The wig looks SO good! Look at me, styling a celebrity!
You’ve been styling me for months, Nat.
Nat
Yeah, but not for everyone and their mom to see.
Mentally, I try to figure out whether I could bring Nat on as my actual stylist and how to convince Jackie of it. They would definitely butt heads, but Nat understands the industry and my vision for my brand, and I think she would be an amazing asset.
Another message comes through, this one from Leo. I fight back a smile when I see he sent me a photo of a beaten-up wooden vanity with chipping paint. It’s sitting on the side of the road near what I think might be Adam and Wren’s house.
Should I bring this home?
Home.
God, I love that.
Instantly, my mind goes to ideas for it, where we could put it, and how I could style it. I saw a video on stripping paint, and I’ve been dying to try it. It looks like the wood might have been really pretty before the owner painted it a distressed white.
Yes, please! She’s gorgeous!
Got it. Adam’s grabbing it, and I’ll pick it up when I get home later.
Since he drove my car up here today, he’s taking a rideshare on the hour-long drive home, and knowing that distance is already between us aches in my chest.
Will you be awake for me to call you tonight?
Yes. There’s a gift in your room waiting for you.
My eyes widen, and instantly I’m desperate to know what kind of present he could have left me and how he got it into my room. I ask, and he avoids answering, as usual. We text back and forth for a few minutes, Jackie occasionally asking me questions about interviews or lunches with other celebrities, but we’re close to the restaurant when she throws me back.
“We’re aiming for an engagement, this time,” she says, and it’s so casual, so offhanded, that I think I must have missed something important. Setting my phone aside, I give her my full attention.
“What?”
“An engagement with Chris. We’re still deciding whether it would be best to make it a quick, exciting whirlwind soon or in a few months. Jefferson said that around Christmastime could be fun, and we could use it to promote your holiday album.” I blink at her, realizing I didn’t miss anything at all.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “No. No engagement.” Where thehellis this coming from? I’ve been on board with the fake relationships for years now, but I’ve always made my stance on anything further very clear.
”Willa—” Jackie starts, voice low and soft, the kind you might give a child who doesn’t want to take a bath, rather than an adult who doesn’t want tomarrysomeone else.
“No. I told you from the very beginning that fake relationships were fine. Engagements, marriages, absolutely not. I’m only doing that once, and I’m not doing it for the cameras.” It was the one condition I set when we started doing these relationships regularly. Even though my hopelessromantic went into hiding when I thought I couldn’t have a relationship and a career, she wouldn’t let me cross that line. It would have felt like a betrayal to the little girl who daydreamed about Prince Charming, and now that I’ve found mine, I’m glad I always stayed firm on that.
“Willa, please, be practical. How many high-profile relationships can you be in before people start to question you? Eventually, you have to stop being so stubborn and accept that this is clearly the next step in your career.”
Frustration is etched across her face, and it sets me back, leaving my voice firm when I respond.
“My career and my personal life are not the same,” I say, telling her something I thought we both understood, but when she rolls her eyes, I wonder if maybe I was wrong all along.
Over the years, Jackie and I have often disagreed about something related to my career, whether it’s outfits, timing, or which song should be a single, but I’ve never felt this pure irritation and, honestly, sense of betrayal toward her.
It settles in my chest in a way I very much do not like, though I push it back as just not being around her for a long time, losing some of the buffer that I’ve built over the years to handle her cutthroat desire for success.
“Willa—”
I lick my lips and take in a deep breath, speaking over her before she can continue.
I hadn’t meant to have this conversation right now. I’d planned to bring it up with a strategy for countering each and every one of the arguments I’m sure Jackie will have, but it seems we have to have this talk now. I take a deep breath and say what I should have said years ago but never felt brave enough to.
