Page 91 of Just Friends Forever
I smile and wipe at a wet spot on her cheek with my thumb. “Shouldn’t take too long,” I say with a wink. I lean over and press a kiss to her forehead, then leave her to decide whether she’s ready to take another chance on love. On me.
* * *
The pictureof Stevie and Austin has brought another influx of paparazzi, and I can hear a couple of them even through the closed windows of my car as I try to pull out without hitting any of them.
“Do you think your brother Austin is a better fit for Stephanie?” one yells.
“Has the fight for Stephanie put strain on your relationship with your brother?”
I do the only thing I can think to do: wave with a big grin and pretend not to hear them. But when I get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 5, I pull out my phone and look up the article Stevie showed me.
As stupid and full of completely off-the-charts speculation as it is, there’s one line that’s a sucker punch right to the gut: “As far as we’re concerned, the obvious choice for Stephanie is Austin.”
I turn off the screen and toss my phone onto the passenger seat.
It’s just a stupid tabloid.
Besides, once I get this real estate deal with Rocco in the bag, the playing field will be a lot more level. I won’t have a massive following of tweenaged girls (though I have gotten a couple thousand new followers in the past week and a half), but I’ll be on my way to rubbing shoulders with a lot of the people in Stevie and Austin’s world. Next time they play, maybe I’ll be able to cover a couple celebrity Bingo spaces.
A text pops up at the top of my screen.
Evelyn
I’m a little early, but I couldn’t help myself.
I smile. Evelyn is a bright spot amidst today’s turmoil.
A couple of minutes later, she texts again.
Evelyn
I’ve only seen the exterior, and I’m in love, Troy.
And then again four minutes after that.
Evelyn
I ordered a glass of milk for you from the cafe down the street. Cookies can’t go without milk.
Her happy mood and excitement seeps through the phone, and I set it down, relieved to see traffic start moving again. According to my GPS, I should be there in about twenty minutes.
My phone starts ringing, and I scramble to put in my Bluetooth earphones when I see Rocco’s name pop up on the screen.
“Hey, Rocco!”
“What’s up? Hey, I need you in Malibu ASAP. Brand new house coming up for sale. It’s not even on the market yet, and the seller is open to an off-market deal, which puts it in my price range.”
My heart starts pounding. “Okay, how soon is ASAP?”
“Right now. He’s agreed to let us come check it out to see if we can arrange things before they go to the trouble of listing.”
I swear under my breath. “Rocco, I’m on the way to a client showing in Huntington Park right now.”
“Huntington Park?” I might as well have said my client is in the market for a port-a-potty.
“Yeah,” I say, my neck and cheeks heating up.
“Come on, Troy. You can rearrange the showing, I’m sure.”
