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Kendall
When I’d returned to my apartment to box up my things, the cameras had been removed. Charlize and I could move around my place and say whatever we wanted, and I didn’t have to worry about any of it being aired. It had taken us several hours to pack everything up, the closet our one last destination, and we slumped onto the couch to take a break.
“It was a good ride,” I exhaled, resting my head on his shoulder.
He patted my face. “You’re going to be so much happier now.”
“And you?”
“Girlfriend, you know this is going to explode my business. Losing gigs to other makeup artists will be a thing of the P-A-S-T.”
When I’d discussed this idea with Dominick and Brett, there was no one more deserving or perfect for the role than Charlize. I knew he’d handle the fame much better than me and what this would do for him professionally.
I lifted my chin to look at him. “That makes me the happiest bestie in the entire world.”
“Heart you, woman.” His arm wrapped around me, his foot tapping one of the boxes that sat on the coffee table. “So, all this stuff is going into storage?”
“Yep, minus my clothes and cosmetics—those are going to Dominick’s.”
“Moving in with Daddy. That makes me the happiest bestie.”
“Now, I just need to find a job.”
“I can’t imagine you have to find something immediately. The show paid you the rest of your contract, right?”
I nodded, but the truth was, the show had paid me a lot more than just that. Since they were at fault for what had happened, Dominick had made sure I was financially taken care of. Even though I’d told him I didn’t want a huge settlement, I’d still gotten one.
That didn’t mean I was going to sit on my ass all day.
It just meant I could pay off my student and car loans and the credit card debt I’d accumulated since I’d graduated, leaving a rather large cushion in my savings account so I could hopefully retire one day. In the meantime, I needed a job and benefits and to find my purpose again.
“You know me; I don’t sit still very well,” I said. “And it’s not like I can return to the job I had before this reality show nightmare.”
“Ugh.” He twirled a piece of my hair around his finger. “Any word from Sparkle Toes?”
“Not since our conversation in Bimini.”
“Have your parents gotten involved?”
“Oh, yes.” I sighed. “Once I told them about the source of the pics, they lost their shit. They hadn’t wanted to get in the middle before, but they’re not holding back now. They’ve told her a hundred different ways how wrong she is and how pissed they are and that they’re ashamed and disappointed. It’s ugly, Charlize. Like wicked ugly.” I pulled the throw pillow into my arms and hugged it against my chest. “I’m just so happy this show is behind me. I was not at all prepared for how nuts my life was going to get.”
“Hey, a lot of good shit happened.” He dropped that tiny section of hair and started on a new one. “I found you, you found Dominick, and we found out we’re the only two people on the planet that Delilah hasn’t tried to fuck.”
I laughed. “You don’t start filming Glitzy & Fabulous until tomorrow. Delilah has several more weeks to try and work her magic on you.”
“The new name is sooo me, isn’t it?” He wrote a check mark in the air, a move that only he could make look incredibly sassy. “And, good Lord, I hope I don’t need to remind Delilah that this tree isn’t ever going to meet her forest.”
“Charlize, we both know she’s got no forest down there.” I snorted and lifted my bottle of water off the table, taking a drink. “Seriously though, can you imagine if I had stayed on and tried to weather that media storm on camera? Episode after episode showing how I was handling my ass being revealed to everyone and their mother?” I offered him a sip. “I’m so grateful Dominick got me out of that contract.”
“Another reason we—yes, me too—are smitten with him.” He put the cap back on and set the bottle down. “So, now what, honey? Are you polishing up your résumé? Are you and Dominick going to travel? Are you going to start walking the dogs in his building? For the record, aside from makeup, that’s my other dream job.”
I glanced toward the large, uncovered window, searching for that answer in the sunlight. “I wish I knew, but I have no idea.” My phone chimed, a ringtone that belonged to Dominick. “One sec. That’s Dom.” I got up, searching for my cell among the boxes and chaos, finding it in the kitchen.
I smiled as I read the screen.
Dominick: I can’t stop thinking about you.
Me: You just saw me this morning, silly.
Dominick: Come by my office when you’re done packing.
Me: It won’t be for a few more hours.
Dominick: I don’t care when it is, just make it happen.
Me: See you soon, baby.
“Yo, Miss Googly Eyes,” Charlize said from the other side of the room. “I’m going to pee, and then let’s finish up your bedroom. I’m ready to attack that beautiful, big closet of yours.”
I grinned at my friend. “Then, lunch is on me.”
“You’re unemployed, girlfriend, and you just scored me a monstrous payday. Lunch is on me—for the rest of our lives.”
“Not even a chance.” I gave him a stern look, letting him know there was no negotiation. “But you need to find us a place that’s far from the paparazzi’s radar. I’m sure they’re looking for a shot of me—they haven’t gotten one since the pics were released—and I just can’t handle that attention right now.”
“Are you going to make a statement soon?”
I nodded. “Dominick wants me to wait for the right time. He said within the next few days after the studio airs my resignation.”
“Makes sense.” He put his hands on his hips. “Let me think. Hmm … I know the perfect spot. There’s this hole-in-the-wall diner that I went to once in West Hollywood. Best tater tots I’ve ever had.”
“Sold.”
He fluttered his fingers at me and headed for the bathroom, and I held up my phone, loading the camera on the screen. I had on a baseball hat with a long braid hanging over one side of my chest, tons of hair that had fallen loose around my face, and not a drop of makeup on.
This was the look Dominick liked the best.
I puckered my lips to blow him a kiss and snapped a selfie. Satisfied with the photo, I attached it to a text and sent it to him.
Dominick: Damn it, I’m one lucky son of a bitch. You are so fucking hot, Kendall. I need that mouth. Now.
Me: You’ll have it very soon.
