Addy arrived at the atelier before her start time. Thankfully she’d been so nervous that she had left earlier than she would have on any other day since those cute guys had blocked the stairway. She stood outside of the building for a moment, staring at the door and taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. “You’ve got this,” she murmured, smoothing down her skirt and adjusting her top. She checked out her reflection on the glass door before reaching out for the handle. “Are you going to stand there all day, admiring yourself, or are you going inside?” She jumped and whirled around to see an older woman with short blonde hair and bright red pursed lips standing behind her on the sidewalk. Tapping her toes against the cement, she stared at Addy with an annoyed look as she waited. Addy’s face turned pink as she muttered, “Sorry.” She opened the door and held it for the woman, smiling apologetically at her. The woman walked through with a sniff, ignoring Addy. Addy grimace
“It’s about time you got home,” Shea told Addy when she walked through the front door. “Get changed, get your bathing suit, and let’s go.” Addy stopped in place and looked at her roommates. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Where are we going?” Brooklyn and Shea both wore denim shorts and tank tops with sandals, and they packed the cooler and picnic basket. Brooklyn turned to look at Addy, saying, “We’re heading up to the roof for a welcome to the building pool party. Go get changed.” “Yeah, we’re throwing the new people in the building a party to get to know them better,” Shea said, stuffing a towel into her beach bag. “You mean the two guys who blocked my way this morning and the new girl who helped to unblock it?” Addy asked. Brooklyn and Shea stopped their packing and looked at Addy. “So, you’ve met them?” Brooklyn asked, grinning. “Yeah, I ran into them when they were bringing their couch up the stairs and blocking my way,” Addy told them with one eyebrow raise
“Uh, I’m not sure I’m ready to cast anyone new to my film,” Lewis told Shea. “I’m almost done with the shooting.” Shea pouted, sticking her lip out and crossing her arms over her chest. Lewis looked around at everyone with a panicked look on his face and said, “But I can let you know when I’m starting my next movie.” Shea’s face instantly lit up, and she threw her arms around his neck, causing the water to slosh over the side of the spa. “Hey!” Kendall cried out, shielding her face from the water. “Watch it!” “Sorry,” Shea said, untangling herself from Lewis. “I got a little excited.” “A little?” Addy asked wryly, wiping the moisture from her face. Shea grinned at her roommate and stuck her tongue out at her. “Oooh! Look at the sunset!” Brooklyn said, pointing toward the horizon. Everyone turned to look. “It’s pretty tonight,” Addy said. “Yeah, all the pollution in the area really makes for a beautiful sunset,” Lewis said, frowning. Troy shot him an annoyed look. “W
“I’m a fashion designer,” she told him. “Or at least, studying to be. I just got a job working with Barto Luciani. Have you heard of him?” Troy’s face darkened at the mention of Barto. Nodding, he said with anger in his voice, “Yeah, I’ve heard of the man.” A confused look crossed Addy’s face, and she asked, “What have you heard?” He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. “It doesn’t matter,” he told her. “Nothing will ever happen to him. He’s too rich and powerful.” Addy frowned and looked at Brooklyn and Shea, who had worried looks on their faces as they shook their heads. “What do you mean?” Addy asked, leaning forward. Lewis shook his head and said, “I’d rather not talk about it right now if you don’t mind. I don’t want to bring down the vibe of the party.” Addy nodded with an uncertain look on her face. After a tense moment, Troy asked, “So, do you think you make outfits for everyone for the film festival?” Her eyebrows raised, she looked at him
“I got an email from my boss at the paper.” Brooklyn said, sitting at the table, munching on a bagel when Addy and Shea came out of their rooms in the morning. “Was it good?” Addy asked, going to the cupboard to take down a cereal box. Shea walked straight to the coffeepot and grabbed her mug. After filling it and getting it fixed to her liking, she leaned against the counter and took the first sip. “What’s the email about?” she asked. Smiling at her and shaking her head, Brooklyn said, “It’s an invitation to the new club that’s opening next weekend.” Shea’s eyes grew wide, and she set her mug down. “You don’t mean O’Sullivan’s, do you?” she asked in a breathless voice. Nodding, Brooklyn smiled at her with a smug look on her face. “The paper wants me to write a review of the place,” she said. “And I can bring friends.” Addy set down the cereal box and grabbed Shea’s arms. The two of them jumped up and down, letting out cries of excitement while Brooklyn la
Looking at her friends, Kendall shook her head and said, “I’m not sure I can afford this.” Shea stepped forward and grabbed Kendall by the arms. “Don’t you worry about a thing,” she said. “The reason we came here first is because of two important words. Employee discount. Trust me. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I wasn’t able to use it.” “Yeah, we can’t afford to shop here without it,” Brooklyn said, holding up a flowery top in front of her. Kendall looked at everyone and smiled. “You guys are the best,” she said. Turning to Darlene, she said, “I’ll take it.” Clapping her hands, Darlene said, “Wonderful! It looks like they had you in mind when they made it. I’ll take it up to the front for you, so it’s ready when you are.” “Thanks,” Kendall said as she went back into the dressing room to change back into her clothes. When she emerged again, she handed the dress to Darlene, who told everyone, “I’ll be right back.” “Did any of you find anything?” Kendall asked
