Liv giggles. “To the next milestone!”
“And to fame!” Sutton eagerly adds.
We all laugh and take a long sip of the bubbly.
I close my eyes, savoring the decadent taste as little bubbles dance across my tongue.
“It’s so good,” Liv gushes as she bounces on the balls of her feet. “I wish we bought two bottles.”
“At a thousand bucks a pop, I think one will do,” I say, opening my eyes to find that Sutton has already begun refilling our flutes.
“So sensible,” Sutton teases with a wink. “We’re practically drowning in money and fame, but Kali has to keep us grounded.”
I playfully stick my tongue out at my two best friends and take another sip.
We all settle down together at the island in the center of our state-of-the-art sprawling kitchen where we have a small arrangement of sumptuous desserts and treats from the finer shops around LA in addition to the sushi I picked up earlier. We’d tossed around the idea of hosting some big gala to celebrate our latest milestone, but in the end, we decided that the best celebration of all would be to spend time together, just the three of us. Between all of our projects, we’re always so busy now that it’s rare for us to just hang out together and have a good time without it turning into a work discussion. Filming videos with my girls is great, but it’s still work, and as much as I love work, I love to play, too. We can’t exactly go many places without being recognized, either, so what better place is there than home?
“Okay, spill,” Liv suddenly demands, setting down her crystal champagne flute and flattening her palms on the countertop. The noise makes Chanel jump and the fuzzy lop bunny hops in circles around Liv’s ankles.
I blink. “What are you talking about?”
In an effort to escape Liv’s dark prying eyes, I scoop up George and cuddle him to my chest. The pup lays his paws over my shoulder and nestles against me, but he’s growing so big so fast that my arms are already getting tired. I’m going to have to book another one of those power yoga classes that Sutton won’t ever stop going on and on about.
On the other side of the island, Sutton sips her champagne and smirks at me. “It’s totally obvious there’s something going on in that pretty head of yours, Kali. Not even perfectly applied makeup can cover that, babe. Did something happen in LA?”
I gently set George down on the tile floor and pat his silky head. There’s just no hiding anything from my besties. They can always read me like a book.
“Well...” I begin slowly, trying to figure out exactly how many details I want to share. “I was running late to my meeting when I got recognized on the street.”
Liv and Sutton regard me over the rims of their flutes, waiting for me to continue. Getting recognized happens so much that it’s hardly something to report on.
“So, naturally, I ran into a library to hide,” I continue.
“As one does,” Sutton agrees flatly.
Next to her, Liv leans forward in her barstool, looking utterly entranced by my story.
I clear my throat. “When I did, I bumped into someone—”
Liv’s eyes go wide “A guy, right? Tell me it was a guy!”
“A guy?” Sutton echoes.
Reluctantly, I nod my head. “A guy.”
Liv, ever captivated by potential romance of any form, squeals and claps her hands together. “So, is he coming around? Who is he? What does he do? Is he cute?”
I grin and nod. “The cutest.”
I open my mouth to tell the girls about how sure I am that Grayson didn’t recognize me, but I find myself hesitant to admit that, even to my best friends. We’re all so excited about how big our brand is getting that announcing a super-hot hunk didn’t recognize me feels like I’m turning my back on our fame. Like I don’t appreciate it. Which I do.
Instead, I forcefully change the subject, which comes a little easier thanks to the booze.
“Anyway, tonight isn’t about a boy,” I say, gesturing at our fine champagne and spread of seriously yummy looking food. “Tonight is about us, girls. It’s about Glossed & Glammed. Let’s celebrate!”
Liv and Sutton both cheer, but I find I have to work a little harder to put a smile on my face than I expected. All I can think about it are Grayson’s warm brown eyes and handsome smile.
There’s simply no way I’m going to be able to put him behind me, is there?
