright lights of the social services office suite.
Then, he sauntered out into the daylight, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed his buddy AJ. What were the chances? He couldn’t believe his freaking luck.