CHAPTER THREE

 

 

My windows all the way down, hot evening air whips my blond hair around my face as I drive back toward home, where Sutton and Liv will be wrapping up most of their work for the day. Next to me, I’ve got platters full of sushi from our favorite place, including veggie rolls for Liv.

Tonight, we’ve got big, big plans.

Not only are we going to celebrate reaching two million followers on Instagram, but I finally signed the contract between G&G and the cute LA boutique where Liv is going to launch our limited fashion line. It’s a small line, but then again, our YouTube channel was small once upon a time, too, and look at it now. Soon, all the trendy girls and guys in LA will be rocking our styles.

Usually, on the ride home from the city, I’m dissecting every minute of my meetings and today I had tons, from the boutique to Fostering Tomorrow to some other sponsors, but tonight, there’s a certain tall, dark, and handsome man that’s haunting my thoughts.

Grayson.

What is he doing now?

Did he find some other cute girl to take to that fancy French place? Was he just flirting to flirt?

Ugh.

“This is what happens when you fall out of the dating game for so long, Kali,” I chide myself. “You start overthinking things way too much.”

It doesn’t help that I’m a total pro at overthinking everything. That habit of mine is part of what’s made Glossed & Glammed so successful. In a way, it’s a double-edged sword, I suppose. It’s made me a great businesswoman, but a not-so-great seductress.

I simply can’t help thinking about Grayson and whether or not I should have pulled the Cinderella-at-midnight act and disappeared.

I don’t like to live with regrets. I’ve been through enough in the past twenty-two years of my life to know that your time on this planet is short and you have to make every second count. But even so, I did the right thing. Didn't I? I mean, our brand is getting so big now and it needs my attention more than ever before.

Still, I guess I could’ve at least said goodbye to Grayson like a normal human being. Maybe even gotten a business card from him.

Too late now. What’s done is done.

As I pull around to the back of the house and into the garage, I can see George peering eagerly out through the window beside it. His sleek tail wags so fervently back and forth that it’s hardly more than a blur. He lets out a single, muffled bark to announce to everyone inside that I’m finally home.

Turning off the engine, I grab my purse and the trays of sushi.

“Georgie!” I call, throwing open the door to the house.

The moment he hears his name, George launches himself at me and I scoop him up with my free arm to hold him close. Soon, he’s going to grow into his huge paws and be far too big for this, so I try and make every cuddle count right now.

“Hey, babe!” Sutton says from where she’s perched in front of her laptop in the living room. She’s sitting on the soft pastel pink rug with Coco in her lap and her back resting against the couch. Her long, dark hair is piled in a bun on the top of her head and Coco occasionally bats at a few loose strands. “I'm just waiting for the video to finish uploading to YouTube now. I made some coffee if you want some.”

She gestures toward the steaming mug in front of her and I barely hide a wince. Some of Sutton’s famous bitter coffee? No thanks. Not if I want my taste buds intact for our celebration tonight anyway.

“I thought we were breaking out the nice champagne?” I ask, noticing Liv as she wanders down the hall with a little gray fluffball hopping at her heels.

Chanel, the bunny, follows Liv everywhere when she’s out of her castle-sized hutch. I still can’t believe Liv managed to hide Chanel in her freshman dorm all those years ago. Thinking of our sweet Liv being so roguish always makes me laugh, but she’d do anything for animals. She’s even been pushing Sutton and me to try her strict vegan diet.

“Hell, yeah!” Liv giggles.

Judging by the language and the rosy glow of her face, someone has already been tasting some booze tonight.

“Did you get the party started without me?” I ask, pretending to be put out, which earns me more laughter from Liv.

“I just had a glass of rosé,” she protests. I don’t doubt for a second that a single glass of alcohol has Liv pink-faced and giddy. She hooks her arm around me and drags me toward the kitchen, George at my heels. “We’ve been waiting on you to pop the good bubbly.”

On top of the granite island, the aged Dom Perignon champagne that we’d splurged on for our intimate celebration sits in a silver bucket of ice, waiting for us. Liv takes the trays of sushi from me and sets them down beside it while I wash my hands. Sutton pads barefoot into the kitchen, lacing her fingers together in front of her on the island and bobs on her toes, eager for a taste of the good stuff. Coco hops up onto a nearby counter and appraises all of us in the same manner a queen would her servants. Judging by her expectant kitty expression, Coco fully expects a glass herself.

