Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
When we were done working out, my dad stopped to chat with a friend in the lobby while I checked my phone. I saw two new messages, one from Ari and one from Izzie.
I looked at Ari’s first.
Hey, Mabel asked if I wanted to pick her up from the airport. I’ll be back around six.
In what car?
Huh?
What car are you planning to drive to the airport in?
My car.
I’ll take you.
My car isn’t THAT bad.
It is. No arguments. What time should I pick you up?
Three. You big bully.
See you then.
Next, I tapped Izzie’s text.
Hey Dash! I HAVE NEWS. I’m heading to Bali for my yoga retreat but there was an inquiry about you from Katherine Carroll’s team. It came in yesterday, and my new assistant, Beatrix, is going to get back to them. Your luck is changing already! You must have cleared your cloudy energy!
Holy shit! If I hadn’t been in public, I’d have pumped a fist in the air. This was it, I could feel it. My big chance. All that walking around naked had worked!
My cell service and internet is going to be spotty for the next week, so Beatrix will be in touch. Can’t wait to hear what this is about! Cheers, darling!
I tossed my phone in my bag and stood near the door, waiting for my dad to notice I was eager to get going. I couldn’t wait to tell Ari the news about my audition—at least, I assumed it was an audition. But what else could it be? I wondered when it would happen, and if I’d have to go back to L.A. sooner than I’d planned to.
My chest caved a little at the thought of leaving her behind. Even though this was a totally casual thing, saying goodbye wasn’t going to be easy. I was going to miss her.
But that didn’t mean I was attached, did it? Just because I didn’t want to spend a night here without her and couldn’t seem to go more than ten minutes without thinking of her and felt like my heart had this Ari mode it shifted into whenever she was around that made it beat extra hard and fast didn’t mean strings had been created, right?
Fuck. Maybe it did. Maybe Xander had been right and even if you were careful, it just happened.
But it’s not like anything could be done about it. She lived here and I lived there. She was focused on her family, and I was focused on my career. She wanted a relationship like her parents had, like Gianni and Ellie had, or Veronica and Austin. She’d told me flat out she wanted someone who’d be there. Be in it.
It just wasn’t me.
Frowning, I grabbed my sunglasses from the outside pocket of my bag and slipped them on.
Once I was gone, the strings would snap.
By the time I’d gotten out of the shower, there was a voicemail and a text from an unknown L.A. number. The text appeared to be just a house address along with a day and time.
52 Beverly Park Terrace 4:00 Tuesday
I hit play on the voicemail.
“Hi Dash, this is Beatrix. I spoke with Ms. Carroll’s assistant. She’d like you to be at the house at four o’clock on Tuesday. I’ll text you the address. You can call me with any questions.”
Tuesday. Less than a week away. That meant I’d have to change my ticket and fly back sooner than planned. I’d have to say goodbye to Ari in three days at most. My gut twinged.
Instead of dwelling on it, I called Beatrix back.
“Hello. This is Beatrix.”
“Hi. This is Dash.”
“Hi, Dash! You got my messages?”
“Yes, but was there any other information?” I squinted at my reflection in the mirror above the dresser. “I’d love to know more.”
“She didn’t exactly say. Someone else at the office took the original call from her.” Beatrix sounded sorry to disappoint me. “Should I call her back and ask?”
“Could you? I just want to be prepared.”
“Of course. No problem.” She laughed nervously. “Sorry. I’m new at this. I’m still learning.”
“No problem. Just let me know what she says.”
Too restless and excited to sit around the house, I decided to go to the diner for lunch. I asked my dad if he wanted to go, but he said he had some things to do and disappeared into his bedroom with his cell phone. Smiling, I gave Fritz a scratch behind the ears and hoped my father was calling Julia to invite her to the wedding.
When I walked into the diner, I noticed Ari and a couple other Moe’s employees all huddled behind the counter looking at something that might have been on someone’s phone. I spied an empty stool and had just perched on it when she turned around, like she’d known I was right there.
“Dash!” Her eyes were bright, her smile wide. “It’s posted! The piece Hugo Martin wrote about the diner!”