Zoe’s mouth fell open, revealing several partially chewed french fries. “You didnot!”
“I didn’t tell her mine wasbetter,” Anna protested.
“Um, you basically did,” Kyrie said.
Zoe leaned forward in her chair. “And how did she react?”
“For a minute, I definitely thought she was going to bite my head off, but she agreed to hear me out.”
“And then Eden and her team decided to use Anna’s idea, which means she’s a total badass,” Kyrie added.
“That is beyond badass,” Zoe said, eyes wide. “This baby pop star is all grown up and giving performance advice to Eden fucking Sands!”
“Shush,” Anna admonished, cheeks warm as she took another bite of her burger.
“Wait a minute.” Zoe straightened, giving her an impish look. “Isn’t Eden your celebrity free pass? I mean, not that you’re seeing anyone toneeda free pass, and as far as I know she’s straight, but ... isn’t she?”
Anna’s cheeks went from warm to flaming hot, because yes. One tipsy evening back in herHex Highdays, when Anna and Zoe were still nobodies, Anna had declared that Eden topped the list of celebrities she’d get a free pass from her significant other to hook up with if the opportunity ever presented itself. “Celebrity free passes aren’t meant to be taken seriously.”
“Of course not, but did you want to jump her bones when you met her today?” Zoe still looked entirely too gleeful about the whole thing.
Anna shook her head. “I was mostly just focused on not making a fool of myself in front of her, and honestly a celebrity crush is more of a fantasy anyway, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know ... is it?” Zoe grinned. “You’re the one who met her celebrity free pass today, so you tell me.”
“A fantasy,” Anna said, pleased that she sounded certain, because there had been that one moment when they hugged ... “Eden is someone I look up to, and luckily she didn’t crush my fangirl heart whenwe met. We get to perform together at the Grammys, which is a dream come true, but it’s strictly professional.”
Zoe nodded. “You two will be the hit of the night. I’m calling it now. This is going to be your breakout moment, Anna.”
Eden held her left arm above her head as Zelda, her stylist, painstakingly stitched the seam over the zipper that ran down the side of her dress, hiding it from view. Her condo was a flurry of activity—the busiest it had been in months—and while she sometimes found award-show prep tedious or even unpleasant, today she welcomed it.
Her home was full of people for a change, and it filled something inside her that she’d only peripherally realized was empty: the need for human contact outside of work. Although technically, this was still work.
“Almost finished,” Zelda said as her hand wove back and forth against Eden’s side. She’d long ago quit fearing an inadvertent prick from a needle. Zelda’s hands were unfailingly steady.
“No rush,” Eden told her. They were right on schedule, although her shoulder was beginning to ache from the awkward position. She’d always found these moments that people imagined to be the most glamorous parts of celebrity to be the least glamorous in reality. Red carpet prep was wearisome, but at least she was wearing a comfortable dress tonight.
In an hour, she’d walk the red carpet by herself for the first time in years. The thought of not having Zach at her side made that empty feeling come back. She’d get through it, though, and Paris would be with her, so she wouldn’t be entirely alone.
“There.” Zelda stood, surveying Eden’s gown with a critical eye. “Spin for me, darling.”
Obediently, Eden turned around while Zelda tugged and prodded at various seams and tucks before she finally proclaimed that she was finished.
“Gorgeous,” Stella said as she materialized at Eden’s side. “I wish you could wear this color for every red carpet. Really makes your eyes pop.”
“I do love blue.” Eden surveyed herself in the mirror. The gown was a rich sapphire velvet, strapless and formfitting to her hips, with a slit along her left thigh and an asymmetrical skirt that swirled to her ankles. Classic enough that she shouldn’t make any worst-dressed lists tonight, but possibly too simple to land her on the best-dressed list either.
Eden was playing it safe, both with her dress and with her life these days. She’d always been one to color inside the lines, but she was especially wary of making any missteps this year. Her hair and makeup team moved in to touch her up now that Zelda had finished with the dress. Then she was accessorized with a diamond-and-sapphire jewelry set.
Last, she sat and slipped into her silver rhinestone-studded heels. As beautiful as they were, they hurt like hell, and she wanted to spend as little time in them as possible.
“All right, let’s get a few snaps for your social media before you ruffle anything.” Paris stepped in with her cell phone. She wore a floor-length black satin dress that matched her black-rimmed glasses, and her dark hair was twisted up in a no-nonsense bun. “Stylish yet practical” perfectly described Eden’s assistant.
She smiled as Paris started taking pictures, positioning herself so that the dress parted, exposing most of her left leg. She kept one hand on the fabric, bunching it between her fingers because she wasn’t on the red carpet yet and she wanted to have a little fun with it.
“Perfect,” Paris said. “Now take a few selfies for me, and I’ll post everything while we’re riding over.”
Eden accepted the phone and took a series of selfies, her expression ranging from pouty to goofy. She often took a variety and then let Parisdecide which ones to post. They used to only share posed shots, but Paris had been the one to notice that Eden’s fans got extra excited for selfies. Maybe they liked the less formal nature of them or the fact that Eden had taken the photos herself, but her selfies always got the most likes.
