“I’m home, girls!” Kali calls from behind me as the door swings open and then closed again.
I glance over my shoulder and note that my blond BFF’s face is as rosy as Liv’s, but not from any alcohol. The smile Kali wears right now could outshine the sun, and I know it’s all because of Grayson. I genuinely am glad that they found each other, even if I am a little envious at how much our Glammers idolize them lately. Between her mother overdosing when she was little and growing up in foster homes, Kali has already been through so much in her life. The least she deserves is to have a handsome hunk who treats her like the queen she is.
After securely locking the door, Kali slides out of her heels and kicks them away from her. “Grayson couldn’t come in, but he says hello. I connected him with another one of our charities and he’s got a meeting with them super early in the morning. He’s going to prep some documents before hitting the hay.”
Liv and I exchange grins. Kali is just as passionate about her charities and fundraisers as she is about Grayson. When she isn’t filming makeup tutorials for our viewers or toiling away as the G&G liaison for collabs and sponsorships, she’s working hard at uncovering new charity organizations for us to support using our huge following. Every month we have a brand-new fundraiser to focus on, and she makes sure I post frequently about the various causes on all of our socials. Some big-name influencers and brands steer clear of that kind of thing, but not Glossed & Glammed. In fact, it was one of those charities that ultimately brought Kali and Grayson together.
“You’re just in time to hear about Sutton’s wild night, Kali,” Liv explains as she prances back into the kitchen to refill her wine glass.
Kali wiggles her eyebrows at me as she sets her purse on the island that separates the kitchen from the living room. “Oh, really? I’m surprised I didn’t see it on the G&G feed. You didn’t post anything at all tonight.”
“I can be subtle, you know,” I scoff with a pretend pout.
Liv pops the cork of her wine bottle and laughs. “Subtle and Sutton are two words that are never in the same sentence.”
“And you two love me for it,” I declare dramatically, throwing a hand over my forehead and pretending to swoon onto the couch.
I land artfully on top of Boone’s suit jacket to hide it for just a moment longer. A good actress knows all about how important the big reveal is.
Kali and Liv flop down next to me on the couch and soon we’re nestled beneath a fuzzy blanket that one of our fans handstitched back when we were still a relatively small channel. Every now and then, that very same fan sends us letters thanking us for spreading awareness of various charities and for our continued tips and tricks in the makeup and beauty world. Getting mail from her is always the highlight of my week, and I make sure to respond right away in a penned letter signed by all three of us. I think the best part of our fanbase is that the girls and I have managed to keep most of our earliest subscribers. G&G takes outreach with them seriously and we always try to stay as connected as possible. It might not be the healthiest thing in the world, but I read almost every single comment that gets posted on our various pages and try to respond to as many as possible, even the critical ones. In my mind, that’s what makes G&G so special and so successful. We’re a family. I might not be super close to my biological kin, but I have my girls and my Glammers.
Kali rolls onto her hip and nudges me. “Don’t keep us waiting, Sutton! What happened at the party?”
“You first,” I insist. “Tell us about the event you and Grayson went to.”
Kali makes a face. “It was a work thing with the other lawyers at his firm. I love being with Grayson, but I’m sure you can imagine exactly how the night went.”
Despite her statement, her face blushes a bright shade of red. I know she’s thinking about that kiss by the car rather than anything that happened at the event.
“Sutton!” Liv whines, sipping her second glass of wine. “Tell me about what happened. The most excitement I had tonight was Chanel’s attempt at becoming a pro-wrestler.”
“A pro-what?” Kali yelps, eyes wide.
Liv waved a hand. “I’ll tell you about it later. After Sutton gives us the scoop on her night.”
“I met a guy,” I say softly, my voice quivering a little because I’m so giddy. “A handsome, hunky, guy from Texas who saved me from this jerk who was there. We’re going out this weekend.”
Tugging Boone’s suit jacket out from underneath me, I hold it victoriously in the air with an excitedsquee.
“Who is he?” Liv asks, practically bouncing up and down on the couch beside me.
“Tell us more!” Kali begs.
I smile wider. If my BFFs are reacting this animatedly, that’s even more confirmation to me that the Glammers are going to go crazy for this news, too.
“His name is Boone Hammond and he plays rugby for the LA Coyotes. Wait ‘til you meet him! He is aTALLdrink of water on a very,veryhot day.”
Kali and Liv pass the jacket between them while barraging me with one question after another. I eagerly fill them in on all the best details. Like how Boone appeared out of nowhere and whisked me off my feet away from that idiot sleazeball and up to the garland-lit terrace. Then I gush on and on about how silky sweet his southern drawl is and how he defended me when the creep stalked us. By the end of the story, I’m as breathless and starry-eyed as my two girlfriends are.
What I quickly realize, however, is that even though I’m spouting off all these details, I have no intention of telling my besties the truth. That whatever happened tonight is meaningless because Boone and I will never be anything real.
The stray thought hits me like a punch to the stomach.
Unable to catch my breath, I choke on my words and fall speechless for perhaps the first time in my life. This only makes Kali and Liv squeal louder because they think I’m simply overwhelmed by how hard I’m already falling for this guy.
Unfortunately for me, that’s something I can never do.
CHAPTER SIX
