In the living room, Charlotte was perched on the edge of the couch, dressed in a pair of jean overalls and a cropped white T-shirt. I met her when someone brought her to a party at our house a few months ago. Like many in LA, she was an aspiring creative trying to break into film.
She looked up when she heard me enter and gave me a bright smile. “Hey, babe. I thought you’d forgotten I was coming over.”
I had forgotten, but I knew she’d be upset if I admitted that. Even though I’d made it clear at the very beginning I wasn’t interested in anything serious, I still had no desire to needlessly hurt her feelings. “Sorry. Been a bit distracted since we got back from the meeting with our new manager.”
She got up, walked into my arms, and tugged me down for a kiss. “What did she say?”
“Mostly good things. Her assistant is going to take pictures of us over the next few weeks.”
“What’s she doing with the pictures?”
“We’ll use them on our social media.”
Charlotte looked mildly curious. “You’re going to start showing your faces?”
“Yeah, we have a professional photoshoot coming up too.”
“Wow, I wonder if they’re going to get you some amazing photographer. Can I come and watch? I can cheer you on.”
“It hasn’t even been scheduled yet,” I said to avoid answering her question. I didn’t know if I wanted her there, and I didn’t feel like making that call right now. Would Molly be at the photoshoot? Just how much of her would I see in the coming weeks?
Suddenly, I wanted all of these questions to go away. I grabbed Charlotte around the waist and pulled her into me. “Want to grab something to eat?”
“Not hungry yet,” she said breathlessly, running her hands down my back. “At least not for food. Let’s go to your room.”
That was fine by me. Charlotte was exactly what I needed in my life at the moment. Someone easy and uncomplicated who didn’t know me all that well and was fine keeping it that way. I realized a long time ago that the less people knew about me, the better it was. I was good at cracking jokes and making small talk. Everyone thought I had leagues of close friends, but that wasn’t exactly true. I knew a lot of people. Made acquaintances easily. But true friends? One hand would be enough to count those off.
In my room, we collapsed on the bed and took each other’s clothes off. Charlotte moaned as I trailed familiar lines down her body. By now, I knew what got her off, and she could say the same for me. In the bedroom, we were as compatible as anyone could hope to be, but after we were done, the subtle awkwardness would set in. Sometimes, she’d turn her head to look at me with this look in her eyes. Longing mixed in with adoration. It always felt like she was seeing someone who wasn’t really me.
And honestly? It was probably better that way.
6
MOLLY
“So letme get this straight. The new act Trinity wants you to go all in on is two guys who you said would never make it? And you kissedbothof them in one night?” Piper asked from where she was sitting across from me on the ratty sofa.
I grimaced in her direction and took a sip of my red wine. “Years ago. But, yes, that’s right.”
My compassionate friend threw her head back and howled with laugher.
I groaned. “I’m glad this is amusing for you, but I didn’t call this emergency meeting for you to just laugh at me.”
She wiped the tears out of her eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Sorry, it’s just too good. Or too bad, depending on how you look at it.”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“Your job. Easy as that. If there ever was a time to separate your work from your personal life, it would be now.”
“You think I can just pretend they’re any other client?”
“That’s exactly what you’re going to do. Show up there, do the work, and stick to small talk. It’s the only way you’re going to get through it. If they provoke you, don’t bite. You’ve got a lot on the line here.” She glanced around my dingy apartment. “Just imagine earning enough to get yourself out of this shithole. That should be motivation enough.”
“It’s not that bad,” I said defensively. “It just needs…” My attention caught on the enormous yellow water spot on the ceiling.
“It needs to be demolished for what I’m sure are numerous building code violations. Seriously, Molly. This place screams mold. The kind that kills you.”
“Do you really think there’s mold?” I asked, nibbling on my bottom lip.
