Shayne was still talking animatedly. “Don’t tell me you forgot, girl. We said we’d all meet here a month after your surgery to celebrate your new… what did you call them? Foobs! Fake boobs! This is your foobiversary party! Grams has beencooking all morning! Reena and Nadim will be here soon! Ruby, too!”
Marley winced. “Oh. Right. Forgot about that.”
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Shayne put his hands up in the air. “Now they’re here early, and I haven’t had the chance to put up the decorations yet. I boughtso manynipple pasties!” He headed to the door.
While Shayne answered the door, Nikhil considered exactly how Shayne was planning to decorate with nipple pasties. He was pulled out of his train of thought when Shayne squealed and slammed the door shut. He rushed back to the living room, looking as if he’d seen a ghost.
“What is it?” Marley asked.
“Um.” Shayne looked at Nikhil. “I assume this has something to do with you. Can you tell me whyLily Lavenderis on my grandmother’s front porch?”
Nikhil’s head shot toward the door. “Serenais here?” What the hell? How did she even know where Nikhil was? Unless… She’d better not be here to harass Marley. He glanced at Marley, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
Shayne shook his head. “I can’t believe this. Do you know how many posters of her I had on my bedroom wall right upstairs?” He fanned his face. “This is a lot. Now I’m all flushed.”
Nikhil got up quickly from his seat and went to the door. And yes. Serena was there. Caroline was with her.
“What are you two doing here?” Nikhil asked. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Reggie knows everything,” Caroline said.
Of course he did.
It looked like they’d come from the gym, since bothCaroline and Serena were in their athletic wear, and Caroline’s hair was damp. Serena tilted her head, looking curiously at Nikhil. “Is there a cat in your pocket?”
He absently started rubbing McQueen’s head, who was peeking out to see who was visiting. “Yes. Why are you here?”
Caroline smiled. She looked… well, uncomfortable, yes, but also like she was here to extend an olive branch and fix things between all of them. “We missed you in rehearsals today,” Caroline said. “Can we talk a moment? We won’t take too much of your time. Maybe… inside?” She glanced at the road behind her.
Nikhil understood Caroline’s point. The last thing they all needed was to be seen. He supposed he had no choice but to let Serena and Caroline into Marley’s house.
“Take your shoes off,” Nikhil said as Serena and Caroline crowded into the small entranceway of the house. “We can talk in the…” Marley and Shayne were in the living room. He could take them to his room—actually, the sewing room. It wasn’t his anymore.
Shayne was still standing with a shocked expression in the middle of the living room. “I… uh. You… water?”
Nikhil frowned. “I think he’s offering you a glass of water. This is Shayne. He lives here. And Marley”—he gestured to Marley, who was still sitting on the sofa—“my… friend.”
Marley looked less starstruck about Serena Vox being in her living room. She looked unamused. Which made sense because this superstar had caused a lot of grief for her recently. But Marley still had manners, so she started to stand to greet the guests.
“No, please don’t get up,” Serena said, smiling and approaching Marley to shake her hand. “It’s so great to finallymeet you. I’ll be honest—more than one person has told me that I need to hire the stylist who turned Nik Sharma into a style icon in only a few weeks. Is that your cat in Nik’s sweater? It’s adorable!”
Marley narrowed her eyes. Nikhil didn’t blame her. He didn’t trust Serena, either. Why was she being so… pleasant?
At that moment there was a brief knock at the door, quickly followed by the sound of Reena and her husband talking as they came into the house. Nikhil cringed. The fact that they walked right into the living room where Shayne, Nikhil, Serena, and Caroline were all still standing was awkward enough, but the way they were dressed…
Wait.Whatwere they wearing?
Both Nadim and Reena were wearing large white T-shirts. And both had what looked like huge beach balls stuffed under them at the stomach. Marley had mentioned that Reena was expecting, but this was a strange way to announce it. That’s when Nikhil fully registered that there were triangles of red fabric covering a portion of each ball-stuffed shirt. And with the two of them standing side by side, it was clear they were dressed as breasts wearing a skimpy red bra. Reena and Nadim were staring at Serena Vox, mouths agape.
Nadim was the first to be able to speak. “You’re…” he stammered.
Shayne was a little more acclimatized to the A-list celebrity in the room and could speak. “She’s Lily Lavender.”
Marley snorted a laugh. “Reena, why are you dressed like that?”
“Um, your party?” Reena said. “Surprise?”
Caroline shook her head, laughing. “I’m Caroline, the stunt coordinator for the Ironis movies. And this is Serena. Ilovethat costume. Can I steal the concept for a breast cancer fundraiser I’m doing next month?”
