I latch onto my coffee and take a sip through the plastic flap on the lid. The rich, steamy brew seeps into my veins. Brandon eyes me. My skin prickles. It’s like ultra-violet rays are shooting out of the dark lenses of his shades and penetrating me.
“What happened to your finger?”
I’m in shock he’s noticed the Band-Aid on my middle finger.
“Nothing,” I reply, trying hard to eradicate last night’s breakdown though my finger’s still throbbing. “Just a paper cut.”
“You should be more careful.”
His voice is cold, almost reprimanding. I didn’t expect him to say, “Can I kiss the boo-boo?” but yes, be a bit more compassionate. He’s for sure in one of his bad moods.
His gaze stays fixed on my finger. “It’s still bleeding.”
I glance down. He’s right. Blood is oozing through the Band-Aid. It’s a bloody mess.
“Don’t move,” he tells me. “I’ll be right back.”
I sip my coffee and in five minute’s he’s back, holding a box of bandages and a tube of Neosporin. Setting the first aid treatments onto the table, he unwraps my nasty Band-Aid. I grimace. My jagged cut looks worst than I thought. Fiery red and inflamed.
“A paper cut?” he asks.
I splutter. “It was a thick piece of paper.”
Unsure if he believes me, I hold out my quivering finger while he squirts some of the anti-bacterial ointment onto the wound and re-bandages it. One Band-Aid over my fingertip, another around it.
I wiggle my stiff finger. Not too much motion. But he’s made it feel better. “You’re good at first aid.”
He quirks a cocky smile. “I was a lifeguard. I know how to do these things.”
“Thanks.”
Not acknowledging my small grateful word, he lifts his sunglasses on top of his head, and after a sip of his iced coffee, studies his schedule. His brows knit tightly.
“Why aren’t we reviewing more episodes of Kurt Kussler together? I thought that was the plan.”
“I think you’ve gotten the gist of it. I have many more important things to handle.”
“Like what?” he challenges me, his voice as brisk as it is confrontational.
“You’ve got to do a gazillion press conferences. Everyone in the world wants to see you’re alive and well.”
“Write up some pithy lines for me. Let them know Brandon Taylor aka Kurt Kussler is ready to kick some butt.”
“What should I say about your pending wedding to K-Katrina?” It’s so hard for me to say her name. In fact, I almost say Kuntrina.
Brandon’s face tenses. “Just tell them we’ve set a date in May. To be announced shortly.”
So, that’s what their dinner was probably about. My heart sinks to my stomach. Suspicion confirmed. They’re madly in love. I glumly mumble, “Sure.”
Sipping his coffee through the straw and oblivious to my gloom, Brandon continues to review his schedule. “Who’s this one o’clock lunch with?”
Sheesh. He is really fucked up. “Blake Burns. He’s the Head of Production for Conquest Broadcasting. All shows report to him—so technically, he’s your boss.”
“Oh,” he mutters. “Do I need to dress up?”
“No. You can go very casual. I’ll lay out a pair of freshly laundered jeans and a tee.”
“Do you want to come along?”
My stomach does a little flip. This is the first time he’s ever invited me to lunch with a network executive. Probably just more of his fuckedupness.
“I can’t. I have a lunch date.”
“You’re taking a lunch break?” he asks incredulously, cocking his brows.
I almost want to toss my coffee at him. “Seriously, Brandon. A girl’s gotta eat.” Even a dieting one.
He narrows his eyes at me. “Is it with a guy?”
I hesitate for a moment and then respond, “Yeah. A really cute one.” And then a smug smile flashes across my face. “My boyfriend.”
“Oh,” he murmurs with a downward twist of his luscious lips.
Got him!
“Have I ever met him?”
“No. You’ve never wanted to, but you should.” My smile stays on my face. Amnesia comes with its benefits.
With his brows furrowed, he takes another long sip of his iced coffee and then sets the tall cup down. “I want you to google Blake and put together a file before I leave.”
“No prob.”
“And be sure to be back here by two.”
Frowning, he stalks off. Score one for me. He fell for my white lie. On second thought, it wasn’t a lie at all.
I’m so excited about seeing Jeffrey Billings, my brother and best friend in the whole world. With our crazy schedules, it’s been next to impossible to get together. I’ve agreed to meet him at Toast, a lively, trendy restaurant on nearby Third Street.
Wearing a hot pink crew neck sweater, he’s easy to spot. I run up to him. Seated at an outdoor table, he jumps up and gives me a delicious bear hug.
“Honey, you look faa-bu-lous!” he drawls, eyeing me from head to toe. I’m wearing a tight T-shirt, a short belted skirt, and sandals. The skirt used to sit tightly on my thick waist but now it hangs loosely on my hips.
“Thanks,” I say, sitting down. “I’m on my skinny side of fat.”
“I’d say you’re on your fat side of skinny,” he counters, returning to his chair.
I laugh. Either way you look at it, I’m still not thin by Hollywood standards; in this town, an eight is a plus size. I guess I’m now what you’d call curvy. But one thing for sure, Jeffrey can always put a big smile on my face. He’s done it for years, even in the darkest times. Though by birth he’s my first cousin (Mama was his father’s twin sister), he’s always been more like a sibling. We lived nearby in Culver City and went to the same school, and when Mama died, Pete and Jo, his wonderful, big-hearted parents, took me in and made me feel like the daughter they never had. I was only five at the time so Jeffrey and I grew up together. Having a gay playmate was almost like having a big sister. We played Barbies together, and when his mom, who I’ve always called Auntie Jo, took us shopping, he picked out all my clothes and knew how to make an outfit from Sears look like a million bucks. And he threw me the best birthday parties ever—always with the most over the top themes—that somehow succeeded in making me not miss having my real parents (especially Mama) there to celebrate with me. It’s no surprise he became an event planner—and it’s even less surprising he’s LA’s top one.
“Did you go on a diet?” he asks, still in awe of my appearance.
“It was more like a cleanse. I was forced to go to some holistic spa for a few weeks while Brandon was in the hospital. The food sucked. If I ever see a chia seed again, it’ll be too soon. And alcohol was strictly forbidden.”
“Oooh!” Jeffrey sympathizes. “That’s horrible.”
“And on top of that, they forced me to work out. I’ve never sweated so much in my entire life.”
“Well, at least it paid off. You look amazeballs. Wait till Chaz sees you. He’s going to friggin’ freak.”
Chaz Clearfield is Jeffrey’s significant other. A successful fashion designer. “Is he stopping by?”
Jeffrey glances down at his vintage Mickey Mouse watch. “He should be here any minute. He’s been at Nordstrom’s firming up an order.”
“Yay!” I adore Chaz almost as much as I adore Jeffrey. They’re perfect together.
“And look! There he is.”
My eyes dart to Third Street where Chaz is dropping off his Jeep with the valet. He spots us immediately and joins us.
“Hi, beautiful,” he gushes, giving me a double-cheek kiss. And then he does a double take. “Oh my God. What did you do to yourself?”