“Eddie …”
“Don’t Eddie me. I let it go when you got all red faced the first time you crossed paths with him. After you finally told me the whole story, that is. I didn’t point out the fact he was clearly trying to flirt, but you were too blind to see it. I kept my mouth shut. But I won’t let this go. He stuck up for you to a man who most wouldn’t dream of crossing. You know what that means?”
I shake my head. Not in affirmation of his comments, but because I’m not sure I want him to continue talking. The fear of knowing where he’s going with this is overtaking my false calm.
“Kane Masters was staking a claim. On you. Willow, you might have been able to brush off the first meeting with him, but he obviously wasn’t. You don’t act like a big bad white knight over someone you know nothing about unless you plan to make it a point to learn more.”
I continue to shake my head, this time in denial. “Don’t be ridiculous, Eddie. He was just being a gentleman in the unfortunate situation in which he found himself.”
“You’re wrong, again. What do you think the tabloids would do with the story of him all but throwing a punch at Dominic Logan? No way he would risk that, not to be a gentleman about one fucked-up situation. No, if that is the case, he would have made his gentlemanly move silently to keep that risk down.”
“You’re being absurd. He knows nothing about me. There isn’t some grand serendipitous force in place here, Eddie. End of story.”
His eyes light up, highlighted by the white cream under his tawny eyes. “That, sweetheart, is where you’re dead wrong. But the rest can wait for Kirby to get here. She’s on the way.”
“What? Why isn’t she at work?”
He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Did you miss the whole ‘Kirby pushed her resignation under Dominic’s door’ part of my story?”
“What?”
“Good Lord, did you lose your brain in that bottle of Jack last night?”
“Why would she quit?” I implore.
He opens his mouth, but closes it when my front door opens and Kirby walks in. She’s left her blond hair pulled back into a sloppy bun, and her face is free of makeup. She enters the living room area and pulls her sweater over her head, leaving her in form-fitting yoga pants and a tank top.
“I swear, it’s getting cooler than normal out there for October.” She plops down on the couch and looks over at Eddie. “Hemorrhoid cream bag treatment?” she questions him.
“What? Seriously! How am I the only one who didn’t know about this?”
She laughs. “It’s my job to know all the tricks I can about improving the face. Half the models I get stuck with need all the help they can get when makeup isn’t applied and Photoshop isn’t working wonders.”
Who would have thought? Making a mental note to remember that tip, I look from Eddie’s face to Kirby. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the middle of a workday?”
“You suck at playing dumb, Will. I’m sure Chatty Cathy here filled you in. I quit. No way would I stay working at Logan Agency after yesterday. Rob was one hundred percent behind me when I told him what happened.”
“You can’t just quit, Kirb! You loved working there.”
She leans forward on the couch and gives me a soft look. “No, I loved working with my two best friends while I did something I enjoyed. With Eddie gone and after the way you were treated and fired, there was no way I could have stayed another day. Plus, we already have a new job.”
“Get ready for it,” Eddie whispers loudly.
“Ready for what? We? What do you mean we have a new job? You two are exhausting.”
“Did you tell her everything?” Kirby questions Eddie with a devious smirk.
“Nope. I saved the best part for you.”
“I got a call late last night from none other than Kane Masters’ personal assistant. He was very nice and forthcoming about the current conditions on set for the film Kane is directing. Apparently, a few unfortunate situations have him reevaluating his current crew. One of them being the lead makeup artist for the whole cast. Something about her sexually harassing Kane, which, by the way, I find hilarious.”
Kirby’s pause gives my mind a second to process all of this and a big smile to form. This is huge for Kirby. I know she never planned to leave the Logan Agency, but something like this falling into her lap is a large stepping-stone for her career.
“That’s great, Kirb! Holy crap! You’re going to do makeup for a major motion picture?”
“It’s a huge deal, but because of the magnitude of this project, Kane has requested I bring an assistant who can help me keep up the pace of such a demanding role.”
“Well, that shouldn’t be hard. You know a ton of people in the industry, Kirby. Anyone would be ecstatic to have that chance. I’m so proud of you.”
“That’s nice that you think so since you’re coming with me and all.”
“Uh, what?”
“Kane requested that you be my assistant.”
“Very funny.” I laugh, pulling my wet hair back and tying it in a bun to prevent a frizzy mess. I walk away from Kirby and into the kitchen for a glass of water, pulling my sweatpants up as they start to sag. When did these get so loose? “You had me going for a second there.”
“I’m not joking, Willow.”
“You expect me to believe that Kane Masters asked for me to come?”
“I do, but I knew you would have issues believing me, so I told the PA, Sam, to call back and leave me a message with the offer. That was after I told him we would be on a plane to Georgia first thing next Monday.”
“What?!” I scream and drop my full cup of water, shattering the fragile glass. “Crap.”
Eddie, laughing under his breath, moves from his perch on my barstool and walks past me to get the broom and dustpan. Shock holds me immobile while I lock eyes with Kirby. She smirks and brings her phone out. After fiddling with it for a few moments, a voice I would recognize anywhere fills the room.
“Kirby, this is Kane. Sam told me that you requested a little verification to further aid in your assistant hopefully joining our team. First, let me express my gratitude that you have decided to accept the job offer. I’m sure you will fit in with the cast of Impenetrable and find this new career venture to your liking. Secondly, Sam expressed your need to be home as much as the filming schedule would allow, and you have my assurance that we will do everything we can so you’re not away from your home and family more than necessary.”