“Come on. I’m not saying you look bad. It’s just…”
I exhale and meet her eyes on the screen. “It’s what?”
“You’re changing, a lot.”
“And?” I’m not doing a good job hiding the irritation in my voice.
Palmer rolls her eyes at my tone. “I mean, I know you, Aves. You’ve been my best friend for twenty years, so I can say with full confidence that you, the real you, is pretty incredible. I don’t want you to change your entire identity because Mason wasn’t the one. You are perfect for someone. And I just don’t think that someone is going to want you to dress up like a mermaid slut and party at a strip club.”
I deadpan. “Slut?”
She holds up her hands in surrender. “Sorry! Poor word choice. You get what I’m trying to say. You’re just not Vegas, you’re not going out, you’re Avery. You’re cuddles on the couch, and ranch and chips for dinner, and the most intelligent, kind human being I know. You deserve everything, Aves.”
As per usual, Palmer’s loving and supportive message is wrapped in her candy coating of sass and judgment, but the core is sweet at least.
I gesture to my cleavage on display. “This isn’t the norm. I’m the one who wanted to go to this party. Finn… I don’t know, Palmer, there’s something between us and I think it’s real.”
She turns up her lip like she smells something rancid. “Real? You and the strip club owner? Come on.”
“He’s a photographer—a really good photographer,” I say, grabbing the aerosol hairspray and spraying it into my palm. I dab the liquid by the sides of my eyes before using the makeup brush to deposit a healthy coat of glitter where my eyeliner ends. I’ll be damned. It actually works; the glitter is glued in place. All courtesy of Lennox’s genius. “He wants me to move here to be with him and give our relationship a real chance.”
“Stop. What the fuck?” Palmer asks, her eyes popping into wide circles. “You’re not—”
“I am. If I get the Legacy Resorts job, I’m moving to Vegas.”
The job is almost guaranteed.
My hunch was more than spot-on. Once I dug into the board members’ financials, it was very clear what Legacy’s main issue is…
They have a rat.
The member most adamant about selling the company and getting everyone to rally behind him happens to be a major investor in Legacy’s direct competition. My big presentation transformed from a pitch to a witch hunt. Once I tell the executive team and other board members what Mr. Wallace Frank has been up to, he’ll be voted off the board and Legacy can start fresh with a supportive team and a solid new branding vision.
My vision.
I bite the inside of my cheek and brace myself, preparing for the snarky remark that’s about to come out of Palmer’s mouth, but instead, there are only tears.
“Palmer?” I ask.
She shakes her head and sniffles.
“Palmer…what’s wrong?” My tone softens as I watch her eyes fill and her cheeks turn blotchy red.
“It’s just great to know that I’m losing my job, my home, and my best friend all at the same time.”
“What? That assistant actually got you fired? Because that’s not—”
Palmer shakes her head again. “No. The show didn’t end up getting picked up. The network changed its mind last minute. They’ll have my final check tomorrow and then we’re done. I was going to tell you this weekend.”
The way her head is hung makes my stomach twist. I hate seeing Palmer like this. Her sass and snark are a wall she’s built up after years of rejection in an industry based on luck and endless ladders. An industry that’s been rejecting her for a decade now.
“Palmer… I’m so sorry, friend. What do you need from me?”
“Anything? Even if it’s much too much to ask?”
I nod assuredly. “Absolutely.”
“Will you come get me? I don’t want to make the drive back alone. I know you have connections in the airline industry. Could you get a last-minute flight—”
“Yes. I’ll get on a flight tomorrow night. You can come to Cancun with me, okay? They booked me a couple’s suite, but there’s no way in hell I’m sharing that with Mason. Do you want to be my date?”
Hunter with Legacy Resorts made the incorrect assumption that Mason and I are still a couple, so he had his assistant arrange a honeymoon suite at Legacy’s Cancun resort. I politely told Mason I was keeping the luxury suite, and he needed to find elsewhere to bunk for the presentation. I actually was going to surprise Finn with a last-minute invitation, but Palmer clearly needs the distraction. She can get tan and drunk in Mexico while I secure Arrow Consulting’s future.
“But you have to play nice with Mason,” I continue. “He’s going to be there, too.”
She makes a disgusted face.
“Free vacation, honey. Beggars can’t be choosers.”
“What did you decide about all that anyway? You’re really going to ditch Mason after all you guys have gone through with Arrow?”
“Wow, look who is singing a different tune,” I say teasingly. “Has the war finally ceased?” I wink before I shake my head. “No. I came up with the perfect solution. I am going to keep Arrow Consulting intact and offer an exclusive non-compete offer to Legacy Resorts. So we’ll get their fat paycheck, I’ll give Mason his fair share, and Arrow Consulting will be an exclusive resource to Legacy.” I pinch my fingers together and kiss them. “I don’t want to say I’m a genius but…” I pop my shoulders with a big grin on my face. I’m just trying to cheer her up. “Everything is going to be okay. You could move to Vegas with me. We can still get a place together.”
“I have to be in L.A. for—”
“I know.” I wish she’d just give up her acting career and find something that makes her feel good about herself. But I also know Palmer’s talented. Everyone finds their path in their own way. “If this is what you want, then see this show as a big stepping stone. You landed an amazing job, Palmer. It’s not in your control who invests in the project. So take the experience, go home, and go hard. Another opportunity will come your way. I promise you, friend. I love you.”
“I know.” She presses her fingertips against her closed eyes. “But…I don’t know…I’m scared that you have this new life, new friends, and a new man so quickly. I’m your oldest friend. I’ve been with you forever. You’re really going to ditch me for some random hot guy? I thought…”
I hang my head when I remember the promise I made to her weeks ago. Before Finn. Before I found this new version of myself. I told Palmer we were in it together and she could count on me. She needs me. Mason needs me. He’s not my boyfriend, but he is still my business partner.
I don’t want to be the girl who ditches her oldest friends for a shiny new life that truthfully I probably don’t fit into. Maybe this is moving too fast. This summer was just a break from reality, but now real life seems to be catching up.
“We’ll figure it out together, Palmer. Don’t worry. I’ll be there tomorrow, okay? I’ll text you as soon as I have my flight details.”