“Jordan,” Ivy said as she shoved a key into her lock. “Don’t worry, he looks scary, but he’s really a teddy bear. You’ve met him, right?”
“Yes, a few times.” And teddy bear was not the description she would have chosen.
“He’ll be popping in twice a day or so. Not often, but he’s good to have around if you ever feel spooked or anything. Give him a call. I’m sure he’d love to help.”
“Right.” Her fake smile was starting to hurt.
“I’ll see you on the other side. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“You too,” she murmured as the door shut behind Ivy.
She needed to brush the dust off her gratitude journal, because so far, this day wasnotit. But hey, it wasn’t even noon. What more could possibly go wrong?
The donut pit stop was a necessity. They always made things better, especially Portland donuts. There weren’t many treats available in the modeling world. Acting life hadn’t been much better, and over the years she’d become accustomed to food restriction, especially sweets. But she was on a career break now, and the best part was donuts. The sugary, doughy confections in this city were the tastiest she ever had.
After a quick detour to her favorite bakery, where sheordered a dozen assorted donuts, she walked the rest of the way to her cousin Natalie’s hair salon.
A biting wind swirled around her head, numbing her ears, but she welcomed it. The fresh air helped clear her mind some, but fresh hair would help even more. A quick trim and blowout and she could almost pretend last night didn’t happen.
When she opened the salon doors, the first person she saw was Colin. The stylist’s welcoming smile faltered when he saw her, and so did the beat of her heart. She knew that look, the one that said,I’ve spent all morning on the socials, and it wasn’t pretty, sweetheart.
Sure enough, his expression softened with instant sympathy.
“Oh, honey,” he started as he came around the reception desk. “I didn’t think you’d be out and about today.”
Determined not to let the dread coiling in her gut win, she flipped her long hair, forced a casual shrug and shoved the box of donuts into his hands. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Stripping off her jacket, she hung it on the coat rack and flounced past him. Natalie’s chair was taken, so she dropped onto Colin’s.
Colin trailed behind her. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because last night wasa disaster?” He set the donuts on the table, ran his fingers through her hair, and met her gaze in the mirror. “Have you been on your phone yet?”
“Of course I have. This is a blip. It’ll blow over.” She lifted her chin. “Portland is the small town of big cities. What’s hot one minute, is over the next. People gossip, then move on. It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? I saw a video with over 150k likes of you French kissing a bouncer at Silk. This is ‘let’s cut bangs’ leveldrama.” He dangled a lock of hair over her forehead, mimicking bangs.
Vanessa snorted and swatted his hand away, even as the knot in her stomach tightened. A video going viral of her making out with Jordan was not ideal, but surely it wasn’t exactly scandalous.
“If that’s bangs-worthy drama, Col, you’ve lived a very sheltered life.” She glanced at the client sitting in Natalie’s chair, who was flipping through a magazine but clearly eavesdropping on the conversation. “Where’s Nat?”
The opening lyrics of Taylor Swift’sDelicateblared through the speakers.
Seconds later, Natalie emerged from the back, carrying a steaming mug. She placed the coffee in front of Vanessa and opened her arms as she sang loudly,“I will love you for you.”
That was all it took. Tears pooled as Vanessa launched herself into her cousin’s arms.
“You swore you didn’t love the drama, Ness,” Natalie murmured against her shoulder as she rubbed her back.
“I can’t help it. It loves me,” Vanessa wailed. “I don’t know why.”
Natalie stepped away, hands steady on Vanessa’s shoulders, assessing her. After a beat, she wiped a tear from under Vanessa’s eye and nodded. “This is child’s play compared to some of the crap you’ve been through. All you need is a donut and a blowout.” Natalie pushed her down onto Colin’s chair. “Col, give her a wash, extra conditioner, then we’re volumizing the shit out of this hair.”
Colin picked up scissors. “Should we cut bangs?”
“Absolutely not. This isn’t end-of-the-world heartbreak. It’s a supermodel impulsively kissing the world’s hottest bouncer at a club. It’ll blow over.” Natalie turned to her client. “Right Chantal? This isn’t the first time a girl’smade a mistake in a nightclub and it went viral on social media.”
The middle-aged woman in her boxy cardigan and low-maintenance bob widened her eyes. “Well, it’s never happened to me.”
Natalie leaned in with a conspiratorial wink. “Then you need to come party with us sometime.”
Vanessa blew her nose with a napkin she’d brought with the donuts. “I’m so stupid. Why do I keep getting myself into these messes? I never learn.” She dug her phone out of her purse and it opened automatically to her social media page. 1037 notifications in the last hour.
