Page 43 of Wicked Angel
Because it’s only been two days, I reminded myself. Felt like so much longer, maybe since the breakup was so imminent for so damn long. It was like going through a car crash in slow motion, one you could see coming from miles away.
Didn’t make the impact any less devastating.
I tried to wipe away the worst of last night’s raccoon makeup, then dragged myself downstairs for the walk of shame. When I padded into Shayla’s kitchen in my bare feet, I found her getting ready for her day, music and coffee on.
“Good morning!” She smirked at last night’s dress and last night’s face. “You slept in the dress?”
“Yeah. Guess I was too tired to get changed.” She’d loaned me a nightie to wear, but maybe I’d forgotten that last night.
I glanced outside, through the big windows along the back of the house. The scene around Johnny’s pool, visible through her living room, had snagged my eyes. By the looks of things, he’d had a party last night. There were like dozens of beer bottles, glasses, and assorted crap all over his deck.
Great.Have fun cleaning that up,Mean Me taunted.You seriously begged him to let you clean up after him? Dumbass.
“Coffee?”
“Hmm?” My eyes snapped back to Shayla. “Sure. Thanks.” I was definitely gonna need caffeine to deal with whatever awaited me next door. I slumped onto a stool at the island. “How late did we get home from the bar?”
“Oh, you know, late o’clock.” Shayla was in her dance clothes again, no makeup, but looked way more bright-eyed than I felt.
“Dancing today?”
“You know it.” She poured a coffee and put it in front of me. “Gotta be in top shape for the video shoot! Rehearsals start next week.”
“I can’t believe you’re gonna be such a star. I love you and I resent you so much right now.” I could say that, because she knew I was kidding.
Shayla smiled. “Aw, babe. You’re gonna be the next one to make it big. I know you are. Whatever you do, you’re gonna kill it.”
Of course she thought that. Because that’s what friends think.
Even when they’re wrong.
“How about the PR thing?” She eyed me over her travel mug. “Danielle Duke’s not the only hot shit in town, you know.”
“I know.”
“Will you start looking at job postings today?” she asked lightly, trying to hide how unenjoyable she found that prospect.
“Yeah. No time like the present, right?”
“Right,” she agreed. “You can chill on the couch and send out resumes, line up some interviews…”
“Yup.” I didn’t even want to break it to her that I didn’t have a resume. I figured after I cleaned Johnny’s house, I’d get working on that. All I really had to put on it was my internship with Danielle Duke, and the online Public Relations course I’d taken before that.
Maybe I could shamelessly put down Brody Mason, my sister’s manager, as a personal reference. Brody was super well-connected. That was sure to get me an interview somewhere, right?
Meanwhile, I wondered how long I could get away with not telling Shayla about cleaning Johnny’s house. She’d freak and forbid it, for sure. It would just have to be a tiny little secret for now.
Like you need more secrets with Johnny O.
First a kiss, then… this.
Hopefully, it was incredibly temporary. There had to be someone else who’d hire me to do… something. If I got crickets when I sent out my resume, I’d just have to start hitting up local cafés and whatever. I wasn’t too proud to make lattes for a living, also temporarily.
Better than cleaning up after Johnny O’Reilly and his “pig” friends.
Shayla had packed up her things and came around to give me a hug. “Well, good luck. I pulled a bunch of clothes for you, it’s all on my bed if you need anything.”
“Thank you, for everything. Break a leg and stuff.”
