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I wave a hand dismissively. “We don’t need to check with them if we don’t mention the commercial.” I turn to Celine. “How about something like ‘Living the dream and making new friends’? You can tag me.”

Her big hazel eyes widen. “Oh, that’s good. I need to pick your brain about… everything.” She laughs nervously. “I’m already feeling so overwhelmed.”

“Anytime. Let me give you my number.”

I take her phone again and save my number to her contacts. I don’t need to look at Bobbi’s face to know he’s grimacing. He doesn’t have to worry, though. Celine seems like a nice girl, and I know how brutal life can be for a young star in Hollywood. I wish someone had taken me under their wing when I started.

Celine returns to her chair, beaming, and that makes me so happy that I forget about my irritation with Gene.

Flora, the makeup artist working on me, is someone I’ve known for years, and that’s not a coincidence. I ask for her whenever I can. She’s a magician when it comes to makeup. She can make me look like a million bucks even when I feel rough.

“Hey, Flora. Thanks for coming today.”

She smiles. “Girl, you know I’m always available for you.”

“What’s the theme for the makeup?”

“Nothing crazy. They want a natural look with just a pop of color. I already checked the clothes you’ll be wearing for the shoot, so I have an idea in mind.”

“Awesome.”

I close my eyes and relax into the chair. Conversation continues all around me, but I block it out until someone mentions Keanu’s name. My eyes fly open, and I sit up straight. The first thing I notice is Bobbi’s grimace and how his freckled face is getting red as he talks with someone from production.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Bobbi approaches. “The director wants to pair you with Keanu instead of the other player.”

My pulse accelerates. “Why? Did Keanu ask for the change?”

“I don’t think so. It has to do with aesthetics. They want a blond player paired with a brunette—that’s you and Keanu.”

I frown. “I didn’t even know he was attached to this commercial. Did you?”

Bobbi’s eyes widen. “No. Of course not. I’d have told you beforehand.”

He knows about my feud with Keanu. He wouldn’t have kept that a secret from me. I don’t think Gene was aware Keanu was involved, though if he did, he wouldn’t realize it was a big deal to me. Bobbi is privy to that detail because he went to high school with Keanu and me. Bobbi and I’ve been friends since we were kids, and when I got my big break in LA, I brought him with me.

“What do you want to do?” he asks when I remain quiet.

“There’s nothing I can do now. It’s too late to cancel. I’ll just have to suck it up and hope Keanu behaves.”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad. I mean, it’s been four years since graduation. Surely he’s not the same asshole.”

I give Bobbi a droll look through the mirror’s reflection. “Have you met Keanu?”

Bobbi twists his nose. “Sadly, yes.”

“Oh, you’re shooting the commercial with Keanu?” Celine pipes up from her chair. “You’re lucky. He’s so dreamy.”

Ugh. Gag me.

KEANU

The alarm clock blares, and I reach blindly for my phone on the nightstand. I press the snooze button with my eyes closed, but the damn thing won’t go quiet.

“What the hell!” I grab the phone and open one eye. Pain flares across my forehead from the effort. How much did I drink last night?

No wonder the phone won’t stop making this god-awful noise. It’s not the alarm, it’s my agent calling. Fuck, it’s not even eight in the morning yet.