Page 72 of Pretty Wild

Mother and daughter embrace before stepping inside a huge mansion. They’re chatting about Ryan’s makeup line and the potential of being picked up by a huge department store worldwide when Ryan’s phone rings.

“Hello?” she asks, putting it on speakerphone.

“Is this Ryan Marcotte?”

“This is she,” she replies, her mom’s brown eyes wide with excitement.

“This is Stanley Goodman of Goodman’s. I sent a proposal to your manager, but I wanted to call you personally to say congratulations. Goodman’s is thrilled to carry your new winter line in our department stores worldwide.”

“Oh my God,” Ryan cries, her hand covering her mouth as tears fill her eyes. Jade stands beside her, clearly as excited about the phone call as Ryan. “Thank you so much.”

“No, thank you. Please have Ariana get back to me once she and your legal team have reviewed the contract. We’re anxious to get this deal done, Miss Marcotte.”

“I am as well,” Ryan replies, practically bouncing where she stands.

“We’ll be in touch, Miss Marcotte. Congratulations.”

The phone disconnects, leaving mother and daughter to celebrate this huge accomplishment. There’s lots of hugs and tears, and when they finally pull apart, Ryan says, “Let’s call Dad and tell him.”

Jade nods as Ryan dials the phone.

“Hello, daughter,” a booming voice greets into the phone.

“Hi, Dad. Do you have a minute?”

“I do, yes. Just finishing up a late lunch with Vaughn,” the man says.

The camera cuts over to the restaurant where an older man sits with a younger one.

“Vaughn, it’s Ryan. She has some exciting news to share,” the man I now know as Douglas Marcotte says.

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Vaughn says, but his eyes move just over Douglas’s shoulder to two men sitting at a table, waving him over. “Actually, you take your call. I need to go say hello to an old friend. Excuse me one moment,” he says, standing up and walking over to the other table.

Douglas remains cool, but I don’t miss the way the corner of his mouth ticks with annoyance. “Well, Vaughn had to step away. Tell me, baby girl. What’s the news?”

Ryan relays the information about the deal to her father, who not only congratulates her profusely, but gets a little misty-eyed himself at what she’s accomplished. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Let’s celebrate. Have your mom get a reservation at your favorite restaurant. I’ll be home around six and we can go commemorate this day.”

It cuts back to Ryan’s gorgeous smile. “Sounds good.”

“Congratulations, Ryan,” he replies once more before hanging up the phone.

The camera doesn’t cut back to Ryan and Jade the way I expect it to. Instead, it stays on Douglas for a moment, who chats animatedly with the server, telling him all about Ryan’s big deal. I expect it to return to Ryan, but it still doesn’t. Instead, the cameraman zooms in on Vaughn, who took a seat at the table with his two friends. With the camera being farther away, their conversation isn’t as easily heard, but as the cameraman slowly moves closer, the words become audible.

“You about done with her yet?”

Vaughn, with his back to the camera, snorts and lifts his glass. “So done. It’s getting exhausting.” He sips whatever expensive liquor he has in the glass.

“She still thinks you’re dating for love?”

“Of course she does. I’m a damn good actor,” he replies with a laugh. “Now that I have the role I’ve been after in her father’s upcoming movie, I can break it off with Ryan.”

The friend smirks across the table. “Better make it fast. That redhead over there is eyeing you like you’re her next meal,” the friend states.

Vaughn glances to his right, clearly eyeing the redhead.

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