I nod. I’ve only had one sip of wine and I can already feel it buzzing through my veins. This is why I don’t drink often. Alcohol goes straight to my head.
“You girls should’ve seen him. It was ridiculous. Ri-dic-u-lous!” I repeat, accentuating the word with a roll of my eyes. “You two know I can hardly speak to anyone, let alone a guy like that.”
Sutton wets her lips and glances at Kali. The two share a look before Kali clears her throat and tilts her head inquisitively to the side. She curls a lock of her long, blond hair around her finger thoughtfully.
“A guy like what, Liv?” she asks.
I pick up my glass and take another sip of the pretty pink wine. “If you were to look up tall, dark, and handsome, then Cash would be the poster boy. Green eyes. Brown hair. And tattoos! Tattoos for days, ladies. Seriously.”
“It sounds to me like you had a pretty good time at this meeting,” Sutton giggles.
Her words abruptly remind me how the meeting was the exact opposite of a good time.
I shrink like a violet on my stool, leaning against the back of it as I glumly shake my head. “No, I didn’t.”
Kali and Sutton exchange confused looks now.
“What do you mean?” Kali asks.
I run my hand through my hair, frustrated. “You guys don’t get it. I’m not like you. I can’t simply make conversation or go with the flow. I got all up in my head and started tripping over my words from the moment I opened my mouth. I think I even forgot my name at some point! I didn’t represent G&G well at all. There’s no way we got this business deal with Franco.” I let out a groan. “He and his son probably think I’m a total ditz. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a good laugh after I left.”
“No one thinks that,” Kali says fiercely. She grabs my hand and squeezes it with gentle firmness. “You aren’t a ditz, Liv. Who cares if you’re a little shy? I’m proud of you for trying to spearhead that business meeting. It’s not easy, even for me. I still get nervous and I still make mistakes.”
“I’m proud of you too, babe,” Sutton says, giving me a smile. “If I had to guess, you’re being a whole lot harder on yourself than you need to be. If there’s one thing that Kali and I have learned over the past year, it’s that everything has a way of working out. Besides, maybe Cash thought you being shy was cute.”
I choke on my drink, then shake my head. “You two know I’m not looking to date anyone right now. Besides, I am definitelynothis type. He probably wants a girl with tattoos just like his—or at least a girl who can get through a sentence without blanking.”
Kali and Sutton insist that I’m wrong, then happily munch on the donuts I brought home. While they look yummy, I don’t have an appetite right now. I’m too busy thinking about Cash.
If I was a braver woman, I’d call him and demand a second chance at impressing him with my fashion line. But the thought of doing such a bold thing makes my blood turn to ice in my veins. I’d never have enough nerve for that, not in a million years. Besides, Cash has probably already forgotten all about me.
Sutton and Kali might have found their dream men, but they’re also radiant women who have an almost gravitational force around them. They draw people in with their bright smiles and funny wit and feisty attitudes. I’m not anything like that. Cash wouldn’t be able to pick me out in a lineup.
How could a motorcycle riding bad-boy like him ever look at me twice?
And why does that seem to matter to me so much?
CHAPTER FOUR
“And that, Glammers, is how you totally rock winged eyeliner,” Sutton gushes to the camera. My beautiful, dark-haired friend beams brightly, her glossy lips sparkling in the ring light I’d attached to the recording station. “I’ve been reading your comments and I know that a lot of you have been struggling with this tricky technique, but I’m here to tell you to keep practicing and you’ll be as good as Kali in no time.”
Beside Sutton, Kali winks and nods. I’ve been recording my two besties for the past couple of hours. When we first started these tutorials way back in college, it blew my mind exactly how much time we’d spend shooting videos that actually ended up being only a few minutes long. There are always so many retakes and bloopers and mistakes that a shoot can sometimes take all day.
But that’s what it takes to stay on top of the social media world. We have a strict schedule that we follow to a T to make sure our followers are never left wondering when they might hear from us, and that doesn’t even include Sutton’s frequent live sessions on Insta.
Both of my best friends look flawless and confident as they sit before the camera now in the two director’s chairs we have set up. Kali’s been giving yet another round of her awesome makeup tips with Sutton as her model. These videos always make me glad that my blond bestie is here to help me get all glammed up whenever I go out. I might know how to put an outfit together and style it just right, but I’m helpless when it comes to lipstick or mascara. The last time I tried to do my own eyeliner, I poked myself in the eye. Of course, Kali and Sutton joked that I’d done it to avoid a few photoshoots we had coming up.
“That’s right,” Kali agrees with a big smile. Like Sutton, she absolutely glows with cheerful energy the second someone points a camera in her direction. It isn’t only the fancy setup of lights or the sun shining in through the open windows that makes both of them look radiant. They have an inner glow that’s so amazing to see. “I hope this video helps all you beautiful people out there. Next time, we’re going to be breaking down some smoky eye looks that’ll be fabulous for that hot date.”
“See you next time, babes. Mwah!” Sutton says as I lean forward to turn off the camera.
Kali and Sutton share a grin and a high five.
“That went great!” Kali says excitedly. “And you finally sat still long enough for me to finish a look. Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”
Sutton playfully sticks out her tongue and dramatically rolls her eyes.
As much as Sutton adores being front and center on our videos, sometimes she’s got the same attention span as Kali’s sweet lab mix. She’s always bursting at the seams to chase something else more exciting. Which I suppose is why we can’t trust her in the kitchen at all. Even when she tries to brew coffee, she manages to get distracted and either add way too many coffee grounds or let it brew too long. Just thinking about her infamous cup of black and bitter joe makes my whole mouth screw up to the side. And that’s just her coffee. Her cooking is a whole other story.
