Page 9 of Something Unprofessional

Mrs. Monroe tapped a manicured finger against her tablet. “She would be perfect for one of these singing shows,” she said, holding it out to Gabe. “The public loves a child prodigy, and she’s still young enough to pull it off.”

Ev did his best not to react even as dread spread like ice through his veins. Fuck.Fuck.Now wasn’t the time for past-Ev’s bullshit. He fisted and released his hands, fighting to stay focused.

“You’re new, right?” Kelsey asked suddenly. It took Ev a second to realize she was talking to him.

“Um. Yeah. I’ve been here a couple months. Why?”

Kelsey shrugged, still not looking away from her phone. “You look familiar. Would I know you from somewhere?”

Ev’s stomach churned. Of all the questions, she’d picked the one he loathed. “I lived in Chicago before this,” he hedged.

Kelsey turned away from her phone for the first time, only to give him a skeptical lifted eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s not why I know you.”

Ev sighed and shut his eyes for a moment, swallowing against the nausea climbing his throat. “Do you watch talent competitions?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

Kelsey hummed and went back to her phone. Ev’s tension was slowly leaving when she tilted the screen in his direction, revealing an old publicity shot ofThe Star’s season eight contestants, with Ev front and center in his family-friendly polo shirt and khakis and his neatly styled hair. Ev groaned. “Fuck, I look so cringe.”

Kelsey huffed a laugh, the first he’d heard from her. “Bet.” Then, thankfully, she tucked the phone and the hated picture away. “So, how’d you end up here?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be off recording albums or on tour or something?”

Ev shrugged. “Been there, done that. Didn’t want the T-shirt.”

Kelsey pursed her lips in surprise. “You were good, though.”

Ev needed a drink. Or several. That was the only time he felt comfortable talking about this shit. Still, he could make an effort for Kelsey, whose mom seemed determined to send her downthe path Ev’s parents once had. “Sure. And I loved performing, but being a public figure sucks. There’s never any privacy, and you can’t trust anyone not to take advantage, because everyone in the industry has an agenda.”

Kelsey frowned thoughtfully. “I guess. But that’s already my reality. When you have parents like mine, everyone wants to be your ‘friend,’” she said. Ev understood the air quotes she put around friend. He’d learned that lesson too.

“You’re more prepared than I was then.”

Kelsey shifted on the sofa so that she was facing him. “So, you’re done? No more performing?”

Ev nodded. “Totally done. I get my famous person thrills from talking to my best friend these days. You know Xavier? The big boss?”

Kelsey nodded. “Mom wanted him for my PR, but he’s not taking new clients anymore.”

Ev grinned. “That’s because he fell for my bestie, Finn. They’re holed up being all cute together, and Xavier doesn’t have the time he used to. He still goes to the big events and stuff, and Finny tells me all about it.” Ev widened his eyes. “Can you believe he hangs out with Remy Dalton? I’m so jealous.”

“That’s fire. He’s such a snack,” Kelsey said with a dreamy sigh.

“Right? That one pic with the water running down his face lives rent-free.” Ev fanned his cheeks, and Kelsey laughed.

From across the room, Gabe cleared his throat. Oops. It was possible Ev had forgotten he was supposed to be working. He gave Kelsey a wincing smile and turned back to his laptop.

“We need to be strategic,” Gabe was saying. “Some of these competitions would do more harm than good to her marketability, and we would have very little control over how they portray her.” He was still being polite, despite the hard edge creeping into his voice at having to repeat himself. If Kelsey’s mom hadn’t been the friend of a friend and wealthy to boot, Ev was pretty sure Gabe would have kicked her out by now. “Let me put out some feelers,” Gabe suggested. “See if any of the schedulers for the talk show circuit are interested in having her on as a guest artist.”

Kelsey sighed, and for a minute, Ev wasn’t sure if it was in reaction to Gabe’s suggestion or to something on her phone. “Fantastic. I can be the next nepo baby onOprah.”

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Ev asked, keeping his voice low so they wouldn’t draw attention again.

Kelsey shrugged. “I mean, it’s going to happen, isn’t it? Who cares if I have actual talent. My parents are rich and powerful, so anything I accomplish was obviously bought for me.”

It was sad, but Ev could see her point. And the fact that her mother was here, hiring the best of the best, kind of proved it. Ev tilted his head in acknowledgment. “How would you do it, if it were up to you?”

That drew a near smile. “The old-school way. I used to record covers in my bedroom and put them up on social media. A couple of them went almost viral.”

“You’re good, then,” Ev asked.

Kelsey rolled her eyes. “Look me up and decide for yourself.”

---