“Man, am I glad that shift is over. I wish I could have dropped the glass tray on his entire body. People like that should stay in their caves.” Miki shook her head in disgust as she gave me a sidelong glance.
She’d been fearless, jumping in to defend me from that creep, I was glad to have the help, but I hadn’t expected it. “Hey, Miki?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for helping me.”
I caught the smile on her face as we drove under the bright streetlight. “Anytime, Ivy.”
I turned to look out of my window, still feeling queasy about the whole commotion. As we drove past a vintage car, a pang of longing for my old car shot through me. The chariot might not have been vintage exactly, but I’d loved that classic old car until it stopped working.
The new car I’d planned to buy with the prize money was off the radar for the foreseeable future. My life now consisted of wiping benches, serving drinks, taking orders, and serving food. But I was lucky to work with good people, andvery grateful that most of the customers weren’t like the one tonight.
“Home sweet home,” Miki said, pulling up in front of our building. “My feet are killing me after that double shift.”
“I know, right?” I replied wearily as we stepped out into the darkness and walked up the narrow stairwell to our studio.
“Are you okay?” Miki asked. “I know it was a rough night.” She gave me a worried look.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine. He was justsucha creep.”
She rested her hand on my arm. “He was a jerk, a disgusting,drunkjerk.” She laughed, pulling me in for a hug. “Forget him. He’s a tool, you’re the best. End of story.”
“Aww, thanks,” I said, pulling away. “You too. Thanks again for helping me out.”
The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “Since we’ve got some days off, how about we do the hike you love in the national park tomorrow?”
“You know what? I’d love that. I need some mountain air.” Karlos may have taken Karson from me and ruined my modeling career, but I would not let him ruin everything.
“Fantastic! Then when we get back, let’s get our glam on and hit the town for some partying. We’re overdue for some fun, babe,” she said, breaking into some dance moves.
“Sounds good to me.” I laughed. “But now I’m going to take a shower and then crash. I’m beat. Actually, you should go first, seeing as you did my share of the cleanup for me tonight.”
“I’ll be quick,” she said, dashing into the bathroom.
I lay down on the bed and rested my eyes, listening to the sound of running water, hoping we didn’t run out of hot water again, and letting my mind wander. Before the prize money, I was almost out of savings, winning the contract had been the answer to my prayers.
Forcing my weary eyes open, I glanced around the tiny apartment.At least we get along, or living here would be a nightmare.
Miki was a considerate roommate and had become a good friend, but I hoped I could move back in with the girls soon. I missed them. I’d been so busy working that I hadn’t seen them in too long. If onlyKarlos—
“I’m done in the shower,” Miki called out, drying her hair as she came out of the bathroom. “I’m off to bed. See you tomorrow, Ivy.”
I smiled and walked into the tiny bathroom, letting my clothes fall to the floor as I stepped into the surprisingly spacious shower, hot water streaming down my back.
After toweling off, I smoothed in my moisturizer, squeezed the excess moisture out of my hair, and climbed into bed.
I leaned into my pillow, thinking about the hike we had planned for the next day, then lost myself in the quiet memory of walking the trail with Karson.
18
SHADY
KARSON
I’d spent two long weeks at SolStar.
But beyond sending out a handful of media releases about the land controversy to keep my father happy, all I did was sign paperwork. My mission was to keep my head down, be the perfect worker bee, and act as if nothing was amiss.
