Page 4 of Bad Run

They used to say that about Cam. Now look at him. He’s a huge softie for his girlfriend.

Cam recently went public with his girlfriend, Talia, who is also Nico Romero’s little sister. Based on the package I picked up from the jeweler for him, I’m guessing he’s going to be calling her more than a girlfriend soon enough.

Exhaling a breath, I continue down the street toward the entrance, with my bestie on my arm. As we approach the security guard at the front of the building, I reach into my purse, grab the guest passes for us to get into the party, and hand one to Jenna.

“Ready for the night of your life?” she asks.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I’ve had this strange feeling hanging over me all day. I can’t put my finger on what it is or what it means. I thought it was just about the game, but now I’m not sure. I’m anxious and excited, and my body is buzzing.

“Come on.” My bestie loops her arm through mine and drags me past security into the bass-booming club crowded with partygoers. She takes one look around and whispers in my ear, “I have a feeling tonight’s going to be life changing.”

That’s what I’m afraid of.

one

Gwen

Present

Three months later …

“Which one should I wear?”

I lift the black pant suit in my right hand to the camera, then switch to the charcoal in my left for Jenna to see.

Today is my first official day with the Evaders, and I’m nervous as hell, hence me standing in the middle of my closet, with a towel wrapped around my body, freaking out over what I should wear.

Jenna scrunches her nose in disgust. “Neither. And please return those poor excuses for fashion to whatever store they came from.”

I gasp. “How dare you? They are designer and a gift from Gigi.”

“Telling me your grandmother bought you the suits is not helping your case.”

Biting back a smile, I ignore her comment. “I’m trying to look like a serious professional. And, for the record, Gigi has incredible taste.”

Anyone who knows my seventy-eight-year-old grandmother knows she is the queen of chic. Her Santa Barbara home is modernly remodeled, impeccably designed inside and out, and the woman never leaves home without looking good.

“I’ll admit she has style, but those suits are boring, and you know it. You can look fashionable and still be a serious professional at the same time.”

Jenna isn’t wrong. Gigi only bought me these suits at my encouragement. She wanted to fill my closet with a new wardrobe, full of designer labels, but I refused. The pink Louboutins she gifted me were more than enough.

“You know what I mean.”

“G, sacrificing who you are isn’t going to help you. Now, put on the dove-gray, wide-legged pantsuit with the pink silk shirt before I miss my audition, to get on a plane and fly all the way to LA just so I can kick your ass.”

“Fine.” I grab the suit and shirt off the rack and turn them side to side for her to see. She nods her approval. I pick up the stilettos and hold them up to the camera.

“Where in the red-soled heaven did you get those?”

“Gigi sent them.”

“That woman is a goddess. Definitely wear those.”

“Are they too much?”

She narrows her eyes at me. “No. Powerful shoes for a powerful woman. If your dad has a problem, that’s on him. But wearing plain, ill-fitting suits won’t help in the way you think it will.”

I know she’s right, but I need today to go well. I need it to set the tone for the rest of my career, and part of that means making sure my dad sees me as a capable professional woman.