When Brooklyn came out of the dressing room, she did a turn so everyone could see her dress. “Oh, that looks so good on you,” Shea said, coming over to look at her. Nodding, Addy asked, “You are going to get that, right?” “You have to,” Kendall agreed. “Of course,” Brooklyn said. “I love it!” “And this belt will go great with it!” Shea said, bringing a brown suede belt over to her. Brooklyn put it on and looked at herself in the mirror. “Oh, yes,” she said. “I love it! You do have an eye for accessories.” Brooklyn headed back into the dressing room to change out of the dress. She spotted a bag hanging on a rack next to the dressing room. Grabbing it, she held it and called out, “Shea! What do you think?” After looking at her for a moment, Shea nodded and said, “Get it. It goes with the outfit.” “I thought so, but I wanted confirmation from you,” Brooklyn told her. After Brooklyn went back into the dressing room to change, the salesperson told Shea, “You’ve
“Are you ready to go?” Lewis asked, bending down to tie his shoe. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Kendall said, tightening the strap on her helmet. “Then, let’s head to the park,” he said, straightening and putting his skateboard on the pavement. Kendall followed suit, and they kicked off. She followed him as he led the way to the park. Skating down the sidewalk, they weaved in and out of pedestrians, excusing themselves as they did. Finally reaching the park, they made their way toward the skating area, where some guys were already using it. “Hey, Lewis!” one of them called out. “Who’s the babe?” Lewis skidded to a stop. Kendall pulled up next to him with a scowl on her face. “Hey, Tony, watch your mouth,” Lewis told him, scowling. “This is my friend, Kendall, and if you’re not careful, she’s going to skate rings around you.” Tony looked contrite and muttered an apology. “Sorry,” he said, looking down at the ground. “It’s just that we never see Lewis bring a girl he
“What do you want to do now?” Brooklyn asked after the club shut down for the night. “I’m too pumped to go home.” “There’s that all-night diner a couple of blocks over,” Cort suggested. “It doesn’t look like much, but the food is decent. We’ve been there a few times after gigs.” “Their hashbrowns are to die for,” Bradford said, putting his hand on his chest and rolling his eyes into the back of his head. “That seals the deal for me,” Shea said, linking her arm through Bradford’s. “If they have the best hashbrowns, I’m in.” “Same,” Addy said. “There’s something about good hashbrowns. You never forget them.” “That’s very true,” Brooklyn said. “If it’s the place I’ve read about, all their food is good.” “Did your paper write a review of the place?” Cort asked her. Brooklyn nodded and said, “Brian reviewed it, saying it was good and cheap.” “Then, that sounds like the perfect place to go right now,” Lewis said. “Because I don’t have much money on me, but I’m starving.”
“What about you?” Brooklyn asked Cort. “Are you nervous about possibly playing at that club?” Cort shrugged and said, “It’s just another gig to me.” “That’s one way to look at it,” Brooklyn said, tilting her head to look at him. He looked at her and grinned. “If we decide to play there, will you be writing a review of the show?” he asked. She nudged him with her shoulder and said, “You know it.” Shea threaded her arm through Bradford’s and asked, “Do you think you and Cort will like the club enough to play there?” Bradford looked at her and shrugged. “I’ve not been, so I can’t tell you for sure that we’ll like it,” he told her before tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. “Besides, you’ll be there with me, so it won’t be a wasted trip if we decide not to book a gig there.” Shea smiled at him and said, “You say the sweetest things.” “Only to the sweetest girl,” he told her, kissing the tip of her nose. Shea giggled and brushed her lips over his. “You two are so s
Kendall rushed over to Lewis as he came near the table. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “That was awesome!” she said. “Did you get it all recorded?” He nodded, grinning at her, and said, “I did! I can’t wait to get it back home and edit it so I can show the guys.” “I know they’re going to love it,” Kendall said, kissing him again. “Excuse me, but did you just say you filmed the band?” Lewis and Kendall turned to see one of the four women who had approached the table talking to them. “Yeah,” Lewis said as he nodded. “I’m their friend and a filmmaker-,” “An award-winning filmmaker,” Kendall broke in. Lewis grinned at her before looking at the other woman and continuing. “I filmed their performance, so they can view it later,” he said. “I’m sure it’s going to be amazing,” the woman said. “I’m Amber, by the way.” “Lewis,” he told her. “And this is Kendall.” Amber kept her eyes on Lewis as she said, “So nice to meet you.” Kendall frowned an
