Addy turned around to see Shea standing behind her with her hands on her hips, glaring down at her. “Hey, Shea!” Addy said. “I was just talking to Bradford, and we came up with a plan to collaborate on designs for the band.” Shea looked from Addy to Bradford. Her expression softened as she relaxed her hands to fall to her sides. She slid into the seat next to Addy and looked at her. “Tell me more about this venture,” she said, smiling at them. Grinning, Addy said, “With Bradford’s art and my designs, I see a lot of potential for merchandise for Steel Gaze. This could be big for the both of us!” Shea smiled at her friend and said, “You deserve it after everything that’s happened.” Bradford looked at Addy with concern on his face. “What happened?” he asked, then held up his hands. “Of course, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.” Addy shook her head and said, “Let’s just say I lost a good job in the fashion industry not too long ago, and I’m still l
“Can you believe that girl?” Shea asked, shaking her head as she watched Brooklyn leave the roof. “I swear, she’s got a thing for Cort.” “What?” Addy asked, standing straight from loading the cooler and looking at her roommate. “No way!” “Way!” Shea said, giggling. “Did you miss the flustered way she was acting around him? I’d say our roommate has a crush.” Addy looked toward Kendall with her eyebrows raised. Kendall nodded and said, “I could see it, clear as day.” Throwing her arms in the air, Addy shook her head and asked, “How have I been so blind?” Shea dropped the lid to the picnic basket and came over to hug her friend. “You’ve had other things on your mind,” she said, patting Addy’s back. Addy smiled as Kendall put down the cooler to walk over. She threw her arms around them, joining in the hug. A loud peal of thunder cracked overhead, causing them to jump apart and look toward the darkening sky. “Let’s get the rest of this stuff inside before it starts p
“What do you mean, you think Cort has a stalker?” Addy asked. “What happened?” Brooklyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she said, “As you know, I went to see Cort to make sure we were good.” Shea and Addy nodded. “We’re cool, by the way,” she said with a slight smile. “Good to hear,” Shea said. “Tell us about the stalker,” Addy said, waving her hand to speed up the story. “Oh, yeah,” Brooklyn said, shaking her head. “When we had finished talking, he went back inside his apartment, and I turned toward the doorway to the stairs. I heard someone calling out to me and turned around. This woman was hurrying toward me with this weird look on her face.” Addy gasped and asked, “What did you do?” “I took a step back, but she got right into my face,” Brooklyn said, her eyes wide. “What?” Shea asked, her mouth dropping open. “Did she say anything?” Addy asked. “She asked me how I knew Cort,” Brooklyn said. “What did you tell her?” Shea aske
“Did you see the look on Shea’s face when Kendall told us that Lewis wanted us all in his next movie?” Addy asked Brooklyn at breakfast. Brooklyn nodded, chewing her bite of cereal. Chasing it down with a gulp of milk, she said, “She didn’t look too happy that he wanted everyone in it.” Addy shook her head, biting into her toast. After swallowing, she said, “I wonder if Shea had the idea that she would be the star of the movie and now feels like we’re butting in on her big break.” “I hope not,” Brooklyn said, frowning. “I don’t want her to think we’re trying to take over her role or anything.” “We can only wait and see,” Addy said. Glancing up at the clock, she gasped and asked, “Is that really the time? I’ve got to get some work in on our outfits before Troy comes to get me for coffee.” She shoved the last bite of bagel into her mouth, washing it down with the last of her coffee before setting her dirty dishes in the sink. “I’ll do them when I get back,” she calle
Friday night came, and Shea rushed around the apartment, getting ready for her date with Bradford. “Girl, slow down!” Brooklyn told her from the couch, glancing up from the book she was reading. “You’re getting me exhausted just looking at you.” Shea stopped in the middle of the room and threw her hands up. “I can’t find my brown purse,” Shea said. “Have you seen it around?” Brooklyn tapped her lips as she thought, then asked, “Didn’t Addy borrow it the other day? She said it went with the boots she was wearing that day.” Shea snapped her fingers and said, “That’s right!” Rushing toward Addy’s door, she pounded on it, yelling, “Open up, Addy! It’s an emergency!” A few seconds went by before Addy yanked her door open. “What’s going on?” she asked, taking the pins out of her mouth. “My brown purse,” Shea said, her eyes wide. “Do you still have it?” Confused, Addy nodded and pointed over her shoulder, saying, “It’s on my dresser. Let me get it.” Shea waited, shif
Kendall leaned against the counter, looking around the store. Hardly anyone was there since it was the middle of the week during the day. Kendall kept her eye on a group of young girls, which she was sure had skipped school that day. They huddled around the crystal display, oohing and aahing over the various stones. She didn’t get any negativity from their direction, so she kept half of her attention on them. Once they brought their purchases to the counter and paid, they left. Kendall looked around the store once more. No one remained. “Well, no time like the present for a little practice,” she said, pulling out her Tarot cards from under the counter. “Well, cards,” she said as she shuffled them. “What messages do you have for me today?” Flipping over the first card, she frowned. “Well, that doesn’t look good,” she said. “If I remember correctly, that’s a warning.” She flipped over another card, and her eyes grew wide. “I think that means a broken heart,” she whispe
A few days after Addy decided to contact various stores to see if they would sell her designs, Brooklyn headed for the library. She needed to research her latest article and also wanted to check out the latest books. Since it was one of those rare warm fall days where the sun was shining, she wore a plaid skirt, sleeveless top, and a sweater over top of it. She felt like a student as she walked into the library and giggled at the thought. Heading toward the upper floor where the research materials were located, she noticed the library was nearly empty. “One of the perks of coming early in the morning,” she whispered while waiting for the elevator. The doors opened, and she stepped inside, pushing the button for the top floor. She turned around and looked out of the glass as the elevator ascended. Her eyes narrowed as she thought she saw a familiar figure, but her view was blocked as the elevator rose higher. “No, it couldn’t be,” she whispered, shaking her head. The doo
After Addy and Lewis left the apartment, Shea put down her magazine and frowned. “Fine,” she muttered. “Don’t talk around me.” She stood up and walked toward the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk. As she drank, her phone beeped, letting her know she’d received a text. Her eyes widened as she looked at her phone, and she put the glass down. “Ooh! It’s from Bradford,” she said when she saw the text. “Hey, gorgeous lady,” the text read. “I wanted to say how much I’m missing you right now. Are you free for dinner tonight?” She danced around the kitchen, grinning madly, before replying, “Hey, handsome! I’m missing you, too. As luck would have it, I am free for dinner tonight. What did you have in mind?” “I wanted to take you to that Italian restaurant across town,” he texted back. “I remembered you said how much you loved their chicken parm.” “He remembered!” Shea squealed as she shimmied in glee. “Ooh! That sounds divine!” she responded. “Great!” he texted. “I’