“How do you know?” Poppy asks.
Rose shoots her a scathing glare.
She’s as used to them as the rest of us. “I’m just asking.”
“It’s like cheating at a game,” she says. “It’s too easy for him.”
Their weird relationship deserves to be observed. By me. I love it too much not to be a spectator. My smile consumes my face the longer I think about Connor and Rose’s back-and-forth nerd wars.
Rose rolls her eyes at me and starts pacing again.
“Why are we here then?” I wonder.
She pulls her shoulders back like she’s layering on armor. “As you know, Calloway Couture has been doing less than average lately.”
My stomach immediately plummets, my smile fading, and turkey starts rising to my throat. I swallow it back down. Apologies swim in my head.
It’s my fault. My sex addiction ruined her fashion line. There is no forgiveness for me, and I don’t want it.
She continues on, “I’ve been struggling with serious solutions, but recently, someone made an offer that might actually work. The only problem is that it involves the three of you.” Her yellow-green eyes ping from me to Poppy and then to Daisy. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. I’ll understand if you say no.”
“Sounds dangerous,” Daisy says with a mischievous smile. “Color me intrigued.”
“Sounds like nothing,” I correct her. “She hasn’t said it yet.”
“What is ‘it’ exactly?” Poppy asks with air quotes.
“A reality show.”
My mouth immediately falls.
The room cakes in thick silence, but not the awkward kind. We’re all processing. And if we were in an X-Men comic right now, Poppy, Daisy and I would be the cuckoo sisters—thinking the exact same thing with their creepy telepathic hive-mind. There is no other response to Rose’s proclamation.
“You’re insane,” Poppy says first.
I mock gasp. “That’s what I was thinking.”
“Me too,” Daisy agrees and gives me a side-eye. “And you stole my mock gasp.”
Rose waves us off, as if commanding us to stop talking. “I’m not insane. Calloway Couture needs good exposure, and I may be rolling the dice with this show, but it’s something.” Her eyes travel to me. “And maybe the world can see you how we do. Funny, sweet, and not just a sex addict.”
Can that really happen? Won’t a reality show just place a bigger spotlight on our family? But…Rose is the genius…so she should know better, right? If it’ll help my sister, I won’t ever say no.
I put her in this position to begin with.
“Okay,” I nod. “Let’s do it.”
Rose steps back like I exploded a bomb at her feet. Jeez, she must have been expecting a fight. “Really? You can take more time to think about it, Lily. It’ll be a big change.”
A big change. I hate those. But sometimes change can be good, right? That’s what my therapist tells me. “No.” I shake my head. “I don’t need more time. If there’s a chance this’ll help Calloway Couture, then I want to be involved.”
“I’m in,” Daisy tells us. “It sounds like fun, and besides, I’m used to cameras. So it’s not a big deal for me.”
Cameras…
More of them.
Don’t think about it, Lily.
We all turn to our oldest sister, who just sits on the couch in silent contemplation. She lets out a long sigh. “Why can’t the show just be about you, Rose?” she asks.
“The production company pitched that idea to the network, and they didn’t bite.” She holds in a breath, her collarbones protruding. “They wanted Lily in the show.” She takes a step towards me. “I don’t want to lie to you. You should know that the show will try to focus more on you than any of us—even if they’re calling it Princesses of Philly.”
Before I can assure her again, Poppy blazes ahead of me. “Is this really the only thing you can do?” she asks. “It seems drastic, and I’m concerned about Lily’s safety.”
“I would never intentionally put Lily in harm’s way,” Rose says. “I’ve tried everything, Poppy.” Is Rose about to cry? “This is my only chance.”
Poppy’s maternal side has kicked in, and she won’t back down yet. “So you’re going to put the family under more scrutiny, all to save your fashion line?”