Page 66 of The Marriage Narrative
FIONA:I remember that! telling your kid “your dreams should be bigger than a hobby” and turning it into a catchphrase was so gross
FIONA:Amber literally went on a talk show circuit to grow their audience with the parental demographic. it worked like you wouldn’t believe
FIONA:I would’ve been impressed if I hadn’t been so horrified
GRACE:Don’t let your guard down. They know you don’t like her, but you admitted ON CAMERA that what Jordan says goes.
ZINNIA:IT WAS THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT!
GRACE:Anyway, the optics of this outing are super suspicious to me. They’re overdue to test how willing you two are to get along for his sake.
With Mabel’s reluctantpraise and Grace’s warnings on repeat in her head, she set off for the mall in the Zaffres’ blacked-out SUV with Lulie, Amber, and two all-female camera pods. Burgundy and Pale Orange. Spicy Blonde and Brownie.
They rode in tense silence—the oppressive kind that seeped under her skin and filled her with an anxious fog. She squeezed her hands together between her thighs.
Lulie cracked first without preamble. “Most outfits you wear will be planned from now on.Mysister-in-law can’t be running around looking like Mister Rogers’s illegitimate love child.”
“Wrong. He would absolutely claim me,” she joked, which was leagues better than screaming about how weird this was.
“Especiallyon red carpets,” Lulie pointedly continued on. “A few choice looks and we can establish you as someone to watch.” She pursed her lips as she stared at Zinnia. “You cover up a lot. How do you feel about showing skin?”
“Indifferent, I guess. I get cold easily.”
“Get used to that feeling,” Amber muttered with a lethalside-eye. “You’re scheduled to debut in the fall. Winter premieres are brutal.”
Being at the estate felt like living in a plush, surreal bubble. Grace, Fiona, and her parents were Zinnia’s only real contact with the outside world. That’d be changing soon.
People whom she’d never know existed would know her name. Her face. Her husband. Thinking about her future felt like trying to catch clouds with her bare hands.
Once in the parking garage, instead of heading for the mall’s entrance, they were escorted by two security guards to the utility hallway. It was one long off-white corridor with outlined doors and signs indicating which stores they passed.
“We don’t need to be seen,” Lulie commented as they marched forward. “NDAs are too flimsy these days. One whiff of potential clout, and lawsuit threats are basically meaningless. We’re better off hiding you in plain sight instead of having a designer fitting at the house. We’re just two besties going shopping.”
“Sure.” There was no way that shopping was all production had planned for her. A secret prank was likely on the day’s docket. But what kind?
It didn’t take long to reach their destination—a store she’d never heard of called Etched. All the sales associates were calledpersonal attendants, offering them champagne and fruit the second they walked through the employees’ entrance. Light fixtures hung sparsely from the ceiling like falling stars and reflected on the polished champagne-colored ground. There was an ethereally calm feeling in the air—probably psychologically proven to make people spend more money.
For not wanting to be seen, choosing a store that had both glass doors and front displays seemed like an odd choice. Using a sign that readClosed for a VIP Guestdefinitely didn’t helpany. Neither did the two security guards who were now outside and guarding the entrance.
Passersby noticed the cameras long before spotting Lulie, if they even did. She moved so fast she might as well have been teleporting around the store, knowing exactly what she wanted and requesting more. Amber was slightly hidden from view, sitting on one of the love seats and ever dedicated to whatever business she did on her tablet.
“Zinnia! Get over here!” Lulie shouted from the jeans section.
She’d been posted up near the registers, eating a giant chocolate-dipped strawberry and trying to find potential hiding spots and a secondary emergency exit. “You summoned me, oh great one?”
“What?”
“It’s a joke.”
“Then why aren’t I laughing?”
Zinnia, however, did at that. “I’ll try harder next time.”
“See that you do.” Lulie’s snappy frown faded into a conspiratorial grin.
That was probably the closest thing she’d ever get to an apology.
“I’ve picked out everything I had my eye on, and I want your opinion about a few things I’m on the fence about. I wanted to get you some jewelry too, but Alfie said no. Why doesn’t he want you to have any?”
