“If I’m being honest, I’m a bit surprised myself, but I gave it a lot of thought, and I figured, if I can help these young people with a bit of fundraising, why not?” Also, she’d been accused of being a snob three times since then.
“Can you believe it, Chantal?” Rory examined Vanessa like she was a zoo exhibit. “The real Vanessa Barone? Like actually here, in this shithole?”
“Rory, language,” Chantal chided.
“Seriously though!” Rory grabbed her phone out of her back pocket. “Wait till Tessa gets here. She’s gonna die.”
Forgiving the earlier rudeness, Vanessa decided she liked this kid after all.
Chantal patted the excited teen’s shoulder. “Okay, settle down. We aren’t even sure Miss Barone can stay. We?—”
“Oh, please,” Vanessa interrupted. “Call me Vanessa. Miss-anything makes me feel a thousand years old.”
Chantal nodded. “I get that. Except Iama thousand years old compared to you two young ladies.” She gesturedto Vanessa to come toward the couches. “Your timing is perfect. I’m meeting with the kids today to discuss the fundraising ideas. Are you interested in helping us make the fashion show a reality?”
“GET. OUT!” A new voice joined the group, and all heads swiveled to the doorway. Another teenager with long wavy auburn hair stood there, mouth open, eyes bulging as she held out her phone. “I got your text, and I legit thought you were shitting me, Ror. Oh my God. Vanessa Barone is here.” She squealed loudly and lifted her phone to snap a picture, catching Vanessa off guard.
“Girls.” Chantal came forward. “No photos, okay. Huge invasion of privacy. Ask for permission first. We want Vanessa to stay, right?” She chuckled nervously, checking back at Vanessa.
Honestly, it was nice to be at the center of positive excitement again. Apart from heading to the club the odd time, Vanessa had used her Portland hiatus to disappear. She liked this city because it offered a sense of anonymity. She could throw on a cap and sunglasses and go unrecognized most of the time.
At the club, she realized that anonymity only extended to her daily life. If she behaved like she didn’t exist, she was left alone. But if she did anything wild, like kiss a bouncer in front of hundreds of people, that privilege was revoked.
This kind of attention she didn’t mind, though. When she’d first gone to New York at sixteen and met some of her biggest idols in the modeling industry, she’d done her fair share of fangirling too.
“Wait,” Tessa chimed in. “Are you helping us with our fashion show?” She turned to Rory, and they screamed together simultaneously.
When Chantal sent her an apologetic glance, shecouldn’t help but laugh, or deny these two girls anything. “Looks like I’m in.”
The foursome started planning, and Vanessa thought, maybe salvaging her reputation wouldn’t be that bad after all.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Two hours later, the soft glow of the setting sun lit the street as Anderson pulled up in front of Bowie’s. Time had flown, as it did whenever she talked fashion. The girls had convinced her they could pull off a Valentine’s week fashion show, with Rory promising to rally more volunteers for a planning meeting the next day.
Twenty-eight days wasn’t much time, but this wasn’t one of the Big Four’s fashion weeks. Vanessa had instantly shut down the idea of borrowing the wardrobe from the outlet malls. Her acting career might be in tatters, but her fashion contacts were solid. No one was walking the runway in last season’s Gap collection on her watch.
She climbed out of the car, giving Anderson a quick thanks. “Same time, same place tomorrow?”
“Of course, Miss Barone,” he agreed before driving off.
Walking up to the building, she started scrolling through her contacts to see which designer friends might help at the last minute. She also had ideas about involving local businesses and sports teams. Surely, she wasn’t the only one who could use the good press?
Her mind was so consumed by the fundraiser, she didn’t notice the massive bouquet until she reached the door to the apartments. Something you’d send for an anniversary or grand gesture, and it took up nearly the entire doorway. Bending, she carefully picked up the dark-red roses and smiled, inhaling their sweet scent.
The small, sealed envelope tucked between the petals had her name on it. They were probably from her sister. An attempt to cheer her up from the shitty few days she’d been having, though she didn’t understand why the delivery person would’ve left such an expensive bouquet on the street.
Once she got inside Ivy and Sean’s apartment, she kicked off her heels and set the flowers on the table. She opened the envelope.
Don’t let the haters drag you down, beautiful. You’re always amazing to me. xo.
Smiling, she immediately pulled out her phone and called her sister.
“You okay?” Lucy answered by way of greeting. Typical for her overprotective sister.
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “You know, most people say, Hello. And of course I’m okay. Definitely better now. Thanks for the flowers, Lu.”
An ominous silence filled the other end of the line. “What are you talking about?”
