Chapter 36
I was getting ready for a shopping day with Lily when I received the call from Barnett.
“Hello?” I answered as I juggled outfit options.
“Good morning, Anna,” Barnett said in his smooth, confident voice. “I have good news for you.”
“Oh?”
“You won’t have to worry about Julia or Bob anymore.”
I froze.
“Really? You took care of both of them? How?”
“You let me worry about the how. Just rest assured that they won’t be bothering you anymore.”
I hesitated.
“You didn’t do anything to hurt them, did you?”
Barnett sighed.
“Anna, do I really seem like someone who would do something like that?”
“No.”
“Then I think you have your answer.”
“Well…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I hung up, still unsure about what Barnett could have done to get both Julia and Bob off my back.
•* *
Since I had the entire day off—no clients scheduled—Lily and I took our time perusing the highest-end shops we could at the richest mall we could find. Lily had convinced me that, with my newfound fortune and success in my career, that I should be able to splurge on myself at least now and then. I still wasn’t so sure when I saw the price tags, but I let her drag me along as she tried on new outfits.
“Anna, try on something before I drag you into this changing room and make you,” Lily scolded me.
It was hard to take her seriously in her new cream-colored capris and red satin halter top. Still, I obeyed, knowing how quickly those golden hoop earrings could come off and make things serious.
“Honestly, Lily, I could find something that looks just as nice at a place that’s half as expensive,” I complained as I took a pair of designer jeans and a V-neck blouse. “We’re not even shopping business casual. It’s ridiculous to pay this much for casual.”
“Stop bitching and give me a fashion show. Honestly, what’s the use of having your hot new body if you don’t even show it off?”
“I show it off—”
“For your followers and your clients. How about you try and hook a man with it now?”
I laughed heartily as I slipped my arms through the puffy sleeves of the blouse.
“According to the tabloids, I’ve hooked two men with my hot bod, thank you very much.”
Lily laughed, too.
“Bob doesn’t count. I don’t think he’s even our species.”
“Well, what about Barnett?”
“Oh, is someone ready to admit that Barnett might actually like her?”
“No way in Hell.”
I stopped to look at myself in the mirror in the changing room. The V-neck plunged down to sneak a look at the side of my cleavage, and the jeans hugged my ass and hips as though they had been tailored for me. Damn, I did look hot.
I dramatically swung the door open, stepped out of the dressing room, and presented myself to Lily with a sweeping gesture of my hands.
“Ta da!”
Lily clapped enthusiastically.
“Bravo! Bravo!”
“Satisfied, Ms. Fashionista?”
“Oh, we’re just getting started, Ms. Glumista. Like you said, we’ve just been shopping in the casual clothes so far.”
I tried to groan, but it turned into a giggle.
Lily shoved a dress into my arms.
“Besides, we haven’t found the perfect yachting dress for you yet, and I can’t have you coming out on my brand new yacht until you have the perfect dress.”
“Oh, a yacht. What did you do to deserve that? Grovel?”
I cackled as I launched myself back into the changing room before Lily could catch me.
“No, smartass. I earned it.” She stressed the word “earned” in a way that I knew it must mean something more, but I didn’t dare think on it.
“Whatever. So, when’s your first big party on this yacht going to be?”
“My birthday.”
“Seriously? That’s so far off!”
“Great things are worth waiting for.”
I rolled my eyes as I pulled the dress over them.
“Anyway, back to you and Barnett—”
“Don’t get started on that,” I said, my voice muffled through the fabric.
“Don’t you think that maybe, just maybe, you two are destined for each other?”
“No, I haven’t.”
I hadn’t even told her that he had turned out to be my match on Soul M8s. I wasn’t about to give her that fuel any time soon.
“He keeps doing all these things for you. You gave you one of his best—his best, actually!—cars to replace your own. He doesn’t do these kinds of things for just anyone.”
“He’s just being nice to me, that’s all.”
“Weren’t you telling me just before we got here that he fixed both your Julia and Bob situations for you?”
“That’s what he says, yeah.”
“And why wouldn’t he just let you take care of that stuff yourself? You’re a big girl. You can find a lawyer.”
I blushed fiercely as I looked in the mirror. It was a nice, ankle-length dress with a slit up one side and draped off one shoulder. Modest yet sophisticated—Lily would hate it.
“Like I said, he’s just being nice.”
“He’s a nice guy, but he doesn’t often do things just to be nice outside of charities, and you’re no charity. Trust me, you two belong together. Now, come out and let me see that dress.”
With a sigh, I walked out and spun around for her. She held her chin like The Thinker, then shook her head.
“It’s classy, but let’s try something that shows a little more skin.”
•* *
As we walked out of the final shop with far too many bags hanging from our arms, I struggled to reach for my buzzing phone. I found that I had five unanswered texts and two calls from Arthur. It could have been worse.
“Who’s being so persistent?” Lily asked, straining to see my phone screen as I pulled it away from her.
“Arthur.”
“What does he want? Isn’t it your day off?”
“Yeah, but he’s really been pushing me to do one of these sports commercials that I’ve been offered. He says that it’ll be good for my career.”
Lily shrugged. “Well, he’s not wrong.”
“It sounds like an awful lot of work, though.”
She nodded. “It really does.”
“Well, then, whose side are you on?”
She held her hands up defensively. “I’m on your side, of course. But that involves helping you see all angles to this, good and bad.”
I nodded. “Okay, I can appreciate that.”
“It’s why you keep me around, after all.”
“Whatever you say, Beauty Queen.”
I nudged her in the ribs with my elbow, and we burst out laughing.
“So,” she continued, pulling a tank top out from a rack, “which sports brand is he pushing so hard for, anyway?”
“Freyja.”
Lily nearly dropped what she was holding.
“You mean the sex-positive sports brand focusing on female and gender-neutral products? The one that they think is going to be the next Nike?”
I suppressed a laugh.
“Yes, that Freyja. Are you still going to try and help me see it ‘from all angles’ now?”
Lily shook her head and composed herself.
“Of course. I’m your best friend. If you really think that you’re too busy for it, then you need to take that into consideration.”
There was hesitation at the end of that sentence that told me a ‘but’ was about to follow.
“At the same time, this could also put you at the forefront of something huge. What does Arthur say?”
“He says, and I quote, ‘This could be the biggest break of your career. I don’t want to see you miss it.’”
Lily let out a low whistle.
“No pressure there.”
“You’re not being much better, Ms. ‘This could put you at the forefront of something huge.’”
Lily rolled her eyes but smiled. She put her hand on my shoulder.
“You’re right. That was unfair of me. Whatever you decide to do, just know that I support you.”
I smiled and gave her a quick hug.
“Thanks. That means a lot to me.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
I looked down at my phone and the most recent text Arthur had sent me.
You can do this. I know you can. I’ll be there with you every step of the way.
