As soon as I was dressed,Keiko pulled me into a hug. Tears welled up in my eyes all over again.
“I’ll miss you,” she toldthe center of my chest. “You have to text me about everything that goes on insmall town Arizona. Are there rodeos? Text me from the rodeo. Take pictures ofcowboy asses for me.”
I laughed, but it came outas a sob. “IfI ever find a hot one, I’ll send you a picture,” I promised. “I’m gonna missyou, too.”
Keiko sniffed, wiping away atear as she pulled back. “Dammit. Waterproof mascara my ass.”
“Want me to redo your facebefore I leave?” I asked.
“Hell yes,” Keiko said,grabbing a tissue to clean up. “If this is my last day with you, I’m making themost of it. And I’ve got this new glitter I wanna try. It’s made of seaweed.”
That made me smile. Glitteralwaysmade me smile.
“Come through to the frontand I’ll fix all that for you.”
Like Keiko said, if this wasmy last chance to see my friends, I had to make the most of it.
FOUR
LOGAN
I groaned as I sat down onthe bed, glad to be off my feet for two minutes.
Ashley had dragged me aroundwhat felt like every square inch of San Francisco on foot, even after I’d offered todrive him wherever he wanted to go.
He’d told me that post-waxinghe didn’t want to sit down, and I was afraid to think about what he’d gottenwaxed. One of the other girls working there had come at me with a pair oftweezers and a length of sewing thread, begging to be allowed to do myeyebrows.
It was lucky I’d gotten outalive. Why did womendo things like that to themselves voluntarily?
Did other men carethatmuch about a little hair? Did women care that much about it?
The smell of nail polishremover was going to stick with me for a week.
Andmy leg waskilling me, so much so that I was already doing painkiller math in my head.Could I afford to take an early dose, or was I better off waiting it out?
I flopped back, stretchingmy arms out and sighing, flexing my foot to ease the leg cramps.
Ashley’s roommate had movedout two nights before. Ashley had kicked him out for his own safety, but mostof his stuff was still here.
The room was clean, though,and the sheets smelled of lemon. I’d slept in much,muchworse places.
I’d just close my eyes forfive minutes, and then I’d go back and join Ashley in the living room.
My phone vibrated in mypocket thirty seconds later.
Lucas:enjoyingyour new client? Want me to take over yet?
I snorted. Things may nothave started as smoothly as I would have liked, but I was getting the hang ofthis now.
I knew why it was an unusualclient, at least. Ashley had a stalker.
Normally, I looked afterpeople who might have to worry about the occasional fan getting too handsy, ortoo close, or not taking a hint. I was there to separate celebrity from crowd.
This was more Gray’s area, butsince the business was expanding he was spending a lot of time doing admin.Even though we’d brought in Lucas and Zoe a few weeks back, he was alreadylooking for more hands.
So the rest of us had to stepup to the plate, and the rest of us included me.
Well, I walked in on himgetting dressed.
