“That sounds wonderful,” I said, eyes stinging. “You’re sweet to offer.”
“Okay, cool,” Mia said. “Maybe an easel for her room? Like a little art corner?”
“Absolutely,” Lila said. “What else does she like? Can you tell from any of the other photos?”
“Yeah, it looks like she’s into dance.” I showed them a picture of Margot wearing a pink leotard and ballet slippers.
“We’ll get her enrolled at Gillian’s studio,” Lila said. “That way she’ll meet some other kids before school starts.”
I startled. School. I hadn’t even thought about school. I had to get her enrolled—and I had no idea how.
“What is it?” Lila asked, crinkling her nose.
“I forgot about school,” I said, wincing. “I’ve no idea how to even start.”
“It’s easy,” Lila said. “You just go down to the district office and fill out the paperwork.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, that’s good. I can do that.”
“School starts in two weeks,” Mia said. “So you’ve got time. But she’ll need clothes. Fourth grade, right?”
I nodded.
“Okay, well, I can help with that,” Mia said. “She’ll want to fit in.”
“Don’t I want her to stand out?” I asked.
“Maybe, but she doesn’t. Kids just want to blend in,” Mia said.
“If you’d like to take her shopping, I’d appreciate it,” I said. “I have no idea what little girls wear.”
“I got you,” Mia said with confidence.
Lila was plating the pasta, and Mia jumped up to set the table without being asked. This kid was kind and thoughtful—like her mother. Lila had done such a good job with her.
And I was about to find out what happened to a sweet little girl raised by Nicole. I had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to be easy.
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number with a link. I clicked it without thinking. Another gossip post. This one had multiple photos—Lila and Beau during filming, laughing together. The caption: Sparks Flying on Set of New Design Show.
“What is it?” Lila asked, noticing my expression.
I showed her. Her face went pale.
“That’s from today’s filming. How did they get these so fast?”
“Someone’s feeding them information,” I said grimly.
Mia looked over my shoulder. “That’s creepy. Who would do that?”
“Someone who wants to create drama,” Lila said quietly. “Someone on the production team.”
I thought about Kenzie’s satisfied smile earlier—the way she’d shown me that first blog post like it was good news.
“Kenzie,” I said.
“Is this what they do?” Lila asked. “Just make things up?”
“I don’t know. But it sure seems like it.” I deleted the text. “We should be careful around her.”
