Page 6 of Happily Ever After

Once inside, Cece closed the door and moved through the familiar routine of handing over the headphones, making sure the mics were placed right, then a quick glance at her notes on the legal pad by the laptop. Paige set her water on the table, and settled into the chair next to Cece, headphones resting loosely in her lap.

“You good?” Cece asked.

“Yes.”

Cece took her seat and put on her headphones. Paige did the same. Cece leaned toward the microphone and gave Paige a look. “When you’re ready,” she said.

“I am,” Paige said.

Cece hit Record. The red light came on, steady and unblinking. She waited a moment, then spoke.

“Welcome to Real Life: Take Two. I’m Cece Davenport, and today I’m joined by TikTok influencer Paige Wheeler.”

Paige gave a small nod toward the microphone. “Hi.”

“For anyone who might not know you,” Cece said. “Paige is a rising star on TikTok who’s made her focus all about living life at a certain age. You basically reinvented yourself after a pretty gruesome divorce, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Paige confirmed.

Cece went on. “That reinvention certainly paid off because she’s recently gained a sponsorship from Luminelle Beauty, and I can say honestly it’s no wonder. Your skin really does look terrific.”

Paige laughed softly. “Thank you. I actually used a few of their products before the partnership. Now that I’ve tried the whole line, I’m an even bigger believer in them. I wouldn’t promote something if I hadn’t tried it and liked it.”

“I love that. Honesty is big with you, isn’t it?”

“Huge,” Paige said. “I have zero tolerance for anything less than.”

Cece nodded and kept going, not quite ready to segue into the big reveal of the interview. “What’s a typical morning like for you? How was this morning?”

“Pretty much my usual routine,” Paige said. “I had coffee, went to the fitness center to work out, which I do on a regular basis. Not just for my physical health, but my mental health, too. And when I work out, I try to be in the moment and not think too much.”

Cece gave a little chuckle. “That last part ever work?”

Paige shook her head. “Sometimes, but it takes practice not to dwell on the things you can’t change.”

“I hear that.” Cece shifted gears. “Not only are you prolific on TikTok, but you’ve also started a book club in your neighborhood. Did you always want to do that? Had you been in one before? How did the book club come about?”

“I love to read, always have,” Paige said. “And to be really up front, I was looking to make some good female friends. The book club seemed like a great way to do that. Thankfully, the women I invited were interested in that, too. We already had books in common, so it wasn’t a stretch to become friends. We all really enjoy each other’s company.”

Smiling, Cece nodded. She wasn’t going to out herself as a member, though. She didn’t want it to seem like she was playing favorites. “Before the book club, there was TikTok, though. And before that, there was you, coming out of a divorce. How did the divorce spark your reinvention?”

Paige took a breath. “It was that or die. And I’m not being hyperbolic. The divorce—and the reason for it—nearly destroyed me. Probably would have, if I hadn’t spent a girls weekend with some very important women, including my daughter, who showed me that my life wasn’t over. It was really a blank page, ready for me to write the next chapter.”

“I love that,” Cece said. “So what was your first step?”

Paige met her gaze. “Taking charge of my life. And figuring out what needed to change.”

“That had to be hard.”

“It was, but you can’t keep lying to yourself, hanging onto the same bad habits, and expect something different to happen. I gave up alcohol, which I was overindulging in. I have a glass of wine now and then, but nothing like the amount I was consuming then. I started working out, eating healthier, all of which contributed to me losing weight and feeling better about myself.”

“Good for you.”

Paige nodded. “I started taking care of myself in other ways, too. I got my hair done. Made manicures a regular thing. Get a facial once in a while. I basically began treating myself the way I’d always wanted to be treated.” She sighed. “Why do we as woman think someone else is going to do those things for us? We have to do them for ourselves. Without guilt.”

“I agree,” Cece said. “Wise words.”

“All of those things helped me find my self-worth again, which was pretty much missing by the time the divorce hit me.”