“Have you ever heard the theory that people and their pets look alike?” Liv was sitting in a small windowless room, surrounded by no fewer than twenty assorted dogs, cats, and one very loud parakeet.
Anna, who was squatting by her side, straightened the hood on a greyhound’s zip-up sweater and nodded. “I have heard that.”
“Don’t you think Josh Cameron’s dog looks just like him?” Liv giggled, gesturing to a black cocker spaniel that was lying on a cushy armchair in the corner of the room, surveying the rest of the dogs with pity. “The curls, the charming look, the snobby attitude—it’s all there. Poor dog. I have to say, every time I look at that dog, I freak out just a little. It’s frightening how similar they look.”
Liv had totally gotten over Josh Cameron, but couldn’t stop a hint of bitterness from creeping up—in part, because she had been assigned the worst possible task at that night’s Josh Cameron concert. Over the past two weeks the only thing anyone at Music Mix had talked about was the approaching concert, and now that concert was finally here.
Lucky Liv had found herself assigned to the charming job of tending to Josh Cameron’s dog and his backup dancers’ pets during rehearsal and the concert. Which is why she was, at that moment, locked in the pet-bed room she herself had prepared a few weeks before—along with twenty unruly, high-attitude designer pets.
Anna had volunteered to accompany Liv to the concert to help out—she hadn’t gotten an invite to the concert as part of the wardrobe team, and really wanted to see the show. Liv had asked Brown if she could bring backup, and he had—in a fit of kindness—agreed.
The two of them had been stuck in the pet room for the past two hours while Josh Cameron and his dancers rehearsed and relaxed in style. Liv and Anna’s Animal House was not quite as plush—each of the dogs and cats had a squishy bed or pillow, but Liv and Anna were forced to sit on the floor. There were no human-size accommodations in sight.
As Liv prepared doggie dinners, Simon Brown poked his head into the circus and gestured to Liv. “You,” he barked. “You’re needed at the stage. It seems one of the dancers couldn’t part with her pooch until the show started. I refuse to have that… creature… crawling out onstage during the show. So you will collect it from her and hustle back here. Go, Girl!”
Liv groaned. This chore would potentially involve her running into Josh Cameron, which she had been trying to avoid. So far she had succeeded—her Pet Land headquarters had certainly been a good hiding place. But she supposed she couldn’t avoid it all night, and she hustled off down the hall in search of the rogue pet.
In the darkened hallway Liv literally ran into Christy Trimble. Christy was widely known to be the fiercest celebrity on the pop circuit, and everyone tried to stay on her good side. Liv suspected her rather loud outburst at the 400 Bar hadn’t left her in Christy’s good graces.
“Olivia, isn’t it?” Christy asked, surveying Liv’s pet hair–covered jeans and T-shirt. “I’ve been hoping I would see you again.”
Uh-oh.
Christy continued, “Your little ‘exchange’ with Josh Cameron at the 400 Bar a few weeks ago…” She made little quotes in the air with her perfectly manicured fingers, then broke into a smile. “Well done. I haven’t seen anyone stand up to Josh like that before. I’m impressed.”
“Oh,” Liv said, flustered. “Uh, thanks. Really?”
“Really. That speech of yours was priceless. He needed that. And, despite what the gossip rags say, Cherie Jacobson is a good friend of mine. I filled her in on your little outburst, and she got a huge kick out of it. She thinks you’re fabulous now, and wanted me to pass along her congratulations. You were a hit, girl.
“If you ever need anything, give me a call.” Christy hastily scribbled out her cell phone number on a piece of paper and stuffed it into Liv’s jeans pocket. “I mean it. Anything, anytime. I like you—you have spunk.” With a wink, Christy turned and strutted down the hall.
Liv laughed in disbelief, and wandered over to the stage area. As she walked through the wings, Liv heard Rebecca before she saw her. Rebecca had been given the opportunity to introduce Josh Cameron to the audience—a reward from the producers on the events team, apparently—and she hadn’t stopped gloating about it all week. Now Rebecca was standing just off to one side of the stage, swooshing her hair and rehearsing.
“Y’all, please welcome Josh Cameron!” Liv cringed when she heard Rebecca’s drawl. As Liv poked her head around a curtain to see if the backup dancers were anywhere nearby, Rebecca spotted her and motioned her to come over.
