Page 33 of The Publicity Stunt

She laughs. "It's my favorite place to eat when I come out here, which isn't very often. I suppose that makes it a little more special. But the owner came from Texas, if that helps any."

Leaning back on the sofa, he sighs. "That does, actually. I don't feel like a total traitor now."

"Thank you for bringing it. The chicken and veggies I'd planned to eat just didn't sound appetizing."

"So, what's wrong with Tessa?"

"Excuse me?"

He rolls his eyes. "I'm a dude, but I know when a girl has been crying. That girl was crying tonight."

Sighing, she folds her legs underneath her. "Okay, but you can't say anything."

"Cross my heart."

A smile spreads across her face as he marks an X on his chest. "Trevor dumped her."

"Why is that such a secret?"

"Because it was the tipping point of her breakdown. She dated a loser named Mark, which came after a string of other losers, and I never liked him. Any of them, really. Except Trevor. He seemed decent. But anyway, she thought she was in love with Mark, and maybe she was. I don't know. Mark convinced her to help him take out a loan, and she still won't tell me what it was for. He spent the money on whatever, and then he disappeared, leaving her to pay it all back."

His eyebrows raise. "What a douche."

"I knew about all that, but she never told me how much the loan was. Then she started dating Trevor, and it sounded like a match made in heaven. She banked on a bonus from work, and she took out another loan, this time not from a bank, to get him some extravagant present. Which means there were hefty interest rates."

"She didn't get the bonus, did she?"

"She got fired. Then her car got repossessed, followed by getting evicted."

Blowing air out, he shakes his head. "That sucks."

"She's the one who woke me up when I missed getting up and ready for your game, which I'm really sorry about, by the way. I meant to take a quick nap, but it turned into multiple hours. And when Tessa called, she was sobbing. When she showed up here, I knew it was bad. It's also the only time she's ever asked for help financially."

"Are you helping her?"

Bracing herself for his opinions, she nods. "I'm covering the debt and taking her on tour with me while she mends her broken heart. We'll figure out the next steps. Don't..."

"Don't what?"

"She wanted to work off as much as she could on the tour as another assistant or gofer or whatever I needed her to do, and then she'd find another job to pay whatever was left back."

"It's a lot of money?"

Bri looks at the wall. "Depends on who you ask. But it's not a small amount her parents could help her out with."

"How long have you known her? Ten years?"

"Fifteen."

"Bri-"

"Look, I know what everyone's opinion is, but Tessa's not like everyone else. She fights me whenever I want to pay for things, and she does what she can to spoil me. She's always there when I need her, and she never wants me to feel like she's here for anything other than me."

Kace licks his lips when she looks back at him and nods. "Okay."

"Look, it's not easy being my best friend," she says, her voice quiet, and she lowers her eyes. "Most people think it would be glamorous and fun, and sometimes, sure, it is. But most of the time, it's terrible. Cameras always end up in your face. People try to use you to get dirt on me to publicize. And once people know you're close to me, all your privacy goes out the window, almost as much as mine does. But she has never once complained. And she's always there for me. Always."

"Bri, look at me."

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