Though Sutton is teasing, there’s a proud smile dancing on the corners of her lips. She understands how much it means to me that we use our huge following, especially as concentrated as it is here in California, to make the world a little better. Besides, the girls know how close Fostering Tomorrow’s cause is to my heart. If they’d been around when I was young, maybe things wouldn’t have been so hard.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I lean over and pick up a Q-tip, then deftly fix the smeared makeup on Sutton’s face. There. As good as new.
“But... but...” whimpers Liv as I start gathering my things. She’s staring at the camera like it might suck the soul from her body.
As beautiful and stylish as Liv is, sometimes the girl needs a little push to show herself off.
“You know our fans love seeing you on camera,” I urge Liv before quite literally urging her toward my empty director-style chair with a gentle push. “Plus, you’re wearing one of G&G’s sample pieces. Take this chance to drop some major hints about the limited line coming out.”
Liv bites her lip, then nods toward where Coco is still purring in Sutton’s lap. “If Sutton’s cat gets to be on camera, can I pull Chanel from her hutch, too?”
It always makes me laugh when Liv refers to her bunny’s triple-decker, closet-sized, lavish rabbit castle as a hutch. The lavish condo costs a small fortune.
I swallow a giggle and nod. “Your bunny can be a superstar for the day, too. Like you even need to ask. I should be back by dinner time.”
“Don’t be late. We have big plans tonight,” Liv reminds me enthusiastically. “We’re celebrating, girl!”
This time I do laugh. “There’s no way I’m going to be late for a party. Do you guys want me to pick up some sushi on my way back from LA?”
“Or I can make dinner,” Sutton offers cheerfully, no doubt hoping to procrastinate editing the video.
Liv and I immediately shake our heads. Energetic, free-spirited, and easily distracted, Sutton can hardly brew a cup of coffee without losing track of it. Her meals tend to be just as disastrous.
“Sushi it is!” I call before grabbing my purse and darting toward the door.
I pause long enough to bend down next to George and bury my face between his big, floppy, fuzzy ears and kiss him on the head. I found the sweet pup wandering the beach outside our bungalow a few months ago, and George and I have been all but inseparable ever since. Usually, when I have meetings in the city, I bring him along and then he hangs out while I do my thing, but I have way too many today. He’ll have much more fun here at the bungalow with Liv and Sutton and his furry friends.
“I’ll see you later, Georgie,” I whisper before hugging him again. He licks my cheek before I climb to my feet, wave to the girls, and hurry through the studio to the four-car garage, slipping on sunglasses as I go.
The second I press the button to open the heavy door, I’m embraced by the balmy California breeze. As I soak in the warmth of the midday sun that fills the space, I take a moment to gaze out at the blue waves cresting the beach behind our home, breathing in the salty fragrance of ocean on the summer air.
Every time I set eyes on this view, I’m left feeling as astonished as I was the day Sutton, Liv, and I realized we could easily afford to buy the place. This is the kind of life I could only dream about as a little girl with barely a penny in my pocket or enough food to eat, but here I am. Hereweare. I had no one to rely on until I met Sutton and Liv. They’re more than my friends. They’re my sisters. The family I never had.
Sliding into my powder blue Mini Cooper, I rev the engine, find a playlist on my phone, then back out of the garage and head down the short driveway and turn onto the road. It takes about thirty minutes to get to LA from the beach where we live, but I enjoy every moment of the ride because it gives me time to think about how amazing our lives have become since G&G really took off.
It feels like Sutton, Liv, and I are standing on the edge of something amazing, all holding hands as we get ready to take one more big leap of faith. When I think about our future that way, I can already feel my stomach tossing and turning and twisting around like I’m on a roller coaster.
Where will this next plunge take us and how far will we go?
Only time will tell, of course, but I’m so excited to find out.
Traffic isn’t too bad in LA, and luckily, the parking garage I want to use isn’t full. Giving the valet my keys and a nice tip, I make a beeline for the door, purse over my shoulder. I check my reflection in one of the store windows as I make my way down the sidewalk. The peplum cardigan I’m wearing turned my favorite sleeveless dress into business chic and I mentally give myself a high-five on my choice of outfits as I pick up the pace. Not because I’m late for my first meeting—I’m never late—but because I’m excited about what the deal with this boutique means for G&G. And what the other meetings I have after this one do as well.
As the business side of Glossed & Glammed, I have a full plate at all times. But I like it that way. I hate sitting around with nothing to do, so the more I’m juggling, the better. We each have our specialties when it comes to our company and our brand, and one of mine is keeping G&G up and running and in the spotlight. That’s why I got a dual degree in art and business at the University of Southern California. In fact, that was there Sutton, Liv, and I met, during freshman year. Fate brought us together when we all independently volunteered for a play the theater department was putting on. Little did we know exactly where that choice would take us.
I was painting backdrops and doing the actors’ makeup, Sutton was an extra without a single line, and Liv was assisting the costume designers. After a particularly exhausting day of rehearsal, we all wound up at the same juice bar across campus. We recognized each other immediately and that, as they say, was that. It was simply serendipity. The first time we chatted over green tea matcha smoothies, it was like we’d known each other in another life. G&G was born a year later after we decided to room together sophomore year.
“Oh. My. GOD!” someone shrieks from behind me.
I glance over my shoulder to see a throng of girls gawking at me. They lift their phones in unison, all while beginning to eagerly jump up and down. They’re so excited they can hardly contain themselves.
I’ve been recognized.
Again.
“Kali!” one of them screams. “Kali, is that you? I seriously can’t live without G&G! Girl, I need your advice on lipstick for a date—”
I quickly turn back around, cursing silently as I practically run down the sidewalk now. Normally, I love my fans and I’ll stop and chat with them, but right now I absolutelycan’tbe late for my meeting. The seconds are ticking away as it is.