“Oh, Li-uhv,” she gushed. “Ah just can’t wait to do this. I’m ready!” Liv was a little frightened—Rebecca seemed a lot like a cheerleader. A psycho cheerleader. There was something unsettling about how much enthusiasm she seemed to have about doing this introduction.
“Are you nervous?” Liv asked, only mildly curious. If she had to get up onstage in front of thousands of people, she would be freaked out. Her performance on the catwalk at Runway had been hard enough. But Liv suspected Rebecca wouldn’t show weakness, even if she were mortified.
“Not one teeny tiny little bit,” Rebecca said. Liv thought she saw a hint of terror cross Rebecca’s face, but it was immediately covered by another huge grin and a hair toss.
Just as Liv was about to excuse herself to continue her quest for the missing dog, the lights dimmed and the crowd started cheering. The concert was about to start.
“Oh gosh, Li-uhv,” Rebecca said, grabbing Liv’s arm tightly for support. “Please don’t leave me. It’s almost time.” Liv studied Rebecca’s face in the dim light. The self-composed Rebecca that had been next to her a second before was gone—she had been replaced by a panic-stricken, teary-eyed mess.
Liv could hear the band tuning behind the curtain onstage. She and Rebecca were shooed to the side as the backup dancers filed past and into their places onstage. One dancer hastily dumped a pug (who was wearing a PUG REVOLUTION T-shirt) into Liv’s arms as she passed. Just as Josh Cameron sauntered past them and up the stairs to the stage (without so much as a glance in Liv’s direction), a producer approached Rebecca with a microphone and announced, “You’re on. Go!”
Pug in hand, Liv turned to wish Rebecca good luck. That’s when she realized something was desperately wrong. Rebecca had turned a nauseating shade of green. “Oh, Li-uhv,” she whined. “Ah just can’t do this. You go.” Then she handed Liv the microphone and pleaded with her eyes.
“No way,” Liv said, pushing the mic toward Rebecca. “This is what you’ve been waiting for!”
“Ah can’t! Ah swear.” Rebecca was quaking with fear. “Please go, Li-uhv.”
Realizing there were very few options—someone had to introduce the jerk—Liv took the microphone and moved up the stairs to the stage. She had no idea what she was supposed to do, but figured she could wing it. She gently pulled aside a small section of the curtain. The pug—which was still under one arm—whined as the roar of the crowd crept around the edge of the curtain. Gulp.
Liv gingerly moved onto the stage. She was greeted by thousands of screaming, applauding fans. Before she could freak herself out any further, Liv leaned into the microphone and shouted, “Hello, London!” Huge applause. “Music Mix is proud to present…” She lifted the pug into the air. “… Josh Cameron!”
The crowd roared. Liv had survived. Taking a deep breath, she moved behind the curtain. As she passed Josh Cameron on her way offstage, he smiled at her and gave her a little wink. Liv winked back—and realized he didn’t intimidate her anymore. She finally felt like they were on the same level. Before jogging offstage, she turned and said calmly, “Good luck out there… Josh.”
“So it turns out, our favorite roommate is mortified of public speaking,” Liv said. She and Anna were sitting in a banquette at the concert’s wrap party later that night. Gloria had convinced Brown to rent out a nearby club to congratulate the Music Mix crew on a job well done and to impress Josh Cameron and his dancers—Brown had agreed it was a good idea after the pop star had agreed to attend the party. Now most of the interns were packed onto the dance floor trying to get near him—Liv did not feel inspired to join them.
“I think tonight probably ruined her chances for the VJ for a Day audition,” Anna said, stretching back into the booth. “If she really was planning to audition—I wonder if it was all just for show?”
“You’re right,” Liv said thoughtfully. “This may sound crazy, but do you think there’s any way we could work with her? We could use her help with the makeup and hair. Right?”
“Aha,” Anna said knowingly. “A plan.”
“A plan.” Now that Liv thought about it, asking Rebecca to join their VJ for a Day team was perfect—she had a lot of good ideas; she just needed to be reined in. Liv hoped their flatmate would agree to collaboration. After her humiliation at the concert earlier that evening, Liv suspected Rebecca would do anything to avoid public speaking again—and Liv knew she wouldn’t easily give up a chance to win something. Liv and Anna could be her only chance.
“Liv?” Anna was looking across the dance floor at the club’s front door. She pointed to two familiar figures who had just entered the party. “Is that Colin and Francesco?”
Liv glanced up. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Colin’s grin from afar. “Uh-huh.”