“Pop it, pop it!” Liv and Sutton cry together.

Grinning at them, I grab the bottle and slowly twist the cork. It suddenly bursts forward, flying across the kitchen as all three of us squeal at once. Even George lets out an excited bark.

Before any of the luxurious brut champagne can spill on the floor, I pour it into three waiting flute glasses. Sutton, who’d begun filming us on her phone as soon as I picked up the champagne bottle, promptly starts snapping pictures for our socials. When she finally sets her phone aside, we lift our glasses and clink them together.

“To sisterhood,” I say earnestly.

Liv giggles. “To the next milestone!”

“And to fame!” Sutton eagerly adds.

We all laugh and take a long sip of the bubbly.

I close my eyes, savoring the decadent taste as little bubbles dance across my tongue.

“It’s so good,” Liv gushes as she bounces on the balls of her feet. “I wish we bought two bottles.”

“At a thousand bucks a pop, I think one will do,” I say, opening my eyes to find that Sutton has already begun refilling our flutes.

“So sensible,” Sutton teases with a wink. “We’re practically drowning in money and fame, but Kali has to keep us grounded.”

I playfully stick my tongue out at my two best friends and take another sip.

We all settle down together at the island in the center of our state-of-the-art sprawling kitchen where we have a small arrangement of sumptuous desserts and treats from the finer shops around LA in addition to the sushi I picked up earlier. We’d tossed around the idea of hosting some big gala to celebrate our latest milestone, but in the end, we decided that the best celebration of all would be to spend time together, just the three of us. Between all of our projects, we’re always so busy now that it’s rare for us to just hang out together and have a good time without it turning into a work discussion. Filming videos with my girls is great, but it’s still work, and as much as I love work, I love to play, too. We can’t exactly go many places without being recognized, either, so what better place is there than home?

“Okay, spill,” Liv suddenly demands, setting down her crystal champagne flute and flattening her palms on the countertop. The noise makes Chanel jump and the fuzzy lop bunny hops in circles around Liv’s ankles.

I blink. “What are you talking about?”

In an effort to escape Liv’s dark prying eyes, I scoop up George and cuddle him to my chest. The pup lays his paws over my shoulder and nestles against me, but he’s growing so big so fast that my arms are already getting tired. I’m going to have to book another one of those power yoga classes that Sutton won’t ever stop going on and on about.

On the other side of the island, Sutton sips her champagne and smirks at me. “It’s totally obvious there’s something going on in that pretty head of yours, Kali. Not even perfectly applied makeup can cover that, babe. Did something happen in LA?”

I gently set George down on the tile floor and pat his silky head. There’s just no hiding anything from my besties. They can always read me like a book.

“Well...” I begin slowly, trying to figure out exactly how many details I want to share. “I was running late to my meeting when I got recognized on the street.”

Liv and Sutton regard me over the rims of their flutes, waiting for me to continue. Getting recognized happens so much that it’s hardly something to report on.

“So, naturally, I ran into a library to hide,” I continue.

“As one does,” Sutton agrees flatly.

Next to her, Liv leans forward in her barstool, looking utterly entranced by my story.

I clear my throat. “When I did, I bumped into someone—”

Liv’s eyes go wide “A guy, right? Tell me it was a guy!”

“A guy?” Sutton echoes.

Reluctantly, I nod my head. “A guy.”

Liv, ever captivated by potential romance of any form, squeals and claps her hands together. “So, is he coming around? Who is he? What does he do? Is he cute?”

I grin and nod. “The cutest.”

I open my mouth to tell the girls about how sure I am that Grayson didn’t recognize me, but I find myself hesitant to admit that, even to my best friends. We’re all so excited about how big our brand is getting that announcing a super-hot hunk didn’t recognize me feels like I’m turning my back on our fame. Like I don’t appreciate it. Which I do.

Instead, I forcefully change the subject, which comes a little easier thanks to the booze.

“Anyway, tonight isn’t about a boy,” I say, gesturing at our fine champagne and spread of seriously yummy looking food. “Tonight is about us, girls. It’s about Glossed & Glammed. Let’s celebrate!”

Liv and Sutton both cheer, but I find I have to work a little harder to put a smile on my face than I expected. All I can think about it are Grayson’s warm brown eyes and handsome smile.

There’s simply no way I’m going to be able to put him behind me, is there?