Page 16 of Out of the Gold

Melody

“C’mon, Mel.We just got to Amalfi and everyone is going to be out at the club.”

In only my bra and panties, I sit and trace the design on the bedspread. It’s pretty. Nothing like the harsh designs we’ve used here, but perhaps I could replicate it inLadies of the Abbey?

Sophia snaps her fingers in front of my face. “That’s it. We’re going.” She opens my closet, zipping through the hangers there.

“I don’t want to go. I’m beat.”

“Too bad.” She pulls out a dress and then replaces it back on the rod.

“Honestly, Sophia, I don’t have it in me.” I drop my hands on my thighs. “The whole glove situation—”

“Was an honest mistake. Could’ve happened to anyone. Stop beating yourself up over it.” She walks toward me. “Here. Put these on.” She plops a pair of black capris and a purple sleeveless top onto my lap.

“I don’t want to.”

Sophia sits next to me, plucking at her maxi dress with an unusual paisley print, and tapping her wedge-sandaled foot. “And that’s why you’re going. You need to get out of your head, see some people. And have a few drinks.”

Only my best friend since first grade would dare challenge me like this, but I still have an ace in the hole. My head pops up. “I have an early call tomorrow. Noble wants Chase ready by eight, which means I’ll need to be sewing him into that damn costume by six.” Why did I think a movie was a good idea? Certainly not for my sleep, that’s for sure.

“Fine. One drink. And we’ll get you back here by ten. Should be enough snooze time for you.”

I remove the knitting needles from my hair and let it fall loose around my mid-back. Playing with a needle, I don’t respond.

My best friend steals it out of my hands and hoists me to standing. “We’re going. You know who is going to be there? Judith, that’s who. And if she gets the lead costume designer position for Noble’s next trilogy, her job on your TV show will be up for grabs. And for God’s sake, Helene will be right next to her tonight, sucking up as usual.”

It’s not Judith’s name that lights a fire under me. It’s Helene’s. She doesn’t suck up,per se, rather never misses a chance to extol her long history in the industry. “She’s not so bad.”

“But not so good, either. Plus, you don’t wantCharlesgossiping about how you’re holed up in your hotel room because you’re too embarrassed to show your face after the whole ‘glove fiasco.’” She makes air quotes to emphasize her point.

I look at the clothes Sophia selected and place them on the bed. “I need to take a shower first.”

A satisfied smile overtakes Sophia’s face. She makes a hurry-up motion and I dash into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, I let the water warm up and check the mirror. Oh boy, I look like crap. I need to put on a ton of makeup to hide the circles under my eyes and add color to my face. And now I’m going out tonight? Before I change my mind, though, Sophia’s words about Chase’s possible snarky comments come to the fore and I strip out of my underwear.

My mind leaps from the glove fiasco to Chase standing there so stupid sexy in his Doctor Manipul8 costume.He’s Lindsay’s brother.I scrub my skin harder than required.

Showered, I wrap a towel around my body and apply makeup, doing a good job of hiding those circles. Blush and bronzer make me look human again. Satisfied, I head into an empty room. Sophia left a note on top of my clothes, telling me she’s waiting in her room for me.

I get dressed and select a pair of wedge sandals to match hers. Bold gold hoop earrings and bangles complete my outfit. My hair is down, but I grab a ponytail holder should I decide to put it up later. Checking out the floor-length mirror one last time, I select a small purple clutch and pick up Sophia.

As we walk through Amalfi’s winding streets, Sophia broaches the proverbial elephant in the room. “So, Charles looked like he was in rare form today.”

“I call him Chase. That’s who he’s become. Although knowing his real name and being related to Lindsay doesn’t gain him any points in my book.”

Sophia and I had the displeasure of going to school with Chase’s younger sister, who was the biggest “mean girl” of all time. Made the movie of the same name look like a fluffy comedy.

And because I’ve kept in all the day’s problems, I use this opening to lodge my gripes. “Having to sew him into that costume was so demeaning. I mean, I was on mykneesin front of him, for God’s sake. He barely acknowledged me other than to complain about how long it was taking me to get him ready. And when the glove incident happened, well . . .”

“He looked pissed. I rechecked my camera before deleting the footage.”

“You can say that again. He made it seem like I had planned for it to happen.” I reflect on what he said in the trailer. “Or, at least I was totally incompetent for not thinking the buckle and Velcro would be an issue.”

Sophia makes an unladylike noise. “That sucks. Did you remind him it was Judith’s design?”

I fiddle with the rubber band around my wrist. “No. The whole design team signed off on the costume. Honestly, I was as shocked as anyone when it got caught.”

We take a few more steps and make a left turn. “To make matters worse, using silk for the replacements was Helene’s idea.”

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