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“I have two brothers. The list is long.” Zach grinned.
Crystal’s eyes widened.
“What are you looking at?”
“I just realized I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile.”
He scrubbed a hand across his mouth. What did he say to that?
“You don’t have to wipe it off your face and get all grumpy again. I’m just saying…never mind. Back to my question. Tell me something funny you did growing up.”
Zach stopped at a light and tapped the steering wheel. “Levi used to eat cinnamon toast in the morning. I swapped it out for cayenne pepper.”
“Oh no. That’s mean.”
“It was epic. He woke up fast that day. Only it backfired on me.”
“How?”
“I forgot about it, and my mother made a coffee cake for a luncheon. I was grounded.”
Crystal grinned, then winced.
“That hurt?”
“It’s all right.”
She pulled down the visor and checked her face in the mirror. “I’m a god-awful mess. I can’t have people see me like this.”
“No one’s going to recognize you.”
She glared at him. “That’s not helpful.”
“I’m not trying to be mean, but it’s the truth. Your face is so swollen, you don’t look like yourself. Hold on.” He reached behind the seat to grab a hat. He handed it to her. “This might help. Keep it low over your eyes.”
She snorted and pointed to the embroidered snake above the words “bite me” on the black cap. “You want me to wear this?”
“It’s all I have. Take it or leave it.”
He got out of the truck as she slipped the cap on, grumbling under her breath. He bit his cheek to keep from laughing. He’d achieved his mission, which was to keep her mind off things and get her to the doctor.
When they reached the door, she stopped. “You don’t have to stay. I can call Sydney for a ride when I’m done.”
He surveyed the parking lot. “Eh, there’s hardly anyone here. It shouldn’t take long to be seen. I’ll wait.”
As predicted, the place was empty except for one person ahead of Crystal. They sat in the far corner of the waiting room,and she kept her head down. It must suck to always have to worry about being recognized in public. He’d never given it much thought until now.
“How did you get started in the business? I know you were young.”
Crystal’s lips twisted. “My mother. She entered me in some baby photo contest, and I won. After that, I was her ticket.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “She came to Hollywood to be an actress and never made it. Once she realized she could market me, that’s all she cared about. She controlled all the money and used it however she wanted.”
Her bitter tone wasn’t lost on Zach. Her mother had “marketed” Crystal? Didn’t sound like much love in that. “Do you mean she bought a bunch of pricey stuff?”
Crystal gazed out the window. “If only. Suffice it to say she had an expensive habit.”