“You all were awesome up there!” Shea told Bradford when the guys rejoined them at the table. “I’ll say,” Addy said, looping her arm through Troy’s. “You did a wonderful job. I was so proud of you.” She leaned forward to brush her lips over his. “If it means more kisses from you, I’ll get back on that stage right now,” Troy said, grinning at her. Addy giggled and snuggled closer to him. “This is definitely getting a good write-up in my next article,” Brooklyn told them, slipping her phone back into her purse. Cort slipped his arms around her waist, and she leaned into his embrace. “That’ll be good publicity for the band,” he said. “Too bad Dex wasn’t here. Then we’d have the full band.” “You still sounded good without him,” Lewis said. “You can see for yourself once I get the video I took of you edited.” Cort, Troy, and Bradford looked at him with wide eyes. “You filmed us?” Cort asked. “I sure did,” Lewis said, grinning at his friend. “I thought you migh
“Let’s order some drinks,” Troy said. “I’ll stay here and watch the purses,” Bradford offered. “I want to check out this DJ more to see if I can add anything to my performance the next time we play.” “Sure thing, man,” Cort told him. “I’ll get you your usual.” “Thanks, my man,” Bradford said. Cort nodded before he joined Troy and Lewis as they headed toward the bar to order their drinks. Bradford kept an eye on the ladies’ purses as he watched the DJ spin the tunes. He nodded to the beat and grinned. The DJ noticed him and smiled at him before waving him onstage. Bradford looked around and saw the guys coming back with their drinks. He signaled to them that he was getting on the stage. Cort nodded and jerked his chin toward the DJ. Bradford grinned and climbed the stairs at the back of the stage to join the DJ. Cort put the drinks on the table and called out to Bradford. When he looked, Cort held up his fists, giving him two thumbs up. Bradford grinned and returned t
Kendall squeezed Lewis’s arm as his film began. Her eyes never left the screen as his movie played out. Lewis looked around at his friends and the rest of the audience while his film played. Their attention seemed focused on the screen. He smiled and nodded. Once his film finished, he whispered to Kendall, “I think everyone liked it.” She squeezed his arm as she grinned up at him. “I know they did,” she said. Addy leaned forward, reaching over Troy to pat Lewis on the arm. “That was amazing,” she said, grinning at him. Troy nodded, giving Lewis a thumbs up. Brooklyn looked up from her phone to nod at him with a grin while Cort nodded once. Shea and Bradford both gave him a thumbs up. He grinned at his friends and nodded before returning his attention to the screen. Two more films played before Lewis leaned over to Kendall and whispered, “Carl’s film is next.” Before Kendall could respond, Carl whispered, “Now, you’re going to see some real filmmaking.”
Lewis sighed and turned his head to look over his shoulder at Carl. “What do you want, Carl?” he asked. Carl glanced at the refreshment counter and said, “I just want something to drink. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, is all.” “Yeah, you made sure to get close enough to us to overhear and comment on it,” Lewis said with a scowl. Carl shrugged, his hands out to the side, and said, “It’s not my fault you talk so loud.” “But it is your fault you had to butt in on the conversation,” Lewis said, turning around to face the other man. Kendall put her hand on Lewis’ arm and frowned, saying, “Just ignore him, Lewis. He’s not worth it.” Shea bit her lip and glanced at Bradford while squeezing his arm. She winked at him before she slipped past Lewis and Kendall and smiled at Carl. “Is your movie in the next grouping, too?” she asked him, putting her hand on his arm and widening her eyes as she pulled him out of the line. He looked at her and smiled, putti
“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between,” the woman said. “My name is Denise, and I’ll be your host for our film festival this evening.” She looked over the audience and continued. “I see a lot of familiar faces here,” she said, smiling, “and some who are new.” Kendall nudged Lewis and smiled at him. He grinned at her and whispered, “But next year, I’ll be one of those familiar faces.” “That you will,” Kendall said before kissing him. On the stage, Denise continued. “We have quite a lot of films to enjoy this evening, so I’ll keep this brief,” she said. “After we have viewed the films, we’ll be handing out the awards, which I know is everyone’s favorite part of the night.” Everyone in the audience clapped and cheered, causing Denise to laugh. “I knew it!” she said with a grin. “You’re just here for the awards!” Laughter rang out across the room. “Well then, let’s just get those pesky films out of the way so we can get to the best part of the night,” she
Everyone turned to see Carl Hornsbeck standing behind them, his arms around the shoulders of the two women he’d entered with. Smirking at Lewis, he said, “Our friend Lewis here doesn’t stand a chance once the judges see my movie.” His gaze drifted to Brooklyn, and he winked at her. “You should hang out with better people,” he told her. Beside Brooklyn, Cort tensed. She put her hand on his arm and sniffed at Carl. “I only hang with the best people,” she told him. “I’m not some sort of groupie just hanging on to someone hoping to get my fifteen minutes of fame by proxy.” She looked at the two women, who glared back at her. Carl glanced at them and chuckled. Before he could say anything, Shea pushed her way to the front and said, “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.” She held out her hand and batted her eyes at him. Carl took her hand in his and brushed his lips over the back of her hand, causing her to giggle. He grinned at her and said, “I would have rem