“Aren’t you both loaded? Can’t she buy her own?”
“She has one. She rents it out. It’s an investment thing, and it’s not in California, so she’d have to find something in LA, or I guess somewhere else, if she wants.”
“She might move? That would suck for Lace.”
“Oh. Are they…”
“I don’t know,” River said. “I haven’t asked Lacey for an update. Seems like a weird thing for an ex to request. But we both know they like each other, so it’s possible they’ll start dating soon, and if Cameron’s going to move–”
“I doubt Cam is thinking about leaving LA, River. I was thinking out loud.”
“Right,” River said. “What about you? Are you planning to leave LA?”
“Me? No, I love it here. I basically grew up here. I’ve got a place in New York that I bought before Cam and I met, but I’m pretty much never there. If I wanted to run away, I guess I could go there and disappear for a while.”
“Don’t,” River said softly.
“Don’t go to New York?”
“Don’t disappear for a while,” River said. “I don’t want you to disappear.”
Kennedy smiled and said, “Okay. Well, things are about to get very interesting for me. Cam and I have to tell Jessie that we broke up, and the stupid YouTube thing is a problem now. Once the news breaks, people won’t stop following us or assuming one of us cheated or bringing up the after-party fight again andassuming that we actually broke up then or something. I really have no idea what they’ll make up. I just know that I mightneedto disappear for a while to avoid some of it.”
“Can you disappearwithsomeone, or do you have to go alone?”
“River…”
“I’m not saying that I can actually disappear with you, because I can’t. I own a business here, and it might get busy with this whole video thing, but, um… Well, you probably know what I meant, Kennedy.”
“River, we can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because Cam and I just broke up, you and Lacey did, too, and everything else I just said to you.”
“I don’t care about that other stuff. I can deal with it. I’m asking for a date, Kennedy. Lacey and I are going to be fine. We broke up a long time ago. We just made it official on Friday. And you and Cam–”
“It’s the same for us. But, River, I really like you, and if we did this, I’d want it to be right. I don’t know that it could be right now.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t know how this whole breakup is going to play out in the press and if I’m getting a job this year or not. I might really want to hide out on a beach somewhere or in my New York place. There’s so much up in the air, and I’m really, really bad when things are gray. I’m much better with black and white.”
“Me too.” River laughed softly. “So, I get it. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. Maybe I should’ve left you alone or asked in a few weeks or months, but I… I miss you, Kennedy. Is that weird to say? I didn’t want to leave that day, and I was pretty sad about it the whole ride home, which is interesting because I didn’t wantto go in the first place. Even if nothing happens with you and me, I’m still really glad I went. Maybe, I don’t know, you can come to the shop sometime. You mentioned it before. It could be fun therapy for you. I can teach you how to make something while we hang out in the back if you’re worried about being recognized or something, and I won’t ask you out again, I promise. It would be great to just see you, maybe hang out, and exchange a few playlists.”
Kennedy smiled. Then, she swallowed. She really, really wanted to say yes to River. She wanted to go on a date with her. She wanted River to kiss her at the end of the night or even come inside and take things further because River was gorgeous, and Kennedy had wanted her since she’d first seen River in that picture if she was finally going to be honest with herself.
“I can stop by the shop,” she said.
“When?”
CHAPTER 30
Lacey
“I’m going on a date with Cameron Levine,” Lacey said to herself as she looked in the mirror. “I am going on an actual date with Cameron Levine. What the hell do I wear?”
It was at this point that Lacey realized that she needed more friends. She’d been so focused on building her business and her client base that she hadn’t been all that focused on keeping the friends she had or finding new ones. Then, she’d been in a relationship, and that had taken up most of her non-working time. Now, she stood in front of her bathroom mirror, staring at her body and wondering what she had that she could cover it with because she couldn’t go out with Cameron in only her bra and underwear. They were her nicest bra and panty set, which she should not have put on in the first place because they weren’t going to be seen by anyone other than her tonight, but she needed help deciding what to put over them. She reached for her phone, which was playing music as it rested on the counter next to her curling iron, and thought about it before she dialed.
