“Sweetheart!” Mom greets me, stretching out the word. “Did I catch you at a bad time? You sound a little out of breath. Are you exercising?”
“Um … kind of,” I say, glancing at Cocoa and giving him aplease slow downlook.
He picks up on it.
Thank goodness.
“Well, listen,” Mom says, her voice going soft. “Dad and I were just talking about you…”
“Uh huh…” I mirror her tone. “This can’t be good…”
She pauses for a beat. “Well… You know, we’resoproud you moved out and got your own place. And we love that you’re really embracing the entrepreneur thing. Your father says LA is the land of reinvention!” There’s an airy lightness to her tone, like this is a phase. Like I’ve taken up pottery rather than built a business.
“Yeah, for sure… The content scene here is …fun.” I brighten my voice. “It’s so opposite of New York City.”
“Good, good!” Mom replies. I can almost see her on the other end, pinching the phone between her ear and shoulder while arranging a cheeseboard with the other hand. “But… I wanted to ask about Glow Girl. We’re so proud of you, sweetheart. It’s just that the last time Dad looked at the books…”
My smile tightens. I steer Cocoa onto a quieter side path, away from the main crowd of people. “It’s…” I can’t bring myself to sugarcoat it. “I’m failing.It’sfailing. I just… I don’t know what I did wrong…”
“Oh, Nic.” She sighs, her voice full of sympathy. “Your father will be in LA in a few days for a business meeting, but if you need me, I can be on a plane tonight.”
“No, totally not necessary. I’m figuring it out.”
There’s a long silence.
“Okay… But… It’s just…” She lets out a pained breath. “Your father is a little—”
“I’ve been trying to work on my sales,” I cut her off, while doing my best not to come across as too defensive. There’s no reason to be. “Social media advertising can be really lucrative, and I know it’s costing money in the short term, but…”
“It’s not about the money,” Mom says, stopping me. “It’s just that, well, sometimes it’s better to cut our losses and move on rather than trying to hold onto something that’s not working…”
“But I’m not ready to give up on Glow Girl,” I say, exasperated, then immediately cringe at my volume. “Sorry. I just… Mom, I promise, I’ll figure it out… You know how long it took for Dad to sell his first company. Back when he was still coding out of our dining room instead of running half the fintech rooms in Manhattan.”
Mom’s quiet for another stretch. “It took him two years. But, sweetie, you’re already on year three… And I’ve seen the reviews…”
I bite down so hard on my lip that I taste sunscreen. “I’m close,” I say. “I have followers. Real ones. I get invited to sponsored events now. I was able to handle the wholebad smellthing.”
“That’s wonderful.” Mom pauses, letting out a strange humming noise. “Just … don’t let the pressure get to you. Your trust fund has more than enough money to—”
“I want to make it on my own,” I interject. “I want to build something for myself, Mom. Something that doesn’t come pre-approved because of my last name. It’s the entire reason I moved to Los Angeles. In New York, I’d never know if what I built was truly mine or just another thing quietly handed to me.”
“I know, honey. You’re your father’s daughter, that’s for sure. And I admire your grit and ambition. But just know that you don’t have to be the next Nikko Farrarah. Or even the first Nicole Farrarah. You can just be our girl.Nic. We love you how you are. And we just want you to be happy.”
Cocoa flops down on my sneakers, ears pinned back, sensing the shifting mood. I ruffle his head, finding comfort from him.
“I know, Mom,” I say, forcing a smile she can’t see.
“We love you,” she says. “Are you eating enough? Getting plenty of vitamin D?”
I giggle. “I’ll eat extra vegetables just for you and stay outside fifteen minutes longer.”
“Deal. Make sure to load up on broccoli with extra cheese just like I like it.”
“Okay,” I snort, and for a second, I forget she doesn’t believe in Glow Girl the way I do.
“What else is new?” Mom asks as our laughter subsides.
“Dominic Neelson moved in across the hall from me.”