“So,” Anna said quietly. “What do you want to do?”
“I just can’t believe how much I’ve screwed this up,” Liv responded. As she did, she stood and waved Colin and Francesco over to their table. “I think I need to just try to talk to him again—at the very least, I can salvage the friendship, right? There’s no need to avoid him.…”
Liv’s stomach was in knots. She hadn’t seen much of Colin since their last run-in at Tully’s. He’d been really busy with work—and helping Rebecca with her VJ for a Day audition—and Liv had been spending most of her time with Anna working on their audition. Though she knew there was no hope for anything more than friendship with Colin, Liv wanted to try to preserve that. She couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun they had had that summer—if she could just get her heart to stop thumping so hard every time he was nearby, she knew they could have a really great friendship.
As Colin and Francesco approached their table, Anna stood and grabbed Francesco’s arm. “Francesco! Buon giorno! Come—dance with me!”
Not so subtle, Liv thought, cringing. But she shot her friend a grateful look, and—after a quick cheek-kiss from Francesco—turned to Colin. “Hey.”
“Hello,” Colin murmured, sliding into the booth beside her.
“So formal, Liv,” Colin said, grinning. “It’s not like you, yeah? But to answer your question, I’ve been good.”
Liv relaxed. Clearly, this was the same old Colin. “Good. Sorry. So did you enjoy the Josh Cameron concert? Somehow I ended up onstage, introducing him. Which was awkward,” Liv broke off. Of course, she just had to bring up Josh Cameron. Swell, Liv, swell.
“Awkward because… he’s your boyfriend, yeah?”
“Oh no, no. That’s done. Over. It wasn’t pretty.” She shrugged.
“Over?” Colin said, tilting his head.
“Yeah, I broke things off after that night at As You Like It.”
Did he not know that? Liv wondered, thinking back to their recent conversation at Tully’s. “The thing is,” she continued, her heart thumping as she realized she couldn’t stop herself. “I guess I was looking for more than just a famous date—I think I’m better suited to someone who I can be myself with. But sometimes you figure that out a little too late…,” she broke off, and stared down at the table.
Colin sat there quietly, waiting for Liv to continue. She flushed as he stared at her in the club lights. “But you know what?” she said boldly, looking directly at him, “I think I missed my chance with the right guy.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” he said, frowning. “Liv, can I ask you something?” She nodded. “Do you remember the night we went to the Globe?”
“Of course,” she answered. “It’s the highlight of my summer so far.”
Colin looked relieved. “Well, do you remember how you kept nodding at everything my uncle asked you?” Liv nodded, hearing Ginger’s thick accent in her head. She impulsively grinned at the memory of Colin in his kilt.
“Well…,” he said, smiling slightly. “While we were there, Ginger asked you a lot of strange things that you kept nodding at. One of the things he asked was whether you ‘fancied his nephew’—did you know that?” Colin looked at Liv, hopeful. She shook her head, but a slow smile spread across her face. He continued, “I, ah, I didn’t want to bring it up then—you know, Josh and all—but… well, is there any chance that could be true?”
Liv began to nod, then paused. She wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but she needed to clear something up. “What about Lucy, the girl from the play? Aren’t you together?”
“Me and Lucy? Hmm.” Colin scratched his head. “Sure, we’ve been together about seventeen years.” He broke into a huge smile. “Liv, Lucy is my little sister. She was in town visiting me from Stratford. She loves Shakespeare, so we decided to go to the show. She thought you were very nice, by the way. Josh Cameron—not so much.”
“Oh,” Liv said, suddenly completely at ease. “I see. So you’re not… together, together.”
“Not quite. Liv, I wanted to ask you out the first night I met you—but you were distracted with…” He gestured to Josh Cameron, who had begun to break-dance on the dance floor. “And then after our day in London, and the night at the Globe… but I just couldn’t compete.”
“Is it too late?” Liv wondered, not immediately realizing she’d said it aloud.
Colin shook his head and tiny little dimples popped up in his cheeks. He looked so adorable that Liv just couldn’t stop herself. So she leaned her face toward his, and hoped that—for once—she wasn’t saying or doing the wrong thing. As their lips touched, Liv could feel a smile tugging at the edges of Colin’s mouth. She smiled back, thinking about how long it had taken to get it right.
As she relaxed into the kiss, Liv could have sworn she heard Anna and Francesco whooping from across the dance floor.