I closed my eyes and tried to focus. “I only knew first names, and I wasn’t as familiar with the others as I was with Bo.” On the radio, a caller was asking for dating advice, saying that she wanted to find a man who would take care of her because she was a hot mess.
Her words sparked something in the back of my mind, blowing away dust from a long-buried memory.
‘You’re not pretty or smart enough to land yourself a rich man, Amanda Tulip, so settle for whoever is willing to take good care of you.’
“Amanda,” I blurted. “Amanda Tulip!”
“Who’s she?”
“A makeup artist—a God-awful one—but she was there for most of the shoots.”
“Okay, good.” He took out his BlackBerry and wrote down notes. “Try to tell me everything you remember. Focus on one thing and let it lead you to another.”
“I think she was a few years older than me. Blonde. Sort of pretty. Not altogether sane.”
“Do you think Amanda Tulip was her real name? Sounds like a porn star.”
“She said the headmistress at her orphanage had called her that.”
“Hold on. If she grew up in an orphanage, that narrows down our search. Are you sure it was an orphanage and not a group home?”
“I… yes. She said orphanage. Does it matter?”
“Group homes replaced orphanages. They stopped using the term orphanage in the late 1980s.”
“She grew up in the early 1970s, maybe in the 1960s.”
“Then it adds up. It’s honestly a lot to go by.” He leaned forward and kissed me. “I love working with you.”
And I loved working with him, but I wished it was on any other case.
I unbuckled my seatbelt. “I should head back home. Keep me updated.”
“Of course. Let me know if you remember anything else.”
*
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Hon, you need to get out of your comfort zone,” Jenny said on the phone. “It will just be ten people. Fifteen tops. Maybe seventeen. And since it will be in our studio, you’ll feel more comfortable. I’ll bring wine and finger food.”
I sipped my tea on the porch, watching the sun set in the distance. “I’ll need to arrange my things first; maybe put up a stand for the jewelry.”
“Yes, we’ll need to spend the morning prepping up the place.”
“Can I wear regular clothes?”
“Nope, it’s a fancy event. How would Hayden want you to dress for a date?”
“Naked.”
“Well, let’s call that plan B. And speaking of the handsome devil…”
I sighed, not surprised that she would pry. She’d been there throughout my entire relationship with Hayden, though I never told her the real reason for our ugly breakup.
“We’re dating again. I think.”
“And what brought him back into our peaceful lives?”
